First skirt!

In keeping with the "firsts" I'm posting on this blog… (I love that I'm learning so much this year!)

Again, inspired by Wardrobe Refashion, I made this little summer skirt. This is New Look 6565, starred as an easy pattern. And it was easy! I made lots of mistakes – sewed the second tier upside down, did not perfectly match the side seams, did not sew in a straight line, and more, and you can't even tell! The skirt is super comfortable and has a nice little twirl factor. Unfortunately, due to using fabrics I already had, and not having enough of them, plus my reluctance to cut into fabrics I really like, I didn't have enough of all one fabric, and first tier and the yoke are made of see-through fabric. So I can't really wear this in public unless it's as a bathing suit coverup. However, I did get to practice my sewing skills, practice my gathering (it went better the second time around), make my first casing (easy!) and now I have a nice summer pajama skirt. This pattern is incredibly easy and the skirt is so comfortable, I think I might remake it in fabric you can't see through. if you want full details on the pattern – click here to read my full pattern review.

First quilt square!

I’m noticing I have a lot of “firsts” on this blog… first knitting, first knit cables, first drafted pattern, first garment, and now first quilt square! I love this! I had so much fun making this quilt square, although the design and fabric choice were much more difficult than I anticipated. I considered and rejected many different designs before settling on this one, inspired by the knitted quilt in the Mason Dixon Knitting book. (which I don’t yet own, but I want it!) I decided on a yellow colorway because yellow is my favorite color! I wanted something logcabin-ish, but didn’t want to use a pattern. This block is for a swap. I loved making it, I love the way it looks. Now I want to make a full quilt! I’ll need a long time to cut out all the fabric though, yikes. The ecological impact: this fabric comes from a mix of bought new (remnants from Joann’s) and purchased hand-me-downs from SCRAP.

Also for the swap I made this little crocheted bowl, which unfortunately looks more like a basket. Not exactly as I had envisioned. The person said she is currently addicted to crocheted/knitted bowls, so hopefully this qualifies! (the yarn was bought secondhand and the ribbon I received in a personal swap)

First garment! A failure!

This is the view B halter from Simplicity 5016, the "It's So Easy" line. It actually was rather easy to sew, but not so easy to make look good! And it doesn't. I think part of the problem comes from the fact that I am a lot curvier than the cover model! Also, I did not use good lining fabric, and I messed up on the gathering. Had I done things better, it might have looked like the envelope photo.
The halter ties in the back, so the back is mostly open, which I didn't realize before I bought it (online), and which I don't like. Also, I don't think the pattern works very well for curvy women, but that could be because of my terrible sewing skills. I used some fabric I picked up from SCRAP, and it wasn't very good fabric. I intended this to be my "muslin" but actually if I had used better fabric for this, I might actually have found it decent. (of course, I'm too afraid to cut into fabric I actually like) But the lining fabric has raised stripes and the texture of them is terrible in the chest area. Anyway, I probably wouldn't have worn it anyway because of the open back.
Next time I will try Simplicity 5057, view D, which looks similar but does not have an open back. (look how cute it is on this woman!) In conclusion, although I'm disappointed with how it turned out, I'm happy to have completed my first garment, and learned some new things along the way! Anyway, thanks to Wardrobe Refashion for the encouragement to attempt making my own top! Next one will be better!

I’m terrified of sewing

That must be it.  There is no other reason for me to stare constantly at my meager stash, bring out all my patterns and plan what I will make someday, and then put them all back, close the closet doors where my stash is hidden, and pick up my knitting again.  Part of the problem is that I am too afraid to make a mistake that I can't undo.  The whole cutting thing!  It's so much easier with crochet and knitting, you can always rip it out and redo it.   The other problem is that I really don't have a good enough stash.  I think I only have one piece of fabric that exceeds 3 yards, and I am saving that for a skirt for work after I learn how to put in zippers.  (which will be soon – I've already signed up for a class!)  I am trying not to buy fabric new as part of my goal to reduce my ecological footprint, but I don't seem to be one of these lucky people who finds gorgeous vintage fabric or lovely sheets at the thrift store.  Maybe I just don't go enough?  Despite this, I have been wanting to make the Denyse Schmidt quilted scarf for a while, and I think I have enough coordinating fabric to do it, but I can't bring myself to cut up the fabric!   Oh well.  The only thing I feel semi-confident to make is another bag, but I really don't need another bag.  Just to leave you with a picture, here is one I did for a swap a while ago.  I even "drafted" the pattern!
 

First refashion – I’m so out of my league

I know it's not much, but I did manage to make these boyshort pajama bottoms (actually, that's not how I'm using them, but that seems more appropriate to post) out of a tshirt purchased at a thrift store.  The shirt was super stretchy, so I didn't even have to use elastic in the waistband and they stayed on all day.  Actually they are very comfortable and by some stroke of luck, the stripes meet in a very cute "V" in the back.  

 Here's how I made them:

- took a pair of existing boyshort, uh, pajama pants

- laid them out on pattern paper (as luck would have it, a pattern I recently cut had a lot of blank space)

- marked where the seam line and fold line was

- added a seam allowance back in, cut 2 on the fold, and sewed them together!

I started hemming the bottom but it became Too Much Trouble (see "things I did wrong) so I just left it.  it's fine, doesn't roll or anything. 

 and here are the Things I did wrong:

- did not add enough of a seam allowance.  it was tough to sew a narrow little hem on this stretchy fabric, so I should have added like an inch for a seam allowance.  of course, this was a tiny t-shirt so I didn't have enough fabric, but next time

- did not cut the pattern properly, so the two halves didn't quite meet up correctly.  I was constrained by my tiny piece of fabric though.

and I'm sure there were a gazillion more things that I have already forgotten, but anyway, I did it!

Now I just need to work on making an item of clothing I can actually wear in public! 

I’m trying!

yesterday I turned that t-shirt pictured in yesterday's post into some boyshort underwear.  I also crocheted a thong panty, but I didn't have enough yarn, so it's too small!  I'm going to modify the pattern and I'll post pics of both.  I still have a bit of the t-shirt fabric left over too, so I think I'm going to try and make a fabric headband.  that fabric is super stretchy!

in other news, in order to do something about my severe lack of sewing skills, I signed up for 3 sewing classes within the next month and a half!  I'm going to an Open Sewing class, where you take a project and get help on it – the biggest problem will be which project I bring! – a zippers class, and a class on making a pattern from a finished item of clothing.   one of my favorite dresses is completely falling apart and I must make another one!  I even have the perfect polka-dotted fabric for it.

on the knitting front, I managed to do my first cables today!  I'm so excited.  again, pics to follow.

Preparing to Refashion

I got two bedsheets (the pink print in the back). I’m not sure how I feel about the fabric, but it was cheap and I figured I could use it as a muslin if nothing else. The yellow sweater, I plan to felt and then make… mittens? I don’t know. it has some stains (which of course I didn’t see until I got home) so it will have to be something small. I also like this felted scarf so maybe I’ll try something like that once I get more sweaters to felt. The striped t-shirt, sadly is too small and I’m not sure how to reconstruct it. The pink sweater is for unraveling to use the yarn. and the green and white is an adorable halter dress with a full skirt that unfortunately is about one size too big. if I tie the halter really tight and can somehow take in the sides, it could be really cute though. But maybe I’ll hold onto it until my sister comes. It might fit her perfectly. Although I suspect it will be too big in the waist area.

I wish, I wish I could sew better. I know, I need to practice. But I can’t even understand the darn patterns!

Dear blog, I have not forsaken you

Actually I wrote a very nice post the other day, but then lost the whole thing when I got a "page not found" error. grrrr… anyway, not too much going on except work. I'm working so much that I don't want to wait to do things the ecologically friendly way – I want to just order some new furntiture from overstock.com and have it delivered! I'm trying to resist though.

I have been doing some crafting, at least. I am finally really learning how to knit, and finished my first item, a dishcloth, last week. It's too boring to post here, so I won't. I also made an oven mitt, from the Denyse Schmidt Quilts book, which despite all the mistakes I made (it's a learning process!) was a lot of fun, and now we don't have to use a towel anymore. Here's a pic:

the lining fabric was free from an online friend, the batting used for quilting was also free from friends who were moving and would have just thrown it away, and I think the outer fabrics were purchased at my local fabric store on super sale on remnants before it went out of business. They might be from Joann's though. Of course, I try not to shop at fabric stores anymore. (ongoing challenge!)

Happy Earth Day!

I made this shopping tote (no need for bags!) from reclaimed fabric (fabric people just wanted to get rid of) and even a reclaimed pattern! the thread was bought new, as were the iron-ons used to make the Earth Day logo.