- Hayley Angell -
  • SPEAKING
  • INSTA
  • LFFF
  • PODCAST
  • Contact

Hello, Possums!

3 things I learned from sewing my first commercial pattern

9/9/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
I recently knocked up this little beauty as my first ever foray into the world of commercial patterns.  Not bad, eh?? I was shocked beyond belief that what emerged from the nightmare of fabric scraps and tangled cotton sprawled across the floorboards of several rooms (sorry babe) was a real, wearable piece of clothing that mildly resembled a garment one might actually pay for.
Being that the fabric was called ‘ottoman’ I was genuinely expecting to look like an oversized foot stool.... and I suppose the jury is still out on that one.

So, after (a vastly disproportionate number of) hours hunched over the floorboards (see above) and over my Aldi-special sewing machine, I not only walked away with a surprisingly fab new frock, but a few little pearls of wisdom to share on patterns (note: I use the term 'wisdom' loosely):


1. Snug body measurements are essential.

I really wanted to title this first point “don’t ask Lisa to take your measurements” but I thought that was probably (a) a little too mean-spirited of me and (b) posed the wildly unrealistic scenario of Lisa appearing by your sewing table with both a dressmaker's tape and a mischievous grin at the point of measurement.  

Having asked Lisa to help with my measurements – you really will need help here as it is next to impossible to take accurate measurements solo – I selected the 'appropriate' dress size as per the seemingly-simple sizing table on the back of the pattern.  What resulted was a dress with the handy feature of ample capacity to store a few 1kg bags of sugar in the bust.  

Unless you're bound for a Vegas buffet within the next fortnight - take snug measurements, the pattern allows for a naturally comfy fit. 

2. You’re not actually meant to understand all of the instructions.

This was my lightbulb moment.  The moment I realised I wasn't supposed to understand the instructions, everything clicked.

No one understands this:

Picture
Or this:
Picture
Make peace with it and move on.

3. when things go wrong: dart, dart, dart.

Had it not been for the farce outlined in item #1, you would have had to go hunting on some other plus-sized-friendly sewing blog for this little morsel. After some deep consideration I concluded the real likelihood of a scenario requiring me to snuggle bags of sugar against my ta-tas was probably nil at best (never say never, I suppose).  This, combined with the fact I was not blessed with even a fraction of the patience required to unpick the whole damn thing and start again, meant I needed an alternate solution.

Thus began the process of sewing whopping great big darts in at every conceivable angle - including the whole front seam (which unfortunately closed the nifty little v-shaped cut out in the original pattern a bit more than I would have liked), and an even bigger one squeezed in-between the two back bodice darts as indicated by the pattern.  I also shortened the bodice length to raise the waistline higher (this sounds like I did something impressive, when in reality, I just put the waistline where it was meant to be in the first place... i.e. on my waist) and scooped out two large sections of the side-seams to create a longer, leaner silhouette. 
By some miracle, it worked (especially considering the pea and stilton risotto Lisa had whipped us up for dinner that evening). 

So, don't be frightened by commercial patterns - you really can make the thing pictured on the front.  Okay, I lie.  Be bloody terrified but just go ahead and sew anyway. You might just get as lucky as I did.

(This is a shout-out to Diane, just like I promised. xx)
2 Comments
Diane Roberts
8/9/2014 11:00:25 am

Well done Hayley! I love reading these posts, such wit! I honestly thought you were experienced with patterns etc!
If you ever need any pointers I have an 'O' level in needlework.
Keep blogging! X

Reply
Hayley
8/9/2014 11:15:39 am

Thanks Diane and thank you so much for your support! I would be delighted if you would share any of your own hints, tips and tricks or, of course, any pics of your own projects. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing and this blog would greatly benefit from a touch of genuine expertise! :)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Follow
    Picture

    ​The detail...

    A big dollop of love from my finger tips to your screen (I promise that's not as creepy as it sounds).  xx

    ​Categories

    All
    Big Girls Guide
    Glorious Food
    Handmade Love
    Life (and Stuff)
    Munchings & Musings
    Tutorials
    Vintage Style
    Weddings

    Archives

    April 2018
    November 2017
    July 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

    RSS Feed

Connect with me:     

  • SPEAKING
  • INSTA
  • LFFF
  • PODCAST
  • Contact