December 28, 2011

AND GOD CREATED "GREY"

Or "gray" is it? I generally take pride in my English, and God, I love the language. But I didn't realize that I had no idea about how to spell grey/gray until I started typing. So native speakers, can you please clarify which one is true?

Anyway, besides being ignorant about spelling, I must admit I love that color. Not red, not blue, not green; but good old grey is what I love (OK I'll stick with "grey" until someone says otherwise). Many people would say "oh, it isn't even a color". But I like how it suits me, and so my eyes always catch grey items during shopping. Selective perception it is!


So, when I spotted a light&dark grey striped wool-jersey for 1 Turkish Lira (a little more than half a $; or a little less than half a €) for a HUGE piece; I left aside all my fears about knit fabrics, pushed all ladies aside and grabbed it in a heartbeat.

I chose pattern 130B from Burda 03/2011 but had to make some changes. First, since I didn't want a shirt collar, I transformed it into a crew neck. But then it started to look like a nightgown, so I added a pseudo-placket band.


I also had to shorten the arms (if I left them as they were, the dress could easily fit a chimpanzee); and the skirt, since it was right at the knees, which I don't really like. I think short should be short, and long should be long. Knee-high reminds me of my highschool uniform I guess!

Oh, how I would like to say "sewing it was a piece of cake"; but it was not! With a regular sewing machine, a regular presser foot, and a regular needle it was impossible to prevent the fabric from puckering. I could only manage by sewing with the help of strips I cut from thin nylon bags for the seams (cutting from the very sides after sewing) using a zigzag stitch. And for the hems, I used a double needle and straight stitch, feeding strips of pattern paper, just like in sewing with faux leather. It was a little tricky to peel of the paper but not impossible.

Left: Seam with a zigzag stitch and nylon bag ~ Right: Hem from the right and wrong sides

Since I am not a person to hit the road with knee-high socks during winter, I have to wait until spring when the weather will be milder to show off my dress.


Until that time, I can also think about investing in either (a) serger or (b) various presser foots. What do you think? Is a serger too extravagant for someone who only sews as a hobby? Or is it a must for every sewist no matter what?

5 comments:

  1. So adorable!! Thank you for the lovely comment!
    xo, Elsie

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  2. Oh I'm happy you liked it! Not half as colorful as yours :)

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  3. I think it's grey in the UK and gray in the US.

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    1. Oh! That's why I keep seeing both of them in a bazillion web pages. Thanks for clarifying!

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  4. I'm all about being prepared, so even before I had even made one thing, I had bought a overlocker (serger). It makes all the world of difference since I started sewing.

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