Skipping ahead

Well, my wee audience, I've had a half a post going for ages now, waiting for me to upload photos, but I'm going to jump ahead and come back to that post. Because I've started another sewing class!

This time it's the advanced beginner, where you do your choice of project from a set list of patterns. I knew I wanted to do something more complicated - definitely not another skirt! My lastest obsession is proper fitting, so I decided to do either a pair of trousers (because how amazing would it be to be able to sew pants that actually fit?) or a dress (fitting the bodice; lining). In the end I decided to do the dress, even though it's going to be far too cold to wear it, because I really want to figure out how to deal with my top and bottom being different sizes.

Did you know that you should always start with a pattern that's the right size for the top, and then adjust from there? And that most patterns are built for a B cup? Two very important things that I've learned in my readings, particularly of the fantastic book, Fit for Real People. According to that book, you measure your high bust (under the arms, above the bust) instead of your actual bust, and start with that pattern size so that the shoulders and back fit properly. And then you make a Full Bust Adjustment if needed (or a Small Bust Adjustment, but that's not happening here).

So I did that, but I made the rookie mistake in not really believing my measurements. I ended up cutting one size smaller on top than bottom, because that fit with my regular bust size. I did a tissue fitting the first class (pinning the pattern on myself along the seam allowances), mostly to check the bust and the back length. And it seemed okay. But clearly I wasn't looking closely enough, because when I tried on my bodice once it was sewn (in the second class), it was really obvious that I should have cut one size smaller - it was quite big in the back and around the armholes.  Plus it was a bit short in the front (because I didn't give myself the extra room with the FBA) and long in the back (because I am short-waisted). Basically all the problems I have with ready-to-wear dressses.

Next time, I tell you.

Anyway, the teacher pinned me up and I'm going to resew the seams, plus attempt to sew the lining with the new seams. It's mostly rescued, but it was an excellent lesson in what I'll need to do next time: cut 2 sizes smaller on top, do an FBA, shorted the back length and the shoulders, and do a good tissue fitting.

More to come!

Skirt 1; Rachel 0

Okay, the title is an exaggeration. But this skirt didn't turn out quite as nicely as the other stuff I've sewn.

On the plus side, it's finished! Yes, despite dealing with buying a condo, prepping to move, planning a vacation, and organizing the spring concert for my choir, I decided it was Very Important that I finish the skirt before I move at the end of June. Which really translated into "finish the skirt before my parents come to visit next week" since I need to put the sewing machine and ironing board away so that the room is available for eating, games, and my air mattress so I have somewhere to sleep.

(Yes, I know, it's a blue skirt. It's actually quite a dark navy. Still. More on that later.)

On the minus side, I don't really love it.

• I think the pattern is okay - the pockets are awesome - but the zipper installation instructions were weird and it doesn't look the best (my fault more than the pattern, I'm sure, but still). 
• Also, after buying all these patterns with yoke waists (those wide non-waistbands), I've since realized that they're not the best fit for me, what with my high waist-hip ratio. These hips need a real waistband! So technically it fits perfectly, but it doesn't really contour to my hips. I'm sure a better sewer could fix that, but I think it's really a style thing.
• And finally, the colour. Here's the thing: I never wear blue of any sort. But I kept seeing people wearing navy and orange together (and I do wear orange) and looking fantastic. So I decided to make a navy skirt with orange topstitching. The thing is, from a distance it mostly just looks like a fake denim skirt. Not what I was going for.

 (Wow, it looks even lighter blue here. My photo skills are awesome, clearly.)

So there you have it. I'm going to wear it - like I said, it *fits* - I just don't know how long I'll keep it. We'll see! Maybe it'll grow on me.

Oh, and after all my complaining about having to go buy another zipper because I used the first and then bought one that's too long as the replacement, I ended up using the longer zipper because the shorter one didn't seem to fit. Like I said, weird zipper instructions.

Next up: I have the muslin for the shirt cut out, so after I move I'm going to zip that up and see if it fits. If it doesn't I'm going to attempt a full bust adjustment for the first time! And then, I am ambitiously going to attempt to make a dress for a friend's wedding this summer (for me to wear, not for her!). The pattern is even named after a street not that far from where the party is happening. Clearly it's fate.

Nothing much...

Apologies in advance for this photo-free update, but the camera is over there, and there are 2 cats on my lap. What can you do?

I got some gorgeous Liberty of London fabric for my birthday, and then an announcement of a super cute dress pattern in my email today. And I have a wedding to go to in August. So clearly it's fate. Although we'll see if that's actually enough time to get it done - I am a super slow sewer still.

Meanwhile I'm *thisclose* to finishing a skirt. I was zipping along until I...got to the zipper. Mostly because I accidentally used the zipper intended for this skirt over Christmas. So I had to go get a new one, but I forgot to check the length and so bought the wrong length, and had to go get another zipper. Etc. etc. I really want to finish it before I move! I don't want this to be like the last skirt I didn't get finished before I moved, which then sat in limbo for 2 years.

I also (because I was in a sewing mood but hadn't picked up the second zipper) started cutting out a shirt pattern. I'm scared of sewing a shirt for myself, so I grabbed an old bedsheet to make a muslin first. Look at me, like a real sewer.

So, in conclusion, I am in the middle of a couple of things and dreaming of another. Maybe next week I can actually put thread to cloth!

Christmas catch-up

Well, my Christmas sewing was a huge success. Yay! The project that I didn't mention was the 5 drawstring pouches and zippered bags I made for friends (one set was already in the mail when I took the photo).

Aren't they fun fabrics? It was so much fun picking them. Although if you can believe it, these were much more trouble than the shirt and skirt - I had to buy more fabric twice, once because the fabric I bought was far too stretchy to work with and I needed something different (the top blue flowers), and once because I bungled it so badly I had to start again (the stripes). But I got them all done in time, hurrah.


And then there's the presents for my parents. I didn't get a picture of the skirt for my mom before I gifted it, mostly because I was sewing the buttons on Christmas Eve, and the skirt didn't look like anything without them. (I got the shirt buttons sewn on minutes before leaving to catch my flight out.) But here are my parents wearing their new clothes.

No, I'm not such a terrible photographer that I cut their heads off. Close, though. Both things fit perfectly (yay, again), and they both seemed genuinely thrilled, not just with the thought, but with the final product. I was awfully happy.

Now I can do some more sewing for myself! I'd bought some fabric in the fall to make another version of the skirt I did for my class, because I liked it so much. So I pulled that out today, and struggled through the effort of prepping the fabric (side note: this is the most time consuming part for me. so annoying). In then end I decided on another pattern I had, just for fun. I layed out the pattern and started pinning, but didn't get very far - it was very hard (and painful!) to get the pins through this fabric. After putting multiple dents in my fingers I figured it was enough for the night. But still, it feels good to start another project, even if it is, yes, one more skirt.

I made a shirt!

I feel like I just reached a new level in the sewing video game.

I have a bunch of half-started posts talking about this shirt, waiting for me to upload photos. (I clearly haven't reached any advanced levels in the blogging video game.) So here's how it started: I decided to make presents for my parents. My mom used to sew quite a lot, so it's not like a handmade shirt would be a novelty for my dad, but I thought they'd both appreciate the concept. So I found a shirt pattern and a skirt pattern (I wanted to make a vest for my mom, but thought that might be beyond me if I couldn't actually fit it on her).

Pinning and cutting takes me *forever* because I have to do it on the floor, and between the cats and my creaky body, it's slow going. So I did them both before starting any sewing. (A smart idea, as it turns out, because now it's the beginning of December and I haven't started sewing the skirt for my mom, but at least I'm not staring at a giant piece of fabric!)

The shirt was interesting - lots of stuff I hadn't really done before, like the collar. When I went to put the collar together, I realized I'd misread the pattern piece, and had only cut one when I was supposed to cut two (duh). And I didn't have enough fabric to cut it out in the direction it was supposed to go (not to mention that the fabric is striped, so it would look odd if I cut it in the other direction). So I ended up cutting two halves and sewing them together first to make one piece, then checking every three seconds to make sure the Frankenstein half was on the underside of the collar. But it worked! You can barely even see the join.

The only thing that's left to do is buttons - they're done by hand, so I can do those at my parents' if I need to. Also I really need to start actually sewing something on the skirt, so I feel slightly less panicked. The pattern looks pretty easy, but you never know. First step: change the needle to the special denim needle I bought (aren't I fancy).

Blame it on the bobbin

My sewing machine and I are in a bit of a war right now. It's probably my fault - I stopped using it for a few weeks, it got lonely, it took revenge. But I've been working on some super secret Christmas projects, and I have never had this much trouble. Needle coming unthreaded, thread breaking, bobbin running out in the middle of a seam (okay, that one might be my fault), bobbin tangling, thread tangling. And then, while attempting to untangle the bobbin at one point, I accidentally pulled the bobbin case out, and it took me forever to figure out how to put it back in.

These are the slowest moving "quick" projects ever.

My nemesis

Back again

Hello, lovely people in my computer! I've been neglecting you. In my defence, I've also been neglecting the sewing. No sewing, nothing to talk about. It's the time of year, you know? Plus I needed fabric before I could do anything.

However, I went to the giant Fabricland members sale, and now I have PLANS. Meanwhile, a couple of pics of skirts in the real world.

I got a couple of compliments on the skirt - mostly on how cute the rickrack on the bottom is. Heh. The rickrack made all the difference.

I don't know about this look. I am finding this skirt incredibly hard to style. I blame the pink. In any case, I just wanted to wear it, so I pulled out the black, but I don't love black except with other black, so it wasn't my favourite.