Sewing mends the soul

They say that sewing mends the soul. 

They are right. 

Late last year there was a period of time when I felt like my calm little world came crushing down and I had no control over what was happening. One of the things that helped me get through that challenging time was sewing. 

The best way I could think of achieving the sense of having control was to tackle a challenging task. Make something new. Something I have not tried before. 

So, While she was sleeping...

... I made something new for my daughter. Something I have not made before because I was too scared I would not be able to manage it.

How cool is this dino top? Little Monkey absolutely loved it! BUT... this top was made almost a year earlier. You can read about it here. 

So if it was not the top, could it be...

Yes. The jeans. I made my daughter a pair of cropped jeans. True story. I guess the feeling of frustration gave me the drive I needed to finally do it.

I used the Piper capis skinny jeans pattern by Blaverry. These jeans already appeared on the blog in this post. I just never drew attention to the fact they were mummy-made also. The Piper pattern is no longer available. Christie (the designer) has kindly sent me her new Koko jeans pattern, and it looks great. I am really looking forward to sewing it.

OK, shall we get back to the jeans I made... let's not calculate how long ago!

While the jeans did not turn out perfect, I still believe they look pretty awesome. I had a little fun and used jungle animal printed cotton for the pockets. And the zip fly? Friends, this is my first ever zip fly, and it worked from the first try, and it is fully operational! Did I feel like a legend after I sewed it? Heck yes!

I wonder what May and Patrick from the Great British Sewing Bee would have said about my seam matching...

My daughter has already outgrown these jeans, however at the time I was sewing them I had to add adjustable elastic to the waistband to make sure my skinny mini was comfortable monkeying around.

And comfortable she was! Funny enough, even when she decided pants and shorts were not for her, she still gladly wore these jeans!

Oh how I love her cheeky grin :)

So this is a project that helped me feel better, along with the support from my family and friends. I am no longer scared of sewing jeans (well, in kid sizes for now). In fact I am planning to make one or two pairs for winter, provided I have enough energy for sewing once Little Monkey goes to bed.

Thank you Christie for kindly sending me the Koko jeans pattern! I am sure I will have as much fun sewing it as I did with the Piper pattern.

Have you ever turned to sewing as a form of therapy? What did you make?