Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Pink Polka Dots

I am relieved to say that I have completed my first sewing project and drum roll please I like sewing! I really wanted a sewing machine for Christmas but was a tiny bit afraid of the thing once I had it sitting in front of me. Thankfully a free one hour lesson was part of the deal and Kim (my instructor) was extremely helpful. I pulled together my first sewing project on the weekend and although it certainly isn't perfect I'm pleased with the end result.

The fabric is super cute and the ribbon turned out pretty good too, I was going to leave it off because it was a little too wide but I'm glad I went with it. The thing I love most about sewing is the fact that mistakes are pretty easy to fix, just take your time ripping the stitches out and start all over again.
You can probably tell from the pics that the zipper isn't perfect, it's a bit wonky on the one end; next time I'll be a bit more of a perfectionist when it comes to the zip.


What you can't see is the lining, and that's because it doesn't have one. I can't seem to figure out how to get the lining in there without the stitches being visible on the outside. The fabulous book I took this pattern from, Amy Karol's book Bend-the-Rules Sewing suggested hand sewing the lining but when I tried it turned out looking like a mess. I think I'm going to have to locate an on-line tutorial to help me out with this part, I need a visual aid.
I think I'm going to make another one of these little bad boys before I go on to something completely new, it's a good practice piece.

5 comments:

tanzi said...

I love it!!! The colours, the ribbon--very funky and cheerful. Seriously, it looks like something groovy I'd want to buy on Etsy.
Bravo, you crazy sewing fiend!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey J.
You must get all the knitting,crocheting & sewing from your grandma & Nana. Definatly not from the Mommie.
Way to go girl! I am so proud of you.
The Mommie.

Gingham Skies said...

Why thank you ladies.
I think I want to take up embroidery next. seriously.

There was this wee little lady at the nursing home today who told me that she thinks it will soon be a "lost art" and well, we certainly can't let that happen can we?

Stacy said...

Great job...what a cute project! One tip for the lining is to turn the hem under and iron it before inserting it to hand sew it on. That way it stays nice and flat and you can concentrate more on getting the stitches straight than trying to wrangle the fabric. Zippers are hard to get in, so I think you did a great job for your first time.

Gingham Skies said...

Thanks Stacy! I appreciate your helpful hint, I'll give it a shot and will post the finished project. :)