Sew Tired

I decided to give sewing from a pattern another try - but this time I was determined I would be a good girl and actually do what the pattern told me to do instead of taking short cuts.  Two evenings later, I have completed a skirt.

First, let's recap all of the mistakes I made:

1.  Using chevron stripes.  How the hell are you supposed to match up chevron stripes??  If anyone out there knows how to do this, you are a wizard.

2.  Cutting the fabric in a size that is too small to fit yo' lard ass.  In my defense, I did what was proper - I measured around myself in all the places the pattern told me to.  I looked at the incredibly tiny and confusing chart and determined the correct size.  I pinned all of the pattern pieces to the fabric in the proper way.  And then I started cutting.  The biggest, most visible piece.  The piece that consumed approximately 50% of my fabric.  And I started cutting it a size smaller than I needed.

At that point, I decided I could either start crying or just go with it and hope I measured wrong.  (I didn't measure wrong.)

3.  Zipper installation.  I tried going by the directions in the pattern, but I could not figure out what the heck they were trying to get me to do.  After ripping out a bunch of thread, I decided to go with the technique I use for pillows.  It never looks good on the pillows (and it doesn't look good on my skirt).

4.  Stretching the fabric too much while sewing the waistband.  Yeah, when you do that you end up with too much fabric.  And then you have to figure out what to do with that fabric.  In the above photo, to the left of the zipper, you can see where I just said screw it and sewed over the extra fabric, creating an ugly bubbly mess.


However, I did make my first item with pockets, and it is just adorable with them.  I also made a yoke for the first time, and learned a way to finish my edges without a serger.  I also successfully gathered for the first time.  So the experience wasn't a total loss.

So there you have it.  I am now the proud owner of a decently cute gray and white chevron striped skirt that I am too fat to wear.