Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Jersey Jersey




This is another example of my wonderful "universal t-shirt" pattern. Notice the sleeves seams, crossing from armpits to neck. In this project, I simply cut the pieces a little bit wider, and added a big neck, folded and secured in the wrong side, and then folded again outwards when wearing it.

I found this grey jersey in a retail store, really cheap. I do not even know the composition, but it is soft and allows my skin to breath, so it has some nature in its fibers, I guess.

I am really happy with the result, I already receive compliments on it!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

FlowerPower




Well, sometimes I am very proud of my works, this is not the case. The fabric is lovely (overpriced though), but it keeps electrifying itself.

The dress pattern I had to vary because the fabric I had was so scarce, so the sleeves are short (I will roll them up so that I can move my arms on the table when I work), and the body is weird. I removed the buttons in front and improvised a neckline. Not bad, but I also have not found the perfect belt.

As much as I like this idea of a very feminine dress, with two pieces attached in the waist and a full skirt, I have not found the good pattern that fits me and it is confortable.

I think this is a challenge.

Or maybe my body shape is not fit for it?

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

COUTURE TECHNIQUES

I bought this book in the internet. It is by Claire B. Shaeffer, and it is a 2011 revision of a preceding tittle.



Well, it is simply marvellous.



One the one hand, I feel so happy because I already know the trade quite well, better that I thought, in fact. I happen to know most of the techniques described, and it is really nice to see them there, categorized and described to perfection.



On the other hand, I am learning so much! It is dense reading, feels like studying to me, and I am already being inspired by this book.



I really recomend it to every home sewer!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Jersey Minidress



This is my "Univesal T-shirt" pattern. I have reproduced it... so many times I can't count them!


It works perfectly well with jersey, elastic or knitted fabrics, because of the shape of its sleeves. Slevecaps' adjustment can be an issue with those textiles and this is a good solution. Notice where the sleeve seams are, crossing diagonally through the underarms.


Inspired but a book about Couture Techniques I am reading (more in next post), I decided to enlight it a little bit with some lapped seams, which bring three stripes together and give -together with ironing- that inverted cup shape in the inferior hem.


Here is a detail of the stripe-matching matter.
The fabric is a wool/synthetic fyber blend, very soft to the touch.
Here I am wearing it with some cotton/spandex leggins (also my work), and a pair of awsome Timberland boots.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Bodies




These pieces of clothing I just made are proving to be basic now, I wear them almost every day under my wool itchy, too-light or too low neklines for this cold shirts and dresses. The fact that they are buttoned under me assures my lumbars to be warm and cozy even with those low waist jeans. I happen to work in a not much warm room, so I have to make sure I am properly tucked in.


The black one is basically spandex, shiny and very soft to the touch. The grey one is cotton with some spandex in it. Since I got some extra fabric, I decided to make a confy top to wear under clothes, kind of supsenders.


Regarding the patterns, I just took them from a jersey body I have in my wardrobe. I put it over some patterning paper and draw it. We can do that if it is a very elastic fabric we are working on, without any darts, collars or other comlicated pieces. It needed several fittings to draw the lower hems, armscyes and leck line. The sleeves were a little bit complicated, and I had to remove the machine stitches and push the sleeves higher since they were too ruffled on top. Thankfully that solution proved perfect. It was also difficult to decide where to draw the neck seam, where the biassed piece joins the body. It is a little bit too open in the grey one, but perfect in the black one.


I am seriously convinced to learn some patternmaking, because more often than not, I am forced either to reshape, arrange the comercial patterns, which on the other hand tend to be less and less reliable, or to draw the pattern itself, copying or guessing it. So I think I need to know my trade better. I have decided to make a project out of it, maybe for the summer holidays. I have alredy made some research about the books I have out there and have a couple of options... but of course I need them to be in the metrical system.