The Sewing Place

Hand sewn garments

justpottering

Hand sewn garments
« on: May 27, 2017, 12:18:26 PM »
When I was on holiday last summer I hand sewed two skirts and a top. It wasn't planned but found myself needing a sewing fix. I went to a local sewing shop and got the bits I needed.
After measuring and cutting out using ideas from things I had made before and therefore comfortable with trying I used backstitch for the seams and then folded the seam edges under and used a running stitch so that raw edges were enclosed. Did hemming and a simple elasticated waist in a casing so not anything complicated.
To make sure I did straight seams I measured seam allowance and drew a line with a pencil and followed that. The skirts were panels to give some volume and flow to the bottom and the top was a simple back and front with longer shoulders to form something like a capped sleeve not too much shaping as also had a,cowl neck.
I wore the top and one of the skirts to a wedding. I enjoy hand sewing but rarely get the time to do it on this scale so it was wonderfully therapeutic.
I am in the process of choosing some fabrics and plan cutting out some items before I go this year so that I can do it again.
We go camping so taking my machine isn't easy well it is but having correct height table and chair isn't. I shall post pics  :thread:
« Last Edit: May 27, 2017, 12:20:04 PM by justpottering »
JP
Dressmaker - but first......tea

Acorn

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2017, 12:40:58 PM »
I love hand sewing.  I usually use my machine for making garments, but anything small, or alterations etc, I do by hand.  I do a lot of embroidery as well, so my hand stitching is well-practiced.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2017, 15:52:30 PM by Acorn »
I might look as though I'm talking to you, but inside my head I'm sewing.

Efemera

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2017, 13:55:58 PM »
Not for me..... I hate hand sewing (I do like embroidery ).. takes enough effort to hem something.

Ploshkin

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2017, 14:05:30 PM »
I really enjoy hand sewing but with rather painful tendonitis in my right hand I can't sew for very long.  It's just taken me a fortnight to hand sew the binding on a quilt.
Manx quilting is a nice thing for hand sewing and provided you've got a bag of fabric strips all you need is a needle, thread, 4 pins and a small pair of scissors or snips.
Life's too short for ironing.

justpottering

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2017, 14:58:11 PM »
I love hand sewing, and have done embroidery, cross stitch, etc  but my first love is dressmaking and last year it was a need to sew a garment that made me do it, I wasn't bothered about how it turned out really but it was great and I planned to do more, but here I am almost a year later and been too busy, hence the plan this holiday.
I looked up manx quilting might have a go one day, a great way to use scraps but I do have some rag quilts on the go they've been 'on the go' for a while, maybe this winter they might make it to the beds - but don't quote me on it  ;)
JP
Dressmaker - but first......tea

Lowena

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2017, 17:20:51 PM »
I'm hand quilting a quilt top this afternoon. Big stitch perle in a curly pattern  :thread:
Triumph of hope over experience :D

Ploshkin

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #6 on: May 27, 2017, 17:24:19 PM »
I learnt about Manx quilting one very wet afternoon on the Isle of Man at the Craigneash folk museum.  There was no one else there and I sat with a lady in one of the houses and she showed me how to do it.  The thing I like about it is that you can do it by eye and it doesn't matter if the stitches are big or wobbly (though I can't bring myself to do big stitches) as the fabric isn't folded along the stitching line.  I've done a cushion and I have a bag of blocks which I add to from time to time.  One day I might join them together.
Life's too short for ironing.

Lowena

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #7 on: May 27, 2017, 17:29:33 PM »
I'm going to look up Manx Quilting.........I'm an expert at wobbly stitches  :D
Triumph of hope over experience :D

elephun

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #8 on: May 27, 2017, 21:18:48 PM »
I like to hand sew garments from time to time, too. I've chosen things that I have previously sewn and that I like to wear. That way, there's a good chance I'll wear the item. It's really satisfying for me to sew a garment by hand and to wear it. More often than sewing an entire garment by hand, I'll sew the major seams by machine and hand sew the others. I do this when I just want to work more slowly, usually when the fabric or garment would just look better sewn, shaped, and finished by hand.

Weird as it is, other times, I want nothing to do with hand sewing. 

I'll have to check out manx quilting, too.

Ploshkin

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #9 on: May 27, 2017, 21:37:55 PM »
This is my Manx quilted cushion made about 10 years ago so a bit squished and sat upon.
Life's too short for ironing.

Pearl

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #10 on: May 28, 2017, 13:38:19 PM »
I'm going to look up Manx Quilting........

I did that too and found a site on which our dear Plosh was explaining what it was.   0_0 0_0 <3

crooknees

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #11 on: June 14, 2017, 17:12:32 PM »
justpottering,
I am a lover of hand sewing too. When at senior school, I seemed to be the only one without a sewer in the family. Everyone else knew how to use a sewing machine and the needlework teacher  shook her head, sighed and walked away when I explained my ignorance. I wasn't shown how to use  the machines and they terrified me. So I made everything by hand, using a very small running stitch and then working back in the spaces to make it look as much like a machine stitch as possible >:) I was experienced at pressing and ironing and the finished dresses received no comment from the sewing teacher. It was after my DD saw me sewing away by hand that he bought me my first hand crank machine. Even then I was reluctant to use it at first :|.

justpottering

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #12 on: June 27, 2017, 08:37:34 AM »
I'm off to the shops today to buy some fabric for a top or two as its raining we won't be sitting on the beach methinks so perfect for a handsewn kind of day
I have almost completed the front of a scatter cushion cover using Manx quilting and brought enough to complete a set of four  :)
JP
Dressmaker - but first......tea

Zigzag

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #13 on: July 02, 2017, 16:11:50 PM »
The new sewing group I will be joining on Tuesday afternoon are hand sewing a quillow.  This method will teach me lots of new skills.  It is brilliant to read how many of you talented sewers have made hand sewn garments to wear.  Congratulations and well done.

HenriettaMaria

Re: Hand sewn garments
« Reply #14 on: July 08, 2017, 18:24:17 PM »
I've hand sewn linen garments as part of a living history tableau and it's quite a zen thing to do if you have time on your hands (or want something to keep your hands occupied while sitting in front of the TV!).  These sorts of garments are, however, almost invariably made out of various sizes of rectangle so they're not tricky. 

Someone in our society did some research into the hand-sewing of historical jackets and found that the approach one would take if making it on the machine is different from that taken if hand-sewing.  As an example, on a machine you might sew a cuff or collar right sides together, then trim, turn and press.  By hand, the turning of the seams is done first and the facing piece and top piece laid wrong sides together.  The facing allowances are turned in marginally further, making it slightly smaller than the top piece.  They are then stitched together as one might stitch applique by hand, with tiny, barely visible stitches and the piece is ready to attach to the main garment.  Worth rethinking one's approach, then, if planning to make a modern garment by hand, perhaps?