Saturday, February 04, 2017

Re-defining successful sewing

Thanks fellow re-fashioners for your posts where things didn't go quite as planned!  I'm glad I'm not as alone as I thought.  I haven't posted as I've had a series (and I'm not counting how many) of refashion fails.

And I kept trying to make them work, but sometimes you just have to call it a day, or your sewing time is sucked away for weeks (or months).  Here's a couple of fails (and I was a bit erratic with the before photos):


Looks okay right?   You've no idea how hideous the refashioned t-shirt really is on me - and there will be no photographic evidence.  I forgot to take photos of the three t-shirts I used making this, but I'm sure you know what t-shirts look like anyway.  But I did get a lot of practice on my overlocker (serger) and even followed the instructions in the DVD to make really neat circular seams - see how tidy that looks?  There's a join in the middle of that sleeve insertion.


I also copied a sleeve from a RTW top and it's very flattering, at least at the bottom - but turns out you can't put a shaped sleeve-head into a straight armscye and end up with something without weird folds...   Maybe it will be just right for someone else but if not, I still learned a lot.

Part 2 - that scarf.  It started out as a skirt that just needed a lining and a new zip, but then something about it started bothering me.  See if you can spot the problem (it's disassembled here already).


I thought I was just being picky, so I asked a few friends and family if it was obvious and turns out even blokes could spot it.  The fabric had been cut out without considering the nap - all hearts except for one back panel that's upside down.  No problem I thought - I'd since found a very similar skirt with the pattern right way all around so I could repurpose this one into an infinity scarf.  I love the way they look - but then I forgot how much I hate having things close around my neck.  I can't stand wearing it and it's too short as a standard scarf which I do wear.  But it's useful to know what you don't like as much as what you do - I'm putting this on the "not for me" list with bolero jackets, polo necks and raglan sleeves.  Sew and learn eh?

Until next time - happy (and successful) sewing!

Mimi

5 comments:

Millimari said...

The T-shirt really looks quite nice. I'm glad, though, that people have the courage to show also projects that didn't go as planned. It happens to all of us.

Saga said...

Thank you very much for your post. Learning new tecniques and what can and can't be done is certainly also succes. I will remind myself of this.

/Stine

RanchHouse said...

Learning something new with every refashion is one of the things I love about refashion. Often I fine tune a skill or I am forced to do research to learn how to do something never tried before. Refashion allows me to sew out of my comfort zone without the risk of ruining costly fabrics. For example, today I am out of my comfort zone while resizing a too large pair of jeans that would otherwise go to waste.

I Can Work With That said...

Some projects don't work out the way we plan. I appreciate your positive outlook. And your overlocking skills look amazing. The material looks nice in your pictures too, I'm sorry it didn't work out. Keep sewing!
Chickie EOD

Unknown said...

Nice snaps....Great looks.
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