December makes and my missing sewing mojo

Wondering where I’ve been, yeah me too!  Moving, back issues, house issues, travel and just plain old life have derailed my sewing a little and my blogging completely.

I did sew in December, quite a bit actually.  I made around 30 reusable gift bags from scrap fabric I had on hand.  For Christmas no wrapping paper was bought or used.  Our garbage was noticeably emptier this Christmas after opening gifts and it gave me a huge sense of satisfaction.

My practical piece for the month of December was overalls or dungarees if you are from Australia or England.  I used McCall’s Pattern M7547 and this pattern had a few issues that should be made known before someone tries to make them.

Problem 1 – The waistband is not long enough, it’s a drafting/pattern issue so add length to start with, at least 2 inches.

Problem 2 – If you are tall you’ll need to add at least 3 inches.  I’m 5’9″ and 1 inch of length wasn’t nearly enough.  I have no hem on the bottom because there simply wasn’t enough length.

Problem 3 – The straps are too short, by a lot.  I’d recommend adding at least three inches because it’s easy enough to wack off what isn’t used rather than taking apart the entire back, recutting and resewing the straps before resembling the back.  Yes, that was frustrating.

I love the fit of them, I’m going to sew another pair of pants from this pattern because the ease in the back is literally a perfect fit for me.  I’m curious to see if I like the pants and fit as much without the lift added by the straps.

For my practical piece this month I made a t-shirt.  I loved the shirt when I made it but have since decided I hate the high neck.  I need to make adjustments to the neck line if I’m ever going to make this patten again.

I love the overalls and have worn them quite a bit already but I’m back to the drawing board to find a better fit for a t-shirt pattern.

I’ve already completed my inspiration project for January but I may need to rethink my goals for the year.  What I set in front of myself isn’t interesting to me or keeping me inspired.  That’s hard after such a successful year of sewing.

I need to reclaim my sewing mojo which may mean returning to my one project a week goal.