It’s the beginning of February, and I have already achieved one of my goals for this year, which is sewing my first skirt. I am very pleased with the outcome and feel a great sense of satisfaction that I succeeded. Recently, even my wife wore it to work and received several compliments. However, not everything turned out perfectly…
Preparations
I decided that I would not dive in at the deep end and start sewing a skirt at the beginning of my sewing adventure. After my wife showed me the basics of using a sewing machine and the general theory, my first task was to make a shopping bag. We had old pieces of fabric at home that were perfect for this. It went quite smoothly. I was surprised that I didn’t have major problems, and the result is really satisfying. Now we use this bag regularly for shopping.
Then, I wanted to repair a dress I had damaged. The “damage” involved pulling out an elastic band that was in the waist. It was very uncomfortable for me and my wife to wear. A similar solution was at the end of the sleeves. So, I had to join the two parts of the dress at the waist and roll up the sleeves. Unfortunately, this didn’t go as smoothly. The stitches on the sleeves are a bit crooked, and I had to get creative with the waist because the cut of the garment was not that simple. However, I managed. The problem is that the dress became very wide at the waist and it doesn’t look good.
Alterations
The next thing I wanted to do was to narrow the legs of a pair of pants. I had one pair, unused for a year or two, waiting to be altered. I did it by eye, and that was a mistake because I narrowed them too much in the crotch. Normally, I would have undone what I had sewn, but I used too dense a stitch and couldn’t catch the thread without damaging the material. The pants will probably be thrown away or given away. Fortunately, they were second-hand, and I didn’t mind losing them. I narrowed another pair correctly, though. I also reduced the circumference in one blouse, so the material doesn’t stick out on the sides as much. It’s amazing how a small amount of work can improve the appearance of clothes. I also managed to enlarge the pockets in women’s pants. It’s weak how small they are compared to men’s.
Then we bought several fabrics and zippers in the store, thinking about the skirt. Additionally, we stocked up on new machine feet. I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet because it turned out that the factory ones are sufficient for current needs. In the future, however, they should be useful for more complicated projects.
Zippers
Then, I wanted to learn how to sew in invisible zippers. As I mentioned earlier, we don’t like elastic bands at the waist, so this skill will be useful. I watched a few videos on the Internet and started working, of course, first on a test piece of fabric. I succeeded, it wasn’t perfect, but the result was satisfactory. Time for something more difficult. Remember the dress from the beginning of the post? I wanted to narrow it at the waist and sew in a side zipper so I could wear it. And here too, I succeeded. It’s not super perfect, I had to correct it manually with a needle and thread, but I think I’ll wear it for outings. However, I want to add lace to the sleeves to cover those imperfections, so the dress will hang in the closet for a bit longer.
The next stage was supposed to be sewing a pillowcase, but the tartan fabric that came in the “variety pack” turned out to be nylon. And we didn’t have any other. So, I thought I might start sewing the skirt!
Skirt
We had a Burda magazine at home, which contains patterns, tips, instructions, basically everything that is useful in sewing. There was an edition with skirts, bought with the thought that my wife would sew my first garment. However, she didn’t really have the time or inclination, so I took up sewing! I chose one model, a circle skirt. I also watched two videos on how to sew this type of skirt. I wondered whether to use a pattern or to cut the circle directly from the fabric folded four times. I chose the latter option. Then, I hung the fabric on a hanger so that it would even out under the influence of gravity. Interestingly, that same day, my wife started assembling a dresser for the bedroom. I was more drawn to sewing, to tailoring, not carpentry. Eventually, I cut out what I needed to cut out and helped my beloved with the furniture.
After a few days of hanging, it turned out that the skirt had expanded its waist circumference. So, I had to cut some fabric. I also prepared the part for the belt and sat down to the machine. Of course, I had previously ironed the belt in half to make it lay better. Sewing it on did not cause me major problems, it was quite simple. The next step, sewing in the invisible zipper, was more difficult. I had to unpick a few times, and when I finally sewed it in, it turned out that the material at the bottom had escaped me by five centimeters. I had to cut some material at the bottom to even out the bottom of the skirt.
What caused me the most problems was hemming the skirt at the bottom. It was not easy, especially since the material did not want to iron easily. The first attempt was unsuccessful, so I had to unpick again. Fortunately, not much, only a quarter of the circumference at the bottom. Then, there was brainstorming on how to do it correctly. Eventually, with the help of an iron and pins, I made a small hem and sewed it. It wasn’t perfect, I didn’t have any guide, so it’s a bit uneven, and there are some creases due to excess material. I tried to smooth it out with an iron, it improved a bit. Fortunately, it’s not very visible, I didn’t unpick it again. After consulting with a friend, it turned out that I should have cut out triangles to make the material lay better. But that’s a lesson for the future.
Summary
I’ve learned quite a lot in these three or four weeks. I didn’t expect to progress so quickly. I already have more projects in mind; my wife has placed an order for another skirt. After that, I’ll probably want to sew a slip and a blouse. Then a dress, also preferably a circle one. Sewing offers so many possibilities! I will be able to create clothes that I want, which will be fitted to my figure and made from good quality materials. We’ll see what the future brings, you can expect photos with new clothes :)
