i am sew crazy!

I cannot believe myself. i am definitely crazy. I worry about the little things and then just jump head first into the big things! Let me explain.

I have been wanting to get back into sewing. i used to do quite a lot of it. i started sewing around the age of 9 or so, with my mother's help. I think the first thing i made was a green corduroy pull over dress that I loved to death. Later on, in my early twenties I worked at Fanny's Fabrics and got quite good at pattern interpreting, and sewing in general. I made a few dresses for myself for various fancy dinners, and lots of casual skirts and shirts and stuff. Since I've moved to Ottawa, I haven't done any sewing at all. The only thing I did was my wedding dress. This sounds more impressive than it was - it was a really simple dress made of stretchy cotton with a veil-y thing attached to the back with some embroidery, nothing high end.

So I've been excited about sewing again ever since my sister gave me an old (1949) Singer machine. It's beautiful and sews so smoothly! I actually haven't had a lot of time this winter for much more than a couple of mending jobs, but I've really been drawn to lots of linen materials lately, and want to make lovely table cloths and napkins and things to sell through Manus Made. I was also thinking of making some loungey-yoga pants and such, I have a few pairs that are SOO comfy, and think they would sell well. So, I thought I would start with something simple like a bag or a napkin, and then my sister-in-law asked if I could make a dress for her sorority formal dance (Nu Sigma Pi!) and I before I thought about it, I said yes!

So... she found a beautiful pattern - unfortunately it says TRES DIFFICIL all over it (advanced) and now I'm freaking out a bit as we went and got some gorgeous lavender silk and chiffon for it, costing several hundred dollars! If the damn thing turns out, it will be absolutely spectacular. She says she has complete faith in me, and even if it doesn't turn out, and it ends up being a tube dress, she will still love it. So her faith in me, and her acceptance of my potential sub-standard work, is urging me to have the same confidence in myself!

I think I might chart the progress here, one, so it will keep me motivated, and two, so that if there any people out there with sewing skills, they can email me and let me know what I'm doing wrong!!! :)