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Picture it: Tuesday afternoon.
I’m sitting in front of my laptop, feeling confident, ready to tackle the next pattern, the 3-tiered skirt.
To get started, I open up my design program, Adobe Illustrator, and pull up the measurements for the two-tiered skirt.
Simple enough, right?
Wrong!
Wait . . . What?
The moment I look at the waistband, tier one, and tier two measurements, I feel like I’ve been thrown into another dimension.
Nothing makes sense.
The numbers look familiar, yet completely alien at the same time.
How did I come up with these numbers?
I grab my calculator, pull up my trusty doll measurement chart, and start running numbers.
Surely, there’s a logical explanation for how past-me arrived at these figures.
I try different formulas, double-check my math, and even stare intensely at the screen like that might make the answer magically appear.
Nothing.
Now, if you can imagine me sitting there, utterly baffled, numbers swirling around my head like some bizarre math-themed horror movie, then you’ve got the right picture.
A Supernatural Explanation?
And that’s when it hits me.
I must have been possessed.
There’s no other explanation!
Because the only thing I can vaguely recall is scrawling pattern pieces on Post-it notes in a daze and punching numbers into my calculator like some kind of sleep-deprived sorcerer.
But the actual reasoning behind those numbers?
Completely lost to the void 😵💫
The Great Post-it Note Tragedy
And then, as if the universe wanted to add insult to injury, I remember exactly what happened to those post-it notes.
Oh yes, this part I recall crystal clear.
Because after finishing the 2-tiered skirt and celebrating its success, I had a sudden urge to clean my workspace.
In my excitement, I swept up all the clutter on my table including those precious, vital post-it notes and triumphantly tossed everything in the trash.
Oops 😮
So, as much as I’d love to say that my pattern-making skills are so advanced they transcend mortal comprehension, the truth is, I need to keep better track of my notes.
A wild concept, I know.
A Brilliant New System (That Should’ve Existed Sooner)
I’ve now invested in a dedicated notebook just for my pattern designs.
No more relying on scattered post-its that end up in the garbage the second I get too eager with cleaning.
From now on, all my designs, calculations, and random pattern-related thoughts will be kept safe in one place.
Starting Fresh (With Some Unexpected Fabric Choices)
After recovering from my self-inflicted chaos, I started fresh.
I reworked the waistband and tiers, this time using numbers I know the origins of.
And speaking of fresh starts, let’s talk fabric choices.
During testing, I realized I was completely out of muslin fabric.
So, I had to improvise.
I ended up using green fabric for tiers 2 and 3 (perfect for St. Patrick’s Day) and some fabric with baby zoo animals on it for tier 1 and the waistband.
Not exactly what I had in mind, but hey, you got to work with what you got.
Thankfully, I made a trip to the hobby shop the next day and stocked up on 2 yards of muslin.
Let’s see how long that actually lasts me.
Final Adjustments Before It’s Ready
As for the 3-tiered skirt itself, it’s coming along nicely!
I just need to tweak the length of the tiers.
A couple more rounds of testing should get it just right before I start working on the instructions.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from these monthly skirt patterns, it’s that they never let me get too comfortable.
There’s always a surprise waiting for me whether it’s a missing set of notes unexpected fabric choices, or a pattern that decides to rewrite the laws of math.
At least they keep me on my toes and give my brain a workout in the process 😂
Let’s Chat
How do you keep your craft projects organized and tidy?
Do you have a special notebook for notes, or do you rely on post-it notes and scraps of paper (hopefully not ending up in the trash like mine 😅)?
I’d love to hear how you manage your creative chaos!
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
