Moving to UK

正式に決まりました。イギリスに、移住！
いや、移住と言っても１１か月の短期なんだけど。
一家そろって引っ越します。駐在妻になります。犬も同伴。
正式に決まったのはいいけど、まだビザもないし、引っ越しの日程もたっていない状態です。１月には引っ越すらしい。時間なさすぎ。
２０１６年下半期は怒涛だな。

It is official: We are moving to UK!
Well, it's a short term, only 11 months. But we are all going. I will be have an expat's wife life. Dogs are coming, too.
Although it is official now, we don't have visas yet, and we don't have the moving date yet. Shipping our stuff out prior to our departure, putting the rest of the stuff in the storage including cars, getting rental cars, vacating the apartment, transporting the dogs, and flying to UK when we don't even have a place to stay... It's a logistics nightmare.

My biggest question is: so does my Janome Memory Craft work in the UK? I know we can't take any of our electric-powered things like stand mixer or hair dryer or iron. But is it safe to use my sewing machine in the UK with a voltage converter? Hmmmmmmmm.

McCall's 5050 Boho Top

今週は朝晩すっかり涼しくなって、犬のトイレはジャケット必須。
そんな季節は秋真っただ中ですが、とても春らしいブラウスを作りました。まだ日中は暑いからね。

 ちなみにオットの感想は、「年配の女性が着るやつだね」。

It has gotten cooler here in the desert southwest, but it is still pretty warm during the day so I made a very springy top.

The patter is McCall's 5050. It is a boho/peasant top with different sleeve variations. It has a shorter "top length" and longer "tunic length."

I made a View D, which is the top right corner one on the pattern drawing (mine is a top length instead of tunic).

The fabric is a loose weave, cotton crinkle gauze (hence very springy). I just realized that the fabric is pretty much the same as the drawing on the pattern.

I cut a size Xsmall, though my sizing is probably Small or Medium.

I also shortened by 1" like I do on other patterns (I am 5'3") without measuring the length and it ended up shorter than what I would like. I considered adding a ruffle at the hem using the same fabric to make it longer but did not have enough fabric for the ruffle. Considered adding a lace but with all the gathers and big sleeves, it was too much, so kept it short as is. I want it 2" longer than it is now.

The bust elastic casing needs to be lowered by 1". It is fine as is, but I have to tug it down now.

With the original length of the neck elastic, it was way too loose, so I shortened by 7". This is causing my sleeves to be pulled up on the outer side. There is enough sleeve ruffle to distract but it annoys me slightly.

I think these changes will be remedied next time by just using the size Small and narrowed the bodice. I like the amount of ease it has now. More than this will make me look maternity.

I love the big ruffle sleeves. BUT this shirt is definitely not good to wear at work. I do a desk job, and these sleeves are just not practical when using computer and answering phones while getting numerous file folders on and off the shelf and filing paper documents. I wore it to work one day and ended up wearing a rubber band over the sleeves on my wrists to contain the large sleeves.

On the other hand, it is a perfect shirt for eating out on the weekend. All the big belly after a big meal is nicely covered by the shirt :)