sew it begins

Ha Ha, How's that for a title? I sewed up a top yesterday that I'd cut out a while ago. Today, I did a cute little top for a friend's daughter. She's 14 and still might like it even though I made it from fabric her mom picked out. I hope so, anyway. She loves the shorts I made her, so there's hope. I need to clear off the table and get a few more things cut out, which means deciding what to cut out of them.

See, the possibilities - while perhaps not endless - are myriad. I rarely look at a piece of fabric and "see" only one garment from it. I might classify "shirt" or "pants" or the like, and try to decide who it is for, as those things help determine how big a piece of fabric to get. When I try to decide which top, though, that's when the agonizing begins. hmmm What am I going to wear this top with? Which of these patterns do I like best? Have I made the pattern up before, and how hard was it to make? How many times will I have to rearrange the pattern pieces so that they fit in the best way?

Then there is my least favorite part, the actual cutting out of the pattern. Oh, I usually iron the fabric before I start laying it out. It keeps the selvages straighter, and the pattern lays out smoother. I had to learn that though. Try it both ways and decide over time which I preferred. In fact, I had to learn about iron with sewing like that. Now, I use that iron. It may be the only time the iron touches that garment, but while its being sewn, I iron.

But back to the cutting out part. The actual use of scissors is not the big deal here, except in the finality of it. I mean, you do not put the fabric back together and start over. So, taking my cue from construction, I measure twice and cut once. I don't start cutting until I'm satisfied with how ALL the pieces fit on the fabric. I still have to remember to check on the one-way-ness of fabrics, and occasionally mess that up. Sometimes that matters more than other times. Its the pinning, and un pinning and adjusting and repinning that make me grit my teeth. But, if you don't do it, you just make yourself sorry. Every time. So, I do it, but I don't haveta like it.

Then there is my to-sew pile. I'll try to cut several things out while I'm in that mode. That way, I can sew when the mood strikes me. I don't have to overcome the cutting out part to get to the good part. My to-sew pile is as much a comfort to me as my to-read pile of books (which is still pretty tall right now, although moving more than it has in a while)I think my to-sew pile is in need of restocking, though, and I'm planning to work on that tomorrow...