Stars and Stripes Tank

Over the last several weeks I have been inspired by some posts I've read on Alabama Chanin's site about their version of Old Glory.  It just so happened that I had been working on some pattern fitting based on the fitted top/dress pattern in Alabama Studio Sewing + Design.  I had just finished making a muslin from some inexpensive knit fabric and tweaking it to fit me well.  A real benefit of this was that I was able to mark directly on the almost-floor length dress where I wanted certain seam or hem lines to land (empire, skirt waist, short, mid- and full length dresses) and then transfer these markings to my pattern, resulting in a master pattern that will eventually make any number of garments.  After this exercise I wanted to test the pattern in real life.  With the July 4th holiday coming up it seemed the perfect time to make a top that I could celebrate in while testing out my pattern alterations.

The top consists of four upper bodice pieces and four lower bodice pieces.  I decided to applique the red stripes onto a white foundation.  It took a little math to figure out the stripe widths and general proportions.  Here are the lower bodice portions:

I used a water-soluble marker to mark the grainline on the fabric (recycled t-shirts) and then drew perpendicular lines for placement of the red stripes.

I used a straight stitch to applique the stripes onto the foundation and then trimmed them even with the underlying fabric.

About halfway through this project I realized that sewing the stripes on with a straight stitch would eliminate most of the stretch from the shirt.  I decided I would have to add a closure.  I have a small collection of vintage metal zippers and thought this might be a good project to use one on.  I found one in a Copenhagen blue:

and inserted it into the side seam leaving the tape exposed:

I chose to applique one star on the blue portion using a parallel whipstitch:

Binding the neck and armholes on projects like this is the most time consuming part for me.  I have learned a few things over time and will share some tips with you here.

My favorite stitch for binding is the Cretan stitch (used here) but it is a very slow stitch for me to accomplish.  I am VERY right handed and in order to make this stitch I have to turn the garment 180o for each stitch which really slows me down.  So recently I decided to try the herringbone stitch which works up really, really fast.  My first attempts at this stitch, however, left something to be desired.  The stitches were all very uneven and unattractive.  That's when I remembered a little trick I learned from my sewing mentor years ago:  homemade Tiger Tape.

Tiger Tape has been used by hand quilters for years as a guide to keep their stitches uniform.  The 1/4-inch tape is marked in small increments, and it is very easy to make your own version.

I typically use paper adhesive tape (from the first aid section of the drug store).  Use caution when applying the tape to fabrics with a surface that might be easily marred by tape.  I usually stick the tape to my t-shirt and pull it off several times to reduce the tackiness.  Using a Sharpie or other permanent marker, mark the tape with whatever increment you choose; I used 1/2 inch for mine.

I then cut the tape in two pieces as I find a thinner width allows more flexibility around curves.

You can now apply this tape wherever you need some help in keeping your stitches even.  It is a great application for hand-picked zippers.

Here you can see that I have aligned the tape with the cut edge of the binding.  I take one stitch in line with a marking and the next stitch halfway between two marks.

(One reason I like this stitch (and the Cretan) so much is that the stitches formed on the back of the binding securely hold the binding in place.  In the background above you can see the little pick stitches along the inside of the binding, one row along the top edge of the binding and the other row along the bottom edge.)

Another hint for the herringbone stitch is a little mnemonic I use to remember where to lay my thread when I am taking a stitch.  It goes like this:  when you're down, you're up and when you're up you're down.  This means that when you are taking the stitch along the bottom you will hold your thread to the top and vice versa.  Here are some pictures:

In this picture I am taking a stitch along the bottom edge of the binding so my thread is laid above.

In the picture above I am taking a stitch along the top edge of the binding so my thread is held below.  An additional tip is to always place your knots in the bottom row of stitching.  This puts the knots and their thread tails on the inner edge which will prevent the thread tails from peeking out of the neckline or armhole.

Here's a shot of the completed top, finished just in time to wear for July 4th.  This project reminded me that last year I had the idea of making a flag bunting to hang from my porch for Independence day.  I think I have enough scraps left to give me a good head start.  Wishing all of my US friends a happy and safe holiday weekend.

Beaded Bolero

Hello friends.  I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted on this blog.  Many, many factors have conspired to prevent me from writing and also from having anything to write about.  This was a tough winter for my family.  There was a five-week period where my kids were trading germs back and forth, occasionally sharing with me or my husband.  During that period I believe there were only 4 days when both boys were in school at the same time.  Also during this time I had been bitten badly by the nesting bug, the one that causes you to clean out closets and boxes and reorganize your storage space.  Lastly, I seem to have misplaced my sewing mojo along with my camera.  I am hoping I find both soon but it's not looking good for the camera which has been MIA for more than a month.

I have been plugging along on some hand sewing projects and recently finished one that I can share with you.  This is a sleeveless bolero that I made using the pattern in Alabama Chanin's third book, Alabama Studio Sewing and Design. (This book is currently on sale on the Alabama Chanin site).  The stencil design is Angie's Fall worked in the Special Angie pattern.  The large floral designs are worked in the Relief Applique technique where the appliqued pieces are cut larger than the space where they are to appliqued.  The extra fabric creates a beautifully textured surface that I really love.  The other elements were backstitched before being filled in with black beads.  I love this bolero pattern.  It is so quick to stitch up, the surface embellishment notwithstanding. 

I realize I have yet to share my blue embroidered dress on the blog.  Now that the weather is looking conducive to wearing it I am hoping to get some real-life action shots and post them soon.  And, as soon as I find the time to clean my studio to the point where I can get some work done I am hoping to get back to my sewing machine, too.  Perhaps by then my camera will materialize.

My Birthday Dress

Not to be confused with my birthday suit :-)

Last year I made this dress in honor of my 10th wedding anniversary.

I love how easy this dress is to wear.  It is a lengthened version of my Pamela's Patterns Perfect T-Shirt and has the comfort of, well, a t-shirt.  I have wanted to make something similar ever since.

I celebrated my 50th birthday in October and decided I needed a new dress for an evening out with my husband.  I chose a simple princess line fit-and-flare dress which I have made a number of times out of wovens.  This time I decided to try it from a knit, eliminating the zipper to make this a pull-on affair.

The fabric is a tissue-weight knit from Vogue Fabrics.  The fabric is unusual in that sections of it are more sheer than others.  It is sheer enough in areas that it needed to be lined.

I used a nude, 4-way-stretch piece for the lining.  To hide the seam allowances, I underlined each dress section individually and then treated them as one.  I machine stitched the seams with a zigzag stitch and then finished them with the serger (the method I often prefer for sewing knits).  I like how the princess seams disappear in the fabric's pattern but still provide lots of nice shaping and fit. 

The sleeve hems gave me trouble.  I first tried a method I heard Sandra Betzina talk about recently in a workshop.  She stay stitches 1/2-inch from the cut edge, folds along the stitching line and zigzags just above the fold, trimming the extra fabric away after stitching.  This fabric was too unstable (even when I stitched over stabilizer).  Next I tried fusing a lightweight bias tape to the hem edge.  I solved the stability problem but now the hem stuck out in a stiff manner.  I had enough fabric left to recut the sleeves.  This time I cut the hem on a fold, making a double-layered sleeve.  I sewed the under arm seam then folded along the hem line and treated both layers as one.  This compromised the sheerness of the sleeve a bit but made for a lovely, bulk-free hem that looks very nice.

The neckline was bound with a fabric strip cut on the crosswise grain.

Already this has become a favorite, worn with a little jacket for cooler days.

My husband and I rarely exchange gifts, so imagine my surprise when I walked into my sewing room on my birthday morning and found a beautiful Alabama Chanin jacket draped on my dressform.  It was this one that I tried on when I visited their studio last November:

After I blogged about that experience, including a picture of this jacket, he contacted them and arranged to have this sent to him.  Then he held onto it for nearly a year before surprising me with it for my landmark birthday.  What a keeper (both the husband and the jacket).  I am really grateful for this beautiful heirloom piece.  It has been almost exactly one year since I traveled to Alabama for that wonderful weekend workshop.  The dress I started then is nearing completion -- it is in the construction phase, and I hope it will be finished in the next couple of weeks.  When I started that dress I proclaimed it a year-long project, and it will be just about that.  I can't wait to share it with you.

Progress!

Stitching done!  Let the cutting begin!

Corset, Chanin style

I have finally completed a project that I’ve wanted to try ever since I bought Natalie Chanin’s first book Alabama Stitch.  One of Alabama Chanin’s best-selling and most-beloved designs, the corset, “is designed to show off a woman’s best assets and enhance her natural curves. It is cut low in the front, the neckline and armholes are bound, and the back hem (measuring approximately 22 1/2” from the center back neck) is slightly longer than the front hem.”  The pattern and instructions are included in the book.

I started with four sleeveless white t-shirts that I picked up at the thrift store.  White shirts are difficult – even if just gently worn they often show stains – so try and find ones that are new.  I was lucky and found four identical white men’s t-shirts that had never been worn.

I cut two layers of each pattern piece from the tees as well as binding for the neck and armholes.  The entire top is sewn by hand.  Each seam is hand sewn and then hand felled.  The binding is also sewn on by hand using the Cretan stitch.

I made the top exactly by the pattern since it was my first rendition.  It needs a few tweaks to perfect the fit, changes I made on the paper pattern for next time.  I will also raise the neckline just a bit.

I love how this garment feels when it’s on.  It is super comfortable, and there is something about the double layer of fabric that gives it stability and hugs your body in a different way than a standard t-shirt.  Someone asked me how long it took to make this, and they were surprised when I told them eight hours.  Sure, it’s not the 1-hour tee that you can whip up on your serger, but for a completely hand-crafted garment, eight hours is not that much time to commit to.

I encourage you to try this (or another) garment inspired by the folks at Alabama Chanin.  I think you will love the way they fit, feel and flatter.