Pattern: Burda style 08-2009-104
Fabric - cotton silk voile
Well people, here I am again, ready to begin blogging after a one and a half year hiatus. Here's what I learned from my blog vacation. It's fantastic lurking. All joy, no commitment. So why begin blogging again? Well it's quite simple, because I have started sewing again and it's really nice to have someone to share it with.
I did want to start a new blog though, I'd had enough of the old one. I felt I'd done smirking. I want to shift my focus to the celebration of home crafts in all their wonky glory. I decided it was time to embrace the imperfections of the hobby seamstress - to sew the best I can, as a celebration of creativity, and just enjoy the sheer pleasure of saying, "why yes, I did make it, how can you tell? " (the uneven hem, the under collar rolling out from under the top collar, the lopsided top stitching?)
At any rate, to get me back into the swing of sewing as part of a collective endeavor, I entered the Pattern Review fitted shirt contest. If I did not come last, I came pretty close to it, which made me roar with laughter.
But the purpose of entering was to encourage me to lift my game, and I made such a good effort with this shirt, I'm really proud of myself. I made a full wearable test garment, and when I sewed this one I did everything properly right down to using a sew in cotton batiste as interfacing. That's commitment folks, because every piece had to be carefully cut to allow for turn of cloth and sewn in separately, not like fusible interfacing that just needs to cut to one size and then spanked with an iron.
I have just been reading in an updated Colour Me Beautiful guide that I got from the library that full busted gals should not wear shirts. I think it's fear of button gaposis. When I see me in this shirt I do think I look very full figured, but then I went to a sewing workshop last weekend where we measured for our true size and I came out as a size 20, in which case, perhaps it makes me look quite slim (for a size 20).
Pattern: Burda style 08-2009-104
Fabric - cotton silk voile
Hooray! You're back! I've missed your blog so much. My two favourite parts of your first post on your new blog are the photo, in which you look very styley, and the expression, "Spanked with an iron".
ReplyDeleteThanks Miss Smith, but I can't take all credit for that great phrase as it is actually the technical term for when you use a clapper on your seam to flatten it. Since you also use an iron to flatten a seam, a borrowed the verb, but the correct usage is "use your clapper to spank the seam" . Truth.
DeleteSomehow it is even more amusing that "spank" is the correct term. I'm sure every tom, dick or harry in the street wouldn't believe it, but there is a lot of "sewing humour".
Deleteyippee! pleased to see you back again. Looking forward to more. Not sure about the judging process in your shirt competition. Surely not close to last? They need their heads read.
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy - we'll see how I get along with this. You have stuck in there very well over the years.
DeleteYay! You're back! You have no idea how happy this makes me.
ReplyDeleteEven though I can barely bring myself to darn a sock, or replace a button, I always loved reading your blog. Yippee!
Nicola
hooray! i love your writing.
ReplyDelete