Ever had one of those projects?

ARRRRRRRGH!!

I though I’d make a simple little skirt, nothing flash. I chose this pattern:

Dead simple, innit?

Bought cheap fabric which I thought would do for a knock-around sort of skirt.

BUT - first I cut it out in the wrong size. And blithely sewed it up without fitting cos well - I’m ALWAYS the biggest size, aren’t I.

Except I completely failed to take into account the recent weight loss. La la la, try it on to see hem length - and watch it fall straight to my ankles, since the waist is the only fitted place on the skirt. Oops.

Unpick the whole thing and start again. (And leave it for a few more days.)

Re-cut, sewed next size down. (Leave it for another few days.)

Decided to use invisible zip.

Put it in back to front.

Unpick.

Try another method of inserting invisible zip - hmm, right way this time, but not really invisible!

Mr Beloved (quite rightly) insists I have a cuppa tea.

Get out The Book (so glad I found it - safely filed under my sewing machine. D’OH!). When Ms Betzina says “Idiot Proof invisible zipper” - she means it’s even CAITY proof! (Although for a moment due to my complete directional dyslexia I thought I’d sewn it back to front again - but then I zipped it up. Ahem.)

But then - the waistband treatment on the pattern was STUPID. Using narrow (half inch wide) twill tape to finish the waistband as though you were using petersham? DOESN’T WORK. It just doesn’t. There isn’t enough width to turn the top of the waistband down.

No worries, I’ll buy petersham (it’s a ribbon, with unlocked edges so you can make it curve - see here for an illustration.) Eventually found some at Lincr*p today - in only one size, one colour, and well hidden away from any other ribbon. (Yeah, that makes sense… NOT!) And at $4.99 per metre!! When I know (thanks to the girls on Pattern Review) That I can buy the same width from the USA in a gazillion different colours , for $US 2.89 per yard… and the postage isn’t much.

But - I wanted to wear the skirt tomorrow, perhaps. So I lashed out ($2.99!) on a packet of pre-made bias binding. All was going FINE With that until… I notice I had sewn the invisible zipper in about a quarter of an inch HIGHER on one side than the other.

FLIPPIN’ HECK! I can’t believe all the hassles that have come up with one little skirt!! All stupid little mistakes that I shouldn’t be making - although, it HAS been a while since I’ve sewn clothes. Mostly because at my current size and shape it’s pretty much like sewing circus tents.

No progress photos - they’d mostly be of me TEARING MY HAIR OUT. But here’s a photo of the almost finished skirt:

Which is now TOO BIG again!

I don’t care. I’m going to hem the damn thing and take it in at the waist with a safety pin on each side for a couple of weeks.

(Actually, I might make it again next week- with the petersham waist band - and another size smaller.)