I promise I am much more tan than this in real life.
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Well, look who decided to horn in on the photoshoot. I see you, Che!
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I have finally finished my Iris shorts! Sheesh, it only took me about a month. I did the bulk of the sewing in two sewing sessions, but these managed to sit on my table for several weeks just waiting for the final hem. I had to set them aside for awhile because I was suddenly busy with knitting projects. There are three important lessons I learned while sewing these shorts:
1. This is not a race, so take your time. I tend to be impatient and rush through projects, and all it usually leads to is disappointment. I took my time with the sewing and even ripped out the zipper several times when it wasn't turning out right.
2. Pressing and ironing are very different actions, and are not interchangeable. Learning the difference between the two solved the mystery of why my quilt blocks are skewed and never match up properly. (And, in case you are wondering, pressing involves putting the iron down on the fabric and lifting it straight up, while ironing involves a back-and-forth motion.) When sewing, you should only press and never iron because it can distort the fabric and seams. I learned this from reading the multitude of sewing books that I have been collecting over the past couple of months. When I decide I want to do something right, I tend to go overboard and buy a lot of reference books.
3. If you want something to fit, take the time to make a practice muslin, or at the very least measure yourself and your pattern pieces. I will admit, I didn't make a muslin, but I did measure myself and the pattern pieces carefully. I determined the best size for me and luckily didn't have to make alterations. After finishing the shorts, I can now see that I need to curve the center front seem a bit more to get rid of some slight drag lines. Also, since I have proportionally wide hips, perhaps eliminating the pockets would be a good idea. I prefer to be slightly modest, especially when it comes to showing off my legs, so I think next time I will also make the shorts a bit longer.
The pattern itself was awesome! Very clear written instructions and illustrations. I especially liked the sidebars with tips and links to helpfull tutorials on the Colette website. Usually when I follow a big-box sewing pattern I find directions that I think are absolutely useless and over-complicated, and I wonder who on earth is coming up with the instructions. I think Iris is the first pattern where I didn't yell at the instructions and have to When I purchased the Iris pattern, I also bought Crepe (a very pretty retro style dress) and the Colette sewing book. The book is excellent; along with great sewing and fitting advice, it comes with some very pretty patterns. I already have some rayon challis that is white with yellow roses for my Crepe dress. I can't wait to get started!
1. This is not a race, so take your time. I tend to be impatient and rush through projects, and all it usually leads to is disappointment. I took my time with the sewing and even ripped out the zipper several times when it wasn't turning out right.
2. Pressing and ironing are very different actions, and are not interchangeable. Learning the difference between the two solved the mystery of why my quilt blocks are skewed and never match up properly. (And, in case you are wondering, pressing involves putting the iron down on the fabric and lifting it straight up, while ironing involves a back-and-forth motion.) When sewing, you should only press and never iron because it can distort the fabric and seams. I learned this from reading the multitude of sewing books that I have been collecting over the past couple of months. When I decide I want to do something right, I tend to go overboard and buy a lot of reference books.
3. If you want something to fit, take the time to make a practice muslin, or at the very least measure yourself and your pattern pieces. I will admit, I didn't make a muslin, but I did measure myself and the pattern pieces carefully. I determined the best size for me and luckily didn't have to make alterations. After finishing the shorts, I can now see that I need to curve the center front seem a bit more to get rid of some slight drag lines. Also, since I have proportionally wide hips, perhaps eliminating the pockets would be a good idea. I prefer to be slightly modest, especially when it comes to showing off my legs, so I think next time I will also make the shorts a bit longer.
The pattern itself was awesome! Very clear written instructions and illustrations. I especially liked the sidebars with tips and links to helpfull tutorials on the Colette website. Usually when I follow a big-box sewing pattern I find directions that I think are absolutely useless and over-complicated, and I wonder who on earth is coming up with the instructions. I think Iris is the first pattern where I didn't yell at the instructions and have to When I purchased the Iris pattern, I also bought Crepe (a very pretty retro style dress) and the Colette sewing book. The book is excellent; along with great sewing and fitting advice, it comes with some very pretty patterns. I already have some rayon challis that is white with yellow roses for my Crepe dress. I can't wait to get started!
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