Thursday, March 3, 2011

I'M SEW EXCITED YA'LL

I'm soooooooooooooo excited about my next project.  (Sing this like the Pointer Sister's song, "I'm so excited" and you'll feel how really excited I am about this.  But (furst!)....The back story.  This is where my daughter and grand daughters start to roll their eyes and say under their breaths'....."Not another story".  I just ignore them and continue....most of the time they end up enjoying the story.......Hope you will too.

I was thinking I wanted to make a dress since all I wear are tops and bottoms since I've become a full figured woman as opposed to being a little plump in my younger years.  Well, I decided that I would make a simple dress with princess seaming in front and back.  I chose Vogue 8665 as I thought should ok on my full figured body.  (I'm laughing here!)



And here's what it looks like in real time!

It fits nicely at the neckline and sleeves but the rest looks like it was made at home with loving hands by Omar, the tent maker.

I decided that what I really needed now in order to fit my new body (this new one that I didn't realize had changed so drastically) was a dress form.  I had contemplated this over the years  but just didn't purchase one as the things I made looked ok on me.  So I was off and running with a new project.  I had looked at the ones at Hancock fabrics and always thought they looked cumbersome and didn't really look like my body.

So off to the internet to google dress-forms.  Ta-Dah!  Pages and pages of dress-form stuff.  After several look sees with prices ranging .from $86 to over $800 I was totally confused and I knew I didn't want to invest what seemed like a ridiculous amount of money into a dressform.  A few hours later I tried again and went to this site:  fabulousfit.com and called for more information.  Much to my absolute amazement I found myself speaking with a woman who identified herself as Jill.   Jill was a jewel of a person.  She told me about her dressforms and quoted prices.  I told her honestly that I was a hobbyist sewer and didn't want to invest so much money.  Based on so many conversations I've had with people on the phone, I expected her to just say ok and hang up.  Jill went on to advise me that I could get a very good dressform from Amazon under $100 and told me that they also sold the pads that could build out the form in the shape of my body.  She told me to purchase a smaller size and go from there using the pads.  She still wasn't finished with me, she also suggested a book about fitting with dressforms, Fit Made Easy...Catch 22" Dress Forms & Fitting Secrets Revealed, which she thought would serve me well through this process.  I can't begin to tell you how warm, generous and forthcoming with information, and just plain old nice she was.  I thanked her and and followed up with an email and referenced my blog.

I quickly pulled up Amazon and ordered the $86 dress form, the $69 pads and the book $14.  I received the book yesterday and read it today.  This book is so descriptive with text, pictures, instructions for what ifs and just about anything else you could want from this type of book.  She was right, its just what I needed having no experience with dressforms.  I finished it in less than an hour and highlighted pertinate paragraphs so I can easily find what I need when I get started.  And to top it all off I find that Jill Ralston is one of two authors of this book and PRESIDENT of Fabulous Fit.  Hot d_______!  I opened the computer and to my amazement she actually read and commented on this blog.  You don't find 'em like this everyday.

The doorbell just rang and it was Fed Ex with the pads.  Can't write any longer .....got to go play with  the pads and read the instructions.

I'm soooooooooooooo excited.

Blessings and Light
Lillie













5 comments:

  1. Hi Lillie! I'm sew excited for you! Thanks for the great information. This sounds like something I need to invest in. Good luck and please post pics when done.

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  2. Thanks for reading and commenting. More to come.

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  3. Hello Grand Diva, first, thank you for following my blog! It let me know about your blog so I came right over to visit - and must say "what great work you do"! I'm adding you to my blog list and will be looking in often. Nice meeting you too!

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  4. Wow Lillie, that's so exciting!! You hardly find great customer service like that anymore...
    And, to speak with the "big mama", that's says a lot within itself. :)
    Can't wait to meet the newest addition to your sewing room.

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  5. I often tell my granddaughters that it doesn't cost a thing to be nice. In business the cost of goodwill is priceless. I hope she gets lots of attention from my blog and from everyone else who reads sewing blogs..
    - Show quoted text -

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