Mending My Ways

I have been a busy lady. A very busy lady. In 2 days we leave for a Mediterranean cruise plus several days in Rome. Naturally, that means sewing. Lots of sewing. I have altered two of Mike's trousers to fit him better, lengthened my own quintessential pair of white pants (the ones with buttons on the front that bring 'nautical' to mind) sewn a ridiculously gorgeous silk blouse (more to come) all while working on "the slip that won't die."

 I finally got around to doing a tiny bit of work on this amazing 1950's dress that my mother gave me for my birthday a few years ago. It was a size too small, and I vowed to loose 5 lbs and pull this "mad Men" beauty back out of the closet some day.
Well, I may have 5 lbs to lose but my rib cage is not getting any smaller. Ever. So today I let it out a bit, wiped off some dusty bits, and reattached some buttons.

I lengthened the belt a bit by just moving some hooks and eyes over a little bit, and presto chango! Bigger dress!

 

This gorgeous V- back looks amazing and the whole dress is a miraculous study in how to rearrange your bits and pieces to fit in a smaller package.

It's still tight because there was no room to make the sewn in belt any bigger than I did but I have a rule about these things. If you can wear it for ten minutes without getting dizzy, it's fine for the night.

I'll be getting my cast off on Tuesday before we leave and by the time I get home, I hope to be back in good shape, working, and able to sew and type like a fiend. Plus, I have made it my mission on this vacation to come home with some great vintage clothing and find some lovely exotic fabrics to add to my stash.
At the beginning of February, I'll be back, baby.