Even with the unfortunate events related to my Aunt, life still goes on…
I’ve always found working with my hands to be soothing, even in stressful situations.
Yesterday, I started sewing a simple 100% cotton jacket for my nine-year old daughter. It’s a simple bolero jacket and I drafted my own pattern. I used my newest sewing machines for this project; the Brother Pc-420 to sew the seams and I used my Brother 1034D aka serger/overlock machine to finish the raw edges. I love these sewing machines!
All my fabric is washed before I use the material. The main reason is because the bolts can get dusty sitting on the shelves and it can be handled by a lot of people before it reaches me. Yuck! Another reason (although minor) is that some fabric will shrink after it’s been washed. I’ve had some fabric that wasn’t supposed to shrink, but the material shrank after it was washed! Good thing, I prewash fabric, right? Otherwise I’d have had an outfit that might not fit. Because of those experiences, I don’t always believe fabric labels. 🙂
One key to making professional items is to press each seam right after it’s sewn… while it adds to the total production time, the end result more than makes up for the additional time that’s added.
Adding a lining is another way to add to an outfits longevity. In the above picture, I’d just sewed the lining to the jacket. I’ve placed the garment on the ironing board and am about to press the seams. I usually like really wild fabric linings, but my “wild fabrics” are being used for a few other projects and so I selected plain fabric for this garment. Yawns, ho hum… My daughter chose the dotted fabric and was thrilled when I told her I was going to make part of it into a jacket. The background color perfectly matches a long dress that she has.
After finishing the body I moved on to the sleeves. I use double seams on most outfits and this jacket was no exception. And although the raw edges are hidden (because of the lining) I serged all edges.
I’m thrilled to say that her jacket is complete and once the outfit is washed, I’ll take a picture and post it on Celebrate Life.
Spring is here, summer will come soon… Will certainly need lighter clothes for the sunny days ahead.
suituapui recently posted..Big balls…
@suituapui, Same here, Spring will be here in a few days. I don’t think my daughter will be wearing this too long before it has to be put away. Most likely she’ll outgrow it before she has a chance to wear it again and that’s ok. We’ll give it to someone who needs the jacket and I can always make her another one.
Aynaria recently posted..Perfectly marked hems; vintage skirt marker
Doesn’t it feel AWESOME to complete a project!?
WAY TO GO!
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