reminder
Today has been a reminder of why I don't sew very much. I often think about it, and I even have a decent stash of fabric just waiting to be turned into beautiful things. The problem is implementation.
School started last week, piano business is slow (I'm telling myself this is only because the semester has also just begun and people haven't looked up pianists yet, rather than the unpleasant alternative, which is that everyone has forgotten about me), and faced with several hours of downtime at home this week, I thought I might try to Make Something To Wear.
I started off with downsizing one of my old t-shirts for Anya. If she likes what I did, I'll finish it and post that here, but don't hold your breath. She is officially the choosiest child I have ever met when it comes to clothes. Plain and/or sporty is her style.
Then I thought I'd cut out a long button-down shirt, using a pattern I bought a little while ago. This was yesterday. I took my measurements, laid out my fabric and started pinning the pattern to it before noticing the intended ease on the pattern was nearly 8". Yuck. I hate hate hate big sloppy shirts; I'm small-chested and tend to get lost in them. (In fact, I take issue with a lot of knitting patterns when it comes to intended ease. Many lovely designs are slouchy and oversized and that just does not work for me...even the latest BT, which is photographed so beautifully, is full of sweaters that I could not wear.)
So I pulled out some stretch sateen I don't even remember buying to do a test run on the pattern. I figured if I screw up I won't miss the fabric. I cut out the smallest size, even though the measurements are supposedly too small for me, and sewed enough to try it on and see. Here's a crappy bathroom self-portrait:
The fit is kind of weird. It's definitely not too tight across the bust, but the neck would choke me and the armholes are too tight. Plus, do you notice it looks like I'm wearing a lab coat? Yeah, I think that's the effect you get with a long white shirt, though if I finish this it won't have sleeves because I don't have any fabric leftover. In fact, there's not even enough for facings, so I am contemplating finishing this up with a contrast print for the collar and front facings, and instead of armhole facings, finishing off those edges with homemade bias tape (after cutting the armholes a little bigger). It might be too cutesy. It might look stupid and home-sewn. Or it might turn out kind of cool, I don't know. I also haven't decided if I want to keep the length or shorten it. Given the lab coat effect, probably the latter.
Or I could ditch the whole project and try something else. Sewing garments is something I'd like to get better at, and today is an excellent reminder that half the battle - if not more - is choosing the right fabric and pattern in the first place.
Thoughts?
School started last week, piano business is slow (I'm telling myself this is only because the semester has also just begun and people haven't looked up pianists yet, rather than the unpleasant alternative, which is that everyone has forgotten about me), and faced with several hours of downtime at home this week, I thought I might try to Make Something To Wear.
I started off with downsizing one of my old t-shirts for Anya. If she likes what I did, I'll finish it and post that here, but don't hold your breath. She is officially the choosiest child I have ever met when it comes to clothes. Plain and/or sporty is her style.
Then I thought I'd cut out a long button-down shirt, using a pattern I bought a little while ago. This was yesterday. I took my measurements, laid out my fabric and started pinning the pattern to it before noticing the intended ease on the pattern was nearly 8". Yuck. I hate hate hate big sloppy shirts; I'm small-chested and tend to get lost in them. (In fact, I take issue with a lot of knitting patterns when it comes to intended ease. Many lovely designs are slouchy and oversized and that just does not work for me...even the latest BT, which is photographed so beautifully, is full of sweaters that I could not wear.)
So I pulled out some stretch sateen I don't even remember buying to do a test run on the pattern. I figured if I screw up I won't miss the fabric. I cut out the smallest size, even though the measurements are supposedly too small for me, and sewed enough to try it on and see. Here's a crappy bathroom self-portrait:
The fit is kind of weird. It's definitely not too tight across the bust, but the neck would choke me and the armholes are too tight. Plus, do you notice it looks like I'm wearing a lab coat? Yeah, I think that's the effect you get with a long white shirt, though if I finish this it won't have sleeves because I don't have any fabric leftover. In fact, there's not even enough for facings, so I am contemplating finishing this up with a contrast print for the collar and front facings, and instead of armhole facings, finishing off those edges with homemade bias tape (after cutting the armholes a little bigger). It might be too cutesy. It might look stupid and home-sewn. Or it might turn out kind of cool, I don't know. I also haven't decided if I want to keep the length or shorten it. Given the lab coat effect, probably the latter.
Or I could ditch the whole project and try something else. Sewing garments is something I'd like to get better at, and today is an excellent reminder that half the battle - if not more - is choosing the right fabric and pattern in the first place.
Thoughts?
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