A little bit of sewing is happening. I modified the Zinnia pattern a bit for this one, and did the side seams on the serger!
Double chocolate cake doughnuts from Joy the Baker. I wished I had sprinkles, but they were so! good! anyway.
Category: sewing
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sideways flowers
I cut this simple gathered skirt the other day, out of some cotton fabric I picked up at the Textile Museum sale in the spring. I’m not attached to the fabric at all, and it was quite inexpensive, so it was perfect for a random trial run! I want to perfect an everyday skirt pattern for myself so I can knock out some clothes for the spring and summer.
I did the side seams on the serger, and just hand-basted the elastic casing to see how it would feel. Not bad! There are quite a few things I’d like to try out on skirts – cutting out a separate waistband, using elastic thread for a smocked waist, adding pockets and a lining. There’s always more crafting to do!
The bottom of my skirt pattern piece was a little too big to cut the skirt straight, so I cut it on the cross grain – except of course, I didn’t notice that the little flower pattern actually does have a direction. Oops. Oh well! It’s a pretty light fabric so I might need to add either another layer of cotton or a lining fabric before I’d actually wear it. So…it’ll probably sit in one of my many workbaskets for awhile, while I think on it.
I was at the workroom yesterday, ogled some gorgeous silk/linen fabric (one day) and came away with a big pile of pretty vintage buttons. I really need to figure out some kind of display/storage solution for buttons, because a ziploc bag just isn’t very appealing.
Stay safe and warm, wherever you are!
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sewing and serging
I’ve been trying to take it easy on my slightly inflamed elbow and wrist this week by not knitting, so I sewed a bit instead. That’s a Plantain Tee, which is a free pattern that’s been going around the interwebs. I used a plain organic cotton jersey that’s been in my fabric stash for years, and sewed it up by hand in an afternoon. I’m pretty proud that it looks like a shirt, but there a few problems with it! I didn’t finish the hems or neckband once I realized it was too small.
The fabric I used isn’t stretchy enough, and I totally cut the wrong size (I made the 42). I do think if I’d made a couple sizes bigger it might be wearable, but I have issues with the armhole depth and sleeve cap. I do usually have trouble finding clothes with a shorter armhole, but this one goes a little too far! There’s bunching under the arm and across the bust, and I don’t think it’s just because it’s too small – I’ve seen the same issue in other finished ones.
I get frustrated with sewing because of having to make the same exact thing over and over to get it right. I know the muslin is supposed to be a trial, where you adjust things before making the real one, but I don’t have to do that in knitting! Of course, this one would have taken much less time had I been using a machine, and then maybe I wouldn’t feel like it was a waste of time.
Which brings me to the machine that I do have. The ever lovely megan gave me this serger years ago and I just never got around to figuring it out. Turns out it was absolutely not as difficult as I built it up in my head! I had thread, new needles and everything. I downloaded the manual from Singer, threaded it up and sewed some practice seams. (Yes, it does need more cleaning.)
Heeyyy check it out! I’ve never used a serger before but it really wasn’t too scary. I’ve ordered Cal’s book about drafting your own patterns and I have a nice big roll of paper from Ikea – could this be the beginning of a foray into sewing more clothes?