First, a big welcome to all the new followers! It is great to have you here. You are greatly appreciated and you comments are welcome. Jump right in!
First, some questions on the CJ:
From
Jemajo: "I'm pretty new to all of this and would like to ask you if the lining satin is actually sewn though to the outer shell, or are they darts?"
The lining is silk charmeuse and is stitched to the outer shell fabric, the boucle, with machine stitching in vertical lines. It is then joined at the seam lines with hand stitching.
From Jemajo again: "Also the chain - is this to weight the jacket hem, or purely decoration?" You are correct! The chain is there to weight the hem. I won't name drop but a very respected designer told me she uses the chains from JoAnn's so I went and bought my chain there. It was stitched on with a waxed double threaded needle.
From Cynthia Gilbreth: Have you added labels to the jacket posts so it will be easy for your readers to look up? Some of us may want to try to make one and your postings will make a good resource. I did set up labels in my gadgets. I had too many labels initially and let it go by the wayside. You are right Cynthia, I need to get going on my labels again. Thanks for the wake up call!
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On to nasty business, the March pants. What did I do wrong? I am not sure but will offer a few possibilities here.
The pants are huge, even after taking them in. I am convinced this is the action of the lycra in the fabric. It literally seems to bag out as I sew or iron it. So now I have a pair of "fat pants" that I can save for when I put on a few pounds. Frankly, I will either wear these when I have on my long johns and am out in 20 below 0 or I will donate them. They just look that bad. I do NOT like lycra in my fabric mix, period.
The other issue clouding my judgment is the color. There is just something about brown fabric and me. It just looks like mud. I thought these would be perfect to wear with the CJ, but no way. Bottom line, these look awful. I will probably consign them to the Good Will. I do feel they were beautifully made, but made with fabric that was nasty. Honestly, this is what I get for shopping at JAs for wearable pant fabric. Next time will either be from the "Fix" or the internet, maybe some good ponte. I will NOT buy a fabric with lycra. Please don't let me........
Here are a few things I think I did right.
I cut the waistband on the selvedge and stitched in the ditch from the top side once attached. At the seams and darts I clip into the selvedge because it needs room to spread. Like most I have high hips bigger than my waistline so this little clip is important. I put some Fray Bloc on the edges and it is just fine. I like using the selvedge for the waistband as it eliminates bulk from the waistline. Who doesn't want that?
First, some questions on the CJ:
From
Jemajo: "I'm pretty new to all of this and would like to ask you if the lining satin is actually sewn though to the outer shell, or are they darts?"The lining is silk charmeuse and is stitched to the outer shell fabric, the boucle, with machine stitching in vertical lines. It is then joined at the seam lines with hand stitching.
From Jemajo again: "Also the chain - is this to weight the jacket hem, or purely decoration?" You are correct! The chain is there to weight the hem. I won't name drop but a very respected designer told me she uses the chains from JoAnn's so I went and bought my chain there. It was stitched on with a waxed double threaded needle.
From Cynthia Gilbreth: Have you added labels to the jacket posts so it will be easy for your readers to look up? Some of us may want to try to make one and your postings will make a good resource. I did set up labels in my gadgets. I had too many labels initially and let it go by the wayside. You are right Cynthia, I need to get going on my labels again. Thanks for the wake up call!
**************************************************************************************
On to nasty business, the March pants. What did I do wrong? I am not sure but will offer a few possibilities here.
The pants are huge, even after taking them in. I am convinced this is the action of the lycra in the fabric. It literally seems to bag out as I sew or iron it. So now I have a pair of "fat pants" that I can save for when I put on a few pounds. Frankly, I will either wear these when I have on my long johns and am out in 20 below 0 or I will donate them. They just look that bad. I do NOT like lycra in my fabric mix, period.
The other issue clouding my judgment is the color. There is just something about brown fabric and me. It just looks like mud. I thought these would be perfect to wear with the CJ, but no way. Bottom line, these look awful. I will probably consign them to the Good Will. I do feel they were beautifully made, but made with fabric that was nasty. Honestly, this is what I get for shopping at JAs for wearable pant fabric. Next time will either be from the "Fix" or the internet, maybe some good ponte. I will NOT buy a fabric with lycra. Please don't let me........
Here are a few things I think I did right.
This is how I finish the fly area and crotch on a flat lined garment. You can see the fly extensions are flat lined and the seam edges finished. The bottom of the zipper is pinked. If these pants were a keeper I would bind the bottom edge of the fly. The crotch seam is stitched, stitched again an 1/8th of an inch away and then serged or zigzagged.
Time to say good bye to the March pants. We will call them a donation. April is looking much more promising. I will be doing a straight legged pant with pleats. See how that looks on the ole pear!
In the meantime I am having great fun with a couple of bags. I am really pleased with their cuteness and can't wait to show them to you. They are so close to done so maybe tomorrow....Bunny
I am one of your new followers. Even though I've been sewing for fifty years, I've never reached your level of professional excellence. When it comes to sewing, you rock!
ReplyDeleteAs for sewing brown garments, I can totally identify. Recently, I bought a brown pair of pants at Macy's that I am really happy with. The brown pair that I made myself I finally donated to the thrift store. Also, for some reason, I cannot sew lycra but, I can buy ready-to-wear garments with lycra in them that hold up without getting all stretched out of shape. I figure, you just learn these things as you go along.
Thank you for all that you share here on your blog. I truly enjoy your posts and always look forward to them.
Blessings,
Penny
What a shame about the pants. They are beautifully made, but I understand how you feel. Sometimes things are just a little bit off but it is enough to make them just not work. I am sure if you donate them to charity, someone will be thrilled to find them.
ReplyDeleteI do hope that whoever ends up wearing your pants appreciates the impeccable craftsmanship. You'd think that the lining, the way you handled it, would have stopped the stretch. Some lycra fabric behaves better than others, but generally - I agree not the easiest stuff to sew or deal with. I have one pair of pants that grows in the closet. They can only be worn immediately out of the dryer, and only once before they have to be shrunk in the wash again.
ReplyDeleteBunny, I'm sorry to hear about your pants. They were sewn so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteLove the finish of the pants, cannot wait to try your lining technique. Last winter I tackled a pair of jeans with spandex. Reused a pattern but due to the amount of spandex, the pants seem to grow while I wear them. Better than too tight, lol. They are great over long-johns during Michigan winters ;-)
ReplyDeleteYour Chanel is gorgeous! My first one was a bit larger than I would like, that why we plan for the next one. Love following your blog, keeps me inspired and moving in the sewing direction. Thank you.
Oh, BTDT just recently too, but at least you're giving away a beautifully crafted item. I don't feel bad at all donating the items. I'll be posting about it soon, but let me say, it is nice to have a daughter about the same size in the house to offer it too first!
ReplyDeleteGee, all that work! Someone will love them, though, and you have done me a service in that I will avoid sewing any fabric containing lycra unless I know exactly what it will do and I want it that way. Thank you for that.
ReplyDelete