Left from Right

Some people have problems telling their left and right apart. Thankfully for me this is not the case. I need to tell someone to turn right, 97% of the time I tell them to turn right.

Unfortunately I seem to have problems with mirror images. A number of years ago I found an old dress maker's dummy by the wheelie bins of the old flat. The sizes don't adjust but it's close enough to my size to use for costuming. I've been attempting to make my costume for Samhuinn. I built a skirt but then needed to add a longer underskirt, forgot that when it was turned inside out it would be on the opposite side. Back became front, front became back, the side it fastened changed. I hoped that would be the end of it.

My character is one that needs to change from being a summer character to a winter character. This requires an on stage costume change through removal of a layer of costume. I'd made the top layer (a lovely one shoulder number) and today was working on altering a top from a previous costume to work as a one shoulder top. I'd unpicked the stitches, I'd pinned, I'd cut, I'd sewn, I had the top complete. That was when I realised that I'd been using the dummy as if it was a mirror image of myself. I'd made it with the wrong shoulder. Thankfully the top layer top is a far simpler design and therefore it just needed the "tailoring stitches" removed to be able to change shoulders.

I think I will be labelling the hips and shoulders of my dummy now.