If you find sewing boring, you'll probably want to skip this entry. My birthday outfit is taking way longer than I expected. It's a complicated pattern; I was going to say the most complicated I'd ever made, but then I remembered that Victorian outfit, complete with corset, that I made a few years ago. This doesn't have nearly as many steps as the Victorian outfit, but the difficulty level is about on par.
I'm feeling a little frustrated with it, because I've been working on it for, what, two weeks now? And I still haven't really started sewing. I never feel like I've started until I'm sewing the pieces together into something that resembles an outfit. The work before that point, even if it involves sewing, feels like preparatory steps. And that's where I've been stuck.
First I had to make a test outfit out of scrap fabric. Usually I skip this step, but I was a little concerned about the fit. I didn't want to cut all that beautiful wool and then find out that it doesn't fit right. So I did the whole outfit (skipping the details like the piping and buttonholes, and just doing one sleeve) in scrap fabric. And discovered that the pattern did need to be altered a bit. It's a pure A-line, meant to be a bit loose in the midsection and then flare gently, very little shaping below the waist. But I like my clothes more fitted in the waist, which means I have to let it out at the hips. Because, well, I have hips. (So I guess I turned it into a semi A-line. Well maybe not; I only let it out a little bit.) Also the sleeves were a bit long, and they have these cuffs so I couldn't just cut them as is and make an extra big hem like I normally do. So I took the sleeves up too.
So after making the dress in scrap fabric and altering the pattern, I finally could cut it out of the wool and the underlining.* Then zigzag around the edge of every piece so the edges won't fray. That takes a long time, especially since I have twice as many pieces: the wool and the underlining. Then the wool pieces had to be pressed, because the zigzagging had stretched out the edges a bit; then the underlining pieces had to be basted to the wool pieces. I finally finished that part just now.
But I'm still not ready to start sewing the pieces together yet! Next I have to put in the darts and the bound buttonholes.** I've never made bound buttonholes before so I'm a bit nervous about this part. It seems like the kind of thing that would look really bad if you didn't make each one exactly the same. So of course I have to make nine of the little buggers. Five right on the front of the dress. I think I'm going to quit sewing for the night and read up on my bound buttonhole instructions. Then tomorrow when I'm fresh I'll try them on scrap fabric.
*Lining is sewn to the main garment at the top (and sometimes also at the bottom) but hangs separately. It's sort of like making the same outfit twice and then sewing the two together, one inside the other. Underlining means cutting every piece out of two fabrics, sewing all the duplicate pieces together, then making the outfit as normal, as if the two layers were only one fabric. It gives an outfit more structure and crispness. I think it's gone out of fashion; I've been sewing for over a decade but I had never heard of it until I started working with vintage patterns. I don't know why I think y'all care about any of this.
**I tried to find a photo or drawing of a bound buttonhole online to illustrate this, but couldn't find one that makes any sense unless you already know what they are. It's like a rectangle with two little strips of fabric in it, and the button comes out between the two strips. Rather than a machine buttonhole which is simply stitched, and the fabric slashed inside the stitching. If you have a nice coat or sport jacket, it probably has bound buttonholes.
8 Comments
I did find all the sewing detail interesting, even lining vs. underlining. But I have to say that my main emotional response was, Jeez, rather than go through all that, I'd try to scare up more work and pay for a finished suit! But on the other hand, it is great to be able to have exactly what you want, instead of the closest you can find in a store.
Bound buttonholes:
http://www.diynet.com/diy/na_sewing/article/0,2025,DIY_14144_2277276,00.html
Or here: http://vintagesewing.info/1920s/26-fcm/fcm-12.html scroll way down to Illustration XII-8 and 9
(I *loved* the sewing detail!)
Well that's the issue exactly. I do apply your very sensible logic to modern clothes: for instance I would never make something inexpensive to buy like flannel pajamas or simple button-down shirts, even though there are plenty of patterns for things like that.
But it's nearly impossible to buy the clothes I make. I did find a website that sells similar outfits, but they charge $110 for little sleeveless dresses that would take me an afternoon to make, and the more complex outfits are $200 and up.
Despite my grousing this really is fun for me. A time-consuming but rewarding hobby. (Why do some people work on their own cars instead of paying a mechanic?) I'm mainly complaining because of lack of time. Besides, when I'm finally done, this outfit will be a custom-made vintage Dior design that fits me perfectly. My belated birthday present to myself.
Hey Gina, thanks for the bound buttonhole links! The DIY net page has some tips that look really helpful.
actually, when i was reading about the level of detail, i thought, "how satisfying it will feel when it's done." i actually vaguely remember that sense of satisfaction after sewing something complicated and having it turn out well (even though it has been many years since i've sewn anything!)
if you keep blogging about sewing, maybe it'll inspire me to get back to it one day :)
"if you keep blogging about sewing, maybe it'll inspire me to get back to it one day."
If that's not an inducement, I don't know what is!
it's having the opposite effect on me, unfortunately. i was reading your post while guiltily shopping for slipcovers online. i was getting mad at the high prices and thinking "i could make one for a lot chea... oh, wait. i don't think i want to make one now." ;-)
Just don't make slipcovers with bound buttonholes :)
I've heard that good slipcovers take some work, but it's all in the fitting. The actual sewing sounds pretty straightforward. Not that I've ever made them myself.