This week I spent some time doing a bit of sewing. Dennis bought me a great little sewing machine....two Christmases ago! That poor thing has been sitting neglected in the basement pretty much ever since. A couple months ago I did manage to figure out how to set it up, and did a few minor jobs (repairing hems, mostly). But Dennis bought it so I could make myself fun things. So that's what I started to do!
I am definitely a beginner at sewing. I used to sew quite a bit when I was younger but it's been so long, I'm back to square one. Awhile back, in a burst of sewing zeal, I had bought a 3-year membership at Fabricland. I had also bought some great material and a few easy patterns. Nothing with buttons or zippers, as I don't think I'm quite there yet.
This is one of the patterns I bought - Simplicity 3652. As you can see, they have designated this as an "easy" pattern which is right up my alley. Of course, they also think the whole thing can be done in one hour. One hour might be realistic for an experienced person, but for a newbie it seems a tad optimistic. However, it's not like I'm in some kind of race so if it takes longer than 60 minutes, I'm okay with that.
This isn't the most exciting pattern but it's pretty timeless. Plus the simpler the pattern, the fewer things to go wrong. It seemed like a great pattern for learning. This week I did the prep work - cutting out the pattern, and ironing the pattern and fabric. Well, first I tried to cut out the fabric but then realized it would be way easier if I was dealing with smooth surfaces.
After I ironed (first lesson learned!) then I pinned and cut the fabric. That seems pretty straightforward but because I'm such a dolt at it, there was quite a bit of positioning and re-pinning involved. My lack of spatial ability doesn't just affect my parallel parking, apparently! It's also a challenge for sewing.
Once the fabric was cut out, my next step was to start the sewing. There was a bit of a re-learning curve as I figured out how to wind the bobbin and thread the machine. I am proud to say I didn't curse once. I finally got it to work - mostly by reading the instructions very carefully, and doing the one thing that I kept skipping over the first ten times. So my dress is now in progress! There's still some work to do on it but at this point I have the shoulders and the sides together. I'm taking my time with it - the more you rush or get frustrated, the more likely it is you'll have to rip out and re-do.
This is the fabric for the dress:
I am definitely a beginner at sewing. I used to sew quite a bit when I was younger but it's been so long, I'm back to square one. Awhile back, in a burst of sewing zeal, I had bought a 3-year membership at Fabricland. I had also bought some great material and a few easy patterns. Nothing with buttons or zippers, as I don't think I'm quite there yet.
This is one of the patterns I bought - Simplicity 3652. As you can see, they have designated this as an "easy" pattern which is right up my alley. Of course, they also think the whole thing can be done in one hour. One hour might be realistic for an experienced person, but for a newbie it seems a tad optimistic. However, it's not like I'm in some kind of race so if it takes longer than 60 minutes, I'm okay with that.
This isn't the most exciting pattern but it's pretty timeless. Plus the simpler the pattern, the fewer things to go wrong. It seemed like a great pattern for learning. This week I did the prep work - cutting out the pattern, and ironing the pattern and fabric. Well, first I tried to cut out the fabric but then realized it would be way easier if I was dealing with smooth surfaces.
After I ironed (first lesson learned!) then I pinned and cut the fabric. That seems pretty straightforward but because I'm such a dolt at it, there was quite a bit of positioning and re-pinning involved. My lack of spatial ability doesn't just affect my parallel parking, apparently! It's also a challenge for sewing.
Once the fabric was cut out, my next step was to start the sewing. There was a bit of a re-learning curve as I figured out how to wind the bobbin and thread the machine. I am proud to say I didn't curse once. I finally got it to work - mostly by reading the instructions very carefully, and doing the one thing that I kept skipping over the first ten times. So my dress is now in progress! There's still some work to do on it but at this point I have the shoulders and the sides together. I'm taking my time with it - the more you rush or get frustrated, the more likely it is you'll have to rip out and re-do.
This is the fabric for the dress:
![Picture](/uploads/1/6/1/6/16161574/9402570.jpg)
It's a nice lightweight cotton. I loved the bright colours in it. It's a good fabric to work with - things like satin or stripes are a bit harder to manage. It was also relatively inexpensive, so if this first project doesn't turn out quite as expected, I won't be heartbroken. Worst case scenario, it would probably make an okay nightgown! (If it can't be seen in public, that is.)
It's been nice to get back to the sewing. It feels good to create something with my hands. I think everyone needs some creative outlets. As humans, I think we are hard-wired to produce things. Whether it's a blog post, a batch of jam, a flower arrangement or a slightly lopsided dress, there's a satisfaction in being able to turn an idea into an object.
It's been nice to get back to the sewing. It feels good to create something with my hands. I think everyone needs some creative outlets. As humans, I think we are hard-wired to produce things. Whether it's a blog post, a batch of jam, a flower arrangement or a slightly lopsided dress, there's a satisfaction in being able to turn an idea into an object.