Search This Blog

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

How To Be An Amateur Seamstress

Just to show you what a fraud that I am.

1. Pick a pattern that you are not going to follow. Even though I didn't follow the directions or even use the pattern pieces that they wanted me too it was loads easier than doing it all myself.
2. Lay pattern on your material, in this case a dress that I loved when I was just barely a teen. I absolutely adore this dress print pattern.


3. Pin the pattern and the material to the carpet in much the same way you might put it on cork-board


4. Trace around it in permanent marker pen. It will all hide in the seam allowance anyway and it is so much easier to see when doing the next step.


5. Cut out the pieces.


6. Admire your first pile of pattern pieces.
7. Repeat for the lining.

Remember that ironing is for sissies and who cares if the material has wrinkles, it only has a small chance of making the pattern pieces irregular. Any clothes in my wardrobe that require ironing sit unused for a few years until being donated to charity.

Sometimes I don't act like an amateur and actually use the right tools. One great one is this blue pen.


Unlike the permanent marker in the previous photos, this pen is water-soluble and will wash out in the laundry or if you can't wait that long you can spray it with a spray bottle.


Also, one very very important step is to pin pin pin. Please pin your work. Right, Courtney?


9. Sew


10. And sew.

Until you get these happy kids.



This has got to be my favorite photo of Suzie to date. I am considering having it framed. At least I am going to put it as my wallpaper on my computer.



They have better clasps now. After a trip to JoAnne's I was able to replace the alligator clips with something a little more classy. If the kids actually wore the capes I could get another picture, but alas.

4 comments:

  1. Do you have ADD?? I love the capes and the girls look so cute in them. If they saw Marissa wearing hers then maybe they would want to wear them. On the other hand I bet Sophia would look great in one and have so much fun twirling and spinning. Love you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sophia would LOOOOOVE a cape! Yes!

    When you make them again, think about using magnetic clasps. I tied heavy duty round magnets into the corner of a large silk scarf, and that's what Sophia uses. It takes out the middleman having to get it on and off her!

    ReplyDelete
  3. very nice cape!!! i want one of those :p

    ReplyDelete
  4. To Moon - I got the pattern in a sale at JoAnne's for a dollar. They actually seemed to have a nice range of capes and play clothes for kids.

    ReplyDelete