What Would Robin Wear

For my birthday my sister took me shopping. I of course love Macy's, so off we went. I found this ruffled jacket, INC brand. They only had one! And it was of course two sizes too big. So--I bought it anyway, knowing I could taylor it to fit my figure.

I was shopping around on www.Etsy.com and noticed these stunning jackets with a corset up the back. I knew I could do this in about 10 minutes. These jackets were selling for well over a hundred dollars.

The corset accentuates the waist and pulls the jacket tight to show off a curvy figure and it would look perfect for this ruffled jacket that was too big.

First I had to go find the metal corset bracket hooks. I found them at Walmart in a packet of four for .78 cents each.




I place the jacket flat on my counter island in the kitchen. This is where I do all my cutting.



I arrange the new hooks on the back, then mark the spot with sewing chalk.






I snip the chalk marks with the tip of the scisors.



I used a grosgrain ribbon to attach the hooks to the jacket. I sew the ends together first so it's easier to attach to the jacket.






I stick the ribbon through the new hole and stich the hole closed.





I decided to use six hooks. I stiched all six of them in. It literally took me 10 minutes to do.






When I finish I start to thread the ribbon through the new hooks.







And wha-la it's done and it fits great. Although that corset gets a lot of attention. It gets untied, and retied often from cheeky people pulling the ribbon. It's a fun way to make your jackets, coats, and shirts fit.

This is what I wore to my friends Christmas party this year. We had so much fun.

A couple months ago I saw this ruffel front coat at Macy's, I was in love. It was INC and extremly expensive. $199 to be exact! So, I decided to wait for a sale! When I went back to get it, POOF-it was gone! So I came home and searched for it on Ebay. Not only did I find it, it was only 30 bucks-brand new! So I bought it!




The only problem with the coat is that it has hook and eye closures. It was impossible to fasten those little hooks into the small eyes,and they wouldn't stay closed.






Sometimes I seriously do not understand what the designers are thinking. So I decided I would put a zipper in it.

I buy all my sewing hardware and thread and such at Walmart. A 24 inch zipper is $1.29 at Walmart. At the fabric store they are about four bucks. Make sure you buy a sports zipper, one that seperates at the bottom.

To start I lay the coat out flat and try and figure a way to install the zipper. I do not want to open all the seams and put this zipper in, I want to do it the easiest, quickest way possible.

The ruffels on the front of the coat are tacked/sewn down, so I have to open the small seams using the seam ripper.




Opening the ruffel placket will allow the fabric to lay flat and it will hide the new zipper seam.





I turned the coat inside out so that I can see where I can place my zipper.




I am going to place the zipper directly over the hook and eyes. I do not have to remove them as they will not be in the way of the new zipper.


I lay the zipper on the coat and start to pin the zipper down, while the zipper is still zipped.



Make sure you place the pins in the right direction. They are easier to remove when the ball or head of the pin is facing you. As you sew you can slide them out easier.





I unzip the zipper and I can now sew down the zipper.



Next I have to change the sewing machine foot to the zipper foot. You have to use a zipper foot in order to get close enough to the zipper to sew it down.





Next, I slowly stictch the zipper down and remove the pins as I go so the zipper stays in place.






In about 10 minutes I am done and look at my new seams.



I have to hand stitch the front ruffel placket back down.




And I am done. You can't even see the zipper.



The finished product. At my friends annual Christmas Party!

In my quest to find a dress for the wedding, I also wanted to find one for the rehearsal dinner. Even though the rehearsal dinner was "casual" I really wanted to feel good about what I was wearing. I am typically not a jeans and tee shirt type of girl, or a pair of khaki shorts and a polo. I love to wear pretty femine clothes and this is the dress I found at Macy's.

This dress is not typically something I would wear, again it is very short for me, I prefer my dreses below the knee, but it is summer and my workouts are starting to shape my legs more and more. I am getting more comfortable with a little shorter skirt. But not too short. In the winter I would wear black leggins under this dress and a super high heel. And I always, always wear jewelry. It is very important to wear jewelry. It can make your whole outfit. Check out my dress,it is not something I would usually pick out, but I am trying to be more creative and adventurous.
















































I have a close up so you can see my necklace, it was a huge sterling silver chunky necklace with amber stones. It matched perfectly and everyone commented on the stunning match. It made my whole outfit.

This July will be the sixth wedding I will be involved in; always a bridesmaid, never a bride. I am seriously fine with that (almost all of my friends are now divorced) but it is exhausting being involved in all these weddings. In the past six months I have been in two weddings.

This July my friend Alice is getting married and this time we were allowed to pick our own dresses; as long as they were black. I was so excited, and then I suddenly realized, OMG I have to pick out a dress.

Most women will tell you how hard it is to find a dress and a black dress at that. It is nearly impossible. Designers just do not make dresses anymore as no one really wears dresses. Most designers make separates, shirts, jackets, skirts, etc. Which would have been fine to wear for the wedding, but I really wanted a dress. Well I found one, but it was two sizes too big, the only one left, and it was an A-line cut. (see post about dress styles, shapes, and cut) I have a very curvy body (still trying to accept my curvy body, and figure out what will work and not work) and I am very tall at 5’9. To put an A-line cut on my frame is difficult. Most of the dresses this year have a very full skirt, and if you have larger hips and a smaller waist this type of full skirt can make you look huge. Or feel like you look huge.

So I found my black dress, and now I am going to alter it and cut it down to fit my body. I am seriously a “girly-girl” and I love all the rosettes and flounces that are in fashion now. So I had to have this dress. As you can see below the dress is just too full on the bottom, it’s a little short for me, but when you are tall and the average American women is 5’4, the designers will cater to the average or standard height. I could have added length to the dress but it is so ornate on top, I didn’t want to have too much going on with this dress. Keep it simple… I love the top of this dress and it is the reason I bought it.







The first thing I did was of course, try the dress on, I knew it was too big on the bottom. I laid it flat out on my huge dinning room table, inside out.




See how the corner of the dress comes out to a point? I am not sure what the designer was thinking but this dress is too full for anyone unless you are a size two, and even then you have to be careful, too much fabric or clothes that are too big, make you look big, frumpy, and can make you look sloppy. I had to learn that you cannot hide under a tent, accentuate the curves and wear clothes that fit you.




I am going to cut that corner off, just like I do with jeans. It is a simple fix. How much do you cut off, or how do you know how much to cut off? I take the tape measure and lay it from the waist to the bottom of the corner. That is how much I know I can cut off. I always pin the dress and then try it on first before I ever cut it.



I am going to cut off 5 1/2 inches from the bottom of each side of this skirt, and taper the cut to the waist. Slowly getting smaller as I reach the waist. My goal is only to take in the bottom of this dress.



I pin my dress and try it on, to make sure it's not too tight or too loose.




When I know it's the right fit. I sew the new seam, I try the dress on again, then I cut the excess fabric. Make sure you leave about a half an inch of extra fabric so you can zig zag the new seam closed.














I like to have a double seam, and then close with the zig zag stitch so the fabric doesn't fray.






I have taken about 12 inches off the bottom of this dress.




And wha-la a BETTER fitting dress. You will see some photos of me at the wedding reception at the incredible Fleischmann Estates (yes the butter people) in Indian Hill, Ohio. It has been restored to a center for the Arts and is now called Greenacre's and displays artwork for sale, and has many classes for students. If you would like to see more of the property and are in the Cincinnati area, check it out (link at the bottom).

www.green-acres.org/GAF_sitepages/GAF_MAIN/GAF_MAIN-Home.html












This is my friend Alice, one of the most amazing teachers, friend, and mentor I could ever have. I was glad to be a part of your day my friend!!! Don't we look like Barbie and Skipper???