Monday, October 20, 2014

You Win Some, You Lose Some



I'm starting off with a cute picture, but let me go in to the 'losing' part first.



I'm embarrassed over how much time I spent working on this sad, droopy, horrendous skirt.  It's Simplicity 1366 in case you are wondering.  It's almost totally complete except for tacking the bow in place.  It's so, so incredibly frumpy.  I can't even believe that this amount of frump is possible out of such a cool looking pattern.  Just don't.  That's my only advice.  To be fair, I did some grading to make the pattern fit just using the flat pattern measurements.  I accidentally bought the lower sizes and I needed to grade up just a bit.  It is entirely possible that this sad, droopiness is my fault.  But, eh.  I'm still a little miffed.  I think the skirt would probably work in a wispy, super light-weight silk.  Anyway.  Moving on.  I am having a go at the top from the pattern.  That one seems to get pretty good reviews.


I'm still having lots of sewing fails.  I can't really put my finger on why I'm so dissatisfied with so many things I've made lately.  There are more but I'm not blogging them all.  My ratio is less than fifty percent right now.  Ugh.  However, when you need to rebound fast from a sewing fail- make something for a cute toddler (win!).


I have been hanging on to this blue watch plaid linen for several years now searching for the right project.  Which is why the skirt fail hurts so much.  I pulled out the teeny, tiny narrow scraps I had left and cut out this Oliver and S Pinwheel tunic for Jane to try and save some of that precious linen.  I had so little left that I had to piece the front and use the midnight blue for the back.  Which I really like.  And no matching of plaids here except for the center front seam I had to create.


Oliver and S patterns are just fantastic.  I can't gush enough.  Especially after sewing the monstrous 1366.  I cut a size 2 which is pretty big on Jane right now.  She's eighteen months.  I originally sewed the binding around the neckline without thinking and turned it inside like a bias facing.  I realized my mistake and decided I wanted to fix it to match the bindings on the sleeve hems and flounce.  So I unpicked it (after it was under stitched and serged) and completely stretched it out.  Hence the inverted pleat.  I put the pleat in the neckline as a save.  And I like it ok.  I thought the inverted pleat sort of matched the vee of the flounce.  I think it ended up pretty cute.  Doesn't hurt that the most adorable toddler in the world is wearing it.  She looks ready for fall in her blue plaid and boots.  I also just extended the bias binding to make the ties at the back instead of sewing ribbon to close the keyhole.


And now for picture overload.  Sorry (not sorry :D)


I love sewing, obviously, which is my main reason for keeping this blog.  But I also love that my blog documents all these little moments in time.  This was just another weekend that I snapped these photos of Jane.  I know I will cherish them forever.


She is a doll.  And just for fun, here is a photo with illustrated sound effects.


No.  No no no no no.  If I only had a penny for every time I heard that word come out of her mouth.  We have to try very hard not to laugh and encourage it even more.  It is hilarious.  But it is just about all she says these days.  I've been trying to teach her 'yes' but then it just sounds like we are arguing.


Happy sewing!


24 comments:

  1. You are due for a big sewing for you Win soon, I know it!

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  2. What a cutie! That little chin!
    I really like the flounces on the dress and the pain linen on the back is genius.
    P.s. greatest outtake collage ever!

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    1. Thanks! I really had fun making that collage. If only you could actually here her saying no... ha!

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  3. well such an adorable tot is most definetely a win! i hope that you can still enjoy the process of seing despite you fails. they are sometimes very helpful, even though it's hard to see it in the moment. maybe you need to go back to a tried and true pattern?

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    1. I agree, maybe you could sew something that feels ridiculously easy and unchallenging just so you get to celebrate a successful completed project? Sewing fails are part of the deal, but it can feel a bit too much sometimes.

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    2. Ugh, sewing fails. I do appreciate that they are part of the learning experience. You are both right about sewing a tnt pattern. I have actually made a couple of tnt tops that I consider a success. But they are almost too boring to blog about...

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  4. Adorable photos! You are so right about trying not to laugh when they are little when you know you don't want to encourage something! My girls are now 11 and sometimes I can't help but laugh. Of course all that does is make them mad now. At some point, things change and they get angry when you find what they are doing is adorable when they are being very serious. LOL

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    1. We have already seen little glimpses of her temper. We are a little concerned about those tweenage years! ;)

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  5. Aww what a lovely photographs you have taken! Just looking makes me smile, because toddlers, is there anything cuter?! And the dress you made her is just adorable. I thought the front pleat was totally intentional :) If you love sewing you will keep going back despite fails. I make something TNT after a fail just to reassure myself I can make something actually wearable!

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    1. I do keep sewing, that's for sure! I guess that means I really do love it. I'm hoping I'm due for something really awesome here soon :)

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  6. What a shame about your skirt. I can see why you loved the pattern, it's very Vivienne Westwood/Helena Bonham Carter. It looks great in the photo and the fabric is gorgeous, so I would definitely put it down to the pattern. If it's any consolation, I've just spent about three weeks on a dress - two skirt toiles and three bodice toiles later, I finally gave up on it last night! I think it's time for us to crack out the TNT patterns! The dress you make for Jane is gorgeous, and what's not the love about cute baby photos!

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    1. Yep, I spent about three weeks on that skirt, too. So I understand. I think you are due for something great, too!

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  7. I think you should steer clear of the big four for kids sewing most of the time. the O & S dress is adorable!

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  8. Sorry about your skirt, but the little dress was/is a good save! I like that fabric. And what adorable NO pictures. So funny.

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  9. I hate it when the vision in our head does not match up to the reality. I have a Vogue dress hanging in my closet right now that I haven't posted yet for those reasons. However, toddler sewing is adorable! And after the 'no's' comes the 'why's'......

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  10. Love the "No!" montage! I'm sorry about the skirt fail... but Baby Jane's cute dress surely takes a lot of the sting out of it. And I'm not sure how the pattern is constructed, but do you think you could salvage a simple skirt or top from the wreckage (maybe after a couple of soothing projects)? That fabric looks worth the effort!

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  11. Sorry you had another fail for yourself, but you definitely had a win with that adorable dress for Jane. She is so cute and that "no" montage is great. It must be so hard not to laugh!

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  12. Aww she's adorable, and I love her little plaid dress!

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  13. Oh boo for sewing fails! Maybe you just need to try something completely different. Your daughter is adorable and that fabric is amazing!!

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  14. Heeheehee, the chorus of nos! So funny! I'm glad you were able to make something happy after the bummer of a skirt. :(

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  15. Ha ha those sound effects look strangely familiar! No is Imogen's favourite word at the moment. We all have sewing fails. At least you got a cute dress for the little one out of it!

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