Monday, February 28, 2011

It Takes a Village

I don't know about you, but I definitely think that this:

is a significant improvement on this:


It may not be enough to render this thing wearable (I haven't yet had the nerve to try it on), but it's a step in the right direction.

I have to thank all of you who have spent the time and effort to give me your feedback. I took the advice - posed by many of you - to steam out the pleats to the best of my ability. I may still go a step further and take Debbie's advice about using a ham to reshape the pleats like darts...

This exercise would have been extremely difficult without the dress form, fyi. Yet another useful feature makes itself known!

I should also mention that this fabric looks much worse in photos than up close. The pulling you see in the shot is in no way observable to the naked eye. I know, I'm scrutinizing it all to hell. I do wonder why this is. Have any of you noticed a similar phenomenon with any of the fabrics you've photographed?

12 comments:

  1. Oh, that is looking much better! Phew, that is such a nice skirt.

    Things always seem to look different in photos than real life---things that bug me in reality don't always show in photos at all, and vice versa.

    Glad your dress form is paying off! :)

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  2. Better! I have the same issue when photographing a project. Wrinkles and pulls appear out of now where.

    Happy Monday :)

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  3. Very nice. It's amazing that steaming made that big of a difference.

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  4. I can't believe it, but it looks like steaming really made a difference. So glad that this is starting to come together for you. It might be the month of the crappy skirt though, because I'm fighting with one too and it's just a plain skirt with no darts. :-( Maybe I'll try to fix it tomorrow when the new month starts. ;-)

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  5. Much better. As for the pics showing wrinkles/pulls etc where there aren't any - yep, I have it too, enough for me to check the mirror after taking the pic just to see that it's magically disappeared. Of course there's also the fact that sometimes I'll stand in front/beside something that makes the garment look as though it's a completely different shape.

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  6. My hairdresser has often told me "Photos lie!"

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  7. those pleats definitely just needed some TLC from the steamer. you should model it next! :)

    when i was taking my sewing class the project only looked like it was coming together after i ironed down the seams and the fabric.

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  8. I now want to take sewing classes because of you! And I apologize for bringing up swimsuits...HAHA

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  9. Tanit: I'm loving the dress form. It does go to show that all the tools improve the process of sewing. Now if only I had a huge cutting table :-)

    Carla: It's bizarre!

    Mardel: Thanks! If you see it too then it must be improved.

    Debbie: Thanks again for all of your advice!

    Susan: I know!

    CGC: It sucks when you start something that's supposed to be simple and it goes off the rails. And it really is amazing to me that steaming made any difference, much less this degree of difference...

    tigergirl: I know what you mean. I guess our eyes see differently than the lens.

    Wendy: Ain't that the truth!

    Sophie: I should, but it is for my sister :-) And I think pressing is one of the most amazing dark arts of the sewist. I'm constantly surprised by what a difference it makes.

    Kristin: You totally should! It's an incredible craft and skill. But maybe wait till your baby is a bit older. I think you're still at that point where he needs you constantly, yes?

    Couture: Thank you!

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