Thrifty Finds

Ask Natalie Chanin about the early days of her business and she will recount how she used to purchase recycled t-shirts by the pound in huge boxes, shirts that then had to be sorted, cleaned and, in many cases, over-dyed to achieve enough matching fabric for a garment.  This process somewhat reduced the “green” value of using recycled clothing for her garments.  Eventually she made the business decision to source her own organic cotton yardage and gave up on using recycled shirts.  She does admit that using easily attained used clothing that needs minimal processing may be just as green an option as the organic cotton route (for more on the organic cotton industry read Natalie’s article for EcoSalon here).  I was pleased to hear this since the thrill of the hunt is part of the fun for me.

My love of thrifting goes way back, probably to my childhood when I loved going to yard sales in my neighborhood and when we visited my brother and sister-in-law each summer (my sister-in-law Sue is a pro at yard sale-ing).  One of the first things I do when settling in a new town is to search out the various thrift stores in the area.  Over the years I have found some truly amazing buys (though the prize probably goes to the store in Charlottesville that periodically provided shoppers with a black plastic trash bag, the entire contents of which was a mere $5).  Over time I also started seeing used clothing as raw material to create new designs. 

Today I visited one of my favorite thrift stores (a Salvation Army) looking for t-shirts for a number of projects I’ve been planning and journaling about.   I hit the jackpot.  Here’s a look at my finds, what I hope to use them for, and some hints to help with your own thrift shopping.

I don’t know who Rick is but I’m grateful he didn’t show up for his new job and that he wore a size 3XL.  These five, new, long-sleeved t-shirts will yield a lot of yardage – the back is free from any design and the lower part of the front (even the sleeves!) can be used.  These shirts will probably ultimately become a dress.

As with the previous shirts, these are identical, new 3XL shirts with lots of useable material (eleven of them).  This stack will provide me with lots of projects, and I will probably overdye some of them. They were $0.99 each.

These are all long sleeved neutral colored shirts.  I will use the navy, brown and white for a t-shirt project I’ve got planned.  The two black shirts will be cut up for a skirt.  These shirts are all without designs or logos. 

My rainbow assortment of short- and long-sleeved shirts.  Some of these have logos or designs on them, others are plain.  All of my projects will consist of a double layer of fabric.  Sometimes the top layer is cut away to reveal the inside layer, other times not.  I’m planning to use the logoed part of the shirts in areas where the top layer won’t get cut away, like the back of a t-shirt.  Some of these shirts will be used as-is and appliquéd or embroidered on, others will become “raw materials” for other projects or appliqué fabric.

I also came across these two t-shirts today.  The name Ruehl No. 925 did not mean anything to me but I sensed that these were not your run-of-the-mill t-shirt.  They are very well made, and the texture of the cotton is really striking.  I’ll put an appliqué over the text on the front.

So, what do I look for when shopping?

• Heavy-weight, 100% cotton t-shirts
• One side with no design or logo
• Multiples of the same shirt which ensures matched dye lot and plenty of fabric to work with.  Oftentimes a batch of shirts has been donated from an event or business.  If you find a batch of shirts in a light color you can always overdye them.
• Shop for the largest size you can find.  3XL shirts are great.  Even the sleeves, if long, can provide you with enough fabric to cut a skirt panel at times.
• Consider buying a shirt in your size if you want a simple project that only needs embellishing.
• Good quality shirts in a color you don’t care for can always be used for the underlining of a project.
• It goes without saying to check for stains and holes, though sometimes they can be worked around.
• Garment-dyed shirts are particularly lovely.  They usually have a soft, muted look, and often the tag has been dyed the same color as the shirt.  Watch for these gems.

Embrace the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra and give new life to some old clothes.  Your pocketbook and your design sense will thank you.

A Short Rant

Blame it on my grumpy mood this evening (my husband left yesterday for a three-week business trip, and I was home all day for a "holiday" with two little boys, one of whom is sick) but I'm a little bit peeved at the commercial pattern companies.  I've spent quite a good bit of time in my sewing room the last few days, though I have little to show for it.  I've been working on fitting patterns (something I'm not very good at), making and tweaking muslins.  I now have three nicely fitted patterns that I can sew from.  I also took advantage of the holiday sales at the local fabric store and bought several new patterns.  They were all from the Amazing Fit line of Simplicity patterns which promise a "customized fit in all key areas".  Here's where the trouble begins. 

I've read through the instructions provided, including the sections for choosing the right sized pattern.  I applaud the fact that they provide separate pattern pieces to fit A through D cups, as well as slim through curvy figure types.  But how they imagine they will achieve their claim of Amazing Fit using the age-old (read: wrong) method of pattern sizing is beyond me.  I know from my recent pattern work (and lots of experience) that the top part of me wears a size 8 in commercial patterns.  According to their fitting instructions I should be choosing a size 12 (actually I am between a size 12 and 14).  The instructions go on to tell you that there is 3-1/2" of ease in the bust.  Does this picture look like there is 3-1/2" of ease in the bust?

And who wants to wear a dress with 3-1/2" of ease in the bust?  Not only is it bad advice to use the full bust measurement to size a pattern, with separate pattern pieces for different cup sizes they've just made the problem even worse!  Everyone probably knows (and hates) the woman who wears a petite size 4 with a 38 D bust.  That woman would follow the instructions given and make a size 16 dress.  The extra inches need to fit her size D cup are already accounted for in the pattern piece with a D cup!  Many of us know to use our high or upper bust when figuring our pattern size but the pattern companies never make this suggestion, leading new or inexperienced sewers to certain failure from the start.

This pattern line has some lovely designs, and I can't wait to fit the patterns and sew up some muslins.  Thankfully I'll save myself some grief and start with a size I know I wear.  But shouldn't the pattern companies come up with some new guidelines to help ensure that everyone truly achieves an Amazing Fit?

Sculpted Fleece

I first learned this technique in a class I took with Lyla Messinger (L.J. Designs) many years ago.  Lyla has a wonderful book called Ordinary to Extraordinary that details this technique along with many other fun and easy ideas to add uniqueness to your garments. 

I've used this technique on several garments.  It is most effective when you use fleece that has two different face textures.  You can often find fleece with one smooth and one nubby side.  Then it's as simple as cutting shapes from the fleece and appliqueing them onto the garment.

My first attempt was a vest which I made from a blue double-faced fleece.  The designs also come from Lyla Messinger; she sells a pattern with several geometric shapes that can be used as appliques.  I added binding along the center front, neckline, hem and armholes with the contrast side of the fleece showing.

Next I made a jacket from a red heathered piece of fleece and appliqued leaf designs on the back, front and one sleeve.  The design for this jacket was based on an OOP pattern by Nancy Zieman.  I found the commercial pattern too large for me so I re-drafted it using my Pattern Master Boutique software to better fit my frame.  I made the button loop using one of my favorite notions, a FasTurn tube maker.  I love this jacket and still wear it.  I have fond memories about the time I made this.  I was at one of my first sewing retreats with the Richmond ASG Chapter in Appamattox, VA (where I first met my sewing buddy, Jane).  I finished this project (with lots of help from the other ladies there) but had no buttons that were appropriate.  On my way home after the weekend I stopped in Charlottesville and found the perfect buttons at Les Fabriques.  Good times!

More recently I revisited this technique when making some winter hats for my two boys.  I started with a Kwik Sew pattern and cut the main pieces from fleece.  I then cut lots of various sized circles and appliqued them on with the contrasting side showing.  I used invisible thread on the top and an all-purpose thread in the bobbin (one of my sons is especially particular about "pokey" things which the invisible thread can occasionally be).  I used a zig zag stitch and an open-toed embroidery foot.  Once the main part of the hat was appliqued I finished the construction.  I was hoping to post a picture of these hats in use but haven't been able to slow my two boys down enough to snap a picture yet.

Try this technique on your next fleece project.  I think you'll like the subtle, tone-on-tone quality of this detail.

A Knit Skirt Knock-off

I've been working on this skirt for several months.  It has been an off-and-on project, one where the design/drafting stage took ten times longer than the construction.  My inspiration came from Garnet Hill, a catalog which provides beautiful pictures of stylish clothes.  I liked this skirt so much I debated ordering it but decided I could probably recreate it with a little work.

It took three tries to get the proportions/angles right on this skirt, with as many muslins.  I began with Pamela's Patterns' Magic Pencil Skirt.  I made a muslin and fitted this skirt (I had to adjust the width/length of some of the darts) and then made a full sized pattern (as opposed to one cut on the fold) and drew in an angled hemline. 

The lower flounce portion was trickier.  I turned to my Pattern Master Boutique program and used the Pattern Editor feature which allows for computer aided drafting of pattern pieces.  For my first attempt I drafted a full circle flounce with a graduated depth.  This didn't give me the look I was after -- I wanted more of a trumpet shape.  I remembered a Neue Mode pattern with a similar look and found I had saved an online copy of the pattern piece shapes.

Using that as a guide I drafted a partial-circle flounce and made another muslin.  This time the flounce was not full enough.  I re-drafted the flounce again, and this time I got it right.  Along the way I also changed the angle of the hem of the upper portion and the depth of the lower flounce accordingly.  It also took two tries to get the narrow inset flounce the right width and fullness.

Once all of the design issues had been worked out, sewing the skirt together took very little time.  I used a piece of cotton knit fabric from my stash in one of my favorite colors, a blue I would call light/bright navy.  This fabric (which I bought from G Street Fabrics) has a lovely, heavy hand and drape.  When I found it in my stash I knew it would be perfect for this skirt.

These pictures show the skirt with a ready-to-wear top I already owned.  I'm working on another top to wear with it, too.  After having this skirt on my to-do list since November, I'm happy to finally be wearing it.

Another Cynthia Guffey Skirt

I hope everyone is settling into the new year and sticking to those resolutions.  I have only two this year:  sew more garments and try to spend 30 minutes each day doing some handwork (Lord knows I spend twice that wasting time on the internet).  Today marks the second anniversary of my blog.  I'm grateful to all of you who check in and read what I have to say.  I'd like to post more frequently than I do, but the reality is that it takes time, something that is in short supply these days.  This year I hope to further improve my photography and post in a timely manner.  I should have written today's post back in November when I completed this skirt.  My memory of the details is a little fuzzy but here's what I've got.

This is one of the more complicated patterns I have attempted in a long time.  Cynthia Guffey has drafted a 12-gore skirt with yoke whose detail is really pretty spectacular.  I first saw this skirt in person at the Sewing Expo a couple of years ago; it is an architectural marvel.  Each gore is cut on the bias twice the finished length and seamed together with a French seam down the center of the gore.  This leaves a little scallop along the hem.  The gores are then sewn together.  All of the seams are finished to the outside, adding even more interest.

I chose to make the skirt from a knit instead of a woven fabric.  I decreased the seam allowance on the joining seams and left the edges raw.  I constructed the seams by machine but stitched all of the visible exterior stitching by hand.

I finished the waist with foldover elastic, zigzaging along the edge through both layers.  This makes a wonderfully smooth and comfortable waist finished.

I like this skirt A LOT and might even consider making another if I can think of a variation that wouldn't look like the same skirt.

I find myself in an unusal place tonight.  I'm finishing up another skirt that I have been working on for a long time and I don't really have another project waiting to go when it's complete.  I usually have a long list of items to be completed, but with no pressing deadlines I want to take some time to think about what's next and come up with a project that will take some planning and thought.  Maybe I'll make use of something I've learned in the past year.  I don't know, but when I do, you'll be the first to hear about it.