I have a sewing machine again! When I lived in New Zealand I used to sew all kinds of things, from pillowcases to elaborate costumes, but it’s taken me about ten years to purchase one in Australia, for various reasons. Now it’s time to get back those skills and make some clothes.
My new denim apron is the first step on my journey to comfier me-made clothes
I’m thrilled that there are so many more patterns available in my size than last time I was sewing. Back in 2016 (I know the date thanks to my blog post about it), I was visiting my parents and brought some fabric with me. I made a sleeveless top on Mum’s machine using a then-well-known indie pattern, and - this sounds pretty ridiculous now - I had to grade it up to my size because the maximum bust measurement was only 40”. The top turned out ok, and at the time I was proud that I’d been able to made it work, but let’s get real - someone who has chosen a ‘beginner friendly’ pattern shouldn’t have to take on that level of extra work.
Now there are whole indie pattern companies which specialise in larger sizes, which is amazing. I especially like Muna and Broad’s aesthetic, and I’ve purchased a few of their pants and shirt patterns to get me started putting together a comfortable wardrobe that fits me well. I want elastic-waist pants with decent-sized pockets, and I want shirts that button up and let me move my arms, and I want them to be in natural fibres and fun prints and colours.
But to get my sewing muscle-memory back, I’m starting with some simpler, quicker projects. First, I made a batch of little ‘tablecloths’ to go under the cats’ food bowls to catch some of the mess. I used a rainbow-print cotton duck fabric and did my best to make tidy hems with mitred corners. So far they’re holding up well to washing and they’re getting the job done. Next, I decided to make a denim apron to save my clothes from getting greasy and/or tomato-ey while I’m cooking. I thought it would be a nice approachable project as it doesn’t need to be precisely fitted, and it did turn out to be a good confidence-booster! I’ve written up some of the details below for anyone interested.
Denim apron - project details:
Pattern: Apreon by Muna and Broad.
Size: E-H. I think I could have made Size A-D instead and it would have fit me ok, but this size also fits my partner which is a nice bonus.
Materials: Non-stretch medium-weight blue denim from Rathdowne Fabrics + black linen bias binding from The Fabric Store.
Notes: The step-by-step instructions were great, and I learned a bunch of new things, particularly the terminology for different functions of stitches. I ended up printing out the glossary page as I was scrolling up to refer to it so often. The only part that confused me was understitching the bias binding, which I had trouble visualising, but after googling it and looking at some photos I was ok to proceed and it turned out fine. I like that all of the edges are nicely finished, it’s very tidy-looking and should hold up well to a lot of washing.
My learnings:
Some new sewing terminology, e.g. pinstitch, understitch, and topstitch.
I need to avoid taking on too many hard-on-the-back tasks in one day, the main one being crawling around on the floor cutting things out. This time I cut out the paper pattern pieces and the fabric in one afternoon, and it was not my best decision! I also need to be more strict about sitting down while using the iron, and pacing myself while tidying up afterwards.
My cutting and stitching could be tidier, but I know that will come with more practice. I think I’m at the point now where I can start making clothes and be confident they’ll be wearable, provided I’m able to solve the fitting issues as they come up. Onwards to pants!
