At last, you get a 'What I Made' post from the little birdy on the blog! :D
I've just been kinda caught up in what I like to do most (designing, editing photos, etc.) to get to any of the yardage calling out to me from my plentiful fabric stash. Yeah, just plain ol' computer stuff has been taking up my time.
I wasn't very motivated to sew anyway... I'm one of those people who need to give themselves a good, hard shove to love doing something again... in this case, sewing.
I made the skirt from a book we have called Sew Serendipity, by Kay Whitt.
I've made this type before (view in this post) but that one was in a summer weight, and it didn't have a pretty pleated ruffle on the hem ;)
So, after much decision making on what the fabric would turn into, etc. I laid out the pattern on this piece of dark burgundy corduroy of mine, and approx. 2 days later....
...I came up with this!
I must say, I'm rather pleased with how it turned out! The invisible zip in the back is- well- pretty invisible ;) And the silhouette turned out rather 30's too (which, you know, makes it twice as good...)
Detail wise- I did some classic gold topstitching along most of the seams, and put in a very pretty facing along the waistband with some white cotton printed all over with dandelion wishes... Oh how blissful...
Alteration wise- yes, sadly, I did have to alter it at the waist... Grrr...
Why sadly? Well, because of how- um- 'tiny' I am, I typically have to take it in at the waist of a non-elastic waist band skirt. It get's really tiring. Even with dresses, I always have to raise the dart, or make the waist higher, or something. *sigh* I would love to make a piece of clothing where I actually don't have to do anything to the pattern. But there is sewing for me. As I told my Mom and sister Brigi, "I'm going to become the master of alterations!" :P
Overall, I think the 'shove' back into the world of stitchery worked, because now I'm hitched on a 50's shirtwaist dress ;)
What do you think (of the skirt, that is ;)?
Do you have any problems with patterns? Or am I the only one?
TTFN,
l.w.b
That skirt is adorable! I love the color and the ruffle at the hem as well.
ReplyDeleteI always have to take in skirts at the waistbands as well! *sigh* it is very rare for the waistband in a pattern to fit me right. At least taking them in is easier than making them wider!
~Vicki
Decked Out in Ruffles
I get soo discouraged sewing. I hate zippers, and I also mess up at least twice. By mess up I mean so a whole side right side and wrong side together, have a crooked zipper, and have darts that cause the fabric to stick out and not lay flat. Do you have any dart advice? I haven't done any successfully.
ReplyDeleteAnd the skirt is gorgeous! Color and style.
I am so sad that sewing hasn't been working out for you! My best advice for that keep moving forward, take time with your projects, and look at inspirational sewing blogs! Literally, the last tip I mentioned helps me sooo much when I feel discouraged to try and make something. An excellent read is Lucky Lucille (luckylucille.com) She doesn't mind blogging about her flub-ups and is so down to earth that fall in love with her and her blog in a snap!
DeleteAbout the darts- try omitting the back-stitching at the smallest point, so that they don't pucker at the tip. My sister Brigid recommended this to me, and I believe it does help quite a bit, for I've never had a wonky dart since applying that advice!
On zippers- Ha, these things can be rather wonky at times- but after some practice, you may just get it! When I first started sewing, I always viewed the things like the worst closers that you could ever sew! But after a while, I've kinda got the hang of them- though I am by NO MEANS perfect! One of my projects had an invisible zipper in the side seam (yeah I know, tough) and it sticks out at the end :P I've never gotten around to fixing it...
A tip that I always follow, and helps in every way, is to baste in the zipper before sewing it on the machine. It keeps your zipper straight while sewing without the pesky pins getting in the way, etc.
I really hope these tips help and encourage you in your sewing endeavors!
-Charlotte
the blog designer
Eeep! I nearly forgot to mention- at the ends of the darts, tie the threads instead of backstitching.
Delete-Charlotte
Wow! I love the skirt!
ReplyDeleteI have the exact trouble with patterns! I'm tall and skinny so I have to adjust lengths and waists! It's such a pain, but I'm getting much better at it. Keep up the fantastic jobs of sewing and coding. The blog looks great!
@Vicki & @Em: Yay! So glad to hear I'm not the only one :D
ReplyDelete@Em, if you have any tips, do share!! I would love to hear how I might improve my chances at coming up with a piece of clothing that actually fits ;)
-Charlotte
the blog designer
Haha! Well, for lengths I usually sort of try on the pattern. Like for skirts I hold the pattern up to my waist and try to figure out how much longer it needs to be. This is probably not a new thing, but it's one of my only tips! :P :) As for waists, usually I make elastic skirts, so currently I don't have any tips. I've always thought it would be cool to draw my own pattern I could use, by altering another pattern. Have you ever tried doing something like that? If I think of something good, I'll let you know!
ReplyDeleteThose are great! I think I'm going to try a pin the pattern together to kind of see how the waist may turn out, as that is my biggest problem. They used to do things like that in the 40s when there wasn't enough fabric for mock-ups; that is pin the pattern together to see if there were any major fitting issues, etc.
ReplyDeleteNo, I've never undertaken altering another pattern in any major way- but at the rate that I'm going, maybe I'll try it out soon :)
Thanks so much for your tips :D
-Charlotte
the blog designer