… sew, unpick, sew, unpick….
… all has not been going well on the Minoru front, I am hugely disappointed. A couple of weeks ago I finally put my head down, and decided to get on with making my coat. I settled on a size, traced the pattern, cut the pattern, cut the material, prepared the pieces with tailor tacks and nips, and started tacking and sewing…
… I made modifications along the way, lined the hood, made lateral pockets, put the pieces together, recognised straight away I don’t have the hips for the size I chose, I adapted a bit, I sewed and top stitched, interfaced and added the zipper, slipped the outer layer of the jacket on, zipped up and realised I could have a friend or 2 over and we wouldn’t need to open the zipper… I have made a tent, not a coat!
… I called a friend and trotted over to hers, coat and pins in my bag, tried to work out where I could nip, tuck, take in and adjust… I came home, undid seams, resewed, modified and worked on it… and tried it back on… it is better… now there is probably only room for 1 guest at a time… still a long way to go…
… now I find myself in a dilemma, either I take all the pieces apart (all that top stitching on wool…) and try and cut a new smaller model from the pieces, or I give up… I am stuck on a fence of indecision… and to add insult to injury, the fabric I chose seems too fragile for so much coming and going, the beautiful “embroidered” patterns on the material are falling off, so I look like I have been lying in a plate of black spaghetti, with dark noodles of embroidery thread dangling from my back. If I rework it all, I am going to need to re-embroider the material too!
… the Minoru lies in a sorry ball, taunting me while I try and keep busy doing anything but sewing.
… today a friend needed help shortening some curtains, I had to acknowledge there is a sewing machine on my living room table, so I decided a quick, easy and fool proof project was needed to reconcile me with it… what else but an infinity scarf.
… a job interview in deepest rural southern England last month (no news yet, but they told me thery would be taking their time), a morning in London before I caught the Eurostar home, and I decided to go to Liberty, a friend told me fabric was much cheaper there than the Liberty prints you can get here… maybe! But as I had gone all that way, I didn’t feel I could leave empty handed, so I took 1/2m of jersey material on sale to make myself another infinity scarf.
… I hate the cold, am always cold, spend about 8 months a year wearing scarves, a girl can never have too many, and I especially love jersey infinity scarves, they are cosy without too much bulk or itch, and can spruce up an outfit instantly, especially in a pretty Liberty print!
… I love that these take 10 minutes to make … now if only the material wasn’t so expensive, I could have made a bunch! Just a couple of seams and a few top stitches to close the hole needed to pull the inside out scarf right side out…
… maybe sewing isn’t that frustrating after all!
grt*escp 
Hey your scarf is lovely. I was in Liberties recently and found the scarves ridiculously expensive and that was in the sale! Good idea to make your own. Sorry to hear about the jacket – such a nice pattern. Can you look on it as a muslin and transfer your alterations to the pattern and the next one you make with be perfect?
Annoying when you have used good fabric.
Thank you – I didn’t even venture to the scarf department in Liberty, I was a bit in shock at the prices in the fabric department!
I know I will make another attempt at the coat – if I don’t complete the noodle disaster… but it will take a lot of adjusting, I am very straight and curveless for such a curvy pattern – I think I am actually better suited to Japanese patterns!
Hi, I am new to you blog and its great. Your scarf is beautiful but I have not heard of an Infinity Scarf before, It makes me feel a bit outdated ! Do you have any instruction on how to make one? I would love to make some for the our winter which is a few months away.
Sabrina
Sabrina – thank you for visiting and your comment.
An infinity scarf, or cowl, is a continuous “ring” of material, compared to a regular scarf which has open ends. I find them easier to wear than scarves – no loose ends, and less chance of them coming untied!
I have some more jersey, so I will make another one this week and post instructions, they are a very quick, simple and satisfying project!
Hi! I just found your blog from a comment you left on For the Knit of it. I love that you have kept (at least partially) a sense of humor about the coat. It is so frustrating to spend the time and not like the results. I would probably continue with trying to alter the coat. I agree with Tulle and Tweed above, that even if you don’t like the coat when you finish, you will have a good pattern for the next one!
I also love your infinity scarf. What beautiful fabric. I sewed so much in the past and am now just getting back to it, and I am very disappointed with the fabric selection where I live (Ohio). I am tempted to order online. Have you ever tried that?
Sandy – Thanks for your visit! I try and keep a sense of humour about most things… I am not sure life would be as much fun without one. I have put the coat aside for a while and will work on a couple of other projects, then go back to it with new resolve 🙂
I am so sorry to hear you don’t have any decent fabric stores near you. I am really lucky, I have 3 good places all within a 20 min bike ride from my home, plus I often pick up fabric when I am travelling, so I have never bought fabric online. I am not sure I would be happy doing so, I am a really touchy-feely person, especially when it comes to buying fabric. I can’t imagine choosing a fabric without knowing what it feels like! But I am sure there are a number of good resources online for finding good fabric retailers – good luck!
I’m so jealous! I know our fabric stores used to have so much more selection. But I agree, about buying online. Some things you just need to see and touch! Sounds like I need to take a road trip!– have a wonderful day!
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