Car-Disco and whatnot

Yay!

Yay!

Ok, I admit my driving-in-traffic behavior is rather questionable, but then again, it’s interesting the sort of things one can get up to with all the idle time spent sitting in bumper to bumper Lagos traffic, like:

  • Flossing all 31 of one’s teeth (yes, 31,  my left upper back molar was extracted 5 years ago)
  • Deep cleansing one’s face with cotton pads and an astringent
  • Waxing one’s upper lip with Veet cold strips
  • Tweezing one’s eyebrows
  • Re-stitching a loose weave track
  • Moisturising one’s hair
  • Car-dancing

If you didn’t already know, a car dancer is one of the most self-assured people that you could ever meet.  I mean, carefully consider the reckless abandon, the blatant disregard for raised eyebrows, the indifference to the confused/amused stares from other drivers and the defiant flouting of the rules for socially acceptable outdoor behavior. Her non-verbal but ear-splitting statement is quite simple:

“My derrière hurts from sitting for so long in my car, the music is great, I like to dance and I am going to dance”

The car dancer knows that she has a waiting, albeit unsuspecting audience comprising of fellow comrades in traffic-crawling, road-side hawkers and the odd, mildly curious LASTMA official.

Motivated by “correct” radio music, she knows that it is her civic duty to give them a run for their money with ghen-ghen dance moves that resist the stifling seat-belt, she switches smoothly between enthusiastic wiggles and jerks that go way beyond the mediocre “Look at me, don’t I look so cool in my new Ray-Bans” rhythmic head nodding a.k.a. The hipster head bob.

And all the “I am feeling your moves o” smiles from some members of her audience who are in on her the-glass-is-half-full jive, let her feel even more unrestrained and less annoyed about the unrelenting traffic.

So, I finished working on the re-grooving project and I am very pleased with the result. Now, I have both a blouse and a skirt that could either be worn together or separately paired with other pieces in my wardrobe.

Attached stiff interfacing onto the waist band

Attached stiff interfacing onto the waist band a.k.a. the collar in another life

collar to waistband

Waistband area

Neckline hemmed with black bias tape

Neckline hemmed with black bias tape

Blouse extended for tucking-in allowance

Blouse extended for tucking-in allowance

Skirt

Waist band attached to the skirt

Before & After- Caterpillar to Burrafly

Yes! Refashionista.  🙂

Sign

22 comments

  1. Lovely refashioning. As you can tell, I am binge-ing on your sewing posts. I cut out a jacket since beginning of the week and I am yet to sew it. *sigh*
    So, anyways, how were you able to convert that collar to a waist-band considering the angle at which it was cut?

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    1. Thank you so much for reading.

      Aha! From your question about the mesh sleeves, I suspected that you knew quite a bit about sewing. Yay! I am always happy when I meet a fellow sewing enthusiast. 😀

      After detaching the collar, I undid the stitches and was left with 2 identical pieces, both were really long, much longer than my half waist measurement.

      I have updated the post with a picture showing the actual portion that was used for the waist band. I was able to avoid the overly curved sections and most of the bit that I couldn’t avoid fell into the seam allowance.

      I then lined the front and back waistband pieces with the black poly fabric.

      PS: Try to find the will power to sew your jacket o! I have a habit of postponing sewing projects. Lol

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  3. So you can dance? Imagining how it’s gonna look like…. A princess dancing. Oh heaven!! Hmmm i’m amazed, the after is so pretty i tell you. And that color fits you so well i just want to steal it already. *winks* Nice one again.

    modhancrochet.blogspot.com

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    1. Lol, that is what Lagos traffic forces one to do, one must make the best use of idle time.

      I particularly like how the ‘after’ is two separate pieces that can be paired with other items in my closet.

      Thank you!

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    1. Lol, waxing privately in public is more art than science really, it requires a very precise swish of one’s wrist, a second attempt (after a failed attempt) and people may start to wonder. One must also remember to forget to wince.

      My traffic-dancing is quite the spectacle, with the current rave of jollof Nigerian music characterized by repetitive hooks, made-up words and mindless lyrics, the dancing is practically a reflex reaction.

      Thank you o! 😀

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  6. Great job! The dress has officially left the 1920s.

    Your post is too funny. I have 31 teeth too! Those darn Naija dentists were very quick to yank out any “questionable” tooth.

    You have motivated me to get one more sewing project done before the end of the month…I’ve been slacking :(.

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    1. Thanks Onyee. I hope you are good.

      Lol, yes o, the dress has stepped up its game.

      Ah! The dentist actually suggested a root canal thingy, I couldn’t be bothered and requested for an extraction of the questionable tooth. The farthest molars are as useless as the “P” in pneumonia.

      Please sew some more, I am looking forward to your next post 😀

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  7. The clothes- lovely! Your creativity is awe inspiring.
    The car dancing- To be forewarned is to be forearmed- I’ll be sure to stock up on the essentials, except maybe floss.
    P.s- I should really learn to knit. Would save some time.

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    1. Thanks dear!
      Lol, yes o, Traffic essentials for the upwardly mobile female.

      I just pictured myself knitting in Lagos traffic, if I could, I would probably have a brand new cardigan by the end of my long journey to the office 😀

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