Does anyone else make their own clothes

Rikki

Pattern ease.

I'm about to trace out a Butterick pattern. One I haven't made before and I can't for the life of me find the pattern ease measurements.
I don't normally worry too much but as this is a dress pattern cut on the bias and my lower half is a size larger than my top half I don't want to get it wrong.
The style of the pattern will allow the marrying of two different sizes top and bottom.

Am I just looking in the wrong place or don't Butterick give you that information?

[Deleted User]

Mrs F I was thinking about doing a bigger size as it would be easier to estimate the overlock width. Heck the machine rattles along so fast there just isn`t room for mistakes with a 1/4" seam allowance

re ease: add all the widths up and add perhaps 4-5 inches and hold a tape measure that length around your hips and then sit down. I did just that and decided to add another couple of inches. It made a big difference

Mrs_Flittersnoop

kittie's right, Rikki, you need to measure yourself and then the pattern pieces and then subtract one from the other to find the design ease. However if this is your first bias dress, you may want to cut the lower half a size bigger in any event, or at least add to the seam allowances (make them about an inch wide) as bias stretches so much and clings to the body more than the straight grain - you may be wanting a clingy look in which case ignore me, but if not, then if you make the seams slightly larger then you won't have any shocks when you slither into the finished dress.

oh and don't forget to leave the whole dress a day or so before hemming it as bias stretches unevenly and you'll end up hemming it dozens of times......

Kittie I know what you mean about the overlocker! Many's the time I have cut huge chunks out of my fabric by mistake because they whizz along so fast . Yep, a bigger size would work just as well. good luck!
Mrs F x

champys

Mrs_Flittersnoop wrote: »

Oh p.s. just ought to mention that Loes appears to be quite a petite little person and as the independent designers tend to design for their own body types it might be as well to double check the fit before cutting anything precious out. I usually have to lengthen the patterns A LOT not to mention widen the sleeves as I mentioned above to champys. HTH.

Thanks for the warning Mrs F. - I will definitely double check. Hope to get started this afternoon. I am a smallish person myself, so maybe for once I do not have to shorten anything!
I am slightly worried though about the American pattern habit of including seam allowances, which I am not used to. On the other hand the designs are so very simple that I will probably get away with assuming 1 cm across the board (except hems). It should be fine and I can't wait to see the first results!

Mrs_Flittersnoop

Hi champys, hope you get on OK with the patterns. I think Loes uses a 1cm seam allowance anyway so you'll hopefully be fine.

My jacket fabric arrived this morning, yay, and is beautiful so I'm digging out my Loes patterns today and checking the fit (I think everything is sliding south these days ) before cutting it out. I have two Burda tops in mind to trace off and cut out as well if I can only get OFF this computer and Get On with It.

Will think of you sitting in the French sun merrily sewing away while I'm sloshing about in the rain today

Oh and am very cross to discover that because I've been sewing with navy fabrics over the past few weeks that I have no thread left :mad: so will have to plan a 25 mile round trip to the 'local' shop to buy more. Might have to wait until the weekend to see if OH wants anything from the shopping centre in order to save a bit of petrol, too far to go for one measly reel of cotton. Very annoying though.

purpleivy

purpleivy wrote: »

Am going to try a sewing club tonight! I don't think I will be able to get there every time, but it will be lovely to make some like-minded friends. Plodding along with chorus sewing project. Own stuff must wait!

Went to this on Monday, lovely friendly ladies, though only 2 of them. One helped me fit my waistcoat and I did some other tacking stuff that needed doing.

I have almost finished the chorus stuff, just buttons to sew on and a few stitches in the lining.

I'm now on my really lightweight hoodie for my hols. It's really nice making something for myself, just hope that it works out ok, otherwise I shall be really despondent!

HappyMrsG

Mrs Flttersnoop why don't you do mail order? I ordered some needles from www.sewandso.co.uk this week & they came the next day. I only paid £1.00 delivery. I should have ordered some thread too but didn't realise they sold it till i'd finished the order. I highly recommend them.

Mrs_Flittersnoop

Hi HappyMrsG, thanks for that link, I'll look into it. Next day delivery is fantastic. I'm not sure how accurate my monitor is though, and the navy is a very dark one so I might have to get hold of a thread chart first.

Thanks again!

Purpleivy I'm so envious that you have met two like minded ladies near you! I'm sure your hoodie will work out just fine especially if you have helpful people around.

Well I've managed to get one top traced off and cut out but then a friend turned up unexpectedly so I've got nothing else done. Annoying really as it's the last 'free' day I've got for weeks now. Oh well. I'll have to hope that the weather doesn't get hot again for a few days I suppose.

Mrs F x

C1aire

I had possibly the most depressing fabric shopping trip ever today. I wanted some good white linen for some trousers (so not the stuff you can see through). I had to ask the shop assistant as I couldn't see what I was after and explained it was for trousers. She couldn't see anything either and said, "you know what, just buy a pair. Try Primark".

I was speechless.

Anyone know an online fabric shop doing good linen?

purpleivy

Well, I had quite a good day at sewing yesterday. All the chorus stuff I have had so far is done, apart from mine, that's less critical. Hope they don't ask us all to wear it to rehearsal one week just yet!

Hoodie progress, well I had a bit of a hiccup, as I decided it was too big across the shoulders and across the chest, so after the back and front were together at the shoulders I got the pattern out and trimmed it down a size. It's a bit longer than I want, but OK. I have the hood to do, zip to neaten and the sleeves to hem. I might take the sleeves in a bit as they're a bit baggy, might just taper them a little. Might wait until I have some help with that. Hood? Not sure if I want it or not, might end up putting a collar on! We'll see.

At some stage I ought to go and have a look in the attic and see if there is anything there to make. I can't remember what is there, probably quite a lot of furnishing fabric leftovers. It would be a shame if I had to go and buy some fabric, wouldn't it?