my 2014 in sewing

this year, finally, i managed to reach my goal to sew 18 clothes (that’s 1,5 sewing project every month). for a full-time worker and a slow seamstress like me, i consider it to be quite an achievement! 🙂

i learned to get over a few things i don’t generally like in clothings (plaids, denims), learned how to alter a pattern, learned to sew some new materials (scuba, denim), learned how to topstitch (the hard way), and how to apply denim buttons. yep, it’s definitely been a year full of new things in sewing for me!

number 18 is the latest and the last one for this year. the pattern i used is number 112 from the October 2013 edition of Burda Style magazine.

i found this printed viscose jersey fabric about 2,5 years ago. i fell in love with it because the print reminded me so much of Indonesian batik. real Indonesian batiks in jerseys are really hard to get (i don’t think it’s even technically possible to wax a jersey fabric? but who knows), so when i found this one i just knew i needed to get it.

i’ve been wanting to try this pattern as well, but never dared to because my fellow seamstresses have been saying that the skirt part of this pattern is so huge, even when they used their normal size. i was afraid i would encounter the same problem and can’t fix it. :p but anyway, after seeing these seamstresses’ reviews one after another (and their gorgeous results), i finally decided to just do it. and i’m glad i did it in 2 sizes smaller than my normal size!

self-made origami dress, H&M tights, Crocs ballerinas, Moody Monday earrings (worn as necklace), Perlini’s Silver necklace, MercuryDuo bag.

i think of myself as a lazy person, including in sewing. i never make prototypes/muslins when i try out new patterns, to check (before sewing the actual fabric) if the pattern works for me or not. instead, i would just measure the flat pattern pieces to know if it would fit me or not. so that was what i did with this one. luckily for me, it turned out perfectly well.

the hardest thing to do when you work with a print fabric is to place the patterns, so that when you wear the end result, you don’t end up with embarrassing prints in embarrassing places, if you know what i mean. anyway, doing that with non-stretch fabric is hard enough for me, so when i had to do it with this super thin & stretchy fabric… i nearly tore my hair out. it took me one whole day just to cut the fabrics. (told you i’m slow!) the fact that my pattern paper ran out just when i was copying the pattern also forced me to think of an alternate solution (= using baking paper! had to attach one to another, since they’re so small. and they’re oily, of course). the end result could’ve been better, but nevertheless, i’m quite satisfied!

yeah, so, the pleat at the front waist didn’t quite match the tuck under the left breast as it was supposed to be, but what-EVER. i made the sleeves and hemline shorter than in the original pattern, and the neckline about 7 cm higher. as always, i want to be able to wear this to work! another thing i omitted was the zipper. this fabric is so stretchy that i don’t even need one.

at first, i didn’t even plan on using 2 different fabrics. but when i remembered the tie-dye fabric i used for this top, i thought combining it with this fabric would make the dress look a bit more fun (and less busy, with all the print). when i first asked my husband what he thought of it (before cutting the other fabric for the sleeves), he didn’t think it was a good idea. but when it was done and i showed it to him, he said he likes it like that after all. now that i think of it, perhaps he was just trying to please me. oh well.

one small thing that “bothers” me is the tightness of my stitches at the center back seam. in this picture, you can see how the hem at the back pouted upwards because of it. ugh. 8 years of sewing and i still can’t set the perfect tightness of the stitches.

but i guess if i keep moving while i wear this dress, no one will notice, right??and i’ll just put a smile on my face whenever i wear this dress. remembering the trouble i had to get through and seeing the lovely result certainly helps!

thank you, year 2014! you will stay as an unforgettable year in my sewing journey. ❤

PS. merry Christmas and, in case i won’t be able to write another post before the new year, happy new year to all of you!