Over the hump...or should I say, collar

SUCCESS!

Well, kind of.

Since I'm having technical difficulties with my laptop (and I don't know why, but using the kid's machine at the moment), I decided that it was a good time to try with the icky part of this pattern on the tunic. Egads! I had JC take a look at it, and he was a little more befuddled than I was, but as we went through it together, it finally clicked as to what the mental holdup in understanding the pattern was. I think, in my head, I was sewing something down when I was only partially sewing it down, then I needed to flip that part inside out, then press, THEN sew it again. Once the concept clicked as to what I was doing, I set out to work.

It's not perfect (of course not!), but the collar has been set in, and it is done! Hooray! Now that I understand how that works, the directions on the armbands should go a little more smoothly.

Man, and this is a beginner project? Anyway, so the collar is done, and I did the side seams as well. And the garment still fits! I was afraid that it wouldn't, but it's actually a little bit too big in spots. The fit isn't fabulous either. Well, I told you I was trying to adapt a pattern to a size off the chart-- literally! I put it on and JC commented that the darts (although he didn't know what to call them, understandably) were placed a little too high for someone as well endowed as me. It's true, but that's part of the learning curve, I suppose. I guess I have to hike up my bra more when I wear this! LOL It's also a little too wide, but I can take it in a little. Better too wide than not wide enough, right? Of course, I made the argument that this is why I needed a dressform. ;-) JC rolled his eyes at that, but when I mentioned the duct tape version of one that's posted on the web, he seemed game for that. I think that's his kind of project, y'know.

So, I'm feeling a little better about the project right now. All that's left is the armbands and the hem, and then I'm done my first garment! Woo Hoo!

I've decided that after the tunic is done, I need to forego the curtains for just a little bit, and work on the tote bag that I was going to make for my friend Lynn. She doesn't know I'm making it, but now that I've made one tote bag, and now I'm almost done the more complicated tunic, I'm feeling a little more confident about making her tote bag. It's going to be blue and green polka dots, and I think I'm going to make it bigger than the original one that I made, so it can fit a towel, a couple magazines, a paperback and a little change purse. A bit ambitious, I know, but I think I can do it. She doesn't know that I'm making it, but I would like to get it done in the next week or so, because her birthday is a little more than a week and a half away! Also, she is going to the beach shortly afterwards, so I wanted to have it ready for then.

Feeling better tonight...at least with my sewing.