Why the Rubys never were

Maybe it was the fabric, maybe it was the pattern, or maybe I was just way too optimistic, but regardless my Rubies were not mean to be. The Ruby Short Sew-Along was hosted by Lisette of What Would Nancy Drew Wear? (formerly Vintage or Bust!).

Let me start by saying that I wanted these shorts to be fabulous, I really did. So much so that I actually made a muslin, from a 100% cotton print. I think that is where the trouble began.

I cut and stitched up a straight 38 based on my measurements. The muslin let me know to take in the waist at the top a bit more, so I made the back darts a tad more severe and folded over a little bit of ease at the top. This should have made the shorts perfect.

Perfect, ha.

My fashion fabric was probably the cause of everything.

This is how the fabric looked once the grain was lined up. The entire cut was crooked and somehow the grainline was screwy. This fabric, though a medium weight, was also quite slippery. I took extreme precaution when cutting it for this exact reason, to no avail.

None of the pieces matched up properly, the markings were off, and each piece's fabric was a different length. I have no idea when this all happened, because I was ridiculously careful cutting this from-hell fabric. 

These photos are as far as the Rubys got before I gave up. The fit was terrible. I had to take larger and larger seam allowances for them to fit, and then the legs suddenly gained volume and started to flare in a really unflattering way. 

I think the major issue was the fabric I choose. The pattern is very good, and lots of BurdaStyle members have had success with it. So far as the other sew-alongers...

Ali's turned out gorgeous

Nancy apparently has hers finished and is apparently withholding photos 

I'm not sure about Eleanor's Ruby-status 

Lisette is near-finishing and hers are looking cute and crabby

I hope that the other stitchers will end up with great shorts from this pattern. I can't see myself trying them again, however, simply because of the trauma of this experience. 

On the bright side, the Trench Coat Sew-Along round 2 is alive and pattern discussion is well underway. I've chosen Vogue 8623 - a peacoat-length style with a huge collar and back pleats. I also succumbed to fabric-sale pressure and ordered (among other things) Tropical Worsted Wool Suiting in ivory and grey from fabric.com's recent deal-of-the-day special.

I'm happily trotting around Switzerland, still. I leave for Germany early Monday Morning and will be in Spain the following week. Tough life :)

Update; Me-Made-May-Lite, Ruby Shorts & Trench coats

Me-Made-May is ending soon, thank goodness. I have been keeping up with the Lite pledge, even after my slip up last week. My outfits are dreadfully the same, so I'm not even going to bother posting about them anymore. Suffice it to say that the McCall's striped tank and my pillowcase skirt get the most wear, by far.

My Ruby Shorts are suppose to be done today, it I don't think I'm going to make that deadline. I spent a day making a muslin and fitting them. Nothing too bad, I just took in a tad at the waist and made the booty-darts more severe to fit my rear. My polysomething is slowing the process down, too, as it does NOT press and is impossible to pin accurately. If I get my way, I'll have the back pockets sewn on and all of the machine-sewing done by tonight. Hopefully I can do some of the hand sewing (buttonholes & buttons) while I babysit tomorrow morning. Thats the plan, at least.

I joined another sew-along! The Trench Sew-Along is hosted by Elizabeth of Sew A Beginner. We are not limited to trenches - she has opened up the blogroll for anyone who wants to sew a jacket/coat/outerwear type of garment. I'm thinking Vogue 8623 for my peacoat, but I will of course look at other patterns and read some reviews before I decide.

After my ruby shorts I'll finish McCall's 6121. I cut it out earlier this week and it's really only a few stitches, a nice evening project. I purchased a "few" patterns today at JoAnn's memorial day sale (Simplicity patterns 5 for $5 - uh, yeah, I was so there!) and have fabric for most of them, so I'll post about those later and let you guys pick my next project!

MMML Days 18, 19 & 20 AND a sew-along!

No photos for the past few days. My outfits have just been repeats.

May 18th - White tank, New Look 6178 border print wrap skirt, gross hair and stinky old flip flops

May 19th - Plain black T shirt, pillow case skirt, gross hair and fancy earrings. Gotta try to compensate, you know?

May 20th - Ok, I was out of clean clothes. After some quick dryer-fluffing and an iron, I threw on McCall's 5853 tank and some jeans...

Unfortunately, I had to break my Me-Made pledge for about 2 hours this afternoon. The Scottsdale Sister Cities Jr. Board's last meeting of the year was this afternoon and it didn't occur to me to sew something specifically for it. I couldn't find anything that would fit into business attire. I'm so sorry, I had to do it, but I wore a RTW blue collared button up and black slacks.

This slip up is going to be referred to as a "learning experience" because I've come to realize that I need to sew a more diverse range of garments, and/or more versatile ones. Then again, I haven't been sewing long so maybe it's just natural that I haven't made my way to more structured garments yet.

In other news, I'm participating in a Sew-Along! Lisette of Vintage or Bust! is hosting a sew-along of the BurdaStyle Ruby shorts. We're to cut Tuesday and start sewing Wednesday. I haven't even decided on fabric!

BurdaStyle member nuiwida23's recycled version. So retro and cute!

I have an orange corduroy that would be really cool with colorful buttons, but I'm thinking the fabric is too heavy for shorts.  Maybe I'll use some lightweight quilting cotton a friend's mom gave me, in tannish tones? I want to sew shorts I'll wear. I absolutely hate shorts as is and basically never wear or buy them, mostly because I think they're unflattering on my legs. That is a huge reason why I'm participating, however, because hopefully I'll be able to alter them to fit in whatever ways I need and end up with shorts that I'm more comfortable in than RTW.

Earlier today I printed, cut and tapped the new fabric.com free pattern - Hot Patterns Peachy Beachy Coverup. I went to cut into a lightweight purple cotton, and discovered that I had significantly less of the fabric than I thought.

I really need to develop a bit of a stash. I'm reluctant to buy much online though, because I'm sure I'll come home from Europe with some treasures. I mean, there is bound to be a fabric store somewhere in London, right?