handmade

I had a day off last week and whenever I have all day to myself, I am the least productive. The other day was no exception. I got nothing done and the day just went by, and I got really  frustrated with myself. So I decided to make the bloomer using the free Colette Pattern. It had been in my to-make list forever, so I thought I would give it a try. The bloomer looks really cute, and it looks like a perfect alternative of PJ on hot summer days. I was thinking that this will be done in an hour, just in time for Andy to come home from his grapplng session.

Printing out the patterns and cutting out the pieces went well. It took less than 15 minutes. But  after that it went down hill. First of all, the crotch length did not line up. The front crotch length was about 1.5 inches longer than the back, and I started to think I cut out the wrong patterns. I checked but it seemed like everything I did was according to the pattern instructions. So when hemming, I had to adjust the length so that front and back length to make them even. After I finished making the bloomer, I was really curious whether I’ve done something wrong or the pattern was made this way. It turned out this reviewer said the same thing about the length, so if you are planning on making the bloomer, I’d recommend adjusting the length before cutting the fabric.

Then the next difficulty was the rows of elastic castings. It took forever, and it was frustrating because the seam allowances inside the castings kept getting stuck to budkin. It literally took me about an hour to finish that part.

The easier alternative to the rows of elastic castings would be a folded over band at waist. These bloomers sit really low on hip, so the folded over band will add the extra couple of inches to the waist line. You can use a wide elastic band as an alternative, perhaps 1/5″ width elastic band.

So these bloomers should have been my instant gratification, but it turned out to be a three hour project. Sigh. But I do love the look of the bloomers, and I made a second one as well in house print, left over from this dress.