2022 Mini Wardrobe Contest

Pattern Review is running its Mini Wardrobe contest for the month of August. It's been a minute since I last participated in any contest - let alone the Mini Wardrobe. Timing for this contest has not usually coordinated with my schedule and lately I've just been too busy and stressed. This year, however, since the contest is happening in August, I might have time to finish. Maaaaybe.

 

The rules are to make five garments:  two tops, two bottoms, and a fifth coordinating item. Here are my fabrics and patterns; all but one piece comes from the stash.

 

1. mustard wool twill
2. powder blue/steel striped shirting
3. mustard/lapis blue cotton sateen shirting
4. navy and white rayon challis
5. cream wool crepe
6. denim tencel twill

This more than what is required because I intend to keep with the same color palette for fall sewing. I recently completed Simplicity 8601 in a navy/white rayon challis and it blends perfectly with this plan.

 

I've sewn Burda 8-2009-104, New Look 6831, and Kwik Sew 2895 before, so it shouldn't take too long to complete these garments. I made a muslin for New Look 6704; it looks promising.

 

Burda 6357 appears to be simple. The skirt is gathered to fit 2-inch wide elastic and hemmed with a ruffle. There are no other closures. Thing is, I don't know if I have enough fabric. We'll see.

 

I'm almost done with the ruffle-front blouse; it just needs buttonholes and buttons.

 

I've started working on the denim tencel skirt and it is proving to be a real bear. The fabric is gorgeous, but hella fussy for not being chiffon. I don't do fussy. I'm going to baste the side seams and see how it fits. I have zero qualms about trashing something that doesn't work for my soul. 😁 I have a couple of options that will work if this doesn't.

Alright, that's all for now!

L

 

 

Pattern Review Sewing Bee

Inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee (squeee!), PR is hosting its own version for four weeks.  The platform seems the same:  weekly challenges, weekly winners, eliminations, grand prize.  I figured I could channel my inner crafty chemist and join the contest.

But.  You know there's always a "but."

The first challenge is to sew an A-line skirt.  Ruh?  That's it?  No twist?  Piece of cake!  The last 394 skirts I made were A-line.  I could make one of these from start to finish in one day.  I was all on board until I read the requirements:

• zipper - check
• lining - check
• hem - check 
• button, hook, or any closure - check and check
• waistband - ch....wait, what??

The skirt must include a waistband? Why?  All of my skirts purposely do not have waistbands because WHY??  Ugh.  This "rule" caused me way more stress than it should have.  I spent two days searching my pattern stash for A-line skirts with a waistband.  I found TWO.  Out of over five hundred patterns (including BWOF), I found two freakin' patterns. 

The pattern I ultimately chose was New Look 6843, view D.

The pattern has three pieces and should be really easy to sew. Remember, there's always a "but."

Contestants will be judged on construction, adherence to the rules, and creativity.  Yes, a pattern like this presents a great opportunity to do something creative.  BUT, my creative side is apparently on hiatus at the moment.  I drew a complete blank on what to do with this skirt.  I searched the internets for ideas and settled on adding pintucks.

Easy, right?  Not so much.

I came up with a few ideas:  diagonal pintucks that emanate from the waist out to the hem like a star burst; vertical tucks that start near the hip and end at the hem; and twisted tucks.  I sewed small samples of each idea and didn't like them enough to proceed.  Accuracy in measurement and sewing is *very* important to get any of these to look right.  Given the tight time constraint, I knew I wouldn't be able to get it done.

So I chose to do a simple pintuck across the bottom an inch above the hem.  To make things easier (so I thought), I decided to pintuck the fabric (a light-weight denim) first and then cut the pieces out of that.

Not.  Even.  Close.  I don't have pictures because...well...Halloween is over.

Trying to pintuck fabric that is 60 inches wide is just not a good idea so I scrapped it.  In fact, I'm not even motivated to make an A-line skirt anymore.  Sad-but-relieved face.  My heart is just not in it.  

So I'm not going to participate in the contest.  Sure I could make a simple and well-constructed skirt, but I probably won't enjoy the process because my true intention is not there.  It's actually a good thing because I don't want the pressure of a deadline at this time of the year.  We have exams next week and my duty as a caregiver just got remarkably more difficult.  Sewing (when I actually sit down to do it) is my outlet and I don't want to ruin what little sewjo I have!

Speaking of aint-got-time-for-that... 

  
I am totally over it.  It's a wadder and trashed!

L