Saturday, June 8, 2013

Hand sewing

More and more, I realize that I love to sew by hand. This week I got to test that love by spending a lot of time working on the cuffs of my blouse and other projects. I still love it. It makes me zen. 

First thing I worked on is a dress I bought in Paris (woah, that sounds good, no?  I bought it in Paris...)
Anyway, of course, when I bought it, it did not fit me too well, as it happens with most of my clothes. It fit me just enough for me to buy it and hope that now that I am taking sewing lessons, I might adjust it. 

In the past, I just bought a lot of safety pins to fix my clothes. I even found some black ones in Slovakia (I bought a lot of them!), which are now scattered all over my clothes, mostly on my blouses, trying to keep "the" gap closed. 

Anyway, I had a lot of hope, but was still pretty realistic about if and when I might actually fix it this time, and was already looking for safety pins when I got invited to a baptism, and asked to wear something with flowers. This is what I needed to get into action. Safety pins are good for work clothes, but a baptism? I should really try to get a real way to get that dress to hold on me! (yeah, I just made up that rule). 


So last week, I brought the dress to my sewing class and asked my teacher what to do. My problem is always the same: Big breast, no shoulder, big gaps in between both.  

My teacher suggested I pleat the front. Here is the result: 




Now, let's just hope it is not too cold to wear it tomorrow. I'll try to take pictures with me wearing it.

The other hand sewing I did this week is on my never-ending blouse...I had to fix part of the cuff before going further, and I managed to do it watching TV Friday afternoon (one of my awesome boss told me to go home early, because I had a difficult week at work...).

I have cuffs! 

Kind off...still a little bit more hand sewing needed...

And this is what it looks like now...I went to another 2½ hour class today, and still didn't manage to finish it...I'll go back on Monday evening, hopefully for the last time until I start again in September. I love my sewing class, but I'm looking forward to start my next project!

There was also a little bit of knitting in my past few weeks. You remember how I totally screw up a pair of booties I made for a friend? Well, I finally made 2 pairs.

Pair #1 was given last week to Aron, who is getting baptized tomorrow, and who, in this picture, is proudly sitting on the blanket knitted for his older brother


Pair # 2 will be given tomorrow to a baby who is due Monday...

I think it is the first time I will manage to give a baby present before the birth! I'm so excited! And with the weather we have been having in the past month, I know both babies will be needing them, which makes me even happier. I love contributing to keep babies comfortable and warm. Now, I just have to get back to my loom for them to have blankets as well...

Have a great week!

PS: lost knitting looks like it is definitively lost. With some yarn, a set of Denise interchangeable needles, my sewing needles and my camera charger. I think I'm getting over it...I will try not to mention in my my next post...