Monday, April 5, 2010

Getting my sewing mojo back

Man, that last project really threw me! The Dress That Nearly Kicked My Butt totally zapped my sewing mojo. Everything - from cutting the thing out to binding the apron edges to making the casings - ended up far more difficult than it needed to be. The floral print was so ravelly, the elastic was so cheap it rolled all over itself, and then my measurements were apparently not as accurate as they needed to be.

All of that had me hiding out from my sewing room, until a few days ago. I got my feet wet with some little covered felt brooches. (Still haven't glued the pinbacks on them.)


Then today I got the nerve to finally cut into an old sweater of mine. It had short sleeves and a deep V-neck so it really wasn't practical for winter wear. But the steely blue always seemed too drab for spring. And it's worn out and a bit too big for me since last year's mondo weight loss.


So today I cut the sleeves off and reshaped the v-neck into a scoop neck. I then bound the edges with a cranberry red rib knit. I'm especially proud of how there's no buckling at the neck or sleeve. This was one stretchy sweater!! I used Naomi's binding technique, but I moved the seam in so that there was a 1/2" seam allowance. I think this helped control the buckling.




I'm lovin' my new shirt!!


Toodles,

3 comments:

Alyssa S. said...

Those brooches are adorable. I've wanted to try some cute wrist cuffs, but I had a tunic to finish (FINALLY done) and now I have a twirl skirt for a friend that I promised I make for her 15 year old back before...gasp...Christmas! BAAAD!

I like what you did with the sweater. What a clever way to make a winter piece into a fun summer top :)

Denise Felton said...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo! CUTE sweater!

Scarlett Burroughs said...

Wasn't I with you on that shopping trip to the Gap Outlet? Love the new top you made!