Weekend Sewing - My Way Part 2

Following on from my original post, I have made a few more things from Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing book.

Although I have had plenty of joy with the smocked child's sundress (I've made 3 or 4 of them!) the other patterns have not been quite as straightforward.

However, the reason I'm willing to persevere, is I love the designs, the new challenges and bringing my sewing capability on.

So onto the sewing:

Yard Sale Skirt
This skirt asks for 5 panels, I used 7, to make sure I felt secure with the wrap around. The other thing is, if you have a directional print, you will need an extra 1.5 metres. I actually added a lining, as my fabric was embroidery anglaise (had holes in it!) so I wanted to protect my modesty!
It sewed up fine. I made mine to come to just above my knees. It's a nice everyday skirt!

Everything Tote
This bag is BIG, so great for all your shopping. You will need 1 metre of fabric for the outside, and 1 metre of fabric for the lining. (Not the 1/2 yard/ metre mentioned in the book)
This pattern is cut on the fold, so if your pattern is directional, like mine was, you will need to cut it out in 2 separate pieces, making sure your fabric is the correct way round. Add on 1/2 inch for the seam allowance, as you will need to sew the bottom of the bag together. (Erin describes this well)
The next sticking point is the binding. Heather says make bias binding, but if you attach it the way she describes, it is way too narrow. I preferred the way it was in the photo in the book, so I merely folded the binding in half, and then wrapped it over the raw edge and edge stitched it.
After that I followed the directions, and I have one very large market bag! I am pleased with this bag, looks fit for purpose! This took me a long afternoon!

Kai's Shirt
Kai's shirt was going well until I got to the collar. I was making the Size 3 shirt, and the collar was a few inches longer than the neckline I had to attach it to! The only way I could see it working was to trim it down, carefully and resew the seams. I'm not the only person to have had this problem, so it would be nice if Heather could redo the collar, and create a PDF pattern sheet.

I then mucked up the button holes, too far over, but it was my first time ever doing them, so a lot of seam ripping latter, I managed to finish the shirt. I made it over 2 days!

Kimono Dress
I have decided to take apart the kimono dress, at some point, and bring it in a bit at the top. It's just too big. You can bring it in to a degree with the Obi Belt, but not quite enough!

Still you live and learn!