Saturday, March 17, 2012

Challenge Is as Challenge Does

I'm sitting here feeling spring-cold hideous but I'm committed to speedy recovery, dammit. I will rest and be well by Monday, but not, I suspect, without a healthy dose of complaining in the meanwhile. It doesn't help that Inkscape is a totally counter-intuitive (to my mind) mess of a program and that collage below took me 2 hours.

Why complain, you might ask, when I have such a happy post at hand? I mean, here's where I get to tell you - nay, show you - how I set a challenge, developed the parameters, stayed within the timelines, surpassed the required output and made 7 really cute spring basics:


Indeed, I even conducted a challenge within a challenge. Wow, when I put it that way, I'm awesome!

I'm here to say that I have worn all of these garments at least once so far - and some of them a few times! Here's a run down of some of the interesting features of this challenge:
  • At the start, I owned the floral rayon jersey, the orange rayon jersey for the bonus sleeveless top and the orange double knit used to make the dress. Nonetheless, I spent quite a bit on fabric, in the scheme of things, somewhere in the neighbourhood of $100.00. Mind you, a hundred bucks for this kind of haul is miraculous, no?
  • I really like pink, cerise and orange, apparently :-) Actually, I'm starting to think that everything I make is in a variant of pink or navy.
  • Best outcome? Well, it's impossible to say! I've had very good response to everything (except the house-bound lounge pants, which no one's seen). I think the Magic Blouse may win for most intriguing but the Jalie floral blouse has been a big hit.
  • Hardest slog: Ha! It's a toss up between the culottes and the Ginger skirt. I probably gave 75 per cent of my total energy in this challenge just to those two garments.
  • Best Lesson: Where to begin? On the macro level: The right, complex challenge can keep you going for a long time. If it solves a problem, feel free to make shit up. Vintage patterns aren't necessarily more special or better-fitting than modern ones. Sometimes, the more you pin, the less you succeed. You have to be intuitive! On the micro level: Inner leg pleats that don't meet up with the waist of your culottes are a nightmare to insert and sew. Pleats that go up to your waist are a nightmare to wear. Zipper insertion on bias cut garments is a crap shoot. Bias tape is fussy but endlessly useful. I could take up 6 posts coming up with observations learned in this challenge alone...
  • Most practical new learning: Not that I didn't know this, but I can confirm that pretty "vintage" seam finishing bulky; it takes more fabric and adds twice the time required to make any given garment. I'm really happy to be able to finish something nicely without a serger, but I'm just as happy to have a serger. PS: You can still finish seams without using vintage techniques or a serger, in case you're worried. Most knits, for example, don't need any finishing to speak of, except close clipping. And pinked seams with a straight stitch will often work on wovens. I will say, though, these sorts of finishes often do not look as good. They may also be weaker than the vintage or serger methods. Which is why the sewing goddess invented lining to encase a whole whack of unfinished seams presto. Mind you, I don't much like lining.
Final Impressions:

I didn't think I'd be one of those capsule wardrobe, "sewing challenge" kind of people, but perhaps I am. This project has shown me that I have a decent attention span and the ability to put together interesting designs in coordinating fabrics and patterns. Furthermore, knowing what I was going to tackle next allowed me to bridge learning of new techniques from one project to the next, i.e., the faux Hong Kong finish on the cowl dress turned into real Hong Kong finishing on the centre back seam of the Ginger skirt. Nonetheless, I kept my bizarre, sub-optimal (self-invented cuz it's probably not even a method) wrapping-seam-binding-over-the-hem technique on the Ginger. I like the way it completely encloses, with minimal bulk, a seam that's prone to fray. Fit doesn't always work, but - in this challenge - I'm happy to say it did. By employing a combo of factors: items I've made before, use of forgiving fabrics and skill improvement, I produced a variety of items that fit well.

I'm also happy to say that it's given me confidence to tackle some tailoring next. I'm going to make the Starlet Suit Jacket with a coordinating skirt - which should be a very useful addition to my wardrobe and an great challenge. I'm going from a challenge that took 10 weeks for 7 garments (my final stats) to one that gives 6 weeks for 2 garments, most of that time to be spent on the jacket i.e. 1 piece.

So, what do you think? What have you learned from tackling a sewing challenge? Would you do it again? Will you do one, if you've never tried it before? Let's talk...

16 comments:

  1. Wow you have surpassed yourself with this challenge. I agree, you have ended up with a truly cohesive set of garments. Some outstanding pieces as well especially the red dress, the Ginger, the Magic blouse and the culottes. For me this would be a tough challenge but you have taken it all in your stride.

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  2. It's really interesting how these things work together - almost as if I went to a shop and bought them all together for that purpose. I'm still trying to figure out if that's luck or talent :-) Not that I won't take either!

    This was a tough challenge at many points. And I did not take it in stride Katy - there's evidence to prove it :-) But I thank you sincerely for saying that!

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  3. Thank you for your nice comment!!!

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  4. It's really nice to see all 7 garments together. You can create so many outfits from just these few pieces! My fave is still the floral blouse - wondering if you've worn it much yet?

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  5. I've worn it 3 or 4 times so far. Last time being Friday. It really gets a lot of attention a) cuz it's like a bouquet (seriously) and b) it's quite boobs-plus. People I don't know stop me in the hallways to tell me what a great shirt it is. :-) Only prob with it - the bow is quite heavy which pulls down the front to reveal a bit too much cleavage. I made the bow on the orange one smaller (for reasons of lack of fabric) but I actually prefer that.

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  6. This is great work! I've been follow your blog lately; I'm learning a lot ;-)
    Again congratulations and enjoy these great pieces (love orange and red too!)

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    1. Aren't they the most cheerful colours? So happy to see you here. Thanks for your comment.

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  7. Fantastic pieces and yes, they all go perfectly well together. I am still bit of a "loose canon" when deciding what to sew and often end up with totally different things. But I know I'll get to it in time, just not yet!

    My next sewing challenge is proper, full on traditional tailoring with the Starlet Suit Jacket, but I don't know yet when I'll begin. Tackling couture dress first.
    Looking forward to seeing yours, have you chosen fabric yet?

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    1. I'm going to start the jacket project at the beginning of April. Need a couple of weekends to decompress from the winter. And I did choose the aubergine wool - the thicker of the two options. I hope the suit isn't too bulky as a result. We'll have to see how it goes...

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  8. I did the pattern review mini wardrobe contest last year where you had to make 4 pieces in 4 weeks that coordinated with a piece you already owned. I had never done anything like that before. I have to say I loved it and they are some of my most worn clothes because they all go together. I won't always sew like that because a lot of the time it is just fun to make something special on its own, but I will for sure do it again in the future. You did a great job, everything you made is beautiful :)

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    1. It's a great idea to do everything at once, rather than choosing one off projects on a whim. Not that I don't love choosing things on a whim :-) Thanks so much!

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  9. I think this capsule wardrobe project is amazing and inspiring. It took thought, planning, patience, and skill. What's really great from a planning standpoint is, you decided what you needed and made it. Rather than randomly shop, you were a mission sewer. That is brilliant. I also love that you're wearing everything. I wonder . . . will you do a fall capsule wardrobe project?

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    1. It's so true - it's just like our no-shopping challenge (cannot remember the acronym). You make what you need. OK, there's money being spent so it's not really like that challenge, but you get what I mean.

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  10. I think the capsule project is great even though I haven't taken on such a challenge. I have sewn capsules for myself though. I might have to do such a thing to just get myself going again, whenever that is.

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  11. I just gave myself the challenge (it wasn't part of a larger thing) because I wanted a bit of structure :-)

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