I like to make things. On days when I feel as if nothing has been accomplished, being able to point to a new row of knitting or some chocolate chip cookies keeps me sane. It gives me something tangible to point to, something that I can hold and say I did this! My day has not been a total wash after all.
I wasn’t always a crafter. There was a time when I didn’t do it because it seemed too hard. I didn’t understand how a fabric store worked, or how to read a pattern. I tried knitting when I was 7 and couldn’t figure it out, so it must be beyond me. And who needs to bake cookies when you can buy them?
It turns out that I like making stuff, I just don’t like playing by the rules. I think that maybe I am just too much of a conformist, because when I have a pattern and things don’t work out perfectly it freaks me out. I have a rule sheet and I want to follow that rule sheet to the letter. Which is hard, because traditional home sewing and knitting patterns aren’t really all that great a lot of the time. Some of them are confusing, some of them have mistakes and some of the finished products are not as pictured no matter how hard you try. By ditching all of that and just winging it, I have had more success and more fun.
Wearing a skirt made from a pattern I improvised
I can’t make just anything by winging it, but I can make a lot of things. Handbags, blankets, baby carriers and sleeveless dresses for my daughter are all pretty straightforward. Sometimes the projects go through a few iterations while I work out the bugs. Sometimes I use some, um, salty language. But the truth is that this happens even with a pattern. When I’m improvising at least I’m not swearing because I don’t understand what someone is telling me to do.
When I wanted a new skirt I decided to just wing it. What is the worst that could possibly happen, right? I made my own pattern by taking a skirt that I already had and liked, and laying it down on my fabric. I added an extra half-inch around the top and sides of the skirt, and an extra inch along the bottom. I just eyeballed it, I didn’t measure exactly and I didn’t pull out any pencils or anything, I just cut around the existing skirt. Voila, skirt front! I repeated that for the back, and had my pieces.
Close-up of the skirt
I sewed a zigzag stitch around the four edges of the skirt’s front and back, and then I sewed the side seams together and pressed them open. Yes, I did use an iron. Yes, I was also surprised by that. I usually just sew through the wrinkles, but there is a first time for everything. Then I put a centered zipper on one of the side seams at the waist, and hemmed the bottom and top of the skirt. And it was done.
I am toying with making the skirt a little smaller by re-sewing one of the side seams with a larger seam allowance. We’ll see how it wears for a little while first, though. Maybe I’ll eat some more of those cookies and I’ll be glad it’s a little roomy. For now, I am pretty much happy with it. And I can cross something off my Mondo Beyondo list, so that’s cool, too.
Are you a by-the-rules crafter, or do you make it up as you go along? Or would you rather just buy a skirt if you need one? Share your crafting horror stories and triumphs in the comments!
PS – I just wanted to give you a quick reminder about my maternity leave talk at 10:30am this Saturday at Tiny Fingers Tiny Toes in Maple Ridge. If you’re local I would love to see you there!
Totally impressed!! I haven't sewn anything except curtains in YEARS! I use space as an excuse!
I am not good at sewing at all. Tried to make shorts in Home Ec once…yeah, to say they were not even close to fitting right is an understatement
Definitely one of those people who would rather buy than create
Well done! What a pretty spring like pattern! I’m an in between crafter most of the times. I start with a pattern, or something I’ve seen, and make so many alterations along the way that usually end up with something very “personalized”.
.-= Francesca´s last post ..Corner View ~ front door =-.
Bravo Amber! I have a sewing machine and a desire to sew but it always end up on the bottom of my list at the end of the day. I made some pillows in high school but generally the sewing machine sits there as a reminder of something I’ll get to when I have more time, likely when the kids are older. How long did your project take? I love that you just wing it with regards to patterns. Thank you for sharing how to make a skirt and making it sound easy!
.-= Tanya´s last post ..Expectations of a new mom =-.
I love the pattern!!! It must be age Amber, I used to hate being dragged around Fabricland with my mum but now I can spend hours in a habberdashery/fabirc shop!
SO cute!! What awesome fabric!
I’m very impressed! I won’t even attempt to sew a button back on…
.-= Sara´s last post ..Waste Less Wednesday is brought to you by the letter G =-.
way cute.
I love the skirt. I don’t sew or knit. Pretty much the only crafty things I do is scrapbook and make cards. No rules to those!
That fabric is so pretty and spring-y!
I am speechless with admiration. Love the pattern, too. I make some stuff but I’m more into paper crafts — my forays into knitting and sewing were not pleasant, and my mother and I decided we’d rather go on living together than persevere in that particular direction. My sister is an amazing seat-of-the-pants sewer (er, seamstress).
.-= allison´s last post ..****************March Break, day two =-.
I’m a major improviser and really only follow my own patterns. My small amount of experience with official patterns has been alternately overwhelming, painful, traumatic, and made me use my own brand of salty language (which rarely makes any sense)…
I love this shirt! It turned out perfectly!
.-= Jasie VanGesen´s last post ..thrifty bits =-.
Very cute! I like to improvise but am not very good. I made my own Christmas tree skirt by placing two squares of red fleece on top of each other so that it looked like an 8 pointed star, then I sewed a Christmasy plaid ribbon around the edges, and cut up a side to make a slit and cut a circle in the middle, and it worked pretty well. I broke my sewing machine though ( it turns out you can’t hem vinyl tablecloth material…) so no more sewing for me until I can afford to fix or replace it!
.-= Maman A Droit´s last post ..An Irish Mothers’ Blessing =-.
Kawaii as the Japanese say.
Amber! I love that skirt!! Nice work.
.-= Old School/ New School Mom´s last post ..I’m The Mama =-.
OMG… I can’t follow the rules (recipe, pattern, etc.) to save my life. In some areas, this is no problem. I love to read recipes, sometimes several for the same dish, close the books and head for the kitchen. I’m usually pretty happy with what I come up with. In other domains, where my skills are less developed, there’s often a steeper learning curve (accompanied by cursing and going back to the drawing board.) I never knit with the exact yarn called for in patterns, so it often takes me a couple of tries to get the gauge right, etc.
.-= Liz´s last post ..Do-Overs and High-Fives… the Spring is Springing Edition =-.
I’m with you, my best craft results have always been on-the-fly and instruction-free. And I use “salty” language when instructions aren’t going as expected too. Especially with sewing. I found out early on that I intensely dislike using patterns for all your reasons and that I can never find a pattern for the thing I want to make. Using an existing favourite simple garment and making it your own sounds familiar, but mine didn’t really work because I ignored the weave direction of the fabric and it messed itself up pretty quickly. But I did successfully make a gathered table cloth, couch covers and TONNES of throw pillows out of things like sweaters, a Marvin Martian t-shirt and a pretty little silk skirt — things that no longer fit, but I still loved to look at.
.-= *pol´s last post ..I hate it less now… =-.
I am a terrible sewer. In fact I just had my mom over here for a visit and had her re-thread my sewing machine because I couldn’t figure out why the thread was getting all bunched up on the underside of my fabric.
I am supposedly making my son some curtains for his bedroom because even the tiniest sliver of light that peeks in the side of his window will wake him up. I’ve been stressing because I have no pattern…but how hard can it be right?
I doubt I will ever try to make clothes. I greatly admire anyone who can make homemade clothes and make them look good.
.-= Marilyn @ A Lot of Loves´s last post ..Makeover!! : Wednesday of Few Words =-.
This sounds just like me. People are always telling me I’m so “artsy” or “crafty” but I absolutely am NOT because I don’t ever do anything the “right” way. When I got into cake making, I didn’t go the traditional route of pastry school, etc. I just figured shit out as I went. When I started sewing, all my friends were like “Ohmygod is there anything you can’t do!” But I just say “dude, look at my seams – none of this is sewn right – it just came out LOOKING alright from a distance, and any REAL seamstress would be laughing her ass off at my work.”
But that’s the only way I can be crafty… just gotta jump in and do it my way. I’ll never master the sewing machine, I always sew through the wrinkles, and I BARELY take the time to understand what I’m watching on the YouTube “how to sew a t-shirt” video before jumping in and threading the needle. I certainly don’t have it all figured out, but at least when it comes out crazy awful, I have no one to blame but myself.
.-= TheFeministBreeder´s last post ..March: The Month of Gina =-.
Great skirt! You look like a crafty domestic goddess hanging in the kitchen like that. I just wing it. I hated sewing until I stopped trying to follow patterns. Pretty much everything I do is of the “make it up as I go” variety. I can do lots and lots…but none of it very well and I’m happy with that combo.
.-= AmberDusick´s last post ..Intentions…and then real life =-.
I adore the skirt – reminds that spring is here and made me smile!
As for following by the rules – although my entire business is a great testament to me winging it without patterns, I cannot improvise a knit pattern for anything larger than a pair of fingerless mitts (which are only a tube with a side hole anyway). I have no idea why I fall at this particular medium.
.-= pomomama aka ebbandflo´s last post ..How =-.
i usually wing it too – craft-wise, and in the kitchen. i’ll look at cookbooks and websites and patterns for ideas, but usually i use them as a jumping off point, not a set of rules that must be followed.
I love your skirt and its cool pattern!
I’m improviser in sewing, for sure. A few times, I’ve even serged shapes without measuring (including a freehand butterfly). So, symmetry is not my strong point, but speed sure is.
.-= Lady M´s last post ..Taking Casual Fridays a Step Too Far =-.
Great skirt Amber! I have become more of a crafter since my son was born 2 years ago. This past summer I took up crocheting. I made a few baby blankets for friends, and they actually turned out half decent! My biggest problem these days is finishing projects. I start things, but get bored in the middle and end up with half a blanket, or part of a hat!
i’m a recipe cooker and pattern follower. well for knitting at least. (i can’t sew!) For other crafty sort of things I wing it. Love the material you used for the skirt. i should learn how to sew.
.-= smothermother´s last post ..Wordless Wednesdays =-.
wow… the skirt is great… you are really good at stuff like that, amazing.
.-= Mel´s last post ..Thankful Friday: Mindfulness rocks =-.