Wednesday, November 17, 2010

My Creative Space: Know thyself.

You'd think by now, a few months shy of The Big 4-0,  I'd be a little wiser.  A little more self-aware.  Mature enough to say, "Hey, I can't do that!"  But not so much, really.  I did it again, folks.

When Screamstress posted her seriously cute Kids' Apron Pinafore Tutorial, I was intrigued.  And when I recalled that Chevi needed a smock for Kindergarten anyway, I figured I'd give it a whirl.  My first clue should have been the line that says, "I drafted the pattern myself, getting a rough size by using a singlet of the kids."  First of all, I don't use patterns, let alone draft them.  And frankly, we're singlet-less.  But I figured I could fudge it with one of Shani's jumpers ---that's an American "jumper," not a sweater---which was probably the first of a veritable plethora of mistakes. 


Grabbing a yellow-flowered sheet from the diminishing stash of not-yet-packed fabric, I proceeded to "draft" my pattern---and cut out the pattern pieces for a smock that would have fitted Cerberus like a glove.  I couldn't quite seem to sort out the number of neck holes and armholes I needed to cut, which disturbs me deeply on many levels.  Chucking the mangled sheet into a handy cardboard box, I spent a sulky half hour playing Pathwords and cursing my ineptitude.  Then, in a burst of optimism, I returned to the stash and started from square one.

My second effort was somewhat less pathetic than the first, bearing a vague resemblance to the actual garment I'd intended to sew. (I even managed to put together a pocket after this photo was taken!)  The sizing was a little off---the finished product fits my 11 year old quite nicely---but I figure that its purpose is to protect Chevi's clothes from paint, and I'm guessing that includes her knee socks, too.

Looking for less wonky Creative Spaces?  Check out kootoyoo!

10 comments:

  1. I think it looks cool.

    She looks stoked! I like how you sew. No fancy pantsy stuff.

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  2. But you tried, you went back & you finished, excellent!! When i have those moments i just think, well i'm tenacious, that is a good trait!! It will do the job intended. Me, well my 4 just get paint on them, wouldn't matter if they were smocked or not, they get it on the inside of their shirt collars & up their shorts, quite a feat!! Love Posie

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  3. Well done for hanging in there! You're a better woman than me. Little lady looks pretty happy.
    Carmel

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  4. Oh thank goodness there's another blogger out there who can make fantastically imperfect things (like me!!). Love it! She obviously does too or she wouldn't be standing still for you! :-) xxx

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  5. Good on you for giving it another shot and getting it done. Love the photo of your girl-she looks super cute in her knee highs with the smock. Maybe this will be this seasons must have new look! "wonky winter'(seeing as you're seasons are all upside down there;o) ) in Vogue??

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  6. I really like it, nice job!! You're braver than me, anything with a neck line scares the life out of me!

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  7. Well I think it's really super, wonk or no wonk ( but you know how I feel about wonk)
    You're way to hard on yourself Missy xo

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  8. Hahaha I got such a laugh out of not your failure but your description of it! E-mail me your address and I'll happily send you my pattern for the apron in whatever size you need! The one in the tutorial fits 3-7yr old (depending on the child of course!) Your words of encouragement (hang in there, kiddo) have stayed with me and bolstered my mood often xxoo Scream

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  9. You didnt give her sleeves! a smock needs to have sleeves to protect her actual sleeves...which is why you buy one at micheals or toy r us

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Thanks for taking the time to comment...it makes me feel a little less like I'm talking to myself again.