Next time some asks me to make something ith their fabric I have asked my DH to whisper gently in my ear "black velvet waistcoats"
Flattered by a call asking for me to make two made to mesure waistcoats, we've loved the other ones you have done etc. I agreeed without thinking! What an idiot.Mistake No1
Fabric arrived and I took a peep inside the bag and said velvet lovely!!! Mistake No2
Mesured the avaiable man and took written mesurments of 2nd man that his wife had taken. Why didn't I hear the alarm bells?
Made the patterns , no obvious problems. Laid out the velvet and couldn't find a very good nap as the fluffiness was very short but eventualy Mum and I worked it out and I cut out, used my own linning fabric which is a good thickness not that terrible slippery stuff.
Then the fun began The Velvet Walked, it walked so much when I sewed it I thought it was jogging!! No joke this one, unpicked the waistcoat and eneded up pinning it, tacking it and stitching it through a layer of tissue paper to get it to behave. AGHHHH! I turned it through and delight of delights it rolls around like a ball, I don't know why I hadn't clicked before but lovely as this velvet is, it is only suitable for making a little girls party frock or a soft velvet scarf. Thank goodness the linning was holding it up a bit.
Truly I have just made two of the floppiest waistcoats known to man, I have top stitched around the front edges to get them to stop rolling,and the only thing that is making them have any shape is the row of button holes. In all honesty what they needed was lightwieght vieliene to get them to stand still before I began .As soon as I woke up enough to what was going on I told the client that she needed to have support for the velvet but she wants them for ASAP no extras! I know the customer is always right but there are limits! And it's currently 40°+ while I am embroiled in this terrible battle.
Of course I am bashing my head mentaly against my personal wailing wall, not looking at the fabric properly when it arrived is unforgivable and I have now in construcing these ghastly garments I hope paid my penence. Take heed from this tale of woe. I know I just relearned a valuable lesson, just which lesson was more important though? that's the question.
Slinking of to a corner Claire
-- Claire Owen