May is definitely a holiday/vacation-packed month for us! We had three holiday weekends, and now the kids have two weeks off from school - Pentecost vacation (Pfingstferien)! How can a girl work around here with so many holidays? I thought there was only one week off from school and was woken up when we visited the family doctor (nothing major) who asked the kids what they had planned during their TWO WEEKS of vacation. They quickly understood I didn't get the memo on that one! Oh well, time for Plan B to kick in!So, I haven't gotten a lot of sewing in this month, nor will I the next two weeks. But, with the time that I have, I have been exploring some new sewing genres...clothing for one! I had it on my agenda for a long time now that my daughter was going to get the cutest little girl's clothing a proud mommy could sew! I started something good!
The newest pattern (pictured below) I picked out for my daugther had six different possibilities she could choose from. The pattern reads easy and is originally in English/French with a German insert (translation). I could do this! I bought some fabric at our local fabric warehouse (Stoffwelt, Neu-Ulm) and asked for some help collecting the rest of the supplies needed! The very helpful ladies (granted I was shopping thirty minutes before closing) hooked me up with everything I needed.
I remembered from my first clothing sew, I was not supposed to cut out the flimsy pattern pieces (which I did) but trace over the copy paper over the pattern with a perforating roller. (You can see I am not an experienced clothing maker with my terminology!) For the most part, it worked with the roller...the important lines were transferred onto the pink fabric. I just had a few problems with the printed fabric since the white and/or yellow copy paper doesn't really want to show up. There must be another color out there??
I cut out all of my pieces and laid them out. I was full of confidence! Then on to the reading....reading the directions was so mind wrecking!! I didn't understand anything!! When it came time for the pleats, I got so nervous! It wasn't quite clicking in my head how this pleat would look. No problem, I put it down and come back later. It took me two-three days, but I finally got it! I don't think I followed the directions exactly as written, but my interpretation is pretty cool too!
The zipper seems a little unprofessional, but I'm okay with it as well. I was supposed to use a hook and eye closure at the top of the zipper, but thought a cute button and matching lining fabric would fit better for a little girl ripping it on and off! By the way, the inner lining fabric is by Jeni Baker that I bought at the Karlsruhe Patchwork Convention on SALE for 10€ a meter! I wanted to make the whole skirt from it, but thought I should use another fabric as my SAMPLE (learning from my own past mistakes)!
Thank you @lynnepusscat and @cosertejercrear for the support on IG! It was very rewarding to know I CAN sew clothing! I am now confident to sew a follow up skirt, too! It is a good thing I used my sample fabric first! Because even though I took my daughter's measurements, the size 8 was still too big! I sewed using the required 1,5 cm seam!
Thanks for dropping by! I would love to know what you are currently working on! Do you also take a break from patchwork to sew other things? Do you have some helpful advise or tips for new "wanna-be" seamstresses?
Wow, super!
ReplyDeleteDa hast du dich ja voll durchgekämpft-
und warst erfolgreich!
Die 1,5 cm Nahtzugabe finde ich immer etwas unbequem. Wenn ich die selbst zum Schnitt zugeben muss, mache ich lieber nur 1 cm.
Liebe Karen,
ReplyDeletedas sieht doch wunderbar aus und deine Tochter wächst noch rein. Lieber zu groß als zu klein.
Liebe Grüßle,
Sylvia
The skirt looks great. Well done. I'm sure your daughter must be delighted with it. With regard to the sizing it is usually well worth making up a muslin/trial of the garmet first to check all is okay, especially with more fitted garments as you can never really trust the sizing on patterns. They do vary greatly unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI have done a lot of sewing in my time, including my wedding dress, but I have never ever used copy paper. I don't own one of those perforating rollers either. I always cut out the pattern pieces and use them and if I think I am going to make multiple copies of an item in different sizes then I trace the pattern in it's entirity in the size I want to use and then cut that out. It's how I was taught to sew and it's always worked great for me.
Enjoy the holidays. May was lovely but we're done with days off now, but then the summer holidays are only 5 weeks away.
Also wenn ich einen Schnitt abnehme verwende ich dafür eine durchsichtige Folie und beschrifte sie mit einem wasserfesten Stift, die Folie wird dann ausgeschnitten, der Schnitt bleibt unversehrt. Die Kopierrädchen mag ich nämlich nicht. Aber ich bin auch nur eine Gelegenheits Schneiderin, ich bin und bleibe eine Vollblut Patcherin! Der Rock ist Dir gut gelungen, Du kannst ruhig mehr Kleidung nähen.
ReplyDeleteLG
KATRIN W.
Ein toller Rock!!! Schade, dass er ein bißchen groß ist, aber vielleicht kannst Du ja einen Zwickel reinnähen, damit er paßt. Frag doch noch einmal die nette Frau in dem Stoffladen, die weiß wahrscheinlich, was Du machen kannst.
ReplyDeleteYou learn something new every day. I always cut out the tissue paper patterns, so I'm glad to see Paula above also does. That's how I learned, too. I always wince though, because what do I do if I want to make it again in another size? I will give the perforated roller thing a try next time. I've got carbon paper in white, yellow, red, and navy. One will usually work. Your skirt looks really professional. So pretty for a little girl!
ReplyDeletewhat a good first make, you obviously are a born dress maker. I too cut the patterns, well I used to have not made any clothes for ages, no time too busy quilting!
ReplyDelete