This is the last of my Lisette patterns! It seemed like the most daunting project and because of that I left it for last of the batch. Of course in the end it was pretty straightforward and the fabric was incredible to work with.
For this one I used some lovely green silk-linen that I got at the Global Fabrics while passing through Dunedin. I was planning to line it with pale blue chiffon but it ends up that I hadn't read the pattern very thoroughly and it doesn't require a lining. Next decision was whether to use same-fabric facings or to use something else. I didn't have anything optimal in my stash - plain black or white silk seemed a bit silly and I did end up having enough of the fabric itself so I just stuck with that. After reading through Tasia's sewalong for the Lonsdale (an upcoming project!), I was super keen to go get some seam tape and make my seams beautiful....but the local shop didn't have any : ( Stupid small towns.
I cut a size 10. I had cut the previous Lisette designs in an 8 and on this I had initially considered doing a wide-shoulder adjustment but I thought 4" of wearing ease might be enough to take care of that. I know I'm mixing up design ease and wearing ease but the pattern is cut in enough pieces to make me hesitate before changing the wrong ones. (And the various types of ease are a subtlety I'm only now starting to understand, I'm not sure if they matter in practice.) I also hesitated because the front is cut in two pieces and I wasn't sure where to add in the shoulder width.
A lot of cute variations online made me consider more than one button and after trying it on before I put the facings in, I saw how totally shapeless the back was and went for three buttons. The third button down is the key one in holding the jacket together so it's not too boxy (er, and so I can lift my arms...)
The ruffle went on without a hitch. I ran out of thread near the end and used bright blue on the facings though...not sure if that looks stylish or tacky. I had to give in and buy more so that I could sew the hem. Hand sewing practice notwithstanding, I don't have enough faith in my abilities to slip stitch an entire hem.
The final word is that I truly have to work on putting in more effort into fitting my garments. This is a project I put a lot of time into and it's really cute, but the shoulders are just too narrow. I have only recently noted that my dresses and tops are all either tank tops, or are stretch knits. There is a reason for that! I actually don't fit into standard size shoulder width tops! This is always obvious for me when I buy things in stores, but when I'm fitting patterns for myself, somehow I imagine I will fit just fine...by the end of the first day I noticed that the back seams were pulling apart just a little bit.
Also, my pictures are very unflattering. I probably need to figure out the self timer because I'm too self conscious when others are taking pictures of me and I clearly haven't got much sense of what angles I need to actually show off the good work I've done.
This jacket would definitely be awesome if it did have a lining. I'm quite sad not to get to use seam bindings - etsy came through so some are on their way but I ended up just using shears on all the seams, and I will eventually seam bind the bottom. I will get some wear out of it, but the shoulder limitation means it's uncomfortable to bicycle in and that's my primary mode of transportation. Seeing how one day damaged it makes me hesitate to put it through my usual rough wearing. Also, silk linen is nice and shiny in certain light but it wrinkles a lot! This would be really cute in corduroy. And this fabric might make a nice Scout! Hah!
So, are handmade garments inherently more fragile?
How do you decide what fitting modifications to make? I know that making a muslin is the obvious answer but it seems like I don't figure out a lot of things until I wear the dress/shirt/jacket and see what happens.
For this one I used some lovely green silk-linen that I got at the Global Fabrics while passing through Dunedin. I was planning to line it with pale blue chiffon but it ends up that I hadn't read the pattern very thoroughly and it doesn't require a lining. Next decision was whether to use same-fabric facings or to use something else. I didn't have anything optimal in my stash - plain black or white silk seemed a bit silly and I did end up having enough of the fabric itself so I just stuck with that. After reading through Tasia's sewalong for the Lonsdale (an upcoming project!), I was super keen to go get some seam tape and make my seams beautiful....but the local shop didn't have any : ( Stupid small towns.
I cut a size 10. I had cut the previous Lisette designs in an 8 and on this I had initially considered doing a wide-shoulder adjustment but I thought 4" of wearing ease might be enough to take care of that. I know I'm mixing up design ease and wearing ease but the pattern is cut in enough pieces to make me hesitate before changing the wrong ones. (And the various types of ease are a subtlety I'm only now starting to understand, I'm not sure if they matter in practice.) I also hesitated because the front is cut in two pieces and I wasn't sure where to add in the shoulder width.
A lot of cute variations online made me consider more than one button and after trying it on before I put the facings in, I saw how totally shapeless the back was and went for three buttons. The third button down is the key one in holding the jacket together so it's not too boxy (er, and so I can lift my arms...)
The ruffle went on without a hitch. I ran out of thread near the end and used bright blue on the facings though...not sure if that looks stylish or tacky. I had to give in and buy more so that I could sew the hem. Hand sewing practice notwithstanding, I don't have enough faith in my abilities to slip stitch an entire hem.
The final word is that I truly have to work on putting in more effort into fitting my garments. This is a project I put a lot of time into and it's really cute, but the shoulders are just too narrow. I have only recently noted that my dresses and tops are all either tank tops, or are stretch knits. There is a reason for that! I actually don't fit into standard size shoulder width tops! This is always obvious for me when I buy things in stores, but when I'm fitting patterns for myself, somehow I imagine I will fit just fine...by the end of the first day I noticed that the back seams were pulling apart just a little bit.
Also, my pictures are very unflattering. I probably need to figure out the self timer because I'm too self conscious when others are taking pictures of me and I clearly haven't got much sense of what angles I need to actually show off the good work I've done.
This jacket would definitely be awesome if it did have a lining. I'm quite sad not to get to use seam bindings - etsy came through so some are on their way but I ended up just using shears on all the seams, and I will eventually seam bind the bottom. I will get some wear out of it, but the shoulder limitation means it's uncomfortable to bicycle in and that's my primary mode of transportation. Seeing how one day damaged it makes me hesitate to put it through my usual rough wearing. Also, silk linen is nice and shiny in certain light but it wrinkles a lot! This would be really cute in corduroy. And this fabric might make a nice Scout! Hah!
So, are handmade garments inherently more fragile?
How do you decide what fitting modifications to make? I know that making a muslin is the obvious answer but it seems like I don't figure out a lot of things until I wear the dress/shirt/jacket and see what happens.
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