Ohmygod Mulder - it's a UFO!

No, that's a UFO no more!

When I had my sewing crisis of faith a while back, I properly tidied my office/sewing room (which at that point had literal piles of fabric in heaps on the floor and desk, patterns and sewing magazines stacked precariously in the gaps in between, and random threads and zips floating about). It was actually a little scary. In the cleaning process, I rediscovered my box of UFOs and decided that I either needed to accept defeat with them (was I really ever going to wear this?) or finish them. Some were beyond help and are now cut up into pieces I can reuse for other things. But others I decided I should finish, and when I did that, I rediscovered one dress in particular that I've fallen back in love with.

I had great hopes for this fabric when I bought it - I loved the bold deco print and was determined to carefully pattern match it perfectly. But somehow when I started this dress (probably a year ago), I got into a total hissy fit over it. Yelling and rage. I felt that despite all my best pattern-matching efforts, I'd made a massive cock-up and it looked shit. So I threw it in the UFO box in disgust and have ignored it ever since.

But when I 'found' it again, I realised that, actually, it wasn't so bad. It was...maybe...good, even?! Ok, maybe not perfect, but the centre front is pretty damn good and for the rest of it, well, who the hell cares?! Have you looked at the pattern matching (or rather total lack thereof) in RTW clothes? Clothing retailers don't care, so why the hell should I kill myself for perfection when I'm not much bothered either? This fabric is bold and different and I like it. All I needed to do was hem it and finish the necklines and armholes (because in the UFO phase, I lost the sleeve pieces. I keep losing sleeve pieces! Must pay better attention).

Yay, insta-dress!

I also finished off a test version of the Anna dress that I'd hacked onto a Megan skirt. This is a pattern combo I think I like, but I don't like this particular version (the fabric is a bit blergh). Still, it's nice to have finished it and know that for sure. And the fit of the bodice with no alterations is bloody perfect (ignore the weird neckline - that's a facing problem). I just bought some new fabric to make my first 'real' Anna dress and I'm very excited for it!

And the last finished UFO. This is henceforth to be known as my Rat Bastard Top. It's the ill-fated Wren dress which I adjusted with some bust darts, and then shortened. Initially I shortened it to an above the knee dress but I still hated it, so figured it might work as a top with jeans and a cardy. It's ok. I have so much hatred towards it though (hemming this bastard was a total nightmare of snapped threads and snagged fabric and general cursing). But it's a decent-enough top if you don't look too closely. And at least it's finished.

I find there's a catharsis to finishing things that have long languished in a box. It's not just a new dress and a new top. It's given me a sense of satisfaction and quiet, and I needed both of those this week. It's been an up and down week work-wise (mostly great swooping downs), but sewing has been a little pocket of creativity and calm in the middle of all of that. I'm grateful to have that in my life.