Pattern: Sew Liberated Esme Tunic
Fabric: Tartan Brushed Cotton from
Backstitch (bought ages ago)
I’ve been on a bit of a stash busting mission lately, using up fabric I’ve had piled up for ages rather than always buying more. (Read:- this is in reality a money saving drive more than anything..) I bought this fabric last year with several makes in mind – a classic shirt, a slouchy cardi-coat, my stand by style boxy tee, a shirt dress… and eventually, last weekend settled on pairing it up with the Sew Liberated Esme Tunic. Despite this being one of the first patterns I ever bought well over two years ago, and despite loving the style of the top, it had never jumped out at me as something which I simply must make right now. I guess that happens sometimes, you buy a pattern, love it completely, but don’t actually want to make it. Well, in this patterns case, it’s position in my pattern pile has risen. I really really love it. So naturally I really really love this top.
It was a breeze to sew up – one of those makes which I got a huge amount of satisfaction out of finishing the seams perfectly, making the innards as beautiful as the outer. And of course the fabric, as can only be expected with brushed cotton, was a delight to work with; soft, smooth, very little fraying… perfect.
However, do you ever find – and this happens with virtually every make I complete – that there is a period, shortly after finishing a piece, when you’re just a bit ‘meh’ about the whole thing. I tend to follow the same pattern with my projects; initial flurry of planning excitement, concentration phase with the cutting and fitting, initial ‘I really love this’ phase as it starts to come together, and then the final it’s finished and I love it but… I’m not so excited about it anymore. Maybe that’s just normal? This top was no different but this sequence of feelings towards a project seemed somehow sharper, more distinct. My feelings towards my paintings are exactly the same – it is in fact an important part of my creative process; being able to look at something with a hyper critical eye helps to give perspective. This I guess is no different with sewing.
I’d be really interested to hear if any fellow sewers feel this way about their makes.
Anyway, I do love this top now and, as the months draw in, getting colder, it’s going to get a lot of wear. I’m not generally big into wearing shirts, but this style is definitely the exception to the rule – perfect for wearing with jeans as a cosy layer when working in my very cold studio.
That’s all for now – I’m off to have a properly cosy Sunday night – bath, pjs and a lit fire = perfection.
Hannah x
Mousie Makes 
Fab top, I love it in tartan, the placket looks fab and really stands out due the placement. A great top that looks amazing. I go through stages too, it usually hangs on the door for a bit before wearing, I think with me it’s because I work out what could be done better to improve it next time which picks out all the faults, maybe I should stop doing that!
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Thank you Lynsey! I’m glad it’s not just me who goes through these phases with making things – it’s so easy to become a bit of a perfectionist. I’m always so quick to point out all the faults but maybe we should be more prepared to see the great bits first!
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I find I often have a phase partway through sewing where I panic about the make, decide it’s going to turn out horrible and I’ll hate it, and occasionally put it down and pick up something else (although not often, I tend to be a one-project maker). So I normally have the meh phase during making, rather than after I finish it, I think? Although a lot depends on my details – my hems and seam finishes – and if they aren’t that great I tend to finish the project slightly dissatisfied and have to put it aside until it’s less fresh and I can see the good things, not just the imperfections.
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I’m glad it’s not just me. The benefit of a bit of time and distance before going back and looking at/wearing a garment definitely helps. I guess it’s just all part and parcel of making our own clothes and despite these feelings I still get a lot more satisfaction out of making my own than I do from buying ready to wear pieces, so it’s all worth it!
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