Blurgh.

[spacebug]

So, I'm working on this sewing project. And it's turned out to be harder than I anticipated. I'm on the home stretch of it being complete, but due to a few things (a badly marked package, mainly, I think- in no one's universe is someone nearly five nine, 135 lbs and lanky as I am "petite" but that's what the pattern turned out to be and because of my measurements and height apparently the closest size is a twelve which I've never ever been), the strange concept of "ease", and the fact that I'm using really tricky fabric for a purpose it doesn't seem to be intended for, well, it looks a little weird. Mainly, the collar is way too big for my skinny little neck. It looks okay, but really not what I want.

(For those who want a better mental picture of this, it's an asymmetrical mandarin-collared shirt that I decided to make out of pretty-but-annoying thin and shiny slidey kinda see-through meshy fabric. Which also means the interfacings show through and also look weirder than I thought they might.)

Because I'm sick of my sewing being "close enough", I'm really wanting to take it apart and do it over and try to fix it. But because of all the weird little pieces, interfacings, collar, and the fact that it was necessary to trim seams, it might be almost impossible, and even if it worked it would take a Really Long Time. I'd just re-do it if I had more fabric, but I don't, and I don't know if I can get more. I have to either finish it and learn to love it how it is, or I have to really painstakingly take it all apart, hope to modify it to make it fit better, and re-do it. Making the collar smaller means making the pieces the collar attaches to smaller as well, which is basically the entire thing. And if I don't like the interfacing, I just want to take it out completely, but them it doesn't keep its shape as well and might be fucktastic too. Hrm.

So, I'm not *really* frustrated, 'cause I feel like I've done a good job on it and everything, I just don't know if it's worth it. Alternately, I might just make something simpler out of the pieces and know better next time. But then I don't get the cool shirt that my mind got set on having. Poop, I say, POOOOOOOP!

Okay sewing friends, what's your advice?

Comments

[windelina.livejournal.com]

I'd need to see it. If no one else offers better advice, you could bring it on Saturday and I'll take a look at it...

[spacebug.livejournal.com]

Wait! My first brainstorm is take it apart, and see if the miracle of thin strips of fusible webbing instead of traditional interfacing could be made to happen...

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

I second the "I'd need to see it", even though I know the material in question. My biggest question is to do with the interfacing - are you using the interfacing behind the meshy stuff? If you are, are you using black interfacing? That might look okay. White interfacing would probably look crappy.

Pattern sizing is weird. I'm usually a, hm, a 14 or 16? Which I've never been. It's bigger than normal sizing and I don't really know why.

Just adjusting the collar to fit your neck might be relatively simple, if you are willing to (1) cut new collar pieces to make a collar that fits and then (2) gather the shirt slightly at the back or shoulders to make the larger-than-optimal neck hole fit the correctly-sized collar.

Hm. And finally, I find that with see-through material, topstitching seams is a really good idea. It makes them look much neater. (French seams are also a viable option.)

[spacebug.livejournal.com]

Ah, black interfacing *does* exist?! That would be lots better- yes, the interfacing is behind the meshy stuff. It'd also look better if the strips were quite a bit thinner, I dunno if I could do that without messing it up, thus the thought of using something like stitch witchery instead.(?) I also thought about dyeing it if it would take dye. The problem with cutting a new collar is that I have NO MORE fabric left. I had to leave sleeves off, and I had to cut the armhole facings out of the black stuff you gave me, such is the rarity of any blue stuff left. Though I could cut a smaller collar out of the existing one. And because the shirt's supposed to be all sleek 'n' stuff and the collar needs to be quite a bit littler to be not weird (a few inches), I think gathering would get more puckery than is fakeable. I think I have to cut down the pieces themselves.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

Black interfacing does exist. I might even have some. If I don't, JoAnn certainly does. (Otherwise, dyeing it might work.)

With some very careful picking-out of stitches, I'm sure you can adjust it down in size appropriately so it'll look good.

If you want to mess with sewing I don't have any big plans for tonight (although we might go to First Ave).

[kittekaat.livejournal.com]

I am not envisioning your shirt, but I will say that trims and lace are great for hiding sewing boo boos.