Be a Satisfactionist

Sue Kim made up the term ‘satisfactionist’ to recommend those of us who sew be more focused on satisfying sewing, than perfect sewing. It does not mean we set out to sew crooked seams or bumpy hems! Being a satisfactionist means accepting the little ‘oopsies’ that occur during sewing, without letting those ‘oopsies’ jade our view of our handiwork. It is important to enjoy sewing, and it is gratifying to be fully proud of our efforts.

When we begin sewing, we hold ourselves to the standards of items we bring home from the store – items sewn on specialized, powerful machines by people who use them eight or more hours a day, five or more days a week. Or we want our projects to look exactly the projects of our grandma, who has been sewing for longer than we’ve been alive. Or exactly like our favorite sewing blogger (who, let’s face it, probably does not share her duds!). So time and again, we come up short.

But that isn’t very satisfying, is it?

It is satisfying to credit ourselves when we finish our projects, when we tackle new techniques, and when we fudge things that turn out to be awesome. And it is very satisfying to graciously accept compliments on our work! We don’t have to mention that the interior stitching was done in two colors because we ran out of thread, or that our hem is slightly uneven, or that our buttons don’t quiiite line up with our buttonholes.

Sew for satisfaction, and be satisfied with what you sew.

Circle and Twirl

I absolutely love this skirt! I think it is one of the most darling things I’ve made so far, and I’m looking forward to giving it a good home, courtesy of my new Etsy store, The Be Market! (More on that in a future post.)

Circle skirts are pretty straight forward to make, though their simplicity means that you can get very creative with them. For this skirt, I love the free-floating hem embellishment I made (above), as well as the ribbons I inserted in the side seam (below).

If you’d like to make your own circle skirt, here’s a a great tutorial to get you started!

Just Call Me Goldilocks

As mentioned before, my first attempt at a Floral Bag by Sue Kim was too big. So I went ahead and made the smaller version … only to find it fits my laptop, and not much else. Too small! On the plus side, I still love this bag pattern.

I didn’t put any pockets in, both to speed up construction and because a gathered interior encourages pockets to tip over, spilling everything out of them. But for my intended usage, pockets are really a necessity. I could always wear one of those new-fangled cross body bags which are coming into vogue, but I like my bag to be my purse as well.

Nonetheless, I’m going to make another Floral Bag, in a size halfway between the large and the small, and I’m going to figure out a way to make effective interior pockets, too. And maybe some subtle exterior ones, too! I’m envisioning something country and rustic, like little blue flowers on a red and white gingham background. Maybe with a cheerful yellow lining? We shall see.

Giving Up On Catching Up

Confession time: I’m not a very trendy person. Or rather, I’m not trendy in a timely fashion. It takes me two to four years before I finally hop on the bandwagon, by which time the trends have begun to shift ever so slightly. The other day I realized that my mistimed wardrobe changes are part of the reason I am often unhappy with my appearance, and I decided that I need to more strongly develop my own personal style, so that I am less upset by fashion changes in the world around me. That, and I need to be more adventurous about jumping on things while they’re hot! Part of the fun of fashion is the play aspect of engaging fully with whatever the fashion gods deem ‘hot’. Right?

Floral Bag, or Who’s Laughing Now?

Say hello to the Floral Bag from Sue Kim’s fabulous book, Bags: the Modern Classics!

I made the large size, and it is HUUUUUGE! I’m embarrassed to wear it in public, because it is so big. It reminds me of the trend of giant bags a few years back, do you remember that one? I secretly used to laugh at women carrying bags large enough to stash a two-year old baby in. But who’s laughing now, hmmm?

However, the good thing about the size is that the scale of the print on the fabric matches the vastness of the bag perfectly, so it’s actually looks and feels appropriate and intentional. With it’s size and light weight, this bag is perfect for travel, whether as a carry on for a flight or as a weekender for a short getaway.

And from a personal standpoint, this bag neatly fits into my complement of purple travel bags – I just realized that all of my luggage is purple!

Pinky Pye

I’ve named this project after a book the childrens’ librarian at my local branch directed me to. The book, Pinky Pye, is by Eleanor Estes, author of Ginger Pye.

Ginger Pye is one of the most bizarre but unforgettable books of my childhood. I remember reading it and being boggled by the thoughts that went through the characters’ heads, as well as the complicity of the adults in the story. It may have been that I read that story at an older age than its intended audience, and so had a harder time suspending my disbelief; at any rate, I eventually bought the book and re-read it a few times.

I’m looking forward to cracking open Pinky Pye, and wearing the rather interesting-looking pink scarf I’ve named after it!

Fail to Plan

Ah, planning. A good plan is a wonderful thing, but I (rather stubbornly) try to do everything without one. I’ve been getting by, paying lip service to this important practice, but I think my days of living by the seat of my pants are numbered!

Thanks to the wonderful book by Sue Kim I recently discovered, I decided to make myself a new bag, to replace this one:

The above is Butterick pattern B5622 in the large size, and it was a total cinch. I don’t think bag patterns get any easier! But my beloved tote is showing serious wear and tear, and won’t last much longer. I decided to replace it with the Chic Hobo Bag from Ms. Kim’s book. Two hours of reading directions, tracing a pattern, and drafting a new pattern later, I realized the fabric and pattern didn’t match.

Ugh….

If only I had analyzed the fabric before doing all that work, I could have scrapped the project or used a different fabric! The more I sew and make and alter patterns, the more I am forced to accept the importance of planning.

Planning goes beyond simply buying enough fabric for the project at hand. It includes analyzing the fabric appearance, fiber, and drape for suitability to the project; assembling all materials needed and checking that they work together aesthetically and functionally, and are present in sufficient quantity; reviewing project directions, pattern pieces, and dimensions; and more.

But most importantly, the starting point of any successful sewing plan is considering how exactly the project will be used when it is finished. Had I done that step only, I wouldn’t have bothered making the Chic Hobo Bag at all! I would have recognized it is too small, and attempted the Urban Carryall or the Floral Bag.

Well, tomorrow’s another day. And I’ve (finally) got a plan!

Bags, For the Uninitiated

I’ve got another book review for you today! I just got Bags: the Modern Classics, by Sue Kim, from my local library, and I am in love. I am going to start making a bag right away, the Chic Hobo Bag. AND I’m going to trace all the pattern pieces to play with after I return the book, AND I’m going to buy this book!!! It’s that good.

Buy the book online: Amazon

Check it out from your local library: WorldCat

Really, if you like the idea of sewing your own bags but feel that the time (and money) spent on acquiring and wrangling bag hardware make the exercise not worth it, this is the book for you. Most of the bags Ms. Kim designed require only fabric, thread, and sewing machine, especially the bigger bags. I absolutely love that! I don’t want to buy expensive hardware, and frankly, I love simple, cloth bags – you can throw them in the washer when they get grody. Amirite?

Anyway, this is the fabric I’m going to use for the CHB – isn’t it spectacular? As a first generation American (US) of Nigerian extraction, I am sensitive to the bland interpretation of all things ‘African’ according to American sensibilities. When I saw this fabric, though, it spoke to me. Not only is it my signature color palette (red-black-white), it also has that faux-African thing going on in a much less obnoxious, plastic way. Yay for interpreted heritage! (And speaking of heritage, I do actually have fabrics purchased in Nigeria, some of which I will soon be sewing with. Exciting!)

I expect this bag will only take an afternoon, so stick around to see my version of Ms. Kim’s lovely design – and also my review on the quality of her instructions. Yay!

Like Shooting Off a Flare

I love this shirt, not the least for the banded hem detail on the sleeves, but it’s significantly more conspicuous than my normal fare. It feels perfect and fits like a dream, though, so I finally wore it out of the house the other day. I discovered that if I hike it backward a bit, I can come off as demure. Whereas, if I wanted to use my cleavage for good (and not evil), I could wear it as I designed it to be worn, Heh heh heh.

Anyway, call this one a success and throw it in the hamper! I look forward to pairing it with racier things than jeans when summer comes. I also look forward to turning it into one of the first Raaw Atalanta fashion patterns for home sewers, to be released this year. Stay tuned!

Wrap This One and Tie It With a Bow

I’m sure you’ll recognize the Hounds scarf I am wearing from a previous post, and you got a sneak preview of this skirt in the video I made for Hounds – so now, here is the skirt in all its glory!

This project was satisfying because I finally did a waistband up to my standards. (Like most sewers, everything must be *perfect* or it Doesn’t Count.) I am already looking for more projects with waistbands, so I can keep hitting sewing home runs!

The other reason this project was satisfying was how pretty the end result is! My store bought wardrobe is fairly drab, and completely lacking in purely pretty pieces. So it’s a great joy to have such a lovely skirt in my collection, and that I made it myself makes it that much sweeter.

I used McCall’s pattern 5430 for this project. I added several inches of width along the center front and center back lines to accommodate my hips. I also combined the pockets from view C with the flounce-front in view A. I followed the pattern instructions pretty closely, and I am quite happy with their clarity and sequencing. I definitely recommend this pattern.

On to more sewing! I wonder what is next …

Release the Hounds

Fun factoid about me: I am horribly, intensely allergic to dogs. I’m so sensitive it’s embarrassing! So this houndstooth check scarf is as close to man’s best friend as I can safely get. (“Hounds” tooth … get it?)

I absolutely love this scarf, and look forward to wearing the heck out of it! I’m also proud of it because it is my first attempt at doing a two-pass baby (rolled) hem on the sewing machine. I do have a rolled hem foot, but it frankly never occurred to me to use it! I’m a bit analog, what can I say.

If you want to make a scarf like this, all you need is 3/4 to 1 yard of fabric that is at least 50 inches wide, and some thread. You can use a rolled hem foot, or do a two-pass rolled hem (i.e., stitched, trimmed, and stitched again), or even do a rolled hem by hand, to neaten up the four sides of your rectangle. Et voila, you’ll have a scarf!

I am the world’s slowest sewer *and* I used two colors of thread for the hemming because I thought it would look cool (and it does, thank you very much), and the whole project took me less than two hours. So if you want a cheap, instant gratification project, definitely give a scarf a try!

Back From Beyond

It’s been several weeks since I last posted on here, though I promise I have been sewing and thinking of content! However, I have burnt myself out on trying to make the best blog ever, and need some time to get perspective.

 

So for now, I will continue to sew and think about content. But I’ll be sewing for me, and I’ll be posting blogs that are less rigorously edited/hyperlinked than before (though I promise to be vigilant about typos!). And yes, I will post prior entries which are all in draft limbo. I hope you stick around for my selfish sewing, and I do hope you get something out of my projects that helps and enriches your own creativity.