Tie Collar Shirt-Blouse

Here's another installment of my unofficial 'what the hell can I do with an old dude's shirt' series. This blouse is a version of a batch I made at work. But my one reuses two, yes two, unwanted mens shirts, unlike the work ones that used new fabric for the collar part. Here's one of the ratty unloved shirts:

Actually, both of the shirts I used were really nice quality cotton. Initially I wanted to use the shirt pictured above for the main part with some plain fabric for the collar, but on closer inspection I found one of the lower button holes was ripped so I couldn't use it afterall as functioning button holes are kind of the point of using a shirt in the first place. So I squeezed the collar pieces out of that one instead and found another that would work ok for the body.

I can't remember what pattern I used to develop the body shape, but it's very simple and easily imitable with bust darts and subtley curved side seams for its only shaping. I did my usual and made it a touch too wide. It seems I have contracted some form of 'fit-blindness': I nearly always make tops and bodices too big and trousers a bit too small. Anyway. I used one of the collar patterns from New Look 6808.

The collar doesn't actually tie at the front. You create a loop of fabric which the ends are threaded through. Pretty genius, as you can adjust it to create an effect you are most happy with, and leave it in that position. In case you were wondering, to get in and out of this blouse, you have to undo the buttons then pull the neck hole over your head, the collar stays closed. This was another reason to avoid adding too much shaping in the body, for ease when getting in and out.

The batch of these tops I made for work had a more basic (and therefore less time consuming) armhole finishing, but for mine I wanted a neater look, so I made bias strips from the sleeves of the shirt and bound the armholes before stitching up the side seams. I really like the way the stripe appears diagonally on the binding. I could have used some of the collar fabric to bind the armholes as an additional contrast feature, but I didn't really want to draw more attention to my underarm area than was actually necessary!

Sorry for the rubbish picture below, I was trying to show you how the collar looks from the back. It's quite a substantial collar, I'm really happy with the proportions (probably because an expert pattern cutter at New look figured that bit out for us already!).

Any better at showing the full collar? No, not really!:

So there you go. I'm not done finding things to do with unwanted mens shirts. As I mentioned before, mens shirts are so ubiquitous in charity shops (and in the studio at my work) and often made from such lovely fabric, I'm determined to find ever more useful and desirable projects for the refashioning community to get their teeth into!

Zen and the Art of Sewing Machine Maintenance

(N.B. I am aware I am not the first person to use this title for a blog post, but it was too good to walk away from.) Now, I'm so far from being technically minded it's ridiculous but I'm a firm believer that knowledge is power, so I've been attempting to learn more about sewing machines, how they work and how to look after them. So when Richard, the sewing machine service and repair man, dropped by work yesterday, I took the opportunity to quiz him on a few things machine-related. (Sneaky Richard pap:)

I imagine I'm not alone in being less than technically minded, and who wants to spend a chunk of their window of sewing opportunity fannying around with a misbehaving sewing machine? So I thought I'd share the few bits I learnt in the hope that at some point it may save you some time and hassle.

Last week I got Richard to service my domestic sewing machine and overlocker and I received a verbal slap on the wrist for leaving it so long and allowing them to get so fuzzed up and dry. He suggests that you get your machine serviced once a year if you use it a lot, but I guess you could get away with longer if you remember to oil it regularly.

(the machine I use most at work)

Richard reckons that the most common problem, or root of problems he deals with is people using the wrong sized needle for the task they are undertaking. I know I'm guilty of this, it's sheer laziness, but I'm trying to be better at selecting the right needle every time I change fabric type. Not doing so often results in broken or bended needles, which can cause damage to the machine's inner workings, most often to the hook pick up point (literally a hook which catches the top thread and makes it over lap with the bobbin thread to create the chain of interlocked threads that is a row of stitches). A broken needle can easily burr the tip of this hook which in turn can catch the thread, create snags or loops of threads.

He also regularly gets contacted by people complaining about all manner of machine and stitch malfunctions which have actually been caused by either having their needle fitted in the wrong way, or the thread threaded through in the wrong direction. He went through a lengthy set of amusing annecdotes of people travelling miles to bring him their problematic machine, in horrendous weather conditions when facing impending deadlines, wasting hours in the process, simply for him to take one glance and have to break the news that their needle is in the wrong way round. Guess none of them will be making that mistake again!

Another common complaint is of course 'birds nesting': when your thread gets in a crazy mess at the beginning of, during, or at the end of a row of stitching that takes forever to unpick. Generally this is caused by top tension issues. Commonly the thread will be under an incorrect amount of tension because the machine hasn't been threaded up properly and the top thread isn't going through the tension disks correctly. This often happens when people thread their machine up whilst the sewing machine foot is down. If you are having birds nesting issues, re-thread your machine making sure the foot is up and that the thread runs inbetween the disks. Still problems? Then try adjusting the top tension.

Slipped stitches are something I recently experienced. That's when you notice that some stitches in a row haven't 'caught' correctly, so you get some random long ones in what would otherwise be an even row. This is usually caused by (once again) using a needle which isn't the right size for the thickness of fabric you are using, or (as was the case with me) your needle is a bit blunt and therefore sometimes bouncing off the fabric rather than piercing it.

But it's not just the needle that you may need to change when using a variety of thicknesses of fabric. Something I totally didn't realise is that you may need to increase the foot pressure when using thinner fabric. On my machine, this is a small screw on the top which needs twisting one way or another.

One more point he made (which I think I had actually figured out for myself over the years), is that you should only take your work out from the machine when the take-up is at it's highest position. The take-up is the loop that your thread runs through at the front of the machine (see pic above). Now on my domestic sewing machine at home, the take-up is hidden behind the plastic facade so you can't see when it is at the top or whatever, but I have kind of got used to sensing when it is in this position. This is the right stage of a stitch to extract your work.

My favourite tip that Richard imparted to me yesterday was regarding when you want to sew a row of stitching that involves making an angle at a corner, like if you are hemming a tablecloth, or top stitching a collar or patch pocket. This is done by taking your foot off the peddle mid row of stitching, and lifting the foot up when the needle is still down (piercing the fabric), then pivoting the fabric so you are re-starting sewing in a new direction, lowering the foot and carrying on with your stitching. I remember my mum teaching me this and encourageing me to practice sewing triangles from a continuous row of stitching when I was about nine or ten. Sometimes when I try and do that, I get a stitch at the corner that doesn't seem to 'catch', and is diagonal, spoiling my neat angle I'm trying to create. Richard explained that my mistake here that I'm pivoting my fabric and restarting my row of stitching at the wrong point of a stitch. Before I raise the the foot and pivot my fabric etc., I should turn the wheel by hand so that the needle is in a position when it has gone all the way down to it's lowest point and started to come up again to the point that it is almost out of the fabric again. At this point the stitch has definately 'caught' and so can't 'pop' out like I'd been experiencing.

Finally, not that this will probably apply to most of the sewing readers of my blog, but if your machine is going to be unused for a period of time, do not store it anywhere too cold (like a garage) or too hot (like a loft). Machines are happiest at normal room temperature, where they are less likely to dry out.

I'm sure most of this is common sense and telling y'all is like teaching you to suck eggs, but I thought it worth while to pass it on anyhow. Happy successful stitching lovelies!

Nautical Sundress

It's probably silly calling this garment my 'nautical sundress'. Let's be honest, it's unlikely this will be the last creation of mine that could be referred to as such. But currently it is the only one and I can't think of a witty name or blog title, so I'm just going to crack on with telling you about it.

This was a project that needed little consideration. The pattern, fabric and notions all seemed to come together at a point when I had a window of spare sewing time and a BBQ invitation to spur me on towards a rapid completion. This dress is based on Simplicity 4930 (pictured above). Actually, the pattern pictured above isn't my copy. I can't find mine at the minute, and anyway the front cover of my copy is all ripped, which is probably why my ebay bid went uncontested. The picture above came from a vintage sewing pattern wiki.

Anyway, I digress. We decided to make a dress design at work based on my copy of this pattern (accept I added a lace panel in the front neck scoop for the work ones) so after I made some, I tried on the version that I assumed would be the closest to my size. OMG! This pattern is meant for ladies rocking serious girdles. That or it's meant for women who don't eat yet possess full busts. Let's just say the ratio between bust and waist was somewhat extreme. What I did love though, is that it has a lovely deep scoop back, but your bra is still completely covered. When I decided to make my own version, I redrafted the bodice to allow a touch more space in the bust and a hellofalot more space around the waist. I also pinched a tiny bit out of the shoulder straps so they wouldn't slip down my shoulders.

I've been sitting on this fabric for about six months now (not literally). It's some Laura Ashley stuff that was probably produced for curtaining or soft furnishing, it's a medium to medium/heavy weight cotton with a little chain style repeat print running along the grainline. I've nearly deployed this fabric so many times with different sewing patterns, but I'm really glad I had to sense to wait until the project felt 'right' to bust it from my fabric stash. I was hoping to do something clever with the direction of the chain print, maybe horizontal across the bodice and straight down on the skirt, or vice versa. But I didn't have enough fabric to mess with the grainlines like that unless I added a deep contrast band along the hem. With no suitable contrast fabric availing itself to me, I decided to have both sections on the cross-grain with the skirt a bit less full than I would usually go for.

I decided it was thick enough to not bother with neck or armhole facings and planned to do some sort of invisible binding finish instead to avoid all the bulkiness (and let's face it, effort) that facings would mean. Then I have a look in my notions stash and rediscovered four or five metres of this incredible anchor bias binding which I got in Paris, you know, when I dragged Pat who was feeling ill (though I didn't know) round every fabric and haberdashery shop in Paris for an entire afternoon and walked away with just this binding. Well, it just looked amazing with the blue and white fabric, so I trimmed away the seam allowance around the neck and armholes and applied it carefully. Then I realised I had just enough to edge the hem too, which was a total score as I hadn't left myself much hem allowance.

What you can't really tell from these pictures is that, despite my deadline, the finish on this dress is actually pretty good, if I do say so myself. I hand picked the zip and it's my best attempt at that yet. The bias binding is generally very even. The frikkin chains even meet at the side seams on the skirt.

Which is not to say this dress is perfect. Sadly, despite having tried on a version and made the small pattern adjustments that I felt were required, the fit of the bodice isn't spot on. By adding only about 2cms in total round the bust, it's somehow made it a bit too loose and it doesn't fit as snuggly at the shoulders as I'd hoped (despite the shortening of the straps at the shoulders, damn it!). My bra straps are slightly visible at times. The tightness of the initial work version I tried on had prevented, and therefore I didn't foresee would be an issue in my own version. The waist adjustment was well judged however, and eating almost my own body weight in amazing food at this BBQ was the test that proved I'd allowed enough extra.

My one other issue is the skirt can, at times, sit out a little strangely. I'd say that was due to the stiffness of the fabric combined with either too much or too little fullness in the skirt. But I'm not that bothered by that as a quick smooth down when I get up and it seems to sit ok.

On balance, although a little disappointed, I am really pleased with my nautical sundress. And the sun really doesn't shine that much in the UK to not require a cardigan most of the year. I recently snapped up a little red low necked cardigan from a charity shop in Leigh, Essex, to go with my Summer Holiday dress which also looks fantastic with this sundress, so that kind of deals with the bodice fit issue whenever it's not blazing sunshine.

So there we have it. The latest garment to spring from my nautical obsession. Don't think that's the end of it, there are plans for more....

Self-Stitched-Sept '11: Blog Widget/Button

Ok peops, maybes you've seen the latest me-made/self-stitched challenge I'm hosting, maybes you haven't. Basically, we've got about three weeks before the start of Self-Stitched-Sept '11, and I for one and really excited to e-meet the people who will be taking part this time round, and see all the delicious and inspirational handmade things they will be wearing.

If you have signed up, plan to sign up or are thinking of signing up and have a blog, I would like to share with you the HTML code for the widget/button of the SSS'11 logo pictured above. When the the widget/button is installed on your blog and the logo is clicked on, the clicker will be pinged to the original Self-Stitched-Sept '11 sign-up post. This cheeky little blog addition serves a few purposes:

• It announces to the readers of your blog what you are up to and how you plan to challenge yourself in a feet of daring adventure!
• The ping back effect means you needn't explain in depth what you are up to as they can read the original challenge outline for themselves.
• It reminds yourself that you are an intrepid explorer investigating the possibilities of handmade/DIY culture, and ultimately flying the flag for all creative individuals (phew!).
• Other SSS'11 participants who may happen to drop by your blog can see, at a glance, that you are also taking part and will know doubt be interested to see how you are getting on.
• It will most likely encourage others to participate, which will most likely benefit them (I've never heard anyone who actually participated in a me-made/self-stitched challenge comment that they hadn't found it an enriching experience in some way) AND the rest of the community of participants by providing more peops to 'play' with.

So, if you would like one, follow these steps:

1# Copy the following HTML code:
<a
href="http://sozowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.com/2011/08/self-stitched-sept-11-join-me.html" target="_blank"> <img border="0" alt="Photobucket" src="http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab120/zozowahine/sss113-1.jpg" /> </a>

2# (This is for blogger). Click on 'Customise' on your own blog;

3# click on 'Layout';

4# click on 'Add Gadget';

5# choose HTML/Javascript;

6# paste the code in;

7# click on 'save changes'; ta da!!!!

When your beautiful new widget/button goes live, it will start simulataneously explaining what the whole thing is about as well as aiding the passage of more potential signees. Win-Win!!!

Self-Stitched-Sept '11: Join Me!!!!!!!!!

That's right people! Another me-made/self-stitched challenge is born. In fact this will be the last challenge I will be hosting this year, so if you are in any way tempted, you'd best come out to play!!!

You probably think it's easy to come up with a new logo each time, you'd be wrong! I spend ages trying to decide which font has the right feel for the upcoming challenge. So onto the challenge itself. If you have read my blog before, or have been hanging with the online sewing crew for any length of time, it is very possible you are already aware of the concept and purpose behind these challenges. If you do not, I will explain.

What is Self-Stitched-Sept '11?:

Those who will sign up to Self-Stitched-Sept '11 wish to challenge themselves to wear their lovely handmade creations more than they currently tend to for the duration of September 2011. The signee decides the specifics of their own challenge, e.g, what constitutes 'self-stitched', how many self-stitched garments they plan to wear each day, and so on. It is then up to them to try and stick to this throughout the month as best they can. It is not a competition, it doesn't matter if a participant isn't able to fulfill their pledge, life has a habit of getting in the way of good intentions!

Why should I take part?

Good question. People choose to do so for lots of reasons. Most participants find the results of their sewing/crochetting/knitting/upcycling/refashioning all too often ends up left in their wardrobe as, for whatever reason, they choose to wear their 'safe' clothing instead. Some participants in these challenges want to discover the 'holes' in their wardrobe so in the future they are able to focus their precious garment-creating time towards making things that will be more useful. Others feel what they tend to wear, day-to-day, doesn't really suit them or represent who they are particularly, and want to spend a month focussing on getting out of their rut. Some participants enjoy the push this challenge gives them to finish off lingering unfinished projects to add some more self-stitched weapons to their garment-arsenal. And others (myself included) get a rush when complimented whilst wearing a self-stitched garment, and want to spend a month increasingly the likelihood of receiving more!!! If the previous four challenges are anything to go by, there is also guaranteed to be a lovely online community of fellow participants to give support, advice and inspiration. More on that bit later.

How does SSS '11 work?

All you have to do is copy the pledge below and post it in the comments section of this post adapted to include your details and the personal specification of your challenge. This is YOUR challenge, write the script any way you want, just remember: IT IS A CHALLENGE. For example, you could challenge yourself to wearing one self-stitched/refashioned garment a day, or if you have been making clothing for a long time, you may decide to challenge yourself to two self-stitched/refashioned garments a day, or even more! If you are fairly new to garment creating and/or re-working, make this a challenge, but don't make it impossible for yourself. Maybe you wish to only include refashions in this challenge: no problem! Perhaps you wish to include jewellery and accessories you have made: equally, no problem! If you already wear a lot of self-stitched/refashioned items, think how you can up the ante.

'I, (insert name here and blog address if you have one), sign up as a participant of Self-Stitched-Sept '11. I endeavour to wear......................................................... each day for the duration of September 2011'

If you have a blog, re-post your pledge so your readers and followers can see what you are up to. Please include a link to this post so others can also sign-up if they are interested. If there's one thing I've learnt from these challenges, the more people involved, the better the party!

Documentation and Photos:

'So what's with all the daily pictures people have on their blogs, do I have to do that?'. No. 'What's with the Flickr group? I'm not on Flickr, do I have to sign up?', not if you don't want to. Documenting these challenges seems to be the area that puts people off and definately the area I get the most (although comparatively tiny amount of) negative feedback about, so let me address this area.

Many people who have a blog choose to share their challenge with their readers by taking and posting daily outfit photos as they go along. It is not in any way compulsory to do this if you don't want to, or even to have a blog at all. Personally, I do take daily photos and post them, as I find looking at these images helps me analysise what outfits/garments are working and what aren't, and reflecting on these photos in the form of commentary on my blog helps me put those reactions and feelings into something more cohesive. Personally, I tend to lump several days worth of images together into one post, but some post daily whilst others do a weekly summary, or just post their favourite outfit days.

There will be a Flickr group created for this challenge, as I've found it to be a great format for everyone to share their outfit photos, comment on and ask questions about other peoples' creations, and have discussions on whatever springs to mind throughout the duration of the month. I've always been blown away by the positivity and sense of enjoyment and fun that spreads from the challenge Flickr groups. I wish so much that there was some way for everyone who participates could get together in the flesh and meet and chat, but the Flickr group really does provide the next best thing. However, if you as a participant chose not to join or post on the SSS '11 Flickr group, that is totally fine. This challenge can be a solitary or community based as you wish! If you don't join, the group is still open for you to come and see what's going on. You won't be able to post photos or join in discussions, but all will be visible and you will be most welcome to stop by.

New for SSS '11: there will be a Facebook group!!!! This will be announced, as with the Flickr group, a little closer to the start of the challenge (i.e. when I get round to making it!). It will be another avenue to interact with other participants, should you wish to.

So, come on people!!!!!!! It's time to stand up and be counted as part of the handmade revolution. Let's show ourselves as well as others that we are capable of making incredible and functional things to wear, and damn proud of it too!

xxx

The Final Pants

In precisely the same vein as my post on my 'final' skirt creation, I don't for one moment really believe that these are the last pants I'll make myself. But my pant-making addiction has to be curbed because my undies draw is fit to bursting and won't close properly (TMI?).

Making pants is so satisfying. They need very little fabric and can be made from the fabric left-overs of other projects or from old stretch garments which are no longer wanted in their original form. Not only is pant-making cheap, it's also quick. Start to finish I reckon I could have a new pair whipped up in half an hour, including cutting out. Though making a few pairs in a production line is also very satifying and more efficient. Also, it doesn't matter if the finish isn't so great, as they are (most likely) safe from the critical eyes of the public. You can have a good old experiment with different fabrics, elastics, construction techniques, embellishment, much of which might not go quite as you wished, but you'll still most likely have something you can actually wear.

I've done heaps of experimenting since I first tried making my own undies about a year and a half ago. I've learnt that, personally, I prefer to make my pants from jersey fabric that has an elastic content to it, rather than a fabric that relies solely on being knitted rather than woven for any degree of stretch, (i.e. I don't like using normal T-shirt fabric). These black pants are made from the stretch scraps left over from making a T-shirt. The fabric is really soft and very stretchy, yet not too 'floppy/drapey': ideal for making pants. And who couldn't use a couple of pairs of plain black knicks? I had yet to try out this black frilly elastic that I'd bought on ebay ages ago. It was easy to apply though not the highest quality, so I think the end result is pretty humourous rather than glamourous!

Speaking of glamour:

I pulled out all the stops and made the trashiest undies I'm capable of! Sheer leopard print and red frills; tell me you don't want some! Which is not to say they aren't wearable. I lined the gusset in some flesh coloured stretchy stuff. I actually haven't worn these yet, I'm a little intimidated by them! Oh wait, I just remembered my dad has recently figured out how to use the internet and where to find my blog. Ah well, I can shield my folks no longer, there are surely more damaging things you might find on the internet, no?!

To summarise: I am trying to prevent myself from spending my sewing time making items I have in abundance, but don't let that stop you! If you haven't, heartily recommend giving pant-making a whirl (remember, you can find my how-to/tutorial on constructing pants here). If you have, please leave a link in the comments section to your pant-creations if you've blogged about them, I'd love to see. I'll show you mine if you show me yours! We know each other well enough now to show each other our undies, right?!

Halter Neck Shirt

Today I have a bona fide garment refashion for your perusal. Normally I make stuff from scratch, using pieces of fabric and patterns. But I'm a massive advocate of refashioning and upcycling existing garments for a variety of reasons that I've already discussed at length (and am, no doubt, about to expand upon still further). I just don't tend to do much of it myself. At work, my boss and I tend to play to our strengths, and for the majority of the time I work with donated pieces of fabric and curtains and make them into garments in the 'usual' way because my work is clean and precise. My boss, who is far more talented than me design-wise, is usually the one who creates inventive things out of unlikely existing garments.

However, sometimes I just gotta get involved in some upcycling, and when I do it's usually with unwanted T-shirts, sweatshirts, or men's shirts, like here. If I recall, I think the original inspiration was a dress or top on ModCloth that had a collar detail that kind of looked like it had been taken from an existing shirt (sorry, can't find the image anymore). It's not a massive leap in creativity to then design a top that has a collar detail that is actually from an existing shirt! From that starting point morphed this simple halter top style from a re-cut old shirt.

The existing hem, buttons and button stand were retained, and rows of shirring elastic created in the back to make it stay up and removable. I trimmed off the original collar and reattached it along the top and used some embroidery anglais edging stuff for neck ties. I made a squillion of these from different men's shirts for our range (plus one for me and one for my boss! shhh...), and if the original shirt has a pocket, I just kept it on for an extra feature and made the bust dart through it if necessary. My favourite shirts to use were the type that have little buttons at the points of the collar. I carefully harvested those little buttons and reattached them when the collars were in the new position. Sadly, by the time I had decided I wanted to make myself one, there were none of those shirts left. I made another batch of these halter tops last week using donated chambray and denim shirts, the result of which had a crazy new-school cowgirl vide about them.

The first weekend after I made these tops was happily really warm, almost Spain-warm, and I basically didn't take this off all weekend. In the day, as these pictures prove, I rocked it with my high-waisted denim shorts, and went out in the evening wearing it with black skinny jeans. It does have the annoying effect of exposing the back of my strapless bra at times, which results in me yanking it up at the back at regular intervals. However, if I had had this when I lived in Barcelona, I wouldn't have taken it off from June til September, guaranteed. I don't think it's the most flattering garment on me, as it kind of exaggerates my widest part and hides my smallest part and curves, but the crisp, light cotton is a joy to wear on a hot day.

It is pretty shocking how many men's work shirts like this our charity gets donated, and I'd say at least three quarters are in perfectly wearble condition. Some have a tear, rip or stain, but most are fine. Our part of the charity gets lots as there just isn't demand for that many in the normal charity shops part of Traid. I don't see why men (or their partners?) are so quick to dispose of their work shirts when all but the most extreme styles aren't really capable of going out of fashion. Do the dudes get fat and no longer fit them? Do they get bored and want a change (even though most are fairly innocuous?) I can't believe most guys would feel everyone in the office was judging them for wearing the same normal shirt regularly for a while. Lots of the shirts we get are expensive brands like Hawes & Curtis (who my great aunt Kit was a machinest for, FYI), Pink, Paul Smith etc. and made from quality fabric. What is up with that?


It not only baffles me, but also angers and annoys me how disposible these things apparantly are to most people. I'm reading a book about life during and immediately after the Second World War at the moment, and the mentally towards garments and possessions in general was so phenomenally different just two generations ago. But today, I'm pleased to come up with some designs to potentially give new life to some of these unwanted garments, but it feels like such a tiny drop in the ocean that my job (and hobby) can feel futile and depressing at times. But I hope that by coming up with and spreading new designs and ideas, that it adds weight to the arguement and action towards change in the way we consume.

ANYWAY. I have discussed these topics before, and hope to do so more thoroughly and eloquently in the future. I just wanted to show you my new top! Happy Monday.