I was just digging around in a box looking for my rotary cutter (which got put away somewhere among my craft stuff a bit too carefully last time I cleaned the house top-to-bottom), when I accidentally found something at the bottom of an old scrap bag. I am now laughing hysterically. I didn’t think I still had it, but here we are. Everyone, this is my first refashion project ever, from way back in childhood when my sewing skills were absolutely nil. Ready?
I was eleven; I even drew a picture in my diary of myself wearing this. The household I grew up in was exuberantly creative, but everything was very freeform, which meant in practice that we always had a ton of craft supplies lying around for any of a dozen or more activities. No one had a sewing machine, but I latched onto the idea that I could make clothes for myself, couldn’t I?
Here’s how that went:
- Somewhere in the house I found an old crib sheet from the ’80s, very pilled.
- It was enough fabric for a top!
- I could reuse it and have something I made myself!
- So I cut two rectangles.
- And then realised I needed a neckhole, so I cut out one of those on both pieces.
- I went looking for something to sew with and found only a bright yellow embroidery thread and a tapestry needle. Better than nothing!
- I deduced that the shoulders needed to stay together, so I reinvented the whipstitch to hold them together.
- I further worked out that the sides also needed to stay together, except where my arms would need to come out. Tricky!
- So I whipstitched up the sides and then stopped most of the way up so that I could stick my arms through the top of the sides.
- Done!
As I recall, I wore this around the house once to show off, then took it off for good. I mean, I don’t have any contempt for the self-confident child who made this thing; however, I appreciate the fact that my sewing skills have since improved, which is to say that they have come into existence.
Punchline: I don’t know whether the drawing still exists, but I went into the Word document where I long ago transcribed all the text in my childhood diary, mainly as backup. I did find what I think is the preceding entry, in which I am contemplating making a pair of slippers for myself.
[...] I want a sewing machine. Or at least rent one.
Plus ça change and all that.
Behold the Thing 