Hello gang!
I thought today is time for a quick challenge recap. As you know I’m working hard on my 27 Dresses Challenge so I can finally go and get an overlocker. If you haven’t heard about my challenge or need a quick refresher, here’s the original blog post.
I started the challenge almost exactly a year ago and I’m still not finished. Boo! Well, but that’s mainly because I’m really strict with myself and only count garments that are made from scratch. Refashions, accessoires and toddler pinaforesĀ do not count. Neither do kitchen aprons. That would be too easy. (FYI trousers and blouses do count. If I would only count dresses it would take me decades to get that damn overlocker, dudes!!)
Seen from that perspective, I’ve come quite far. I blogged about 18 challenge garments so far (out of which 10 are dresses) and more are on their way. Inofficially, #19 and #20 are already done, #21 & #22 are WIP at the moment. I can already hear the overlocker whirring!
Here are garments #1 to #18. Have fun!
How do I feel about it now?Ā Umm. Yesss. This is more or less the second dress I’ve ever sewn using a sewing machine and the first dress made using a sewing pattern. Considering that it was my first Burdastyle pattern experience, I have to say it’s not too bad. I had no idea what I was doing, but it turned out to be a dress in the end. Pattern matching? Eh, that’s why there are no pictures of the back!
Have I worn it? Once. I made it for a special occasionĀ (Mr Thisblogisnotforyou was awarded a prize by his uni department and I was his plus one),Ā went there and wore it. It has been hanging in my closet ever since.
How do I feel about it now? I love it! I still is one of my favourite makes. I remember it took ages to finish it, since I couldn’t wrap my head around these stupid Burda instructions.
Have I worn it? Yes! Twice, on Christmas the last two years. Everyone loved it and I got a lot of compliments for it! It’s a wool dress and only handwash it, since I forgot to prewash the fabric before I sewed the dress and I know that it will shrink quite a bit (after testing it with a bit of remnant fabric). That’s why I don’t wear it on a daily basis.
How do I feel about it now?Ā Ahh! My first pair of trousers! My first self-drafted pattern. Everything went so great while making these. The only thing that bothers me now is that I used low quality fabric. It was 20-year-old fabric I got from Mr Thisblogisnotforyou’s mum and it’s a bit itchy and seems to attract fluff.
Have I worn it? A million times! I love it! I bought linen fabric (May last year!) to make it again, just haven’t had the time yet.
How do I feel about it now? I still love it, but it’s one of these dresses you can’t wear in everyday life. I love the fit and am quite proud that I managed to make such a good sew with my poor sewing skills back then.
Have I worn it? Unfortunately, no. Partly because I just finished the last bit of the hem last week (hoping that I might wear it on a date night some time soon).Ā Also, the instructions say that all the front bodice pleats need to be basted before washing the dress so they don’t loose their shape. Not a big motivation for wearing it.
How do I feel about it now? I wasn’t quite sure about the fabric after I bought it and this dress was supposed to be more like a toile. Sewing this fabric was a horror, but in the end it turned out to be one of my favourite makes!
Have I worn it? Way too often! I had to take a break from it for a little while, just so people around me didn’t start wondering whether I had nothing else to wear! It’s super comfy and fits perfectly. I’m thinking about making another one actually!
How do I feel about it now?Ā It’s nice, it’s different and it’s completely self-drafted. I just love the colour combination. I used boning for the bodice (for the first time) and am quite proud of such a good fit.
Have I worn it? Only for taking pictures for the blog to be honest. Why? The bodice is a bit too tight (never underestimate wearing ease, guys!) and there was just no appropriate occasion to wear it.
How do I feel about it now?Ā This skirt was a really quick sew. I just needed something to show off the fabulous vintage trim. The fabric was from my stash, so this was a double win!
Have I worn it? Yes. Not too often, though, since the fabric wrinkles like crazy and I’m a bit lazy when it comes to ironing. But I wear it every now and then.
How do I feel about it now?Ā I hate it, of course, and am ashamed to even have counted it in the challenge in the first place! It’s the ugliest thing ever. The only good thing about it is the fit. I consider it a toile for a dress I never made.
Have I worn it? Seriously? Noooo! But I used part of it for my Bombshell Swimsuit lining.
How do I feel about it now?Ā It’s really nice. One of the first garments that came together without any major sewing disasters.
Have I worn it? A few times. I will definitely wear it again this summer. The annoying bit: The fabric is quite itchy.
How do I feel about it now?Ā I’m still sooo in love with it. These raglan sleeves were a bit tricky, as was the chiffon fabric. All those baby seams! I have a bit of fabric left, maybe you will see these cute little pandas again some time soon.
Have I worn it? No, because I made it for my sister and sent it off to her as soon as it was done. From what she told me, she’s worn it. I’m jealous! It was really hard to give this one away!
How do I feel about it now? This was such a horror to sew! First of all, I cut out the fabric with the stretch going the wrong direction. So I basically had to sew it twice. Such a nightmare. That’s all I remember.
Have I worn it? No. This, too, was for my sister.
How do I feel about it now? It came together quickly, but I wasn’t concentrated enough and made quite a few mistakes. First of all, I picked the wrong fabric, it didn’t have enough stretch! This dress is way too tight, a serious wardrobe malfunction.
Have I worn it? Once. I will probably have to recycle the fabric at some point.
How do I feel about it now?Ā I really like these shorts! They could be a bit tighter around the waistband, but apart from that the fit is great.
Have I worn it? Yes! Quite a few times. I love them and I will keep wearing them!
How do I feel about it now? It was a nice and quick project and it’s the only maxi dress I own so far!
Have I worn it? Only once or twice, I guess. I made it end of last summer and it was already getting too chilly to wear it. I will definitely wear it again when the sun comes out!
How do I feel about it now? This was definitely one of my most challenging projects so far! It turned out pretty good and I’m really proud of it. I don’t like the sleeves as much as I did in the beginning. They look ginormous!
Have I worn it? For a little while until the weather got too chilly and I had to get out my winter coat. Same problem as I had with my maxi dress. I really have to start planning ahead when sewing seasonal clothing!
How do I feel about it now?Ā It’s great. Although really simple and quite, it’s one of my best makes, I think. It’s neat inside out and super comfy.
Have I worn it? Many many times since I made it.
How do I feel about it now?Ā I really like it. It was quite challenging to make a made-to-measure garment for someone else, but in the end the fit was great and my best friend loved it! It’s self-drafted and to an untrained eye it definitely doesn’t look homesewn! hurray!
Have I worn it? For the photoshoot only. My best friend wore it at her sister’s wedding and got quite a few compliments. Mission accomplished!
How do I feel about it now? I loooove it! Althought it’s quite a bright fashion statement, I love wearing it. It’s comfy, chic and keeps me warm. Perfect combination. And, hey! It will be the first pattern published here on le blog!
Have I worn it? Oh, yes! At first, I only wore it at home. Now I wear it to work as well and can’t stop showing it off!
Enough bragging! Let’s get cracking and bring this challenge to an end!
Btw, do you have any recommendations for great overlockers/sergers? What brands do you use?
Happy sewing!
ā„
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Me and fellow sewing bloggers Roisin (Dolly Clacket), Fiona (Diary of a Chain Stitcher), Amy (Almond Rock), Clare (Sew Dixie Lou), Elena (Randomly Happy)Ā and Emmie (My Oh Sew Vintage Life) spent Saturday at John Lewis Oxford Street, sewing up a storm together with the lovely Lisa, founder of ‘Sew Over It‘ at the John Lewis Sewing Bee (JL is celebrating their 150th anniversary!).
I also met the lovely Freya (Elise Patterns), who is launching her lingerie sewing patterns (hopefully!!) this week. I can’t wait to get hold of those knicker & Kimono patterns!Ā 
I also really loved “Handmade by Bex” and bought one of her adorable hand-embroidered brooches! Aren’t they cute?
Ā 
These little guys will be my new helpers when I can’t use pins, e.g. for leather or delicate fabrics. Found at Tiger in Cambridge.
During our very short trip to Cambridge, I also bought these super cute wooden buttons at the market.
