#ange.sewing.final

[rebeccadumaurier]

a somewhat rushed top :’) this is a really nice black woven - I cloned the measurements off a t-shirt (without factoring in the sleeves) but it was a little off since the t-shirt is a knit fabric. not much to write for this one since construction was quite straightforward except that I should have planned out the pieces more carefully for better symmetry, but it’s super comfy and breathable

[rebeccadumaurier]

ok my first pair of pants!! tbh i'm not very happy with them but i did learn a lot. yes the waistband is obscured in the mirror pic on purpose...because it is so uneven....

sewing knits is hard!! i'm not sure what this fabric is (free, did not come with a label) but it's fairly stretchy, much less slippery than jersey i've sewn so in my arrogance, i did not swap out for a ballpoint needle. i didn't have difficulty w/ making stitches that don't jam the sewing machine (as i've often done w/ jersey) but getting pieces to stay aligned was REALLY hard so, as you can tell from the uneven seams, i had to go back and restitch some areas. in the future will be more thorough about pinning it and sewing more slowly

the pattern i used was the mood sewciety ixia leggings (free), but there's nothing particularly special about the instructions—it's just a standard pair of pants with a waistband, not even an elastic or anything—so i think i should have been less shy about altering the pattern to fit me better. it's supposed to be a size 4 but the size 4 in there has a much wider set of hips than i do (there is no way that waistband is the 25" the chart says the waist is! it's so much longer!) and there was a lot of initial gaping around the crotch area which i have only partially fixed. in the future may just try to base pants pieces more off my own measurements now that i have a better understanding of how pants patterns work

overall it's pretty comfy and feels nice so i decided to let it be but probably won't wear it outside much lol

btw i will post pictures of my completed sewing projects to #ange.sewing.final if you would like to track :-) ( @tchaikovskyed @monstrousgourmandizingcats etc)

up next: working on a cardigan :-) this one's woven fabric, so it's been much easier sewing so far

[rebeccadumaurier]

finally finished this cardigan!! spent ~7 hours sewing the pieces together on labor day, then another few hours spread out over the last several days attaching pockets, hemming, snipping stray thread, etc.

don't know what fabric this is (free, no label) but it was really easy to work with — just a little bit stretchy, but probably not enough to be a knit, so i used a universal needle and didn't have any problems. it's very breathable and cool, which i like bc it's still quite hot in nyc lol. it's medium weight and a light, somewhat reflective color/fabric so i am impressed by the lack of transparency! if you zoom in you can see there's a cute subtle nature-y pattern :)

this is a modified version of the mood sewciety willow cardigan pattern (free). it's pretty simple and i'm a fan of the huge pockets! i've wanted to make myself a cardigan for a while because i rotate between the two i have constantly (and they are black and gray, so more colors is nice).

i didn't like the pattern's puffy upper sleeve combined w/ smaller lower sleeve (i like longer loose sleeves), so i made the upper sleeve smaller and extended it to be a longer sleeve.

unfortunately i didn't think to account for the smaller sleeve size by cutting out smaller armholes LOL. so i artificially made the armholes smaller with gathers. i think i should have made the upper part of the sleeve a bit bigger and roomier tbh (it's a little snug around the armpits) but am happy with the sleeve otherwise

this was my first time sewing pockets and i enjoy having them, but they were kind of a pain to sew on straight while finishing the edges at the same time, so i just hemmed them first then sewed them on. they're still not very straight though

basting fabric pieces together to keep them aligned WORKS. it's so time-consuming but worth it. breaking up with bobby pins basting is my new best friend (jk they both have their uses)