Category: sewing

I have always done a little bit of sewing, but mostly it was small craft projects like doll clothes when I was a little girl, or bags, cushions and fancy dress and theatre props and costumes when I was a student. I never really made many things that I could wear, however in recent years I have been finding that I find it harder to find things that I really like in my size that fit well, or really fit with the way I want to look that I can afford.

I also play music at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and I thought it would be nice to have some new tops, so that I look a bit smarter and that are a bit more fun than my usual scruffy jeans and t-shirts. I would also love to make some shirts for myself, ones that are comfortable and don’t ride up, or down when I have to wrap my arm around the body of the guitar to play it and that don’t gape at the bust, which is a problem I have with many commercially made shirts.

I had cut out the Grainline Studio Scout Tee a couple of years ago, but I put away the pieces after messing up sewing the sleeves into the first version I made, so I never showed the finished one. This time I took my time pinning and tacking (basting) everything into place, using bias binding at the neckline and armholes and I love the new version. The Swiss Dot fabric will be lovely and light for summer, but I will need to wear a camisole underneath, as it is rather sheer.

https://grainlinestudio.com/

The second top I made is a Gertie (Gretchen Hirsch) design for Butterick B6217. It is a summer blouse with a sweetheart neckline and a tulip sleeve. There are also a few other style variations you can make including a bow at the front, but I felt that the quilting cotton fabric I had was a little thicker than the cotton lawn that the pattern asks for so I left that off on this version. I want to make a sleeveless version too with a different fabric and colour. One of the things I did notice is that for 5ft 2″ me this pattern worked really well, but if you are tall, you will probably want to lengthen the body and check that the length of the armholes fits you with a muslin before you cut into your project fabric. The only two things I did differently were to cut the back as one piece on the fold and I went for a size 10, my measurements put me halfway between the 10 and the 12, but the amount of ease in the pattern meant that the 10 was a better fit across the bust and shoulders.

http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2015/10/butterick-6217-in-stitchy-rose-challis.html


I learned lots from this project, I had never really used the automatic buttonhole foot on my 19 year old Kenmore sewing machine, it worked well, but I’m glad I tried it out on some fabric scraps first, as it didn’t seem to automatically stop itself! I had to get to where it was about to do the last few stitches at the end, then I took my foot off the gas, then used the hand wheel to complete the last 2-3 stitches each time. It was nerve racking, but I’m glad I made myself do it. I bought a buttonhole gauge and chisel as well, which made it easier to space the buttonholes evenly down the front band of the blouse and to cut them without tearing the fabric, or risking stabbing myself with a seam ripper. I don’t know about you but watching other people use seam rippers to open buttonholes made me cringe, one slip and it could be very painful!

I also experimented with using my Juki serger/overlocker for finishing off the edges of the fabrics and the inside of the sleeve hems are bias bound, so they look very clean and neat – I can see me getting very nerdy about different finishes and techniques in future. I also want to learn to add beads and embroidery to clothing as well and to get better at fitting patterns and maybe some pattern drafting and draping too.