Cross-Back Apron

I've declared victory on my first self-sewn piece of clothing! I'll be honest, although it looks pretty and innocent on the hanger, it's almost virtuosic in how unflatteringly wonky it looks worn. Alas, as an apron it gets the job done. I have a dirty confession though, I didn't prewash the fabric because a) I was in a hurry (was trying to get it finished for a paper flower class, since I'd glued myself pretty aggressively on day one) and b) I was curious about how fabric changed shape before/after washing and this was a low-stakes experiment (it can't get any worse looking).

Pattern: Cross-back apron from Making magazine no.4 (Lines)

New skills: Taking measurements, mitered corners

Lessons: Boxy clothing might not work super well when you have *hips*. More investigation needed.

Pressing makes mitered corners so much easier.

Seam gauges are a life saver.

Extra attention needs to be paid when you have fabric with no obvious right/wrong side - I very nearly sewed the facing on the wrong way, but caught myself just beforehand.

What I'd do differently: Read a more thorough tutorial on mitered corners. Mine are ok, but not perfect.

Prototype in muslin first before using more precious fabrics - in this case it wasn't a big deal, but it's a good note for the future.

Create a dress form to allow for more accurate fitting.

Spring Branch

Two weekends ago I took @lmdolan75's wonderful class and learned how to make branches, leaves, and nests from crepe paper. Papercraft definitely induces a flow state, playing to my love of plants, finicky details, and getting absolutely coated in Aleene's Tacky Glue.

New skills: Sculpting & wrapping armature wire, making leaves, acorns, nests

Lessons: It takes a lot of time and care to achieve perfect imperfection. Templates are useful, but freeform cutting better replicates the ordered chaos of nature.

Pay more attention to plants on walks & take pictures of the back of branches & flowers - much like drawing, there's a subtle difference between what you see and what you think you see.

A little bit of chalk pastel does wonders in making leaves look more realistic.

The natural ridges in crepe paper makes lovely bark.

What I'd do differently: Next time I'd like to pay a bit more attention to segments where branches intersect & the texture of bark on larger branches v. smaller twigs.