Bluse - Sommer-Symphonie

Sewing! Why are you so hard? I honestly feel like I need to glue some sort of motivational poster on my sewing machine. Maybe a quote from Galaxy Quest: Never give up, never surrender!

Or the ever applicable Gargamel with his "I'll get you, I'll get all of you if that's the last thing I ever do!"

Do you hear that, sewing patterns? I'm not giving up.

Even if it means producing a bunch of ugly fitting clothes until I finally get the hang of it.

During the past couple of weeks I've been busy sewing, reading a bunch of sewing blogs and figuring out my body measurements. The whole thing led to a few horrifying conclusions. Turns out I'm completely deformed – one leg shorter than the other, bad posture and dropped shoulders (not to mention the fact that my right shoulder – my bag carrying shoulder - literally has a dent from schlepping all the heavy crap I put in my purse. A dent!!!!). Following a sewing pattern exactly as printed with my body being all asymmetric leads to ill fitting clothes. (Okay, my beginner sewing skills may also play a part in it.)

So what I need to do is:

1) learn more about how to adjust the patterns to fit me better

2) carry nothing in my purse besides my wallet and cellphone (an actual dent in my shoulder!!!)

3) probably spend less time hunched over said sewing patterns/knitting or

4) sign up for some sort of corrective exercise program (is there such a thing as stand-up-straight pilates?)

I'm going to be honest – point 1 is the only one that has a chance of actually coming true. Until it does, here's a Burda blouse that I spent a week sewing.

  

Made 3 different muslins, and after going a few sizes down made a blouse that fits me so long as I stand perfectly still and with my back completely straight. I probably went too far with the alterations – I'm pretty sure I made the upper back too narrow, because it pulls a bit tight if I bend over. Or maybe it's the cap sleeves. Either way – upper body mobility is somewhat limited. Guess I need to walk around with straight posture and my head held high ;-) 

 

Invisible zipper sewn with an invisible zipper foot. Also took some practice. I just wish I trimmed the top of the zipper a bit more, to avoid that little gap.

The fabric is light batiste, very soft and flowy. Very difficult to sew, because it keeps slipping. Hemming the finished blouse turned out to be a nightmare – I sewed and unpicked the hem three times – I just couldn't get it to be straight.

All in all – a learning experience. The zipper and the sleeves don't look all that bad, right? Little sewing mistakes and the fit problems are okay, I can live with them. Here's my biggest problem with this blouse - the pattern choice. What was I thinking? The pleats at the bust and the light fabric make it look like a freaking maternity top. Not a good look on me. New goal: Learn how to choose patterns that look good on you.

Here it is tucked in. Much better. 

 

And with a cardigan. Thank God for cardigans. (This one's from H&M) 

 

New new goal: Knit some cardigans for future coverage of my sewing disasters. Feel free to recommend some cardigan patterns for me to knit.