Last Chance Saloon?

Follow up to self-drafted top from earlier post (see here). Gosh, that was nearly a month ago.

An overall view of modified top. I think it could do with more waist shaping - but that's the least of its problems!

I took the top to sewing bee before the summer break for Rory and Dan to critique.

Both agreed that the issue was at the armhole as I thought. I thought it was too tight and needed enlarged. Rory suggested the top was unbalanced but didn't continue that theme. We looked at the possibility of further scooping the armhole at the particularly tight point only but not above that as it would show too much flesh. Also, there was enough space under the arm. I asked about the possibility of reducing the seam allowance at the shoulders which would drop the top and help both the armhole tightness and the bust dart position. Rory investigated that but demonstrated that this would cause further problems including gaposis.

We agreed that I would remove the bias binding (I know I said I wasn't going to!!). Rory wondered if this could be the problem.

I think it's relevant to highlight three points before I continue.

1 Cutting the excess fabric away left a rather acute angle rather than a more gentle curve

2 When sewing on the bias tape I attempted to correct this by taking a smaller amount of bodice fabric with the seaming ie a smaller seam allowance on the bodice. This was difficult.

3 My bias tape wasn't wide enough and I tried to make do.

I removed the bias binding (I'm getting good at this!) and tried on the top for Rory. The top did not feel tight and the bust darts were sitting okay. Rory immediately confirmed that it had been my bias binding causing the issue. She said that as I was going around the tighter curve, I had pulled the binding too tight rather than working some extra binding into it as required. This in turn pulled the fabric towards the sides and caused the tightness and distortion seen.

I was pleased to have this identified but I confess I was disappointed to realise I had put the binding on so badly! I thought I had achieved a decent finish. However, I had certainly struggled with these curves, particularly with binding that was too narrow meaning my seam allowances were small.

I found some extra fabric and cut new, wider, bias strips. They weren’t quite long enough and had to be pieced.

I planned a 1cm seam allowance as that is the seam allowance I added to the pattern. So my strips needed to be 1cm +1cm + 2x required width of exposed tape. I wanted my tape 1.3cms wide as that's the width of the neckline bias. So I needed to cut my strips 1 +1 + 2.6 = 4.6cms. The strips I used were only 3.3cms wide so it's no wonder I was having problems!

Rory said she'd show me how to put the binding on properly and she did in our last sewing bee before the summer holiday break. First she prepared the binding. She folded in two down the strip as I had done and pressed but then also folded in one side and pressed, but not the other. If I had done that, my too narrow width could have been identified.

I pin and baste to get even seam allowances - with her experience, Rory does it freehand without a single pin.

Another difference was that Rory pinned to the wrong side and the finished binding, already folded, was folded to the right side for stitching. I found this much more difficult as the stitching line was a little irregular and had to be covered. I would certainly have found it easier to stitch to the right side as I did and fold to the wrong side.

Anyway, I did the best I could. I had to join the bias binding before completing the sewing. That wasn’t without its problems, but I managed. I then first pinned and then tacked the binding to the front, ensuring the stitching was covered. Then I edgestitched.

My top was finished and I tried it on for the first time (I was wearing a dress at the last sewing bee and wasn’t willing to model the top!).

At the time I thought the pulling was sorted and that the darts lay at the right place. Since then, I have changed my mind – see photos. The darts are still too high and, I feel, a bit too long. Worse, the top feels constrictive.

To show darts. Photobombed by a large stone frog. The right side of the top is less baggy under the arms than the left.

The top still doesn’t work. I feel I am showing rather too much flesh at the sides, the armhole is too low, the curve needs to be less acute but the biggest thing is that the armhole is incredibly baggy on the left side - it would need to be taken in by quite a bit. Even at that, David felt that the bodice was still tight at the armhole at the previously tight point -  not the binding, which was no longer tight. I would say it is tight at the stitching line

My bra shows in certain positions and you can perhaps see that there is a lot of excess fabric under the arm. I think you can see that the binding is not tight but that the stitching line is.

Is this armhole too low?

The back feels tight

The tightness here is clear to see

Side view of lower half

Too much to consider fixing.

I don’t like it. It is uncomfortable to wear. It is going. I won’t be making another top from this pattern. I like the fabric and found some more when I was looking for a fabric - I thought I had given it away. I may try to make a different top. I'm not sure if the issue is all about fit, though you would think that would be sorted by now after several iterations and all the advice I've had or whether it's a case of this top style simply not suiting me.

Update and photos

I haven’t been sewing for the last fortnight. Today was a lovely warm sunny day, so I tried on the top again and asked David to take some quick photos – he was still working on our pond. I found the top uncomfortable, digging in under the arms and showing my bra. The back felt too tight as I reached forward. Have a look at the photos and see what you think. I start back at sewing bee this coming week and may ask again, for the future, not for this top.

Helen was here a couple of weeks ago, to attend the wedding of a schoolfriend. While here she enjoyed an article in Threads magazine and ordered the Vogue pattern that was being discussed. She approved of the green silk for her dress (and liked the blue silk I had also bought) and suggested she'd love a pair of shorts/culottes like Joanne's - she liked the patterned fabric rejected by Joanne. She still hasn't decided on the style for her tartan skirt. I have a long list of items as you can see!

I've told her that I'm making for me for a bit but the green dress is promised for her birthday in November.

PR Winter Street Dress - version 3 for me. My first wadder of 2018

Background

A while back, nearer the start of my sewing adventure, I made some Winter Street Dresses (pattern from Pattern Review.com) - for me and for my daughter. I made all of the dresses in a short time scale as Pattern Review was running a competition to make this dress to celebrate the launch of their in-house pattern range. Looking back at my PR reviews, this was in May 2014. Here is the link to the review of the blue dress - and from that, links to the others.

Description of pattern:

"Just like it's cousin - Summer Street Dress, Winter Street Dress is an easy to sew knit dress with a waist seam and a narrow pleated skirt. The narrow skirt with inverted box pleats has just the right amount of ease where you need it, resulting in a very comfortable and cute tulip shape. The bodice is drafted for a "C" cup. There is a choice of elbow length flounce sleeves or a full length sleeve. You can even make it without sleeves. The skirt is designed to fall above the knee for a more trendy look but it is super easy to lengthen or shorten it. 

From Winter to Spring to Summer, this is a perfect transition dress! 

Fabric suggestions - A variety of knit fabrics will work here but we recommend medium weight knits for a more structured look. The pattern will work for lighter weight knits like rayon jersey as well. We do recommend lining the skirt if you are using lightweight knits." (From PR website)

I made a dress from very stretchy fabric - review here and photo below this - it stretched lengthwise a lot and the dress got longer and longer and the waist lower and lower! I tried to fix it by taking up a large chunk at the waist from both bodice and skirt but I accidentally created a hole in the fabric when I was unpicking. The fabric was so difficult to use. That was the least of its problems. It got jettisoned. 

Without belt

With belt

Because of the stretchiness of the fabric, it appeared to fit better around my bust than my remaining blue version, which is the only one of mine which remains (Joanne still has hers, I think - that's in a wine colour which is rather nice - review here). 

My burgundy one was my first and never fitted well so was given away. (I still have some of the fabric so might make a top to go under the kimono; I think it's in the correct colour palette)

I only wore the remaining one a couple of times, really, as I didn't feel quite right in it partly because it felt a bit tight. Also, I felt the folds at the back of the skirt just didn't lie nicely, which I put down to it being a bit tight. I liked the fabric and the colour (blue) though so it was kept in case I got slim enough to wear it. 

Even in this one, at the making stage, you can see that the inverted pleats don't lie nicely.
I didn't realise it was this bad even then!

I had some fabric from the same range in my stash. This wasn't in a colour or shade I liked so much but it's a colour that has been suggested that I should wear (petrol blue, I think, though I saw it as green and I see it as a bit dull and sludgy - you can tell I don't like it!).  I decided I'd make another Winter Street Dress, since I originally made a lot of changes to the pattern and I still had the printed pattern (it was a PDF pattern), though now I'd have to go up a size.

Wednesday - 10 January, First sewing bee of the year

I took the blue dress to sewing class and tried it on. Rory agreed that I needed a bigger size for my hips. However, she felt the dress was going up a lot at the back - by that I mean the back of the skirt was substantially shorter -  and directed me to add quite substantially to the back waist at the centre (8.5 cms!), tapering out towards the sides. I also had to add to the sides back and front, but not to the centre front. The pattern is designed to be cut with back and front identical and on the fold. After the alterations to the pattern, I now had separate back and front pieces. I made the tucks as suggested. Only then did I realise that of course I had cut out the bodice, which at the time I thought fitted me, to the original size - it would have been better to go up a size, I now feel. This meant that I had about 2 cms extra fabric at each side of the skirt.

Showing extension to back height

Close up view of front at the front and back under that.

At Home

I didn't follow the directions given on the pattern as I was now going to have to modify the skirt portion. The directions put the sleeves in flat and the finishing touch is to sew up each side and sleeves. However, I made up the bodice, using stabiliser in the shoulder area - this was the first time I have manged to insert tape properly using my overlocker. I set the sleeves - no problems. I finished all raw edges by overlocking. Actually, for the first time ever, I used the 4 stitch overlock stitch and made up the bodice on the overlocker, though I machine tacked first. I think this has worked well and the inside looks neater, more finished than my last version, which has some unfinished seam edges. I added the neckband also in the round - doubling neckband, in the round, quartering, attaching to right side of fabric, testing fit, then folding to the back and planned to do decorative zigzag stitching or cover stitching to hold the seam allowances down. I didn't follow this method previously. I think I followed the PR instructions, which were good and Deepika had an online tutorial covering neckband insertion.

My previous neckline seam attachment is concealed and I finished the neckline by stitching in the ditch.  Last time around, the neckband was attached unfolded, to the right side of the fabric, folded over to the wrong side, the seam edge turned under and secured by stitching in the ditch from the right side. They look completely different, much to my surprise. However, this method looks fine. I don't have a cover stitch machine so planned to use a zigzag stitch to hold down the seam allowances inside the neckline but Rory didn't feel I needed anything other than tacking the overlocking to the seam allowance at the shoulder - we'll see if that works. I didn't  have enough of a suitable shade of thread to do the neckline, the sleeve hems or the skirt hem, in any case.

After my bodice was finished, I machine basted the skirt front and back together at the sides. As the skirt waistband is wider than the bodice waistband, I used an extra tuck in the skirt and basted the skirt to the bodice, ready to see what see what Rory would suggest.

Wednesday - 17 January. Second sewing bee.

I tried on the dress for Rory to look at the waistline area. There were a few changes made - by pinning in place after releasing the stitching - taking a bit off the centre back skirt and a small bit off the centre front bodice. Rory suggested I should have taken a wider tuck rather than the extra small pleat but I did what I did because I had already done it if you see what I mean! I knew the stitching would be coming out.

I tacked together to test out the new settings - I thread traced where the pins had been to give me an idea for matching the bodice and the skirt as of course, the seam allowances were no longer the same size.

Rory thought the waistline looked much better. She felt I needed even more width at the back but too late for that. Then she thought it was simply the fabric being caught up on my trousers, which I was still wearing. She said the side seams were running straight.

As I was measuring up the alterations for the two sides (Rory marked only one side, front and back), I realised that my skirt was decidedly lopsided! This must be the result of my poor cutting out as it had not yet been physically altered. I showed my finding to Rory who said we would need to even up the hem from the floor.

At home - Thursday 18 January

I stayed at home rather than going to my sewing with Lyn. There were two reasons for this. First, the roads were snowy and icy - and if you don't need to go out, why do it? Second, I do find it awkward to be doing the same garment in two different places with, potentially, three different tutors. So I didn't want to take this dress, and didn't have another project ready. Well, I do have my Chanel jacket but I'll finish that at home. I don't want to start yet another until these are out of the way - I have enough UFOs as it is.

I overlocked both side seams of the skirt. As Rory felt that the skirt could still do with a little room, I simply ran the knife down the edge, so making the seam allowance as small as possible. While pressing it, I found the unevenness of hem again - see photo - this is clearly bad cutting out, sadly.

This doesn't look too bad - but in reality it was much worse

this is the kind of difference in length I was faced with 

I then attached the skirt to the bodice by pinning along the marked seam lines. I put the folds back in but found it incredibly difficult to get them even - I guess this is because my cutting was a bit off. I did my best and tried the skirt on - and got David to mark the shortest point of the skirt. I wore small heels, as I would with this dress and he measured from the floor.

I was going to go on and finally overlock the waistline seam, in which clear elastic is used for stabilisation - but I really don't like how the pleats are lying. I'm heavier than I've been for a while (David also thought the top was a little tight; I agree) so I thought that perhaps when I'd lost a stone or so, the dress would lie better.

At that stage I planned to take the dress to class (Third Wednesday - 25th January) and see if Rory might suggest a better position for the pleats. I hadn't done any top stitching with twin needle as yet as I still didn't have the correct thread colour. I decided to put it aside.

Friday 19th January

I bought the thread. It's a reasonable match. Later in the day, I became quite unwell with a sudden acute UTI, so I didn't do any sewing.

Saturday 20 January

I'm feeling unwell but not the kind of that needs bed rest so decided to take it easy and just think about and look at some of my projects and write this blog post. No actual sewing or having photos taken. 

I reassessed the dress. No, it's not going to work. I don't have photos of the dress to show you and feel too unwell even to think of having some taken. Look at the blue one - this one is tighter and the back inverted pleats much worse. When I looked at the earlier photos, the dress didn't appear to rise at the back - same dress as Rory said to add 8.5 cms to - so this must be due to weight gain. You can guess where the bulk of my weight gain goes!

This is going to be my first wadder of 2018, I fear.

The waistline inverted pleats don't work for me. I am too hippy - as a pear shaped person, my hips are relatively bigger than my waist. I have quite a high hip. The dress fits at the waist, but the pleats on the skirt are pulled apart too quickly and as a result are distorted. They serve to emphasise my large hips rather than just provide the needed space for them. David put it well when he said they point like arrows towards the biggest part of my hips. This was said in a constructive way. And NO!  - I'm not showing a photo of the offending area!

I wondered how I could change this.

• Perhaps just gathering instead of pleats? I'm not a fan of gathering.
• Altering my shape ie losing weight, which I want to do, anyway. However, I am sewing clothes for how I am now so that's not an option for this dress and the blue dress had problems with the pleats even when I was lighter.
• Not continuing with it. This style is not flattering and the colour is not my best. David found it unflattering - style, type of fabric and colour

I certainly wouldn't buy it. So I'm not prepared to put a lot of effort into making something I wouldn't buy and won't wear. You might think there isn't a great deal left to do in this dress so I should finish it but I can use that time for something ultimately more useful.

David has suggested the FLF system for assessing my sewing:

• F - Fit. It must fit well
• L - Like. I should like everything I try to make for myself.
• F - Flattering - even when it's ‘only’ a functional garment.

I like that.

This dress fails all 3 of these criteria.

• F - it doesn't fit. The bodice and sleeves feel tight. The least said about the skirt, the better!
• L - I don't like it. This is a combination of fit, fabric, style and colour
• F - it isn't flattering. This includes the style of the dress - even if it fitted, it wouldn't flatter as the style is just not for me

So - it's official - it's a wadder. I feel quite happy with that decision as I knew I'd never wear it. I wore its predecessor a few times but never felt comfortable in it - and I liked its colour much more. I realise now that it wasn't just being tight through weight gain that was the issue. I just don't like the style. I recall that at the time, I was less than positive about the pattern, at least for my first version - but I tempered my prose as it was a contest. This was my first review:

"This style is not for me. I needed to make too many alterations to the bodice to try to make it fit at my waistline and I therefore presumably lost the originally intended design, though even more changes are required. I have gone ahead and made further alterations to the pattern, with a view to trying again - in the process correcting my faulty drafting of the side seams on the bodice, and turning the wedge at the back into a straight increase to avoid the dress being too high in the centre, which meant that the skirt didn't lie properly. I have also made the sleeves bigger for next time as these were very tight on me at the biceps; I also plan to drop the armscye slightly. My problems were worsened as I washed the dress again after construction to see if that would relax it, as I thought some of my manipulations might have stretched it out of shape (I got it stuck in my sewing machine! More than once.) but I feel there was further shrinkage as the sleeves at the biceps became much tighter than they had been prior to that. 

I do plan to make it for my middle daughter, who fits more clearly into the target demographic group, I feel or perhaps the one I made can be modified to fit her! She is happy with raised waists, short skirts and pull on knit dresses. Mine would be too big, though, I reckon I would need to sew a medium for her but perhaps mine has shrunk to a medium and I would just need to shorten skirt and sleeves. Nice thought!
I can recommend it to others as it is easy to sew, looks easy to wear and looks good on the pattern testers." Overall - 'Pattern okay but did not work for me'

A post note - the tee is a wadder

I took the blue tee shirt (Cashmerette Concird) to class tonight - see 2 previous posts.  I found it very uncomfortable as after wearing it for no more than a few seconds and a bit of  movement, it would start to ride up and the front neck pushed against my throat and it felt tight and uncomfortable under the arm. There was excess fabric in front of the armscye.

The neckline was puckered in part because I hadn't trimmed it adequately (taking shortcuts as this had been a toile). I snipped the neck and that helped the neckline issue - it lay much better and the puckers diminished. Though I still found the shape odd, which I put down to the shoulder seam being too far forward for me.

My assumption was that the tee shirt was too tight, hence it riding up to a smaller part of my body. I put this down to the fabric being firmer with less stretch than the original, though still meeting the stretch criterion specified by the pattern. . I wondered if the folds of fabric were an indication of needing a FBA. I wasn't sure about other issues.

Rory and Dan agreed the tee was too tight. There was distinct tautness across the front. They were also concerned about the shape of the sleeve, though additional fabric at the front bodice would help this. They thought the armhole was a bit small and high. The other ladies in the class thought there was too much fabric at the back, as I had, as I could grab an inch at each side just behind the side seam.

I decided it wasn't possible to make further changes to this tee that would in any way improve the fit.

Rory felt that the pattern needed rather more change as the too far forward shoulder could be amplifying the issue and asked me to take it to class to get checked before making another.

I no longer have this tee shirt. You're surely not surprised! The other ladies in class asked if I couldn't wear to garden or do the vacuuming. However, I said it was really too uncomfortable. Rory said I was a perfectionist. I don't think it needed a perfectionist to reject that tee!!

Will I make another? I'm really not sure. Is it worth it? I'm really not sure. I rather feel I would be better starting with a closer starting point. I'm really not sure, though. Certainly, I have no plans for one over the next few months.

Another wadder, but feeling pretty good about it!

 

At class on Thursday, I was trying to finish view A of Simplicity 2594. I had told myself I couldn't move it on at home because the tutor had recommended a different way of attaching the yoke and I needed a further explanation - well that was true but also an excuse. I realise now that I didn't like the texture of the fabric (crepe but probably a lot of polyester in there), the colour - I'm a fan of many shades of pink but bubble gum pink doesn't do it for me, and even the style of the pattern which was not a usual one for me. In class, the tutor turned to  me after I had tried on the top for fit, side seams basted, and said 'you're not going to wear that, are you?' recognising that I have many items made which have not seen the light of day. She then said that she didn't think the shade of pink was flattering to me. I agree. I also felt I might not wear the top.

I carried on at home today to complete the topstitching of the yoke and sewed up the side seams. All that remained was the hems around the armholes and the bottom hem - I duly basted these and tried on the top to see what it was like. I didn't like it any better. DH realised on seeing it that it wasn't my style or colour and that I wouldn't wear it.

So I made the decision not to finish it, to banish it to wadder land - and to send the rest of the sickly fabric with it. I feel good about this decision. It won't be hanging around taunting me! I haven't decided what to do about the pattern yet - there are different views which are more 'me'.

I did learn a number of new techniques, so my time wasn't all wasted.

I should say that I didn't buy the fabric in the first place - my mother who can no longer sew because she is virtually blind (macular degeneration) gave me it with  a few other pieces from when she last sewed many years ago. One of the pieces is a beautiful fabric in golds and olives and browns - but I am a summer and these shades don't suit me. They are most definitely my mother's colours. She also loves cowl necks. My original intention in making the pink cowl top was to have a practice run to make her one from the gorgeous silky brown floral. I'm not sure she'd like the style, either, however, I think she'd prefer sleeves. I wasn't keen on the fit for me and feel that the particular fit around the armholes wouldn't suit my mother, either.

I feel good about my decision to jettison and not finish. This is linked in to trying to get rid of 'stuff' accumulated over the years as we're thinking of downsizing as our house is too big for just the two of us, despite a proliferation of hobby-related paraphernalia.

It's just over a week since my birthday. For my birthday, one of my gifts, from my youngest daughter, was of labels to sew into my handcrafted garments. I'm looking forward to using these.

WIPS and Wadders

I'm going to a sewing workshop for 3 days next week - a birthday present from my mother. I'm going to be making a jacket.

I'll probably make Simplicity 2149, version B/C using a beautiful pure wool fabric. I'm also taking Simplicity 2341 and a couple of choices of fabric - a black jacket weight linen and a grey slightly velour fabric.

There are pink and beige tones in the wool which don't show up very well in my photos.

 

 

Both jackets are unlined. S2149 has Hong Kong seaming and I went to great efforts to get enough of an appropriate bias tape; I was going to make my own but in the end decided it was easier to buy. I bought 25 metres of 5/8" single bias binding, which I planned to fold, slightly asymmetrically along the gap in the centre; the pattern calls for 1/4" double bias binding. I can't buy already made double bias binding.

Really, however, I fancied lining any jacket I make but thought my tutor next week would consider that to be too advanced for me; however, she has responded to me saying that she would prefer me to line than do Hong Kong seam finish as it is faster and neater. I kind of broke my fabric fast by buying new lining fabric for the wool jacket, but I consider that justified so don't feel in the slightest guilty. And DH came along with me so he's not too worried about my growing fabric stash, really.

Interestingly, I asked this tutor her recommended way of pre treating my wool fabric as I had read several different options; these included dry cleaning, soaking in cold water then drying in rolled up sheet; washing in cold water; steaming all over and putting in tumble dryer with two hot wet but squeezed out towels. When she responded by email she suggested that most fabric, with the exception of denim, didn't actually need pre treatment. I have already pre-treated most of my fabric and really don't feel happy about not pre-treating the wool. I had also asked whether I needed to pre treat the bias binding - but it looks as though I won't be using that now.

However, I had several works in progress. I'd really like to have finished these before starting another!

The first is a sleeveless cowl neck top Simplicity 2594 version A, in pink crepe.

 

This was to be my June garment for the Make a Garment a Month Challenge. I started this in my weekly Thursday sewing class, firstly altering the pattern for length so the waist shaping would be in the right place. My tutor there didn't like the way the  shoulder yoke was added to the garment and so I started doing it her way at class, unfortunately missing the next class because of a golf match (in which we didn't do very well, regrettably). I wasn't able to continue by myself as I didn't really understand the process. I do now. At class on Thursday I was able to move the garment on and am nearly finished apart from top stitching and hemming of armholes and bottom. That shouldn't take too long but I can't think about doing it now before my jacket workshop next week. I'm back at class on Thursday, though, so should manage to finish it then. I do, however, prefer my own sewing machine so might decide to finish it at home instead. Next week is regrettably the penultimate class before the summer break -start back in mid September.

The second is a wadder. I had fabric left over from my burda dress. I like the dress and the fabric lies nicely and is reasonably flattering. After looking at options, I decided to buy Colette's Mabel, a beginner knit skirt.  

I certainly didn't want to make a mid thigh version so decided to make version 3, a pencil skirt with front princess seams designed to be just about knee length. I lengthened the pattern by 1.5" to account for my height and bring it to the correct length. I had already cut out and decided that I'd finish it today, perhaps even wear it while away. The pattern was fairly easy to make up although I had great difficulty in understanding how to attach the waistband and lining; the pattern instructions have you trim 1/8" off lining to cause it to turn in. I got this wrong, sewing the wrong side. I re-cut the pieces - well it still wasn't right, I'm afraid. I would have preferred to understitch, but maybe that isn't suitable in a stretch waistband. Finally I finished attaching the waistband ( 'a mid rise contoured waistband') and tried the skirt on before hemming. I had already basted and tried on, over my trousers (in class) and it seemed fine size wise though there was no waistband at that time. I wasn't sure about the position of the waistband, but really that was the least of my problems. I really dislike the shape of this skirt. I had seen a few pictures of completed garments, which I thought were too tight; mine isn't. However, I have a full high hip, an inward dent and full high thigh - the result when wearing this skirt is not pleasant to see! My husband immediately commented 'you really do need to lose weight' (he's right and this wasn't said in an unpleasant way - he's very supportive but I've gained a stone of the two I lost.) I'm not going to finish the skirt - I actually don't think my shape changes enough with moderate weight loss to make this a flattering style for my shape. Fitting lessons advise against emphasising this hip type and well, a knit pencil skirt does exactly that.

That's all I'm showing of the skirt. This is the waistband with the finer weight lining. Not a nice sight.

 

My third unfinished garment is a pair of trousers. I go to a monthly dressmaking class (now finished until September) and we tissue fitted each other into McCall's 6091, a Palmer Pletsch easy fitting pattern.

 

 I made a number of tissue changes to account for leg length, small waist, full hip etc. I was going to make up a muslin of the result but this was voted down in class and we went straight onto cutting out fashion fabric last week (our second class). I used a fabric that I don't mind losing if the result is not good but can wear if it is.  

I got so far in sewing up. As the next class is not until September, I will probably finish off myself before then.

My fourth unfinished garment is a skirt that we started in a make a skirt class linked to the monthly dressmaking class, but we didn't get finished within the day. Version C., knee length. 

 

I would definitely have preferred to make a muslin and then alter the pattern and cut out the fashion fabric. Instead, we tissue fitted and then cut out fashion fabric (same tutor as the pants ). I had some problems with my fabric. I bought suitable fabric from the shop where the class is held (a quilting shop) and prepared it ready for the skirt making class. Unfortunately, at class I then found a flaw which ran throughout the fabric at a regular interval and so my fabric was replaced by another, an art gallery fabric, but which a) wasn't prepared and b)the pattern was set at a slight diagonal and difficult to deal with.

Waistband ready to sew up. The diagonal direction of the fabric is easier to see in the next photo; I wouldn't have chosen if I had realised in time i.e. before I cut into it!!

Nice fabric but I wish I had never seen it. Some of the problems I have had with making the skirt up may be due to the accommodations I had to make to account for the fabric pattern. And of course, I had to match the pattern which was extremely difficult. There is another skirt making class in September - I may leave it until then! I don't feel any urge to fight with it at home.
Maybe by this time next week, I'll have a finished jacket and a finished top.