Nice learning fail

[susandennis]

So my journey down the new pattern highway (https://www.lekala.co) totally crashed and burned while being ever so helpful. I'm declaring victory.



Once I got the pieces all ready to cut, I took measurements and realized that the pattern was too small so I cut it out with about a half inch extra all around.



The fabric is this horrible double knit. The color isn't appealing but even worse is the feel of the fabric. It's just ugh. And I had plenty of it. My plan was to use some scraps I had for the trim. (The yellow.)

I got it all cut out and then went to assemble. The instructions are not only sparse, they are a little confusing. And, in fact, I made an error early on and did not realize until it was way too late to fix. Well, if I were using fabric I cared about, I would have removed all the stitching and started again. But, my main goal here was to test the pattern so fail #1. But, I could still stitch up the rest and still get a nice feel for what the finished product would look and feel like.

Still too small. But, in more of a Very Fitted way as opposed to a Can't Get Into It way. So I went back to the website and just added 1 inch to all my measurements. I like my clothes - especially tops - to have a lose drape. Having done that, I ordered 5 more patterns. $10 total. A heck of a deal. I decided to buy the do-it-yourself cut and tape versions as opposed to the send-it-to-the-printshop version. Might as well get good use out of my printer.

So yes, I wasted that horrible fabric (but not the yellow trim, it's not so bad and I can use it on another project). But I now know that these patterns will absolutely work for what I need and are about 1/10th the price of a regular pattern that wouldn't fit me anyway. Now with tweaks here and there, I can pretty much make anything I would ever need with the patterns I have on hand and in my inbox. Kewel!

I have my next project printing out now and the fabric for it waiting in the sewing room.

Oh great. The power just flashed and I swear I heard thunder but 1. this is Seattle and we've already had our thunderstorm of the year and 2. it's too cold for a thunderstorm. Hmmmmm

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for the update Susan. Are the shoulder seams where they should be on this pattern? Regular patterns always give me a shoulder seam half way to my elbow and Dolly Parton bust measurements with too tight hips. I guess I'm a triangle, lol.

Thanks, Ann in Ontario.

[susandennis]

My puny assed narrow shoulders are the reason I even tried made to order patterns. Although the shirt I made did not have inset sleeves, it did feel like the shoulders were right. I bought two patterns with defined shoulders and I'm hopeful. There is a place to input your shoulder measurements AND to also mark 'shoulders more narrow than most'.

You get a 3-d ish rendering of your measurements. I look like a troll that's been stuffed totally wrong. Sadly, it looks pretty spot on. Check me out.

[howeird]

Very cool. And an example of technology finally catching up. Back in the 80's a girlfriend who had a CS degree set out to create software, and hopefully a business, which could design clothing patterns for non-standard bodies. She was an excellent seamstress, and was inspired by a friend or relative who needed specially made clothing. The computing power just did not exist back then except in the aerospace industry, so she abandoned it.

[susandennis]

Talk about ahead of her time. I was thinking last night, as I pieced together another pattern, that I am so tickled that I lived to see it all come together so amazingly.