So, after making sure I set aside at least 20 minutes a day to do some sewing, I’ve finally made decent headway on my bra project, and have something that looks like a bra. Actually, it looks even more like a bra than in the picture, as I’ve now attached the bottom band elastic and the top elastic on one side. And that’s why I’ve now stalled. After the nightmare of sewing the centre front seam on the powernet I thought it would now be plain sailing, but I managed to totally bollox up the side elastic. Admittedly, having all those layers of the double nursing cups wasn’t helping. And then I had a moment of madness and trimmed the excess wire casing so it was out of the way. But I trimmed too much, so now it doesn’t reach the top on that side. Gah!
This isn’t really too much of a problem as this bra won’t have underwires, so the casing is there more to neaten things up than serve a structural function, but still, I was discouraged by having done something so reckless and decided to put the project aside for a little while so I can come back to it with a fresh, positive mindset.
And since I can’t start anything new without clearing at least three things off the UFO pile, I cheated a bit and cleared three things off the mending/alteration pile instead. Hey, that’s nearly the same thing! Here they are, all finished in one day:
That’s Daisy’s pyjama bottoms that needed a new, wider waistband as she kept getting builder’s bum (not a good look). I now have two other pairs that need the same treatment! There’s also a hairband of Daisy’s that was wrecked after one day of her having it (she’s hard work on her hairbands), and a cami top of mine that I bought in a medium, which was fine at the hips but needed taking in 2″ at the bust and waist. Yeah, I’m a classic pear shape.
What gets me, is why I let these things languish on the pile for so long. This was stuff we needed. Within a few hours of fixing them, all three items were being worn. And there’s more like that on the pile, so what stops me fixing them? Sometimes it’s something as simple as I don’t want to change the thread in the machine, but really, how hard is that? Even the overlocker is a cinch to thread since I worked out I could simply knot the new thread to the old and pull it through. I’m making an effort to turn over a new leaf, and have designated Monday my mending day.
Anyway, now those are off the pile, I’m ready to get going on the Megan Nielson dress. I decided that cutting things out on the floor is unlikely to work with a baby around (baby plus fragile pattern paper = disaster waiting to happen), so I took the fabric to my folk’s the other day as they have a huge dining table. Gabriel could roll around on the floor to his heart’s content while I worked and sang him songs. I’m making up a wearable muslin first as I really wasn’t sure how to choose the size on this pattern. While my current measurements made me a medium, my measurements before pregnancy were a small, and they do say to use the pre-pregnancy measurements. But then again, I usually need to go a size down in big four patterns, so does that mean I should go for the extra small?
I had a small amount of leftover burgundy viscose jersey from Ditto Fabrics that I used for my first foray into sewing with knits (a long sleeved t-shirt that I wear in bed) that is exactly the same weight as the polka dotted stuff I bought at the same time. I cut the bodice pieces from this along with some shortened “skirt” pieces, but as there wasn’t enough to cut all pieces, I’m doing the underbodice and waistband from the polka dot fabric. Not sure how good this will look, but hopefully it will be nice enough to wear around the house even if I don’t go out in it. If it fits. I’ve cut a size small and will fit as I go. Here’s hoping!
And now I need to stop typing and get sewing. Adiós!