This is one of those annoying outfits that just have
“something” wrong that keeps me from wearing it on a regular basis.
Made quite some time ago. The fabric … a rather thin knit that wants to
masquerade as leather. I just had to have
it. Unfortunately, it’s a rather boring
brown. It became a 2-piece “dress”,
because …. that’s so much more versatile than a real dress, right? The top – my usual Pamela’s Patterns
t-shirt. The skirt – McCall’s
5523 (OOP, but still available).
I remember being thrilled that the fabric held a perfect crease for the
pleats at the back.
Then I was
not-so-thrilled that the zipper decided to sport a blip at the bottom despite
all my precautions of interfacing the seam allowance, etc., etc. No amount of steaming or any other tricks
helped. (If this was wool, that zipper
bottom would have been PERFECT!) Well,
before I did any really serious
damage to the fabric, I decided to just leave it alone. I figured I’d always wear a jacket or
cardigan with this skirt, so no-one would ever see my backside anyway. The waistband decided to stretch out, despite
my best efforts of interfacing and stabilizing.
No problem. I just threaded an
elastic through, to keep the skirt from sliding down to my hips. I’ll just always wear a belt to cover that
unsightly mess. So far, so good.
What I had was a less-than-perfect, very
boring brown outfit. It needed some
embellishment. I came across some
iron-on metal stud thingies.
An opportunity to use my
gadget for applying hot glue crystals and studs! Never mind that it took me – hmmm – a while
to get up the nerve to actually apply the studs. The thought that I might make an irreversible
mistake with hot glue on the front of my outfit made me put off doing it. Eventually I did get up the nerve. I was not impressed with the fact that the
glue actually seeped out beyond the edges of some of the studs. OK – I can live with that. Not too, too bad. So you’d think that finally, with everything in place I could wear and wear this outfit
– it works quite well with an “interesting jacket. Not so.
Every time I wear these pieces, one or more of the studs come
loose. I’ve even lost a stud. (Good thing I still have replacements!) This is just downright annoying. I think that I’ve figured out the
problem. The fabric is stretchy. The studs – not so much. Obviously the glue (despite my meticulous application) is not as
strong/ doesn’t actually seep into the fabric to keep the studs really permanently in place. So – lesson learned. Hot glue embellishments are best left for
woven (non-stretchy) fabrics (but I think I'll leave my clothes alone). I would
have probably been far better off with sewn-on embellishments. Peeling off the studs will only leave
unsightly spots. I’ll wear these pieces
in a pinch, but they’re definitely not a favourite. I hate having to go through the day worrying
about having bits of metal raining off of me.
I obviously need to stop acquiring fabric because it looks/feels “neat”.