pattern review times 2 {the honey blouse & meadow spirit skirt)

Today I decided to finish up some projects. It’s stupidly cold outside and blustery and not even a drop of sunshine. A great day to stay inside and sew.

I started out with a skirt using the Meadow Spirit Skirt by Joel Dewberry. I can’t remember who the fabric is by, but it’s a lovely (and groovy) corduroy that I bought the last time I ventured to Textile Fabrics in Nashville.

It’s the first time I’ve sewn a zipper in I can’t remember when and I don’t miss putting them in! Although I did do something a little different this time. Instead of slip-stitching by hand the facing down, I added a second round of stitches by machine. I’ve been doing this with hems for a while and it gives it a little something rather than just one simple seam (and hides mistakes).

There’s nothing more fun than sewing pleats though. It’s like a super easy, yet fancy looking treat.

Overall, this is a great pattern. I opted not to do the pleated hem at the bottom because it was honestly going to make the skirt way longer than I wanted it to. It’s an easy pattern (minus the hem pleats that looked a little tricky) and probably would be a great first zipper skirt for someone.

I closed off my day of sewing by finishing up this horrible shirt I started a while ago. I have to say that this is one of the worst patterns I have sewn from in a long time. More sad is that I love this shirt pattern and I love the look of all her patterns. Boo. The pattern is The Honey Blouse by Make It Perfect.

To begin with you have to trace all the pieces. Maybe I am lazy or old fashioned, but if I am going to pay for a boutique pattern then I don’t want to have to run around finding paper and tracing and cutting. Next was sizing. My measurements were in between a small and a medium so I opted to go larger with the idea that it’s typically easier to take something in rather than try and add some fabric back. Um…the sizing is all wacky on this shirt. It is ginormous and there was no way that I knew how to take it in, mostly because it was the neckline that was just huge.

The directions were so-so and honestly not well understandable to a veteran seamstress…let alone a newbie. I have to say I was pretty bummed by the whole thing. This Amy Butler fabric has been in my stash for a while now and it was so disappointing to make something with it and not even be able to wear it. Although! I have a sweet friend for whom this shirt fits well enough. If I can’t wear this lovely fabric, at least I can share it with a friend!