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Life of Johanna / Made by me / My makes / Sewing cardigans

Cynthia Rowley dress

Long time, no blog. All is well with me, I just ended up having an unexpected hiatus. But now I finally got a new project going. I cut the pieces for my reward dress today and pinned them together on my dummy, and I feel excited about sewing again. The fabric I chose is rather unique, it’s a batik from Bali, a gift that have been mulling in the wardrobe for almost a decade. I have been scissor shy since it’s such a beautiful fabric that perhaps should be used in full as a home dec element. But there are no such place for it in our small apartment, and I think this way I will enjoy it much more. I am doing style C of this Cynthia Rowley design, but with shorter skirt. I toyed with the idea of making a bow shoulder style, but my daughter advised against it. And from a practical perspective a big bow will not work very well under a cardigan, which is how I wear my dresses most of the time to be honest.

So what else has been going on in my life?
I think the biggest reason for my blogging and sewing hiatus is that I’ve training for a 5k race (which went well, 27 min) and now a 10k race in August. And since I really want to learn to run faster I’ve been pushing myself (both at the track and in the weight room) which means that I’ve been suffering from intense DOMS almost after every workout, so all I want to do when I’m home is to lie in front of the TV.

Plus this is truly the social season, so I have been much more out and about than usual. It is always the same story, in the winter we Swedish folks sit home and gloat and then in the summer it’s like wham bam, everyone is suddenly really outgoing and social! 

10 Comments

  • Ann's Fashion Studio
    June 25, 2011 at 10:14 pm

    Your fabric is gorgeous and the dress is a perfect choice.

    Good job on your running. Running is my favorite form of excercise and it is very addictive :))
    To help with the speed I do interval training. You can get the training on itunes… I use the "Pyramid 200 max interval" training.

    http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pyramid-200-max-interval-training/id383381925?i=383384677&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

    This one is quite fast but you can get different BPM (beats per minutes).

    More search results here.

    http://www.apple.com/search/?q=pyramid 200 max

    You didn't ask but hope this helps.
    I like throwing this in for a little variety in my running. It is not a long run but pretty intense which feels good once done 😉

    Reply
  • Nancy K
    June 25, 2011 at 10:29 pm

    The fabric is one of the nicest batiks I've seen. The fabric pattern combo makes for a very special dress.

    Reply
  • Aline
    June 26, 2011 at 12:45 am

    Love it! Glad you are back. Have fun with your training.

    Reply
  • pterion
    June 26, 2011 at 2:07 am

    Such a pretty dress. Love it in the batik. I love to run – 27 minutes is a great time for a first 5K!

    Reply
  • Carolyn (cmarie12)
    June 26, 2011 at 2:47 am

    This dress is sooooo beautiful in that fabric! Just stunning!

    Reply
  • Johanna
    June 26, 2011 at 11:42 am

    Ann: Thank you for the suggestion! I am doing some interval training, mostly on the treadmill, and I will definitely check that one out

    Nancy: Yes I agree about the fabric 🙂 The batik print has so many layers, I don't really know how it is made

    Aline: Thank you!

    Ptreion: I have ran a few before, but not as fast. I am a seasonal runner, or more a slow jogger to be honest, and that is what I'm trying to change

    Carolyn: 🙂

    Reply
  • Antoinette
    June 26, 2011 at 11:54 am

    We are telepathically linked! I just picked up that pattern but was hemming and hawing over what fabric to use. Your Bali fabric is beautiful! Happy Midsummer's Day (a few days late)!

    Reply
  • Gail
    June 26, 2011 at 12:42 pm

    Love where you are going with this dress. Funny I was in a quilting fabric store yesterday and saw these lovely batik printed cottons and thought they'd be great for a summer dress.

    Reply
  • Kaja
    June 27, 2011 at 8:16 am

    Shit vad snygg!

    Varning för att hålla på och springa så mycket. Jag började som du… och slutade med Göteborgsvarvet. Så, det är väl lika bra att du beställer blanketter med en gång!

    Reply
  • Christine
    June 30, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    I love the way your dress is looking. I have that pattern but have been debating about which fabric to use as well. Your batik print looks gorgeous.

    Reply

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