Sew, What?

I must say: I love all things domestic. Well, the idea of them anyway.

Blouse: Forever 21 (2008)  Skirt: Vintage
Wedges: Payless (2012)  Earrings: Forever 21 (2012)

The idea of being the ideal 50's woman who can sew, cook, bake, clean, garden, have children, etc. sounds fantastic. Fantastic is not a word I would use to describe my skills in the activities above. I can bake, I actually like cleaning, and I like children.

  One thing I am completely helpless at: sewing. I can put a button back on, and stitch a tiny hole, but that's about it. So when I found this skirt, I knew I was in for a doozy. I found this little beauty a couple of weeks ago in a thrift store and instantly fell in love with the color and style of skirt.

 

 I skipped to the dressing room to try this on, praying it would fit. As I stepped into the skirt, I heard a rip noise. No worries, I didn't damage the skirt... I just tore out the hem with my foot. How, you ask? Well, the original owner 'hemmed' it using hem tape. And let me tell you: it sure didn't hold up.

 

I went to the checkout counter, undaunted by my new challenge, and prepared myself for a lot of work. Initially, I thought I could try my hand at sewing. After I regained my sanity, I decided taking it to a tailor was a good idea. Until I got the price. $30 to hem a skirt?? So I hustled over to the nearest Walgreens, picked up $3 worth of hem tape, and started experimenting.

My first attempt resulted in me accidentally bonding parts of the front of the skirt together, causing the pleat from hell. Did I mention this skirt is silk? Not the ideal fabric for hem tape. My second attempt resulted in the front hem being much higher than the back. It was like a really bad homespun hi/low skirt.

The third attempt? See results above. What do you think? Too short, too long?

An hour and a half, no burns and many curses later, I have myself a skirt. I actually like the idea of the hem tape, as I can figure out what the best length is for me, and tailor it accordingly.

Have you ever bought something that required more work than you originally thought?