A Sewing Thing

2 finished projects:

A curtain to hide the stacked washer/dryer made from rectangles in my quilting cotton stash

Cropped & hemmed a tee for a friend

Here's an unexciting photo of the back of some pants, which is exciting for me, because it means I successfully took in the back of these by 2in!

I used these instructions and they worked like a charm. Trying to get the inner crotch to line back up was a little challenging but if it looks a mess in there, who cares, no one will see it. I think it will hold up down there!

I purchased this shift dress in 2015 or so, and at that time it just ~barely~ fit. It was a specially ordered style for a customer at a retailer I worked for at the time. The customer originally wanted a different style, and opted not to purchase this dress in the end. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy it with my employee discount.

I had to sew down the button placket with a hidden line of stitches to stop it gaping. A column shaped garment below the waist is a tough fit for me.

After about 5 years, it stopped fitting below the waist. I thought about selling it a couple of times, but the fabric is so fantastic, I kept it. I figured I would do something with it one day. And that day happened recently!

The fabric is gray linen with a sheer black interfacing, and cracked distressing throughout to show the sheer black. Creating that fabric was clearly quite laborious, and I've not seen anything like it elsewhere.

It still fit alright from neckline to bust, so I opened the side seams on both sides up to the underarm hemline. I was lucky that I didn't have to modify the sleeve or sleeve hem!

The dress originally came with a super wide obi style sash. I ripped the seams of the sash so I could cut two long arrow shaped strips. Think of the shape of a pencil: a long column with one pointed end.

I serged the sides of these pointed column pieces of fabric. I then sewed them into the side seams of the dress. It was fiddly sewing around the top of the point hear the underarm. I hand sewed that area on one side. Then bravely used my machine for the other side.

Here's the wrong side, where the point of the inserted fabric meets the sleeve hem:

Same area from the right side:

Here's a slightly tilted photo of the entire side seam with the strip of fabric inserted:

It wasn't too bad rolling up the hem to match what was already in place at the bottom:

It is remarkably easier to modify clothing that is made with simpler machines and quality materials!

Now I can wear it as a plain shift, or with the remaining sash (which is still quite bulky) tied in the front or the back.

There is an apron underneath, not part of ze shirt. I've had to make detours to my plans a few times. I will explain in another post once she has sleeves and buttons. Please think good thoughts about my button hole maker. It is like a feral animal, and does whatever it wants.

It was straightforward to sew, and I always enjoy sewing sleeves without any curves or setting in! It's reversible; V or scoop neck. It has optional pork chop style pockets. I always have a little trouble with those kinds of pockets making unwelcome lines at the hips. Even on RTW skirts and dresses; maybe it's more about me and less about the pocket shape?

I would like to make it again, because I feel it would be more flexible if the bodice was 2-3 inches shorter on me. It has 2 sets of ties, and is intended to be tied in multiple ways for different silhouettes. The waist seam hits below my natural waist. If I don't tie it with a couple of inches bloused out like this in the front, it's too blobby/frumpy (is there a better word for frumpy these days?). Here's the amount of fabric I pulled up and under the front ties for a better fit.

It's the sweater I opened into a cardigan from earlier this year.

I made the shorter length, no drawstring (I am team Never Drawstring, especially the ones that aren't even functional).

This fabric was hard to keep steady during cutting so the pockets are a little floppy I think from that. But they're equally floppy so I'm fine with it!

I wound up picking apart and resewing the legs from the hip down several times because they were too baggy and the crotch was too low. They're still too baggy IMO, but not terrible. Did I make a toile? Yes, out of the cheapest bedsheet you can imagine. Perhaps it was too thin and yet also somehow cheap and crispy to convey that the legs were too baggy. Live and learn...how to unpick seams with minimized rage.

I also had to unpick the waist a few inches to shorten the elastic after using the suggested elastic length, which also makes me feel better about going down to a 14 over all, if I make the wide leg view which should have more room in the hips by design.

They DO feel like secret pjs that are office appropriate, so def keeping them in rotation for the upcoming unbearably humid & hot summer months when the walk to work in the morning is already ~nasty~ (tilde nasty is a low of 85f with 90% humidity).

This is the Gilbert Top (camp collar) by Helen's Closet. I've made it twice in a straight size 16 and both times part of the under collar area has been significantly larger than the other matching pieces and I've had to sew the excess sort of folded over, and it has some lumpy spots because of it. Is there an error in the pattern? Or do I need to be more careful about not ironing (only pressing) so as not to stretch the pieces? Reluctant to make it yet again if I get the same result!