Sewing project redux

I'm not sure if I blogged about it here but just before the holidays I was given a brand new sewing machine which I've wanted for just about as long as I can remember. Having never taken a sewing class or been taught to do much more than replace a button on a shirt, this sewing machine does more than I can imagine I'll ever be competent enough to understand let alone try.

For my first project, I decided to make matching pajama pants for the girls. I figured they couldn't be that hard and if they were a terrible mess only we would see them at bedtime anyway. I thought I'd have them done in a day, tops. Let's just say one pair were finished in a day and it took all day but they were such a hideous mess with not a straight line in sight nor room enough for Noa's diaper. I put the sewing machine upstairs where I rarely go and called my mother-in-law.


Chantal is my fairy godmother when it comes to sewing things. She just seems to flick her little wrist in the direction of the sewing machine and "voila!" a marvelous princess dress complete with adjustable ties, sequin top and organza overlay just magically appears in her hands. So when I called, she laughed and told me to get back to it and that surely it was my pattern-making (I had attempted to draw and cut out the pattern myself--the very first flaw which meant nothing could go right after) not my sewing skills that needed help. And she did what fairy godmothers tend to do. She swooped in and saved the day, and my morale, sending me a pattern she found, traced onto pattern paper and cut out, complete with instructions, labels and, a MINI SEWN PAPER PAIR OF PANTS!! If they weren't so cute and obviously thoughtful of her to make, I might have felt a tad embarrassed at what she was implying about my need for this level of hand-holding through the process. I'm going to cherish those paper pants for the rest of my life for finally lighting the fire under me to bring down my sewing machine and try again.

Tonight, I can finally say I successfully finished my first pair of pajama pants. And it only took me 2 hours and a little help from Ben--he was the mastermind behind the ribbon holes on the front waistband. Not exactly a flick of my wrist but they're done, there are at least two straight seams out of four and they are the right size for next winter. I'll get a picture of Noa modeling them tomorrow morning but I couldn't wait to tell the world that 6 months after my first sewing disaster, I finally finished a pair of pants one of my girls can actually wear! A big thank you to my sewing mentor in France. Merci!

And here's our little bedhead, grumpy model this morning, showing off mommy's awesome job. She's so skinny around the waist that I probably could have taken the pattern in about 2 inches with enough give left for comfort but live and learn. Next time I'll know and adjust for her. I think this pattern will work great for Gi though. Yay!