Hey y'all!

I had NOT intended to make a post about this particular jumper and as such, I didn't take any pictures of the sewing process. After all, it was supposed to be one of those quickie projects that was going to be a blip mentioned in passing.

Then THINGS started happening, and it was too good NOT to share.

So, here we go.

I started this jumper a few years ago - I want to say I was still in college at the time. At the time, I really liked jumpers and my last one had been recently relegated to the "daughter clothes bin". I also wanted lighter fabrics since most of my clothes are, in fact, dark. And winter skirts were needed.

Hence the buying of two pink flannels - one with a diamond pattern and one with pink and yellow skyrockets on them. I made one jumper with the pink diamonds (still have it, still wear it) and started the second one. Everything was cut, the bodice and skirt were constructed and sewn together. It even had a hem. All it needed was a zipper, the facings and the straps and it would be done.

But for some reason, the project was...abandoned.

*cue the sad music*

I remember having to buy another zipper for it, I think because the first one was so short. But I still didn't pick it up again.

Until January 2020, when I took it out of my sewing cabinet one fine Wednesday that I was off from work.

The problems began immediately when I realized that I was missing half of the instructions for the "View B" I was attempting. I then remembered that I had been following the instructions for View A because of this, but the instructions had pretty much run out at that point.

No trouble, I said to myself. I know how to do the rest of the steps, it shouldn't be that hard. I have, after all, been sewing for over a decade, I should know what I'm doing.

Lies. All lies.

I made a trial fit before I put in the zipper and found that something was really wrong. It was miles too big in the waist.

It was then that I realized that while I was sure I had cut out the correct pattern pieces, I had forgotten to put the darts into the bodice....which would have shortened the waist by over 4 inches.
So, the bodice had to be ripped off the skirt and the darts put in.

That's when I discovered that the bodice wasn't cut right. It was cut straight when it was supposed to be pointed on the darts.
(oh trust me, it only gets better from here)
I had to change the design of the darts slightly in order so that they didn't curve on me. Wish now I had gotten a picture, but it wouldn't have looked flattering at all.

So then, the bodice was darted and the skirt re-gathered and put back on. I then binded the seam with some flannel scraps so that I wouldn't have any fraying issues.

So then, it was time for the zipper, which was an invisible one. I personally prefer them to the regular zippers because they look much nicer.

That's when I discovered, to my chagrin, that my Phaff machine didn't HAVE an invisible zipper foot. Stupid machine was from the 80s and I suppose they didn't have invisible zippers then.

So I had to go use my mother's sewing machine. Except that it was almost inaccessible because the table it was on had Blue Couch up against it. (I'll tell you more about that Blue Couch at another time).

I said "almost" inaccessible. You could use it if you knelt on the couch...you just couldn't reach the foot petal.

So, what does an enterprising girl do?

Fish out the petal, plug in the machine and squeeze the foot petal with her right hand and guide the fabric with the left. Rather efficient system.

Of course my mother doesn't notice my rather unorthodox method until I'm well over halfway putting the zipper in. She asked me why I just didn't move the couch.

Now you tell me, why would I take the risk of moving the couch the wrong way and knock it off it's wooden blocks just to get to the machine for five minutes and then have to move it back? Too much work, if you ask me.

Anyway, after a moment of panic when I thought I had put the zipper in backwards (the opening wasn't big enough for the zipper to flip out, it was fine), it was time for another fitting.

I'll now refer you to the following Hangouts conversation I had with Lia....



 Another couple of hours, and here is the finished product:



I really like how long it is - it makes me feel really feminine. I'll definitely be wearing it around the house this winter :)

Now it's your turn to chat! What sort of abandoned projects do you have lying around? Do you sew, and if so what is the latest project you've done? Tell me in the comments below!

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine