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I’m happy because this month, I managed to motivate myself and do a bit more than usual.
Shirt
Let’s start with a cotton poplin shirt. The model is “Place Colette” from La Droguerie.
What I like about La Droguerie is that the patterns come pre-printed in color on A0 paper, so they’re ready to use. It’s a very classic shirt with two bust darts, a standard collar, and hidden plackets I’m learning to make for the first time. This is also my first time sewing long sleeves with cuffs. I completely botched the cuffs and don’t feel capable of unpicking them, but at least the collar turned out okay. I even modified the pattern slightly to have slightly wider button plackets and a shorter shirt.
The fabric used is the same as for JB’s shirt but in a different color, that’s all. I bought it from My Little Coupon for €29.40 for 3 meters.
- Color: Off-white
- Width: 150cm
- Composition: 100% Cotton
- Weight: 190g/ml – 126g/m²
I’m not very happy with the finishing details—mistakes on the collar and cuffs, and the sleeve length… they’re all too visible, so this shirt will never be finished. I’ll make another one.
I admit that after only four months, I’m seriously wondering if I completely lack talent and dexterity. The clothes I make are barely wearable and look worse than Shein quality. More importantly, I don’t enjoy sitting in front of the sewing machine.
It was when I created a pattern by copying the design of my favorite T-shirt and sewed it in cotton muslin to test the fit that I had a breakthrough. Since it was a muslin, I didn’t care about finishing, sewed quickly, and really enjoyed the experience. I realized I was focusing too much on perfect finishes, aiming for perfection (which I can’t achieve yet), and that was frustrating and demotivating. But if I keep sewing and making mistakes, I’ll eventually reach perfection while enjoying the process during my learning journey.
Viscose & Linen Set Inspired by Sézane
My sister is interested in this set, but it’s no longer available in her size. Even after checking the Sézane store in Lille, I couldn’t find it. So I decided to sew it for her.
Sézane uses fabric made of 61% Linen, 36% Viscose, 3% Elastane. I found a somewhat similar fabric, slightly less prone to wrinkling, from Craftine: “Washed Linen Viscose Fabric – Terracotta.” On the website, it looked more orange, but when I received it, it seemed a bit more pink.
- Composition: 70% Viscose, 30% Linen
- Weight: 230 g/m²
- Certification: Oeko-Tex Standard 100
- Color: Terracotta
The skirt was no problem. I cut and sewed it in one afternoon. Even though it took me three test pieces to finally sew an invisible zipper, it’s more or less invisible. Not perfect, but it works.
For the top, I made a muslin first and realized my homemade pattern wasn’t that great. Then I tried a pattern from Etsy, but the photo didn’t match the actual pattern. I sewed the Etsy version and ended up giving up—it wasn’t good. The seller apologized and sent a new pattern, which still didn’t work. The third time was the charm. I went back to my homemade pattern and adjusted it a bit. It was my third time sewing a facing, and this time it worked!
That’s the secret to sewing: the cotton muslin isn’t just to check the pattern, it’s a study piece where you can make all your mistakes. You learn new techniques, mess up several times… but without pressure. Then when you sew the real garment, it’s automatic, no more mistakes, and you enjoy it. From now on, I’ll always make a muslin version and a test version with the real fabric (since I lack experience, I need to work on the real fabric longer to adjust the machine settings and learn how to handle it).
I thought I’d struggle with this fabric, but it was actually very pleasant to sew. However, while cleaning the sewing machine, I didn’t put the bobbin back properly, which caused 5–6 needles to break 🙁
When I added the buttonholes and buttons, I placed them wrong, and the top ended up slightly open at the chest. I had to add a hidden button.
Nothing is perfect yet, but I think it’s a set my sister can wear because the flaws are only visible on the inside. If I had a serger, the finishing on this fabric would have been flawless.
Anyway, I’m happy I finally found a trick to enjoy my long sewing sessions more: no pressure, and accepting the flaws, because sewing is mostly about experience—you just have to do, redo… Next time, for the shirt/blouse collar & for the serger, I’ll take the time to go to my local sewing shop to rent a professional sewing machine & a serger.
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