the pattern was for another peplum top with a fluttery sleeve, meant to be sewn using a woven fabric vs. the knits i've been pretty much exclusively working with. i don't typically like making things with woven fabrics anymore for a few reasons - they usually require some sort of closing apparatus, like buttons or snaps or a zipper. i'm too damn lazy for that business. and then there's the fact that those items usually require ironing to look nice. again...no thanks. especially now that it's starting to get hot again? ironing? psssssshhhh.
a few months ago, i finally got rid of the majority of the non-knit fabrics from my extensive stash. i found a lady locally who makes quilts and donates them to children and veterans hospitals, and she was more than happy to take my hodgepodge collection of cotton fabrics. i'd kept just a couple of piles that i liked, and so i busted them out to complete my first test.
the first one was a lightweight cotton that had a pretty eyelet pattern throughout the fabric and a decorative border along one edge. i figured it would work perfectly - this even meant i didn't have to hem the peplum! laziness wins again!
i printed out the pattern, assembled it, cut out the fabric pieces and got to work. it was a pretty easy one to do - just two sleeve pieces, a front and back bodice, and two peplum pieces. the instructions were simple and i was breezing along happy as a clam. i was on one of the last few steps - attaching the gathered peplum to the bottom of the bodice and was feeling pretty confident when i looked away for just a second and caught a little piece of it underneath my serger needles...which ended up looking like this.
D-OH. here's a closeup of my blunder:
i. was. so. mad. because the serger automatically trims the edge of the fabric as you sew, i knew that even if i undid the stitches my problem wouldn't be solved. and this is what it looked like after i'd taken my seam ripper to it:
BAH. i took a day off and then decided to tackle the pattern again using a different piece of fabric that i thought might work. this one was a little heavier cotton, and had some fun pink and orange stripes embroidered into it. i managed to complete it without any major screwups, but found that i didn't like the fit on me. instead, i got the old lady to model it for my submission:
it's not her usual style, and i told her i was going to add it to our "donate" pile, but she said that she'd find an occasion to wear it since i'd taken the time to sew it up. and when i say "it's not her usual style," that's putting it VERY lightly. this is a girl who's usually in basic tees and pants, more often than not in dark colors. this is pretty much the opposite of anything she's usually willing to wear. heh.
as for that first top, i realized that i could potentially salvage it at least for the photos i needed to turn in for my assignment. i attempted to zigzag stitch the jagged cut edge of my mistake, hemmed the neck and sleeves and stood turned slightly to my right as i covered the screwup with one hand. i got the bean to take a couple of pictures, and so this is what i turned in along with the pictures of the headless old lady:
worked like a charm. and if i hadn't told you about it, you'd never even realize there was a big ol' piece cut out of that top. right?
i'm gonna use that $20 for a manicure. i think i earned it.
No comments:
Post a Comment
i heart comments. i wan-na hear what you have to say.
um, i think.