Simplicity 2551

I was feeling pretty snarky (my mom's word; not sure if it's totally made up and unknown to 99% of the population) after the apron, but I still wanted an "easy" project.  I mean, I made a tote(ish) bag, an almost-fits-if-I-don't-eat skirt, and an oft-forgotten apron so I'm basically an expert at this point, right?  No dismal failures yet at least.

Why did I think a purse would be easy to make???  I still ask myself that question because when I think about making another purse, I kinda get a little twitchy at the idea.  When I realized that I could buy pre-quilted fabric, I don't think I took into account that the fabric still had to be constructed into something resembling a purse; it's not magic fabric.

Sidenote: I had never in my life heard of Vera Bradley, but I've been told that this bag is a knock-off of her stuff.  Of course, now I see her stores everywhere and it's like every one I know has something Vera Bradley (including my 11 year-old niece, she has TWO things), so that shows how observant I am of current trends (read: not).

I actually really like how the purse came out, and I can vouch for its functionality because I still use it (and I made it back in March).  I love the colors and the size (it fits everything!), but if I made it again I would definitely make some pockets for the inside as opposed to leaving it as one big open area.  I know there are pockets on the outside, but they are totally non-functional because of my inability to translate the pattern into English.

Which brings me to my point: this was NOT a beginner pattern!  I was definitely biting off more than I could chew with my limited skill set for sewing and there were times I wanted to throw the whole thing in the trash and make a trip out to the Coach outlet with my 20% coupon (LOVE!), but then I remembered that this pre-quilted fabric was like almost $20 per yard, so I persevered.

In my defense, even now if I go back and look at this pattern there are some things that don't make sense.  For example, I never see a time when they tell you to actually sew the pockets closed.  So they're not and if you put something in one of them, it will end up in the no-mans-land between the lining and the outer fabric. They also had me stitch down the front of the purse in order to attach the pocket to the purse, so that's not very attractive either (but it's the only thing that I can get out of the pattern instructions).

The other tricky area was the front pocket piping/pocket facing area, but I think that was my fault because I couldn't envision what the instructions were trying to tell me.  I've used piping more now and I think I know what happened there. I definitely like the detail though (and in this picture you can see one of the random lines going down the front of the bag. Weird).  Oh, ignore the fact that I couldn't make a straight line on the brown part; I'm much better now, I promise!

The lining is the main tricky issue with this purse and the first time I put it in, I put it in backwards so you could see all of the exposed seams as opposed to it looking nice and neat. And actually, I thought it was supposed to be that way for some reason until I actually saw it put together and thought a lot of words I won't say here on the internets (I'm a lady).  That was one of the points I wanted to scrap the whole thing, but after walking away for awhile and regrouping/pep-talking ("you are a strong, confident woman..."), I returned and ripped the lining out and put it in the correct way. (You can't see to the bottom, but I promise it looks amazing!  Maybe the most amazing bottom of a bag you've ever seen).

So in conclusion, I'm happy with it.  I use the crap out of it and have gotten some compliments.  I wouldn't want to set it next to a Vera Bradley, but if there isn't one around it could probably be mistaken for one...ya know, if someone forgot their glasses and is really squinting at it.

Butterick 5474

My first skirt didn't quite inspire a high level of sewing confidence, so I thought I would attempt some smaller projects to build up my skills.  (Note: not all objects that seem easy, or are labeled as "easy" are in fact easy.  Just like when I tell my mother that doing something involving an electronic device is "easy" only to end up teaching her the first step for all eternity, like click on "send" to send that email).  Thankfully, aprons are actually fairly simple, but I was sooooooo wrong about making purses (blog post coming soon).

Enter Butterick 5474, an apron.  Aprons have to be easy, right?  And totally useful as something that I forget to actually use until after I'm covered in sauce or grease.  I did actually remember to use it last week when I was pitting cherries (score 1 for me, about 500 for food splatters), so i can vouch for its clothes-protecting skills.

I also want to point out that this was my first experience at a pattern sale at Joann Fabrics.  O. M. G.!!!  I officially have a problem now and need some kind of therapy for overbuying patterns, but from all of the blogs I read I have noticed that others also have this problem, so therefore I have decided it is NOT a problem because that many people can't be wrong!  Right?  Right.  (Don't mess with us. Our hobby involves sharp objects).

I chose to make the full-length option with the bias-tape around the edge, which brings me to my first lesson that I learned in the making of this apron: there is something called bias tape.  And if you google it, you find many links to tutorials for how to make bias tape, but you don't really find a whole lot that says "hey, you can buy this for super cheap at a craft store so you don't have to spend hours making it yourself."  Nope, must have missed those links because I thought bias tape was something I had to actually make.  So make I did out of some fabric that I thought was very complimentary to my main fabric.

Now I know that I could have spent about a buck and a half on plain black bias tape.  (*breathe, go to your happy place*).  I'm so grateful for the learning experience of making my own bias tape so that I appreciate more how it works when I buy it at the store in bulk now.  It's kind of a shame that I used this technique on an apron that I mostly forget to even use, but I know how to do it if I need a more unique touch on something I make (*cough won't happen cough*).

All in all, this was actually a pretty easy project after all and maybe if I leave post-it notes on all of my cookbooks saying "WEAR AN APRON, DUMMY!!" I will remember to use it more often.  Probably not though as I have a bad habit of ignoring things once I get used to them being there.  C'est la vie!

Simplicity 2184

For my first *real* project (not that a bag isn't a real, tangible object, although boring), I thought that a skirt might be a good place to start because I didn't want to pick something so challenging that I would fail miserably and never sew again (and my machine would become the overpriced dust collector that my parents assumed it would end up being; they cannot be proven right!).  This is the pattern I chose:

I learned many things from this project, even before leaving the store!  I learned how to look through the catalogue and then figure out where the hell the pattern actually is in the store (although first I was just hopelessly looking through the cabinets thinking "do I have to do this every time I want a pattern?? Why is there a dress, followed by baby pajamas, followed by a some purses, followed by doll clothes?!  Organization, people!!!")

I also learned how much fabric to request and that there is a difference between apparel cotton and quilting cotton (but that quilting cottons have better prints!) so this skirt is a bit on the stiff side.  But you know what; if I see a print in quilting cotton that would be perfect for something I have pictured in my mind, I'm going for it.  That's right, I said it!  Sewing elitists be warned! (You can say "I told you so" when I complain about the way it feels on future projects).

I think the most important lesson I learned has to do with sizing (and this lesson ends up being the lesson that keeps on teaching for quite awhile!).  For those of you experienced sewists out there, you know exactly where I am going with this.  I saw that this pattern started at a size 6 and I think I might have actually scoffed out loud (probably sounded a bit more like a pig snort than a super-cool "hrmph").  I thought that I would be swimming in a size 6 seeing as I generally buy a 2 in a ready-to-wear garment. "I guess I'll just cut a little bit more inside the line for the size 6" thought the clueless, newby clothesmaker.  (Of course, I also believed the envelope when it said "2 hours"  Oh, I had so much to learn...)

So here is the finished product:

Not terrible!  (That was my first thought, and was enough to keep me going).  However, it is a bit like a Picasso: good from far away and a mess up close.  So...let's stay far away, shall we.  I had absolutely no idea what "bias" skirt meant or that extra planning was involved to make it come out the way it's supposed to.  You mean I can't just fold the fabric, cut two of the pieces and have them magically match up perfectly??  (The answer is "no."  You can't do that.)  Of course I didn't have enough fabric left to cut more pieces, so I just made do with that I had.  The first time I sewed up the seams in the front and back I didn't even think about how it would match up and it was a total disaster!  (From a glass half-full perspective, I got to learn how to use my seam-ripper!)  The lines really don't match up perfectly on the front or the back, but I had to decide which side to match up better and I chose the front.

It was also TINY!  Like "OMG, I can't even get this further up than mid-thigh!" I was really confused by that, but thankfully I was able to make the smallest seam-allowances possible to keep from having a wardrobe malfunction, and it fits (barely...if I haven't had a big meal yet).  I did some internet research on the issue (now I know that's a good thing to do BEFORE starting something), and I realize now that pattern sizing is crazy!  (ok, not crazy; more like closer to how clothes used to be sized before vanity sizing got out of control)  According to the envelope, I would be between a size 10 and 12!  (stay tuned for my lesson about "ease" on a later blog post)


To be perfectly honest, I don't wear the skirt.  I kind of doubt it's strength to stay in one piece and I know so much more now that I didn't know to do then (i.e. finishing seams, how to correctly attach a waistband so the inside doesn't look all frayed, what interfacing is, etc).  It was a really good way to get started and learn basic skirt construction, and now that I have an outfit that works I might put it in the rotation.  I do recommend the pattern though, but if you're not advanced it will take longer than 2 hours.


I made another version of this skirt as well (the longest one), and I'll have a post about that one soon.