Weekend Project: His and Hers Sewing

People would have more leisure time if it weren't for all the leisure-time activities that use it up.

Peg Bracken

First, I'm sorry I didn't manage my usual posts last week - I was very busy at work and the time just slipped through my fingers. I'll try to do better this week, but my posting may be a bit irregular during the next month. :(

Second, this weekend I finally managed to squeeze in some sewing of my own. (Yay!) I made this outfit for my youngest (7-year-old) niece:

Next, Ana and Juana DID finish their dresses by themselves during the week! (Thank you for sending them good sewing vibes!) When I went to their restaurant on Friday night, they had actually brought their dresses into work to show me! In general, they did very well. Ana only folded her hem up once, so the raw edge shows on the inside. I told her that doubling is better and a good seamstress wants her clothes to look good on the outside AND on the inside. She'll do that in the future and is currently debating whether or not to re-do this hem.

I was interested to see that they both chose to attach the facing to the dress by stitching along the bottom of the facing (all the way around the dress). That was definitely not in the instructions, but it seems to me that, if that is what they wanted, then it is fine. (Right?) It just suprised me a bit.

Juana thinks her dress is a bit too roomy in the hips, and we will take the side seams in a bit the next time I see her. (She wasn't able to make it to our lesson today - I didn't quite understand the reason why, but it had something to do with her family.)

I was able to take a picture of Ana in her dress this afternoon. Despite the temperature being over 90 degrees F, she wanted to dress the same way as the model on the pattern envelope, with jeans and a shirt on underneath the dress. Here she is:

She thinks that her stomach looks fat in this picture. (I guess some things transcend culture...) Unfortunately, I didn't know the words for "I'll trade you!" in Spanish off the top of my head, but I plan to be ready for just this situation next time! ;)

We went to Joann's today, originally to get a t-shirt pattern for the boyfriends. But Ana was attracted to this pattern, and given that I want to introduce them to collars and buttonholes anyway, I let her get it. (It is Burda #7411.)

It's going to be a bit of a challenge, but it will be a good learning experience and I think we can end up with shirts that the young men will wear. :)