I thought I would do progress reports on how the Summer Sparkle sewalong is going. So far this post is a list of errors and no photos because I cannot reach my usb, the reason why will become apparent:
Week 1: school half term, I manage to cut out the remainder of the pieces and do markings. It's a busy week so I just read the instructions and plan to start sewing once kids back at school.
Week 2:
Tuesday:
RG asleep in pram, I realise I don't know where I put the first page of instructions. Have a look, can't find them, curse the chaos, kick a few piles of paper and remember I had to start with darts and stay stitching. I sewed the bust darts, thought "hmmm, these bust darts are strange...very tricky to line up the marks..." A friend drops in for a brief visit - I carry on sewing while talking and sew the strange darts...she leaves and then when pressing, I realised I had used the top pocket markings and produced ...um...armhole darts ???? What was I thinking? Answer: I wasn't thinking at all.
Damn, I sewed the real bust darts, pressed pockets into top fold and tuck.
RG woke up. End of sewing
Wednesday: Back from school drop off, RG asleep in car seat, quick 5 minutes sewing, sewed topstitch on the pockets. RG woke up. End of sewing.
Later on, unpick wrong dart, as in, unpick the dart that was in the right place...grrrrr....give up and go to do more endless laundry instead.
Thursday: RG sleeping, so I resew bust dart, pin on one pocket, realise I pinned lower pocket in place of top pocket, curse, drink some coffee, unpin pocket, press and pin in top pocket. Sew shoulder seams. RG wakes up, end of sewing.
evening: tack on placket
Friday stitch first parts of placket, pin second - it is starting to look like a dress!
Saturday: Early morning farmers' market, and kids tennis, on our return, crouching to pick RG up out of car seat, I feel an almighty pain in my lower back and cannot get up. After a while I get on the sofa and can't get up again ...I phone Mr Minnado to come home, I spend two hours trying to find out what painkillers I can take, I give directions to T, and while marooned on the sofa I notice the missing traveller dress pattern instruction sheet down the side of the cushion. Ah, so, is this the bright side? I put my back out but I find the missing instructions?
I hope you feel better soon! Not the best start but at least you're sewing when you can. Maybe an ice pack and some ibuprofen and some rest and you'll be back to sewing in no time!
ReplyDeleteThe ibuprofen is helping and gentle moving - all those jobs I had scheduled for the weekend are on hold!
DeleteThere is nothing like back pain, oh childbirth maybe!? Hon I hope you feel better, I have to laugh though, not at the back rather the sewing schedule so so familiar!!
ReplyDeleteThanks - it is slowly improving. It is linked to the aftermath of being pregnant having babies and carrying baby in car seat!
DeleteYour sewing sounds an awful lot like mine, it's nice to know I'm not alone ;)
ReplyDeleteI hope your back gets better soon, have your tried hot and cold treatments to help the muscles whenever they get stiff again? Bad backs are no fun, I hope your family are giving you lots of special care to make up for it x
tee hee, glad it's not just me who has an interrupted, tiny snatches of time sewing schedule. I can't imagine what it must be like to have calm days full of sewing. I wll try hot and cold on the muscles, thank you. Not much special care cos I have a post-viral poorly five year old lying on sofa! Ah the joy.;)
DeleteOh no! It may be nearly impossible w/ a sick kiddo, but try to rest up and heal your back! Good job on finding the directions - all part of the plan ;)
ReplyDeleteAck! You poor thing!! I'm so sorry-- between your back and a kiddo not feeling well, you're really having a rough go of it! I'm amazed you're able to get anything done sewing in little bits and pieces like that!
ReplyDeleteOh dear --- what a week! Sewing weeks like those are sooo frustrating. And I'm terribly sorry to hear about your back. I hope that you are resting and recovering, and I think that finding the instructions is a sign that the rest of the month will be different!
ReplyDeleteI do darts like this all the time without the help of an RG!I think when things dont work out like this it is just made all the more frustrating because you have had to make the most of a small window of opportunity.It won't last forever though.Hope your back is getting better!x
ReplyDeleteI hope I won't need to go through a backache to find where I put my instructions !
ReplyDeleteKarine from Karamiel
Nooo! I do hope you are feeling better now! I know it doesn't help you now... but this time will pass. Sixteen years from now you will have so much time to yourself you won't know what to do with it... or not!
ReplyDeleteHope your back is better soon! xxx
ReplyDeleteCripes! That is awful bad luck, I hope you are on the mend & not out of action for too long.....
ReplyDeleteYour sewing tales are too familiar - just when you know you need to make the most of your precious sewing time & be especially productive & efficient the focus sometimes gets ambushed somehow & your scant time is spent unpicking....gah! Great that you can laugh about it whilst reposed & hopefully now less in pain ...
A comedy of errors! Your sewing adventure made me laugh aloud, though I'm terribly sorry to hear about your back and glad to hear you're slowly on the mend. Ouch!
ReplyDeleteEek, sorry you hear of your misadventures and a poorly little one too. I hope you are both feeling a bit better now.
ReplyDelete