bigyellowbowl: August 2014

Have you ever gone into a store, seen something you really like, only to have sticker shock? I do all the time, and decide to either purchase it anyway or not at all. Well friends, I have a new plan… “The Knock Off.” I purchase said garment with the intent to copy it. It’s a new thing for me. This whole being an empty nester and reading all kinds of sewing blogs... Well it has opened a whole new world of stitching to me. Kind of like recapturing a lost love…

Caitlin was recently home for a visit. Now that she is “working for the man”, we treasure those short bursts of time, when she comes home for a week end…. And inevitably, there’s a bit of retail therapy. On her most recent trip, she wanted to get a cute bathing suit cover up. She was headed to Greece and had a wedding reception/pool party to attend. After our morning beach walk and coffee, we stopped in one of the local surf shops to peruse the racks. We both saw it at the same time. Then came the sticker shock. FIFTY DOLLARS???? Holy Crow, I could make that! Of course I used my "inside the store voice" and whispered, “I didn’t bring my phone, could you take a photo?” We start snapping photos on her phone. Then I remembered I had stuck a credit card in my shorts. In hushed whispers… “I’ll buy it. Then I’ll copy it, then return it.” I was informed by you know who, that I didn’t have time… It wouldn’t get done… Blah Blah Blah…. Magic happens when someone tells me I can’t or won’t do something.

In the quiet of the evening, I started to make a pattern. I’ve never done this with much success, but I’ve been sewing a lot lately, so I felt more confident.

My first real attempt at making a pattern from finished clothing

Can you say "The Clothing of a Goddess???"

After drafting a bit of a pattern with my tracing paper, I started digging around in my “stash”. I knew there was something in the den of creativity, that would work perfect. I found some white eyelet,

Love Love Love This part

some lace that would work for the front, and started brainstorming how I could make the sweet little tassel in front.

Yup, I make tassels!!!

Over the course of a couple days, I managed to complete my project.

Always add dingle balls to any garment. They're kinda like glitter. :)

There were times in the quiet of my sewing room, I would look over at Rodeo and show him the awesome thing I’d made.

Rodeo says, "Mom, I love it when you use dingle balls and leave the left overs for me."

I’m most pleased with how the front set in lace turned out. Actually, I'm stoked with the whole damn thing!! I'm a flipping seamstress!!! While Caitlin had already returned to Houston, Adam, her boyfriend, was still here, living Caitlin’s life. He was able to bring the completed project, I mean knock off, home to Texas. I included a note that said, “if you want me to send the real one, I will. Oh, and I’d rather give you the 50 dollars to spend in Greece.” That’s what mom’s do… When their daughter’s are “Working for the Man….”

I think my “knock off” turned out SPLENDID!! What do you think?