At this point in my sewing career, I have constructed a random assortment of skirts and tops, none of which match well with each other or with any pieces in my pre-existing wardrobe.  Considering that my motivation for learning to sew was to build my wardrobe, and realizing that I have now gained basic garment sewing skills, I have decided to begin using nicer fabric and to match fabric patterns and colorways and make actual outfits.  This is my first Outfit.  (Also, I realize that these colorways aren’t the most perfect match, but they suffice for business casual)  The top is my Sorbetto The Second (this time, with sleeves! – - that’s a linky to the sleeve PDF), and the skirt is Simplicity 2451 (View C).  I am extremely pleased with how both of these pieces turned out.

My Sorbetto The Second (with sleeves!) came together very well.  Accounting for the learnings I gleaned during my first Sorbetto, I opted to cut the smallest size (Size 0).  The top is not intended to be particularly fitted, but I am pleased that my second Sorbetto is not way too large (as was my first Sorbetto).  In my first version of this top (in size 6), the sleeve straps fall off of my shoulders and the top portion billows out and sort of reveals all.  This Sorbetto does not do that – - as you can see, even whilst bending over, my modesty is maintained.  However, I did make a few modifications to adjust the fit more to my liking.

Firstly, I did add waist darts to the back of the top (and I have considered adding them to the front as well, because it is not at all fitted).  Secondly, I worked some gathers along the neckline to bring it in.  Even in the smallest size, the sleeve straps were tending to fall over my shoulders and the top portion was gaping too much.  It’s not that I’m obsessed about modesty, but I am short, and I’m not a fan of the notion that anyone taller than I could easily see down my shirt.  The gathers at the neckline were a perfect solution, and I also think quite fashionable!  I also added a lacy strip of bias tape to the front, though I am unsure how I feel about it.  Does it just look like I have a strip of bias tape down the front, or is there some element of style???  Finally, I also added sleeves, which I like a lot.  The sleeve PDF linked above is only drafted in one size (and which size, I am unsure) and it seemed too large for the size I was making, so I added some gathers along the top of the sleeve and I think they nicely mirror the gathers that I worked at the neckline.  In this print, the fold at the front of the top is not particularly noticeable, so I like that the gathers had some textural interest to the top.

Below is a photo with the top un-tucked, though I prefer it tucked with this ensemble.

The skirt is a muslin that I worked out of some “premium broadcloth” from fabric.com that I bought for $3.38 per yard.  I hope to add some pencil skirts to my wardrobe and this was my first try (though, it is not as pencil-y as I had imagined).  The pattern came together very easily, though I think I made one size too small.  After I pieced together the front and the back, I noted that it was too tight and then ripped out those seams and used a very small seam allowance to compensate.  With that adjustment, the skirt fits very well, though it is very fitted against my waist.

The overall pattern for this skirt is very nice.  It has some pleats at the front (that are not too-pleaty), a high fitted waitband (which I find both comfortable and fashionable), and some well constructed pockets.  The length is nice and there is a sexy opening at the back of the skirt along the bottom.

I intend to make another skirt from this pattern very soon, once I can identify a top and fabric to construct another Outfit.

Patterns: Sorbetto (free pattern, with sleeves), and Simplicity 2451 (View C) (pattern purchased for $1.99 on sale at Joann’s)
Fabric:  Top – (cotton for $5 per yard), Skirt – (“premium broadcloth” from fabric.com for $3.38 per yard)
Total Cost:  about $15 for the whole outfit

Yesterday, I made a muslin for the Sorbetto top (a free download from Colette Patterns).  I used the poly-cotton embroidered floral fabric that I bought at Hancocks for super cheap, that I had attempted to make Simplicity 1886 with awhile back.  The Sorbetto pattern is wonderfully simple, and I wish that I had tried to make this as my first top (what with its TWO pieces – - front and back) rather than the Simplicity pattern (with its 12 pattern pieces).   I spent about an hour and a half making this muslin and was pleasantly surprised to find that the finished piece is nicely wearable.

I continue to be baffled about sizing for sewing patterns.  With the first iteration of my Capped Sleeve Blouse, I sized it with the kind of ease I am accustomed to with knitting patterns – - but because I used a woven fabric, with zero stretch, the blouse didn’t have enough ease for me to comfortable wear it.  Then I had my brilliant idea to make the same size top in a knit fabric, and the resulting blouse was a perfect fit.  After that experience, you might wonder what compelled me to return to a woven fabric for my Sorbetto.  Well, for one, I had this idea that a sleeveless blouse in a woven fabric might work okay, for two, as this is a muslin I thought it would be easier to think about muslin stuff with a woven fabric rather than a knitted fabric, and for three, I like many woven fabrics and I do not want to be limited to only sewing tops from knitted fabric.

Anyway, baffled about sizing for sewing patterns… I have no idea how much ease one is supposed to incorporate into a blouse with a woven fabric.  Somewhere, in my internet wanderings, I read that typical ease to use for a sewing pattern is as much as five inches, which sounds horribly unflattering!

With my Sorbetto muslin, I compared the pattern pieces to a woven blouse I have and made one size larger (the woven blouse is actually a button-up blouse, and Sorbetto is a pull-over blouse, so I figured I’d need some extra wiggle room to get it onto my person).  Typically, when buying blouses, I am a size XS – - but for this blouse, I made a size 6 (which I believe is around a Medium-ish).  After piecing together the front and the back, I pulled it on and found that I had PLENTY of extra room to pull it over my head, so I decided to add some waist shaping darts (I took the pattern pieces for my Capped Sleeve Blouse and traced those waist shaping darts onto my Sorbetto muslin).  With the added waist shaping darts, the top was much less easy to pull over my shoulders, but still I was able to do so without threat of damaging the top or spraining a muscle on my person.

My finished muslin fits pretty well, though there (unsurprisingly) seems to be too much extra fabric in the bust area and the arm & neck holes are too big.  I am thus undecided if I made the correct size.  Should I try working another muslin in a smaller size and omit the waist shaping?  Should I work another muslin with the lower body in the size 6, keep the waist shaping, and cut a smaller size for just the upper half of the body??  Or should I give up on woven fabrics for tops and make a knit Sorbetto???

Decisions, decisions.

Incidentally, I had no idea until I saw these photographs of myself that my cycling tan is so pronounced on my arms.  I swear, you forget sunscreen ONCE and regret it for the rest of the season!

Pattern: Sorbetto
Fabric: Embroidered Poly-Cotton (remnants from previous project)
Notions: None
Total Time: 1.5 Hours

Oh, and here’s my outfit today.  Sorbetto and the skirt I made over the weekend.  The linen is pretty wrinkly from sitting at the desk all morning…

I recently completed a few skirts that I would like to show to you.  The first is from the book Sew Serendipity, and I treated myself to a copy of this book after successfully graduating from my other sewing book.  This book features foundational patterns for a skirt, blouse, tunic, dress, and jacket, and then illustrates how to create many different styles to each of those pieces.  This is the first pattern from the book, an A-Line Skirt with contrasting fabric.  The pattern also calls for some ruffle appliqué work, but without a ruffle foot, my ruffles looked horrendous and I decided to omit them.  I did, however, add pockets and I love the finished skirt.

As for the fabric, the brown fabric is reclaimed from my Pilgrim Skirt, which I have become less fond of as my sewing skills have increased.  I do hereby vow to never make for myself another elastic waistband skirt!  A fitted waistband, especially with interfacing, and a zipper closure is, by far, a more flattering skirt construction than just cinching it around the waist with elastic.  In preparation to make this skirt, I employed my seam ripper and took apart my Pilgrim Skirt and pressed the edges flat.  The fabric was sufficiently plentiful to cut the fabric for this skirt and I am much happier with this use of the fabric!  The contrasting fabric is some Amy Butler fabric I picked up at fabric.com for about $9 per yard and I only used about half a yard.  I bought the rust colored version used for this skirt and the grey and mustard colored version in that link.  I thought it would be fun to combine the two different colorways on something, though I know not what.

I think this is a more sophisticated skirt than some of the other skirts I’ve made, but the contrasting lower hem and pockets add a touch of fun whimsy.

Pattern: Appliqué Skirt from Sew Serendipity by Kay Whitt
Fabric: Reclaimed Brown Linen  & Amy Butler Cotton
Notions: Invisible Zipper
Total Time: 3 Hours
Total Cost: $5 for fabric, $2 for zipper

The second skirt is Simplicity 2655 View B and I bought this pattern at one of the $0.99 pattern sales at Joanns.  This was a stashbusting project to use up more of my Tutti Fruiti fabric   You might recognize the blue fabric with butterflies from my Rocket Science Skirt and the floral fabric along the hem (and also the waistband, which I forgot to photograph) from the muslin for my Capped Sleeve Blouse.  I’m calling this skirt my Flutter Skirt because the lower hem has a nice flutter that I think is really pretty.  I’m planning on working another version of this skirt in a non-children’s fabric sometime.

The pattern came together quickly and easily.  The main body of the skirt has six pieces, three for the front and three for the back, that become wider along the length of the skirt, and then ends with the flutter portion at the lower hem.  There is also a nice fitted waistband and a zipper closure.  I had wanted to add pockets, but didn’t have enough fabric.

Pattern: Simplicity 2655 View B
Fabric: Tutti Fruitti (stashbuster)
Notions: Invisible Zipper
Total Time: 3 Hours
Total Cost: $0.99 for the pattern & $2 for the zipper

Woohoo!

I am so excited to have successfully made myself a blouse, not only piecing the pieces together but coming away with a blouse that is comfortable and flattering for me to wear!  This is the same capped sleeve blouse that I made last week, that turned out to have not enough ease to comfortably wear it.  As I had surmised, sewing this out of a knit fabric instead of a woven one made all the difference – - I made the same size as before, but because the fabric stretches, the finished blouse is just perfect.  Oh, and all of those modifications that I listed out in that other post (in particular, the No Bust Alteration and the extraneous button-band) I mostly disregarded.  The only modifications I made were to lengthen the sleeves, lengthen the body, and (due to some trouble I had making buttonholes in this fabric) modified it to be a pullover instead of a button-up blouse (which was a last minute modification made out of desperation).

This fabric is some cotton knit t-shirt fabric that I bought for… wait for it… $1.50 a yard at Hancock Fabrics (for anyone local, this was the Hancock Fabrics in Twin Falls, not Boise, and the one in Twin seems to be FAR SUPERIOR to the one in Boise).  After spending some time reading through Sewholic’s list of tips for sewing with knit fabrics, I had actually become more overwhelmed about the prospect of sewing with knits and I had decided to put off trying to work with knits until I had a few more finished projects under my belt.  Of course, the downside to waiting was my impatience for wanting to make myself a blouse.

A few days ago, I was in Twin Falls for the Day Job and found myself with an entire evening with nothing to do.  Outside, it was freezing cold and there was a torrential rain storm happening (so, no prospect of outdoor activities) and, according to a friendly co-worker, the only things to do in Twin Falls are meth or go to Walmart.  Heh, heh.  I actually did go to Walmart to kill some time (I even bought a pair of pantyhose for the next day’s meeting) and then as I was returning to my hotel, I noticed a big Hancock Fabrics and decided to pop in to further kill time.

Hancock Fabrics was having a big sale on fabrics and I was starting to peruse the full-bolt sale (it was something crazy, like, buy a whole bolt for $20) when this helpful-looking fabric service representative asked if I needed any help.  As I was about to ask about knit fabrics, I remembered all of the important information that I had read about but failed to understand and fully internalize, and this wave of overwhelming fear washed over me, right there in the fabric store, and I must have had a weird look on my face because the fabric service representative came over to me more intentionally and asked very seriously, “How can I help you?” and I was barely able to squeak out something about how I wanted to try sewing with knit fabrics but that I’m a novice sewer and I don’t know much about sewing with knit fabrics, nor do I have any fancy equipment (like twin needles, which one of the links had said was a MUST for sewing with knits) but that my woven blouse was too tight to wear and I want to make blouses.  Somehow, she understood my blabbering and was like, “No problem, I will show you some affordable knit fabrics that are very easy to sew.”  And she guided me to the t-shirt fabric section where I found myself faced with multiple colors and textures of t-shirt fabric that were exactly what I wanted/needed.  I selected several that were on sale for $1.50 per yard and also some interlock and jersey fabrics that were about $3.00 per yard.  She also said that the only thing you really need for sewing with knits is an appropriate needle (which she found for me) and to make sure you’re not stretching the fabric as you sew, suggesting that even someone such as myself has the capacity to successfully sew with knit fabrics.  She did provide me with a few tips (for example, to have the stretchier part of the fabric lay width-wise) but did not overwhelm me with more information than I was capable of retaining.

I left Hancock Fabrics with a selection of knit fabrics and some kind of empowered feeling that I could do this.  I could sew a knit fabric and make a blouse!

I ended up not sleeping well that night because I couldn’t stop thinking about the prospect of sewing a knit fabric and what that would mean for me.  The idea that I could make for myself shirts and blouses that would be fitted but also have enough stretch to be comfortable was very exciting.

When I returned to Boise, one of the first things I did was to put all of my new fabric into the washer.  On Saturday, I set about making my blouse.  Whereas the first time I made this blouse, it took me about 8 hours to piece it all together, this time it took me about half that because I was already familiar with the pattern.  That alone was very gratifying.  I didn’t make all of the mistakes that I did the first time around (in fact, the only time I had to use my seam ripper was because I somehow installed my new knit fabric needle into the machine backwards and it wasn’t picking up the bobbin thread correctly – - I actually felt proud of myself when I successfully troubleshooted that issue).

This blouse came together easily and I just love the finished piece.  I know that I will make many more blouses from this pattern.  As I mentioned above, I ended up modifying this to be a pullover instead of a button-up blouse because I was unable to machine stitch buttonholes into this fabric.  I probably spent an hour on this issue, going through a ridiculous amount of thread on a test swatch, and also employing my skills with Google to troubleshoot what was going on.  I found a very helpful thread on patternreview.com and employed several of the suggestions, to no avail, and finally determined that my machine probably just can’t handle sewing buttonholes onto knit fabric.  I even set about learning how to handstitch buttonholes, and successfully handstitched a single buttonhole onto my test swatch, but decided that I would rather hang myself than be in the business of handstitching buttonholes.  So, maximizing the stretchy properties of this knit fabric, I sewed the two sides of the blouse together, overlapping them along the button plackets, and called it a day.

One of the next patterns on my queue is the Renfrew pattern from Sewholic, which is on its way to me, and I anticipate that being a staple of my new wardrobe – - it just looks like the perfect pattern for basic t-shirts and longer sleeve shirts.  And in case you all haven’t seen this, I wanted to direct your attention to a space that has been providing me with a lot of inspiration for tops – - the Made by Rae Spring Top Sewalong Flickr Pool.  Admiring all of the tops over there was most definitely what compelled me to get this blouse right (and if I have the guts, I might even submit a photo of this blouse to that pool).

Pattern: Capped Sleeve Blouse from Stitch by Stitch by Deborah Moebes
Fabric: Hancock Fabrics Cotton T-Shirt Knit (approx. 1.5 yards)
Notions: Buttons NONE!
Size: 4
Total Time: approx. 4 hours

On Saturday, I spent a good amount of the day working on a blouse.  Before I get into this post about the blouse, I just want to mention that Josh and I are currently on a little mini-vacation in Baker City, Oregon.  These photos were taken while we were wandering around the town, mostly being silly.  Tomorrow, I will post a little blog about our adventure.

Pattern: Capped Sleeve Blouse from Stitch by Stitch by Deborah Moebes
Fabric: Tutti Frutti (approx. 1.5 yards)
Notions: 5 buttons
Size: 4
Total Time: approx. 8 hours

This is the final project in the learn to sew book, Stitch by Stitch.  As I wrote in my previous post, I was planning on making up a first version of this blouse as a muslin to focus on fit and construction.  I ended up using more of my Tutti Frutti fabric in the hopes of making a wearable muslin.  However, this blouse should not be considered an FO, but is still a work-in-progress because, while I’m done with working on this particular blouse, I still do not have a finished blouse to wear.

First things first.

The pattern instructions were EXCELLENT.  As you can see, I totally made a blouse, and it has capped sleeves, waist darts (both front and back), and a collar (the collar does not normally sit funny around the back of my neck, that must have happened whilst being silly with Josh in Baker City).  And insofar as the actual piecing together of the blouse pieces, I was able to do this with very minimal confusion and frustration.

I also learned an incredible amount about blouse construction and fit during the making of this blouse.  My next blouse is going to be awesome!

The primary downfall of this blouse for me was the sizing.  Without consulting the finished measurements, I cut the smallest size (4) – - although, I’m noticing that sewing patterns do not tend to provide the variety of finished measurements as knitting patterns do.  Important measurements, like armhole depth, I have to figure out on my own I guess.

One of the first sizing issues I noticed was that the bust was WAY too big for me.  Bringing in the bust darts according to the pattern results in this ridiculous amount of extra poofy fabric. I played with not bringing in the bust darts, but the fabric was cut to have bust darts and I couldn’t figure out how to not have bust darts without it looking even more ridiculous.  I’ve heard about Full Bust Alterations, but I haven’t heard about No Bust Alterations.  Does this exist?  On my next try, I am going to play with using the back piece to cut out the front pieces (to achieve the no bust shaping) but reproducing other features of the front (like the neck and armhole shaping).

Interestingly, whereas the bust on this blouse was ginormous, everything else was teeny tiny.

After I sewed on the sleeves, I tried the blouse on and the armhole depth was so small that the sleeves cut up under my arms in an almost painful way and the crossback was so narrow that I could barely move my arms.  I compared the armhole depth of this blouse to other shirts and blouses that fit me and made an interesting discovery… Those blouses made from a woven fabric had a much longer armhole depth and wider crossback than those made with knit fabrics.  In fact, the sizing on my blouse was almost exactly the same (except for the bust, of course) as my favorite t-shirt (in a knit fabric).

I used my powers of deduction to conclude that knit fabrics are significantly more stretchy and forgiving than woven ones.  And then I set about obsessing whether or not I should finish sewing this blouse in my woven fabric, since it obviously wasn’t going to fit me.  My obsessing started to get the best of me, so I went on a hard bike ride, which is the best way for me to clear my head, and afterwards decided to finish working on this blouse for the sake of learning.  In the not-too-distant future, I hope to start working with knits and trying to make some tops with knitted fabric.  Sewholic posted a big list of different posts about working with knits that I’ve been slowly reading through, and I’m thinking about trying out her Renfrew pattern, which apparently has a lot of hand-holding about working with knits.

As for my blouse under works, I decided to try re-drafting the sleeves to get a longer armhole depth.  And while I was at it, I also made the sleeves a few inches longer (the sleeves according to the pattern barely covered my shoulders – - and I have an embarrassing cycling tan that was very visible with those short sleeves) and made them a few inches wider (because my upper arm circumference is disproportionately wider than my bust size).  I also cut the armholes on the blouse body to accommodate the larger sleeves and it only took me two tries to ease them into the armholes on the blouse.  For such a substantial modification, on my first blouse, I am very pleased with my handiwork.

I then attached the collar without problem and began working on the front facings.

(Also, please forgive my ratty hair in these photos.  Prior to the photoshoot, Josh and I had gone on a 58 mile bike ride  and this is my post-ride hair).

In my previous post, I described how sewing is akin to piecing together a puzzle and you might not fully grasp how the pieces are supposed to interact with each other until you’re almost finished with the puzzle.  Also, there are different sorts of intelligences – - oft mentioned are academic intelligence versus “street smarts”, but I would go so far as to suggest that certain subjects and expertise require a specific type of intelligence… and that perhaps there is a “sewing intelligence” that I completely and utterly lack.

Anyway, I feel really dumb because I confused the front facings for some kind of button band that would extend the reach of the blouse width-wise.  In my knitting experience, for cardigans with overlapping fronts, the front pieces have an extra inch or so for the button band.  On this blouse, the two front pieces were exactly half as wide as the back and so I was assuming that there would be an additional button band to attach.  But when it came time to attach the facings, I realized this was not the case and that there was no possibility of closing the blouse around my torso (the combined width of the back and front pieces were exactly the circumference of my torso).  So, in what is becoming my normal sewing method, I jerry-rigged a button band out of the front facing.  I even did a bunch of top-stitching to give my exposed seams a decorative effect.

I should have, instead, cut out a button band from my extra fabric and left the front facing alone.  By messing with the facing, I ensured that the collar would sit funny at the front of the neck.  I may be inventive, but I am dumb.

Unfortunately, even with the added width from my extraneous button band, the blouse has insufficient ease for me to comfortably wear it.  Around the upper waist is particularly tight and feels like a corset.  After taking these photos, Josh and I went to dinner and I felt as though I were literally busting out of my blouse.

All in all, I am very happy with all that I learned with this blouse.  I intend to further my sewing education and learn about working with knits so that I might make this pattern again in a more stretchy and forgiving fabric.  I do think that the sizing would be almost perfect with a stretchy fabric (and with my larger sleeves, button band, and No Bust Alterations).

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I am taking several days off from work (primarily from supervisory pressure to have more work-life balance) and am hoping to take advantage of this opportunity to do a lot sewing and knitting.  Yesterday, I was able to make for myself a skirt and I am delighted with how it turned out.  This skirt is the Carport Wrap Skirt from the Stitch by Stitch book that I’ve been using to teach myself to sew.

Pattern: Carport Wrap Skirt
Fabric: Tutti Frutti (maybe 1 3/4 yards, on sale for about $5 a yard at Joann’s)
Notions: Hooks & Eyes
Total Time: approx. 4 hours

One of the things that I both love and hate about sewing is its likeness to assembling a puzzle – - you have all of these different pieces and gradually figure out how to put them together.  Unfortunately, like with a puzzle, sometimes you have similar (but different) pieces that you try to force together, and you don’t realize this until the end, when your puzzle doesn’t look right.  But more on that later.

This skirt is a wrap style skirt made with one back piece and two front pieces that overlap. There are also two strips to attach to the exposed front edge along the sides, two waistband pieces, and two pieces for ties. Oh, and pockets!!!  I have never before had a skirt with pockets and when there was the collective rage about skirts with pockets, I did not follow in the enthusiasm.  But now I see the light.  The pockets on this skirt really rock my world.  Also, I just want to mention that, before making this skirt, I considered wrap skirts to be not my style.  I even skipped over this project in the book and went directly to the A-Line Skirt because I was not interested in making a wrap skirt.  I decided to return to this skirt because I realized that it uses some skills that would be good for me to learn and practice, though I wasn’t excited about the finished project.

Oh, and since I wasn’t very excited about the finished project, I decided to use my least favorite fabric in my slowly-growing stash.  This is more of that Tutti Frutti fabric, that I have confirmed is intended for children, that is incredibly easy to sew with (another reason why I wanted to use it).  Also, when I bought it at Joann’s, it was in the section of fabrics labelled “cotton” but I have since taken a look at the bolt and realized that it’s mostly polyester with a little bit of cotton.  I know nothing about fabrics yet, so I don’t know if this is comparable to the Red Heart of yarns and if fabric snobs are laughing at my skirt, but I really don’t care.  It’s easy to sew (which is great for me right now) and it was cheap (and I’m not ready to possibly ruin nice fabric with my amateur sewing skills).  Anyway, this fabric is pretty much neon yellow and green and was very difficult to photograph.  I don’t think it’s quite so hard on the eyes in reality, but it is very bright.

Going into this project, I wasn’t sure how it was to be constructed.  Below is the photo of the finished skirt provided in the book.  If you look closely, you might be able to see that it is, in fact, a wrap skirt and you might notice the two buttons on the far left side of the skirt.  I really hate to be critical, because I love this book and how it has helped me both learn to sew and learn to enjoy sewing, but there were a few stumbling moments with this pattern and the vague picture of the finished skirt was one of them.  From this photo, it appears that the skirt is primarily fastened together with buttons (which I thought would be super cute) but it is actually primarily fastened together with ties and there are no ties, anywhere, in this photo.  Not really a huge deal, but my moments of stumbling were in regards to the ties and their placement, and having a clear photo of where the ties were supposed to be would have been extremely helpful for a novice like moi.

But I want to return to the positive for a moment before I discuss what really boggled my mind.  I love the finished skirt.  I just love it and I know that I will wear it many many times and I will probably even make more skirts from this pattern.  I am just so thrilled that I can sew for myself skirts that fit me well, in fabric of my choosing, and that I can gradually make for myself a wardrobe that enhances (rather than diminishes) my self esteem.  Before deciding to take up sewing, I embarked on a huge shopping extravaganza to build my wardrobe because it had been so long since I had purchased new clothing that everything was in tatters and not appropriate for public wear.  My experience of shopping at retail establishments was horrible.  There is something going on right now with ready to wear fashion that is the exact opposite of my body type.  And it is disheartening to stand in front of the mirror repeatedly with pieces of clothing that make you look awful.  I don’t even want to think about the number of hours I wasted in this shopping business, because I did not buy a single article of clothing and came away from the experience feeling like an ugly mutant.  So, screw retail shopping, I’m just going to make stuff I like that will look good on me!

In addition, I actually ENJOYED the making of this skirt, despite a few moments where my mind felt like scrambled eggs.  I still don’t enjoy sewing in the same way that I enjoy knitting, but let’s face it, I derive an excessive and possibly worrisome amount of pleasure from knitting.  And considering my yarn stash (and my stash of knitting books and magazines, and how much time I spend on Ravelry looking at pretty knitting projects), it’s probably a good thing that I am not equally obsessive about sewing.  But, I do enjoy sewing – - I find satisfaction in the process and am very excited about the finished projects.  And I love how I can sew a finished clothing item in a few hours!

To return to the pattern, it was all coming together smoothly until it came time to attach the ties to the waistband.  Because there is no photo of the tie placement and how they are supposed to bring the skirt together, I was very mystified by this portion of the pattern.  In addition, in every other section of the book, I have found the written instructions to be extremely clear and easy to understand and the accompanying visual aides to also be clear and helpful.  During this one tie section of the pattern, I could neither understand the written instructions nor could I figure out what the photos were supposed to show.  I probably read through this set of pattern instructions (as well as those prior and after) 50 times trying to ascertain what I was supposed to do, particularly since it seemed as though I might learn some neat skills for attaching ties to skirts.  I do know that a good portion of the confusion was my own fault.  First of all, I was working on this section of the pattern well past my bedtime and I was tired (increasingly tired and bleary-eyed as time and frustration wore on), so I really should have just stopped working on this and left it for the next day, when I could look at it with fresh eyes and a clear mind.  Secondly, later I also realized that somehow I mixed up the ties and the waistband (which were similar sized, but not identical) and attached the ties as the waistband and made the waistband the ties.  I can be so dumb sometimes – - when what I thought was the waistband didn’t properly line up with the skirt, I thought it was a pattern error and ended up cutting an additional length of material to force it to work (you know when you’re working on a puzzle and you find pieces that look like they should fit together, and you force them together, but they don’t actually go together… that was exactly what I was doing).  And all of this might have a lot to do with my inability to get my ties and waistband to look like the photos and explain why I was so confused.  I would like to do this pattern again and NOT mix up the waistband and ties, to see if that facilitates my success with this section of the pattern.

So, at this point, I pretty much gave up on following the pattern because everything after this section was directly related to it.  My skirt seams and waistband weren’t lining up correctly, so I tried to fudge some mitered corners to accommodate the discrepancy and I jerry-rigged the ties to the skirt.  I ended up cutting a hole in the waistband at one of the sides to insert one of the ties into, and then sewed it closed before then topstitching the waistband to the inside of the skirt.  All in all, I am very satisfied with how I was able to finish up the skirt.  These areas look pretty amateur, but they are functional and don’t look awful from the Right Side.  But you probably understand why I am calling this finished skirt the “fake it while you make it” skirt.

Next up on my sewing queue is to make the final project in this book, a capped sleeve blouse, which I intend to start working on today.  Since this will be more complex than the skirts I’ve been making, I was thinking about using an old bed sheet as a muslin and working a first version for practice, to understand the proper construction of the blouse, and to make sure I get a good fit.