kcw day five: fabric cutting and pre-sewing

January 31st, 2014

pants from pants

I am plodding along this KCW. Some days sewing is simply a pleasure, but this week it seems more like a chore. Creative energy is an odd thing: it comes and goes, it can perk you up like coffee, or destroy you when it’s not there. I’m happy to say, I am putting in my hour every day. Even though I’m a little grumpy when I do it.

kcw pre-sewing

So what have I done? So far made some piles and traced a bunch of fabric. Then yesterday I cut out all my fabric. There was a bit of upcycling happening–old man pants => little man pants. And today I did some pre-sewing. I’m not sure that’s actually a thing, but let’s make it one. Pre-sewing: all the little sewing you need to do before you get to the big sewing. My pre-sewing today was pockets and piping, hoods and darts,  an elbow pad or two thrown in there somewhere. You get the picture.

How is your creative energy these days? Running on high? Non-existent? Hiding?

14 Responses to kcw day five: fabric cutting and pre-sewing

  1. Jane says:

    ” Even though I’m a little grumpy when I do it.” Hahahaha! :) I feel the same way ;)

  2. Karin says:

    I tel myself at night to sew for an hour and last night it turned into three. And, I find myself sewing everything with silver/grey or dark blue thread. Is that how you get all that pre-sewing done by using the same color for everything?

    • meg says:

      to be honest, I rarely match my thread to the project. Unless I’m going for a certain look I sew everything with light gray :)

  3. Brienne says:

    There was some lip bloodying here this morning… Guess the kids are over their “free time” but I’ve enjoyed sewing this week. It’s exciting to see all of the upcycling, Meg – is there a new theme emerging? January is the perfect time for that.

  4. Tara Faul says:

    My creative energy got sucked into a vortex when my boob started hurting.

  5. KerryQ says:

    I’ve had the flu for 10 days! So I’m going to have a kcw-do-over when I feel better. It’s lovely to see everyone’s projects though.

  6. Monica says:

    Pre-sewing…I like it. My creativity typically comes when I’m creating, so if I’m not in the mood or lacking it, forget it. It’s like a desert. This week has been nice in that I got a couple things done that the kids needed, but it felt like I was swimming against the current on the creative vibe. Exhausting! It’s always great to be a part of KCW, though, and the best part is next week, when I look at everything and get incredibly inspired.

  7. erin says:

    oy. i have some lizzy house fabric set aside to make two pairs of pj shorts and i cannot bring myself to print, assemble and trace the flipping pattern. maybe it’s because my kids are adult sized with teenage opinions? who knows.

  8. tara says:

    I guess I’m in pre-pre-pre-sewing. ;) Also known as “cleaning up my sewing room so it’s livable again.” I don’t have much time for sewing right now, but I’ve been spending 5-10 minutes a day just organizing and putting away fabric so that when I do have a chunk of time, I can get right to work in clean space! And meanwhile I’m pinning sewing projects like it’s going out of style, ha ha.

  9. Sarah Helene says:

    YOU ARE AMBITIOUS on “kcw day 5” with cutting for re-purposing clothes & then sewing different clothing items. THINKING “GREEN” is FABULOUS! I see plaid, stripes, pastel pink plus the tan corduroy fabrics. So I’m anxious to see the finished outfits…. your photo shoot soon, right? Sarah Helene, Minneapolis, MN

  10. Nienke says:

    You’re doing a good job then, quietly working on! Over here, I’m slowly gettin in the mood… My first project was very cute, but didn’t give me that “sewing high”, but after that I made some leggings and a Bimaa that got my creative energy going again ;-) A Little Betty top is all cut out, hope to sew that one up tomorrow, to finish this KCW!

  11. Shannon says:

    I love your process posts. It make it seem so much more real, ya know? It is usually rare that I get a finished, beautiful garment in an hour. But thats not what its about, right? Its about getting yourself to your machine and feeling the creative vibe from folks all over the internet. Sadly, I missed out this week. Bummed. Can’t wait to see your final works!

  12. I love the term pre-sewing! I shall adopt it and use it as my own :-) I never seem to sew in a logical fashion and try to sew as many different parts of a garment in one sitting…mostly to cut down on trips to the iron!

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