Hi everyone!
Still in the Scottish theme, I’d like to talk to you about my wrap skirt in Scottish fabric. This is my very first make on my very first and only sewing machine, freshly received for Christmas 2013. Quite a symbol for me then!
This was also the second time I was using a sewing pattern, so I was a complete beginner. At that time, I didn’t know the sewing/pattern vocabulary and I couldn’t understand all the pattern instructions. Actually, I was going my own way. I remember that I had preconceived ideas and there were a lot of things I didn’t know:
- I thought that the seam allowance was not included in the pattern so I was tracing it around, which was adding a few sizes to the garments! And above all, I didn’t know what a seam allowance was… I was just following my intuition.
- I didn’t have any notion about construction, so in order to build the pieces together, I had this funny technique using my blue chalk to mark the fabric pieces and pin everything…
- Pressing? Well I didn’t have an ironing table at that time anyway!
- Interfacing, what is this? Seems complicated, I don’t want to know what this is, so I don’t need it…
Strangely I didn’t have the reflex to go on Internet or on YouTube, to learn things, I just trusted what I was doing. My motto was: “Je n’ai besoin de personne en Harley Davidson” (Brigitte Bardot song). This didn’t bother me much, even if it was taking a long, long time. I was just following my gut feeling. I had done some garments without using pattern before so I thought it was already a big improvement to have a pattern!
It’s quite funny when I compare with now, and everything I’ve learned since… I don’t regret having tried alone with my intuition and having taken the time on these first projects. When I took a sewing class recently, everything became clear very quickly, much quicker than if I had never tried hard on these things before.
Now, let’s come back to the Scottish skirt! The fabric comes from « Tissus Reine » (http://www.tissus-reine.com/) in Montmartre, Paris, one of the biggest fabric shops I’ve been in so far. The quality is similar to the tartan I bought in A-One-Fabric on Goldhawk Road, London. I can’t remember the price, but I think it was quite cheap, and there is always a great choice of colours available. I used Burda Young 7049 pattern, in version A, but I should reuse it now with my “new skills” to share a review of the pattern.
Thanks to this pattern, I experienced the first automatic buttonhole on my machine, and my first lining. The great thing about this skirt is that I’m still wearing it 3 years after I’ve made it, so I can tell this is a great success!
