I once wore a beloved linen dress until shredded patches appeared in the skirt area. Though discouraged by this fact, I still couldn’t throw the dress out. So, I put it away for safe-keeping. Years later, I got the idea that I would dig out that dress again, take it apart, and make a paper pattern from it. I had never studied pattern making before so the pattern I cut out was not well measured or even particularly symmetrical. The first dress that I made from this pattern had to be rejigged in a number of areas as it didn’t fit very well. The second dress that I made from this pattern was also still quite uneven and so I cut and fiddled around with the pattern pieces once again. The third dress that I made from this same pattern (I really loved the style of it ) was in need of further reworking, too, but this time, I began to tape back paper bits that had been cut off from the pattern pieces that had “suffered” from my previous misunderstandings as to how to measure things properly. When I had finally made eight dresses from this bloody pattern (I’m not exaggerating!), I realized that the pattern was still out of whack as the hemline in the front of the dress hung down lower than the hemline at the back. (I never have gotten it right!) However, I loved these comfort fit dresses! Some were made of Chinese fabric, fancy brocade and even white eyelet.
Soon after, I began making jewelry to match the fabrics or in some cases, buying fabrics for new dresses which would match the jewelry I had made. A rather elaborate jewelry-making workshop grew out of all this. And even now, 45 necklaces later, I can’t stop thinking about making new necklace and earring designs out of semi-precious stones and glass for possible inclusion in my dress making efforts. Some would say, “Enough of sewing that same old hackneyed dress pattern”. Or, “Enough of the jewelry making extravaganza”. But no, I have yardage for three more dresses just waiting for me to attack, and, jars and jars of beads and stones from which the 46th necklace can be made. No telling when it will all end.
