mistakes were made: hokai! here's de erfs...

Wait. Wrong topic.

So what have I been up to? Well, I haven't exactly gotten beyond square one with my costume. When I named this blog 'mistakes were made' I was being honest with myself. When I craft I usually make about half a dozen mistakes of various sorts; from having to rip out a seam or tear back my knitting to my most recent mistake: math failure, fabric marking failure, and pattern making failure. So let's start with math.

For the pleated underskirt I am using directions from Gosu Rori Vol.3. The directions are fairly simple considering I can't actually read them and I am having to decipher drawings. I sat down and figured out my math. I need 97 cm of skirt to attach to the 'waist'band. I need 12 cm of fabric per pleat. Each pleat will equal 8 cm. So adding in the seam allowance I will need to cut a piece 143 cm long.

Now, because I didn't realize my math failure yet were going to skip to my fabric marking failure. Using my 18 in. ruler I started marking out the dimensions on the fabric with a washable fabric marker. Everything looks good so I cut. I hemmed the bottom edge and started marking out the pleats...everything goes wrong. Apparently I had measured 143 cm across the top but only 138 cm across the bottom. *facepalm*

The next day I head back to the fabric store to pick up a yard stick. I have also decided to make a pattern so I don't screw this up a second time. I only have so much fabric to work with here. :) I draft a pattern, pin it to the fabric, cut it out, and mark the pleats using tracing paper and tracing wheel. I iron in the pleats and top stitch them in place and that's when I see that I have about half a skirt...yeah this is when I realize I have a math failure.

Now, I have this already hemmed piece of fabric that I can trim a bit, french seam it to the already pleated piece, and pleat the rest! I figured out a solution! So I square the fabric up and decide I need to get those pesky fabric marker marks out of the fabric. Take the fabric and some laundry detergent into the bathroom and start scrubbing away. The marks aren't coming out. The MARKS Aren't Coming OUT! *wailing and gnashing of teeth*

I now take a look at the fabric I have left. No nearly enough. Nope. Nothing for it but to head back to the fabric store and see if they have anymore of this particular fabric left. Fortunately they have just about 3 yards left on the bolt and I buy it all. I get home and say screw it! I'm gong to redo my math and draft an all new pattern! The math I had messed up earlier - each pleat equals 4 cm not 8 cm. So after a bit more math I need 281 cm of length...I don't have enough fabric. Take out a pleat and now I need 273 cm. Okay, I can swing that. Now picture this: I've got the pattern about 2/3 complete and I come to the realization that I'm 2 cm short. I forgot to add in the seam allowance. *headtable*

I don't have enough fabric for the new pattern idea. Instead I'm going back to Plan A: french seaming an additional piece of fabric to the already pleated piece. This is where I am now. I have the new piece cut out and the pleats traced. I'll be hemming it tomorrow...as long as I don't make anymore mistakes. ;)

And now for some pictures for those of you who've made it this far: