Does anyone else make their own clothes

Rikki · 2 June 2008 at 2:58PM

I mentioned pages ago about the little sewing shop I loved to visit. Run by very knowledgeable ladies and a complete gold mine full of treasure. Well they now have a web site not selling but advertising.

www.sallytwinkle.co.uk

It makes for and interesting read given the history of the store. Celebrating over 40 years trading.

Old_Meanie · 2 June 2008 at 3:50PM

metherer wrote: »

Evening all.

Finally got round to making a top today - slightly modified a scrubs tob to make it wider at the bottom, and therefore cover my wider bottom..

Question. It has a V neck, which is gaping out. Can't quite work out how to fix it. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Metherer

This is also caused when you are full busted and use a pattern that is too large causing a hollow at the neck. If you want to use the pattern again fold out extra fullness with a dart on both sides of the neck tapering to nothing at the armholes. To correct it now you could make a couple of small darts to take up the fullness to make a "sunray" shape might work. Or you could ease extra fullness into some tape as Mrs F suggests above and then steam to shrink.

HTH

Old_Meanie · 2 June 2008 at 3:53PM

Sorry Metherer forgot to say on pattern tissue before you cut out and pin pattern pieces together and try on before you cut out.

Whatever it is is setting in!

Best of luck.

metherer · 2 June 2008 at 9:17PM

Thanks Old Meanie and Mrs Flittersnoop.

Yes, the full busted bit might be right, as might stretching it out when I was hemming it up.

Have decided to fix it with a couple of darts to make it more like a sweetheart neckline. Checked in the mirror and it looked quite sweet.

The daft thing is I made a mock up of the top in some rough fabric, and that didn't gape. Suspect I wasn't quite so accurate at cutting this one out as I thought...!

If this top turns out well and is comfortable then I suspect all my tops for the next year or so might be made using this pattern. Fed up of ordering clothes only to have to send them back because of the fit. I like a decent length to cover my tum, and its a pain getting them long enough, even if they look long in the catalogue.

Thanks for the tips,

Metherer

edited to add: http://www.fentshopskipton.co.uk/ this is my local fent shop.

[Deleted User] · 3 June 2008 at 2:30PM

:doh: :doh: I am not a satin person and now I know why:

I cut a top out and did the bust darts. First I noticed little pulls on the fabric. Ah, ok I changed the needle and used a brand new one for wovens size 70 and that did the trick. First dart was good, second dart I did from side to point (just because the pattern said that way and now I know why I always go from point to side) ie I got puckers. I undid it and spent a while steaming the needle holes out

Then the fabrics were slipping so I had to change the differential on the overlocker but eventually all was well. I put a bias trim on the neckline and undersewed, which was rubbish, so I went back to my own way of hand sewing, after again unpicking and steaming

At some stage the fabrics had a big slippage and the side seam on one side was way way out. So, blow it (and it was dead cheap satin that I had originally bought for lining) and it went in the bin and I am well and truly off satin. No way, not ever again.

Now to salvage something from this morning I am going to call it `learning`

metherer · 3 June 2008 at 9:11PM

Hmm, remind me not to tackle satin til I'm a bit more used to sewing!

Rikki · 4 June 2008 at 10:18AM

I have a pair of double leg chiffon trousers to take up. I've never worked with chiffon before any tips before I make a pigs ear of it?

I don't have a ball point needle but I'm in town later and can get one if needed. I do have soluble stabilizer if needed.

I am prepared to travel if someone would like to take them up on my behalf.

[Deleted User] · 4 June 2008 at 11:56AM

I found chiffon fine to work with. You`ll be cutting a bit off the bottom? if so then have a little practice on the offcut. I would not use a ballpoint needle but I would use a size 70(12) brand new needle. A thin strip of ultrafine iron on interfacing might be a good idea on the very bottom and I would then do a stepped zig zag or something similar and possibly a single turn up, hemmed by hand

[Deleted User] · 4 June 2008 at 12:06PM

I decided to cut out a dress today and went for it without any alterations as my 2 previous attempts with a petite/plus pattern have shown the potential to fit very well. I cut straight off the pattern this time and labelled the bits that overlapped with other sizes ie A/A or B/B (and kept them) just in case I ever change size. As always I am using a very cheap fabric as a first attempt on a pattern, but this one was an absolute bargain and is a very nice lightly brushed cotton

One thing I do find very handy is to have a good assortment of interfacing in. One of the most important things I ever learnt was to choose an interfacing that is a lighter weight than the fabric and I have lots of ultrafine in and use that one most of all. In fact you can`t go wrong with that weight

So a step at a time now. I`ll probably iron the interfacing in today and then leave it alone until tomorrow. I have to get 11 buttons and find it very very difficult to source nice, adult, buttons. Who wants fisheye on a dress??

Now I confess to not having worn a dress in 25 years because I could never buy one in my size that flattered me. So it is all fingers crossed and if it works then this pattern co will be a miracle come true for me

C1aire · 4 June 2008 at 12:21PM

metherer wrote: »

edited to add: http://www.fentshopskipton.co.uk/ this is my local fent shop.

Goodness! I dropped in here for a snoop last time I went home to see my Mum. It's quite a treasure trove!

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Does anyone else make their own clothes

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