Sunday 5 May 2013

A somewhat eventful introduction to sewing...





There is a common saying; if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Well, the pattern for this one hour seventeen hour skirt was most definitely a case in point. I could, quite easily, fill an essay with the problems I encountered. However, this being a 'blog', I decided a list would be more user-friendly (it also saves me the work!).

1. Ok, the first thing I had to do was cut out two identical rectangles of fabric in accordance with my measurements... 'Simples!' I hear you say. No. Sadly, not. 

The issue was with the scissors (I know - a bad work woman always blames her tools, but these scissors were seriously odd). Despite my best efforts, they refused to cut in a straight line. Instead, they veered to the left. It was a while before I realised that the blades were curved. Their stubborn determination to cut in a circle was, therefore, no surprise. If someone can explain to me why this is, I would be eternally grateful!

2. Armed with both wavy-edged rectangles, I proceeded to sew the side-seams of my skirt. Now, of all the seams in the world, this pattern required french seams (apparently renowned for being incredibly small and discreet). Needless to say, my seams fell a fair way short of this brief. 

3. I went on to sew the hem, pausing intermittently to indulge in the moreish morsels that are Ritz crackers*. At this point, things seemed to be going swimmingly (always a dangerous sign...). That is, until, ELASTIC WAISTBAND-GATE. Do not be deceived; threading a length of elastic through a waistband casing is surely one of the most frustrating tasks known to man. The images were too distressing to show.

So, there you have it. A decidedly shaky first step into sewing. I had hoped that if all else failed (and a lot did), I would at least be able to take a decent photo of me wearing the skirt. As you can see, I look like I'm praying... I'm not (I just mistimed the self-time feature on the camera), but in effect a miracle did occur; I managed to create a wearable item of clothing. The fact that it reminds me of a toilet roll cover is irrelevant.



* Other scrumptious savoury snacks are available. 
        

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