I bought a sewing machine! And although it took me a while, I eventually realised I could make clothes with it. First a gathered skirt, which was basically two rectangles sewn together, and then a top, which was two different rectangles sewn together.
Then I decided to take the plunge and try a pattern.
I did home ec in high school, but never quite got the hang of patterns. Everything I made always ended up too small. So I selected for this first-attempt-in-a-decade the Mabel skirt by Colette Patterns. It’s simple, cute, designed for generously-proportioned women, and it seemed pretty easy.
And … it was.
Not perfect — turns out that, while my little sewing machine can do heavy knits, it doesn’t really like it, and will demonstrate its displeasure with a series of passive-aggressive mechanical problems. And I’ve yet to master the straight line. But I’ve produced a skirt which is cute, has a bit more structure than the two black mini-skirts I already own, and is (just) long enough for work.
Also, it’s 1996 again in my heart and in my house.
I didn’t hem Mabel, because it was perilously close to being Too Short For Work, and I didn’t think I was capable of working with that small a margin. And I like it as it is.
There are three variations of Mabel, and this is the first, and the simplest. I fully intend to have another go, but with thinner fabric next time. That patterned knit is gorgeous, and I love wearing it, but it’s just too much for my sewing machine to handle. I have heaps left, though, so maybe I can use it in smaller quantities as a trim in the future.
(Oh, and that’s the two-rectangles shirt I made. Don’t laugh; I’ve paid a lot of money for factory-made shirts with that design.)
The cat was unimpressed, but he disapproves of any hobby that doesn’t directly involve himself.
Congrats on your skirt-making skills! Sewing machines are the best thing ever. (I am currently working on a blazer and soon a dress to wear to graduation.) Patterns can be so expensive though – best thing I’ve found so far is to go to a library and see if they have BurdaStyle magazines – they come with about 50 pattern per issue, and you can borrow them and trace the patterns you want and voila! 3 for $10 sales at Spotlight are excellent too.
Ooooh, thank you for the tip! Sadly, I just missed an 80% off sale as a local Lincraft closed down.
Aww damn, that sucks! Lincraft and Spotlight do regularly have 40-50% off sales, so I avoid buying fabric when it’s normal price. I’ve found that op shops can be really good for finding fabric as well, and very cheap!