The perils of a new hobby // Roma Collection by CCP
It might seem a little bit silly and frivolous but it would be nice to have a wardrobe that I look forward to wear. I think that wearing garments that you love and cherish not only helps you give the care they deserve but also makes your day to day life just a little bit lighter. Why else people still dressed up when they were forced (and still are) to stay at home this year? There are so many things that can weigh you down and feel less than good about the outlook of life so why not do this for yourself and wear what you want.
As a someone who spends a lot of time soaking up any information about the way of life of our ancestors, their fashion has slowly rubbed on me as well. However before I can make anything as beautiful as this…
left: The Bar Suit by Christian Dior. Designed in 1947. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
right: Woman’s Overdress, ca. 1760-1770. Victoria and Albert Museum, London
… I need to learn to sew properly. I don’t just mean slapping the seams together and calling it done. No. It is important to understand what you have to do and why, in order to achieve your desired end result. When starting to learn anything new you are often overwhelmed by the information that you just need to know. Which is why I like to make a to-do list - a course of action to steer me in the right direction. At the start of the year for the first time in my life I made a New Years resolution list, i.e., things that I would like to learn to sew this year. Each with different challenges and skill sets so that by end of 2020 I could comfortably call myself a novice seamstress.
First on the list was a skirt. I chose a simple wrap design (not much to worry about the fitting issues there then) from Closet Core Patterns Rome collection. It has been designed for people new to the craft so the instructions were more detailed than you would usually get from a pattern. When I saw the skirt pattern I knew that I would like to make it in linen. Living in Australia a flowy, wrap linen skirt seemed too enticing to pass.
For the sake of practice and because apparently I like to torture myself I made altogether three skirts. First one was made from old bed sheets to learn the techniques and get my head around the pattern. Second was made out of a fabric that I bought at a closing down sale from a online store. As with most things when you buy something from the internet it is like playing Russian roulette - you just never know where the dice will land. Luckily my wallet sustained minimal injuries and I was able to find uses for the culprit. While not the prettiest of skirts, it is very comfortable and so has become my favourite thing to wear at home. The third and final version I made from linen fabric that I purchased from Spotlight. It has a very nice drape and lovely colour however even with all the practices, there are still faults with it. The pocket is gaping out even though there is understitching and the place where the pocket meets the side seam looks like it’s puckered even though when you iron the skirt everything sits nicely. In the end I never throw out my first pancake. I know that the more I try the more I will improve just as my buttonholes did. Even with all it’s faults I still love the end result of my first skirt and look forward wearing it.
After finishing the skirt I realised that there is just enough fabric to make the Cielo top from the same collection. I was hoping that by making both pieces from the same fabric the combination would make outfit look like a nice dress. However the end result was more reminiscent of a nuns wardrobe than anything else. Luckily I found a belt from my teenage year that actually didn’t look too bad.
The top came together a lot quicker and more enjoyable than I expected, probably because there was only half a mock-up made before I decided that I have enough confidence to move along. I was prepared to face the abyss of sleeve-hell however everything came together so smoothly that it came as a surprise. Alas now it is time for the next endeavour.
Summary
Pattern: Closet Core Patterns - Fiore skirt and Cielo top
View: B (skirt) and A (top)
Size: 10 (both)
Fabric: Linen from my local Spotlight
Accompanying drink: Voyager Estate 2018 Chenin blanc
Recommend to a friend: Yes, definitely.
