Q versus Q

One the Collette Patterns blog a few posts a go,Sarai wrote the entry Sewing and your Wardrobe . It was a very interesting post and made me think about my reason for sewing items for my wardrobe and do I really wear the items I sew. I then read a comment from Rachel on Very Prairie's blog from her entry on the pattern magic bow dress (it is divine). The part of the comment stood out was,

 You do exceptional sewing work. I love how you seem to concentrate on quality instead of quantity.

The initial starting point of this blog was to cut back on excess clothes buying and plan to sew items for my wardrobe that were missing. So I did in fact have quality over quantity. Yet when I look at my sewing room I see heaps of material, lots of to be refashions and heaps of patterns... I am over consuming in an indirect way?

I like to reevaluate the things that I do ever now and then and these two posts have made me do just that. I dunno what my actions are yet but Sarai's steps of planning, taking time to make an item will be on my sewing menu.

That in mind I made up a toile today for a pair of silk pants that I have planned to sew for ages! The pattern I am using is McCalls 5983 view E.

 Sewing up a toile is a pain in the bum. BUT its so worth it. From my toile pictures below you can see that I have to take out length at the hip.

I also had to take a vertical wedge on the back leg as it was WAY too baggy.

 

I will now mark these adjustments onto the pattern piece. I don't like using the toile for a pattern as the fabric can stretch out of shape and therefore my final adjustments can be wrong. Plus, I have to true them so the pattern will match up perfectly when I sew it.

Taking your time on a sewing project can be annoying when you want it now and you still have your whole life to fit in... but if you want quality over quantity it the best way to go.

xx