Advanced Means Advanced: The Henry Shirt

 

 

 

This is my version of The Henry Shirt from the book Sewing For Boys.  This is my first project from the book and I think it was a big success even though I almost wasn't smart enough to figure out certain steps of the pattern.  I am not an advanced sewer.  When I saw the pattern was marked as advanced I thought, "How hard can a shirt possibly be?" Everything was smooth sailing until I got to the steps attaching the yoke and sleeves.  I sat and stared at this shirt FOREVER to try to figure out how to put it together.  I'm including pictures and details for attaching the yoke and sleeves at the end of this post to help out anybody else who might be struggling while reading this! I'm not a sewing teacher.  It's just what worked for me.

 

The main fabric is a 2010 Alexander Henry called "Crayon Commute."  I purchased it at Sarah's Fabrics and unfortunately I bought the last of it.  I also purchased the gingham fabric at Sarah's.  Both are quilting weight cottons but they are such a nice weight that the shirts turned out to look and feel really sharp. 



Somebody didn't want to smile for pictures but I'm not naming names.  The shirts are pretty boxy so I think they will look best over jeans and a long sleeve shirt.  It's not jeans weather today so we're in shorts.

I like the box pleat in back.

And the contrast fabric on the sides.

Checking out his cars!

Now for the construction details.  I used French seams to attach the back and front panels to the sides.  I like how you can barely see the seams when you look inside the shirt. The shirts are so boxy that instead of the 3/8 inch seam the pattern calls for I used a 1/2 inch seam which made each part of the French seam 1/4 inch.

 

 

This is when stuff got tricky.  This is what Step 15 looks like.  Honestly I was so confused that I couldn't figure out what the underarm seam was.  Should I admit that?

 



 

 

You start in the center back and sew out to each sleeve instead of sewing in one continuous loop so I am just showing one side. Start by matching up the center seam on the yoke with your pleat seam.  Put a couple of pins in for a few inches but stop when you get close to the shoulder and look at the next picture.

 

 

 

Turn your sleeve inside out to get the right side of this point on the yoke (marked with the pencil)

 

 

 

To match the right side of this point on the main body of your shirt (marked with pencil)

 

 

 

Pin those two points together (right sides together). Then I tucked the sleeve inside the side panel so that the right side of the sleeve seam matched up with the bottom of the V on the side panel.

 

 

 

Pin the right side of the sleeve seam to the bottom of the V.  Now that you have those two points pinned, you should be able to see clearly where to put the rest of your pins in between the pins you've already used and start sewing. These are the best pictures I could get of the finished product.

 

 

 

Figuring out how to attach the lining is much easier because you start again at the center back and just follow your original stitching line with shirt body between the outer yoke/sleeve and the yoke/sleeve lining.  I had a terrible time figuring out how to sew in one continuous line so this is my best advice: Stitch from the center back to the underarm seam.  Then twist your fabric into a jumbled mess by pulling the sleeves in opposite directions to get right sides together for the rest of the sleeve. And yes this is the best picture I could get!   

 

 

 

Keep at it if you are a beginner/advanced beginner/ intermediate sewer like me because the end results are cute.  I picked up some cheap buttons at WalMart that I thought were perfect for this shirt. And I don't think they look cheap.

 

 

 

 

Overall I'm happy with this shirt.  There are no exposed seams inside and the construction details are really nice once you get the hang of it.  Happy sewing!

 

















The Simple A-Line Skirt That Took FOREVER

I made this skirt for the Sew Mama Sew Community Sewing Match. I followed the Design & Sew An A-Line Skirt course on Craftsy and loved it.  The instructor breaks things down and makes them very easy to follow.  I struggle with picking the right size on patterns and I always have fitting issues due to that.  This course really helped me understand my measurements. The biggest bonus for me is that since there was no pattern to follow, I really had to go outside of my comfort zone and figure out exactly what I wanted to do with my skirt.  As the instructor was talking I was thinking, "Oh THAT's how people do that!"  It made me realize how I can customize other patterns to my liking.  I can't recommend the course enough.  It was my first Craftsy course and I've got two more in my queue!

Why did this skirt take me forever?  A combination of things.  First of all, I am an incredibly slow sewer.  Maybe it has something to do with having two year old twins at home or maybe it's just how I work.  I would like to produce more but I'm not going to stress out about it. 

It also took me awhile to decide what I wanted to do.  I did an initial skirt pattern.  Then I fooled around with slashing and spreading to make a fuller skirt.  I browsed Pinterest for ideas and found an A-line skirt with a front pleat and decided I would do that because I had done a pleat like that on a shirt previously and liked the look.  Then it occurred to me that I had the pattern but no fabric.  I wanted to work with wool crepe and add a silk lining because I had not worked with either fabric before.  The initial dark plum wool crepe I picked at Mood was out of stock after I placed my order so a couple of days later I had to pick again.  I have to say that had I known "poppy" meant "incredibly bright orange to the point of almost being neon" I would not have picked it.  I didn't buy enough yardage to return it so I decided to forge ahead.  I do not wear skin tight camis in public.  The reason why I am wearing one in these pictures is because anything bulkier shows right through the fabric (and not in a good way).  I'm not sure how to style the skirt.

 

To make the pleat, I moved the edge of my original pattern away from the center 3 inches and then sewed down 3.5 inches at the original center mark.  I thought about just adding the yoke without the piping.  However, whenever I see piping I think, "I want to do that" but then I never do.  This time I decided I was going to no matter what.  It wasn't challenging and I enjoyed how it turned out. 

 



Somehow the piping matched on the first try when I added the invisible zipper.  I was nervous about that. 

This butterscotch silk crepe de chine is not this yellow in real life.  It started out as a lining and since I have no idea what I'm doing with linings it somehow ended up as underlining.  Arg.  After that I went straight to Amazon for a book on how to add linings.  I think my issue was that I followed the course instruction and sewed the yokes to the main pieces first and then attached them down the side seam.  I wonder how the lining would have turned out had I sewn the main pieces and yokes together separately and then attached them together with the lining.  I did enjoy using the crepe de chine.  It wasn't challenging at all.

I used a facing with the poppy fabric. I also had to use sew in interfacing because I could attach the fusible interfacing without the wool shrinking horribly. 

Another thing I've wanted to try is Hug Snug seam binding because of a post on Lilacs and Lace.  It also added to the length of time it took me to finish.  I chose a generic color prior to this project to see if I liked it.  The color clashes but I did enjoy using the rayon seam binding.  I thought I would like it if I used orange thread on the bias tape.  I don't.  Too late now!

Even if the color is way too bright, this was a great project for me.  I practiced several new skills and used wool and silk for the first time.  I'm counting it as a success!

 

 

My First Copycat Dress!

 

 

 

I am so excited about this dress!  I've always ripped out pictures from magazines and kept them on a bulletin board in my sewing room.  I know this sounds silly, but it never occurred to me to locate patterns to recreate those looks until Lori from Girls In The Garden posted about recreating an outfit from Pinterest.  Enter Colette's newest pattern Hawthorn.  I have had this picture on my board for probably 1-2 years:

 

Please excuse the cell phone photo but our scanner suddenly died tonight. You can't tell but it's navy gingham.  I cut off some of the item description, but the tag on the dress says "Milly" and it's listed as being for sale at Bergdorf Goodman for $295.  When I saw Hawthorn I knew just what I was going to do.  Actually, I saw an article online prior to it's release saying that the next pattern was going to be a shirtdress, so I purchased the fabric before the pattern was even released.  And it got even better when the pattern looked almost exactly like the dress in the magazine!

I attempted to slash and spread to add extra room in the waistline as well as doing a SBA.  That was a disaster that I won't go into.  After looking through a fitting book I decided I didn't need such major adjustments, so I just graded the pattern out at the waistline and used a bigger seam allowance through the bust.  I'm happy with the fit.  It's usually extremely hot here in the summer so I didn't want a skin tight dress.

The fabric was very sheer so I underlined the bodice with something I had in my stash.  I turned and stitched the sideseams and I'm happy with that result.

I always want my skirts to be lined but I've freaked out about doing it (or anything for that matter) if it's not in the instructions.  For some reason on this dress I knew just how I wanted to do it.  I bought this lining from Gertie's shop on Etsy and it worked well.  I cut the front lining pieces just to the line that indicates where to fold the facing back on the skirt front.  Then after stitching both the main skirt and the lining to the bodice I caught the lining in the edgestitching on that later step. It wasn't hard and I was happy I could figure out how to do it on my own without handholding. 

The skirt and the lining are both finished with French seams.  Unfortunately I inserted the lining with the seams facing out.  Nobody notices it but me so I'm OK with it.

BIG news:  I actually used my serger to finish the waist seam.  I discovered that I didn't have one of the needles threaded and neither needle thread was through the loop above the needles.  No wonder it wasn't working.  I fixed both things and it serged with no problem.

I enjoyed every step of making this dress.  This will not be my last Hawthorn.  I absolutely love Lladybird's dress in this post and I would love to do something like that.  I feel pretty proud of myself that I was able to recreate something that I've been looking at for well over a year. The pricetag on the dress in the magazine was $295.  My dress cost no more than $50 including fabric, thread and buttons.  I also participated in my first sewalong so that's good news too.  I'm slowly but surely getting better!

 

 

 

 

 



 

 



Sewaholic Hollyburn skirt

 

This Sewaholic Hollyburn skirt is my favorite of the things I've made so far.  It was my first time sewing with rayon challis and I liked it so much I'll use it again. 

I used a stabilizer to keep the fabric from shifting during the sewing process and tried not to handle it too much. 

I also chose to underline (again) the skirt.  I need to buy a book on how to add linings.  If the pattern doesn't call for a lining then I don't know how to add one myself. 

Once again I had problems with picking the right size.  This is the first Sewaholic pattern I've sewn.  Based on my waist measurement I chose a 10 and tapered down to a 4 in the hips for my muslin.  The waist was huge so I sewed a straight 6 for my final product.  I could have tapered down in the hips since there is a lot of volume in the size 6 for me.  However, during the muslin phase I discovered that I had graded down right in the middle of the pocket and that complicated things.  Also, I think grading that far between sizes is probably too much.  I should have done another muslin but I was too lazy. 

I like the tabs and pockets!

This skirt was super easy to make. I used the serger to finish the seams.  It was my best job so far but still not as good as I'd like.  I just noticed there is a Crafty class on serging which I desperately need to sign up for.

I did a catchstich on the hem.  It's a big hem to sew by hand but I just like it so much better that way.

Liberty of London Sorbetto Tank Top

There's not much to say about the Sorbetto pattern since it's so easy.  I've wanted to purchase a Liberty of London print for awhile and I thought this would be a good starting point since the pattern only uses 1.5 yards.  Needless to say the fabric is great!

I made another Sorbetto last year.  I lengthened this one by 1 inch since I have a long torso.  When I tried on the finished product I realized I should have done a swayback adjustment.  You can't tell in this picture but there are a few horizontal wrinkles in the lower back area. 

Twice As Nice Easter Suits: Simplicity 1483

This post is out of order but I wanted to include it to chart my progress.  I made Easter suits for the twins and really liked how they turned out. 

Too bad they wouldn't cooperate and take a picture together unless they were eating chocolate.

I ordere Simplicity 1483 (from 1955) on Etsy and found it to be a really easy pattern to work with. This was the first time I've used a vintage pattern.  Actually, this is the first time I've used a commercial pattern.  I'm not skilled enough to follow instructions on a commercial pattern so I'm sticking with Colette Patterns until I improve.   

I used a gingham print Michael Miller fabric for the overalls and jackets, and a polka dot Michael Miller fabric for the shirts. 

On The Great British Sewing Bee, Sandra made a comment about sewing for her three girls.  I'm paraphrasing, but she said the first outfit is exciting to make, the second one is OK, and by the third one you're just trying to get through it.  I completely relate to that comment.  I made the first set of overalls and was really happy with the way they turned out.  Then I realized I had to make a second pair exactly like it and felt a little defeated.  Making 6 items of clothing in a month is harder than I anticipated, even if they are for kids!

I started with the overalls.  I decided to try out french seams to see what they were like.  I enjoyed making them and thought they were a smart finish.  I also decided to underline them and I used Gertie's New Book For Better Sewing as my reference. I've never really understood underlining vs. lining but it became very clear on this project that the pants were going to need some extra support. I love the tabs on the sides that fasten on the back with buttons.  I also love the two buttons on the back.  No zippers to insert! 

At first I thought I could skip the carrier that they suggested putting on the back of one of the straps, but that resulted in less-than-flattering gaping so I had to go back and put it on.   I also didn't want to spend time pulling the straps all the way through after sewing them all the way down one side.  Sewing right sides together, I left an 6-8 inch gap in the middle.  I turned it right side out easily that way, pressed the seam allowance in, and then edgestiched. I really like the high waist style of the overalls. Maybe I'll make them again in another material?

My next items were the shirts.  They were fairly straight forward.  I realized afterwards that I didn't do french seams.  I have no idea why I didn't, but I wish I would have.  The collar was very easy to put on even though I was nervous about it.  The sleeves gave me a little trouble but I feel like they turned out well. 

The final items were the jackets.  There were no collars so that was a plus, but I did have to hand-stitch the hem.  I have found that I enjoy the look of handstitching even though it takes forever. 

 

 

 

 

 

One thing I struggled with was time management.  Or maybe I should say project management. My initial plan was to finish each garment up to the point that the buttons were put on so that I could put them on all at once.  A week before Easter I had 6 semi-finished garments and it started to drive me crazy.  I started focusing on completing a piece before I moved on to the next one and that made me feel more productive.  I was sewing a hem on Saturday afternoon, though!

Another bonus was my new Bernina button foot.  I had to sew on 26 buttons total.  After 8, I decided to buy the button foot.  And I'm glad I did! 

Overall, I'm very happy with this project.  I also discovered with these outfits that I think it's most fun to sew when there is a deadline of some sort.  It really makes you focus.

Skills I worked on:
1. French seams
2. Buttonholes
3. Hand-sewing
4. Project maintenance!

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bold Print?: Another Colette Laurel

Who's afraid of a big, bold print?  I am.  I wanted to sew up a Laurel without sleeves for summer.  I chose a new Amy Butler print in sateen and paired it with a quilting cotton polka dot for the binding and pockets.  As usual, I was very excited when the package arrived in the mail.  Then I opened it up and realized the print was very big, which meant I would have to do pattern matching. A new experience for me!  I wish I would have chosen to place the front on the fold so that the big circles were running down the center instead of two on the sides.  I don't dislike it so much that I won't wear it, though. 

My main concern was getting the pattern on the front piece to match up with the pattern on the back pieces.  I forgot to take into account the bust darts, so the line up was thrown off.  I was so focused on getting the front and back prints to match up that it didn't occur to me to be concerned with where I was placing the back pieces.  I would move them to a different location on the fabric if I had it to do over again because the print is off center.  Also, the invisible zipper used up 5/8 inch on each side of the fabric, so the print doesn't meet up in the center.  I don't know how to fix that so I'll have to read up on it.  Invisible zipper:

This was my first foray into pattern matching.  Now I know what to look out for in the future. 

I knew that I wanted to use the polka dot fabric for the pocket flap.  When I put the main fabric pockets on the front of the dress, I realized you weren't even going to know they were there because the print is so busy.  Then it was going to look like I sewed two flaps on my dress for no reason.  I cut out two polka dot pockets but didn't like the way it looked, so I decided to sew polka dot bias tape around the pocket edge as well.  I should have lined up the polka dots on the bias tape in a straight line.  I didn't notice they were off until I had already sewn the pockets onto the dress, and I was running out of polka dot fabric for the armhole and neckline binding.  However, I love my little pockets.  And again, I'll know better next time.

I also love the way the polka dots look against the bold main fabric. I love a polka dot. I tried sewing the binding on completely by machine but decided I didn't like it as much as slipstitching the back.  I ripped it off and did it the way I like it.  It takes longer but I like it better. 

Techniques I practiced:
1. Pattern matching (ouch)
2. Patch pockets
3. Binding tape.  I have struggled in the past sewing binding tape together but, as usual, the instructions on the Laurel E-Book helped me out.
4. Invisible zippers
5. Blind hemming.  Takes me forever!
6. Slipstiching

What to work on in the future:
1. Pattern matching!
2. General attention to detail (like making sure the polka dots were lined up).

Overall I'm happy!