65: #Gingham along jacket construction continued

I have already posted my gingham items in my last post

64 and 65 #Gingham along items

but for anyone interested this is a bit more on the construction of them.

This is the back frill. Sides now sewn up as the pattern says.

You can just see the gingham pocket lining here :

 No idea why but I decide to twin needle stitch the frill but did single row stitching for all the rest of the topstitching. Slight mistake there!

 The collar has a pleated faux leather frill which was quite difficult to stitch since the layers were a bit thick for my machine.

These are the sleeve frills. The pattern says to pleat the middle bit as shown and then to gather the rest into the cuff but the faux leather was just too thick and refused to gather at all so I ended up having to pleat the rest into the cuff as well.

 

  I had loads of problems with the leather straps. They are all slightly diffrent to each other. I could not get them to look even and in the end decided to live with them as they are because when wearing they move around anyway so will never be perfect and really I already unpicked them twice and its not good to do this with leather/faux leather so no they are not quite right.

The back strap has two small vintage silver rose shaped buttons which came from my long dead Great Aunts. 

I lined up the top stitching on the back of the sleeve with the top stitching on the side back panels. The first one is not quite perfect but the second one was dead on. Again I decided to live with this. 

And this is my final outfit:

I can see me wearing this alot but maybe not for work!

All in all the gingham along sewing has been very enjoyable and I would do it again. It caused me to seriously stretch myself rather than just making the same old safe but wearable stuff I usually make. It also made me think about how to use this piece of gingham I had obviously liked when I bought it but could not see myself in most gingham clothing. Making it a bit more Goth/punk really made me want to wear this. I found several things about this pattern I would change if I made it again, which I may do or maybe the View A rather than this one which was view B,  the most obvious change would be to add a lining because this is an unlined jacket. I could also do with learning how to grade a pattern down because this fits accross the shoulders perfectly but really is a little big round the waist.  And its the most difficult thing I have sewn in at least 20 years so was a real challenge!

Thanks for reading

Bracken

64 and 65 #Gingham along items

So here are my Gingham along items at last. I will do another post on how I completed them this one is really just for the Gingham along entry.

They are all made from some kind of synthetic mix stretch gingham with stretch faux leather. These are the patterns:

McCalls M6612

Simplicity 1299

Hope you like them

Bracken

Gingham along jacket update

 My jacket is coming along very slowly. Not because I have no time to make it but because I really need to be careful because I have not made anything this challenging for very many years.

This is the side view - worn by Harriet

You can just see the gingham pocket lining at the bottom left of the picture.

The back view with frill and the Front view

Facings you interface and overlock along the long side. I am just hoping I have this bit right!

The pattern says to sew up the side seams so I have done so but usually I do the sleeve seams and side seams at the same time for neatness so I am assuming the sleeve seams do not align with the side seams. I hope so anyway else its all getting more difficult than it needs to be. I have to do the collar ruffles next and attach them and then the front facings and put in the sleeves. Then just do the closures. I say "just" but really I suspect this will be one of the most difficult bits!

Hopefully I will get this finished for the 13th September. Its getting a bit close now. I also still have to put the waistband on my gingham leggings!

Thanks for reading and come back soon for the rest of this garment which I hope to finish by next week. 

Bracken

Updating my post: 60: Upholstery fabric trousers

I realised last night that I have somehow lost all the photos from here: 60: Upholstery fabric trousers
so I have updated that and put them back in.

Of course it could be me went and published without putting them in in the first place. Well what can I say to that? Maybe I am actually getting better at blogging since I realised my error. Anyway all is now put right and the photos are back in.

And here they are again with my Gingham top.

Thanks for reading
Bracken

62: Gingham-along top

I came across the gingham along challenge by accident. I was just browsing a few blogs in my lunch break and there it was. This seemed a great challenge since I have just finished the Monthly Stitch Birthday challenge so was feeling like I am ready to take on a new and exciting challenge since I actually managed to complete a real challenge in the allowed time.

I have several meters of a lilac stretch gingham I have been wondering what to do with it for ages.  I do not want to make just anything with this fabric. I cannot see me at all in a 1950s style dress or in a school uniform dress or any of the usual clothing that I see around that is made from gingham. I obviously liked the fabric since I bought it. About 5m in fact! 

I already managed to make the top at the start of this post. 

Spider lace

Black satin ribbon edge

 This I actually made before the gingham along happened I just have not got round to writing a blog post about it. I have worn this top probably at least once a week all summer so it must be "me". The lace on the sleeves is cut from a halloween tablecloth. I collect them since the black lace is usually made up of skulls or spiders etc and are my kind of price range at around £1.00 each.

The neck edging is the same black stretch lace that I used on my black pointy-hemmed dress here: 61: 3 Dresses from one pattern - The Monthly stitch challenge August 2016 and the pattern is the same free blank slate top pattern that I made a quick top/muslin from

When I first made this top I did it just as the previous top but I hated it. Too Mumsy for my style I am afraid. But the pattern is nice and fits well having done the shoulder adjustment suggested by Mel so I took out the darts which gives a kind of wider swing effect and added black lace at the neck and wrists. I also added a black satin ribbon at the hem edge. And just changing this pattern made it into a favourite top!

here: 20: Blank Slate patterns High Low top   

                     So then to the Gingham along which you can find out more about here:

https://didyoumakethat.com/2016/08/16/ginghamalong-giveaways/

I decided I just have to go for it. I am not sure how long I will keep my confidence up after the nice comments I got for my 3 pointy-hemmed dresses: https://themonthlystitch.wordpress.com/2016/08/24/3-pointy-hem-dresses/ so best to get on with it. 

My first item ( other than the top I have already made  above but probably could use for this is challenge) is a pair of side panel leggings which are stretch black leather at the sides and gingham for the centre panels. I have made this pattern before here: 38: side panel leggings

My working area is rather small and cluttered so I could not get a picture of my entire leggings without putting them on and have no one available to take the photo so here is the top bit and the ankle bit. The pattern is for knitted stretch fabrics which could explain why I am having some issues because although the gingham is stretchy it may not be as stretchy as is needed. I thought it was else I would not have used it but the pattern was a little big when I used it for stretch knits but the same size seems a bit wrinkly with the gingham and leather. I have yet to add the waistband so hopefully this may get sorted yet. So far I have sewed up the sides and the front and back seams and left them and started to make this to go with them:

I am doing the jacket in view B so the leather version with buckles at the front. I have yet to source the buckels so that could end up changing a bit. Again I am mixing the lilac gingham with stretch leather to get a kind of punk look - or so I am hoping.

 

The jacket is so far going OK. This is the side pockets which have a lilac gingham lining but the side panels are fake stretch leather:

This is the two sides with pockets put in: 

The Jacket has princess seams. The centre front and back panels will be lilac gingham:

Fist I sewed very close to the edge within the seam allowance to secure everything similar to basting since I do not want to use lots of pins since its leather and they will make marks and tiny holes. Then I overlocked everything together cutting off the machine sewed basted line. Repeat for the other side.

As you can see the leather is a bit creased. I am hoping this will hang out since I cannot risk pressing this and melting it.

And repeat for the second side:

Then the pattern says to sew up the centre back seam and top stitch. My top stitching is far from perfect and I do not have a perfect pattern match either!
The top is not too bad but as the seam goes down the back the pattern goes out. It will have to do. Right now I am aiming at making something slightly more challenging but not at total perfection and for me this is turning out very challenging!

Next the lower back panel has a pleated bit. You need to overlock and twin needle stitch the edge first then pin into place. 

Here are the bits so far:

And this is my "TO DO" pile taking up far too much room at the end of my table.

It includes a pair of cut out cullottes which I have left sitting waiting for about a month now, my citrus trousers I have cut out but not sewn so yet to finish here: Life!, my half made summer coat:30: Summer coat, a pair of curtains I need to hem and an IKEA blind that is waiting to be put up. And out of sight are several upcycling projects and a pile of repairs to do! I really need to start to do just one sewing project not several at once!


Anyway thats what I have been up to this week. Next week I will hopefully have some progress to show for the Gingham along challenge since it ends on 13th September so I had best get cracking.

Thanks for visiting

Bracken