I failed. Not miserably, but I certainly caved in dear readers.
As most of you already know, there were two things that seemed pretty clear about me as of late:
- I get confused with commercial patterns and prefer to make my own; I did make an attempt here, but ended up completely altering the look of the pattern entirely. I haven't worked on it since.
- Big one here. I was not to spend any money, whatsoever, on crafty supplies...
Well... that all changed today, and $15.00 (technically $13.00) later I have all this. Buttons, and fabric, and patterns... oh my!
Both yardages of fabric are light weight cotton, perfect for the tops of both the New Look patterns. One has a nice crushed vertical pattern, and the other is plain. A veritable steal for the price, I say, and just in time for the coming hot months.
My neighbor kindly purchased me an assorted bag of buttons.
They do quite perfectly because there's enough in each set to make 5 button-up tops! I was so afraid I'd have too much randomness in the bag, but it turned out to be quite fruitful; $2.00 for all of these! I'll have to keep this in mind when I need more simple black buttons.
What prompted me to buy the patterns, you may ask? Well, have you seen them?!
I simply could not resist the temptation of visiting the craft section during my monthly grocery visit to Walmart.
I was so enthralled with view B of this Burda Style pattern, I adore the stylization of this top; I remember having a few of them back in Canada, purchased at various thrift stores. I've tinkered with the idea of making my own, but never found the motivation to do it... until now.
For about $2.00 per New Look pattern, I also could not resist this cute little slice of chic. One thing struck me though, view D and E are identical (the one the model is wearing)... I don't see why they differentiated the two-- perhaps because of the pattern of the fabric? But the cut is the same... puzzling. I planned on utilizing some Halloween fabrics I have in my stash; I was going to use them for other projects, but as soon as I got my crafty fingers on this pattern, I decided they'd be better put to use as clothing!
Finally, my absolute favorite of the three, this is truly a gem. Even if I cannot muster to decipher the pattern instructions, I feel adept enough to figure out the pieces on my own if push comes to shove. Just look at those choices! Ugh, I simply can't decide which one of these I want to make first when I manage to gather all the materials!
So, remembering I already said I'd make a peplum top, I decided I'd better update that statement.
In light of this totally unnecessary but oh so good purchase, I am going to make one of these tops. It's likely going to be view D-E from 6078.
I have some rick-rack ribbon and two choices of fabric in my old stash for my first commercial-pattern made article:
I'm leaning towards the candy corn and spider webs...
I'd love to hear your vote for which fabric to use-- Skulls or candy corns?
And also, because I never get to use meme's, let alone Star Trek inspired...
Oh, readers, you have no idea the size of the Trekkie in me... perhaps one day I'll tell it all.
I would of course use the skullfabric :D
ReplyDeleteI wish I could sew after pattern like you do, but I cant understand them xD
Well technically, I barely know a thing about store bought patterns-- they tend to intimidate me to the point of avoidance, but it's time to face that fear head on!
DeletePerhaps what deters me most are the instructions; if I just look at the pieces then it should fall into place in my head quite nicely... hopefully hehe.
Skulls get my vote, too :D
ReplyDeleteLove the newlook tops, so intricate and light and purdy <3 Also, bit jealous of your finds... wish we had Walmarts in Finland... or at least cheap fabric stores :P
Noted! It seems to be the favorite among my friends as well-- it's quite lovely, so I just may use the skulls first! Reader's choice, after all =D
DeleteWalmart's are a blessing for the poor, but a demon to small businesses-- it tends to make a monopoly anywhere, making local economy hurt real bad... but it eases the pain of inflated costs when individuals like myself are on a rather strict budget in small isolated towns... it's a catch 22 heh.
Oh, but you got a lot for those few bucks, so fret not!
ReplyDeleteLove both of your Halloween fabrics :)
That's true, it makes me feel a little less guilty for breaking my promise... but a promise break is a promise break, and I'm a person of my word... or at least I was at one point, hehe.
DeleteMe too, I'm so glad they're both eventually going to be part of my wardrobe!
I've seen the very cool 6599 but avoided it because of the buttonholes, which are a nightmare on my current sewing machine. I really need to upgrade to a one-step buttonhole machine. On 6078, the difference between D and E is that E has a contrast collar and sleeve band. Using your skull print fabric with a white contrast might be cute...
ReplyDeleteNot to further put you off from patterns, but in my experience, New Look instructions are not the best. Sometimes they lead you through a more complicated technique than is necessary. I'd suggest reading through them but not necessarily following them step by step. If you know how garments are put together, you'll be fine.
I rarely read pattern instructions anymore, but I always use pattern pieces. I find it much easier to just plop down a pattern piece and cut around it instead of trying to measure everything out myself.
Good luck! I look forward to seeing the end result. :)
Oh yes, I heard that about New Look's instructions-- but I am relying on my knowledge of garment construction to help me muddle and imagine my way through to completion, hehe.
DeleteI admit, it's been a while since I've used the buttonhole options on any machine, but I have the utmost optimisms hehe. The last time was so painless I rather enjoyed the ease, even on the basicness of the machine I once had at the time.
I think by the end of this I'll be just the same; ignoring the instructions and going forth and cutting!
I like the skull fabric, and nice choice for the pattern! Can hardly wait to see the finished result! And yes, Wal-mart is definitely a double-edged sword, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIndeed, I sometimes feel so guilty coming out of wal-mart... but then I remember I end up saving over $100 on my groceries each visit =S
DeleteIt's hard to resist that amount of saved money >.<