My First Design!

After much searching for the perfect blouse to wear to Allie's wedding, I concluded that it didn't exist. I looked for a pattern that I liked, but I couldn't find what I was looking for. I decided to try my hand at pattern-making. I scoured the internet and several reference books for tips, tricks, and techniques. I found some basic pattern blocks used them as a starting point. These allowed me to start with a pattern for a very fitted top. I altered out the darts and put in a v-neck and a keyhole in the back along with some design ease. From this pattern, I was able to create this muslin, which Jake endearingly dubbed "Frankenshirt" (okay, I coined the term, but Jake used it more often).

I know, it looks - er, festive? There were many jokes about just wearing this to the wedding because at this point, it was getting down to the wire. But I plugged along, disassembling Frankenshirt for use as a pattern and making adjustments along the way. I put the real fabric in the sewing machine for the first stitches to be made (not even real stitches, just stay-stitching) when the fabric pulled. I inspected only to find what looked like a run. Needless to say, I was pretty upset. The needle had hit a thread in just the right place to pull it and make the run. I called my mom, and she told me I just needed a ballpoint needle that would go around the threads instead of trying to pierce through them. It worked like a charm, and I was off.

I tried a new seam finish (flat-felled), which I consider a success. It looks much nicer on the inside than a zig-zagged edge would on this fabric. Everything else was going smoothly, except for time. It was official: down to the wire. We had gone to Jake's parents the night before Allie's wedding, and I still had to hand stitch all of the bias binding down around the neck and armscyes as well as stitching on the button and button loop at the back of the neck. I worked until we went to bed and finished in the morning with about an hour to spare. It was then that I realized that the small seam allowance inside of the bias binding had frayed allowing the fabric to split open into a hole next to the keyhole closure. I had to spend that spare hour massacring my difficult hand stitching with the sewing machine so that it would be wearable. In the end, it wasn't a big deal since it is sleeveless and I was wearing it with a cardigan anyway. It only hurt my pride.

So, was it all worth it? Definitely! It was a very difficult project for me, but I enjoyed the challenge, and I learned so much! I learned how to make a circular ruffle, use a flat-felled seam finish, make a keyhole, basics of pattern drafting, and how to sew with a new fabric. Plus, I think it looked very nice. I have worn it several times since, and that is the true test of garment's value: will I ever wear it again?

Here is a picture that does not do it justice. I'm definitely not a photographer. And sorry for all of the boring sewing talk for those of you who don't sew.

Here is a picture of Jake and I at Allie's reception. Her wedding was beautiful, and we had a lot of fun.