Sunday, February 17, 2013

Colette Clover capri pants



Making capri pants, and in particular this pattern, has been on my "To Do" list for a while. I've never made pants before and these looked so simple and cute. I thought "why not?" - if it works out I can make it in all sorts of colours. Well, not so easy....

First, the fabric: French navy cotton with 2% spandex. Affordable fabric in case things do not go well. Originally I was going to line these pants - what was I thinking?? I gave this idea up quickly. 

I made a toile (terrible initial fit) and attended a class to adjust the pattern for a better fit, had to make major modifications, made a second toile, modified this and then finally cut the fashion fabric. All good? Nope. The garment sewed together well but the fit was awful - no photos necessary - it looked like ill fitting jodhpurs. The unfinished garment is lying in pieces in the sewing room. 


I'm not even going to pretend to know what went wrong. My only guesses are...

- they are pants
- they are fitted stretchy pants
- the toile was made in non-stretch muslin, maybe it should have been made in fabric with the same degree of stretch
- I "self fitted" the second toile - not ideal

I think it's salvageable - I really do but I'll get help. If I can get the fit right, I think they could become a good staple garment. 

Not sure I'm too keen about sewing pants again though. What about you?






Monday, February 11, 2013

Have you taken a blogging break?

I did. It coincided with a holiday and then it drifted along for longer than I had planned. Oops.

Let's face it, it takes time, care and thought to create a interesting or useful post. And then there's the accompanying photos to consider......

This blog started as a chronicle of my return to sewing with a splash of vintage patterns talk as I discovered them.

Recently, as I've had less time to sew, I've had less to say about my projects. So while these projects slowly re-emerge when time permits and as I work out the direction I'm going (things change), I will to focus on all things vintage (patterns).

What do you think about blogging breaks? Do you take them? If so why? Do your blogs change focus as your interests change?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...