DIY: Success? Or fail?

Remember how I was going to test my DIY motivation by making a maxi skirt? Well... I did it! DIY: Success! :) I got this idea when I was searching Pinterest one day, and I found the BEST tutorial EVER. This lady had step by step pictures and everything, which was perfect for me because I'm kind of a visual learner. So... I got my bright orange fabric on... Tuesday, I think? Then last night I conquered my biggest fear: sewing. Actually, that's not really my biggest fear. My biggest fear is spiders, closely followed by my strange phobia of getting the hiccups and not being able to get rid of them, which could happen. Have you seen the Guinness Book of World Records where that guy had the hiccups for 9 years, or something like that? Yep. It could happen. Anyway. Sewing.

I started by drawing and cutting out my pattern. Let me tell you, I was so proud of my pattern making skills.

Next I laid out my fabric on the kitchen floor and struggled to pin and cut my fabric without stretching it too much, as it was jersey knit fabric. SUPER DUPER STRETCHY! All of that took forever. I seriously thought I might die of old age before completely this basic, and vital, part of making my skirt. But I endured!

I then sewed the waist band pieces together, and the skirt pieces together, then I started sewing the waist band onto the skirt portion.

I got halfway around when I realized... "Oops. I didn't put elastic thread in the bobbin." So I got to use the seam ripper!! Yay! Not. I was so frustrated! It took about 10 minutes to rip the seam out. Ah the joys of mistakes made, and lessons learned. (We'll get to that later.)

After putting the correct type of thread into the machine, I continued to press onward! I attached my waist band to the skirt, and then I was almost done! I then got to the lovely task of hemming my skirt. Hemming is the bane of my existence. Well, not really. But almost. I guess that means that I need to practice. But I hemmed my skirt successfully after much trial and tribulation! 

And then... I was finished!!! :)

So, what do you think? I think it's a success. And, in fact, I am going to continue to DIM (Do It Myself). 

Lessons Learned:

     -Jersey knit is super ridiculous to work with. Only work with it when you're feeling extremely ambitious.

     -Always follow directions exactly, and read the directions before continuing on to the next step. This will help you avoid errors and back tracking.

     -When cutting out fabric on the floor, lock the cat in a room so that she doesn't get over excited and try to rip it to shreds.

     -Don't stay up until 1 in the morning sewing, because then you can not get up and run.

 And last, but certainly not least...

     -Orange. It is a beautiful color. And I don't care what anybody says. It is one of the 5 best colors that exist on our planet. (The other are yellow, green, blue, and white.)

That is all! Just remember, never underestimate your abilities, and endurance is key. Never give up! :)

Love-

Rachel :)

PS. This is where I found the tutorial:
              http://elleapparel.blogspot.com/2011/09/maxi.html