All that glitters is not gold

By today I rather thought I would have my finished velvet Butterick 3597 to show. But alas it is not to be. It was all going so well ... until the incident.

Just before starting on the project, I became a little spooked about the fabric and thought I ought to read up a little on the complexities of sewing velvet. With my head filled with dire warnings about slipping fabric, popping seams and iron marks, I prepared myself for the worst.

I made sure I had a brand new machine needle. I cut the pieces weighted down instead of pinned. I did test runs of stitching. Then test runs of pressing seams and attaching interfacing. I even basted the seams - with real stitches (not just pins!).

Then I got started. The fabric - 20% silk, 80% viscose rayon - was actually quite nice to handle. It wasn't overly slippery and behaved itself as I stitched. The interfacing attached well. The invisible zipper went in beautifully. The seams responded well to the lightest of presses. It was all coming together. And I may have even thought hey this isn't as hard as people make out; I'm doing pretty well here.

But then something ugly happened.

I went to press the last seam and must have bumped the temperature dial on the iron. It was all over in a matter of seconds. A glittering, flat-piled flaw left on the back of the skirt. Frantic steaming and other first aid measures were applied to no avail. Even Mr Hoppo Bumpo (who is not much into the state of any fabric - even that which he is wearing) said it was a goner.

So I have been on an urgent mission this morning to procure more velvet. I'm now racing against the clock to get this finished for tomorrow. And this time I am going to remember that pride definitely comes before a fall.