I'm sure most of you have heard about Gillian's "Top 5" reflection on 2012. She, and any other bloggers who participate, are sharing their top five favorite creations, sewing fails, lessons learned, blogs & bloggers, and goals for the new year. I thought I'd play along, and just to get the bad news out of the way first, I'll share my 5 suckiest sewing fails first!
Up first (these aren't in any real order), is my swiss dot Colette Violet blouse. It was a great learning experience to make and I enjoyed the process, but the final product just does not flatter and never gets worn. EVER. The entire silhouette is baggy, the neckline is gapey/floppy on me, the armholes are too big? and I didn't space the buttons quite right, so the placket is a little ripply.
You may be surprised to see my Colette Peony on this list, but I've honestly only really worn it twice after I made it. I love the idea of it, and had a (mostly) great time making it, but there are some bulky issues going on in the shoulders and neckline, the waistline isn't in quite hitting in the right place to feel good/flattering (especially without a belt), and it's overall just a little bit too big.
Now, this blouse, I know you're not surprised to see on my list of fails. My "easter egg blouse" was a joy to sew but has never been worn. Mainly due to the huge floppy collar. Like the Violet, I'm glad I sewed it, and learned from it, but it gets NO wear in my wardrobe. If I were to make this blouse pattern again, I'd definitely reduce the shape/size of that massive collar, and not try to use muslin instead of actual interfacing.
This poor, sweet looking little top, has gotten zero wear because it has never been completed! It looks just great on my dress form, but just horrible on me. I was so annoyed upon trying it on after putting the collar on that I took it off, didn't hem it, couldn't figure out how to change the thing to make it fit nicely, and threw it in the closet. It's basically been there ever since. I can't bear to get rid of it because I'm in love with the adorable fabric. Every time I see this photo of it, I think, "hmm... I could probably revisit that and make it work," but each time I've dug it out of the closet, I've failed, and it's gone right back in.
Same goes for my Colette Jasmine blouse. Never hemmed/completed, and never worn. It went straight into the back of the closet, but I don't even dream of salvaging it. I'm OVER it. The collar looks kinda cute, but everything else is wrong.
The End!
It's kind of therapeutic to reflect on my fails, as negative as it seems. Do you ever go digging through your UFO/fail stash and find yourself reliving memories and getting inspired all over again?
The Easter Egg Top has an easy fix! Turn the collar and facing inside out sew a new (smaller) collar line, cut the excess and flip and iron. Then you can turn that fail into a success!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found it theraputic - I was starting to worry that this topic was bringing out people's insecurities instead of being a silly look back at poor pattern and fabric choices!
ReplyDeleteI hate when the dressform shows off how much better she looks in a make- just want to bop her!
ReplyDeletehaha, so true!
DeleteI wrote off the Violet blouse this year too - I have the Jasmine pattern but I can't bring myself to try it yet since I'm expecting it to be a struggle too! Your Peony is sweet what a shame it doesn't get worn, just works out that way sometimes thought doesn't it!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I so see what you mean about that cute floral top you haven't finished- the fabric is so adorable and so is the collar! I'd have a very hard time giving up on that top! I'm sure you learned a lot through your fails this year.. I know I did (well I like to think I did, lol!) :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying this series, it's very interesting to see what other bloggers consider a miss when it doesn't look bad at all. But sewing is so personal :)
ReplyDeleteNot surprised to see the jasmin on here, but am surprised to see the peony! I love the fabric you chose for this and especially the turnup detail on the sleeves you added with the slice of red. So gorgeous. Ah well :) Live and learn!
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