A Brief Glimpse

I am dedicating this blog to the trials and joys associated with sewing. When teaching yourself how to sew there are many things that you quite simply do not know because no one has ever told you. I once sewed a few projects for my Home-ec class and for fair projects but it has been 10+ years since either of those events. I started sewing again a year ago when I spent 6 months looking for a purse that would work for me without success, so I got the idea to make one that would fit my criteria. A year later, purses are still my favorite item to make but I have also ventured into shirts, dresses, costumes, and accessories.

Today, I started on a new project that I have been too intimidated to try, pants. I don't mean simple things like pajama pants; I am making a pair of corduroy jeans. For the first time I am really noticing differences between McCall's and Simplicity pattern instructions. I have a pattern for jeans by McCalls, M5894,  and it literally explains how to do the tissue try-on without ruining the tissue, how to make the alterations to make the jeans fit well, and even explains the different types of seams used in jeans. I am learning way more about good sewing than any of my simplicity patterns to date. Okay, so if you know all the ins and outs of sewing many of these are pointless explanations but for someone like me who is learning to sew through my own imagination and patterns, it is priceless. Now I am curious about the other two big pattern companies. I hear that Butterick has great patterns but also that their explanations are for people who already know how to sew and honestly I know next to nothing about Vogue.

I am going to be a good girl and not make unprecedented changes to the pattern this time as I want to have a really well constructed pair when I am finished. I have already washed the corduroy so the next step is to do the tissue try on.  I am actually excited about this part as the pattern does a wonderful job explaining what alterations to make depending on the fit in certain areas.