More Dying and More Buying

I finished my sweater!

I did end up dying it again using light blue dye, rather than aquamarine (and a totally different brand), because that was all they had in stock where I went.  I'm glad I did because it really darkened up the blue and gave it a rich color.  It feels much less Grandma now.  I think it will look cute over bright tank tops in the summer time.  

Here is the evolution of my thrift store find.

Original sweater - $3.00

Wash - $2.00 

(which ultimately ended up costing all the additional $$ below since I washed it with a red dress!  Duh!)

First dye with RIT Aquamarine fabric dye - $3.50

Wash to clean out the dye - $2.00

Second dye with Tulip brand liquid dye in Light Blue - $3.50

Wash - $2.00

I did away with the button all together.

In the end this sweater ended up costing me $16.  $10 if you don't count the washes :).  All in all I think it was worth it.  Plus, I learned some things about dying and washing whites with reds ;).

Downtown L.A. at the Garment District was fun, as always.  I went down for zippers and interfacing.  I purposely brought cash, so I couldn't go crazy and start buying up all the fabric I see.  I am trying really hard to work through what I have, but it appears that I have a problem.  I think I might be a fabric hoarder.  I can't help myself when I get near unique, wholesale fabric.  Especially, if an idea hits me when I am looking at it ... it's over.  I must have it.  I have absolutely no more room for fabric.  I finally got it all organized and neat.  Anymore will surely knock my whole system off balance.  Even the hemp remnants I got the other day I was kicking myself over.  Seriously ... I have tons of fabric.  I don't NEED more.  The little hoarder inside my head says, "It's hemp, you have no hemp.  It's organic cotton, you have none of that! When will you be here again.  Just get a little .... just a tiny bit, we can make it fit!"  Walking through block after block of shops overflowing with fabric kicks the little fabric hoarder in my brain into hyperdrive.  This time it was the lycra.  I've been toying with the idea of making a bathing suit.  I've also been stalking a few beach cover ups on pinterest.  There are a LOT of fabric shops in the Garment District that sell lycra, spandex, and two way stretch type fabrics.  The colors are bright, bold, and alluring.  My will power is only so strong and with my current neon obsession I had to go in to touch and feel, ooooh and aaaaah.   The little fabric hoarder combined with the creative lunatic inside of head kicked the crap out of all reason and I came home the proud owner of this funky lycra stretch fabric.  I love the rasta tie dye.  If I'm honest, I don't feel the least bit guilty.  Besides, it was only $6/yd.  Plus, the fact that I didn't come home with the cool Buddha playing acoustic guitar fabric that was only $4/yd shows that I am growing and trying (and kicking myself for not picking up at least a yard! *sigh*).

Here is my new fabric!  I haven't worked with this type of fabric yet, so it should be interesting.

It screamed at me when I saw it.  It said, "I would be a kick ass beach cover up!  Make me!  Love me!  BUY ME!"

OK!

 (I try very hard not to respond to the fabric out loud.)

Now I just have to decide on a style.  I am probably going to wing this without a pattern, so it needs to be simple.  Here are some cover ups I like that I found browsing around the web for inspiration.  I think the ones on the left are more do-able for me.  I will probably pick one of those styles.

 I think my favorite is the top left.  The pancho style is so cute.  Having it as a long shirt is kinda cute/sexy.  Plus if I want to go anywhere after the beach I can throw on a pair of shorts with it and make it less scandalous.  I live in a beach town, so it is pretty normal to see people running around in shorts and a bathing suit top.  The fact that I could wear this with shorts is a big selling point for me.

  I love the bottom left, too, because of the length of both the sleeves and the bottom.  I like that it is a dress and wears by itself.  I love the off the shoulder cut.  I think I am more partial to this style because of that cut.  I also like that it doesn't have a hood.  This would probably be a little easier for me to do without a pattern because of the hood.  I suppose I could lose the hood on the first design, but I don't know how well that will wear.  

Or maybe I can take what I love from both and make a hybrid design?

What do you think?

Short?  Long?

Pancho shirt? Dress?

Off the shoulder?  V-neck?

Hood?  No hood?

Short sleeve?  3/4 sleeve?

Decisions, decisions.  

  
Luckily I have time!  And a million bags to sew before I can even think about starting this .....


........ maybe.  It's possible it will take me that long to make a decision, but knowing me ... once the vision is in my head it's hard to keep me away from the scissors!