I'm not a total noob: as much as I wanted to, I wasn't about to start the whole sewing thing with a massive Victorian costume gown. Pillows. Yes, pillows were more my speed. But, not just two pieces of cloth and a zipper (that'd be boring and too easy!) Olive-green brocade pieces arranged in a houndstooth pattern:
Did I know what I was doing? No. I'd vaguely remembered something about fraying and zig zags and edges, so I did that. I think. They'll probably fall apart in a couple of years.
Skirts are a good place to start for clothing:
Yup. They work. The red one is just... well, nifty cotton print. The tan one is actually very fine corduroy and I added ivy leaves. Not having a serger, I made the skinniest zigzag on my machine and took a very long time. And I figured out that the advisory of "sits two inches below natural waist" is a total lie, more like 4 or 5 and in danger of sliding off altogether. So the corduroy actually was taken in about two inches before its debut. The striped one was made in a smaller size.
And then because skirts were going pretty well... a dress! Okay, so this cool green fabric with lots of circles... yeah, I totally didn't think of what it would look like from a distance.
When I saw a picture of me at my friend's wedding (which is why I'd made the stupid dress in the first place), all I could think was "bullseyes! lots and lots of bullseyes!" Awesome. Now, this is not good. I know. It's just not very attractive. It serves as a reference, reminder, and warning to myself. But hey, I managed to line the bodice and get it all attached. Progress!
Probably my most successful venture came by accident. If you don't know (and are therefore not yet addicted by) instructables.com, you will be! Oh yes. It's pretty much crack for my ferret-brain. Aaaanywho, I found the instructable for onestringbags, and have made lots. If you're already bringing canvas bags for groceries, stuff a coupla these guys in for your produce. Get cheapo-discount tulle (there's always some awful color in the discount bin) and a string, and use up those last bits of weird-colored thread.
This post is getting pretty long, so I'll hold off on the successful dress (yes, there's 1!) until next time...
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