If you are a seamstress, you probably have an emotional reaction to starting a new pattern.  Opening the package, unfolding the onion paper, and straightening it all out makes me excited and nervous.

Since I am a less-than-confident, self-taught sewer, I always worry if a project will be perfect or fall short.  I try so hard for the former, but have had my fair share of the latter.

Recently, I pulled up a class on my trusty old Craftsy.  It is a riff off the classic Chanel jacket, using Vogue pattern 7975.  It is a really good class, but there are so many steps involved.

I have gone to all the trouble to make a toile/muslin of the pattern, to check for fit.  That is what my instructor did and that is what I shall do.  From the fit of the muslin, I can decide where alternations need to occur before I sew the pattern in the nice fabric.

Much of the boucle fabric is extremely expensive, so I purchased some similar, but much cheaper on eBay.  I am going to attempt a baby blue and ivory jacket as well as a black jacket.  If either or both fail, I haven’t lost three digits worth of fabric.  Once I have mastered the pattern and techniques, I might get my nerve up enough to attempt using expensive fabric.  If you know me though, you know I will probably be too tight to spring for the good stuff!

I will share my progress, which is sure to be slow.  With my sewing room currently turned into a storage room, I have to use my den for all my projects.  As you probably well know, this necessitates a bunch of packing up and moving.  You can’t have company over with your table covered in sewing supplies and fabric.

Judging from the jackets made by my classmates, they are good seamstresses and have found some really nice fabric and trim combinations.

I shared some of my toile/muslin photos here and how to make pattern adjustments.  I encourage you to sew along with me, whatever the project is you are working on (or hope to work on).  I have several in the line-up after I finish this one.  I have shirts, dresses, skirts, another type of jacket, a robe, a coat, a quilt,  a couple of Santa costumes (one is for Max) and a few clown costumes (just in case I need them).

Maybe we should have a sewing forum.  A good old fashioned sewing bee.  A bee is a group that gathers to work on a project(s).

We could share our successes, what we learned and maybe even the projects that did not end we might have imagined.  I know I can’t be the only one with projects filling storage shelves.

Do you ever wonder how our foremothers had time to cook three meals a day (which took longer then), clean the house (which took longer then as well), care for the children, make quilts, pillows, and every other little thing they needed?  No wonder they did not bathe every day…who had time?

What projects do you have waiting on you to make?  Please share. I would love to sew along with you. The mile’s may separate us, but our kindred enjoyment of sewing will unite us!