In a perfect world you wouldn’t have to think about stretch percentages and fabric content when working with knits. You could grab any knit from your stash and it would work the same as all the other knits when making the same pattern.
Unfortunately that isn’t the case, many times you have to make some adjustments to a pattern even when the fabric you are working with is one of the listed fabrics. What it comes down to is that all knits are not created equal.
I don’t think I have ever mentioned here that I have been sewing samples for my friend Allie of Indiesew for the last year. I remember when she emailed me about it, I couldn’t respond fast enough because really, who doesn’t love working with a super great lady while also sewing fun patterns. If you haven’t checked out their website you should head there now, I will wait…
It’s pretty fantastic, eh?
There are very few people that can look at a size chart and find that their measurements fit exactly into one size. More often than not you have different sizes for the different places you measure such as bust, waist and hips. For me this was the biggest draw to sewing my own clothes, I could never find clothes like dresses and tunics that would work with a small bust and a larger hip. As soon as I saw my first nested womens pattern I was hooked!
We all have those clothes in our closet, the ones we made that we like but just don’t love. The fabric is great so you just can’t quite get rid of them but goodness it isn’t working for you. Back when I was pattern testing I made a bunch of clothes that for the purpose of the test were great, but because the pattern is usually refined through testing, what I ended up with might not have the final edits incorporated. This left me with clothes that I didn’t love.
When I was writing the post last week on letting go of my insecurities and rocking a bikini this summer it really got me thinking about what I want this little corner of the internet to be. I want you to look at my posts and pictures and see the real me. The stay at home mom to 2 kids who is juggling preschool, dance, soccer, running a business and sometimes cleaning the house. The person who drinks way too much coffee and has just as many sewing successes as flops.
For my entire adolescence and adult years I have been very self conscious of my body. I can look at a picture and pick apart the ways that I don’t look good. I bypass the fact that I love my smile or the way a shirt looks on me, I am simply blinded by the flaws. Since starting this blog and specifically my pattern business I am looking at pictures of myself all the time. Sometimes I look at them and think DAMN I look hot, but other times I see the hint of a muffin top through my shirt or how wide my hips look and I get down on myself.
I love when a pattern can be made as written but then also use it as a springboard to so many other looks. I have felt from the beginning that Ballard is just that, a great pattern on it’s own but with endless possibilities.
When I was sewing a sample for the Ballard Stitch Kits we were in the middle of a ridiculous heat wave and the thought of putting on a 3/4 sleeve top to take pictures seemed like torture. It was then I realized why not just make the Ballard sleeveless. With a couple basic modifications to the instructions as written you are left with a totally different look.
I am so excited about todays release and I have my husband to thank for it!
I have a history of utterly and completely rejecting my husbands ideas and then shortly later realizing my error and seeing what a fantastic idea it was. You can imagine how exciting something like car shopping is with me, and yes I should have gotten the van like he suggested but that’s a story for another day.
What more could you ask for than leaving the husbands and kids at home and escaped to a cabin on the water for the weekend with your girlfriends and fellow co-op moms. As we loaded up into my friends van with far too much food and alcohol I just couldn’t be happier with the group of friends that I have here in Seattle, these ladies rock my socks off, they make this motherhood thing so much easier.
Brace yourself people you are about to relive all the amazing selfies you saw of me during the last month. I am pretty selfied (not a word but I am totally going with it) out!
Hard to believe that I made it through the entire month wearing at least 1 handmade piece of clothing every day. I never expected to remember to actually do it every day, but I am so glad I did because I got some real insight into my style and current wardrobe.
