Pink & black roses skirt - with a flounce!

Finally - my Simplicity 2655 skirt is finished!  What do you think!?

I've really missed my sewing machine, so rather than watching paint dry this week (literally), I took the chance to do a bit of sewing between coats!  This is the final product from the first commercial pattern that I've bought - I have to say, it was (in the main) easy to follow and use - I'll definitely be making one of these again!

The two things I left to do were the zip and the waistband.

The zip

This was actually the first time I've used a standard zip in a skirt rather than an invisible zip - I like to tackle the really difficult things first, it seems.  It definitely was much easier to insert than the invisible one.  The pattern then indicated that there would be a bit of a fold to disguise the zip, rather than having it on show.  I really liked the effect this produced - and as it was easier to put in than the invisible zip, is definitely something to bear in mind for the future.

The waistband

The waistband, on first reading of the pattern, seemed a bit complicated!  It needed four pieces of fabric, as well as twill tape and interfacing.  After finally locating twill tape in Fabricland's haberdashery section, I was good to go.

One thing that had previously confused me about interfacing was how to get it to stick to the fabric...rather than the iron.  Thanks to a handy hints and tips web page, I discovered that the best way to apply iron-on interfacing is actually by covering the interfacing with a damp cloth and then pressing for between 10-15 seconds.  The results were perfect - and interfacing glued to my fabric, rather than my iron.

The twill tape is used to strengthen the waistband and stop it stretching.  I actually really like this idea, as I've noticed on other skirts that I've made that sometimes the waistbands do stretch, so it's good to keep it in shape.  I just sewed it in when I was sewing in the seam.

Twill tape

Finally, I had to sew in the waistband itself and sew the inside of the waist to the zip - I had to do a bit of hand sewing for this.  Hand sewing always makes me glad I normally can use my machine - I'm a bit of a clumsy hand sewer, and usually end up stabbing myself

Now it's ready to wear!

Flounce!

Work in progress - Simplicity pattern 2655

One of the patterns I bought in America was Simplicity pattern 2655, so I took the opportunity to get started on it at the end of August.  Unfortunately it's on pause at the moment - we've been getting some work done on our house so the sewing machine is put carefully out of the way.  In the meantime though, here's how it's going so far...

I decided to use the fabric that I bought from Fabricland months ago - I'd been considering making a circle skirt with it, but I thought it would look great in this pattern.

A bit of a worrying start - I cut out all my pattern bits, and put them all together, and started to panic because they seemed far too small!  It took quite a while for me to work out that I'd mistakenly only cut two side panels instead of four - so it was quite a relief to discover I wasn't as huge as I thought I was!  I think I was so focused on cutting and trying to work out the correct sizing that I forgot to actually read the instructions on the pattern pieces themselves - oops!

So far:

• I've put together the front and back of the skirt - once I worked out how many panels actually need to be cut and attached, this was an easy step!

• Hemming - the pattern suggests that you hem the flounce before attaching it to the rest of the skirt.  This was really a great idea because it meant that I didn't have the entire skirt getting in the way when I was hemming - these pattern makers really know what they're doing!

• Flounce - I then attached the flounce to the skirt.  I really like the whole flounce idea - something different than the normal skirts I've been making.  I pinned it before, but it would probably be worth basting it first as well, because as the pins were removed as I went round the curve, it was easy for the fabric to slip and the seams become uneven.  Something to remember for next time.

Things still to do:

• Waistband - this includes using twill tape to reinforce the waistband.
• Zip installation - let's hope I really get my head around it this time!

The work on the house is almost over, so hopefully I'll get these last bits and pieces done soon!

Striped pyjama trousers

Buying the perfect fabric for my pyjama trousers - and the fact that I'm now off to London for 3 weeks and therefore without my sewing machine *weep* meant I was really keen to make the pyjama trousers this weekend.  I assembled the pattern on Friday night and cut out my fabric - then actually sewed the trousers on Saturday.

Although it was a Simplicity pattern, assembling it from the printed sheets was far from simple - it was a bit of a mess unfortunately! I got there in the end though - with a few unscheduled folds in the paper! After that though, the instructions were really clear and easy to follow - it was an excellent project, and a great first way to start with trousers! 

Relaxing in my comfy pjyamas

A few new skills for me again with this project:

1. Reinforced buttonholes

Obviously I've made buttonholes before - my first ones were for the circle skirt - but the instructions of my pattern suggested reinforcing the buttonholes of these pyjamas, and I really liked this idea.  It helps to stop the buttonholes going out of shape.  Basically, you just iron on some interfacing on the area you want the hole, and then proceed as normal!

Reinforced buttonholes

2. Putting trousers together

Definitely a whole new challenge for me.  Although there was a bit of working out insides / outsides, the fact that the pattern had notches, which were different on the front and back seams, this meant that it was so easy to line up which seams should go together.  A pleasant surprise when it turns out to be easier than it looks, rather than more difficult!!

3. Drawstring waistband

Drawstring waistband

The waistband of these pyjamas are elasticated and also have a drawstring.  There was a little gap left in the sewing of the waistband, and I fed the elastic through - then sewed it up, and fed the drawstring through the buttonholes.  A  handy tip for feeding these things through is to attach a big safety pin to the end - it's much easier to ease the elastic or drawstring through, rather than trying to feel the end of a slim piece of material.

Feeding elastic through the waistband

Fabric shopping in Bedminster

It's been a slow week for sewing - I've had quite a lot on in the evenings, which has distracted me a bit unfortunately!  I went out in the sun at lunchtime today though and went to Calico for a bit of fabric browsing.  Well...it was meant to just be a browse, but of course once I was in there I just couldn't resist...!

My next project is going to be PJ bottoms, and I'm going to make them from the new fabric I got today!  It's a beautiful soft cotton stripe - perfect for comfy PJs for curling up in.

However...I am in a bit of a quandry at the moment - I was going to use the pattern from the Great British Sewing Bee book, but I've read a few things online that imply that the pattern sizing isn't quite right.  I've been on the Simplicity website, and found this project for pyjama pants instead, so I think I might give it a go!  Has anyone tried either of these patterns - any recommendations?

The other fabric which I got recently is this gorgeous denim star print - I got it in the Nelaro Fabrics sale on Facebook!  Unfortunately it was the very end of the line, and so I could only get half a metre - so that obviously very much limits what I can make with it!  It might be another bag - we'll see.  Any other ideas welcome...!

Denim stars

No plans for the weekend as yet (apart from packing for my trip to London) so hopefully I'll get some sewing fitted in, and maybe even take my new PJs away with me!