My first garmet!

This is my first garmet I'm working on - a dress for my toddler. It's coming along very slowly...but steadily. I actually had to look up what "staystitching" was and why it was necessary to do. The interfacings were a minor nightmare and look like a major disaster. But I'm just trying to get through and finish it and go from there while learning from my mistakes.


Lesson learned on this project:

1. It's not a good idea to make your first garmet with a slippery, ravelly fabric like this cute (but difficult) polyester seersucker.

2. The importance of cutting accurately.

3. What interfacings are and why they are necessary.

4. Staystitching.

5. The sound my sewing machine makes when the tension is not adjusted correctly.

6. If you're not sure about something, for gosh sakes, baste it in place before sewing it into place with a 2 stitch length!

7. Some pattern instruction leave a bit to be desired for the absolute beginner like me.

The curtains that started it all...

My mother-in-law and I fell in love with this adorable glittery "bug" fabric for the curtains and a cute pink (but darned ravelly!) gingham for the valances. First lesson learned: In order to achieve desired curtain fullness, each panel should be 1 to 2 times the width of the window. I hate how these hang limply and don't give enough coverage. I'm not too hysterical about how the valance turned out, but I bought 4 more yards of the bug fabric yesterday and I'm going to make two new (and full!) panels.

The smaller window in her room turned out much better. Full coverage. Except that I hemmed the valance to the right side (which of course was the wrong side) and didn' realize it until I went to hang it up. That was a big seam ripping project, but worth it.

Lessons learned:

1. Extra fabric is needed for desired fullness

2. How to sew a turned hem

3. Pay attention to the right and wrong sides!