Old dog, new tricks
i sewed my first garment!!
Getting into new hobbies can be both daunting and exhilarating at the same time. Just like traveling to a new place or trying a new cuisine, it can feel like a whole new world has just opened its doors to you — without stepping a foot outdoors or spending big bucks on airfare.
Maybe it’s not exactly the same to a lot of people: for one, travelling seems so much more luxurious than hobbies. A trip to Bali vs learning how to sew? A beachfront villa vs getting sewing your fingers down via sewing machine when you’re too slow to catch the pin?
I’m not delusional, I’m camp Bali too. But both experiences share that wonderful first spark of curiosity of seeing and doing something for the first time, and knowing that the parameters of your world have just widened that much more of what exists out there.
I’ve done a lot less travelling and a lot more “hobbying” this year. One of those hobbies is sewing — I started sewing lessons at my local community centre in July and it’s going great! This feels likes a big milestone for me because sewing has always felt like one of those big hobby goals that I found difficult to start (I even mention in my inaugural Substack post!) due to the unstructured nature of self-learning and what I like to call “cost” paralysis. The root of all overthinking with me always starts for me when I have to commit dollars to something — and lest you be forewarned, sewing is not a cheap hobby.
Despite walking into the class to find out it was a class meant for intermediate/advanced sewers, I feel like it’s at the right level for me. And ultimately, it pushed me into buying some beginner stuff which was the biggest hurdle. The class covers patternmaking which is a huge win — patternmaking is where I want to get to because I often convince myself I know what I like, but I can only confirm it when I see it already created. Does this thought make sense? Curating and creating are vastly different skills. I personally feel like there’s a marked difference in scrolling endlessly on Etsy trying to find the “perfect” top or skirt that exists somewhere in my head, compared to the act of creating “perfect” from nothing.
And… drumroll: I ended up sewing my very first garment!! Self drafted with inspo from Tessa Fay Studio's top I saw on Pinterest, and as confirmed by my MIL, it isn’t too shabby for a first attempt! I made it out of thrift store bedsheets but really used it more for practice than anything. It is surprisingly wearable due to the lining I thoughtfully added to the inside.
But as with all new skills, it takes time. There are lots of things wrong with this garment which become apparent on a much closer glance:
Lessons learnt:
Go slow with the sewing machine. Keeping my lines straight without visible seam allowance lines/not pinning things straight is probably what killed the details on this garment. I probably should draw the seam allowance lines in to give me that handicap because sometimes operating the sewing machine feels like steering a race horse that just wants to get away from you.
Add extra room in the bust. The garment fits too perfectly in that I have to that embarrassing worm wiggle dance to get in and out of it. I think this calls for learning how to do zippers in the next project.
French seams. Whoever invented french seams, bless you. Learning about how to hide raw edges has lead to many rabbit hole google searches about different stitch types, while also being a lesson in how to identify well-made clothing (i.e. non-serged seams!).
Spaghetti straps. I know how to sew spaghetti straps now, and you would be surprised how deceivingly difficult these are to make. You end up having to flip these skinny tubes inside out, which can be near impossible with thicker fabric like the cotton I was using. Always best to try it with scrap fabric first. (And another flaw: my straps are different widths!)
And I don’t want to diminish my biggest accomplishment here: I finished a garment from start to end!
As for the next project — we’re doing a dress as our final project in our sewing class. I’m trying to figure out the silhouette I want do in that it’s something that is wearable and both not overambitious to sew. I’m inspired by these two dresses — the top of this Robert Cavalli’s SS2003 collection dress, and the bottom of the Lunaz “College day” dress. However I’m not sure how this Frankenstein-ed pattern will translate from silk to my much cheaper polyester. Given the low stretch, I’m already counting on needing to add a zipper.
The last class will be at the end of August, so I’ll have an update then. Wish me luck!
What! That top looks so legit 👏 👏 Can't wait to see the dress later! Good luck ~~~