Mini-Wardrobe - Crinkle Sheer

The past few days I have been working on making a blouse from a John Kaldor Crinkle sheer fabric. It will be part of the mini-wardrobe.

If I had not been making it for the contest, I probably would have taken forever. It was one of those fabrics that makes you think it was going to be very hard. I normally dither and dither and end up having them as UFO's! See those scary crinkles in the photo?

Anyway, I managed to cut the blouse out without a problem. Then I got a case of nerves and went to look online if there was any special way to sew it. I mucked about with tissue on the seams and trying to keep the neckline, etc from stretching. What a load of bother!

I chose a 60/8 sharps needle to sew with, and after a bit realised I didn't really need all the tissue. But still I had to make myself do each new step. I am worn out!

A few things I did do...tape the shoulder seam with silk organza selvedge. I also used silk organza along with a lightweight interfacing for the button stand and cuffs. And silk organza alone to be interfacing for the collar.

When I had finally got the sleeves in, I realised the puff was not very puffy because of the weight of the cuffs. So, I created shoulder stays.

I used the top of the normal sleeve pattern (between the balance marks and above) to cut 2 silk organza pieces. They both were cut on the bias fold. Then I cut 2 pieces from the blouse fabric - on the fold as well.

I didn't fuss about complete accuracy in cutting here.

I covered the silk organza pieces with the blouse pieces.

Then I stitched them into the sleeve seam between the balance marks/notches.

This is one sleeve with the stay.

mirror photos

And the other without.

Even with me holding my shoulder's funny to try to photograph in the mirror, you can see the pleats that form because the weight of the rest of the sleeve pulls it down.

And here is the final blouse. Phew.

Hopefully cutting a TNT dress and sewing tomorrow. (TNT means Tried and True apparently! They use it all the time on Pattern Review.)

By the way, for most of these, I am finishing seams with the overlocker. For this blouse I didn't put the collar on as I normally would, enclosing the seam, because of the sheer and the fact that the crinkle stretches. So, the silk organza holds the shape and the sheer fabric sort of floats above and below it a bit. If I find it is too floaty after the first wash, I will try to catch it down here and there with invisible thread by hand.