Backlog progress

I'm utterly failing at getting two "two hour" projects done per day, but I am gradually picking away at the backlog.

Collar, replaced with a black linen that happens to be faded to a similar degree

Before

 After

Linen cote, terrible photo, done save buttons and buttonholes. (Set aside until I find the pewter buttons I had planned for it)

Trousers, hemmed and pressed.  (Though I think I'm going to re-do the hem, it's far more visible than it should be.)

Jacobean jacket, done save hooks and eyes.  Set aside until said hooks and eyes arrive, having been ordered.

Lacing strips for fitting corsets, started and abandoned, now finished.

before

after

 Repair of torn-out eyelets, I forgot to get a "before" photo, but some of the damage is still visible on the "outside" photo.

outside

inside

Sweatshirt to skirt adaptation

I have an oversized sweatshirt with a graphic print that I very much like, but the shirt itself is poorly made and waaaaay too big.  Like, the sleeves are made so large they won't stay up when I push them up.  I've been playing with ideas of how to make it more awesome, and turning it into a skirt is one idea I had.  I really like the graphic, though, and I can't get another if I screw it up, so I'm testing my idea on another shirt first.

Take one sweatshirt (men's medium, in this case), and disassemble it:

My thought was that if the body panels are tapered and the sleeves turned upside down, they'd make a flared skirt, with the original waistband cut down and re-used:

The cats are helpful

The first step is truing up the panels.

For starters, I looked at the sleeves: When folded in half, and then back on itself, you can see that the curve of the cuff was too shallow, and the curve at the shoulder was too deep, so I trimmed both edges to get a nice smooth curve.

New shape on top, old shape on the bottom

 
Once I had the sleeve panels (which are now the side panels of the skirt) trued up, I used them to cut the body pieces into the front and back panels.  You'll notice that I have the fold in the side panel parallel to the fold in the body panel, but moved out about an inch so that the corner touches the side edge.  I wanted the front and back skirt panels to be wider than the side panels, but I also wanted the angles to be the same.

My sweatshirt had a front pocket, which is awesome.  I cut it in half, and set the halves in the front edge of each side panel.  The raw cut edge will be caught in the seam, and I topstitched along the original bottom and side stitching lines.

Once the pockets were in place, sew the pieces together and take a look at the ribbing for the waistband.

The ribbing was way bigger than my waist, so I used my handy dress form to figure out about how long a low, relaxed waistband should be.

Stitch where the pin is, and grab the drawstring from the hood.  I should have stitched buttonholes or used metal eyelets, but instead I just cut a couple of small slits for the ends to come through.

Pin: center front, center back, sides, and then halfway between each of those, making sure the drawstring is safely tucked inside the folded waistband.

And stitch. You can see how the waistband is a little shorter than the skirt panel below it. So give it a little stretch, just enough for both sides to lie smoothly together.

 
When it's done, it's kind of wobbly, and this shows on the outside, too.

So from the right side, I'm topstitching the seam allowance down, which gives a nice finished edge on the inside,

And smooths everything out nicely on the outside.

And done!  Okay, so I could hem the bottom, but the raw cut edge fits the aesthetic of a chopped up sweatshirt skirt.  I could also press it before photographing it for posterity, but meh.  This was all just a proof of concept.

Postapocalyptish

For the past several years, my wardrobe has been largely function-based: between the machine shop in my previous job, and the scene shop I currently (occasionally) work in, I don't dare wear anything that I can't stand to ruin with either grease or paint or just getting snagged on some sticky-outy bit.

So mostly, I dress like a 12-year-old: Graphic T-shirts, jeans (with or without rips) hoodies, chucks.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

And I'm TIRED of it.  And suddenly, I'm looking around and finding things I'd actually enjoy wearing.  I've started collecting images and ideas on Pinterest, pinning the things that appeal to me, pinning ideas and patterns for things I could make. I'm drawn to an aesthetic that's, frankly, sort of post-apocalyptic.  Things that look recycled (things that are recycled), things that look handcrafted (are handcrafted), Things that look (are) well-worn.

Things I'm drawn to:

• Textures:  (knits, pleats, washed linen, wool felt, leather)
• Structure vs. drape
• Asymmetry 
• Layers
• A range of acceptable contexts, from music festivals to formal nights out

Seeing The Force Awakens just before this urge hit was probably a contributing factor, as was an epic project for work, involving vast quantities of hemp, jute, and cheesecloth dyed in smoky purples and greens.

I've been chewing on this idea for a year now, and am finally starting to put it into action.  Some pieces I'm buying (with varying degrees of success re: expectations), some pieces I'm making or re-making. Some things, like my knee-high buckled strap converse, I already own.

So anyway, the Pinterest board.

This isn't a shopping list.  It's mostly for inspiration, because above all else, any additions to my wardrobe must be *wearable.*  The fabrics have to be soft (unlike an unfortunate proportion of my handspun).  If the individual garments are a struggle to put on, or difficult to function normally in, I won't wear them.  There are some styles I know I don't like: anything strapless, backless, halter tops, etc.

I've (re-)made the first shirt.  I have other garments to make and modify.

onward.

Quick shirt remodel

I had one of those sweater things, designed to hang open in front.  It looked fine the first few times I wore it, but then I washed it and the ribbed facing stretched out and the whole thing looked terrible.  (Then I snagged a thread in the sleeve and it snapped when I was trying to ease the stitches back into shape and now there's a hole.)

First step, remove the facing and the sleeves

not sure why this is blue

Then I removed the stitching at the shoulders,  crossed the front pieces over each other, and turned the whole thing backwards.





















I may adjust the shape of the armsyce in front, since it bunches a little under the arm there.  I'm a little bigger than my dress form, so the fit is a little different (less drape at the neck) but overall I'm happy with it. I've turned something I wouldn't wear again into something I'll probably wear (though maybe over a tank top?) and I don't think I'm even going to finish the hems. Raw edges suit the aesthetic.