Stitch and bitch thread #12. We’re in stitches!

[NutellaEllaElla]

Welcome and welcome back oldies and newbies!

Whatcha doin? What are your plans? I need some inspo. It's been a long time since i've approached my machine for various reasons.My favourite ever make has been a stretch dress, i'd wear it all the time if I could. I live in fear of the day I try to go to Barry's fabrics and it's gone. The Birmingham fabric scene is being decimated. What'll I do?!

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I’ve made the Ethel top, the Bob pants (three times!) and the Petra coat. The instructions are minimal so it’s worth looking for a sewalong or a blog post before you start.

I must retry the Bobs. My first pair, from double gauze, I compared the pattern to a pair of denim, barrel legs from Next that I was happy with, the result was awful, HUGE clown pants. So big and so wrong I don’t know where to restart!

I sized down for my most recent pair which I think has improved the look of them but the fabric definitely makes a difference too - I’ve made them in a cotton, a linen and a polyester blend and they all have a different look. I’m blessed with long legs which helps, the barrel effect is less pronounced.

I live in them in hot weather, they are absolutely brilliant.

I’ve had a busy morning so am going to treat myself to an afternoon of sewing. My dining room is nice and cool so a nice refuge from the heat!

I finished my skort with a self drafted skirt overlaying the LN Clearwater cycling shorts and despite bodging a waistband I’m really happy with them. Huge side pockets and an unusual rectangular gusset make them a winning shorts pattern. Unusually for LN the waistband hits at the right height for me rather than across my ribs and apart from grading from M at the waist to XS at the thighs no extra adjustments were needed.

No immediate sewing plans at the moment but I have a free day on Tuesday so will have a think about a quick project. I quite fancy another Sinclair Gaia now I’ve worked out where the problems are. I need to make a dent in my stretch fabric stash so that will help

I have a duvet cover which I don’t like as bedding so am making into a tiered skirt, so I started that yesterday.

I’ve just bought the Bob pants pattern, as I don’t have much in the way of summer trousers. They might go to the front of the queue.

@OnlyTheBravest I am also thinking about drafting patterns, as most of the time I'm copying existing clothes or attempting zero waste patterns. I've just grabbed a second hand copy of Freehand Fashion by Chinelo Bally because while I don't like the patterns in the book (too smart/workwearish for me), it looks like there is good advice on measurements and how to draft shapes from your own body. We'll see.
I've also just bought a copy of Fibre Mood as they had a 50% sale on. With shipping, the cost came to a total of £20, which is pretty good for about 11 patterns. Let's see what it turns out like! I did buy the issue I wanted in French as they had sold out in English, but I figure I can brush up of my language skills at the same time as sewing!

I love the look of the Bob pants, but something’s stopping me from buying them. Looking at review pictures, I think it’s one of those patterns that has to finish in exactly the ‘right place’ on your leg to look good. I’m not sure where that right place is, but I’ve seen both people who have lengthened and shortened them and it doesn’t seem to take much to go from looking great to looking off. I think it’s one of those patterns that’s great if it works for you 🤔

My go to summer trouser is Sew House Seven’s Free Range Slacks. I usually make the wide leg version, which I’ve adjusted so that they’re full length. I find the side panels, which basically create long vertical lines (especially if you use flat felled seams/ faux flat felled seams) really flattering, plus they’re easy to make and fit.

I know this is not ‘pure pattern drafting’ but I find there’s quite a lot you can do with a few well fitting patterns for basics. E,g. a basic shirt pattern can be turned into a jacket/ coat, or a shirt dress, as well as endless variations of a shirt by changing the length, the sleeves, the collar etc.

Whenever I see a ready to wear shirt I really like the look of, I dig out my Grainline Archer pattern and hack it until I’ve got something similar. It’s a lot of fun and - to me - a little easier than starting from scratch.

I quite like Fibre Mood patterns, they do go a bit quirky librarian at times (can't resist a mad sleeve) , and they are drafted for Dutch Amazons but they do have some nice ideas, and everything I've tried making from them has come out pretty well (apart from the length).

I’ve made a few Fibre Mood patterns and enjoyed them. I never think they style them very well though. I’ve only been persuaded when I’ve seen them made by other sewists.

I have a challenge at last and one that will use up a fair amount of my dodgy mystery box fabric. The neon green tiger print may get its chance to shine! I need a costume for Mardi Gras. 😆

Obviously don’t want to buy fabric so I’ve dug out some green pleated chiffon, some purplish tie dye, fairly see through crinkled polycotton and some heavier weight textured glittery gold stuff. Obviously a ra ra skirt? I’m making some of the Clearwater shorts in teal Lycra to wear underneath and for pocket space.

Any ideas?

Maybe a cape /fairy wings using the pleated chiffon , attached with a loop to a finger ?

I love that idea @bookbook

How has everyone's sewing gone this week? I made a dress from the Zero Waste Patterns book out of a charcoal chambray, and it's OK, possibly a bit dowdy. It's calf length at the moment, so I think I might shorten it so it looks a bit more pinafore-y.
I am going out to dinner with a friend tonight, and feel a bit down in the dumps that nothing I have made feels right for going out to a wine bar.Everything is a bit casual. I had the lovely idea of making a white dress out of a vintage table cloth, which I'd seen others do and though would be just right for a French Rivera style vibe, but the fit just isn't right- the bodice is too big. Do I try and rescue it? This dress making lark is so tough...

I've single handedly ended the heatwave by cutting out some shorts.

And I've been playing with free motion embroidery and appliqué. I might get passably good at it with a bit of practice 😂

The dress. Needs to be shorted right, more grunge than apron?!

I’ve sewn 2 pairs of leggings that are short length (above the knee rather than cropped below the knee!) Really pleased with them as they’ll be a good use of bigger remnants.

Could you dress it up with a scarf or a long necklace? Go mad with the jewellery if the dress feels not enough on its own?

I haven’t done anything this week apart from redoing the waistband on my latest Bobs, and I’m so glad I did - they are perfect now. I’m away for the weekend but I definitely need some more lightweight summer tops if this weather is continuing so that’s the plan for next week. I saw someone had made a top version of the Merchant & Mills Trapeze which looked great so I think I’ll churn out a few of them.

Don't get me started on fitting issues @Wrenbirdwren ! I've (temporarily) halted work on the Frankie trousers as the larger pair I cut out ended up being tighter in places than the previous pair. It's a bit of a mystery and I'm not in the mood to try and solve it at the moment 😂 I've already moved on to the next experiment pattern.

@CrimsonAlligator Fit is a very odd thing. I've been using the same bodice template for about 3 dresses. One fits nicely, one is too small, and one is waaaaay too big. The sewing Gods are teasing me. My wardrobe is very full.of slightly ill-fitting garments. What do you all do with the experiments/ mistakes/ fails?? I don't want lots of things piling up just to remind me how far I am from my own couture line!

I tend to make the same patterns up on repeat and different fabrics can make a huge difference, even in wovens. I’ve discovered that there’s no point in making a toile in an old sheet then making the final version in viscose as the viscose version will be bigger.

My failures tend to hang around for a while then I either use my dress form to make adjustments or I cut it up and make something else from the fabric. I’ve turned a few dresses into skirts and some have become camisoles. I keep some failures to make pocket linings and bias binding.

I make toiles for things that are harder to fit, especially trousers. I’m a convert to the one-legged trouser toile, which can make it easier to see what is causing fit issues, but obviously those are not very wearable! If I can’t sort out fit issue(s) I will hold onto the toile, with the hope of sorting it at a later date.

For easier to fit things, I’ll take some key measurements on the pattern and either make it up in cheaper fabric as a wearable toile, or just go straight for the final fabric (depending on how confident I am that it will work and how expensive that fabric is).

I always check things like length, dart positioning and any other things that tend to be ‘off’ on a pattern compared to my own measurements. By doing those checks and making changes before I cut anything out, I find that I have a pretty good success rate (on anything other than trousers), so don’t have a lot of ill fitting toiles lying around.

Oh. My. Goodness! I’ve just realised that losing weight means I have a chance of getting a dress form that I won’t need to extensively pad out to my shape and size!

This is incredibly thrilling! That might be my autumn purchase…

When things don’t fit I’ve offered them to friends; one in particular has done very well out of me and I’m delighted to see things I’ve made being worn by someone else. Otherwise they go to the charity shop; my local ones are happy to take well-made handmade clothes. Haven’t seen anyone wearing them around town yet though!