Adventures in Sewing
2010-May-07, Friday 06:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chebeI made a skirt yesterday. One from the book 'Sew What! Skirts'. I'm not sure if I mentioned this book here before or not, but I like it, and recommend it, even if none of it is metric, and it says you need a sewing machine. It basically teaches you how to make skirts to fit you, without patterns. It involves a little bit of maths, and some rulers, and really what you are doing is drafting your own skirt blocks, for one time use only, directly on the fabric. I made the first skirt, called 'Singing the Blues', a drawstring A-line skirt, only I didn't add the pocket or the rickrack.
It took me about four hours, including re-threading my overlocker, and learning how to sew a buttonhole on my machine. I ended up making the skirt a bit too big (I have to stop rounding up my measurements!), but I think it still works in a Summery kind of way. I actually wasn't too sure about the fabric, it's floral, and reminds me of Hawaiian shirts. Yet the colours are striking and bold, and the flowers themselves remind me of blood-red splashes. It's certainly not the sort of pattern I'm used to wearing. But it is a medium-weight cotton, and the selection was poor.
I wore it to work today. That was quite a bold move for me. I have never worn anything I made myself out-of-doors, except costumes. I suffer from thinking that nothing I can do is good enough, for whatever that means. But I did, and received several compliments on it, none of which were 'Did you make that yourself?'. I aim for a handmade look, not homemade. And, I say this with relief, I think this a step in the right direction.
(As with most of my photos, click for larger view.
And yes, this was taken with my new lens, but just on Auto because I needed a simple, quick record-shot.)
It took me about four hours, including re-threading my overlocker, and learning how to sew a buttonhole on my machine. I ended up making the skirt a bit too big (I have to stop rounding up my measurements!), but I think it still works in a Summery kind of way. I actually wasn't too sure about the fabric, it's floral, and reminds me of Hawaiian shirts. Yet the colours are striking and bold, and the flowers themselves remind me of blood-red splashes. It's certainly not the sort of pattern I'm used to wearing. But it is a medium-weight cotton, and the selection was poor.
I wore it to work today. That was quite a bold move for me. I have never worn anything I made myself out-of-doors, except costumes. I suffer from thinking that nothing I can do is good enough, for whatever that means. But I did, and received several compliments on it, none of which were 'Did you make that yourself?'. I aim for a handmade look, not homemade. And, I say this with relief, I think this a step in the right direction.
(As with most of my photos, click for larger view.
And yes, this was taken with my new lens, but just on Auto because I needed a simple, quick record-shot.)
