Video: Tailoring a T-Shirt

Even a sewist buys clothing sometimes, so alteration skills come in very handy! Come hang out with me as I alter this adorable Pemberly t-shirt to get the fit I like best. Click the video below to watch now.

Video: Gable Top Sewing Nightmare

Sometimes our sewing projects don't go as smoothly as we envision they will, and this video documents the downfall of a should-have-been-simple sewing project. Come watch as I have to deal with machine malfunctions and finally figure out the culprit. Click below to watch now :)

Video: DPN Holder Tutorial

This week we are making a Double Pointed Needle Holder to match the knitting bag from last week :) This is such a simple project and it makes such a difference in carrying your projects around. Click the video below to watch and make your own.

Video: Let's Make A Knitting Bag!

 

YEARS ago I made myself a Faux Field Bag from scratch off of just a few measurements. Now I'm breaking down exactly how I make this bag as I show you how to make one yourself with no pattern. Come hang out and get a cute new knitting bag in the process! Click the video below to watch now.

*It's so cute, I just love it!

Video: Altering Clothes - Modcloth Edition!

 

This week we are finishing what I started in the last video and altering a stack of clothes from the Modcloth Summer Sale! This is a mixture of easy and complicated changes, but I end up with 6 new items in my wardrobe. Come hang out with me and let's get into the alterations mindset :) Click the link below to watch.

Video: How a Sewist Buys (And Alters) Clothes

 

This week's video is some of my secrets to buying clothes and altering them. THIS IS PART 1! Things did not go to plan, so some of the other items I was working on this day will be coming in a different video soon. But today, we are doing some very simple alterations to get some items in my wardrobe quickly :) Click the video below to watch!

I'm Doing Vlogmas!

 

I just realized that I forgot to post here - I'm participating in Vlogmas over on My YouTube Channel. I'm posting every 3 days or so, and today I posted the 2nd video. I'm taking you through my days with me from a singing performance to a thrift haul and much more in between, so if you just want a cozy vlog to pass the time, these are for you. Click through the link or click either of the videos below to watch them yourself.

FO: Sewing Slump Plantain

I put out a video about this shirt, but it's been so long since I did a usual blog post that I thought I would post this as well :) 

I find when I'm having a hard time sewing things, I need to grab a simple project that I've made before so I can forget about fitting issues and just sew. The Plantain Top is the perfect pattern for this purpose. I've made this shirt many times over the years, and it's perfect if you're not feeling super confident about your tummy.

I used a 1 yard cut of Art Gallery jersey called Love Story Flower Stamp Adore that I grabbed at The Sewng Studio this past July for a steal. I love the color and this fabric is wnoderfully soft. Very comfortable.

I did raise the neckline of this pattern years ago by combining the Plantain with the Renfrew neckline - easy peasy. Now it's a comfortable height so I don't have to worry about showing more than I want to.

All in all, this was the perfect project to get me out of my sewing slump :) If you haven't seen the full making process, head over here to see it on You Tube :)

Summary:

Fabric: 1 yard of Art Gallery Love Story Flower Stamp Adore Jersey - $7.94

Pattern: Deer & Doe Plantain Tee - Free

Notions: Knit Stay Tape - $0.25, thread - $0.50

Time: 3 hours

Total Cost: $ 8.69

Video: My Summer Sewing Plans

I posted this the other day and completely forgot to share here! If you want to creep my summer sewing plans, head over to my YouTube channel for the latest video, or you can click through the video below. What projects do you have planned for this summer? Let me know in the comments!

FO: This Vera Top Used To Be a Dress!

This project had an unconventional start. I was walking through Old Navy (which is an incredibly rare occurrence one its own) and was loving the fact that they had so many items in my favorite color green. I grabbed a few items, but they had one that I would never wear: A spaghetti strap knit dress.

 

The fabric was a lovely and soft viscose jersey and I felt it thinking I wish it was not this dress. I went home and was ordering a different dress from their website (because they didn't have my size in the store) and I had the idea - Duh! I can sew things. And this dress has more than enough fabric to remake into a top I would love. 

I made a whole video where I outline the whole process of using this dress as yardage - things to consider, how to know if you have enough for the pattern you want to make, etc. Click through to watch the video and see how to do this for yourself!

This is still a blog though, so now back to the regular post about this FO :)

I was able to cut the front and back pieces on the fold at the center front and back of the dress, so these areas all look exactly as any other shirt would. I went with my new love - The Vera Knit Top, which is a free pattern from Forget-Me-Not Patterns. This pattern is everything a free pattern should be - a wonderful gift to test out the style of that company's patterns and get a great garment in the process.

The first time I made this pattern, I was very happy with how it turned out, but having never sewn a V neckline before it wasn't 100% perfect. I am so proud of the V on this version. It turned out exactly with the seam on the middle line of the V. Excellent. 

Really the only difference between this version and one sewn from yardage is that I have a seam going down the center of the sleeves. With these large sleeves and limited fabric, I had to use the original side seams. I just made sure to line up that seam with the center of the pattern piece and it is perfectly aligned with the shoulder seam, so it looks very deliberate. If I didn't tell people this was formerly the skirt of a dress, they would never know. The seam line just looks like a design detail.

I am so incredibly happy with how this top turned out. I have worn it several times already and it goes with a surprising amount of my skirts, which is a great bonus considering I was so smitten with the color that I didn't really think about how well it would incorporate into my wardrobe, lol. Now no knit dress is safe! They all look like fabric to me :)

Summary:

Fabric: Size 4X Old Navy Dress - $15

Pattern: Vera Top by Forget me Not Patterns - Free

Notions: Thread - Free

Time: 3 Hours

Total Cost: $15

WIP Wednesday: Crawling Closer To The Finish

Well I finished the body of my Mohn cardigan and I'm still absolutely loving it :) I haven't seamed the shoulders yet, so it is just pinned to the mannequin because I wanted to see how it was looking and I am super pleased. I think I'll get the fitted look I was going for, which is great. Now I'm working on the button bands and collar before moving onto the sleeves. Over the years I have just preferred to have the sleeves be the final part of a sweater making experience, so that's what I'm going to do.

I love how the texture is looking. People say that it flattens out a bit when you wear it, so I'm curious to see how it looks finished and blocked. We will see. It's still going so fast - seriously this is sport weight and I started it just over 2 weeks ago. Crazy.

Some sewing has actually occurred! It feels a bit like a miracle. This is my Decades of Style New England dress that I cut out back in November. I have worked on it here and there, but not very much in all honesty. To be real with you - my sewing room is an absolute disaster. Normally I can just push things around or move them to a corner pile, etc, but I have so much new stuff from Christmas and whatnot that there is no moving this mess around. I really need to have a drag it all out, get rid of, organize, and put it back session in a big big way, but I just haven't had the time or space elsewhere in my house to do that. So I kind of have to force myself to sew. I always enjoy it once I get going, but the mess is a big imposition. I'm hoping to finish this sometime later this week because I am doing long sleeves and I want to get to wear it while it's still cool outside as much as possible. I realize you can't see much because it's all black, but trust me - it's cute.

And in other news, we have a swallowtail caterpillar! I bought some herbs at a garden center and I always look for caterpillars on the dill plants. We found one and he is growing nicely. I just love watching him crawl around and contort to eat, lol. He is now big enough that I had to put him in a netting enclosure so he doesn't fall on the floor or something. This is not our first experience with hatching butterflies this way, and I am easily just as excited to watch him as my kids, lol. 

A Year In Thread: 2023

I'm seriously so stoked to be sewing clothes again! Because my weight was in constant flux the past few years, I basically didn't allow myself to sew any clothes even when I wanted to. Well no more! I've decided to just sew for the body I currently have and then worry about it changing later. Life is too short to ignore something you love doing, amiright? I started sewing again back in July of 2023, and this is everything I made from then until now. Each project is linked if you want to see more about it.

1. White Linen Cielo Top
2. Mustard Linen Fiore Skirt
3. Prickly Gable Top
4. Purple Roses Gable Top

5. White Gable Top
6. Khaki Linen Skirt Refashion
7. On Point Hollyburn Skirt
8. Yellow Eyelet Top

9. Natural Linen Fiore Skirt

10. Altered Thrifted Shirts
11. Altered Banana Republic Skirts

12. Toile Regency Stays

13. Regency Chemise
14. Black Linen Fiore Skirt
15. Witchy Gable Top

16. Daria Jacket

17. Starry Starry Skirt

I also have a few projects that I cut out but have not sewn yet due to the Christmas craziness. I'm very excited to sew my Black New England Dress, and I need a few more tweaks to have a wearable Altered Embroidered Skirt. I lost steam on my Regency project, but I had already cut out my Bodice Petticoat, so that will be the next piece I sew for that costume when the mood strikes me again. I have a lot of plans in my head for other projects and I can't wait to be able to make them a reality this next year.

Not bad for 6 months or so! I'm excited to see what I manage to make up next year.

Regency Project: Making Stays!

Fair warning: this was a huge project and there are LOTS of pictures in this post lol. This project honestly put a big snag in my regular posting because just writing this post felt like such a big undertaking. But today is the day! Let's break this project down, shall we?

Back in July I decided to officially take the plunge into historical sewing and begin a Regency era project. This took a lot of mental fortitude since I knew it would be a much bigger undertaking than I had ever done before simply because I had to start from the underwear and work my way out. The corset (actually called stays at this time) was the most daunting, but I had already purchased the supplies months before and just needed a pattern, which was easily obtained, so I eliminated all my usual excuses. I knew this was going to need a toile, so I just grabbed a random fabric I had on hand that I liked the idea of. I was given a big pile of 1 yard cuts of this canvas with a toile design printed on it, and I just loved the idea of making a toile toile, lol. I thought it was hilarious. So this was my outer fabric. I decided to go with the Laughing Moon Regency and Romantic Era Corset pattern because I had heard good things about it, it has historical and theatrical options, it has long and short options, it includes a chemise, it was inexpensive, and it was easily available to print out. There are other patterns out there, but they don't have the versatility of this one for the price. So I printed it out and traced off by my measurements. I traced a size 20 at the bust and a angled to a 22 at the waist.

Since I had so much of this toile fabric, I used it for my initial mock up of my mock up, lol. The frustrating thing about making stays of any kind is that you can't just tissue fit it to yourself. You really don't know how it will fit until it is essentially made and it requires boning and everything to get an accurate idea. I knew I needed to practice the techniques anyway, so I just started making it as instructed by the pattern. I went with the long historical option to get a smooth abdomen since that is my most self conscious area and an empire waist dress does nothing to hide that. For my lining, I grabbed a blue cotton broadcloth left over from my failed shirt I was making to use my Irish crochet pieces. It was just enough and coordinated well with the blue in the toile print. 

I started off with the back pieces. Since this was to be the lining of a mock up, I traced the cording lines on the fabric using yellow wax paper which does not come off (*foreshadowing*). I stitched the lines, which was very enjoyable, actually. As I started the top stitching, I realized that I included an extra seam allowance in the front center that the pattern had for a different version of the pattern, so I had to sew  seam there to make it the right width. I top stitched the seam allowance down so that the busk wouldn't get hung up on the fabric, and this all worked out just fine. When I saw how cool the lines looked on the blue side verses the toile side, I was pretty disappointed that I used the waxed paper because you can still see the yellow. I liked the look so much that I contemplated making the blue the outer fabric, but in the end I decided that I could at least make it reversible very easily. So I started stitching the lines with the blue side up since that is where they are most visible. I LOVE the result. It looks so precise and cool. It turned out much better than I thought I could make, honestly. I then corded the front and back pieces between all those lines. This was a part that most people seemed to think was awful to do, but I really enjoyed it. I used a blue colored cotton crochet thread (I believe it was size 3, so thicker like a twine) and a darning needle to thread it all through and then just cut the ends close and went about my business. This was one of the parts I enjoyed the most.

Next came the gussets. I had never sewn gussets at all before and it really went just fine. Because I misread the pattern and didn't put the gussets in before the cording lines, I couldn't get the gussets to line up exactly like the should and I wound up with spaces in the points of the blue side. I knew I could cover that with flossing, so I kept going. The only true snag turned out to be the canvas weave of the toile fabric - it looked good initially, but as I was working on the project the toile side literally unraveled at the gusset seams. I had to go back and fray check the daylights out of the ends and hand sew it all in place as one of the final steps of this project. The gussets also made me have to come to terms with the shape of my body, lol. I am very small busted and usually just wear a bra I feel gives me enough added oomph to get a silhouette I'm happy with (very historical, ironically). Corsets are designed to fit your actual body and since I had no idea how to do padding on something like this, I just went by my actual bust size, which required the smallest gusset piece available in the pattern and they are still a bit loose. Incidentally I used the smallest hip gusset pieces as well, which just confirms that I am build like a lego brick.

Since this was a mock up, I decided to use plastic boning at the back opening, but I went with flat steel bones at the sides since I wanted the added stability. I purchased a roll of this boning and cut it myself since I had no idea how long my pieces would actually end up needing to be. I cut them with tin snips, had my dad round the edges with a dremel, and then coated the ends in melting plastic to soften how the metal would rub against the fabric.

When I got to the point that it was all together, I added machine eyelets just to be quick and try it on, and everything seemed to fit fine, so I proceeded with this project (*more foreshadowing*). After the body was assembled, I added the straps.

The straps turned out to be too short even though I cut out the longest size thinking I would shorten them as needed. I had to recut the strap pieces adding 2 inches to the length of these, which in truth is not entirely surprising. As I learn to fit myself better (always an ongoing endeavor), I know that I have a longer upper bust area than most, yet because my boobs themselves are so small in comparison the darts still usually hit me correctly. So it makes sense that the body is still properly positioned but the straps needed to be longer. In the end, I also need to have the strap angle in more. They wound up being very wide for my shoulders (another non-surprise based on my modern sewing projects), so next time I make this pattern I will probably follow the angle of a smaller size to prevent them from wanting to fall off my shoulders. 

After all the pieces were assembled, corded, and boned, it was time for the binding. I used 1 inch wide twill tape for this since it was a good color match for the toile side of the fabric and I had a huge roll of it on hand. I hand stitched the entire binding on because I was not about to figure out how to maneuver that through my machine and manage to cover everything I wanted to on the edges at the same time. This did take some time, but it really wasn't too bad. I did make machine eyelets on the inside edge of the binding as I was adding drawstrings to the top of the bust. The string is just baker's twine and I secured it in the side seam with my sewing machine before hand stitching the twill tape binding to make sure it was very secure, then I just kept it in position as I hand stitched the area closed so I didn't have to thread it through.

After the top binding was done, I put all the boning and the busk inside and then stitched the binding on the bottom. Everything was enclosed completely except I left the busk area open so I could remove it to wash if need be. My busk is a paint stirring stick, which worked out great. I had to cut a little bit off and sand it smooth, but it slides in and out perfectly. The seam allowance inside creates a nice flap to hold the stick in place and then the binding covers that up so it looks completely sewn shut. I also had planned to do actual flossing at my gussets, but the gaps I had from the incorrectly ordered gusset insertion meant I needed to focus more on covering the gaps with embroidery than any fancy stitches. The toile fabric kept unraveling as I embroidered this area, so things look a bit wonky on the e,broidery side, but it's fine.

The eyelets turned out to be the hardest piece to obtain. I had a vintage eyelet kit that I got at a thrift store, but when I opened them up to install them I saw these were 1-piece eyelets. There was no applicator tool and the ones I had just mangled these eyelets. It was very confusing, but eventually I figured out I just needed to buy new ones that I knew how to install. I just ordered an inexpensive kit from Amazon knowing this was just my practice run and they really seem pretty sturdy, so that's nice. I used the same baker's twine to lace this up since I didn't want to order expensive cording for this one. This way I could cut an incredibly long piece to lace it up and then just tuck the excess inside. Once the entire thing was done, I put it on and discovered ... it's actually too big for me, lol. I didn't pull it quite as tight in these photos as I did when I tried it on, but I can easily make the back panels touch and it's not uncomfortable. This was the part that really took the wind out of my sails. I was totally into this project when I thought it was fitting at least decently - in my mind I had changed his from "mock up" to "wow this could actually work as a legit corset and I don't need to make another one", so to discover it didn't actually fit like it should was very dejecting. I also have a wrinkle at my waist, which means that my hip gusset needs to be bigger than I made it, so I truly am more pear shaped than lego brick shaped in the end. So that's nice, lol. So I will need to make another set of stays eventually if I want to fully go for it with the Regency project, which I do. The changes i need to make are:

• Size down on bust and waist area
• make hip gusset wider
• bring angle of straps in

That's really not too bad a list of changes, which makes me wish all the more that I had caught it before I did this entire project. Oh well. I truly did enjoy making this so much more than I anticipated. I watch a lot of historical costuming people on YouTube and the consensus has always seemed that corset making is a necessary evil for a historical outfit, so I was thinking it would be a bit of a drudgery. Apparently I enjoy very technical sewing! This is the most involved and complicated thing I've ever sewn when you add in the idea of getting it to fit, and for my first try this turned out pretty great.

Putting the stays on is quite the endeavor by myself, which is my only option at the moment. I tried to do a step by step photo shoot of the process, so you can see me struggle in still frames, lol. I understand why people opt for front lacing stays now, and I will probably try to go that route in the future just so I can see what I'm doing. I had to put on my chemise and get it tied in place, put the stays on backwards and lace tight enough to stay up but loose enough to spin around and tie it there. Next I rotate it around the back and get everything in the right spot as well as resituate the chemise while it can still move before I start officially tightening the laces. I pull things snugly and then pull just a bit more so I can get the lacing more even, then I knot it at the bottom and tuck the excess cording under the corset. Next I adjusted the lacing on the straps and it was on. The last photo above was when I was taking the stays off, which is a long process as well. Historical corsets are not for anyone who gets nervous if they can't get out of their clothes quickly, lol. And for the sake of these blog photos, I did this entire process twice! 

So that's all the particulars about my first ever set of stays! The verdict - I actually am really proud of this. Even with this being a mock up and having the fit issues, it's completely wearable as it is. Am I wearing it anywhere? lol No. But if I decide to wear a dark dress to some kind of Regency event and I don't have time to whip up new stays, this would absolutely do the job. It's not so loose that I can't get the right silhouette and no one will see the wrinkle unless I'm not wearing clothing on top, which is still socially frowned upon. I could technically wear this over regular clothing as a ~fashion~ item, but in truth they are so difficult to get in and out of that I doubt I will be doing that. The idea of it being an option is nice though :) And I love that they are fully reversible for that mythical day that I decide to wear them as an outer layer. This project definitely lit the fire for corset making with me, and I have several other eras I plan on making corsets for now. I have committed to making a full Regency outfit before changing time periods first, but I look forward to making another corset soon.

Summary:

Fabric: 1 yard toile print cotton decor weight - Free, 3/4 yard blue cotton broadcloth - Free

Pattern: Laughing Moon Regency Era Corset - $7.95

Notions: thread - $1.00, crochet thread - $0.25, 3/8 inch boning - $1.00, twill tape - $0.50, metal eyelets - $4.00, Lacing cord - $1.00

Time: 1 week

Total Cost: $ 15.70

FO: Starry, Starry Skirt

We all need a quick win sometimes, don't we? I've had this Starry Night printed cotton canvas since the summer and I was putting off sewing it up because I am still trying to lose a bit more weight, but after having a particularly bad time in October/November and I just wanted something that was quick to make and guaranteed to be a successful project. So I decided to just grab this fabric and make it up and I can just take it in later if need be :)

This is my beloved Hollyburn Skirt from Sewaholic. I'm not sure how many of these I've made at this point, but a skirt where the only place you have to make sure fits is at the waistband is a major winner in my book. Also I adore these pockets. 

This fabric is a cotton canvas print from when Joann had a canvas sale for $5 a yard in July (I think). I ordered 3 yards, but being an online store they sent me a 2 yard cut and a 1 yard cut :/ This meant that I could barely fit my skirt pieces and I could not lay them out in any way but how I did, which meant that I did not get a single moon on my skirt, just star swirls. I made sure that a moon was on the center of my waistband, but that area isn't wide enough to show it off, which was pretty disappointing. After I finished making the skirt itself, I decided to fussy cut the only moon on the remaining 1 yard piece and us a satin stitch to appliqué it to the bottom left of the skirt. The pattern is busy enough that you honestly don't notice this piece is added unless I point it out, but I still get to see a moon when I wear it, so I'm happy.

The satin stitch is a smidge wavy no matter what I do with my iron, but like I say - you really don't notice it due to the busy fabric. I like the placement of it - low enough for me to see but in the middle enough to blend in well. 

The back is great, as always. I did my usual lapped zipper and I think it just looks so classy. Why did we ever get away from doing it this way? They are so easy and look so nice.

As usual, I used a contrasting but coordinating colored zipper from my stash. This is called Temple Gold and it is a quintessential color of the 70s. I have a bunch of these and I use them for muslins because the color never seems to go with my makes, but this time it was spot on for the colors in the starts. I love this detail even if no one gets to appreciate it but me.

So that was my quick and pleasing make for November :) I've been wearing it often ever since and it looks great with my favorite Swedish Hasbeens yellow sandals, which is always a plus. Gotta love a quick and useful project!

Summary:

Fabric: 3 yards of Painterly Moonlight Cotton Canvas from Joann - $16.02

Pattern: Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic Patterns

Notions: Zipper - $0.10, Thread - $0.50

Time: 3 Hours

Total Cost: $ 16.62