So I messed up. What else is new.

I think i can only remember one project where i made no mistakes and just sewed the thing up in a day. It was a gray shift dress with 3/4 puff sleeves. That was a few months ago, and i attribute the success to the wool fabric and unhurried attitude, which included a big, deep breath at the beginning of sewing the darn thing.

if big deep breaths and wool fabric were the solution to my sewing problems/lack of patience, then i should have more straight forward successes in sewing. i love sewing with wool, and i *usually* remember to breathe when i sew... a true mystery.

So for my dress right now, i've had a few issues.

first off, i sewed the petal sleeve facing on one of the sleeves backwards. if you notice, the seam allowances are completely mismatched. apparently i thought i was sewing "right sides together" (the right side being the outside of the fabric. crazy sewing jargon.)



Notice how the interfacing is completely wrong again, and the seam allowance is on the outside of the fabric.



picking out the seams to resew the sleeve correctly.



sewing it once again..... and wa la, complete.

My second mistake was the pleats in the skirt. since i made the pattern for this dress (the first pattern i've ever made, mind you), i'm not exactly sure how the pleats go so skee-wampus (spelling, anyone?). Another mystery of pattern making. I think it may be because the pleats weren't ironed on-grain. Any other explanations out there?

this is the front. notice how the dart on the right sort of pops out? it was buggin. So i took them all out yesterday and put in gathers, and it hangs magically. Yay. Magic. look at the sleeves! they are great, i promise.

But despite all the mistakes, the headaches from forgetting to breathe, i am still creating something pretty cool, i think. how many 21-year-old girls do YOU know, do i know for that matter, that can make a pattern and actually finish the dress? please say "not many" or "no one else, ellen. you are great!"

say it, dang it.

i want to succeed. i want to be a wonderful seamstress/designer/fashion guru. i need to finish what i start.