Confined Crafting

Today I thought I would share some of the very basic mistakes I've realised I'm making when I sew clothes... I'm entirely self-taught and working things out as I go along, so there are lots of 'oops' moments. That's fine - learning to sew is helping me to confront my perfectionism and understand how valuable errors can be. Mishap Number 1 : This is so obvious that I'm cringing to think about it!! I'm not the most 3D thinker which means sometimes it's hard to visualise how patterns go together. I understand that sewing patterns are all about getting a flat cut out piece of fabric to shape and mould around a lumpy curvy human figure, but that theoretical understanding doesn't always translate to understanding why a pattern is doing something specific.  So I was making an Assembly Line Cuff Dress and trying to sew up the bodice and I was struggling to get the pattern pieces to match up in a way that felt 'right' to me, that is, I had the id...

 This has been a very busy week on the home/work front, and therefore a very quiet week on the crafting front! I've done a little mending, especially teddy Dandelion Flower who needed her back stitching up! Alterations One of the things I always had in mind when I started sewing was not just making my own clothes but also adjusting shop-bought clothes for a better fit. I started looking at a few tops and dresses this week to see where I could adjust them. I started work on a flowy summer top that I've had for a while but always felt uncomfortable because there wasn't quite enough fabric in the sleeves which twisted the way the top sat on my body. I chopped the sleeves off, which helped a lot, but there's also the issue of the bust not doing up.  I got some great advice on Instagram, including a suggestion from SewBusty who have started a blog for the sewer who is well-endowed! Removing the elastic from the gathered part has really helped, I only need to find another in...