Everything I Touch Turns To Garbage - A Rant

I have had two duds in a row recently! I first made Simplicity 3990 for Halloween. It was the one with the pleats in the front and it turned out pretty well, so I thought that I would make another in a different version. I went for the plain button down with the slit sleeves and altered it for my formidable arms. Ok, they are fat but formidable sounds much cooler. That shirt came out ok but was still a bit tight when I stretched my arms forward.

I decided to cut out the next size and blend it to fit. I chose this pretty silky black and silver/gray leaf patterned fabric that I've been saving for something special. It's one of my favorite fabric pieces in my small stash. After cutting it out I sewed it up to the point before attaching the sleeves and tried it on. I LOOKED LIKE AN OLD LADY. Yep, my favorite fabric that I loved so much would have been better suited for a skirt because as a shirt it made me look like I shopped in the old lady section of Ross or Marshalls. Bleh. Into the trash it went.

Then I started on a muslin of Simplicity 5914 version A I believe (the long bell shaped skirt) and made a few alterations because a pin fit showed that it may or may not fit. After cutting the ugly fabric I sewed it up and tried it on, just cinching it to me without a zipper or anything. Horrid! I was trying to convert it to an elastic waist rather than a zipper (but not a really bulky waist) and I cut the pattern far too big. I thought that adding the elastic may make it better. Oh how wrong I was! This time rather than an old lady I looked like one of those poor women in those scary Mormon Fundamentalist compounds. It didn't help that I chose such a drab color for the muslin, which happened to be the only fabric I have on hand other than my *final* choice that was enough yardage.

So, bleh. I'm really rather over all these duds!