…well… my blue jeans are ALMOST as good as done. I know you have probably heard that before, but the long weekend has come and family is home and there is family to visit and I am surrounded by fun! But I promise… SOON!
In the meantime, I thought I would celebrate my new blog theme and my long weekend with a GIVE AWAY! Yes, you heard me right!
I have been using Angela Wolf’s Craftsy course, Sewing Designer Jeans, and Sandra Betzina’s Craftsy course, Pant Fitting Techniques, and her Vogue pattern V2948, to practice fitting my black denim Capris and my blue jeans (not to be unveiled yet!).
I ended up with two copies of this pattern when I purchased Sandra’s two Craftsy courses (one came with each course). I’m happy to share! This pattern is “all sizes” too!
If you are interested… Please let me know by leaving a comment below answering a skill testing question – What was the first item you remember sewing for yourself?
I’ll start. The first garment I sewed for myself was a pink polyester “pant suit” – it had hipster bell bottom pants and a tunic T shirt top AND at that time, it was not a vintage pattern! The polyester was as hard as cardboard and scratchy and the pants kept slipping down at the back every time I sat down!
Your turn!
(My Give Away closes next Thursday, April 9th at midnight my time. I’ll post the winner next weekend.)
So until then, Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate and Have a Lovely Weekend to everyone else!
Happy Sewing!
First garment (counting school sewing) would have been an apron. First garment done at home was a shirtdress in Apricot cotton. Don’t put me in the pattern draw though, I have already a ton of jeans/trousers patterns and it should go to someone with actual need for it! Looking forward to seeing the result of all your hard work when things settle back to normal.
Ya don’t you just love school sewing projects! Which made me realize I am getting old because I totally forgot about sewing at school, it was only one class, and first we did an apron, then a shirt with buttons and button holes and a big mess (which must be the reason why I blocked it out of my mind). Typical me! Always remember the “good”! Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Yes, I remember the Home Ec class and making an apron many,many moons ago. The apron was for my mother. The next project for class was an A-line jumper dress in a golden yellow polyester that smelled like it was burning every time I had to iron the seams. But I wore that jumper all through middle school.
Sounds like you had some success then! I didn’t think my high school sewing class was very successful. Funny how the quality of polyester has changed over the years!
Sometimes on Sunday nights, momma got to leave us kids with daddy and go to church alone. She almost never left us to go anywhere alone. She had left the machine open and I decided to sew by myself. I found her cut out pattern pieces and sewed them together to get my fabric and then made my little brother new pajama pants. That is what I called my mess when caught later. I was 8. I have sewed for myself ever since.
8 huh? You’re lucky you didn’t sew your fingers together! 😀 I was much older when I ran over my finger with a sewing needle, that’s how I know it is a possibility!
I mean this in the kindest of ways.
While you are celebrating your new blog theme why not consider an improvement.
All of these new theme designers are not doing anyone any favors by choosing the pale, light hard to read type color. The light gray type color and the faded red pinkish type color in the sidebars are hard to read Please consider changing your type color to plain, old never fail BLACK. I know it might not be as esthetically pleasing but it would sure make your hard work easier to read. It is very hard to read for me and I am sure many others. Actually I would not have even stayed to try to read it if not for wanting to contact you. It is a simple fix with WordPress themes and your theme designer should be able to change it very easily.
Don’t be mad at me but consider your old (er) reader’s senior eyes.
I know exactly what you mean. I had to stop reading one blog because the lady blogging used lots of flowers in the background and the words got lost in there. I wish I had been able to say something. I know that a blog is something that I, and possibly many others do for themselves, but I thank you for the input and I shall look into it after the holiday is over.
The first thing I ever remember sewing was a tiny little vest for my pet rabbit! It was red & white checks, out of some scraps from one of my mother’s or sister’s projects. Then later in school I took home ec and sewed sweat pants, but didn’t sew for many years. Ben back at it trying to learn for about 5 years now, but I’ve only started learning pants (I’ve made a lot of dresses).
That’s so cute! A rabbit with a vest… A good Easter story! I enjoy making dresses and tops too. There are so many lovely fabrics out there to choose from too!
I’m still not sure what made me think the rabbit needed a vest, but hey, I was less than 10 years old, LOL.
I have more fabric than I can probably sew, at the pace I am going so far! 🙂 looking to pick up the pace though, now that I have a few skills, and have a longer term goal of having nearly all my outer clothes hand made by me. I follow your posts religiously.
It would make perfect sense to me too! Every sewist out there, I imagine, has more ideas than time, I know I do! Thanks for reading and commenting. I look forward to hearing from you any time!
I as well have two of the same patterns so don’t enter me in the daw but I thought I would share with you anyway 😉 My first project was a simple dress with a back zip, I bought some dark green cotton material and the drape was not right for this pattern it just looked like I had a big green garbage bag on lol and I never wore it.
So it seems like you were going for the “make a muslin” look right away? 😉 I love hearing all these stories! Thanks for commenting! Happy Easter to you and your family!
I made some bright blue shorts in grade school on a treadle machine. The fit was horrible and the were from quilting cotton and wrinkled terribly. I wore them every chance I got.
Sounds like they were a success then! 😀Thanks for commenting!
My mom sewed for me and my sisters when we were young, but I yearned to get control of her sewing machine myself. Until that happened I designed my own paper dolls, draped clothing that I hand sewed to ” Lingerie Lou”, a forerunner to Barbie. It was a few years before I made that apron in home ec, but I soon was sewing most of my own clothing, including prom dresses, and wedding gown. I became the neighborhood zipper expert. Later I sewed for my daughters, and wedding and prom finery for customers, and lots of strange items(including a canvas grass catcher bag). A well-fitting pair of jeans is still on my to-sew list.
Well with all you have done so far, I think the jeans will be easy for you!
Fitting clothes on others was much easier than on myself. I gained a lot of weight over the years and lost interest in sewing for myself, but in 2013 due to surgery and a long hospital stay I lost a lot of weight, and now I want and need to sew for myself again. So I am learning all over again, and jeans (my usual uniform) is the challenge I hope to conquer.
Well I hope you are successful in conquering jeans! They are such a staple in my wardrobe!
The first thing I made entirely by myself was a pair of elasticated shorts. They’re black so the dodgy stitching is difficult to see and I still have them somewhere. I was only a mere 32 year old when I made them!
My mom always said it’s never too late to start! 😀
Corduroy ski pants – well, they were pants with elastic going under the foot. I was 18, with slim hips and oblivious to how pants can’t be tricky to fit!! And I stitched a permanent crease down the front!! I must have made things before these but I can’t remember what they were! 😀
The ski pants stuck in your memory like my pink polyester! It was only after I read about the others’ school sewing classes that I remembered my attempt at buttons and buttonholes!
Id love to try that pattern. The first thing I remember making was a shift with my mums help. Red white and blues stripes a mini to be worn with a chain belt. It was a long long time ago.
Ah! I think I remember the chain belts! Very groovy!
Hmm! The first thing I sewn for myself? I think it was a simple summer top, sleeveless made out of dalmatian print cotton!
At least you picked a sensible project! Would have loved to see the Dalmatian print!
I was told to do that! I had my eyes on a vogue dress that I did do but a few years later! Unfortunately I no longer have that first top! 😭.
I don’t even think I could wear what I sewed up in school – probably didn’t even want to keep it!
My first garment (not counting the Barbie clothes I made from the time I was 8) was a simple A-line skirt. I was 14 years old and I loved that skirt!
Seems like quite a lot of us used our Barbies as dress forms, instead of dolls!
I’m not looking to enter the giveaway but I can recall my first item. A tube skirt made out of this cream textured knit and lined with an old petticoat! I actually wore it a lot and it made it onto my blog. However if I’m going to wear it again it’s going to need a bit of a do-up haha.
Well it sounds like your first garment was a success! I will have to take a look at your blog. Thanks for commenting!
Gosh! The first garment I sewed for myself must have been when I was 11 or 12. My mom taught me to sew using Vogue patterns, and I’m sure the first thing was a blouse of peachy self-striped rayon something, I’m sure It had a mandarin collar, long sleeves gathered into a narrow cuff closure without a placket, a hidden button closure down the back, and a shawl-like asymmetrical drape from one shoulder to the other across the bust. I can see it in my mind’s eye, but I cannot find the pattern online anywhere for reference. It was a few millennia ago…
I guess that might be why some of us strive to make our own patterns. I remember a making a shirt with very narrow stripes and the front button placket was not in the centre front but off centre. I would pay dearly to have that pattern again. I can’t see it anywhere and I sewed up a few versions back when I was young! I loved it. Your’s sounds lovely! Aren’t mom’s great!
I’ve also enrolled in these two courses and have the patterns, so don’t put me in the competition. The first thing I made for myself is a smocked apron, and I still have it – fifty odd years later!
Now I think you have taken the prize… Most organized in keeping mementos? Most successful apron still in use? I can’t find my UFO (a shirt) from last year… But that might be deliberate! 😄
The first thing I sewed was buckets of clothes for my Barbie. She was the best dressed Barbie in the world, or so I thought. The outfit I LOVED the most was a hot pink, sparkly hot pants mini jumpsuit with a long flowing skirt that I thought made me look gorgeous. It was the 70’s what can I say. Please don’t include me in the draw either cause you already have all my patterns and I can’t sew anymore. You are a champion and I am begging you to make me look beautiful again for my son’s wedding.
I think you were the one that sewed up a bunch of Barbie clothes for my doll, you gave me the “sewing bug”! So are there any photos of your hot pink hot pants? I think that would put my hot pink pant suit to shame! I think what ever you wear you will be beautiful – grinning from ear to ear!
What’s the first thing I remember sewing for myself…? A pink pop top in Grade 8 sewing class. No collar, no sleeves, just a front and back. Easy peasy. I loved it.
Lovely! Another success story! (Pink seems to be the colour for lots of people!)
The first garment I sewed for myself was possibly a skirt I made in Textiles at school. Although I seem to remember I sewed a lot of stuff for my barbie doll, too (unfortunately, we weren’t the same size).
Can’t wait to see the second finished pair of jeans!
I think Barbie dolls were the dress forms we practiced on when we were young! And thank you! I am very very close to finishing!
I have the pattern already, but my first sewing project was a lime green linen skirt that I started in Home Ec! It was an A-line skirt with a waistband and zipper. Only thing is I didn’t complete it in class. I knew immediately sewing was my thing so I asked my grandmother if I could have the sewing machine in her pantry that belonged to my uncle who had taken a fashion merchandising class in college. I proudly finished that skirt and as they say as the rest is history!
Very nice story! It’s always nice to find something you like to do, isn’t it!
I’ll play!!!! My first item was Burda pencil skirt! I was taking a learn to sew class through my county’s local extension office. It was a 6 or 8 week class and we learned how to read and layout a pattern and basic sewing. My skirt ended up too small!!! But I was hooked anyway. After that, I made several variations of New Look 6464!
I always love taking a sewing class or reading a sewing book. The classes aren’t that convenient so that is why I look for my classes on line. Looks like you found you TNT pattern pretty quickly!