Photos of my new shirts

Hi again,

Earlier this week, I wandered down to my local op shop, and picked up three shirts for $9. That made me happy!


Two of them are going to become stencil-shirts, and the third one went straight in a dye bath.


It came out a little darker than I intended, but I like it! This is a light cotton/linen blend that will be great for hot summer days. The rose print that was on the white has been well-covered by the dye and is now just a subtle mottled pattern.

Then yesterday I finished the other summer shirt I've been making. This one is linen, and it's only the second shirt I've made to a pattern, so I was feeling proud as punch when I finished it, tweaked the fitting a bit, and liked it! Whew.

Here it is next to my dyed op shop shirt:

Neckline:
Ties on the back:
The pattern is New Look 6515 and I made option E. I had to modify the neckline slightly, as the neck was too wide and the V came down past my bra in the front, but that was easily fixed with a bit of trial and error.


What shall I make next? It's a bit of a dilemma: I want to finish off the summer quilt, because it's been languishing for a week or two, but I'm also keen on sewing clothes and bags.

I feel that the job hunt is nearing an end, and I'm glad of that, not least because we need the money, but also because I want the challenge. It's been a long process to examine my skills and decide to make a change in direction, and soon (hopefully very soon) I will re-emerge not as a marketing person, but as an editor. I know that there will be a lot to learn, and that it will be exhausting for the first couple of months so that my time to sew and craft will become limited and very precious. So I've sorted out my sewing supplies and desk, and put all of the unfinished projects into one large box in the hope that I can finish off a few projects before I lose this luxurious sewing time. Wish me luck!

B