Just do it!

When I don't know something, I read up about it. If reading doesn't help me, there's really no way around it except to JUST DO IT.

Which is what drove me to work on the following sewing projects-- a pencil skirt with a back vent, and a pair of loose capris. 

Looking at one of my favourite skirts I thrifted from a shop, I was deeply enthralled by the back vent. Okay maybe deeply enthralled is too strong a term HAHA, but yeah isn't the back vent of a skirt an amazing thing? It allows the skirt shape to taper down the thighs to create curves while still allowing you to walk like a stomping giant, ie Godzilla.

Picture from examiner.com
Gojirra in search of the perfect pencil skirt for outings such as today's.

Hence I drafted this pencil skirt, and used a tutorial on Burdastyle to add the vent:

I'm also super happy this skirt turned out well because it was my husband who took my measurements :-) Before this I took my own measurements, but I think it's better to have someone else take it for you so the posture isn't compromised.

Thanks husband for taking such accurate measurements! <3

And as for the loose capris, if there's one thing that I'm deeply terrified of (other than cockroaches), it's probably sewing a zipper fly. It got me to thinking that most of the time we are terrified of things that we don't understand. Whilst I am not really looking forward to understand cockroaches, I decided maybe it's time I suck it up and learn how to assemble this zipper fly thingamajig. 

Deep thinker pose

And what better way to learn than to use a pattern from a magazine, right? Well sorta right, unless the magazine is in a language you don't understand.

........ erm... konichiwa... ?

Anyway, I adore almost everything Japanese, and one of the things I love most about their craft and sewing books is that when they get down to the step-by-step er, steps, their illustrations and photographs are so detailed you almost do not need the accompanying words to understand. Almost. Hehe.

Check out my scribblings. Why I even tried to re-write the Japanese words is beyond me. LOL

I traced the pattern in M size, and made some adjustments after sewing the legs up (love the crotch curve on the pattern btw). I sewed in the waistband, and realized it was too high for my liking, so I changed it into a thin waistband. It was very frustrating and fiddly, and obviously so because straight waistbands are usually meant for garments that sat on the natural waist, but these pants didn't! Ha, what am I doing!! Lol. Anyway after wrestling with the waistband I got it to (somewhat) behave. Austin Powers would be proud of me.

Pic from videogamecentral.com

Also finally got to learn how to use the buttonhole function on my machine! Ah the machine manual, it's a keeper isn't it (I usually throw manuals into the abyss of a cardboard box).

 Think it goes well with my necklace too, soon to be added to my Etsy shop!

Sans tuck in for a slouchy look

Overall the capris turned out okay, and as my goal was to learn how to assemble a zipper fly and buttonholes, as Ethan Hunt would say, "Mission.... ACCOMPLISHED!" 

And with that... おやすみ :-)

p/s: Fine fine, I used Google Translate for those Japanese words.