Things I learned from my summer sewing...

September is here and that means that my summer lay-off is coming to an end. [Happy dancing.]

It really is my favourite time of the year. The days are cooler and there is a crispness in the air. 

And the colours! Oh the glorious colours of autumn. Luv it!

It also means that all this extra time I had to devote to sewing is coming to an end. [stopped happy dancing.] 

I'm trying to prepare for my upcoming schedule change. I've been busy cutting out projects and storing them away in drawers ready to sew when I have some free time.  

I couldn't help thinking about what I have learned from my sewing adventures this past summer. 

1.   Practice, lots of practice, and tweaking really does make perfect!  

2.   I would rather sew something for myself than purchase ready-to-wear. There is that feeling of accomplishment to the comfort of having a garment sized perfectly for one's frame. How many people fit into the RTW mold anyway? Not me, that's for sure. I rather invest my time in a DIY project than tweak a RTW garment.    

3.   I can sew a sweater, Vogue 8737, that looks good and fits pretty darn nicely, if I don't say so myself. Sewing knits wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.   

4.   Some days are just not sewing days, and that's okay. They are good movie days.   

5.   Be flexible, to keep the creative juices flowing, never give up and you just might end up with a dress.  

6.   A seam ripper is a good tool to have near by, you never know when it will come handy. It's not just for de-tangling vacuum cleaner rollers!  

7.   Invest in a good quality invisible zipper foot made for your machine. And don't let anyone tell you that those cheap plastic ones will do the trick. They really don't.  

8.   It is always good to have a little extra fabric like when I didn't have quite enough length when cutting out Vogue 1263. Luckily, it was a boiled wool and the pattern piece could be slightly shifted off-grain. Or that time when I interfaced the wrong pieces and had to go back to the cutting board... I should stop now.     

9.   Making a winter coat looks like it will be a bigger project than I anticipated and has me a little bit scared. But that's okay because I'm looking forward to the challenge and learning new techniques.    

10. Tell your Mom you love her everyday that you are lucky enough to have her in your life, even if it is in non-verbal ways like picking out non-ugly fabric for a housedress that she wants. It will make you feel good to see those you love look good.