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?!

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
@Julieju1
@PickAChew
@MarmiteWine
@Isabelle70
@ClearHoldBuild
@Brefugee
@Twobluechickens
@Jins
@OperationalSupport
@ClearHoldBuild
@Sminty2
@Castlerigg
@Bookbook
@Rosenspants
@PandaCory
@TheBirdintheCave
@InMySpareTime
@Frumpyunicorn
@NotMeNoNo
@alianangel
@TorturedParentsDepartment
@Welshywitch
@Londonmummy66
@CrimsonAlligator
@HollyBerryz
@Kittykarate
@SamphiretheTervosaur
@Whataretalkingabout
@123ZYXMorningmorning
@WWomble
@PinkCamelia369
@Sewliketosew
@Hiddendoor
@OnlyTheBravest
@PandaCory
@Starryskiestonight
@PrincessDonut
@Shirtyllama
@SheSawSeaShore
@Daisiesanddaffodils2
@Paintyhands
@MO0N
@Daisiesanddaffodils24
@EricTheHalfASleeve
@Commontern

@CrimsonAlligator and @bookbook both your finished items look so professional.

Some fabulous projects on show since I was last here. 🥰

The only sewing I’ve done this week has been a T-shirt toile for DS3 and to put together a jumper I’ve knitted but I’ve finally got the hang of mattress stitch and my seams are looking pretty invisible.

Underwear is on my list as well. I like waves and wild wonder undies and Sinclair Kiki briefs best but I’ve also got a GBSB patten called liberty knickers that I quite like the look of. They always seem huge when cut out but the elastic changes everything.

I’m also sorting some patterns to send for printing. I use planprinting24. I used to use CLC but cost made me change. I’ve got a few patterns piled up ready to tackle but they are mostly wovens and I really need to tackle the stretch stash so hopefully there’ll be a winner in the latest batch.

@bookbook your chairs look great, I like the blue against the dark wood.

Thanks all , pretty pleased myself!
@Isabelle70 , I seem to think it was almost accident by design on buying the blue - at the time of buying there was a limited choice of a vivid green , a neon red , and a funny stripe , so blue it was 😁

On the subject of pants…!

I have some which are now too big but which are still in great condition and I want to carry on wearing - they’re lovely and obvs there’s no market for old knickers. (They’re from Who Made Your Pants, I was v sad when it closed down).

Is it going to be as simple as taking them in on the side seams to make smaller? or am I missing a crucial part of knicker-construction?

Any thoughts would be most welcome!

@TragicMuse you may get away with just taking in the sides but it depends where they are too big. It’s worth a try. I don’t know the brand or what the styles/fabrics were but you could add picot elastic around the openings as well. I remember my grandmother re-elasticating her underwear and thought I’d never do that sort of thing but I have and will

Thanks @Jins good things to consider.

They’re mainly too big across the width (due to weight loss) and I suppose the legs are a bit loose…

But you have encouraged me that it’s possible so I’ll choose a pair and experiment!

Cheers!

I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of my knicker elastic 😂! I have spent more time noticing how my shop bought ones are constructed though. Some of mine have a wider elastic around the top and none at all around the legs.

Finished my Roxie t-shirt last night and immediately wore it to work today. Very pleased, there will be more in my future although I may size down for the next one.

I also bought a jumpsuit from Whistles after seeing a friend of a friend wearing it at a wedding. I really like it but it’s so long in the body that the crotch curve is a good 2” below where it should be on me, and I’m tall! I am half minded to shorten the bodice but it has a zip front, the zip has bias binding and there’s a facing. Doable but probably more hassle than it’s worth. I could probably make a copy using existing patterns tbh, and get a better fit.

It’s this one. The photos are terrible with the jumper hiding most of the details 🙄

www.whistles.com/product/grid-print-sleeveless-jumpsuit-40842.html

What are they trying to hide by positioning that jumper over the front in every single picture?! It’s so odd!

I’d personally send that back @twobluechickens. I think that in the time it takes to make those alterations you could have made yourself one that fits much better. Also lycocell is not the easiest thing to unpick. I’d be too worried about ripping a hole in it if I tried.

A very good point, @CrimsonAlligator - thanks! I shall return it and make something that actually fits. A shame, because it actually looks nice on, but the crotch is far too low.

Does anybody know anything about altering patterns? I’m really loving the Tilly Buttons Leah pattern, but I need to shorten the shoulders on it. This means I then need to move the bust dart and I think I need to extend it a bit too. I tried following some instructions online, but then did a toile and the dart was sitting in a straight line instead of on a slant, so I’ve no idea what I did wrong! As it is, the pattern is wearable but it would be so nice if I could get it perfect.

Whenever I’ve moved a dart, I copy the outline of the dart on a piece of paper and physically move it up or down, stick it down wherever it needs to go and true the seam. I don’t know if that’s the right way to do it though!

I’m not sure about lengthening darts. What’s the method you used @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie?

I have decided I need a light weight summer cotton duvet, JL do one but out of stock in a double. Quick scout on eBay and I have a kingsized one for half the price, new in a battered box. Now on one of the hottest days ever, I am going to trim it down to a double size. I feel hot just thinking about it!

Thank you. I found something online that said to cut a box around the dart and move the box. I think it lowered it quite well but that I somehow got the angle wrong. I’ll have a play with what you suggested too.

What does true the seam mean, please?

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie it means checking that if you fold the dart where it should be folded that you 1) don’t end up with a wonky seam and 2) that the side seam on your amended pattern piece still matches the side seam on your back piece, e.g. it hasn’t magically grown by 0.5 inch. You can check 1) it by folding your paper pattern piece and 2) by drawing in the seam line on both pattern pieces and checking the length (after folding the dart) is still the same.

(Disclaimer - I tend to check things a lot more than I need to and you’ll probably be fine if you don’t do any of this!)

Oh and I’ve definitely used that box method too and it worked well for me.

Thank you. It all sounds a bit fiddly and confusing but I will persevere. If I can get it right, I might reward myself with some Liberty fabric!

I use the box method a lot as I always have to lower darts by at least an inch.

I’ve taped together the pattern for the Bob pants today, hope to get started on them tomorrow. I have some blue linen in the stash that I no idea how I came by, so I’m planning to use that.

I've cut out a Helens Closet wrap top and using the last half metre, most of a Sew House 7 square top (but I don't like it square, so it'll be a round neck and some faffed binding)

Spent the evening redoing the bias binding on a top that frayed in the wash, shortening the legs on a jumpsuit and repairing a hem that had come apart on a t-shirt. Nice to get those three off the pile and back into rotation.

Also took @CrimsonAlligator ’s advice and sent the Whistles jumpsuit back.

I’ve made the Bob pants today. They went ok, I’ve never done pockets before, so that was new. One of them looked a bit dodgy but I managed to tidy it up. They’re not terribly flattering trousers, to be honest, but I sort of suspected that might be the case. I’ll probably only wear them to slob around the house, but at least I’ve used something out of the stash. (Mystery blue linen.)

Yesterday I lined up all my stash fabrics that are ideal for wearable toiles. I also lined up all the patterns I want to make. Unfortunately there is a problem as the stash fabrics are all stretch and the patterns are all wovens. I’ve sent a batch of patterns off to planprinting24 and I’ve had to postpone a couple of the woven projects for now as I just don’t have suitable fabrics and I’ve banned myself from buying more until I’ve cleared some of the mystery box stash.

While I had them all piled up I thought I’d see what AI thought about them. The mystery box fabrics are clearly deadstock as I found a label on one piece and one I used earlier this year is a Roman print. It seems that out of the 7 I checked two are Boden and the rest are Roman. So then I thought I’d ask for project suggestions and tbf it came up with some really good ideas including links to patterns so it’s been a useful tool. When I get round to it I’ll do a few more. It looks like Knighton fabrics have a few good contacts though