This post is a really an 'ode to Bessie Bartlett'. She is the Queen of Projects. She is a sewer! She is a carpenter! She is a plumber! I watched her time and time again do it herself, making curtains, building bookshelves and ottomans, taking apart toilets, redoing bathrooms, rebuilding the BBQ, and so on. Mom thought it was important for the girls (me, Amy, Lesley) to be self sufficient. When I went off to university, she made sure I had my own copy of How to Fix Just About Anything and a set of basic tools along with a beautiful quilt (made by mom). When the toilet broke in my 3rd year university apartment, I opened the trusty manual, bought the part and fixed it myself. I felt invincible! #ItFlushed Throughout the years, sewing seemed to be her core creative output. Lots of pyjamas, aprons, matching outfits (sigh...). She applied her skills to many a halloween costume (remember the three headed dragon!) as well as dressing local theatre troupes. What would 'Dogs Playing Poker: Live' be without her ingenious dog heads (and matching paws)? I figured I should take advantage of this amazing source of expertise and so, asked mom to help me sew a dress over the holiday break. I bought a few McCalls patterns during a $2 sale and picked one of the hardest to bring home (M7351). Collars, buttons and sleeves- oh my! My main sewing experience was in grade 7 when I had to sew an apron. The teacher nearly failed me because I did not follow the instructions and skipped a few steps. All to say, I am a true amateur. I got some polka-dotted cotton at Mardens (~3 yards) and off to moms sewing room. It took around an hour maybe to cut out all the pieces. During this process, I discovered I was a few yards short (whoops! First lesson learned - by extra fabric) so decided to drop the sleeves and pockets. The sewing happened over a few days, but went pretty steadily along. Lots of pinning, ironing, sewing, pinning again. The collar was probably the hardest section, lots of elements to it, but is my favourite part. Mom and her fancy machine did the button holes, etc. The pattern instructions are obtuse to say the least, so mom had to do a lot of translating. In the end, the dress fits and looks pretty good. More importantly, I got to spend some time with my mom and learned enough of the basics I think to start the voyage of sewing my own clothes. Until the next project!
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Author: Leah BartlettLover of projects, big and small! I try to not be intimidated by lack of experience/skill/know-how. Archives
September 2018
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