My name is Jane and I'm a Gleek. Yes, I love Glee, the music, the clothes, the actors...although I will admit it took a lot to get me watching FOX. Well, politics aside, last week I decided to sew a quick something to wear to my annual 8th grade reunion weekend in northern NJ. This started 11 years ago at the second HS reunion I attended. Bored after an hour, what I did enjoy was catching up with classmates from my parochial grammar school years since I had known them, their siblings and their parents for my entire childhood. I reconnected with a wonderful girlfriend and now we've had two big reunions with people coming from around the country, some of our former teachers and an annual lunch date just to keep in touch. My girlfriend and I drive up the night before, meet with anyone who shows up for a burger at the local hamburger joint (in business since 1956) then walk the streets of our hometown the next morning, meet for lunch with more classmates and do a drive by of our childhood homes.
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My former room, over the garage, sewing machine,
in the room to the right of the garage |
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| WWEPW in about 30 years? |
Sewwwwww, what to wear to this annual nostalgia fest? This year I was influenced by the wonderful WWEPW blog.
What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?...yes, what would Emma Pillsbury the thoughtful, OCD guidance counselor and adult love interest of Glee, wear? I had a new August silk cardigan that needed a skirt and some lapel ornament. Pulled out an untried pattern, Burda 8294, with a short lined, bias skirt and in two short days of sewing had a new skirt and quickie pin ornament. It was a hectic week here as we are visiting with so many local friends before we leave town for seven months and also finish up house and yard projects. But I was happy with how the outfit came out despite my crunch.
Temperamentally I am not a quick seamstress. I mull projects over, take frequent breaks, have several projects going at the same time (even I realize this sounds a little ADHD) and have difficulty finishing. But I loved how the bias wool/silk fabric looked for this skirt. It's from Fabric Mart. I still have 3 yards left so it will be a jacket one day also.
For the pin, I used some shapes that a friend had designed for cutting T shirt jersey into shapes for embellishing. I cut the back piece out of a brown suede scrap then several sizes from pink organza and the pink and brown wool scraps. Sewed a big brown vintage button and done.
Came home with more funny stories from my classmates' memory banks and a heart of gratitude for our families and one another...as well as chocolates from the amazing confectionery store still thriving in my home town.
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| Hmmm, the button actually looks like chocolate, doesn't it? |
Jane ,you look wonderful in this outit as well as your LGD.The fit is really good on both pieces. Isn't it wonderful to be retired and have lots of time to sew. But then we don't need as many clothes now do we? But if you're like me you still like the type of clothes you use to wear. It's taken me a long time to get over not wearing career type pieces and concentrating on things I'll actually wear.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your blog!
Wonderful colors and lines in this outfit. Love the pin too.
ReplyDeleteThe skirt: Lovely. Perfect fit. Perfect color and coordinates so well with your sweater. Great photograph.
ReplyDeleteI also like Glee. But heaven forbid, I didn't know it was on Fox. (We don't have TV and we just watch Glee on the internet, and I had no idea how my DBF found the channel)... (sounds like my (politics aside) are similiar to yours. And I loved your story of the history of the reunion. I have been writing memoir recently and LOVE the grammar school years ... hmmmm ... I may have to hunt down some comrades.