Friday 31 August 2007

Work in progress







I have been on about a fortnight making this blouse for a christening I am going to. I have also got to make a camisole top to go underneath it because the fabric is very see through, it is polyester chiffon, what a nightmare it is, it is certainly make me use my brain sewing this together so it doesn't look too homemade. It frays, slips when you sew it, shows all the inside stitches and the hems have to be handsewn because they don't look right when top stitched. I don't know if I will finish it in time because I don't want to spoil it now by rushing. The christening is next Sunday.

Here are some photographs.

I have put some ties on the back of the blouse for a change. I am in the process of hemming around the neck by hand, I have got half done.



Friday 10 August 2007

My muslin is done




Well I have finished the muslin for my trousers, it wasn't as traumatic as I thought it would be, I have just taken my time and worked my way through the fitting process.

I am quite pleased with the fit although I had to make quite a few alterations to the muslin. The legs on the trousers were really wide so I measured a pair of ready to wear trousers that I liked and tapered these ones to the same width.
I have sat down , bent down and generally moved around with these practise trousers on and they seem fine. They seem to be sticking to my bum in the rear view, oh dear! it's where I've been sitting lol lol lol lol lol
I have chosen to do them in a navy, wool and polyester mix, they will also be lined with side pockets. I have to transfer all of the alterations I have made onto my pattern , then pre shrink my fabric, straighten the grain and wash and press the lining. Only after I have done all of that can I start sewing.
I may have to put them on hold for a couple of weeks because I am going to a chritsening and I could do with a new blouse so I will probably make that first, the same as the one below only in a floaty material.

Wednesday 8 August 2007

Altering my trouser pattern






I need to alter my trouser pattern and make a muslin before I can even start sewing them, this is a pain to do and is the hardest part of dressmaking in my opinion. It involves cutting your pattern out in a cheap fabric, I generally use bleached calico, fitting it to your shape, making a note of the alterations and transferring the alterations to your pattern. It isn't as easy as that because the practise garment is on and off hundreds of times ( well I may be exaggerating just a little) to get the right fit.......I tend to want to overfit, but 2ins of spare room is needed at the hips for comfort so you can sit down.

You may ask why do I do this, the only answer I can come up with is, lovely comfy clothes, no tight waist squeezing the life out of you and crotch seams nearly cutting you in two.

The only trouble is, if my trousers go horribly wrong I won't want to sew anymore ever again as long as I live, then I wake up the next day and start making mistakes all over again lol lol.