I actually like to sew things

Hey, guess what?  I can actually sew!

You thought I didn’t really like sewing.  You thought I just said that because I wanted to like sewing.  Nope; I really meant those feet pajamas!  (They were white flannel printed with many feet.  They didn’t have places for me feet; that would be juvenile and difficult to sew). 

            Unfortunately, Simplicity definitely needs to rebrand their SewSimple patterns.  They are not sew simple.  They are sew difficult.  And sew convoluted.  And I am sew tired of pretending sew is so, so I’m going to stop.

            First of all, 1970, is NOT an easy pattern.  The first step is to PLEAT it.  Yes, that is right.  You have to make FOURTEEN pleats.  Yes, FOURTEEN.  After that, you have to sew in these stupid pockets, but they were VERY unclear where the “large dots” were where you’re supposed to not sew so that your hand can actually go in.  If you make up your own large dots, it will fray on the inside.  After all of this sweet, simple sewing, you get to attach an elastic waistband.  Yes, after you make the pleats.  Yes, on top of the two-hour pleats.

It probably didn’t help that I 1) didn’t make a muslin, 2) used 100% cotton sateen, which I am sure is the easiest-fraying fabric on the planet, and 3) sewed everything by hand.

I actually sewed the pleats by hand AND by machine, then had no seam ripper, so they looked very crappy.

In the end, I decided I didn’t every want a freaking pleated skirt, so I did what every person does who has devoted ten hours to sewing something they no longer want: I headed to the nearest fabric store and bought the cheapest cotton-poly broadcloth on the planet and  another pattern.

Yay.  Never again will I be induced by pattern cheapness. (I bought the first Simplicity pattern because It was 97 cents.  Yeah; bad reason.)

Needless to say, the muslin (broadcloth?) is going beautifully.  I handpicked the zipper (I put the zipper in the muslin (broadcloth?), yes.  I flashed to another store to buy some sewable interfacing because I have no iron, but then I forgot that Google is my best friend and I didn’t do it right.  Luckily, although they tell you you need a yard and a quarter of fusible interfacing, they mean you need four inches.  Because I did the interfacing wrong, I now need to rip out the waistband, which I did in a contrasting color (yes, on the muslin [broadcloth?]).  Then I will put in a better-cut version of the waistband thing and finish up the muslin (broadcloth?) and look for some normal, beautiful, non-polyester fabric to make a skirt about which I will actually blog.

PS – I’m making view C, no braid.