Ah well. Maybe next time.

(I started writing this at the beginning of October. Ummmmmmm...yeah.)

 

Despite having good intentions and sewing three of the five required garments, I did not finish in time to participate in the PR Mini Wardrobe Contest. I was on a roll and thought I'd have everything completed with enough time to take pictures and post reviews. Unfortunately, fussy fabrics got the best of me and I simply ran out of steam. Plus as Doctor T Designs noted, posting wardrobe plans on the internet is an almost-certain way to invite defeat. 😅

Fussy Fabric #1:  denim tencel twill (plan:  Burda 9-2006-108 / reality:  New Look 6299)

When I purchased this fabric, I was super excited to sew it. The drape and hand were wonderful and it washed well. There was a bit of crocking and bleeding, but I didn't mind in this case because it added dimension to the fabric. For all of its beauty, the fabric was a nightmare to control. It shifted horribly at the slightest touch and made it almost impossible to sew a straight seam. Patch pockets? Yeah, no. I tried interfacing the whole pocket; that made it too stiff. I tried interfacing just the seams for stability; the fabric legit laughed. 

 

fragile sewing mojo = not dealing with foolishness

It's a mathematical fact.

Fortunately the skirt front and back pieces were big enough where I could reuse them to cut New Look 6299.

The fabric was still challenging to sew, but I made it work. After it hung on my dressform for a few days, I was certain it was headed to the donation pile. But after I tried it on, I found that actually liked it. It's not at all what I wanted, but it's still a good basic that goes with almost everything.

Fussy Fabric #2:  rayon crinkle challis (plan:  New Look 6831 / reality:  New Look 6831)

 

 

I love sewing rayon challis. It has silk-like qualities with the wash-ability of cotton and there are often many wonderful, interesting prints. But it is a fussy fabric and has to be handled accordingly.

This particular fabric was EXTRA fussy, let me tell you. It had the dubious combination of being shifty and prone to stretching out of shape. 

 

Do you see this?! This is the side front panel stretched all to be damned. I didn't even handle it that much and it stretched a good 1.5 inches! The side front and center front panels had zero chance of matching. I had enough fabric to re-cut the piece and handled the rest of the garment with extreme care. Usually I pin cut pieces to my dress form, but I didn't this time; I figured gravity was an enemy.

 

I fused stay tape to the shoulder seams to prevent future stretching and will use stay tape around the armholes and other stretch-prone areas next time.

Once again, despite the difficulty in sewing this fabric, I really like the final garment. I used covered buttons since I couldn't find anything else that really went with the blouse.

 

Fussy Fabric #3:  lt. wt. cotton sateen (plan:  New Look 6704 / reality:  Simplicity 2599)

This fabric was the inspiration behind the colour scheme for the wardrobe plan and ended up being the biggest disappointment. Though it wasn't as fussy as the twill and challis, the fabric was oddly hard to handle given that it is 100% cotton. I used pins and weights to cut the fabric, but everything was still uneven. 

If I'm not sure about a pattern or fabric, I don't cut all of the pieces at once. I figure if things aren't going as planned, at least I have enough uncut fabric to do something else. For this garment, I only cut the bodice front and facing. I had so much trouble trying to sew the center front split and facing, I just stopped and changed directions.

I cut out an old favorite, Simplicity 2599. I'm almost finished with it (need to bind the armholes and hem), but I am 'meh' about the top. I still really like the fabric, but the whole experience has soured me and it's now been relegated to Area 51. This happens sometimes. 🤷

Without this piece, the rest of the wardrobe plan didn't make sense (to me) and was too monotone for my liking.

Fussy Fabric #4:  cream poly-wool crepe (plan:  Burda 6357 / reality:  donation pile)

The fussiness of this fabric was purely my fault. Washing it with a bright yellow-orange wide-wale corduroy turned out to be a terrible idea. See...I was thinking that since they're both light colors, I could wash them together with all other light colors. Terrible idea.

 

Not only did the corduroy bleed horribly (and permanently change the color of another light gray fabric to a puke pea green), the fuzz from the corduroy attracted itself to the poly-wool crepe. SMH

I tried removing the fuzz with a lint roller, but it proved to be more work than I was willing to commit. So the fabric is now in the donation bag. [See mathematical computation about fragile sewing mojo above.]

Of the original wardrobe plan, I completed Burda 8-2009-104.

 

 

I made this pattern before in a cotton shirting and really like it.

 

 

I wanted to make Simplicity 2339, but the fit was ridiculously off and I didn't feel like trying to make it work.

 

Simplicity 2339

Since I really wanted the double ruffle detail, I just took those pieces and added them to the Burda shirt.

 

Initially I used clear shank buttons for closures. After going through my button stash, I found these perfectly-matched blue and off-white two-holed buttons. I think I bought the buttons specifically for this fabric, but forgot I had them. Switching them out was the right decision.

Welp. 3 out of 5 completed garments isn't bad. I love what I made and everything works well with other clothes I have.

 

***

I have other sewn items (garments and handbag) to share along with the results of MakeNine 2022 and the annual sewing year-in-review. I hope to write about it soon. 

 

Happy Festivus everyone!

 

L