Blogging the Unblogged!

I’m falling way behind here on blogging finished clothes… so buckle up, because I’m going to ramble my way through pants, two tops, a skirt, and leggings! (Lucky for you I don’t have pics yet of the dress or tee!) :P

FO#1: Pavlova Top

 

Remember how I wasn’t in love with my first Pavlova? Well, I was so inspired by Leila from 3 Dresses, who loves her Pavlova, that I decided to make a second version. Sadly, this one is worse. The stretch of the ties must be the wrong way around, or this just doesn’t have enough give, because they feel tight when I wear it. For some reason, the ties also point off in a strange direction, so I had to take it all apart and cut out a triangle chunk to make them work. 

Oh well. It was fun to make, and I finished it just in time to help my team win the Sewalong challenge! Sweet! 

FO#2: Truffle Skirt

What’s that I’m wearing with my Pavlova? It’s a new spring skirt! 

It’s a simple lined skirt made with (gasp!) quilting cotton from Jay McCarroll’s line. (Remember him from Project Runway S1?) I love the bright colours and graphic pattern. Once again, I used the skirt pieces from the Colette Truffle dress to make the skirt. I tried to shake it up by using a button to close the waistband, but um, yeah… haven’t bought a button yet. The pavlova is holding it closed! (Though my invisible zip is pretty good! Don’t know why I fear those so much! :P)

In theory, I thought this top and skirt might work together because of the little coral paint platters on the skirt print. Looking at the pictures though, I think it will be better with a different colour! 

FO#3: Leggings! 

Behold! I have made the cake-iest of all cake garments - the humble legging! In fact, I’ve made several pairs… and this is the closest you will ever get to seeing them in full! I used a Style Arc pattern which was really simple and easy. There is no outer side seam - it’s all one piece. (Side note: It takes a terrifying amount of fabric to wrap around my thigh. Shocking!) 

Oh, and guess what? This was one of my 2013 Sewing Goals! 

Huzzah! 

OK, time to wrap this up…

FO#4: Wiksten Tank and FO#5: Capri Jeans! 

See how I snuck that in? PANTS! You guys were so encouraging last time I posted about my pants saga (5 muslins!) that i decided just to go for it and make some wearable, imperfect pants. These were made from 2 short scraps of denim, so they had to become shortie pants. The fit is far from perfect, but they are totally wearable and will come in handy during Me Made May!

Just in case one of you has a magic answer…. heres what’s going on in the back. Wrinkles galore! (This is an in-progress pic - now they have pockets!)

If you are interested in stretchy pull-on pants, here’s how the self-fabric waistband works… It’s got unstretched elastic inside which holds it snug without pulling tight. It’s simple and works well, and because the elastic is zigzagged it doesn’t twist around! 

Last but not… ok, totally least: a quick Wiksten tank in challis! Lesson learned? I need darts! Quick and fun though, and an easy way to join in the Challis Chalet this month! 

Phew! You made it through! Looking back, the common thread with these unblogged garments is that I haven’t worn any of them. Seriously, If I sew it an then ignore it, it’s not a good sign! The leggings get used, and the jeans will in warmer weather… the rest, maybe! How often do you sew up things that turn out to be flawed or uninspiring? What do you do with those “meh” projects?