My first home-sewn garment

 I MADE A THING!

I've made a mostly-wearable garment using my sewing machine. No, this 1960s top is not perfect, but for a first project I think this top has turned out really well. I'll certainly be happy to wear it around the house, which is what I was aiming for. (Okay, I hoped it would be perfect and wearable outside the house, but I knew that would be asking a lot of a first project.)


The positives
I'm no longer remotely scared of my sewing machine. By the time I finished the top, I was no longer worried about accidentally sewing up my fingers. I used it mostly on the slowest setting, but hey: it got the job done. I'm particularly pleased with how I turned the raw edges of the facings under. It's a small thing, but convinced me I had control over the fine details of the sewing.

I've learned to thread a bobbin, thread the machine needle, change machine feet and change stitch.

The negatives
I learned the hard way what happens if you put a bobbin in upside-down.

The neckline isn't quite the way it's supposed to be because after attaching the facing, I cut the wrong side of the stitching! And so had to do it again.

I sewed the armhole facings together wrong, starting at the bottom rather than the shoulder, so had to sew them at the shoulder last, and there's a little foldy bit on the left-hand shoulder where I didn't quite get the facing attached right. It'd be less visible, and so less annoying if it were at the armpit.

For the future
I can do this. I'm keen to try more. Sewing the facings it did occur to me that I should get some more remnants and give myself a curves-sewing challenge, practicing on scrappy curves before doing more garments with facings.

The fit isn't perfect, which I know is half the point of home sewing. But - positive - I think I know what the problem is. Or rather, problems are: giant boobs, relatively small frame. (I'm not big boned, I'm small boned with a lot of fat!) It means the shoulders of the top are a little too wide, and there is surplus fabric above my bust. I believe this means my next move should be to learn how to do a full bust adjustment. This is a very basic pattern, so would be a good one to start with, though I've already cut it out at a larger size than I possibly need. Still, if I'm buying another remnant, I can pick up another copy of the pattern at the same time. (And a cutting mat. And a rotary cutter. Buy ALL the things!) I get the gaping armholes problem with pretty much very top I buy, so if I can manage the adjustment, it's going to mean I'll never have to worry about showing off large chunks of my bra ever again.

I'd hoped to finish this and move straight onto my lovely new fabric from Gertie Gusset's, but it seems better to have another practice run and get the fit just the way I want it.