Welcome to the first ever project for this blog! I decided to choose an easy-levelled pattern to kick it all off. The pattern says “easy-to-sew” but I still struggled here and there, and this blog is all about that process! It’s autumn here in Australia so a kimono is something great to wear between the transition from summer to winter.
Photo Credit: Andre Tabula
The Outfit: Top and Shorts Valley Girl | Jewellery Lovisa | Bag Colette | Shoes Adidas’ Gazelle White/White/Gold
The Kimono
Fabric: Boutique Poly Print ($3.00 per metre at Spotlight)
Pattern: Simplicity 1318 B – Women’s Misses’ Easy Kimono Jackets
Pattern Difficulty: Easy-to-sew
THE PROCESS
One of the most satisfying things to do when I sew is to watch it all slowly come together. Check it out!
WHAT WENT WELL – Working with Flimsy Fabric!
I’ve always had difficulty working with flimsy fabric… it gets out of position when I cut it, and can get caught in the machine too! So I searched a few tips online and these were the ones I found most helpful:
1. When cutting, sandwich the fabric between baking paper or gift wrapping tissue. This prevents the fabric from moving around too much.
2. Use a sharp machine needle designed for sewing silk to keep the fabric from snagging.
3. A walking foot is recommended to prevent the fabric from getting caught in the machine. I don’t own a walking foot, but one alternative is sewing with baking paper above the fabric. It surprisingly did the job really well!
WHAT DIDN’T GO SO WELL
Most of my mistakes had to do with the iron. It’s funny because I know I shouldn’t be doing some of these things, but I did it anyway:
1. It’s easy to forget, but being a poly fabric (plastic), it melts if you leave it under the iron for too long or with the heat too high. This happened to me as I was pressing the seams.
2. I know it’s tempting but whatever you do, make sure to PRESS when applying fusible interfacing. I couldn’t resist my instinct to IRON, like I do with my clothes and it turned out looking rippled… I had to cut and start this part all over again!
MY UNCERTAINTIES
Using the best technique for finishing the edges of this kind of fabric was something I was unsure of. I looked up a few techniques but ended up sticking to the one I was most comfortable with which is sewing then pinking. Although I was uncertain of this technique, it was really satisfying watching the edges neaten up.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
Photo credit: Andre Tabula
See more photos in the gallery
Thanks for making it to the the end of my blog post. I’ll be posting new sewing projects every month! Till then make sure to click follow on the bottom right hand corner and feel free to comment below 🙂
Dressmaking Diary 
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