In which I fail repeatedly...

Hiya! Get ready for some bad pictures and worse sewing!

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you might have already seen these recent failed projects, but I thought I’d blog them as well to keep myself honest! I’d hate to have anyone think my sewing always worked! ;) Keeping it real, here. 

First up: Tank with Two Fronts

This was actually an attempt to save a previous fail! I’d made a horrible frumpy pussy-bow tee from this heavy jersey, so I thought I’d recut it as a mission maxi tank. Unfortunately I got a bit gung-ho and cut two fronts! The end result is that the straps fall off CONSTANTLY! The arm bindings seems a little tighter than the neck-binding, which isn’t helping anything. Lots of helpful Sewcialists suggested putting a band accross the shoulders to keep it all in place, which is a great idea. I may just be lazy though and wear it with a cardigan - because cardigans fix all manner of sewing sins, ammiright?

Part Two: Self-drafted Bodice

Remember how I had so much fun rotating darts to make a floral sundress this summer? Well, I pull out my sloper again, and this monstrosity is what emerged from my attempts at drafting!

Yikes! Not even my husband can think of anything kind to say about this one, and bless him, he tries hard with everything I make! I don’t really know what went so wrong with this one… I think the non-stretch woven was less forgiving than before, and the attempt at the v-neckline was misguided… but seriously, how did it all go SO wrong?

Failure, Part Three: I could hide anything under there!

"No problem!" I thought. "I’ll just use the skirt pieces alone instead of putting them in a dress!" 

It’s a Picnic Blanket skirt from Tilly’s tutorial…  It’s also the frumpiest skirt I’ve ever made! This gathering is doing my figure NO favours - you should have seen it before I ironed all the gathering flatter! Yikes! 

I *might* still use the button placket to practice buttons (since Leila and Clare #sewingdared me to sew something with buttons yesterday!) And of course, I could always cut the skirt down to an A-line… but really, I think this fabric is just unlucky, and need to learn it’s lesson in the UFO pile for a while!

But don’t worry, there’s a happy ending…

Part 4: TNT patterns to the rescue!

After messing up three projects in a row, I got some timely encouragement from Twitter, and turned to a  TNT pattern instead……and 30 min later, I had another pair of Maria of Denmark Laura Lounge pants finished! If you haven’t tried this pattern, I really recommend it! It’s cheap, fast and easy, and results in a very comfy yoga-pant-esque pair of pjs! 

How do you bounce back from failed sewing projects? And can gathered skirts ever look good on a pear-shape, or should I give up now and save my fabric?

Gifted, Dared, and Delivered!

Hold on to you hats, folks - I made a dress, and it’s NOT made with knits! (Gasp, shock, horror!) 

In June, Leila from ThreeDresses and Heather, aka KnitnBee aka Handmade by Heather B, sent me the most amazing gifts for my birthday, including 3 m of some beautiful stretch cotton woven from Gertie’s online shop. 

Seriously, look how well this matches into my stash?!?

PRETTY!!!

So when I had to attend a baby shower and the dress code said “pretty summer dress”, I knew just which fabric to use!

Rather than have to muslin a new pattern, I thought I’d pull out my bodice sloper, muck around with it, and finish off one of my …

…at the same time! Way back whenever, someone dared me to try rotating darts, so here’s my first attempt! 

Step 1: Trace my sloper onto tissue paper, and rotate the side dart to the shoulder. 

Step 2: Cut off the shoulder and make it into a yoke, and change the new shoulder dart into gathers. (I’ve been really jonesing after dresses with a yoke and shoulder gathers for a year - can’t quite believe it was this easy to draft my own! Next time though, I want MOAR gathers!)

Here’s how it turned out: 

And the finished dress: 

(Excuse the photographer’s thumb, please!) 

I was all set to try out the gathered Cambie skirt and dub this my “Dolly Clackett Dress” for it’s deliciously over-the-top girlishness… but I chickened out. I love Roisin’s look on her, but I worried that I wouldn’t feel myself. (My only ever attempt at a girly gathered-skirt dress was my floral Cambie, which has never been worn and lives in the UFO pile even though it’s not a UFO!) Instead, I went with the a-line Cambie skirt, and I’m much happier!

I used up some pinky-red vintage bias tape that had been kicking around my sewing room to highlight the pockets and the yoke. (BTW, a few people asked how I did my piping - I learned everything I know from this wonderful tutorial by Susan over at Sewing Cake!) 

I scooped out the back to add some interest and make it more of a sundress… totally inspired by everyone’s beautiful Elisalex dresses, I admit!

This was my very first time sewing a stretch woven, and wow! I’m converted. I want all my wovens to stretch! This dress doesn’t have a zipper, but the double-layered waistband still holds it snug. It was also perfectly comfortable to wear for hours in the car! Leila and Heather, you really chose the *perfect* fabric for me - Thank you so much! 

So ‘fess up: How often do you sew something new for an event? I’ve got about 15 dresses I could have worn, but noooo, had to be something new! Does pre-party sewing usually work out for you, or end in tears and disaster?