a little selfish sewing

I wanted to fill a few gaps in my wardrobe. I haven't much by way of clothing that works for in-between winter and summer. I started some last year, but only got so far when my brother died. Okay, I could finish off some of those blouses and the black linen skirt. But instead I decided to go along with this year's Pattern review wardrobe.

Because it is 2 months this time, I worked out a plan to sew clothes 2 weeks in Feb and then finish the Refugees. Then sew 2 weeks in March (hopefully finishing the garments) and then work on a possible entry along the same lines for Wide Horizons V. But let us keep in mind that they want you to do 10 garments and I don't sew knits. I am not signing on the dotted line until I know I can do it. This will become important in the story, so hang in there.*

Okay. Here were most of the fabrics I had out to choose from to start. I decided to get a bit of colour in there, but the black and white can go with other things I have.

A few on the left side were deselected because of the amount of fabric needed for what I thought they might like to be. I was able to get 9 garments to the point where the main body was complete by the finish of the 2nd week in Feb.

Required: 2 bottoms (skirts, trousers, etc.)
As of today, I have two red skirts to the point where they need the waistband stitched down and then after trying them on, the hem taken up.

red cotton moleskin is flared gored and dark red corduroy is trumpet style.

Required: 2 tops (blouse, shirt, etc)
I have 4 blouses to the point that they have all the vertical seams and/or darts done. Not a little amount of work, I tell you.
Photos when they look better!

5 your choice:
Along with the extra 2 blouses,
3 dresses. one with cap sleeves done and needs hem. The fabric isn't in the photo above. It is a burgundy with small flower print.
one with sleeves about to be done, but needs cuffs and hem
one to the point of vertical seams. This should be lined, but may be an after thought!
Photos when I get the sleeves in at least.

Required: 1 topper
1 jacket not cut - had to change plans because I realised I was thinking cap sleeves and nearly all the blouses/dresses have long sleeves and my gorgeous silk velvet remnant won't do. But I have just the right amount of a black velvet offcut someone gave me.
This should be lined, but also may be an afterthought.

*The bit of the story that goes with not signing up yet...today I heard my dad has fallen again. Broke his leg below the knee. They are waiting to hear from the surgeon as to when he can go to the big hospital for surgery. As it happens, both my sisters are there, as my sis from Alaska is visiting, and my sister's son was staying overnight with mom and dad. So, my mom had someone there last night when dad fell.

This leg is the one that he fell and the hip was broken around Easter last year and they had to do a partial hip replacement because he carried on a week with pain killers then asked his doc for something strong and carried on another week before my mom made him go to hospital.
This leg is the one that he fell and the thigh bone was broken just after Father's day because he was using his walker to hang onto while bending down to get wood.
My son said they should just give him a wooden leg so they don't have to worry about it any more!

So, today, while waiting for word about Dad, putting in a sleeve in a floppy viscose fabric was a good distraction. Whether I can deal with the tension and the sewing for the rest of the time, I don't know!

Wardrobe - lacy jacket

The next photo from the coordinating wardrobe I am doing is a black lacy jacket made of cotton lace. (actually the third sewn)

I thought that if I was doing a classy type of wardrobe, I needed a cardy type garment with a bit more class. For those moments when you are in restaurants who have confused the temp control for the walk-in cooler with the one for the dining area. You have been there I am sure. So you are all hunched up trying to stay warm rather than enjoying a moment out of the heat.

At the moment, I have pinned the fronts together to keep it on the hanger. In actuality, they hold nicely on their own when I wear this. I am debating a thinner but not skinny ribbon should I want to hold it together better. For instance with a blouse of silky type fabric (coming up!).

The pattern for this again was my side dart bodice pattern with set in cap sleeves. It is only just hip length. Instead of sewing darts in the lace, I pleated the darts into the side seam...just folds that release, rather than stitched down. It moulds the shape of the jacket to mine in a subtle way. The lace has no stretch, or I might have considered doing away with the dart.

I decided to finish the edges right the way around like you would a bolero using a satin ribbon. Stitched right side to wrong side and then flipped to the front. To hold it in place, I have stitched clear beads with a black lining in a beaded running stitch technique. Every now and then I did a tiny back stitch so the whole lot doesn't come off at once if I lose one.

The effect has somewhat ruffled the ribbon. I was considering beading the other side of the ribbon as well. But I have been looking at it several days and think this look is better. If the action of hand beading the other side causes a similar effect but the beads are not precisely lined up, it would just look like a mistake.

I decided to draw the line at ribbon on the hem of the sleeves. What do you think?

Any comments about the idea of a ribbon of sorts to join the sides? (probably you need to see it on me to really tell)

How about the idea of beading the other side of the ribbon down?

I am currently doing something which I can tell you next week. and sewing bits of the wardrobe in-between. So, that is why I have not been able to do the 'how I did this' post or the 'this is what it looks like when I wear it' photos yet.

Refahioning a refashion

A long time ago, I used a velvet skirt to cut out flowers and make arrangements to applique to my version of a bog coat.*

all the excess is folded in like two big tucks in the back.

That long ago!

But I never did like how short it was in the front. With a skirt it was fine, but with trousers not so happy.

Happily, bog coats have plenty of room and it still fits me. But I dislike the shortness even more.

A while back I was sorting my cupboards and found that I still had one panel of the velvet skirt.

The other day, I realised I could add some sort of band to the bottom and I would be happier.

So, I cut 2 6inch wide strips. I stitched them together folded lengthwise and started pleating them onto the bottom of the bog coat. A bit of stitching...

And now, I like it much better.

Slightly peplum-ish but not over the top.

*There are instructions for a very simple version here. You can use it as a starting place to create your own!

Mini-Wardrobe complete

Here are the blouses I made the other day worn with the skirt. The majority of them will also go with the white dress.

The toile of the double collar blouse

It doesn't count for the contest.

Double collar blouse

left out and tucked in

The sheer blouse with dark blue underblouse

underblouse on it's own showing the silk noil skirt

close up

double collar blouse worn open with the underblouse.

 jackety blouse over underblouse.

 worn buttoned as a loose top

  

To be honest, I will probably wear this with jeans rather than a skirt. Or over the white dress for less casual situations than the blue jacket that my husband bought with the white dress.

I am soo ready to NOT sew clothes at the moment! However, now that I have a nice summer wardrobe, it is time for winter clothes. One at a time though, not 8 things in 1 month!

what I have been doing this past week

I have more photos of 'what we did when my sister was here'. But I haven't been idle this week. (Apart from the normal Tuesday not doing so great recovery from Monday neck and head day.)

I finished a dress I started a few months ago at TVOffcuts. and...even put buttons on. my son is now home from uni, so I got more than a dress on hanger/dummy or image in the mirror photo. (Although it is a bit of a 'oh, are you taking another one?' face.
front

back

This prompted me to put buttons on this jacket. It is not up to standard on the fitting side of things. Mainly because it was made back before I worked out what was wrong with my jacket pattern. but it had too much work into it to toss, so I have re-engineered the shoulder armscye area as best as possible. But still not what I would call even good. However, it will do if the weather for my son's graduation from uni on 17 July is like today. I just won't let on that I made it!

For it you DO get the jacket on hanger look. It fits the hanger well in the shoulder area, doesn't it! HA.

I will just have to get some white linen of that weight again, and have another go. Then I can release this one to someone with pointy shoulders.

Design day at college

So, all that was just a start on catching up on things that went on in May when I rather ran out of time for posting.

During the days I have been working on the Secret Projects...no photos to speak of except maybe this?

A jacket that has lost it's sleeve - I am still trying to get a jacket toile to fit. So I finally decided to remove one sleeve from this. The hang was right even though the shoulders need taking in and down 1 inch. So, if I ever fix it, I am going to need to take the sleeve off anyway at the shoulder. So I took it off and sorted the alteration and then traced it off to use for a pattern for the jacket. At this point in the progress of these projects, I think I am going to decide that high summer is not the best time for jackets that I have run out of time to make!!


another Saturday was taken up with a full day of design work with the students in the C+G course. There were so many Bank holidays scheduled during the actual course time that we were in danger of needing to meet right into August! So, we had to sessions in one on the Saturday.

Here is a little of the work that was going on.

rubbings

stamping

a collection of experiments by Francis

 combining rubbing patterns

 applying the designs to the craft - fashion

more design work by helena

finally a fit!

yet another shapeless on a hanger photo, but you do not know how much effort went into this! It is version 3.5 and I think final toile of the basic jacket shape. Today I have done so many chopping and changes to the shoulder and armscye that I can't tell you how many. But I have been through several audio books in the past couple days!

So, it is very late. I will put what I have for sleeves in tomorrow and see if the things I have done to them still work with this. It should, or at least if there are slight tweaks that won't be a problem. I do have just enough fabric left to make a pair of slightly shorter sleeves if the tweaking is too much.

I might feel confident enough to get a photo of me in it if the sleeves work.

and then from there I can adapt the pattern to put in shoulder pads and to make the style changes! HA. Wish me luck.

jacket reworking

I have been working on redeveloping the fit of my jacket block. I need to teach jackets next year and I know I skimped on mine when I did it at college. Well, not really skimped, but we weren't required to do a tailored jacket. In fact, that was a 1 year course offered after I left. But for the City and Guilds Programme I am teaching, the jacket unit is called "tailored" jacket and a few of the techiniques are not anything I have done before.

So, as with most things that get a bit scary, I have been making a hurdle out of it. But recently an online sewing group wanted to meet regularly to actually sew. (and with all the many things I do I said OH, we could meet at the community centre near me! and so we are but anyway it is not that much extra work.) SO, at our last meeting I made up a toile/sloper from the jacket blocks I had from college. (only 2004, so shouldn't have been too many changes.) I never was too happy with the fit.

Alot of the ladies in the group are veteran jacket makers and were immeadiatly shocked at how much excess there was at the back of the sleeve. Well, you can't really sort that on your own. So, one lady pinned out the excess. 4 simmineaters (centimetres)from the back of the sleeve and also 4 from across the upper back!

So, as we are meeting on Saturday, I thought I better get with it on the stitching and trying on. and it is MUCH better. So I have redrawn the changes and made a new pattern. and now to cut out a new toile/sloper to see if they think any more adjustments need to be made.

Results for confidence? Well, I am much happier about the tailored jacket idea now that I have a jacket pattern that will look nice on me!

and I met with one of my collegues at college who showed me some of the bits she is covering for her tailored jacket unit for her C+G course, which has made things like "what is a sleeve roll anyway?" much clearer.

I think I can do this.

Okay. I sort of have to because of a big project I have been asked to be involved with and I have set the goal for me to make a jacket as one aspect of the project.

Do you have to set goals and arrange accountability for yourself when you have let something become an overwhelming hurdle?

jacket and skirt

Whilst coming up with a solution to the dilemma of the FOQ piece, I have:
cut and sewn the lining for the white jacket - still needs to be inserted
topstitched most of the jacket seams - which makes it look smarter
sewn the main seams of the green skirt

I will probably do some sort of pocket, so inserting the jacket lining is still on hold and so the hems are as well.

I did come up with a plan for the FOQ piece, but the weekend has been full, so I decided not to try to start it yet. I should get it going in the next couple days, even though I am doing several workshops this week.

white linen jacket

Since I got the overlocker to work, the potential of making garments quickly is finally there. Yes, I can make garments that take time and care, but that means I don't actually have many, because of all the other things I am doing.

So, since I got the green skirt and trouser cut out, I was going to stitch it up on the overlocker. And then, since it had white thread, I decided to go ahead and cut out white rough spun linen for a summer jacket that I had hope to cut out some time ago. I used the jacket pattern I already had from the jacket I made for City and Guilds. So, the cutting went quickly today. and so did the sewing up. while I was waiting for dinner to cook.

And here it is ready for several finishing off details. I had thought to have it unlined, but when I tried it on over a short sleeve top, I realised the rough linen was a bit too scratchy. I have some habotai silk I might cut for a lining. I may put in some pockets as well. Maybe next week though, as I need to get back to some of the other responsibilities I am doing.

I will change the overlocker thread and work on the green skirt and trouser. After all this time of having ideas for smart clothes and even fabric for them, it is really great to get some made! Then I can get rid of some of the things I have worn too long.

Knitting and Stitching Show - Swishing

So, I said I would talk about the "Swishing" at the Knitting and Stitching Show.

By the time I went to see what was going on, the main event had already happened. However, that gave me a chance to talk with the ladies from Sewing World Magazine who had organised it. They said it had been quite popular. People brought their things in the morning and were given a card with stamps for what they had brought. Then they came back at 1pm to exchange. They also had people who were set up to do a bit of altering or refashioning to your items if you wished.

Apparently for the most part, what was donated was pretty good. But they were a bit disappointed with the quality of stuff some of the school groups brought. Some of it was rather scrappy and poorly made, and yet the people who brought it went away with quality stuff. However, some of the lower quality things were snapped up by people who were actually looking for random t-shirt type things because they wanted to refashion them.

When I went, there was not much left, but the remaining items were on rails for £5 or £10 or jumble type stuff for £1. I had a look and found this linen jacket which is a great colour for me and pretty much my size. The length and cut are good or me, as well. Another lady found a very nice short olive coloured wool jacket that suited her colour and shape perfectly. The minute she held it up, I said that is perfect for you! She was afraid it wouldn't fit, but went off to try and came back round to tell me it did. She was very pleased.

However, I do realise the jacket I bought definitely doesn't want the white bias trim. We decided that someone must have put that on thinking it would make it better...it doesn't. Also, the shoulders need taking in about 2 inches! Honestly! Even if wide shoulders are back, I don't think I want them that wide!

a bit crumpled from being in the bag

But, even with the alterations I will make, to get a Linen Jacket in my colour and style of cut for only £10. Not too shabby, I say. I couldn't buy the fabric for that.

Most of the other tutors and students were going up to the show today on a coach. It will be interesting to hear what they thought of "Swishing".