Outfit 023 | Sewing Project

In my mind, Fall starts in September. I grew up in a place where after August, temperatures start to cool, and a few leaves begin to paint a warmer portrait.  Growing up, the beginning of September meant the end of summer vacation; Fall meant back-to-school. It's hard to escape these hard-wired and happy associations, and that's why -- despite it still being in the mid 90s in Florida --  to me, Fall has started. This feeling is what inspired this project: a pinafore that would be perfect for apple-picking, or taking a walk just to step on crunchy leaves. It's perfect for layering over sweaters and paired with cozy, knit socks. It's perfect for Fall, even if that picturesque Fall is just in my mind.

This pretty pinafore is riddled with mistakes (but I'm hoping that if I hadn't told you that -- you wouldn't have known). First off, I sewed the pockets on top of the seam instead of between, which meant that they weren't pockets so much as non-functional decorative flaps. As enticing as that sounds, I really wanted pockets, so I ripped them out and re-sewed. This time they were actually pockets: yay! However, I sewed one of them backwards, which is slightly unsettling experience when you reach in a pocket- but doesn't render it unusable. My programmer boyfriend kindly pointed out to me that in coding, you call this unique trait a feature. I dig that. 

I had to make a few modifications to this pattern, some which I think resulted in the need for others. I really wanted to lengthen the skirt, but due to the width of my fabric, I had to split the front panel into two pieces and slightly reduce the width of the skirt panels. The skirt retained its flowy-ness and I don't mind the front seam. It did slightly pleat at the center point, but I don't hate that either. Because I reduced the width of the skirt, I didn't need to gather at the waistband, which lead the waist being way too big. No kidding, the waist was probably about 5-6 inches too big. And because I don't make mock-ups, I found this out after construction  (I still have no plans to make mock-ups, call me a fool). But not to fear, I took in the waistband on the sides of the front chest, and now it fits perfectly. Take that, mock-ups!

The final modifications I made to this pattern were simple ones: I left off the front pocket (just an aesthetic choice) and finished the back waist with a hook-and-eye rather than a button.

While I suffered a bit to take these photos while wearing a sweater (that's commitment, friends) I think it will be a couple months before I can properly wear this autumnal combination. Until then, this pinafore and I will be dreaming of cooler days and changing leaves.

Pattern: K4138