I was going to write one post but realise that it’s far too
long despite not really feeling I’d achieved much! So I will do a separate post for my finished trousers. That will
also give me a chance to get some photos!!
Me Made May 18
I decided not to sign up for Me Made May as I just don't
have the variety of self made garments and don't want to post photos showing
the same things on multiple occasions. The idea is to make your own challenge -
and it should be a challenge, not something easy. I decided to use the time to
try to wear more of my hand made garments, decide which I liked and wanted to
keep (many are too small, sadly, with weight gain), cull more clothes and
identify wardrobe gaps to contribute to a sensible sewing plan, including
hopefully finishing my trousers!
So that was ongoing throughout May - and in fact is still
continuing, as is decluttering in general.
The main gaps I have found are, not surprisingly, around
trousers, shorts etc. The trousers that currently fit are too heavy for the hot
weather we’ve been having. I don’t have any shorts that fit - and that includes
my golf wear.
So, June plan - make a pair of shorts or trousers or
preferably both with a cooler fabric. I have already made a pair of trousers
that I can wear to golf. I need to see if I must make a pair of crops or
whether I can still fit into a pair.
Garment alterations
The first task I completed in May was to lengthen a pair of
trousers. I had two pairs of trousers, same size and style, in different
colours. Last year I shortened these trousers! This is something that's
practically unheard of. They were much too long and I shortened and cut off the
excess.
Unfortunately, they've shrunk in the wash and maybe my extra weight is
pulling them up too.
Anyway I took down the hem of one pair, attached bias
binding right side to right side and created a false hem by folding,
understitching and pressing bias to wrong side and hand sewing the hem. I didn't
get much extra length but it is what it is. I was only able to do one pair as
the hem line on the other pair was abraded and would have been too obvious. The
fabric of both trousers is very soft and isn't wearing at all well. These are
the best fitting trousers I have.
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| Pulls still present. Faced hem just seen in background |
A few weeks back, I wore these trousers to a nice walk along
Whittle Dene Burn, with a bit of a climb. Plenty of birds and flowers but we
didn't see any animals. I think our group is too noisy! We had a lovely lunch
in the garden of a local pub. During this we were treated to some ukulele music
by members of our party. On my return home, I saw my trousers were a bit muddy
in one place. Although the weather was dry, sunny and warm, there were still
some left over muddy patches. Anyway, as I was brushing off the mud, I realised
that these trousers are actually pretty disreputable - there are so many pulls
in the fabric, not all due to holly bushes and hawthorn on the walk. I’ll try to pull the threads through to the
back but if that doesn’t work, I’ll use as a template for another pair, which
will be by then all the more urgent!! (I wore them again today on a walk without having fixed them; they are far too warm for this sunny weather)
I had two main garment construction tasks at the start of
May
Self drafted top further modified
I continued making my modified self drafted top. After I
sewed up the sides with extra shaping, I noticed that the stripes on one side
didn't match across the seamline at all while the other side was okay-ish. I
had to take the mismatched side out and resew.
I decided to use self fabric bias binding (partly because I
forgot to take the reel of commercial bias binding I was considering!!) and cut
out the required pieces. After thinking about construction and the fabric, I
went with my tutor’s recommendation to construct like a knit neckline, that is
folding the bias strip in two and attaching. This isn't the way I would have
chosen but the fabric was a bit difficult to handle. She also demonstrated how I should be doing
my side splits. I made up a template to ensure the stitching visible on the
right side is identical on each side.
I finished the bias binding around the neck and armholes and
I wasn't at all happy with it. I didn't like the finish and the band didn't lie
properly. I think this technique simply didn’t work for this neckband; the same
finish as the first would be better. No photos of this.
I thought the unfinished side splits and hem were fine. When
I tried it on, David said he didn’t like the bust darts and I agreed as they
were rather pointy despite careful sewing and pressing. I was going to abandon.
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| Side splits, back longer than front. |
However, Lyn felt this top could still be salvaged. She
agreed the bias strips sewn in this way didn't work and should be removed (and
helped me by removing the overlocker thread, which I always find so difficult
despite knowing the theory.) I decided
to redo in the standard way and ease the neckline and armscyes a bit more. You
might have realised that my bias strips were a little narrower by this time as
I had trimmed the earlier seam. Never mind, I still manage to make it work,
though now, in order to get a neckband wide enough, I decided on top stitching
on the band to finish rather than using stitch in the ditch. It worked out
okay. I had to redo a couple of areas where I missed the back seam edge.
I asked Lyn to look
at the darts. She didn't find them that bad but steamed them over a ham which
improved then considerably.
So, I finished the top. I’m ‘meh’ about it. I can probably
wear it but won’t reach for it first out of my tops. I really don’t feel this
design is my TNT and probably won’t make any more. I don’t feel it fits well
enough but can’t put my finger on the issues. I'll try to get some better photos - I'm just not feeling well today and am not up to modelling!
Self drafted trousers - I’ll put these in a
separate post.
Knitting
Many people can watch TV and knit. I'm not one of them. I
have made more mistakes and had to rip back more rows. I'm not getting on very
quickly as a result! Fortunately, my waistcoat is for cooler autumn days (well
it was supposed to be for spring but that's gone now)
London Fabric
shopping
I’ve just returned home after a few days in Cambridge, Essex
and London. In London, my main fabric purchasing task was to get green
sandwashed silk to make Helen another dress. I succeeded in this.
I also bought some lovely Hugo boss wool for trousers and
some lovely silk for me. ‘When I was young, much younger than today’ (cue music
- Help! by The Beatles which is playing in the background as I type), I had a
beautiful grey patterned silk or silk effect shirtdress that I loved and
thought flattered. It could have been silk as it was rather expensive. This was
of course in the days before I sewed or had any knowledge whatsoever about
fabrics. I saw a silk that slightly reminded me of this fabric so bought it. I
plan eventually to make a shirtdress, though of a different style to the
original, more suited to my current body shape.
Meantime, I also bought some lovely plum coloured crepe,
thinking shirtdress (practice before using silk!) and some linen.
London Exhibitions
I visited two exhibitions
Design Museum - Azzedine
Alaïa: The Couturier
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| He was small but loved tall models. A few of his photos emphasise height differential |
“Conceived and co-curated with Monsieur Alaïa before his
death in November 2017, the exhibition charts his incredible journey from
sculptor to couturier, his nonconformist nature and his infectious energy for
fashion, friendship and the female body.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Alaïa personally
constructed each garment by hand and refused to bowto the pressures of fashion
week deadlines, instead working to his own schedule. His collaborative approach
earned him an esteemed client list, including Greta Garbo, Grace Jones,
Michelle Obama and Rihanna.
Rather than a retrospective, the show interlaces stories of
his life and career alongside personally selected garments, ranging from the
rare to the iconic and spanning the early 1980s to his most recent collection
in 2017.” from Design Museum literature
I’ve seen a few posts about this exhibition, which is why I
learned of it in fact, so I won’t say too much about it. I did take some photos
but they didn’t come out very well. I enjoyed it. I particularly liked the
juxtaposition of fashion and art.
The exhibition is on for a few months yet. October 2018, I
think.
V&A - Fashioned
from Nature
“The first UK exhibition to explore the complex relationship
between fashion and nature from 1600 to the present day
This exhibition will present fashionable dress alongside
natural history specimens, innovative new fabrics and dyeing processes,
inviting visitors to think about the materials of fashion and the sources of
their clothes.” From V&A literature
I haven’t seen any posts about this - though I haven’t been
reading as much as usual so sorry if I missed yours. The exhibition is on until
January next year and I really enjoyed it, though when you’re in London for a
short time, there’s a tendency to try to cram too much in so I was tired with
really painful legs (it’s an issue I struggle with) and perhaps didn’t get as
much from it as I should have.
Again, I was able to take photos, again only with my mobile,
and again they aren’t that great, sadly. David came with me to this exhibition
and we found quite a lot to talk about afterwards. It is certainly thought
provoking.
I’ll see if I have any photos worth posting.
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| Bark lace |
June plans
I have started a toile of the shirtdress I plan to make. I
need to make a FBA and haven’t got around to thinking about it yet.
My mother has decided to move back into sheltered
accommodation so I’m rather busy with that, travelling back and forth and staying
to help with paperwork in particular (my mother is registered blind) and don’t
know how much sewing I’ll get done over the next month. Sadly, too, a friend
from my university days died and I’ll be going to her funeral in the Leeds area
next week. I clearly won’t manage to finish either shirtdress or wrap dress in time
for the events they were planned for. Never mind.
