Skirt fixed

 

So far Christmas has been very quiet and sewing-wise for me very uneventful. On Christmas Eve I did finally manage to fix this skirt which I made a few weeks ago. It kept falling down and I very much wanted to finish this because when I posted last time it was not wearable. I have done no other sewing due to the fact I lose my table ( which is a dining table) every Christmas so there is simply no where for me to go to do any crafting of any kind over the holiday season. 

But I did get this fixed. And it works. 

In the end after sometime deciding what to do I came up with three possible options: 

 

The first is to take off the facings, put the zip back in (that I decided I did not need since the fabric is so stretchy), and make the darts much bigger to tighten the waist. I do not want to cut a smaller size all over because it fits nicely on my hips. I might need a non stretch stabiliser for this option and the having re- stabilized the facings sew yhem back on. It's quite a bit of work.

 

The next option was to simply add 1 inch wide elastic inside the facings so it's hidden but pulls the waist in a bit and then I don't need the zip which I had removed in the first attempt at making this. I made a couple if skirts last winter using the hidden elastic idea which was nicked from items on the high street at that time.  This works on the previous 3 skirts I used it on and it's comfortable.

 

There is a third way. Remove facings and add a waistband with elastic. But this can still be done after I attempt option 2.

 

Well me being a relatively lazy person and I really also just want to wear this and get back into making something else so I have gone with the hidden elastic method in option two. 

 

To do this you need to sew elastic on very closely to the waistband on the facing not the body of the skirt and then sew this down close to the top edge.  It does mean I had to unpick my edge stitching but that was all I needed to do to get this method done so it's the fastest way to make this wearable. Assuming of course it actually works. It did!

 

Now writing this post I actually realise there is another way to fix a problem such as this, but I still think the elastic method is probably the best. I could have made the back darts much larger and thereby lose alot of fabric at the waist but the problem then is its really the stretch in the fabric rather than the skirt being too big so I decided it would probably not work. I would also have needed some serious vilene to stabilse the fabric and prevent stretch. I decided to go with the easier option- add elastic under the facing and then sew it down and I am happy with the result which gives me a very comfortable short skirt that importantly stays where it should and I wore this all day even when making pastry and mince pies etc and it stayed in place so it works fine.

By the way its worn here with a very basic black top I made from just 1m of fabric.

I will be very unlikely to manage any more sewing now until after the holiday is over, so in 2025. That does have some good aspects though because it gives me some time to knit and to go through my huge pile of sewing magazines to decide what exactly I want for my aims in sewing for next year. I do like to do this because I have found I tend to be more productive and also more adventurous than if I just amble along so I am now actively re-reading lots of Burda, Patrones and My Image magazines to decide on what I want to achieve over the next 12 months. 

This usually also means looking at last years aims. I have yet to re-visit them but I do know I never achieved a few of them and one particular dress will remain on the coming years list. Its been 3 years so far on my list I think so maybe 2025 will mean I get to actually make the thing - or remove it from the list completely. More on that once I find that magazine and decide if I really do want to actually make that dress. 

For now I hope you had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all the very best for 2025.

Take care and thanks for popping by my blog,

Bracken

Christmas stockings - for pets

 

Last year I made lots of Christmas stockings for my familly and friends. I only actually ever put one of them on the blog. They were really all very similar but with different initials.

Anyway it seems people liked them and this year I got an urgent request  to make two more - for dogs. Well I have not so much time this year as I had last year it seems. No idea why really. Work is far more demanding. Familly also, so my sewing time has diminished rather a lot recently, but I did manage to throw together a couple of stockings as requested. They are not the best made and I used the thread I had already in my machines but I think actually they look quite acceptable. The person requesting them seems happy as well so thats a bonus.

I decided, since I have sewn nothing else at all this past week to show you these pet christmas stockings. I have seen worse. They are just made from scraps of curtain brocaide and salvedged ribbon from those ribbons you get tied around PJs when you buy them, and decorated with tinsel but they should look quite good I think alongside the rest of the ones I made last year and hopefully the dogs will be happy to have them filled by Father Christmas. They will be a little better once I cut off the extra thread I can see hanging off one of them in these photos!

I just hope the dogs do not decide to do a raid on them before we all wake up on Christmas morning because the dogs in question can be theives. I suppose it would not actually be stealing since it will be filled by their toys/ food etc (assuming they have been good this last year) but a shame for the familly if we come down to a rather empty dog Christmas stocking! 

Still we will have to see how it goes.

Have a great week,

take care

Bracken

Burda style sweatshirt finished

 

This is the finished sweatshirt that I finally got the zips and neck done last week after months of me faffing around with this make. Its taken me nearly 12 months to finish this. It was one of my January 2024 ideas to make and I am happy to finally finish it in December so I am really still on track with last winter's planning. Also its perfect for the cold winter days we are having right now.

Its actually my first attempt at this top so I suppose this is really a wearable muslin. 

A month ago I would have said its a one off that I will never make again because its been a difficult make but now I finally have it finished I really like it.

Its not perfect - the pockets are sewn on rather wonky. 

But then only me will probably ever notice that and I have seen ready to wear thats worse made so not that bad really. 

I am just very aware I could have done that bit of sewing better!

All in all though I like this top so I am planning to make another one.

I very much like the "funnel" neck that's pulled in with a drawstring to make it fit right.

I like my contrast zips  and pull-cord and  toggles- though I spent the last 10 months wishing I had made my life easy and used matching ones but now finally finished they are great and I like them.

The hem band is a bit wider than the pattern says but that was actually intentional it being the middle of winter and me wanting warm. I think its ok and will be really good for keeping me warm with leggings etc. Next time though |I might use ribbing rather than the same fabric as the main sweatshirt because its quite bulky but it still works. 

And I can finally tick this one off my list of "to-makes" that seems to grow all the time and I seem to rarely actually make much of this wish list of patterns. 

Have a great week and wishing you all the ebst.

Thanks for popping by my blog,

Bracken

Weekly sewing update- Burdastyle sweatshirt 121, 02/2016

I have had great trouble getting myself going this week. Maybe it's the dismal weather but I just cannot seem to get any real sewing done. I broke my walking foot. I have since bought a new one but that's not the point. I find walking feet make sewing so much easier. Is it feet? Foots just doesn't seem right to me. Ah the English language!

So this week I sewed a bit of my grey sweatshirt that was started back last January. So its taken almost a year so far - but I may yet add another item to my list of achieved makes I had planned for this year. 

This is the Burda original:

Looking at the original again I seriously messed up on my front pockets too and its a bit late to try and fix them. I will have to think about that one for a bit because I have not yet sewn this up. The original seems to have them sewn on the inside at the top of the pockets. I will have to have a good look and see if that is still possible. I suspect not because of the CF seams. Still one to remember if I do make another of these. I might because I think I will probably like wearing it - assuming its vaguely presentable anyway.

This has been a very slow make and is far harder to sew than I expected. I suspect I have completely cocked up in fact but it will be wearable ( I hope!). There is this facing at CF that I reckon should somehow be included in the front seams but I cannot work out how to sew it with the zips so that its all one seam so in the end I just sewed it down along the overlocking on the inside to catch it in place. Last week this was still a very much just started piece. I feel I am actually making some progress now.

 

This is the inside of the facing:

Probably I was meant to use that facing to enclose the zips  but I can't quite work that out. I actually ended up sewing very close to the edge of the overlocked seam edge with a normal straight stitch, to hold this down on the inside. Hopefully it will stay attached. Otherwise its got to be a hand stitching job and I hate hand sewing. 

As usual Burda do not  explain so this won't be the neatest thing I ever made. But assuming I eventually make a second one then I will probably make a neater job. Burda is often difficult the first time you make something due to their totally rubbish directions so I should have expected to find this a difficult sew really.

This is the bottom of one of my zips. Seriously I am struggling with this. But I need to get it finished because it will be nice and warm and also I do not think anyone but me will know about my not quite right insides. 

 I sewed a channel for the (needed) pull cord at back neck. This is essential because the neck will gape otherwise since the back has a kind of half funnel shape going on and you have to pull this in to make it work. 

You can see the funnel shaping above although its pulled in a  bit with the pull-cord I added.

.

So I decided to just have a channel. The channel opens at centre side seams at the neck because I do not like rivets. They never stay in when I use them and I always end with holes and the garment goes in the bin so its really rare I use the things. Instead I go for openings at seams or button hole openings because they seem to last longer. This time its openings at the seam on the inside because it will be neater and hardly make any difference when being worn.

Incidentally I spent the last 10 months wishing I had gone for a matching zip colour rather than a bright red contrast because I know my construction has not been great. However I now really do like the red especially with matching red pull-cord and toggles so maybe you really should take this kind of risk rather than playing it safe with matching colours. I think that rather than showing up my mistakes the contrasting colour actually makes them less noticable.

With a bit of luck, and time, I will hopefully have the completed top to show you next week.

Take care and have a great week whatever you are doing,

Bracken

Upcycled leopardskin print mesh skirt.

 Some of my me-made clothing is so old now I have worn it out. 

This particular high low top is possibly the best item of clothing I ever made. Its certainly one of my most worn tops hence its gone all out of shape and no longer looks good on me so I decided its time to recycle.The problem is even though you love it and you actually made it these clothes still wear out!

So along with several other old clothes (mostly me-made because its what I own nowadays) I stuck this out for recycling.

But the recycling company ( for a local charity) never turned up. Well I ended up removing this top and 3 LBDs from the four bags of clothing I had put out. It made my partner laugh!

Anyway I made the sleeves into a version of the sleeves I made a few weeks ago. These are OK but being an upcycle not really as good as the first set - which incidentally were also an upcycle. But I used a pattern to make them from scratch and with these I just chopped them off the body and hemmed the tops. Thats the difference and quite a difference there is too, although both sets of sleeves are wearable. I do not have any photos of these as yet but will add when I get round to wearing them.

Then I was looking at the rest of this top and I decided that its the body thats worn out and the hood is like new so I started off just cutting off the hood and then ended up also salvaging the facings inside the neck.

The main part (but inside out so the plain outer becomes the new lining) was a possible skirt and the facings could become a sort of waistband.

Then I sewed it all together. Its not perfect but then its an upcycle of the class - "you can so why not?" rather than use a nice pattern to make a new item from old cloth.

The waistband is a little twisty - but then thats a fashion statement!

It works. And needs no elastic because the leopard print powermesh over the grey cotton lycra is stretchy enough and works really well and with comfort!

and the skirt is high low - another fashion statement.

The only quibble I really have is the back seam is slightly off centre ( due to the original garment being somewhat out of shape I think)  but I enjoyed wearing this and its very lightweight yet also warm so I can ignore that minor problem and get some extra wear from a rather unexpected new clothing item in my winter wardrobe.

And its such fun!

So it really is an "I made it cos you can" item rather than a well planned, well made skirt. 

Its been years since I did something so instantaneous with my old clothing but it used to be something I did all the time. My clothes were definitely not as well made then but they were cheaper and usually they were fun. I probably should be looking to do this more often I think. 

And to top this off, I get extra wear from my original fabric and a small bit less makes its way to landfill for now, which has to be a good thing.

Its worn here with a basic black top. I do not really much like this top hence despite the age its in great condition. Still its a basic for the every day life I suppose.

Have a lovely week and I wish you all the best of fun...............

Bracken

Sewing update: glittery pixie hoody dress

I  have very little to show you this week sewing-wise. 

I hand sewed a bit of my coat.

Then I had the great idea to add patch pockets to cover the mess I made if the welt pockets. 

That looked terrible! To cover the welts ( which are different lengths and one is far wider than the other!) the patch pockets need to be huge which is fine but they sag to show the badly made welts inside. They only looked ok with my hands in them to hide the welts and I will never constantly have my hands in my pockets. Its just not realistic. The new patch pockets also completely ruin the look of the coat so its just not viable. 

So I then removed them - sorry no photos. I then decided to unpick my welts which are different widths - as in the side to side width ( not sure how well you can see here but one hole is wider than the other and I had also totally missed out a flap and really do not know how to make these so it's bodge it time I am afraid to try and save a coat and make it wearable!)

I am now going to make part of each patch pocket into a fake welt flap which will I hope cover the badly made welt holes. Sorry no idea for the technical terms here at all.

I think it should work and my would-be fake welt flaps are looking good so far. They are tweed one side and faux fur the other. I have yet to determine which fabric will be the outer layer. Probably the tweed since the coat is such a mess I had probably tone all the details down and keep it as wearable as possible rather than draw attention to the dodgy bits. 

 What's left after that, assuming this idea works, is all hand sewing and I am finding it hard to get motivated to do it. The coat does now have a button. 

A very nice family heirloom button which is I believe bakerlite. At the least its a pre-1960s button anyway that came from my great-aunts. They both died in the late 1960s. I vaguely remember them. They gave up their lives to bring up their younger brothers and sisters when my great grandmother died leaving them all children. My Auntie Lydia was eldest and only 15 when she took on the upbringings her 9 younger siblings. I think Auntie Annie was a year or two younger. Nowadays, the authorities would take over and maybe that's a good thing though I really am not so sure it is. My great aunties did a very good job of bringing up their siblings and they would probably have been split up in the modern Care system we have in the UK. Anyway it was a different time. 

I inherited this button from them and have decided to make use of it. I had already decided last winter after several attempts at a machine made button hole that I will hand stitch one and I even bought embroidery thread to do it so that's now my next aim for this coat. Then it will just need a hem. But this is all if hand stitching so it's on my to-do list. Once the weather gets colder I will probably finally get this coat finished. I then have at least two more half finished coats so will make a start on one of them over winter I think. 

I seem to feel coat making motivated once it gets cold but it seems I rarely finish them!

In the meantime, I have  my camo short skirt I have been making since 2013 to finish. It's not difficult. I just don't seem to do it and always sew something else. 

Similarly, last winter I began making a sweatshirt. It remains half sewn. It turned out to be a difficult sew and I needed a break to get my head round it. I think I have now got it sorted (in my thoughts anyway) so I just need to get on with the actual sewing. Both skirt and sweatshirt would be good for my winter look - as would the coat. So this is what I am currently working on.

But I did finish the pixie dress. And although its a make I have made previously its making me happy to wear this. Its very cold today ( for the UK!) so not really cold if you lived in many other countries.

This is therefore a not very original glittery sweatshirt dress which I have made numerous versions of before although this is far thicker and stiffer fabric than my previous ones. Well its sweatshirting, so not actually stiff but it does not hang as my previous versions. The godets kind if stick out a bit. I will wear this though because it's a dress pattern I love so hopefully the godets will just wear in. 

So I am happy enough this week and I actually love my new pixies hoody dress.

Have a really great week and thanks for popping by. Hopefully my next post will be about some or other UFO I finally got finished.

Take care

Bracken

Burda Style dress 125, 03/2002

 

 I have decided to eliminate as much stashed fabric as I can, so instead of my usual tactic, which is find a nice pattern and then find something from the stash to use to make it, I am now pulling out season suitable fabrics and using all of it. This does mean lots of co-ordinating items in identical fabrics which is good and bad depending on your view.

Since I probably have enough stashed fabric to get me through the rest of my life without buying anything this seems the way to go. It gets rid of huge amounts in a few weeks. I started with the glitter grey sweatshirting a while ago and cuts several items and I still have two other items to sew up after this dress.

The downside: well its very unlikely I will come accross this kind of fabric at a bargain basement price again. I actually bought 12m of this so its been going for a while. Its the second lot of grey glitter sweatshirting I bought. I used the paler fabric a few years ago and because I enjoyed the tracksuits I made so much I bought this bolt of 12m. I then made a couple of tracksuits but the rest has been sitting there ever since. I had at least 6m of this in the piece of fabric I pulled out of my stash, but its now cut and being sewn.

 I will be making another pair of track pants - slightly different to my previous versions but still using the same pattern as a base in the next couple of weeks and also another dress. Thats a lot of warm winter clothes though and will keep me happy I expect for this winter. That frees me up to make some more glamourous and also practical stuff - like finally finish the hand sewing on the coat I started last year. I am also altering that slightly but more once thats done and I can finally wear the thing. Its not too cold as yet which is lucky for me because I will need that coat once it is.

In the meantime I have made this dress. Its model Burda Style dress 125, 03/2002. I made it before but in a far thinner fabric. That one has always seemed too thin but it actually worked better in many ways.

Neck version one

When making this I cut as I said several items and because of this I made the tube neck much shorter. I was sure when sewing this up that the front neck was just a bit too high. I cannot find the old version. I started to pack to move house 3 years ago and its somewhere ina  box. I do not want to be unpacking stuff so its going to move with us and I will decide after if I still want it. Anyway its not around to have a look at so I need to go by the magazine not what I did previously. 

Neck version two

I had some issues with the fit of the neck here as I will explain:

 

So the tube neck on this is shorter than my black faux suede dress. Its probably best like that because the sweatshirting is far more bulky than the black faux suede. 

I think it may not be comfortable if the huge tube neck was doubled and so long as the pattern dictates. Either way I do not have enough offcuts for such a massive tube neck so this is smaller. 

But as you can see from the photos this neck is really very high at the front and you can see the inside seam which I did not like.

Yes I was very much not happy with the neck hence the face!

 So I redid the neck - at front only so a bit of a bodge really but only I will see the inside of this and it also meant I was less likely to reck it if I only altered it slightly because this was difficult to sew. 

And at this point I will say, I began sewing this with my Janome 9300dx overlocker.

I love that machine but I relatively recently bought a new one which is the Brother 4234D. Now the Brother is supposed to be easier to thread. For me its an absolute pig ad I never so far managed to thread the thing. I always get someone else to do this for me. And really thats so far from ideal its just awful. I just cannot get it to chain when I do it and  have no idea why. The Janome is fiddly but I always manage to successfully thread that so I have previously slagged off the Brother machine but when faced with 6 layers of sweatshirting my Janome could not do it and I nearly recked the garment. I swapped to the Brother and it made such easy work of it, its definitely worth having. I still prefer my Janome even though its old and the cutters continually go out of line meaning I have to fix it - thanks YouTube for being so helpful!

Anyway, the Brother finally came into its own for this dress.

And end result?

Well its very 60s really with the weird sleeve seams (which I have to say I do not like) so sleeves are in two parts like a jacket rather than a dress. 

Sleeves could accommodate shoulder pads!

 Or maybe even 80s because you could easily accommodate shoulder pads here and I took the sleeve seam in as far as I dared without risking recking the dress. Perhaps the oversized shoulders will wear in?

I also added cuffs to lengthen the sleeves - possibly slightly too much. Perhaps I should have also added thumb holes? Hmm not sure. I do not like short sleeves ( unless they are actually meant to be short). I prefer a longer sleeve but maybe this is slightly too long? Its ok when the cuffs are turned back though.

And despite the sleeves, I like the end result. It does have a very 60s feel and the neck ended up more as a collared boat neck but thats actually something I very much love so thats ok. If I make this again I will alter the sleeves but otherwise I will be wearing this a lot over this winter I expect and its so cosy.

Have a great week and hope to see you soon,

Bracken