First things first, the giveaway winner for all these goodies is Rebecca who said, Oh, I’ve been wanting a white ruffled tank for myself – that fabric would be perfect! And what a great selection of patterns, thanks for the chance! Congrats Rebecca and cute blog! I will be in contact with you shortly!
Ok, so after my last post about sewing for myself I received a ton of emails about how all of you want to sew more for yourselves. So why aren’t we? Almost all of you have the same reason as me.
It is because we are not measuring ourselves!
Seriously? It is one little thing that takes only about an hour but makes a huge difference when sewing for yourself. I won’t lie I am there with you. I still have not measured myself either. I pretend to, but never do it the proper way. Of the few dresses that I have made for myself I have had to alter them a lot. And even then some of them are wonky looking because I should have known my proper measurements to begin with. I have one dress that I love but really messed up on the straps. If I would have taken the time to measure myself ahead of time that would not have happened. Now the straps are all crazy looking and well, I never wear the dress. It was such a silly little mistake that could have been prevented. We measure our kiddos all the time, yet we never measure ourselves!
A few weeks ago I purchased the magazine Threads. The whole issue is on fitting, but one article in particular How to Measure UP is all about measuring yourself. There are detailed pictures and descriptions to show you exactly how and where to measure yourself. They same article is on their website which can be found here. Threads even shares a free printable for keeping track of your measurements. Yes, once you take your measurements you will need to write them down!
So now we have no excuses ladies! Ok, so maybe we still have one. We all know that someone else has to measure us in order to get the correct measurements and well all l I can say for that one is…WINE. Just grab a glass (or a bottle) along your man and get measuring! A well fitting garment will not only make you look better but also feel better. And in my case, I will actually wear the garment that I have made. I know that sewing for myself can be just as rewarding and as fun as sewing for my kiddos. So it is time to start doing it more. I am giving myself one week to get that Measuring Chart is filled out. No excuses!
So are you with me? If you are, head on over and read the How To Measure Up article. Then gather the few items that are required. Don’t worry they are items you already have around the house and if you don’t…improvise. Don’t forget to print off the Measurement Chart. I suggest printing off two. One to keep in your sewing bag and one to keep with your patterns. Then get measuring!
Hopefully we can encourage one another to do this one little thing that has been so hard to do. Once it is done then we can start sewing for ourselves!
Thank-you so much for the giveaway win! I’ve been wanting to sew for myself, and this is just the push to get started!
I am getting back into sewing for myself after years of sewing for my children from baby to prom dresses. Fitting is the most challenging part. I have found that, even with accurate measurements, there can still be problems. Often the pattern envelope measurements aren’t matching up to what you actually get on the pattern. I have had some luck comparing the pattern pieces to a similar ready to wear item that fits me comfortably. That said, I am still working on my “slow blouse” trying to get the fit just so. I’m hoping to get it done tomorrow – finally. And hoping it finally fits just right! 🙂
Thanks for the tips. Knowing what size I am is always frustrating.
I am going to print out the chart, and get going on it. Because I am like you. Unless it fits just right, I won’t wear it.