clothing designer??

Many of you probably don't know that when I was growing up I always thought it would be cool to be a clothing designer. Not so much for other people, but mostly for myself. Believe it or not, I am very picky about what I like to wear. For the longest time when I was overweight I felt like NOTHING fit right or looked right on me. But now that I'm smaller I can actually wear some stylish clothes and pull it off.

So I've been thinking about trying to wear more dresses this summer just for fun and casual... but most of the ones I find at the stores don't fit right or are too pricey for something to wear around the house/outside. So I went to Goodwill a few weeks ago because often times if the store doesn't have what I want then Goodwill does, and at a better price. I will say Goodwill has several very nice dressier looking dresses and they are all less than $10. I would highly recommend if ever shopping for a nicer dress to go there as they have a great selection of nice modern dressy clothes. But I only found one dress that was more casual and summery. (I also found a very nice pair of dark grey Champion slicky wind resistant sweatpants that were in mint condition for less than $4, perfect for running in the wind.) Anyways, I do like this dress and I think I will wear it but it is a bit short for my taste (and the sleeves show off a little more arm than I'd like). I'd prefer for it go to my knees and a bit longer. But I now have one dress to add to my summer attire. (sorry pic #2 is terrible of me)

But the story doesn't stop there. I got the crazy idea to make a dress, using some extra material that I have stashed out in the garage. So here is my little sewing desk that is down in the basement that I set up this past year for exciting moments like this (not the record player on the right).

Did I mention I didn't have a pattern so I took two and combined and shrunk them (one of them was maternity). The top picture - in the top right corner - is the dress part (I made my dress longer).

And I like the shirt/top part on this next lady (or so I thought) only with short sleeves that aren't quite so poofy/frilly looking. It looks similar to the one I bought at Goodwill.

On day one I had a little helper Wendell who likes to push the foot petal while I sew but after about an hour and me putting the sleeves on upside down (did I mention I've never followed a pattern before - I just collect them when my mom gives them to me) I quit, thinking it was the end. I'm not always a happy person when I have to pull out the seam ripper and doubly unhappy when I can't figure out a pattern. But after taking a break and another look, I figured out what I did wrong and was motivated to get back to work. So yesterday when both kids were napping (a rarity here), I did it!

It's not done, and I'm not sure I'll finish it because it looks a little on the dressy side, and it shows my bra straps a little too much (the sides slide down so I'd have to wear a tank underneath). But I am proud to say I could finish it, and it could be presentable (in my opinion) if I so chose.

On a good note, my mom is sending me some patterns that she found so maybe they will be a little more my style. I should just buck up and go to the fabric store - buy some material I like (something summery and cotton like tshirt) and find a pattern that fits my style. We'll see what my mom sends and if I get enough energy to make another then I'll let you know. My mom says once you find a pattern you really like and is easy then you can use it over and over for different designs/looks, which I did once making dress pants.

So I would say this was my first real attempt at clothing design.

What do you think? I'm happy with my results but not happy that I probably won't really wear it (or make another one with my homemade pattern). At least I know I could finish it if I got motivated (it wouldn't really take much) and then wear it to church or something like that. Oh well.. looking back it was fun and I'm glad I did it. I am motivated to try again.. only with a different pattern and some material that is a little more summery.