Cicy's Projects

Soo, the week has come where I completed my first proper big project. The blouse is officially done and ready to be worn.

It has been such a fun experience. I developed this adorable routine, too: I set up the sewing machine. I light my little candle in my oil burner, I pour a couple of drops of citrus oil fragrance on it, and I get down to business. I usually listen to calm jazz music, vintage/retro 1950s background music. It’s a whole vibe, very nice, very calm, very focused.

Here are some lessons I learnt:

• ALWAYS measure the material correctly! The amount of time I had to unpick the stitch because I DIDN’T MEASURE THE MATERIAL CORRECTLY is just sad.

• Put the pins in the correct way. I kept making the mistake of putting the pins sharp end facing me, which meant that when I put the material in the sewing machine, I couldn’t easily pull the pins out, and I literally had to wrestle the machine and material. Wouldn’t recommend, not fun.

• Take the time to understand the material. You can set the machine to make the stitches tighter or looser, and I just went along with the stitch tightness I used before, and didn’t really pick it. This meant that the hemming is a bit tight, it would’ve been much wiser of me to try it out on some unused parts of the material. Next time.

• Think ahead, for the love of all that’s holy, compare the image you have in your head to the cut-out material in front of you. I had a vision of this beautiful, fitted, hip-length blouse, which turned out to be this beautiful, fitted, waist-length blouse. I mean, if only I had looked, I could’ve caught it and made it longer. Again, there is always a next time, now I have learnt my lesson.

The whole process has been much fun, I learnt so much, I laughed and I also got frustrated countless time, but I am now proudly wearing the blouse. I didn’t need it to be perfect, but I needed it to be done. My second project, first big project, I’ll cherish it forever. Off to the next project, I guess.

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things by Robert Brault