Back to Sewing with Vintage Sheets

When I first started sewing men's shirts, I made them out of vintage cotton/poly percale sheets I found at the thrift store.

In retrospect, I should have listened to the many Pattern Review commenters on my early reviews who told me that I'd have a much easier time working with 100% cotton fabric.  It wasn't until maybe my 5th or 6th shirt that I decided to spring for cotton fabric, which made shirtmaking a much more pleasant experience.  It also resulted in shirts that I actually wanted to wear.  Because no matter how playful those 1970's shirts looked, they felt clammy on the skin and smelled bad when I perspired.

Here are a few of my early efforts (from summer of 2009).  Maybe you slept on some of these prints in your youth.








 
This weekend I had to make a shirt muslin for a male client who wears a size Large or thereabouts (16 1/2 - 17" neck).  I headed to my vintage sheet stash for fabric.  I found a 50/50 cotton/poly blend I'd bought recently at the Salvation Army (pictured at the top of this post).  I like the print but, working on the muslin, I was reminded of some of the challenges of working with these sheets: they don't press sharply and tend to droop, plus they're tough to ease.

But I do like the way my muslin turned out! 



On me:



 I used Simplicity 8541 from 1988. 



The only change I made (unrelated to fitting) was to narrow the collar an inch or so.





This shirt went together quickly.  If you don't flat-fell your seams or bother with sleeve plackets (the pattern calls for just binding a "v" slit cut above the cuff, aka, a continuous lap placket), you save a lot of time.

In other news, I passed on a vintage Singer 301 at the flea market yesterday.  It had a few issues (no attachments, no case, no original foot, among other things) and I certainly didn't need it.  It would have been fun to play with but not for $50.



In closing, I think if were to advise a beginning sewer, I would no longer recommend sewing with cotton/poly sheets.  If you can find a 100% cotton sheet, that's another story.

Do you agree that it's better/easier for beginners to start with all cotton?

Have a great day, everybody!

Peter Models the Liberty Summer Shirt! (Pattern Mixing ALERT)

Friends, I've just completed my genuine Liberty of London summer shirt for the Mood Sewing Network.

You can see me model it this instant by clicking here.

As you may know -- and if you follow me on Instagram you DEFINITELY know -- I purchased this fabric in two different colorways.  Some thought I looked better in the pink and tan version, some preferred the blue.  Which did I choose?  You'll have to see for yourself!

Please don't forget to follow me on Instagram, where I post as-it-happens photos of rainstorms, flea market escapades, chihuahua adventures, and MORE!!

Now what should I make with the pink print....?

Have a great day, everybody!
 

Daisy Kingdom Little Girl Dress Patterns -- YEA or NAY?

Friends, let me preface this post by saying that I would never say anything intentionally to offend.

But can we talk about Simplicity's long-lived Daisy Kingdom pattern line for girls?  I'm sorry, but to me, these patterns look like a cross between Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and the ugliest 80's bridesmaid dresses ever.  Freakish.



























(Zillions more can be found here.)

Do little girls actually go for these dresses? (The pantaloon patterns are worse.)

The mind reels and the teeth ache.

I don't get the Daisy Kingdom aesthetic at all.  I mean, I've always enjoyed Shirley Temple and Margaret O'Brien dolled up in ruffles, but Daisy Kingdom: what am I missing?





Is there a children's book series or movie that could explain it all?  Where did this thing come from (and how do we get rid of it)?

Okay, readers, enough ranting.  Do you or don't you dig the Daisy Kingdom look?  If you don't, does a daughter, sister, or grandmother you know love it?  Were you ever dressed this way???

Daisy Kingdom little girl dress patterns -- YEA or NAY?

Wednesday Adams -- timelessly elegant.

NAME THAT PATTERN: National Onion Rings Day Edition!

Friends, I came this close to forgetting that today, June 22nd is National Onion Rings Day.  Now I must be honest: I rarely eat onion rings, subscribing as I do to the adage (attributed to Kate Moss) that nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.  But if I were to eat onion rings, this is the day I'd be eating them and I'd even share mine with you!

In celebration of this very important holiday, I can think of no better ritual than another round of the sewing blogosphere's favorite pattern-naming game, MPB's exclusive, Name That Pattern!

The rules of Name that Pattern are simple: I post photos of patterns I've found online (generally NOT from my pattern stash, mind you), and you give them funny names.  As always, we have lots of exciting prizes, including a priceless vintage Singer sewing machine!

Without further delay, let's get started.

Here's Pattern #1!



Not sweet enough?  Here's Pattern #2!



But there's more: say bonjour (or is it hola?) to Pattern #3!



Now something for the boys: Pattern #4!



Finally, a rare beauty, Pattern #5!



But wait, that's not all: we also have a bonus pattern for those who just can't get enough.  Put your hands together for Pattern #6!



Readers, thank you very much for participating in this very special edition of Name That Pattern.  As always, you can name only some of the patterns or all of them.  Only those of you providing names for all-of-the-above, however, will be eligible for our vintage Singer sewing machine.

I'll be playing along, as well as anyone else in my household I can coerce.

On your mark, get set, NAME THAT PATTERN!!

Fitting Susan's Bodice Muslin

And now onto Susan's bodice muslin.

If it looks like Susan is being fitted in a public café...hey, we were a little pressed for time -- and space!  Luckily we finished just before the lunch rush.

More photos:

There was approximately 1/2" excess height in Susan's right shoulder.  I pinned this out.  Overall, the back doesn't look too bad.  I quickly realized that Susan's back waist is roughly 1" higher than her front waist.





The area that needed the greatest alteration is the front armhole.  I pinned out a good-sized dart on both sides.









 To make this more of a "You Are There" experience, here's a short video (after some pinning):



These instructions from Dorothy Moore's book should help me to relocate that shoulder dart.



I'm hoping to be able to produce an improved bodice this weekend and then take it from there.  The good news is I'm learning a lot.

If you have any fitting-related insights to share, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a great day, everybody!

Susan Models the Pencil Skirt Muslin

Yesterday I drafted a straight skirt pattern using Susan's measurements, prepared a muslin, and was able to have Susan try it on -- a busy sewing day!

As I've mentioned last week, I've chosen to work from Dorothy Moore's Pattern Drafting and Dressmaking rather than from commercial patterns.  Moore's book is very straightforward -- an excellent resource for those willing to start from scratch (i.e, your own measurements).

I inserted an 8" invisible zipper on the left side seam.  I left off the waistband (I simply turned the 1" seam allowance to the inside and pinned it) since I wasn't sure if Susan would need a waistband at all.  As it turned out, Susan -- who's rather short-waisted -- looks better without one. 





The skirt has four 1/4" darts in front and four 1" darts in back.





I knew I'd drafted and sewn carefully, but nevertheless I was nervous to have Susan try the skirt on.  I needn't have been: it fit beautifully!













I wanted to make sure there was enough ease in the skirt for Susan to sit down comfortably.  As luck would have it, there was a unisex bathroom nearby.  Ever-game (and giggly), Susan sat down in the closest available seat.





You gotta love a client like this!

I also repaired Susan's cotton golf skirt, whose zipper was broken.  It felt good to give this garment a second life and I was able to practice my (somewhat-rusty) invisible zipper insertion technique.









I am very excited to move on to Susan's bodice, which I hope to draft tomorrow.  Once I have these two slopers completed, I can think more about what I want to make with them.  I'm full of ideas for both dresses and separates -- and thank you for sharing so many of your ideas with me in your recent comments.

Have a great day, everybody!