Clothing For Me

I don't really like to sew clothes for myself, I have a really hard time making patterns fit me and it takes a truly inordinate amount of fabric to swathe myself modestly, so I don't really do it that often. Additionally, I don't really care for skirts for several reasons, one being my shape, which makes me look like an apple on sticks when I wear even a-line skirts. However, every now and then I take the plunge, and this time I might actually wear what I sewed. This green shirt is made from a Simplicity 2891 pattern that I have made a couple of times before. This is not the original sleeve design, however, as you will see if you click the link. I have made this pattern three times and changed the sleeve design each time. This version is the result of me not wanting to regather the top of the sleeve after making a mistake and having to attempt the sleeve for the third time. I didn't make the white pants, but they are scary for me, I have never owned a pair before as I am notoriously messy. I made both the top and the skirt in this picture. The top is from Simplicity 2841 and is the second version. I made version 1 out of a random piece of fabric I had sitting around, and while I really liked it, the fabric was white satiny stuff and it was Very White. Like, I'm-going-to-a-wedding-white, and it was just too much, so I decided to try and dye it, which I have never done before. The problem was that I didn't know what the fiber content of the material was, so I guessed, and was only half right. Only half the threads in the blouse turned purple, and it shrunk about 6 sizes in the process, so I can't show you how ridiculous it looks. I did make this version out of blue cotton and I am almost happy with it, although I think the armholes are too large. It's hard to see details on it, but I made full-length pintucks down the entire front, which was not part of the original pattern. By the way, thanks, Antoinette, for your advice on this top. I played around with the two skirts I owned until I discovered that I actually kind of liked the pencil skirt look, so I found a pattern that I liked and played around with it. The tan skirt in the second picture is version 2, I couldn't even zip up version 1. I used Vogue 8672 for the pattern, and really liked it, despite the fact that the skirt fabric in version 2 is pretty much the same color as my legs, but it was still not as form-fitting as I wanted, so I made version three and modified it to be more curvy. I love the color and the way it fits, but I am not sure I have much to wear with it.

In addition, because I have had issues in the past with seams unraveling after washing with clothing I made myself, I french seamed every single seam on all four garments, which took a little more time than usual, but I know it will pay off in the end and the insides of my garments look really professional.

So there you go, headless pictures of me. School starts soon and I am working on a time-consuming certification process this year, so I am not sure how much I will be able to sew, but will do what I can.