Ugh!

I have been working on Simplicity 2892 for almost two weeks now!! I finally finished it yesterday, after a lot of stops, re-starts, and re-works.  I wish I could say I love the finished product, but this is the first time I DO NOT like what I created!  Actually, it looks ok on the hanger.  But on me...  I almost didn't show you!

I made the same shirt that is on the model shown above.  It's simple and cute, right?  Oh, and it's supposed to be easy (more on that later).  Well, this is what my shirt looks like...

The details are a little fuzzy because of the print, so here is a picture a little closer up.

What a hot mess!  Actually, the inside of the garment looks cleaner than the outside!  That is because the yoke lining is slipstitched down, and it gives it a nice touch.  Take a look...

I am at least proud of myself for sticking it out and finishing the whole garment.  I wanted to just throw it in the trash everytime I picked it up.  But, I told myself I could at least learn what I needed to learn by finishing the shirt.  

This shirt has a lot, and I do mean A LOT of gathering involved.  Some of you may know that gathering is not my strong point, so I took my time and made sure the gathering was evenly spaced.  For the bias tape application on the armholes, I used my same fabric and made the binding myself.  This is the only part of the project I liked.  I will definitely make my own binding for future projects.  The last part of this shirt was slipstitching, which you do by hand.  I didn't mind this part of construction, either, except that I had to adjust my last yoke lining piece because I cut it way too big.  That came back to haunt me when I was sewing the lining down, and it was a touch too small! UGH!

Theoretically, this shirt should be easy.  All of the skills I used a beginner can do.  However, this shirt, while easy, is more time-consuming.  So I would say it is good for an intermediate-advanced beginner.  Trust me, it is way too frustrating for someone who is just learning to sew.

OK, I've stalled long enough. 

Need I say more?

I don't think I will sew this again.  I like what other people who have sewed this pattern came up with, but it is not for me, not a flattering style at all.  

I'm not sure what I will be sewing next, but I HAVE to do something quick and easy to get me back on my game again.  I hope everyone had a lovely labor day weekend, and I look forward to sewing with ease next time.

PS--I am so excited about all of my followers!  I hope you are all finding this blog worthwhile!  Thank you for choosing to follow me, it means a lot!

Stay sew-filled!

Hey everyone!

I am still working on Simplicity 2892 for the time being.  For some reason, if I have a lot of pieces to work with, I tend to get intimidated and pull back a little.  I am sure once I get started, things will come together.  If I am intimidated now, what will I do when I commit to a serious project like a jacket or coat?  BTW, I may just try a jacket this fall.  I have been thinking and planning out a fall wardrobe and a jacket seems like just the thing to attempt.  We'll just have to see, right?

So here is where I am in terms of my shirt:

I usually get excited at this stage in the game because I know all of the cutting and marking and laying out pattern pieces is behind me (unless I made a mistake).  I know I can move on to sewing, and perfecting fit, which I prefer.  The fabric I am using is 100% cotton that I purchased at Hobby Lobby.  It is another print, which I also prefer.  I find that I like to sew prints a lot more than solid colors.

Sorry about the shadow, but I think you get the picture = ).  A lot of people from PR have had a lot of success with this pattern, so I hope I have the same.

On another note, I recently had the pleasure of ordering Swedish tracing paper from Amazon, and I am forever sold on it!  It has so many practical uses for sewing; however, the main function of which is to preserve your patterns and allow you to make alterations on the tracing paper, giving you a workable master pattern that you can use again and again!

Here are some of the cool things about Swedish tracing paper:

1. You can use it to trace Kwik Sew patterns that come in the Kwik Sew books, such as Sewing for Children

2. This can be used as a muslin, because it is soft and sewable.  Therefore, you can perfect the fit of your pattern by basting your pieces together, making changes, then removing your basting stitches.  Everything remains intact for the next time you sew the pattern.

3. Some libraries now carry newly-released sewing books with the patterns inside!   I found Anna Marie Horner's book Handmade Beginnings 24 sewing projects to Welcome baby, and it has many adorable baby things inside.  Tracing paper allows you to "try before you buy."  You can determine if you will really like a particular sewing book and its projects, before you shell out your money and discover that it was not worth it!

4. It is also a good solution for sewing for children, because kids grow, and you can use the same patterns over and over again.  You can sew as they grow!

Here it is rolled out so you get an idea of the how the material looks.  I have also heard good things about similar products to this, such as Pattern Ease.  Either way, this is great stuff, and it works well!

Stay sew-filled!

Simplicity 2364

Happy Thursday!

Well, I hope at least most of you are having a happy Thursday.  I am having a great day today because I finally finished my knit top that I have been working on.  For some reason, I kept having trouble with the gathering.  Yes, gathering!  It seems like such a small thing to get hung up on, but I did.  My gathers would not stay so I had to consult my sewing manual to see what I was doing wrong.  The answer was in securing my gathering threads. Needless to say, since I had to learn that after the fact, I spent a great deal of time removing threads.

Here is a reminder of Simplicity 2364...

I made View D, which is on the first column, second row, first photo on the left.  I chose this one because I didn't have much fabric left over from my dress in the last post.

So this is leopard print, part 2 for me, and I am really glad that I decided to use up the rest of this fabric!  The shirt fits nicely, and is also as comfy as the dress.  I did not have a hard time with the directions at all, even though they were not marked "easy" as most of the patterns I buy are.  As a matter of fact, most sewists could  put this one together in one night if they are determined to do so, because there isn't anything really complicated to it.

My only change to the top was to leave out the facings (I didn't have enough fabric anyway).

The top I made is definitely more casual, but I could definitely see this style of top with a dressier vibe using a different choice of fabric.  Mushywear made her version of this same shirt, and it turned out beautiful!  Check out her shirt here.

I must say, when I put this shirt on I felt a lot like a cave woman.  Albeit, a nicely dressed cave woman, but a cave woman nonetheless!!  Maybe I was channeling baby Pebbles from the Flintstones...

At any rate, I really enjoyed sewing this shirt, and I will definitely sew it again.  There is even a long-sleeved version for cooler weather, so that will be a nice one to try.  

I never imagined that I could be sewing my own clothes and loving it!  I now have two handmade pieces in my closet, and I want to wear those more than clothing that I buy!  

I hope all of you are working on projects that make your own heart sing.  

Stay sew-filled!

My first dress

It feels absolutely wonderful to NOT have contact dermatitis anymore!  My allergic reaction is GONE!  It only took a little over a week, but I am feeling so much better.  I ended up seeing a doctor last week and getting a steroid injection because I had itching all over my body, but only the rash on my face.  I was hopped up on antihistamines until this week when things began to look a lot better.  I tell you, I would not wish that on anyone.

So, now I am on to better things, like the pictures I said I would post of Easy Mccalls 5893 when I was healed.

This dress still feels great on.  It is a comfy piece that moves with you and just feels good.

My hubby is the dear photographer, and I have to admit he did a good job (after 20 or so pics later).  Really, he took so many photos of my feet cut off that I had to laugh.  He wasn't laughing, but I was!  I was thinking in my head how I had explained to him what I wanted him to capture (my profile) before he started taking pictures, but I don't know where his mind was when I told him that.  Still, the end results are nice.

 

I adore this fabric, and am using up every bit of it on any project I can think of.  Usually, I make one thing out of a particular fabric, and then move on, but I am squeezing what I can out of what I have.  Part of me thinks it will be boring to have two pieces in my closet made out of the same fabric, but I can wear them in different ways, right?  

Ok, for this last photo, I have to show one of me and the hubby (since he helped out so much),  We've been married 5 years young, but I love him more today than 5 years ago.  BTW, our 3 year old son took this photo!

I hope all of you are getting some sewing done, and enjoying what you create!  I should have my shirt finished soon, so if I haven't bored you with all my leopard print-ness, I look forward to showing you some more!  

Stay sew-filled!