Matching Outfits!

Since the gathered skirt from my last post turned out so well for Amanda, I decided to use that experience to practice my new skills making people clothes!  I bought some more of the same black and white printed fabric and planned to make a skirt for Little Miss.  Then, she wanted me to have one also.  So, more fabric.

The version for Little Miss turned out well, but not as shaped as Amanda's.  After reviewing the tutorials I had used, I realized my mistake--I had only cut the fabric 1 1/2 times the waist measurement, not 1 1/2 times the hip measurement (or maybe it was 2 times the waist measurement?)!  Well, duh!  I'm not exactly sure anymore how I had measured Amanda's version since I had read so many different methods, and at the time I had no intention of blogging about it, but the proportions were definitely different.  But the version for Little Miss still fits, and looks pretty good.

Here are the two sweeties on the last day of school! 

(I also used the remainder of my pink t-shirt to make a matching tube top for Little Miss; there wasn't quite enough of it, so I used some scraps of my white fabric as a facing for the top, allowing it to peek through at the V-neck from the original t-shirt.)

Little Miss wanted me to have a matching skirt, so I decided to oblige.  However, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to test out a circle skirt.  I looked for tutorials on how to make a circle skirt.  However, I somehow messed up; first, it was too big in the waist, so I had to remove one or two of the panels from the skirt.  Now, it fit in the waist, but it was more like a 3/4 circle skirt. 

I had a really hard time attaching a curved waistband.  So, I wasn't looking forward to hemming the skirt.  I found Gertie's tutorial on how to use horsehair braid, but when I put the skirt on, I wasn't really happy with how the shape of the skirt looked on me.  Needless to say, I never hemmed it.  I felt like it actually emphasized my curvy backside.  Not in a flattering way.  Can anyone say, wadder?

However, I did discover that sewing a line of basting stitches would have helped me match the curves at the waistband; this is a technique I've since used in other places where I've had to turn up a slightly curved area--it's easier to turn up the fabric and press, using the stitching as a guide.

So, I learned a few things--the most important of which is that a circle skirt is out as a possible shape for my wedding dress.  I could try it in a drape-y-er (what's the right word here?) fabric, but don't really feel like revisiting this particular experiment.  I'll put it on my list for the future. 

One of the things I enjoy about sewing (but also sometimes the most frustrating aspect of it) is the learning curve.  It's fun to find or invent new ways of doing things, or turning mistakes into positives.  I actually enjoy the problem solving.

What about you, readers?  How do you cope with mistakes?  What are your favorite things about this craft?