Are your makes pretty on the inside?

I had a fantastic weekend and managed to do a lot of things that make me happy. I even did a spot of sewing. But I was ridden with guilt because as I was working on the third instalment of my Tale of Skirts I realised I was still far from finished and I had an urge to work quicker and faster to be able to finally have a finished project to show to you. I haven't shown anything new in quite some time. But then I thought that it is a silly thing to do, I should work at my own pace. More than that is the fact that when I work quickly and rush things I make a less than perfect job and end up only half pleased with the result. So I finally decided on my Sewing Pledge for 2013 and that is to "Be as pretty inside as on the outside".

I want to do beautiful garments that I will love and wear. I want to make things that will last. I want to take time to make a good job and ensure it all fits fine. If I feel rushed I will compromise on seam finishes, buttonholes, fit and ultimately that's not what I want. By taking this pledge I'm reigning myself in and avoiding botchy jobs just to get something finished to show.
So what will you get from me from this pledge:

• Detailed photos on the insides of my future makes, even when it's not as pretty as it should but the effort is there.
• More in progress reports, which I know some of you find boring but they really help me track my own progress.

Now that feels just right! 

Do you ever feel rushed to finish a garment so you can show it on the blog? Does it affect how well you sew and finish the garment? Talk to me!

In construction, other musings and your feedback welcomed!

Sewing has been slow here, but I reckon you already noticed that. It has been slow for quite some time but it's not because my love for it has waned. The reasons are far more annoying but I won't dwell on them. I have been sewing and knitting and have some works in progress.

First my Couture Dress from Crafsty Susan Khalje class. I'm not quite sure when I started this, probably  a year ago. I almost chucked this project to the UFO bin, I'm just not loving it. The class is fantastic and the sewing tuiton by Susan amazing. But I'm not loving the dress. It doesn't help that it's intended to be a work dress, I know...how exciting! Still, I decided I need to overcame this and just get it done. I'm in the process of assembling (hand basting) the whole dress to check fit once more. When this is done I'll get a photo of it, below is an earlier photo of the fitting of the muslin.

Second the last episode on my Skirt trilogy. This is actually the first skirt pattern I decided to use and the fabric will be familiar as well. Fabric is cut and all is ready to sew.

I was planning on sewing the vintage dress briefly mentioned here and have traced all the pattern pieces but after thinking long and hard decided not to start a complicated project before I finish the one in progress.
I have also been knitting this lovely cardigan from A Stitch in Time. The back is all done and currently doing one of the fronts.

A few other important musings:

• I changed the look of the blog (and will tweak a bit more). I want to revert this blog to a personal sewing blog.
• That is why the Suzy Patterns banner is gone. Suzy Patterns hasn't been scrapped though, it's still a work in progress. When I am ready to launch, a new website, separate to this blog will be launched. This might be a while, a proper while. A Suzy Patterns tab will be added where any news or a current status will be available.
• I am also adding an "About me tab". Something different from the conventional and pre-set about me in blogger.

So I welcome your feedback? Do you like the new look, anything that looks bad and anything else you'd like to see? And is there anything about me you would like to know? Ask me any question!

Question Time: Cutting Layouts

Working on  my pattern instructions booklet

Today I want to hear from you: Do you use cutting layouts? Do you like them or find them useful? For what reasons?
I can say ahead of release that the Antoinette Dress Pattern will not have cutting layouts but it doesn't mean future patterns will not.

Curious to see what you think! I will dwell into it more on a follow up post with my opinion and yours.

Are you monogamous or polygamous?

Do you like to stick with one thing till the end or do you think variety is the spice of life? Worry not, I am actually talking about sewing projects. Your preferences at other levels are your own.

The idea for this post came after a brief exchange of tweets with a great fellow blogger Toria from Welsh Pixie. Make sure you check her blog.

With sewing, just like with many other things in life, I need variety. I need options. I need to feel I'm not stuck to a particular project. I like the freedom of getting home and be able to choose what I want to do. I love all the projects under my sewing machine and wouldn't have started them if I didn't. But sometimes there are particular things I might not be in the mood for. I might not want to hand sew or hem. Or the tracing/ cutting is putting me off. But most of the times I will still have a sewing itch and that's where different projects at different stages come in very handy.

All the photos here are from the current five projects I'm doing and they are all making me happy!

So what are you? Monogamous or polygamous? And what do you consider to be the advantages and disadvantages or each?