I had a lovely blue polka-dot voile from my stash all picked out until Hazel said that no, actually she didn't like that one and how about this old voile shirt of mine I was going to pick apart at some point? So I agreed to pick it apart right away and make her top from it. It was one that I loved and would still be wearing if I hadn't somehow managed to spray bleach up the front and ended up with a fine scattering of white dots. But I figured that I could disguise that with a bit of fabric pen and organise it so it was on the back of something for Hazel. It worked out pretty well (though I still wish it were mine)
This was the first time I'd ever done shirring and I don't know what I was so scared of! Well I do know - the variety of ways of doing it and number of problems I'd read about on other people's blogs. It seemed too complicated and waaaaay too daunting. When I read the instructions in the magazine I was all "yeah right it's that simple" but dammit it was! At least on my machine. The only quibble is that perhaps it wasn't doing it tight enough, but I knew you could pull on the elastic to tighten it up and I needed to do a lot of that around the neck. I especially love the ruffly sleeves and bottom - it's a rolled hem on the overlocker and then shirred. Yummy.
Sadly, Hazel and I aren't in a very good place vis-a-vis the handmade clothes so she's refusing to wear this or the zigzag dress I made for the first project - so no pictures of her modelling either of them at this point. She's wearing that Fancy Flower Fields tunic though, so I guess it wasn't a total bust. Sigh. I'm trying to remain upbeat about this because I know it comes and goes and I can't make her wear things she honestly doesn't like, but I know she likes this top. She loved it while it was in progress, but now she says it's disappointing. Seriously, she knows the buttons to push! I'm going to take a break on the kid's clothes front I think, let us both recover.
Jacqui this looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGood idea to move on to other projects for a while. Sounds like Hazel is trying to play on you a little. Maybe hang it up in your wardrobe and then you'll get to looking at the lovely fabric even if she wont wear it. hehe
Uh huh, and uh huh! Agree with the shirring- so easy and quick, and looks spectacular! And the same with the refusal to wear home made, they so don't know what's good for them! Mine does it to get me upset, , then later thanks me, but still won't wear them half the time. Most of the clothes I sell at the markets are her rejects!
ReplyDeleteI think with shirring it sometimes depends on the fabric - some are easy and just scrunch up like they should, whereas other fabrics I've had such stress with. Also - if you iron with a lot of warm steam it often works miracles and makes the shirring do exactly what it should.
ReplyDeleteI love the top - what great print and colour. Hmmmm, I do hope she wears it, considering you picked apart a loved piece.
Can't wait until those girls turn 14 and really know how to work the guilt and pushing those buttons (and trying to sneak out the house in the skimpiest of clothing - though let's hope at least it's handmade!).
love this jacqui! I wanted to make a shirt with this pattern, too, but never got around to figuring out my daughter's sizing. Your's is beautiful and I love the red!
ReplyDeleteTell Hazel Nicole and Danielle saw it and they want to have it so if she doesn't want it you can give it to us when you come. Maybe the fact that someone else wants it will make her want it.
ReplyDeleteWell I love it! What a rat bag! Leave it in her drawers, and don't do the washing till she has to wear it :)
ReplyDeleteNot sure what you mean about needing to pull the elastic. Did you give it a good zap of steam with the iron?
She agreed to wear it yesterday and I think quite liked it. And then Rebecca
ReplyDeletedropped around briefly and praised it to high heaven bless her, so I think
it may go into regular rotation.
Yeah, but it needed to be tighter around the neck and bottom to fit
ReplyDeleteproperly, my machine wasn't gathering it quite tightly enough. That could be
partly because it was a little bit too big around as well. The steam zapping
was great, but not enough for what I needed. All I did was pull on the
elastics to gather things in a bit more, tie them off and even it all out,
then steam again for shirring perfection. Easy peasey lemon squeezy!