It's Not Figure Loving

What was it I said just yesterday? Something along the lines of I can't imagine I won't like it when it's finished while referring to the purple sweater. Yes... well... there does seem to be a problem. Two of them in fact, the fit and the color.

Although yesterday was busier than I anticipated, I did get some sewing time in the evening. Because I've made this t-shirt pattern so many times, I was confident enough to go ahead and finished the hems before pinning the back closed and trying it on.




Howard's reaction was I like the back. You just know when your husband says something like that that it's as blah as you think it is. With the extra ease through the waist, the sweater hangs there looking limp and shapeless, especially from the front. I knew it would need a fabulous piece of jewelry but the extra ease makes it look like a free t-shirt. It's not figure loving.




You can see all the drag lines through the waist even on Millicent. That's an easy fix. More difficult is the fact that the sweater doesn't seem to go with the skirt. The fabric samples matched a whole lot better than the full skirt and the full sweater do. I'm trying to withhold judgement until the sweater is finished and shapely however, my intuition is already doing over time screaming that these two aren't going to work together and what's my plan for that.

When I asked Howard if I should sew a new top or a new skirt, he said a new top although his reasoning was odd to me. He felt that they didn't go together because the skirt was shiny and the top was not. The two textures don't bother me. What bothers me is the color combination and the emotional feel of the garments. One feels party and one feels curl up and cuddle. Since there aren't too many opportunities to wear a low backed sweater, my plan might involve dyeing but I'm waiting until the sweater is finished, has less ease, and fits fabulously and then I'll see.




One part that really surprised me was how lifeless the sleeves were. On Sunday, when I was having coffee with my friend, she was wearing a sleeve exactly like the one I had drafted. I remember noticing it and being pleased that the gathered top would indeed go with the longer sleeve. Not so in my case.

The bottom looks baggy, too big, boring instead of shapely. That was a surprise because while drafting, I compared the hem width to the shirts I wear all the time and it was the same width. One thing I know for sure with sewing is that everything affects everything. That extra fabric at the sleeve top affects the "regular" look of the sleeve hem. That's interesting to note but not always fun.

I've picked out the twin needle hem (what a pain) and the underarm seam and started to add rows of ribbing. The idea is to make the bottom of the sleeve more fitted and leave the gathers at the top for more of an old fashioned look. Once the sleeves are finished nicely, I'll determine how to and how much ease to take out of the waist and then, once that's done, will cover and attach the buttons to the back. Then...

... with the sweater finished, it'll be easier to decide how it goes with the skirt. I may be heading back to the store that I returned the shoes to. There were some pretty, stretch lace tops that my credit note might buy IF one of the colors went with the skirt.

I'm having trouble sewing lately. There's been a run of not so wonderful projects and it's a bit wearing. I start to doubt my abilities and wonder what I'm doing wrong and think this is crazy, go get another hobby. Do you ever go through that? I need to remind myself of the perfect first try skirt that I sewed last week and carry on carrying on.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - that I still have weeks before the party and time to figure out what I'm doing