Small project dump

No time to waste! Been keeping busy with some simple projects so I'll just go ahead and get into them.

Yeah, yeah, it's the favorite button-up shirt pattern for the thousandth time. I said I was going to lay off of them for a minute, but I went through my closet and found that I had tossed all my plaid flannel shirts from ten years ago and somehow got it in my head that I needed to have a handmade one in every color of the rainbow. That is not at all reasonable, so this is my compromise to myself: one in a primary color scheme so that it triples as my red, my blue, and my yellow shirts, all in one.

There are a few subtle differences in this iteration of The Shirt pattern. First, I've expanded the shoulders to give myself some extra mobility. The lack of was always a minor problem that I never bothered to fix with my other shirts. This shirt is meant for more casual wear (in a far cheaper fabric, hooray for Joann coupons) so I needed it to be as comfortable and non-obstructive as possible. Second, I eliminated the bust dart extending towards the side seam. I don't think I needed it in the first place, given my upper bust and full bust measurements are only an inch in difference. It usually makes for a slimmer fit around the under-bust and waist, but again, we don't need that kind of fit for something so casual.

An unforeseen complication with this fabric, having never sewn a full garment out of plaid flannel: it's very easy for this stuff to fall off-grain. Apparently this happens a lot with yarn-dyed weaves. The good news is that when things get slanty, you can pull the fabric back on-grain. The bad news is that I didn't realize this until I had already made some crucial cuts.

First I noticed that I cut my yoke kinda wonky but as you can see, I just rolled with it. It's more noticeable when worn by the mannequin. I don't think anybody can tell at a glance when it's on me. It's the back of the shirt, my hair will normally cover it, whatever!

This, however, pains me. The asymmetry is a lot less acceptable in the front. I thought I was being clever with my meticulous pattern matching and, well, I did keep the print continuous. But there was just no way to save this, I couldn't stretch the piece back without changing the shape of the pattern piece. I salvaged it by re-cutting one side so that it was identical to the other, then flipping it to the "wrong" side. Voila, two pieces mirroring each other at the center front.

There's a mild upside-down V shape because the horizontal lines don't run completely straight, as we know they're on a slight diagonal, but this is far less noticeable than the former image. It's actually not noticeable at all when displayed on a three-dimensional form. I ended up doing the same mirroring technique when I cut the sleeves.

Also, looking at the photos right now, I should shorten the hem some. My arms look comically short and I know there's nothing wrong with the length of the sleeves.

I had some material left over so I made some elastic waist pajama shorts using a free pattern from Nap Time Creations/Sew Life Savory. This was essentially a wearable toile to see if I like the pattern enough to use it for full-length pants. I cut a size Small with no fit adjustments. The pattern calls for inseam pockets, I sewed patch pockets instead.

This is a perfectly serviceable pattern. In the future I might like just a little more room in the seat but as they are, they're not bad. I think that the side seam extends a little too far in the front for my liking. This is easily fixable because the side seam is completely straight; you can cut some width from the back and paste it to the front. Or you could omit the side seam altogether and cut the front and back as one combined piece. The only reason the seam would need to exist is for the inseam pocket.

Next up!

A detachable fanny pack! Or belt bag, as our modern lexicon has dubbed them because "fanny pack" is too unserious and goofy for the cool stoicism of streetwear fashions. I've always wanted to make one with the specific feature of detachability; I don't like the idea of wearing a fanny pack separately from the belt I'm already wearing to keep my pants up.

Belt straps plus the tailor's chalk that I haven't washed off yet.

It really does just look like a makeup bag with some straps on the back. I concede that I don't get major creative points for the design alone, but I'm happy with the construction. It's fully lined, strategically interfaced, and I've inserted plastic canvas in the back panel and bottom of the bag. As such, it's rigid where it needs to be and doesn't lose its shape.

My only regret is that it could have been just an inch wider, and it would have fit my larger wallet. Damn. Of all the things. I'm not sure why I didn't take its size into account in the first place. The pack looks deceptively, decently sized in the photos, but no. I probably have enough material for a second, but I'll just suck it up and switch to my smaller wallet for the time being.

Speaking of bags, have another! I'm practicing some basic crochet and I have a little lace handbag that barely fits anything. Maybe two medium-sized onions.

Aside from the single crochet base, the whole thing is built upwards using double crochet. The pattern alternates between shell stitches and v stitches, which both utilize double crochet. (I'm sure any advanced crocheters could tell me, "well, duh" but hey, I'm still learning). Also, I reinforced the handle-slits with two rounds of single crochet to keep it from stretching or sagging. I inserted a circle of the same plastic canvas in the bottom to help the bag stand upright. If I were to make this again, I wouldn't make the bottom a whole circle because I'd want it to sit flatter. It would use less yarn, too.

Onto number 5, the technically upcycled pencil skirt:

Or, perhaps, just reverted to its original form. This is from my cotton stretch sateen dress I posted about last year, taken apart and separated from the bodice. Now it's back to being a plain ol' skirt, just like McCall's intended. I was never happy with how it turned out. There were visible and obvious puckers along the princess seams, which I acknowledged were an issue in the first place. I finally decided that I was never going to wear the dress as it was because of that flaw.

 

For future reference, to self: I must not trim seam allowances so aggressively in critical areas that I might need to unpick later. After I unpicked the skirt from the bodice and cut the pieces for the facing, I realized that the seam allowances wouldn't be the same. I didn't trim a uniform amount from the skirt. I had to mark where the original needle pricks were with tailor's chalk and then hand-baste the facing to that chalk line. And to make things worse, the waist stretched out a ton after unpicking. I had to lightly gather it by hand to make it fit the facing, which was at least two inches smaller, I'd estimate. But it worked out and there are no visible puckers on the exterior.

So this was not an entirely straightforward fix, it was more work than I was anticipating, but I'm glad I finally got it done. Now, if I could only get those wrinkles out, because ironing and steaming don't seem to be doing much at all...

And now, saving the one I didn't want to model and photograph for last, burying it under everything else: swimsuit bottoms! I used the free Acacia underwear pattern by Megan Nielsen as a base. This is a size 4 with the rise extended 2.5 inches. I made the mesh panels by cutting the sides from the front and back, then combining the pieces at the side seam. I combined the front piece with the crotch gusset, and then I widened the crotch 3/8 inch on each side.

 

In real life I think they appear a tad too small, but they don't feel too small. They're quite comfortable which is the most important thing. Additionally, I can't be sure that I cut the right size if I want to use the pattern for regular underwear. As is, Acacia's finished measurements suggest that size 4 is correct for me. But the alterations make this a poor example of a toile because I can't glean much from it. Mostly because of the mesh panels: I had to re-cut these pieces and add an inch of width to each one, because the bottoms were too tight the first time around. This would suggest that the unaltered size is too small. However, the mesh is less stretchy than the spandex. It's possible that they would fit without the added width if the whole thing was spandex. I'll just have to make another pair to see for sure.

A swimsuit is the kind of garment I've had no compulsion to sew, ever. It's something I'd rather buy, and that goes for this project too. I scoured the web to find anything similar to this style, but could never find anything with the all the right rise, butt coverage, type of mesh, and size. Or I wouldn't get results for swimsuit bottoms at all; a reverse image search yields more results for menstrual underwear for some reason. I really, really did not want to make these, but I clearly didn't have a choice. The sewing itself isn't different from other other kinds of knits, so I don't know why I was so reluctant. Even after completing these bottoms, and interrogating my own inexplicable dread, I still don't want to sew swimsuits. I didn't come out on the other side with a newfound love. What is the opposite of inspiration? I'm feeling that.

That's a rather unenthusiastic way to end a post, so I'll say that I'm glad I finally got it done and I don't have to worry about searching anymore. Plus, there's all the other stuff that I made that I'm really pleased with. Six! Six things I wouldn't have bothered to post about individually, but together they make a big, meaty entry in the log. I often forget about these small projects because they don't take up much time or brain space, but then I forget that I did in fact create something. Even more importantly, I forget what I learned, which is always worth writing down and remembering.