Pattern Giveaway – Wardrobe by Me – Christina Albeck
**As part of Itch to Stitch’s one-year birthday celebration, one featured designer will be giving away two patterns each day.**
Thanks to those who shared with us your sewing mentors yesterday. Isn’t it great to think about how others helped us along the way? I hope you take the opportunity to thank that person. One winner gets to take home two sewing patterns, Syrah Skirt and Foxglove Tank, from BASTE + GATHER, and that person is…Rowan B. I will contact you, Rowan. Congrats!
There are many people who helped me throughout my year of pattern making. That’s why toady I’d like to feature Christina from Wardrobe by Me. Christina is a veteran pattern designer with 20 years of experience in the ready-to-wear industry. Recently she launched her patterns to the sew-at-home market. So her patterns are the real deal! You know that you would get the great-fitting garments from her high-quality patterns.
Christina always made herself available for questions from the new comers. I am grateful for her advice and help.
And she is generously giving away two patterns to one lucky winner. If you’d like to win the patterns, please comment and tell us the most difficult piece of garment that you sewed and conquered. I will pick a winner tomorrow.
Wardrobe by Me – The Mirri Wrap Dress
Wardrobe by Me – The Haute Skinny Skirt
Colette negroni
The hardest thing I sewed was a faux leather bag with multiple pockets for a swap ! I thought my sewing machine would brake at any stitch !
A front fly zipper& thanks to wonderful instructions by Kennis…I did it!
I tried to make chiffon table runners for my daughter’s wedding this summer. The fabric was very uncooperative. I ended on skipping the bias bindingand made rolled hems. They still turned out terrific!
A formal dress for my daughter with only a sketch of what she wanted.
I think the most difficult was the Amanda Dress for my daughter…All the narrow bias tape was rather finicky!
It seems silly now, but one of the first projects I tackled was the Olivia Portrait dress. Well actually two of them for my two girls. Now I look back and they aren’t that complicated, but when all I had sewed before was leggings, they seemed so complex.
i did costumes for a school play – nothing super difficult, but the sheer volume of things to sew seemed impossible!
A dress made from guipure lace – full of holes and so had to be underlined and lined.
I think I am currently on my hardest project yet. It is a baby’s dress romper with set-in sleeves and back zipper. The pattern doesn’t call for a lining but I want to add one in, but I have no clue how to add set-in unlined sleeves to a lined bodice while hiding all the raw edges, while adding in a zipper. I think this is a testament to how far I’ve come in sewing and trusting myself to figure it out (along with my new seam ripper). Thank goodness my mom is visiting for the next few days!!!
I think my most difficult make was my wedding dress I made this year. While it might not have been the hardest technique wise, it had so much riding on it, the stress made it so important and difficult.
I’ve been learning to sew with knits this year – my first t shirt was a disaster, but the next came out so well. I’ve made some little jersey dresses for my daughter which I’m so proud of and she loves wearing
My most challenging make was a pair of leggings to run in. I had just decided to dust off my sewing machine having not sewn for about 20years and jumped right in to make these. The first go was a complete disaster as I couldn’t get them on! I do now have a pair that I can wear but the best bit about this experience was how much I learnt, both about sewing and my personality!
Having not sewn very long the most challenging by far was the Marbella dress – it’s the first and only time to date I have done princess seams – getting the pieces to fit together without funny puckers was difficult, the seam ripper was in action a lot. I made the decision to line the dress before attempting those seams – only got it done in the end from sheer determination. Whew!
I made a coat for my girl. It had about 40 pattern pieces, i had to be very patient but the result was fabulous…
My biggest challenge was sewing a bathing suit for myself as part of a testing group. I not only had to figure out spandex swim fabric, I had to do it (and then wear it) with a group of other home sewists watching. Fortunately, that group was incredibly supportive and friendly, I worked out the kinks with my sewing machine, learned a few new things, and put on my big girl pants (or swim bottoms) and posed for some promo pictures. It was definitely a challenging sew, both mentally and skillwise, but I don’t regret doing it! I gained new skills and confidence.
The most difficult item I sewed and conquered was a denim jacket that was inspired by a Balmain jacket. Eight zippers, six snaps, eight belts, quilted sides and shoulders, fully lined, and no pattern or instructions. I was determined to make it.
I made pants. Not perfect but wearable.
sewed a princess tutu dress that has 6 layers of tutu with satin bodice that doesn’t make the little one itch! Took forever to cut the tulle and conceptualize the pattern!
The most difficult thing I did was completing my first placket for the mila top and it was much easier than I thought – and felt like a badass when I finished! 😛
The most difficult project I have seen and mastered was my wedding dress. It had huge ‘leg of mutton’ ( I think that’s what they were called) that were terrible. Thankfully my Mum helped me redraft and insert them so that they looked a lot better.
Probably the most difficult item I’ve made was my wedding dress. And that was because I couldn’t just sew up the pattern but had an exact picture in my head of what my dress should look like and used 3 patterns and my own hand drawing to accomplish it! Also, pinning and hemming your own dress doesn’t work. My mom pinned it with me standing in thick carpet (and I didn’t realize it at the time) so the front of my dress ended up too short but…it was done in time for the wedding (barely)!
My most difficult piece was pleated full circle skirt. The hard part was sewing in the lining, while at the same time making sure the waistband, invisible zipper and the actual skirt were all coming together nicely. It was my 5th or so attempt to sew a garment, and I hadn’t successfully lined any garment before.
The pattern instructions were not to clear about sewing in lining, so I had to figure out that part by myself. I used bias tape to finish a bunch of raw edges on the inside. I was afraid it would be very bulky and the bias tape didn’t even match, but in the end it looked really neat and a lot more professional than I would have hoped.
I think that the hardest thing that I have sewn is a little blazer for my son (a toddler). It was very difficult for me because of the size (tiny sleeves are a pain to sew on a machine) and the material I chose to make the lining with was a sateen.
The most difficult garment I’ve sewn was a ruffled dress for my sweet niece. The dress itself wasn’t all that difficult to sew, but the fact that my niece lives 18 hours away from me and I decided to use her body measurements rather than an actual pattern definitely added to the complexity of the project!
A dress made entirely out of chiffon with pongee lining. That was some challenge it had two layers of circle skirt and flutter sleeves. Fabric snagged, slipped, puckered, got lost in the feed dogs. But i made it, yes I did!
I haven’t been sewing very long, but last month, I decided to make a princess seamed dress with zipper and buttons… on a deadline. It wasn’t a difficult pattern, but I was stressed, and struggled to get it done perfectly in time.
Sewing jeans for my 3-year-old boy was such a learning experience. The worst part was that I thought I was using a jeans needle, but I’d actually switched it out a few days before with a universal needle… and I was wondering why top stitching was going so terribly! So many starts and stops and knotting it by hand on the inside. I even gave up and hand stitched a part of the top stitching. But I’m ready to try again with everything I learned on that pair!
I struggle with anything involving tulle!!
A sillk dress for my graduation! Very thin fabric, but so beautiful
In high school I made most of my own clothing due to lack of shops and my own personal style. One year I needed a tailored suit for an event I was participating in and couldn’t find anything I liked. I made a fitted and lined princess cut jacket in black wool and silk lining. I think I must have cried an ocean of tears getting it to fit correctly. As I recall the worst part was getting the notched collar done correctly. In the end it looked wonderful and fit well. I wore it through the remainder of my high school days and into college. Styles change though and that 80’s cut went by the wayside.
McCalls 5759, a tailored jacket. It’s my favorite piece.
I’ve made a lot of things, but the most challenging was probably a wool jacket I made in high school. It was beyond my abilities at the time and proved to be a real learning experience. I’ve made much more difficult things since, but I don’t remember anything else feeling more difficult.
The most difficult garment I sew was a striped coat, it was very hard to match them, but in the end I got it.
My first coat was hard but now I love making them
The most difficult garment I made was a blouse. I struggled with the slippery fabric and the lower part of the sleeves
Has to be the Elisalex dress!
well, I have not been sewing for long, so I think that everything has been difficult. But I am very proud of a 50’s dress that I have sewn with pockets, invisible zipper, lining and a gingham fabric where I put some parts of the print in a different direction in the bodice for special effect. Thanks to my sewing teacher. It really feels like a great celebration with the blog tour and all the giveaways. Happpy times!
jeans! so hard to find rtw ones that are great & i feared making some would be a flop
the hardest thing I have had to sew was a princess outfit for my granddaughter with cape in lace trimmed in marabou and a tulle petticoat took ages but got there in the end
Funny enough, the most difficult piece I sew was when I tested your Jacqueline Hoodie! But it went so well I was really pleased with my self!
The most difficult garment would be my grandson’s christening gown. I added beading to it and it took me forever to get it just the way I wanted it.
I sewed my wedding dress and had to mash a couple of patterns together and it had an all lace overlay. It was quite a few years ago now. I wore the dress and loved it so I definitely conquered it!
Two dresses for my daughters, for my brother’s wedding – they were lovely butterfly style dresses, with two layers and an arty tie at the back. I was very proud of myself! 🙂
Jeans. I never thought I could make them, especially with my low end machine and concerns about fit,, but I did it and I wear them all the time now.