A long time ago....

Those of you who have read my blog in the past will be aware that I have been trying to make a tartan skirt/ kilt for Helen, my youngest daughter, for yonks, using the family tartan we had specially woven; many many many yards of it (yes, that many!) We have two weights of the tartan - a heavy one woven many years ago (some of it made into a kilt for David) and a medium weight one woven two or three years ago or more specifically thinking about Helen's skirt. Yes, she requested it that long ago! Actually, it was even longer ago as she requested this using the heavyweight tartan before I started sewing, when we going to get it made. I can't quite remember. It took us a long time to decide that the heavyweight tartan was too heavy and to elect to get a medium weight cloth woven. The story of the tartan is here and in earlier blog posts.  Here, for example

The tartan

In the past, I have had two main attempts at tartan skirt toiles, using plaid fabric but not the real deal. It was slightly problematic as Helen wasn’t then, and still isn’t, exactly sure of the style she wants. She is clearer than she was though. She now wants ‘a cute pleated mini skirt’ in the family tartan.

The first toile was a fully pleated skirt. Narrow waistband. Pleats stitched down part way. Very classical. It was knee length and so was far too long for Helen’s taste, but it was designed to see if she’d like the style. 

Christmas 2015!! I didn't realise it was that long ago!

I didn't use a pattern, as that was the advice I got from books and in person from those who might know. At the time, I got the impression she didn’t like it but I think on reflection that was to do with the length; I thought I could just have made it shorter. She told me this week that the issues were that it wasn’t a mini skirt but also that it made her look very hippy on the side opposite the zip as it didn’t lie flat and the pleats seem to twist around (I thought it was too big at the waist when I saw her wear it previously but that was a while ago). She says she does like it, and it fits well at the waist, so she’s tempted to go for a shorter version of that. I didn't use a pattern, struggled a bit and wasn't at all happy with the zip closure, by far the weakest part. Helen held a Burn’s Supper in her flat at the weekend (yes, early!) and wore it then so her thoughts on the skirt are current.

The second toile was a shorter circular skirt - at that time, she hadn’t settled on pleats. I used a commercial pattern. This just wasn't what she had in mind.

I have this pattern:

This has many good elements but Helen doesn't want a yoke like this and it's probably too long. Maybe it's still doable

Originally, she was against the idea of a proper kilt (or maybe that was us as kilts aren’t for girls in theory and by tradition at least) - but isn’t now. She has said too that she’d be happy with box pleats (but not like the pattern I showed her as she found that one frumpy). 

No to this

Modern Simplicity pattern; I don't have this pattern and I couldn't get any of the older ones.
I could buy this one but kilts are usually made directly on the fabric

She has recently bought a skirt from Pretty Little Things that she likes. I've seen a photo but not the real thing. It's fully pleated.

Helen tried on and liked a skirt from Jack Wills; she took photos of her trying on the size 10 (UK), a perfect fit, but didn’t buy it. I decided to buy it but unfortunately could only get a 12 so it will be going back after a bit of examination! It’s not on the website. I tried the 12 on Missy, the dressmaking model adapted to Helen's size (see here)  and it just slipped down below the waist onto the hip.

We're going to have a chat on the phone, but I think I’m clearer. I have already said to Helen that our tartan is a heavy wool and pleats will inevitably make it bulkier - and therefore make her look hippier. I also said that I thought the kilt-type closure is potentially better for fitting.

I have a pattern for a short full pleated skirt. 

It’s slightly long but could be shortened by the 2” required. A bigger issue is that although it is shown in tartan, the tartan repeat (the spacing of the checks) is not the same as ours. Therefore, I can’t really follow the pattern, though it might give me a better idea of how to proceed. When I made the previous full pleated version, I didn’t use a pattern and wasn't sure how to finish off. I had one long piece sewn together at one side, the zip side - maybe that’s why the skirt twists on wearing?

A big issue with pleating tartan for a woman is waist shaping. When I made the full pleated version, I carefully increased the depth of each and every pleat towards the top to try to achieve the reduction in width without compromising the pattern match. This took a long time and involved lots of calculations.

My preference is for a version of the Jack Wills kilted skirt. This has the kilt wrap at the front but there are two pleats each side of the plain wrap. The side seam is smooth for about 2” each side of the seam. No zip of course. The back then has two pleats plus a dart at each side, but the centre is smooth.

The JW skirt is pretty good but isn’t exactly matched - so perhaps that issue is less relevant to Helen than the overall ‘feel’ of the garment. Having the side seams free of pleats and using the darts will help with the shaping. Having just the two pleats allows me a far greater flexibility. The pleats can be 'any' width to fit in so I can match the pattern to the set size. In the full pleated version, the pleats had to match all the way around. A lot of calculation and experimentation and careful measurement. Of course, each tartan is different, so those calculations are worthless now.

Another issue is that I’d like the selvedge to form the bottom of the skirt as a hem would be bulky. This is traditional in kilts. I need to examine the tartan to see if this is possible. I won’t be doing that, though, until I am well into the process of pattern making and toileing.

I think I’ve decided what I want to do, unless Helen has a strong opinion to the contrary. I don’t think she does as she said ‘whatever is easiest’. I don’t have a pattern, so this may not be the easiest route, but think I can manage to create one. I hope I can manage. I asked for advice in sewing bee - and there are complexities I hadn't considered, mainly to do with shaping.  The RTW skirt has a curved hem and waistband. I tried to make a kind of pattern but it was difficult, even with help and the conclusion is that I'd be better doing straight from the fabric. I'd make up a toile of course. I have some pieces of plaid that will work for that. Just for the shape and rough size, not the pattern matching.

Any thoughts?

Pleated skirt - a long ago promise still not fulfilled

Some of you may be aware that my husband got some tartan specially woven. I say some - it's a lot!

This post is not going to cover our tartan sagas - I'll leave that for David. He'll post about that and our tartan silk adventure at a later date

The first time was nearly 15 years ago. The tartan had to be specially woven as his tartan is not a tartan that is woven or even appears in any of the tartan encyclopaedias. We found note of it on an Internet search (we didn't have such searches when we first sought it) and were able to get a company to weave it and make David his kilt. It cost an absolute fortune as we had to agree to the minimum print run as well as a very high price per metre. Nice tartan, though, heavyweight.

David in his kilt, casual mode.

My youngest daughter requested a mini kilt made of the tartan. This was in my pre-sewing days so we were going to have to get it made and that was another stumbling block. We felt the tartan was too heavy and were able to order some medium weight tartan from the same company. There was a long time between the request and the new order!  At least 5 years perhaps a lot longer!  This time, our minimum run was 30 metres but the cost per metre wasn't so high.

I finally thought it was time to consider making up her request. However, it wasn't clear what she wanted. She pointed out various designs. Skirts with a couple of box pleats, some with yokes but she also mentioned kilts and full pleated skirts…

When I made her a skirt recently, it's clear she's now wearing her skirts longer than she used to. She's getting older!  They're still short on her endless legs, though!

Anyway, I finally decided now was the time to try. I have Helen's measurements (I'm going to be customising a form for her next week using a tight fitting ‘moulage’) but there was no point in asking about styles as she is too busy following moving into her flat and thinking about and arranging renovations to consider the question. Originally I thought I'd make a skirt for her birthday later this month.

• First decision - I decided to make a toile. Using tartan but not ours. A much cheaper option. Reasons - I've never tried to match a plaid - well I've just realised that's not true - the skirt above as a slight plaid effect, what do you know! Anyway, I've never made a successful pleated skirt (I did try a skirt with a front pleat way back),  and couldn't be sure that the size would fit.
• Second decision - I decided to make a full pleated skirt.
• Third decision - I wasn't going to use a pattern.

I looked at Winifred Aldrich’s book ‘Metric Pattern Cutting’ and also The Great British Sewing Bee ‘Fashion with Fabric’. The latter has good instructions but for a kilt. The former’s instructions are minimal and only cover the fabric folding not construction techniques. Both say to work directly on the fabric, no pattern needed.

So I worked out how to make the pleats. I folded, refolded and folded again until I thought it was looking okay. I ended up with a pleat width of approximately 2 inches. I didn't measure the main body of the pleats as I was folding with the pattern. This test tartan effectively had one plain dark green section alternating with a red striped section. The blocks were rectangles rather than squares.

My pleats were looking okay and I basted them by hand.

Next section was to reduce the width of the waist. This meant that each pleat had to be pushed over a bit more at the waistline. The calculation for how much is effectively ((hip size - waist size)/number of pleats).  To give an example, hip size 36” less waist size 24” is 12” so this amount has to be lost in the pleats - so if there are 24 pleats,  each pleat has to be narrowed by ½” at the top. These are not the actual measurements I used,  just numbers to make the concept clearer. The amount I had to lose on each pleat was somewhat larger and I had 20 pleats.

Showing the waist section; machine basting along waistline and hand-basting 3 inches down

Here came my first (known about) major mistake. I carefully adjusted each pleat, tapering out the adjustment back to zero at hip line and tacked again. Then I realised that the waistband would be fastening the wrong way around. Fortunately, I was able to turn the skirt upside down. I had to undo my tacking, recreate the waist at the other, now correct, end and release the modified waist. Then re-tack.

Looking okay.

So now I just had waistband to do. Closure. And hem.

I realised I had no idea how to do the closure. Winifred didn't help. GBSB was for a kilt not a skirt. I asked my Thursday tutor. She wasn't sure. I wondered about ‘no closure’ - I'm sure I remember having a skirt like this with just a hole inside the overlap and as my tutor said,  this is how pockets are often done. Eventually we decided I'd try an invisible zip, which in turn would be concealed under the pleat. In the meantime,  David suggested a series of hooks and eyes, hook and loop tape or poppets. I bought some hook and loop tape.

I tried the zip and it didn't work. It's possible a lapped zip could work. Not sure. The Velcro is a good idea,  I think. Although I topstitched the edge, it isn't held down so Velcro would solve that issue.

I pressed the pleats, then top stitched them down to hip level.

Before pressing

After pressing

Next discoveries:

• I think the skirt will be too big. Not sure, as there is a lot of bulk at the waist. It's certainly too big on the dress form.
• I don't know how long to make it.
• The red pleats and the green pleats are not the same width.

Now I had to remember this was a TOILE or even a proper test garment,  testing out pleating etc, not a finished garment. It can't be for Helen's birthday.

So, I am going to post it as is. No waistband, no closure, certainly no hem.  If it is too big, there's no point in continuing with this particular attempt. I may get a better idea from Helen about length and style for a future attempt.

I've learned quite a lot. Particularly from my mistakes

• How to work with wool
• How to pleat
• The importance of planning the whole garment before you start. I'd I had stated the pleats differently, the closure would have worked but not as I did it.
• The confidence of working without a pattern
• The stuck feeling when I don't have a pattern to hold my hand!
• The sinking feeling when my tutor doesn't have ‘the answer’!
• I'm rather to hung up on researching methods and practising on samples and over-thinking rather than just doing. This was an attempt to just do.

I photographed and then took out all the tacking. I found that the pleats had slipped open a bit at the waist, despite the 2 rows of machine basting along the waistline and the row of hand basting further below. This may make the waist bigger than I had intended.

Once the tacking was out, the pleats gape more than perhaps they should . In a kilt, the pleats are much smaller than they are here - perhaps I should have more pleats, more closely spaced if attempting this again. That would mean that the overlap for reduced waist would be smaller and more manageable and there would be a greater ability to alter for size. As things stand, to remove even just one pleat would greatly alter the size. And I might be wrong, but think I would have to remove two to get the pleats to match?

On the form, tacking still in place

On the form, tacking removed. Are the pleats too wide/

Again, although the skirt is too big at the waist on the form, I couldn't get it closed properly at the side.
You can perhaps just see the top stitching

I'm very comfortable with how I've left this. Helen may not like it at all and that's okay as I've had some practice. I rather think a skirt like McCall's 7022 would be more suitable - lighter weight and more youthful. A full pleated tartan skirt would be difficult to look after. However.  I'm happy to wait. I'm also sending another skirt toile I'd done for her.

McCall's 7022, view B - I like this view and bought the pattern after seeing it

View B

Now I need to get on with my college homework; not too taxing this week. Then I need to make our evening meal. Warming food for a miserable day,  though it has cleared up a bit.

I'd love your comments!

Sewing Plans for 2015

Well, I've started as I mean to go on. I'm a person who works better if there is accountability. Even though I know how to lose weight and keep it off, I do so much better attending a group, for example. So, to help me achieve some of my sewing goals, I have linked up with others.

Last year was my first year of sewing and I really lost my way a bit, joining in on PR competitions which were for things I didn't want to do at that time in the time scale given and didn't have the experience to do. This year, I won't preclude the idea of joining in but any competition must fit my personal goals and my time scale. I'm more interested in quality than quantity.

MAGAM

I did join in the Make a Garment a Month Challenge last year. That is, making time to make a garment for yourself each month. Again, I got a bit waylaid with sewing for other people or following other agendas.  I am going to continue this year and do hope that I can pull off one personal garment per month or so. I'm rather slow. There is no penalty if I don't achieve this. Sarah Liz has moved MAGAM to Facebook, so I also need to work out how to use it - and I'm not sure how to link it, as it is a closed group. I am on Facebook but an extremely limited user of it! There are details on the previous blog page of how to join in if you want to.

Blog as a Learning Log

I intend to keep up my blog. Time constraints have meant that my blog is less of the sewing journal and learning log for me than I intended it to be. Even at this stage, I find it difficult to remember exactly what I found difficult and how I solved a problem, without having pictures or words to help me. They say a picture paints a thousand words - I do need to improve my blog photography and have more in progress pictures. Even so, I can see that my sewing is improving.

PR Groups

I said I wasn't necessarily going to join in any PR competitions - however, I have joined a couple (no, wait - 3!!) of the groups. I've committed to 30 Minutes a Day in 2015 - sewing and related activities for an average of 30 minutes per day. This shouldn't be difficult as I am continuing next year with the dressmaking techniques class and the pattern cutting course I started in September. There will be some days I won't do anything but on others I'll be well over that limit. I've also committed to Monthly Sew Along for 2015  which is about any sewing not just garments, and includes restyling etc. The other I've committed to is the Style Along - a Stylish Closet. This doesn't necessarily involve any sewing whatsoever.

Re-evaluate, Restyle and Declutter

Last year, I realised that I was sewing for the sake of it without considering properly gaps in my wardrobe, or my style. I had already started reviewing this so this challenge fits in nicely. The first step will be to go through my wardrobe and declutter, which also fits into the 30 minutes per day. I'm a fairly tidy person in some respects - my wardrobe garments are organised by type and by colour. However, I have far too many and as many know, this means I haven't anything to wear! I still have quite a few items from my professional career, which really aren't suitable for my retired lifestyle, so I feel that I will have to let many of them go, even though they're good quality and wearable, under different circumstances. A bigger issue is the number of shoes I have! I do look after my clothes and shoes and have them dating back a long time. Some are very old fashioned looking, even at my age, there are too many 'dressy' shoes, many are too high for comfort these days, some really aren't comfortable - it's certainly true that extra weight shows in shoe fit, whatever some people say. Also, I have big feet, though not excessively so for my height. One challenge will be to find a comfortable, well-fitting , stylish low shoe.

I find it very difficult to buy clothes and shoes. Partly this is because of my height - being tall, many sleeves are too short, for example. Dresses have always been a particular problem as any dress with a waist seam fits much too high on me and even those without don't have the waist shaping in the correct place and the dress is overall too short. When I was younger, I didn't mind above the knee skirts and dresses but don't like them now. Because dresses were so difficult to buy, they were underrepresented in my wardrobe in comparison to separates. I have lots of skirts - some too business like for current use, but these days I prefer to wear trousers. Unfortunately they are particularly difficult to buy. I have a long crotch so it's not just leg length that's the issue; I also have large hips and thighs in comparison to a smaller waist. I don't have any well fitting pants. So, one of my challenges for 2015 is to create a perfectly fitting block for trousers which I can then modify and use to create as many pants as I want! This fits in nicely with my dressmaking techniques class this next term, which is trouser making techniques for 5 weeks (2 hour class each week) followed by 5 weeks in which to fit and make trousers, with help available. Strangely, the pattern fitting course is out of synch and the trouser block isn't until the following term, we'll be doing a skirt block and a sleeve block in that.

RTW Fast 2015

So, a combination of too many clothes and shoes, inability to buy clothes and need to change style? This leads very nicely into my commitment to the RTW Fast 2015, hosted once more by Sarah from Goodbye Valentino. I shouldn't think I'll need to make very much! Just commit to not buying unnecessary and inappropriate garments. If I do identify any gaps, I should be able to deal with that.

Style Blogs

I'm following InsideOut Style and the Vivienne Files which are giving some great style ideas. The Vivienne Files' Starting from Scratch starts with thinking about colours and then going for a pair of trousers in a basic colour, to begin with, and then building on that. That, of course, fits very nicely with my personal plans - and with the PR groups. The style group on PR has a load of other useful links, which I'm working my way through.

Restyle

The other important thing is garment redesign rather than garment construction. It's possible that some of my many inadequately fitting trousers could be modified. I have some that are too big - especially too wide in the waist - and in general, when I have trousers that are long enough in the crotch, they are too long in the front. Otherwise, usually a 'correct size' fits at the front and is much too short in the back. Along crotch and tilted waist/pelvis. So, some of those that are larger could perhaps have the waistband removed, front shortened, waist taken in and waistband re-attached. Also, it's likely that the legs need narrowed a bit. It's only worthwhile doing this with any that are reasonable quality. It's possible that in some cases the fabric could be re-used - I'm not sure about that. I'm also repairing my clothes (and those of DD3 who really needs some new togs)

Finish WIPs - or decide whether to finish or just get rid of them

Last year, before the summer break, I was attending a monthly dressmaking class and had started fitting and making a pair of trousers. The class decided against muslin fitting (!). As the class went on break (for 3 months), I thought I'd continue myself. The fit was truly awful (although there was no muslin, there was a tissue fit with some adjustments made). It was suggested I might do better to start from scratch with a smaller size. However, these were Palmer Pletsch trousers with a 1" fitting seam and I need to make sure that was being taken into account. So I'll have another look at these. Not sure wadder or finish.

My recent grey wool wrap-over skirt. I did this skirt alongside the skirt dressmaking techniques class. It doesn't really fit into my lifestyle but the colour and fabric are good. It was too big when completed (despite muslining it). I have had it pinned to size and need to finish that. Hopefully finish.

In the same vein as the monthly class I used to attend (I didn't go back after the summer break and have no plans to return), the teacher did a day class making a skirt. She hadn't intended to focus on fit just making but a skirt that doesn't fit isn't much use to anyone so lip service was paid to fitting. Again, tissue fitting but no muslin. Mine is huge. I've pinned it in but had difficulty with pattern matching. I need to look at it again. Its fabric is more suitable for summer. Not sure wadder or finish.

 

My white dress made for PR's Little White Dress Competition. I had problems with the central panel which had a permanent crease down the centre. Nothing I did got rid of it. I was just about to get rid of the dress when I realised I had enough fabric to replace the centre front portion, so I did this. Slight problem in that I replaced it with fabric upside down but it's really not a great issue. However, the colours were different and so more laundering ... all the washing etc has further shrunk the dress and now the lining is too long. I need to adjust that. At the moment the dress is too tight what with it shrinking and me expanding but that, the latter,  should be rectified over the course of the next few months.

 



This was after I inserted a new centre front piece - difference in colour and in direction noticeable.

 

Right way up.

I'm not quite sure if this counts as a Work in Progress or not. My youngest daughter gave me a number of garments to repair. One, a Bershka top, was irreparable but I agreed (why did I offer?) to re-make the top, taking out the embroidered panel from the original. I wasn't able to buy suitable lightweight cotton lawn in black but have bought white and plan to dye it. I'm in the process of deconstructing the garment to use the pieces as a pattern. I have no immediate plans to finish this.



You can't actually see the rips in the fabric in this view. Not just the seams, unfortunately.

 

Promises

I've already blogged about DD3 wanting a skirt made with our family tartan. I do have some heavy weight tartan which is likely, I think, to be okay for a mini skirt - but I learned tonight that she wants a pleated skirt but definitely not a kilt. So not sure. I had thought a simple shape would have been okay for me:

I have had no joy trying to get more tartan woven for us. Claire Kennedy of Sewing Artistry spoke in her blog about printing tartan and I asked her about that. She sent me a very helpful and comprehensive reply. However, there are problems with that route and I don't want to pursue it just for the moment, though I will do later. I won't necessarily make the skirt myself - if the fabric is suitable but the skirt is beyond my abilities, DD3 can take the skirt to a dressmaker. There must be many of those in London, though they are an endangered even extinct species in our area.

I want to make DH a jacket from the Burberry fabric I bought at Harrogate in November. We haven't agreed on a style and I haven't found a pattern yet so that is not in any priority list. I still haven't found any source of men's patterns. I will discuss this with D on Tuesday at my sewing bee as I know she recently purchased a pattern drafting for men book.

Progress

So how am I getting on so far, 4 days into January?

Well, I've been tidying and sorting my sewing room - it was regrettably taken over by our dining room over Christmas and New Year! Before I moved my fabric out, I sorted it by type and likelihood of usage time into clear boxes and not everything will be coming back in. I have a partial database of my stash but need to add the new wools that I bought in November.

I have sorted my sewing books, which remained in the dining room, and realise that some of those I bought are just not what I want so need to work out what to do with them.

I also re-sorted through my patterns. I list these on PR but have a few which I missed so need to add those. I got a couple of Craftsy classes for Christmas and now have some duplicate patterns as one class came with a pattern I already had. Also, Sew magazine, which I subscribe to, has, a couple of times, repeated a pattern I already have. So I have about 3 repeats. One pattern I have is in the too small size range - it's a Chanel type jacket and I don't have the skills to grade it up.

All of this fits into my PR challenges.

I have read quite a few blog posts. This can become time wasting rather than productive quite quickly, so I need to be careful. So far, it's been useful. I also took the opportunity to change my profile picture 

Old Profile Photo

I've had my hair cut again since then.

 
 


New Profile Photo

and add the 'follow me on Bloglovin' icon which I hadn't been able to add before. I did some searching and managed to solve that problem - Bloglovin didn't have my blog as mine because I'm listed under two separate email addresses and several different profiles. I've just taken one baby step today. I'm not sure how I'll proceed. I don't want to make my Google+ or Facebook profiles public.

I managed to sort out my overdue golf minutes - obviously this is not sewing related but I couldn't commit to a project with that hanging over me. I have started but not finished my tax return, ditto.

I haven't started any actual sewing although tonight I'm going to sit and try to start to repair the strap, which is way too short, on my daughter's strange top dress (!) and she'd like the flap removed (my sewing teacher says the flap is sewn to be flapping outside but DD doesn't like that and always tucked it in, then strap didn't lie correctly) so it's still a bit of a puzzle. I might have to ask D's advice at the sewing be on Tuesday.



Front of the dress

Back - where does flap go?





What's the loop? Flap is supposed to be out

apparently I already tried to repair



I haven't identified a January personal garment for MAGAM as yet. I'll think about that later in the month when I've gone through things a bit more. I think maybe a Style Arc cardigan as that would be useful over short sleeved tops and trousers and would also be a new to me pattern company, to fit in with January's MAGAM theme.

I tend to have a year-round wardrobe. We never get very warm or really that cold, especially not this year so far. So tops I wear in the summer, I can wear in the winter with a cardigan - though I don't even need that when I go to bridge as the room is very hot. The biggest change summer to winter is footwear and outerwear.

DD3 is going to send me some photos of skirts she likes and her measurements and I might try to make a muslin for size on Tuesday at my sewing bee. I'll be seeing her this coming weekend. As I was finishing this post , my daughter emailed to say she couldn't find the picture she had of the perfect skirt but sent me some inspiration, none of which are quite right, and none of which she's seen in real life:

  She would like it "waist high, with a waistband. Short, but not too short. Probably a bit pleated but not very pleated. A bit like a mix between a pleated school skirt and a skater skirt." "Short but not too short - about 16" she says and she's 6' tall. Well, she's slim, has endless legs  and can carry it.

I don't know if the thick fabric would work for these, At least I can start to look for a suitable pattern. I don't think it would be too difficult to make this, though. Just so long as she doesn't want it for Burns' Night!



All in all, I'm feeling quite happy. Everything I have committed to fits in with my plans and I don't feel any pressure, even though written down it sounds like a lot. Anyway, sewing isn't life or death!