Saturday 31 March 2012

Apples and trip ups..

So for my first project I thought I would start with an easy staple, an apron. But of cause the only apron that I found that I liked and fitted with what I wanted was Vintage Vogue V8643. I saw it and that was the end of my search. I really love the half aprons but I thought that I would be practical and make version C because although I love the though of floating around the house in sundresses and aprons, that's not really going to happen. Yet...

So last weekend I went to the local fabric shop and saw an awesome print that was just begging to be made into an apron!


Due to various commitments I was only able to wash the fabric last weekend and as my brain was all mushie from a massively busy week at work, today was the first day that I was able to bring myself to tackle even the first step. So I cut out the pattern (very scary!) and ironed the fabric and then....... I got stuck!

There are some pieces that are required to be cut 'on the fold'. But my fabric would mot fold! It just wouldn't fold straight! When I tried to line up the long ends of the fabric at one end, the other end would be out by a couple of inches. If I tried to line up the center, the fabric would kinda twist on itself and not lie flat.

Some time, several interesting words, a stab wound from a pin and a skype call to mum, (a good sewer but lives basically on the other side of the country so it was mostly a "mum it's not working!!" call) later, I decided to just let the fabric lay how it wanted to and cut the pieces out. I am after all, making an apron that I will wear while I cook, not a dress or something.

I then ran ito the issue that the pattern runs one way and that to cut the pattern pieces so that my apples weren't upside down or sideways, I had to change the pattern layout and that meant that I don't have enough fabric to cut out all the pieces..... Yes I know that the instructions say something about getting extra fabric for matching patterns etc, but to be honest I couldn't even work out if the instructions were in feet or meters got flusted at the counter when I bought the fabric. So it's back to the shop on Monday to get some more and see if round two works out any easier.

Has anyone ever found this problem with fabric? Is it common? How did you work around it?

Wednesday 28 March 2012

A beginning...

This blog is to track my progress through the wonderland of sewing, from being a complete beginner.

I have always loved the look of the 1950's and early 1960's clothes but as a t-shirts and jeans type of girl who thought shorts above the knee was out there, I always felt the style way beyond my bravery levels. Then last year I stumbled on to a couple of sewing blogs, the girls and their projects were amazingly wonderful and I spent quite a few months stalking their blogs looking at clothes I could never dream of wearing.

Then somewhere I found some courage. I have borrowed my Grandmother-In-Law's sewing machine, bought needles, thread, buttons and more.

So now my journey begins....