This past week or so I've been trying to hone my dressmaking skills, ready for making my daughter's wedding dress. The first piece was this crepe de chine blouse. It is such a lovely design and fits well, and is already one of my favourites. The pattern is V7903, a Today's Fit pattern by Sandra Betzina for Vogue. (Yes, each link is different. I do hope that you find them useful.)
This was the second item - a shirt. Again, such a comfortable design to wear. Sadly, since it is made from quilting weight cotton, it is really a little too warm to wear at this time of year. That said, I did wear it last week during a particularly chilly couple of days. It was nice to feel warm! However, one child did bring me right back to earth with a bump, when she innocently said "my grandma has curtains like that". I really couldn't help laughing, since the fabric is similar to the old toile de jouy design, so yes, could easily be seen on curtains and the like. It reminded me of the time when I bought some gorgeous red floral fabric to make dresses for my daughters when they were small. Now that time I did buy curtain fabric - and those dresses were loved and worn such a lot.......... My girls were only five and three at the time. Happy memories.
Oh yes, the pattern for this shirt is this one: Classix Nouveau Great White Shirt from Hotpatterns. Again, a really well designed pattern which fits beautifully. I was really impressed to find the pattern printed on really sturdy paper. The instructions were good too.
My third project is currently being rescued from complete disaster. A pair of trousers, and no, I didn't make a muslin.......... yes, bad mistake. I made them too big and so have had to take them almost entirely back to the original pieces again. It was all pinned and ready to be reassembled earlier this evening, when I managed to break the zip. Well, to be accurate, I accidentally took the metal zipper piece off the cut end of the zip itself and wasn't able to replace it........... More disassembly later, I am about to replace the broken zip with another one from my stash.......... Thank goodness for having a stash of zips..................... I decided enough mistakes had been made, so stopped for a cup of tea, and a Blog post. Why, you may ask was the end of the zip cut in the first place? It was part of the instructions for making the fly front. It has to be cut when the waistband is added. Why did I get so far before I realised I had made such a stupid mistake? I don't know. I should have stopped many times to check the sizing, but didn't. Lesson now learnt.
The pattern is this one: 3363 from Kwik Sew. Please don't let my misadventures put you off this pattern. It is a really nice design with good instructions. I was just enjoying myself too much to stop and think and try them on.
It's just as well that I can laugh at myself. I've been chuckling at how silly I have been whilst writing this. Still, better to get everything wrong doing a project like this than to get my daughter's wedding dress in a mess................ Back to the sewing machine to retrieve these trousers. I really need to add them to my wardrobe.
Hopefully, I will be able to show a completed pair of trousers which are wearable before too much longer.
8 comments:
I like your blouses very much and I'm particularly fond of the blue one. I hope you manage to finish the trousers.
Mandy, Just create a new stop for the zipper. Just place a very close satin stitch where the metal stop would have been. Works a treat & hopefully will save you from more unpicking. Sometimes I worry about instructions. I have made plenty of fly fronts on pants without ever removing a zipper stop.
Thanks so much Picnicfan. I rather like the blue one myself. As for the trousers, you may be relieved to hear that I have now rebuilt them and just have the waistband to finish off and athen the hems. Yes, they do fit this time.
What a muddle to get into.
Hello Jenny, thanks for leaving a comment. The sad thing is that I had used a nylon zip. Yes, not perfect for trousers, but they are usually perfectly adequate. I just could not get the metal slider to return to the zipper teeth. Had this been a metal zip there would have been no problem, just as you describe. I have, as I mentioned to Picnicfan, rebuilt the trousers now and they are just needing a few things doing before I can wear them.
Yes, I was intrigued by the cutting off of the zipper stops. So I did it, just to see what the instructions could teach me. I won't be repeating the exercise.
Hi Mandy
Hope you are well, maybe see you back at knitting in the autumn?
Donna
Its so good to hear from you Donna. Yes, I do intend to come along in the autumn.
The key to learning how to sew is practice. Practice makes perfect. Start with small projects like pillow cases, bed sheets and other items that need simple sewing. These projects can also teach you the basics of sewing that is pattern making and taking measurements. These will train you on sewing and other basics. This will be your starting point in learning how to sew and succeeding in this business.
Thanks Jade.
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