I don't like to accuse anyone of lying ... but it has to be said: the internet lied. It said that with just a few measurements anyone could make a skirt that fits and is flattering.
Well, not this anyone.
It also said that making your own clothes is extremely satisfying. If satisfying includes grinding your teeth, pulling your hair out, wanting to simultaneously cry and scream, and thinking of some not-so-nice words, then, yes, it's satisfying.
I don't know what romantic notion gets into me at this time of year that makes me suddenly want to sew my own clothes. I'm not a sewist (apparently that is a word and is far better than calling someone who sews a sewer) and any venture into the world of clothes-sewing usually meets with failure (although I can be slow to admit such failure).
Several weeks ago I decided to turn an old pair of jeans into a skirt. I don't know what possessed me as when I had seen such tutorials in the past, I usually dismissed them and moved onto something less fantastical.
I attempted said skirt, it [amazingly] fitted, but it has been relegated to my scrubbing-down-the-outside-of-the-house-or-like chores. When I first put it on I was reminded of the reason I never wore that particular pair of jeans. They make me look so b-r-o-a-d and the skirt is no exception.
As for the skirt I made today, I'm not even sure if I'll finish off the small amount of hand sewing left to do, or simply add it to my patchwork fabric. Since I managed to drip blood all over it when I pierced my thumb with what felt like a half dozen pins, it will have to be washed first. Whether it will improve with washing and another good going over with the iron, I'm not holding my breath.
It's not that it's bad ... I even quite like the hem ... I just don't like how the rest of it looks when I'm in it. This despite measuring and pinning and basting, and measuring some more, and basting some more until it seemed that I was going to spend more time measuring and pinning and basting than actually sewing. (Wait, I think I did.)
I think in future, I'll stick to things that can be a little more forgiving. Like quilts. Quilts can look good even when they're not perfect. They don't have to accentuate good features or skim over the not so good features. They don't involve sewing in zippers (a new skill I learnt today but one I will probably never use again) or making buttonholes (a skill I have managed to avoid acquiring so far) or making rectangles of fabric fit curves.
They're just easier. And more satisfying.
Last weekend I suddenly had the brainwave of turning two single bed panels into a cot quilt. These panels were bought over forty years ago and have at various times graced single beds and covered the ends of a cot. They were showing some signs of wear, but with careful cutting, and only some minor planning, I ended up with a reversible cot quilt.
As I said, far more satisfying. What's more, it actually fits its intended purpose.
[Mmm, I seem to have an Australian theme going on with the skirt and quilt. Homesickness?]
Not so many weeks ago I taught myself to crochet. Well, re-taught would probably be more accurate as I had done a blanket years ago as a teenager and knew enough to be able to make a chain and how to hold the hook. In the last few months I have not been able to knit due to a lot of pain in my right hand (mainly index finger and a number of joints) and I have found it difficult not having something to pick up when travelling in the car, watching telly, even just taking an afternoon tea break. I decided to try crochet and, while I can only do it for short periods, it gives me something to work on.
And so I've decided to use up my scraps of wool in a blanket. Only this time, one that is crocheted rather than knitted. Some of the granny squares are a bit skewed, and one centre only has three corners rather than four and still manages to be square-ish, but I'm hoping a bit of creative weaving in of ends and blocking before joining them all together will solve the worst of the errors.
If only I could work such magic on my skirt ...
Comments