The Sewing Place
The Emporia => In the wardrobe => Topic started by: Iminei on June 02, 2017, 19:41:44 PM
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This is a replica of the previous thread which , at least to me, seems to have vanished into thin air!!
This is my log and a conduit for my endless questions, queries and SOS's to yourselves for my journey through the Japanese Sewathon ......
Day 1
.....and I return to the pattern I had so carefully traced from the multiple images in the book (Drape Drape 2) last month. I'm quietly pleased with how neat it looks, I'm quite a good tracer I believe.
Looking through the book at the pictures of the gorgeous garments elegantly draped on the amorphous models, a lil inkling starts to nag at the back of my mind.
Yes, the models are lovely aren't they?
So aloof, pale and insouciant ... almost waif like....
the niggling in my mind turns into screeching alarm bells as my T shirt clad breasts get in the way of my view....
All my life I have been a Small, sometimes almost a Tiny...
certainly shoe shopping is a thankless task as I take a 2 - 3 and no British shoe shop knowingly stocks anything in that size that isn't covered in pink glitter or butterflies.
As for clothes; another horrendous task, that has put me off shopping for life. Nothing fits in the trouser department, almost always too big and if I want a dress, I better be able to take it in at the waist and hips or leave it on the rails...
I riffle through the pages of the book, frantically searching for anything about ...sizes!
Ah ! here we go ...... the patterns come in 4 sizes ... S, M, L and XL ... Extra large ???
I had cut this pattern on the S mark and i now feverishly hunt for a tape.
Their measurements are in cms ... designed to make you feel elephantine at the best ...I mean 36" or 91 cm ??
Scanning through the sizes I realise from being petite I have now grown into a Giantess (can I blame the menopause??? I know I've put on a kilo or two but no .... these measurements are for fashion models, anorexics or wraiths only )
Small ... (remember this is the mark on which I traced my pattern....)
Height 153 cm, Bust 78 cm, Waist 58 cm, Hips 84 cm
Medium ...
Height 158 cm, Bust 82 cm, Waist 62 cm, Hips 88 cm
Large ... (!!!)
Height 163 cm, Bust 86 cm, Waist 66 cm, Hips 92 cm
XLarge ... (Gulp!)
Height 168 cm, Bust 90 cm, Waist 70 cm, Hips 96 cm
and of La Iminei ???? (as measured by herself ...with a shaky hand)
Height 160 cm, Bust 96 cm, Waist 76 cm, Hips 86 cm
My heart sank... not only was the neatly traced pattern that I had been so foolishly proud of totally the wrong size I was also officially a giantess or at the very least clinically huge!
So I have been busy altering the pattern, scribbling out lines, sellotaping on bits here and there and now it all looks very much like last nights cold Chop Suey !!! :(
Next stop ... Have I enough fabric ??? It was tight at the start but now ??
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OK, Here come the questions
(please remember I have absolutely zero experience, so need advice in words that a 2 year old can understand)
Oh and please don't laugh ... like Manuel, I know nothing !!!
Do you iron the stuff ?? Its got creases where its been folded,
How do you iron it, it moves everywhere ... and how hot??
If the pattern for the bit round your hips doesn't even go round your hips in paper...
how the hell is it going to go round your hips when cut out and sewn ????
Modify message
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So should I carry on even tho' the paper piece doesn't go round my hips ???
At the moment I'm having lunch (a leftover bhaji and a glass of wine to calm my addled nerves) while I assess peeps advice
Who knows I might never come back to it, this seems too hard!
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Sod it !!! :angry:
Im going to just do it! Cut the blooming thing. I'm using a red stretchy as a practice piece.
Do I weigh the pattern pieces down or pin ???
Jeez Louize I truly know nothing! :'(
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Well I have been busy and there is something hanging on a hanger in the living room.
I had a tip to layout fabric and cut on a tablecloth or such to stop the fabric slipping and it seemed to work (and the tablecloth is still intact)
I attached foot M, the overcast foot to edge the seams ...Yukkk, horrible jerky movements and noises from the machine and nothing seemed to move for ages ...but ...it edged the fabric, making it all crinkly like a pie crust in the process ssssooooo .... I attached the walking foot and stitched a seam using a small stretch stitch (i think) and the resultant seam was nice and smooth.
What have i learnt???
Hem before sewing the seams I think...
Also that the neck is very, very, very low ... fine if you are an anorexic waif with no boobs but no good for me at all....
and... Drape, drape my arse!
I will try and get a pic of me in it and you will see what I mean ... I'm not fat, really I'm not but this pattern is just not delivering, which is a pity because this was my only idea for the Japanese Sewathon.
Pics and more here......
https://goo.gl/photos/ZbqPjr6kPYTUdWXz6 (https://goo.gl/photos/ZbqPjr6kPYTUdWXz6)
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It looks good! Need to see it on though, it's the sort of item that needs to be worn I think.
And definitely don't hem before you stitch together! You want to be able to do the whole hem in one go rather than having raw edges when you meet the side seams.
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And definitely don't hem before you stitch together
No ??? How do you do the sleeves then etc ???
I tried after sewing together and it was awkward and looks very bungled!
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And definitely don't hem before you stitch together
No ??? How do you do the sleeves then etc ???
I tried after sewing together and it was awkward and looks very bungled!
You make it work! You just turn it under then only stitch on one bit at a time.
(https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7TKGMZHi73yzCumQ/giphy.gif)
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I made a top rather like this for the missus some years ago. Never got worn. I made one for myself. Never got worn.
Some things ONLY look good on anorexic waifs I'm afraid...
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At least you've made your first thing. I'm still waiting on tracing paper and fabric and still wobbling between two patterns.
There are a couple of nice looking tops in my book that are floaty and drapey but look like they can be made more fitted pretty easily. I can send you some pictures if you like? There are handy diagrams as the Japanese pattern books are pretty sparse on words, lots of diagrams though :)
Well done on making your first thing though :D
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It's a Japanese origami pattern, and the Japanese are tiny by western standards .
Height 160 cm, Bust 96 cm, Waist 76 cm, Hips 86 cm
That's 5' 3" tall, 38" bust, 30" waist and 34" hips. Smallish but not outragously skinny and with a nice trim waist.
You should choose a pattern for a top according to your bust measurement, or of you are buxom (C-D cup or more) measure your high bust and do an FBA although that shouldn't really be necessary with that sort of loose floppy garment.
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Hi girls..
Thanks for all your support with this.
Yes Brenda, I'm a Double Diamond in the bust ...but please don't confuse me further with FBA's etc.
I'm just pleased I could actually sew the floppy stuff without it looking hideous, but a bit disappointed with the fit
The seams are pretty smooth and flat (YAY) and it sort of looks like it should but its far from finished...the hem has not been done and the hideous open neckline needs to be ??? with some more fabric, which of course I don't have enough of !!
You can't mix fabrics can you ??? I have a nice batik that would look great with this ??? 0_0
My next quandary is, the actual fabric that was going to be made into this is rather nice and I really dont want to waste it by making something that I won't wear. Again the quantity is tight (end of bolt) but I wouldn't mind sewing something I could actually wear ...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8BlO048wuEMbh9GfGKYv7KRhliZlOkQNXRb4k6K6CpIXnxy-oEVSxshivWleDl_zYQi8cH_h5azAHSmJg_7n8nTchknp9E-6PNo716gjDcnvGWMz6S8RA4BRlpoz8m3h4D0T1m6_5NlKSd8zHsJTqibbfCfHY48KVpYLEG1CNk3oo3ZMVH36BeDoAk-LbjqPV9mbfB3FYKNhbtnWVPkFtA0kmDAvmV0jlMycgvTnZUabveNZhTPZtRuaX5N43w6_uej2iyl_0-jH0GMi3tr3-ZETizyM6FflyRj_MNjWgYDLlqWYJDuaQSw2KBqhQYDEK51r9K0Mhb2Ggm7LFrKtqdeHO9MKcXIeA0M4s4pwv35fUGt2oD7-eR-65DpjQIunM2AjvwqhAqso4Lm8lLaF5le63gPHgPQXAyClWyI5DYACvXD1Wd0uSYbPLncEjOkKjTdoVJVmEbEc8u8cyN_IF3peW9e3mzUaEBCfmFaMYJQS58VoxcsIAROvL1VodzGMEsdDIOwMSLkFmu2HVs1ETxUMWXLj3lv4ixCYOrWtot8ad6youhbbxQZRSRFNsx9oXj4mDw8xpHL-XOcNxSuFslwZArJYhzBVhLbDjjudZyNe83MqvrcOX2xp6iRggaxMC4eBYpc1zJ3kXv6fl5_zvSxnLWJ6ycVRC9lW=w240-h203-no)
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You can't mix fabrics can you ??? I have a nice batik that would look great with this ??? 0_0
You can mix fabrics, but it's not usually successful if one is stretchy and the other one isn't.
For your hems I would use the blind stitch - the one that's three straight stitches then a zig-zag to the left. Over cast the edge of the fabric, fold the hem to the required depth and pin, then turn the overcast bit out so that you can sew into it. Then get it under the machine so that the straight stitches go on top of the overcasting and the zig-zag just catches the fold of the fabric. When it's done smooth it all into place and press and all you will see from the right side is tiny stitches at each zig-zag.
http://sewway.com/blind-hem-stitch-with-a-sewing-machine.html (http://sewway.com/blind-hem-stitch-with-a-sewing-machine.html)
For the neck you need a strip of fabric with similar amount of stretch as the rest of the garment. Cut a strip, maybe 2" wide and almost as long as the neckline - it does need to be stretched very slightly. Join it to make a tube. Fold in half (just like quilt binding!) and pin it to the neckline using lots of pins at right angles. Once you are happy that it's evenly positioned all the way around sewi it on using medium width zig-zag or 3 step zig-zag. Press that hem downwards.
Then put a twin needle into the Splurge and straight stitch setting to sew all around the neck. Right hand needle in the ditch and the left hand one will hold the zig-zag stitching down.
Have a look at any RTW tee shirt, it will be similar, except that the zig-zagging will be overlocked and the twin needle will be a coverstitch.
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Looks exactly like mine, even down to the colour!
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Iminei, I feel your frustration, I love the look of some of these Japanese patterns with their interesting shapes , and so does DD, but at 180cm and 187cm tall respectively there's no way that I'm ever going to be able to make them fit :(
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You can mix fabrics, but it's not usually successful if one is stretchy and the other one isn't.
For your hems I would use the blind stitch - the one that's three straight stitches then a zig-zag to the left. Over cast the edge of the fabric, fold the hem to the required depth and pin, then turn the overcast bit out so that you can sew into it. Then get it under the machine so that the straight stitches go on top of the overcasting and the zig-zag just catches the fold of the fabric. When it's done smooth it all into place and press and all you will see from the right side is tiny stitches at each zig-zag.
http://sewway.com/blind-hem-stitch-with-a-sewing-machine.html
For the neck you need a strip of fabric with similar amount of stretch as the rest of the garment. Cut a strip, maybe 2" wide and almost as long as the neckline - it does need to be stretched very slightly. Join it to make a tube. Fold in half (just like quilt binding!) and pin it to the neckline using lots of pins at right angles. Once you are happy that it's evenly positioned all the way around sewi it on using medium width zig-zag or 3 step zig-zag. Press that hem downwards.
Then put a twin needle into the Splurge and straight stitch setting to sew all around the neck. Right hand needle in the ditch and the left hand one will hold the zig-zag stitching down.
Have a look at any RTW tee shirt, it will be similar, except that the zig-zagging will be overlocked and the twin needle will be a coverstitch.
aaannnd my head has exploded!!!!!
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Would it help if I told you that I started sewing knit fabrics about two months ago and have had no problems treating them pretty much the same as woven? Nobody told me I was going to have problems, and I haven't had any.
I have no overlocker or coverstitch machine, I have just used straight stitch and zigzag, although I did use a twin needle.
Common sense says that you shouldn't stretch the fabric while you're stitching it (although it also says it's much easier to absorb a little slack on stretch than on woven ;) ).
I've even sewn woven to knit for the StyleArc Annika. Easy peasy.
I have to admit that I haven't sewn anything super-stretchy, just normal stretchy, but I don't like super-stretchy clothes anyway.
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You are doing really well Iminei, and, you will conquer it! I was scared of stretch the first time I sewed it and I don't sew stretch much these days. My overlocker gave up a few weeks ago and I had to buy another and I will try with that. But your normal machine will sew it no problem, I used a very old F+R machine and it sewed stretch beautifully.
Well done so far :toast: :)
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This is a pic that I have found online of the DD top no 4......
(https://sewbusylizzy.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/no4-top_09.jpg?w=584&h=1002)
Nice eh??
Now heres me in my attempt...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/smNECsf2rknN3EPkRgrBCdany81wHPfnXxCo1KHowHBuG66jEOz-2va-_1CRdsQ8FnrEq8JHR4HuqdoO7NXGvlPu4DusiHyP2CikWVCWC0BJ6n1VXlmzsB5CL_LPwwqy_uAbU78Zcdlrf0Y1fng8589j5xA1spEXu286jYnUiDNi2y7zK2s3vnC3AmRvIaEM0C1WCyIcHI3STPsosQqvzGPhodyaSFCxgwPdCWW-GEj5fCLz-2NcD9Myd01cFEA2SN6U6mxcNRRICdJJt7FJgeyyWEaEOdIg78i_g-lJ37MNmQTcnmZ_DmZ79I1oSJZScxEu1n81gVd1e72SRm9bsyHwetbLQGm92DFhZbz2tewT1TLZQl17BlFQvzkVOHTVlVTETxaWYXg60lxja3NjSB1ZR9jzHmfcujVVDp2y7CGijQ_dHtDGvPwQvAhGBKOhYbd-D742SAS4Rr_urAF3yLksmRnAlrrq3iWF1cTZ5ijA1zsmDOk5chMABzRlCbOLJeItOeyOrPgVA3wHg_P5QhUmZryJdJHsFlqNj8S7W9HBt_wlHv6EOUVN-sqhLo6Bvy75sDGwCtG7yud9kZ7QreFlhvFNR6odiSLbYFPRFWHCp7hAqghfH3MMCtGzri489vmvc-jHuJws21OJpFR-o8NpLK8q2X6cl7Id=w824-h789-no)
WHY is that neckline soooo low ????? It looks better if you drape a bit of the remaining fabric over the neckline....
(here shown un-artfully draped for a quick pic with no mirror to check how if fell)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3Ga7SxY4RxKq0M7DOzZILyvv822BFf6EU4eyY0SIOlm1wKLXl9yoa8LoBX_mfmrncIo2xZEx3KR8KSBm-e5giFyNAFb2cjYPNYgSQgnKdJaq20ouCHiyN0HD4PpPFZJparxdgK4LV5wKuONolEV_bQdenfdZnjFrXC0l8xtdZj95pYQVmPzRJFaDP-rpHU6Viij9woQpkRNKaGwgQAR4oGyUb0sLyr9-v3iUqKProVhLr-9VkR4Sho-K5F8oYOn8G-WvqQJVmwr3Iauor0aDsnbJsd4du0PEG4dpkGSpUMvdcUQB1OFJzpdc1VOAPcJj0DetS9K03Iagig1diwXaR6WjWZdLPs_F1PS9aVoo1H2Lw1iYRUWIl4_8IpNm7wzDxfcsVWpWox6IRF_e9D9CWcAqA-ClsDeMar1NsjZdjqC7ESYTeFYH43QzJvO7DTIIf7F0KhI8u7o67W2NnIBp5Atlpp8w0yc8SkGLeiKWJxoFfQ6p5R0hlEuHL2ygDw-Ka2fj9AsNdKHjbvs3SlPL0-V_UvyQCF7-WPwNrnXIYIBcdPb7t5uZ_O4mo_koivX-hkTmhozzCi7U9V9bW-PPJxuvxjdjXMY0hvS84CCIDhvjN-V1k8q3KmLb-2vSkEGjvCnQMCNZ30XHBLVkDrWwtuVJauQmD6p4weHu=w887-h789-no)
It wasn't hard to sew, all the seams are smooth and pucker free but what a waste of time and fabric and not something I want to make again with the lovely blue metre and a smidge that I was going to use.
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I wonder hoy many bulldog clips and safety pins are on the back of that top?
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It really does look like the neckline is a lot higher in the picture and it falls a little lower on the shoulder. Maybe the draping fo the fabric has something to do with it?
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Sorry I've come rather late to the party so I hope I'm understanding the story. First of all, Imi, I think you are doing fabulously well to wrestle with this frustrating book (where XL wouldn't fit round my ankle says she who recently sent back a pair if size 9 Doc Marten's for being too tight :'().
I know this is the bleedin' obvious but as the issue is the neckline and upper body if there's a way to fix this it may yet turn out ok. Is it in any way feasible to make the neckline smaller by taking out about 2 inches at each shoulder seam? I take it that these are not set in sleeves and that you have seams running from the neck down the sleev????? You could start with a 2" reduction at the neck and gently slope the seam so you end up at the same size at the bottom end of each sleeve. If you think this would work it would be worth pinning and then tacking those shoulder seams as suggested to see if you could lose some of that wide neckline.
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I'm not sure how the neckline is finished. Does it have a facing (I'm asking because in the photo above I see it's finished with a band)? If not, you could try banding it and stretch the binding a bit when sewing, it might pull the neckline up.
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I can see/think of two issues.
1. The fabric you have chosen doesn't have the same level of drape as the one in the picture. Hers is very drapey, yours seems to have a more solid structure which is causing it to drape in a different way. Is this cotton jersey? Cotton jersey is often like that. If you want to try again I would suggest going for a very thin viscose jersey. That tends to have more drape. Or a slinky jersey (if you go on Fabworks website, you can search "slinky" and you will get lots of nice slinky jerseys come up. Slinky jersey has a shine and coolness to it and it's very very drapey).
Secondly, it is possible that a) you've stretched the neckline while holding, sewing etc. Necklines stretch out really easily if not handled with absolute care. No hanging the piece on the back of a chair, no picking up the garment from the shoulders until the neckband is sewn etc. It's really easy to stretch things out. Option b) you simply are shallower in the shoulder-to-bust length than the pattern is intended for.
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I'm not sure how the neckline is finished
Neither neckline, hem or armholes are finished...
Sorry girls, it was the Capri pant Calamity all over again.... and I just stopped!!
The pics are really there in an FYI basis...just to show I did try and something was made! If i were to continue with this ghastly pillar-box of a thing ... I might attach the extra fabric in a way to make a draped cowl for the neck (like I know what that means)
I just wish I could find a simple top pattern for something that only needs a metre of fabric, cos I really do love the blue.
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Fran is right Im. Some jerseys stretch out if you look at them! I have one V neck top, where the V nearly lands on my navel! The fabric needs stabilising and, if you have it, sewing with a walking foot.
Jessie
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I am coming to the firm conclusion [long suspected] that 99% of these 'artfully draped' jobbies are totally unwearable in real life, by real bodies. I trust no modelled photographs, they are always clipped and pinned at the back, and posed rather oddly. Bin it, pic a more 'normal' pattern [I recommend StyleArc for knits] maybe sign up for the Tilton's T shirt class and pattern, which is human shaped, and interesting
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I tend to agree with DF. The big 4 or Stylearc would be safer especially if you can find at least a few reviews on patternreview of normal people showing exactly what they made from a particular pattern. However I hope you can stlll salvage this top, Imi.
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I just wish I could find a simple top pattern for something that only needs a metre of fabric, cos I really do love the blue.
There are thousands of patterns out there, you'll find something!
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I bid thee get Style Arc Annika- great for using jersey AND woven oddments
Butterick 6287, heaven sent for Darksiders
SA Tootsie [more piecing]
Gazillions more
Go on
Go on go on go on go on
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Others have said it all.
The grey version on the model is a much finer fabric than you are using - you can see her underwear through it. That means it will drape very differently.
It looks wider across the neck and the sleeves look longer. Just pulling the sleeves downwards will force the neckline upward a bit.
She probably does have several pins and clips hiding behind her.
The big name branded patterns are more consistent on sizes than smaller indies, especially a Japanese one. Also you are more likely to find real life examples of it on Pattern Review (https://sewing.patternreview.com/).
A Japanese pattern may well have started life as a very tiny size and the grading up could have enlarged the neckline more than it should have done. It's well known that patterns graded up to large (western) sizes have necklines that are too big. Compare someone with a 32" bust and someone with a 46" bust. Around the boobs the measurment is 16" difference, but around the neck it's maybe 2" difference.
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Thx Everyone, I might try and attach that bit of leftover and see if I can rescue it tho' it was only ever going to be the toile.
As to sewing the Jersey it went fine...
Microtex needle ... check!
Walking Foot ....... check!
Overdedge foot .... check!
I don't think I overstretched the neckline, thats how it was cut, I didn't even think that it would come out soooo low!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BmnyR2YaYI0ewsWPfOpeAGT7CgW9PqoYD8EPVqZPS0Gui5LWUrr9catIJu5xrxWUIGwdy1bu3E40NkZteTfQekD-WbWcmV-rrGobF9LY21Q6V_UhyI4lF4yEjHk-ZEoN2DbupI4BRW60PJWXulo9GomW5b6MSYuaxGIJEbTWl5ZnReqMMf7JH4AK4zgdL9eqUK6Wl30ONd7xbNw5TqXVkaDsUY0K58I4cq5dMVjRjIOhBpXPZOG2DD2Lghis5S5ch1JYI5CekbOkUFwpfez-29BInBx1MoTZTnKQuDEmvfAeJXReYkcgki8vYNFOs9-qpLiVEpSTfBhStXkPKGkjbTTrEd9e1M9PFEVa-xWVejB8S8xAB3JXttnHIOyqKyvwFNYMfy6mgmvX-6YcR5-0qVqJjpNKNnzXuxIN4BYAaCwAr7nmU8_shKXS3G6vFzt945POvMBiCJUTTue3D-_5ZNeUx6XYISyCVrTgwe158Sxc5L9FARJ5pwzfNxBpnplMBsmR6xrNH_IWad1bKuvFmlxkk3pJFc3LZNSC9MGB6owwirsobGJFfksPcjl_siYYAGGhDef5uZZjwgskrwMNSh33tb-2tgL7p9fj8DVzOtOm9hTwwVMZIUvSa0lOt7I-ecegiIcqkqqWOkF1jB2YEcxuNl50oGPfvVii=w1144-h789-no)
I just wish I could do something with the meagre amount of blue I have, just a boxy T shirt or something ><
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As an absolute beginner I wanted something small and simple to start so I bought McCall's 6963 and 6964. I reckoned there were enough neckline and sleevie options to get something to suit. The largest amount of fabric used in any of the options is 1.4m in the long sleeved cowl.
You might get something for your blue stuff there if you just want an everyday thing.
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That neckline looks incredibly low to me!
I would cut it more like this. If it ends up too high, you can trim it to the shape you like once made up. As you've learned, you can't add fabric back that isn't there!
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I was going to say the neck might come in a bit when it is bound but I don't think that will be anywhere near enough - you little minx you! Mine was the same ( jersey linen fabric) and I "fixed" it by shoving a pleat into the neckline off to one side to further exaggerate the wonkiness of the whole thing. Not my favourite, but wearable.
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A couple of years ago I made something similar from a StyleArc pattern. Intriguing design, it looked b...y awful on me. There's a reason these things are shown on anorexic 6ft models.