Let's hope you brought your sense of humour

OK

Well the Jodie jumper/dress is finished.

Took me a while because of 50 frantic students realizing that a summer course is only 6 weeks long, even though it contains a full term of 12 weeks of content, and that even if it is nice days outside, well time still marches on - and those due dates for major assignments can sneak up.

That's a summary, but I think you get the drift.

Of course in a live classroom you can look them in the eye and talk, but online they usually email you the hysterical questions, which have to be answered one by one. 

Listen I love them, but I earn my money.

Next my husband's company announced they are shipping him off to some hydro-electric something in Goose Bay Labrador although they are promising to bring him home every couple of weeks regularly, which didn't happen when he was in Tennessee.

The thing is Tennessee had a nice Joann's and the Yarn Haven.

Think Goose Bay has black flies.

Now there have been moments when I have threatened that if they sent him off for the fourth winter running "I don't know what I will do." 

Problem is I still don't.

So I had to take a few days to throw myself around and make clear that even though I have no real control over this latest round of going away, I am A Really Terrific Wife Who Really Everyone Should Appreciate.

So after I took a few days to do my throwing myself around and had clearly established my right to be buying a lot of online fabric, I pulled myself together and finished the Jodie Jumper.

OMG

As my students would say, and do. Too often.

I added a bit to the length and should have added a lot.

A real lot.

So I drove myself over to my daughter's, because I had some sewing machine looking to do over there (more on that tomorrow) with my camera.

When I walked in the door with the Jodie on the hanger she thought it was a Grow Bag, you know one of those baby sleeping bag things.

This was not, I figured, a great start.

It made me think that maybe I am too old for something called a Jodie.

Does StyleArc have a pattern called Darlene do you think? Or maybe Beverly? 

How about a Joyce?

She agreed to take the pictures if I promised never to wear this out in public.

Except maybe as a beach cover-up or in Florida where people's bifocals are pretty steamed up anyway with the humidity.

OK, I'm stalling.

We shot this down in her sewing room where the light is lousy but I wanted to stand beside her industrial sewing machine so you wouldn't think these pictures were a total loss.

Put your coffees down and take a look.

 

Yeah and the hair is sort of electric.

Now I have worked out some pattern instruction improvements that I will post if anyone is interested.

Just in case you have a need for an adult grow bag.

And I have not totally given up on this pattern. Being pretty weird is something I tend not to hold against anything or anyone and I figure if I add about a yard to the length I still might do a denim jumper one.

See you by the pool. Or down the basement.

Jodie dress to date

Here is a bit of work I got to do today on the Jodie dress. I love the print on this Fabricmart soft cotton twill so much. I can feel myself veering off at top speed these days to weird retro prints. 


You should see what I have planned for my fall shirts.


In the end I had to settle for a straight up dress zipper because the sleeping bag zipper, all I can get locally in long large teeth metal zippers, looked like well, a sleeping bag zipper. Thank you. thank you Margy for those links! Really glad to have them because I am definitely making this up again.


Now I realize it doesn't look like much on the hanger but it does look promising on.


A really interesting pattern that goes together very easily if you don't count for the part where big sections of the instructions need elaboration that isn't there. In fact there are a couple of places where you are instructed to see the diagram but there is no diagram to see, unless that was in a sheet that fell out of my pattern envelope.


I intend to give you detailed supplemental instructions once I am done, but I have to first finish this and make sure that what I think will work does in fact work.


I only added an extra 1 1/2" to the length. I didn't want to do more because of all the parts that need to fit together and I wanted to make up a trail version first to see how far I could push the length adding thing.


As it is this is about thigh length on me which for a woman of my experience in life is probably pushing it.


Not that I won't be wearing it.


To Winn Dixie in Florida sure.


To go out and move the sprinkler on the lawn, yes.


Over a bathing suit, to walk the dog early and late in the day, to tear around the house in sandals, definitely.


To a Nova Scotia supermarket or a faculty meeting.


Maybe not.


It is a great pattern though if I add about 3-4 inches next time and since the bottoms are faced with some large sections at the bottoms for the hem, I can see using a lining to do that and then actually having a dress that doesn't stick to tights without a slip.


The mind never stops.


But first I have to finish this one.