Thursday, September 11, 2008

Clothes Make the Man

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."

I read this quote by Mark Twain recently and I think it's hilarious... and true. One of my goals this fall is to vastly improve my sewing skills and be able to create some clothing, accessories, and home goods. To that end, I've purchased a few sewing books over the past year and have been reading up.

I've been quilting for a while and have made curtains, pillows, table runners...those sorts of things in the past, but until recently I had never followed a pattern. They scared me with their tissue-thin fragility and what seemed like very involved directions and lines. I wished I could change things about certain clothes I owned. I wished I could re-create and forever keep my favorite pair of jeans after they had worn holes. I wished I could see something in a store that was overpriced but perfect, and say to myself, "I could make that."

Well, friends, a new day has dawned. I just finished my first official a-line/pencil skirt (all of you real seamstresses out there are probably laughing to yourself at my simplicity), and I couldn't be happier! I followed a pattern by clothing designer Wendy Mullin from her book Sew U. After wrapping my head around her very simply put instructions and pondering in between sewing steps (and about 10 questioning calls to my mama), I have learned how to insert a zipper, add some darts, use interfacing, and more. Now that I've accomplished these techniques, it is really quite simple and something no girl (or boy) should be afraid of. And, what a lovely product I've ended up with... a skirt of my own that no one else has! Onward ho to the next project!

23 comments:

Meredith said...

What a cute skirt! I have recently acquired my mother-in-law's old sewing machine, and I hope to soon follow in your footsteps...well, I imagine that skirts will be a long way off, but maybe a pillow or two will soon appear!

Meredith (Canady) Kuny

Anonymous said...

Holy smokes! That's gorgeous!

VeggieAmanda said...

Congrats on making a skit! It is lovely! I like the fabric design. I have yet to follow a real pattern myself. I have created my own pattern for smocks that I make for kids, but have not followed an "official" pattern. I hope to try that soon!

Marisa said...

Oooooh I love it! You should totally join our next community skillshare where we are going to be learning about how to sew all kinds of things! I'll send you an email... I miss your cuteness!!

Anonymous said...

That's so pretty! You should wear it in to work one of these days.

Liz said...

Lovely! I've helped my mom make me a few outfits over the years but I find I don't really have the patience for it these days. Maybe one of these days. For now, I'll stick to handbags. I don't have to worry about those fitting right at the end!

Anonymous said...

Sarah, it looks great!! I was just telling a friend that yellow and gray is my new favorite color combo.

Melissa said...

Good for you! I'm excited to see what you produce in the days ahead. So proud of you and excited for you!

Erika said...

Way to go on your skirt!! I'm also making a skirt right now. You should find the book Sew What! Skirts. There are "patterns" but you make them yourself.

Hauna said...

nice job, sar. and what a hot model...

Amy and Andrew said...

Love the skirt! Way to go on taking fashion into your own hands.

I'd have to say to Mr. Twain though, don't you think a naked person would have SOME impact on society? I mean, he/she would definitely command some attention! :)

Anonymous said...

Good for you - expanding your horizons! I've yet to take the plunge into dressmaking as it were. It's very pretty.

amylouwhosews said...

Congrats! And of course I love that you used Amy Butler. It's really cute as a skirt. The more you do the better you'll get! Keep it up!

Carol said...

oh that is so cute! i love it! i'm serious, open your own business!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi girly! I haven't been checking my blog sites for a few weeks, just updating on your blog posts and see that your engaged! Thats so exciting!!! Congrats! Its such a special time, enjoy it! Your skirt is very nice, I recognise that fabric. Skirts are so cool to make because you can pick the fabric and style and they are not too fiddly. Congrats again, very happy for you both. Sam xoxox

Sarah said...

Oh, thanks, Samantha! I actually got engaged a year ago and married about 6 months ago. You must have read my post about it in that top ten link. Thanks anyway! :)

Anonymous said...

Great Job! You go girl! Now you are on your way to becoming a seamstress... you make clothes!

Lindahl News 2 said...

Yippee! Another success with your machine and creativty!

Isn't sewing fun?

Anonymous said...

Love that! Good for you. I never seem to finish anything...

I'm having a giveaway, so pop on by and enter!

Jessica said...

That's a great skirt! I love the fabric-Amy Butler, right?

Sarah H said...

Great skirt!
The pattern thing really isn't so hard after all, is it?
I just sewed my first-ever-follow-a-commercial-pattern dress, and it worked out just fine. Keep watching, and you'll get to see it in a few weeks, when it's finished and put to use.

Tamara said...

Hi Sarah, thanks for dropping by my blog...How strange...I just received Sew U from Amazon in the mail yesterday... I look forward to seeing what else you create from this:-) T x

Amievoltaire said...

Cute skirt! It fits well.