Evening Gown turned Loungewear set more Fabric Jenga

Remember this?  I wore it once, it was a lightweight rayon jersey, and really won't get any more wear out of it.  It's time to put it into circulation.

 I had thought to chop the top off and wear it as is, but after it didn't have the weight of the skirt, the back shoulders would splay and it would fall off. Loungewear has been on my mind.

The Transformation

before & after

The bottom of the dress, will be a pair of wide legged capri pants

Using my tried and true pant pattern, I traced the curve and transferred it onto a piece of paper and over the skirt waist.

Quality control inspector

The crotch curve is cut out, then slit up the front and back fold, the edges matched to create the leg, sewn and done.  I wanted to try an uneven hem, and the dress was longer in the back and shorter in the front.  If you are going to do this at home and want to have an even hem (assuming the back is longer than the front) , you would match front panels together , and back panels together (as in the pic below), so your center front and back are on the fold, and put the pant curve on the fold (not at the side seam as below) . The front crotch seam on the front fold and the back crotch seam at the back fold.  Also, if you are using a stretchy knit, don't lower the crotch curve.  If your fabric is heavy and thin, the crotch curve will lower automatically from the weight of the fabric.

Attach some lingerie elastic to the waist, and you are done.   I like how uneven hems look, but every time I've tried to do it at home, my instinct is to fix it.  The same goes for creating deconstructed looks, I just can't leave it.  So this was a nice way to experiment with it, and If I feel like I have to fix it I will.

The top was overcast at the hem

The top back was secured with a stretch elastic to keep the shoulders together

And this is the finished product.  Some loungewear for the fall.

They are very comfortable.

This has been a good few days, some weird looking panties, silk camisole, and loungewear.  Since I've been working with elastics and that's fresh on my mind I might try another few projects with elastic.  Elastics are not that easy to master, and a warm up is essential for me.

Best laid plains and Fabric Jenga part 2? , just a cami

So after more rummaging through the bins, I found a skirt that was mine, that I just never gave away, because I loved it, had many happy occasions in it. This full skirt will give me two 1 yard panels, which will be 26" wide. 26" will be enough length for a blouse, or another skirt, or even if I wanted to be really decadent, the lining of another really nice skirt, a camisole tank top or a half slip.

 

The nice thing about repurposing is that you can take advantage of finished edges.  Here, I will take advantage of the skirt's finished bottom hem, and the center front button closure and hem on the safari top.  

I may have talked myself out of using the cream silk fabric above, because it has so much potential.... lets see what else is in the stash...  I bought this fabric, and quickly cut it into panels and sewed it up and never finished it.  It's a georgette with a yarn running through it, it is very bouncy, and inky black.  It has already been washed so no bleeding issue... could this be the "one"? 

 I pinned it on myself, and then put it on the form. Some soul searching is required here.  That will mean lopping off the bottom, that would be a lot of waste... could this work?

Haha, a bit lopsided....

What a difference a dart makes, that's better but still looks a bit slanted.

What to do... are there any other black fabrics in the stash?

Why yes there is, do you remember the evening gown I put together 4 years ago, worn once, and it's a rayon jersey, perfect for sleepwear, and there will be less waste (because I already lopped off the bottom and turned it into a skirt.  I'll just prewash the top before giving it a makeover.

Recycling is a little like fabric Jenga, but for all of my efforts.... tada!!

It looks pretty plain, but this will get a lot of wear.  I needed a tank or camisole for a shirt, I love but never wear because it's too sheer.

Here's the back, it needs a good ironing.

Had some challenges along the way, while cutting away the fabric from the lining, a dip was required, to cut out the zipper.  If you look at the back pic above, you can see the patch at top center back.

This was the patch up close.

Bias binding was applied to the neckline and armholes for a tiny facing.  All of these areas had been staystitched right after cutting.

This is the shirt, it usually gets pulled out for the holidays when the weather is cooler, because I couldn't wear it without a jacket over it.  It is very sheer despite being doubled up on the front.

No one wants to see your bra strap, but the cami is a good solution. I mean you can see the cami under the shirt, this is super sheer.

This was an excellent use of fabric because it makes a favorite shirt useable without a jacket.

I can't speculate what project will be done next.... perhaps the safari outfit will be completed.... or something else.  I'll be back for more fabric Jenga Fun!!

What else was in the scrap bin... the safari themed panty

 This was another thrift store find, a cute little camp shirt with a safari themed print.  The fabric is a heavy weight silk jacquard, with woven dots.  The underarm, shows some yellowing, as well as the inside collar.  Silk and oils are not a happy combination, so it's really important to wash those silks after wear. Some of the older silk items were made out of a heavier weight silk in general.  They stand up to washing, and wear better than most of what we can find today.  I thought the print was adorable.

Look at that pattern matching, very impressive.

The shirt won't render a lot of yardage, and it hurt to carve up the print, but what am are we saving it for?

Manufacturing observation.....

I like to see how these shirts were made, note, the lighter weight China silk yoke piece.  This makes it cheaper and has the benefit of not showing through the other side. They've saved money by not using the more expensive fashion fabric, and it's good design. I haven't seen many pattern instructions that suggest this, and it's a good way to go, especially if you just need a tiny bit more to get that shirt cut out.  You might even have a scrap already that can be used for this very thing.

The first item that will be made from this shirt is... yes you guessed it, a panty.

The Safari themed panty

  These used the last of the precut pattern pieces found in the pattern envelope, left over from a long time ago (when I thought I would make a collection, but then realized I had no elastic and had to wait and moved on to something else), the center front panel was doubled up, because I thought it looked better and it matches the weight of the print fabric better.  The elastic was super soft, so it curled quite a bit while sewing (especially where the fabric is doubled up), however, once on the body everything flattens out.  I left the black thread, because I wanted the black zig zag to show, I don't like how it looks in the pic, but when you are wearing it, you only see the zig zag on the outside, which looks fine.

Since the back piece is on the bias, I needed to piece it, so it wouldn't be one continuous diagonal black stripe. I wanted chevrons, but it also created new unexpected animal combinations.

Just another pair of outrageous panties... Yay!!

Well now, what I really need is a chemise to go over them.

Look what I found in the bin.... the next victim.....

See you tomorrow for more silliness and responsible sewing.

Who else is binge watching The Daily Connoisseur? Silk underwear

I needed to unplug, and popped on The Daily Connoisseur, on YouTube.  Really I was searching for capsule wardrobe ideas and she did a video on the importance of wearing presentable underwear, as well as sleepwear and all wear....   I had noticed that there were visible panty lines while wearing my heavy weight denim skirt.  What?  Aren't heavy weight fabrics impervious to these kinds of dangers?  Apparently not.  So what's a girl to do?  Perhaps slips are in order, but most definitely underwear.  I've made these more than once, my tried and true woven underwear pattern.

Remember these?

They had to be retired, they've lasted almost 3 years in rotation, not bad for a scrap of silk. 

I've gained weight since the pattern was drafted for these, but in the stash, there were some pieces that had been precut but never made, except for the back piece.  Fold over elastic was used instead of the traditional plush back elastic, which requires a deeper seam allowance.  The fold over elastic gave me just a little more ease.

Now don't laugh, I'm bound and determined to use the fabric in my scrap bin.

Yes, it's true, they look like the Gianni Versace logo.  These won't be worn under white pants. These were "harvested" from a 1980's thrift store track suit. If it's all I ever make from them, they were $5, but there's still plenty left, so the cost will come down lol

The Toile.

The nice thing about the silk panty, is that if  the elastic is not tight, they are almost invisible, breathable, and they feel nice against the skin.

The downside... they have to be made with a bit of ease so they don't shred (especially if the silk has no lycra in it) , and they won't wear like the polyester knit versions, but this is a scrap project.

The original pattern was Kwik Sew 2325, which was part of a chemise and robe set.

All sizes are included in the pattern which is nice.  Hmm going to have to see if the chemise pattern will fit on some scraps....

Denim Skirt with Vintage Scallops.... and a flat waistband method

I just couldn’t cut into the plaid yet without first making a toile. The denim was purchased at Joann’s for the Australian wildfire project, it was meant for a heavy duty bag, marked as made in Japan, 100% Cotton.  When they stopped taking donations, it was left in the stash.  It is a very heavy weight.... so that brought problems.  

I had tried to make a traditional waistband, but it was so bulky I decided to try something different.

I remember a couture technique that uses grosgrain ribbon, but there was none in the stash.  I thought, couldn't I make my own ribbon, it just needs to be finished on both sides, and the waist would need to be stabilized.

I cut open the original waistband and starting playing with the scallop stitch on the Bernina.  After tweaking the settings....

Scallop on one edge, overlock on the other, approximately 1 1/4" wide

The waist line was stabilized with a cotton twill tape, placed 1/2" in.

Then the waistband "tape" edge was sewn to catch the cotton twill tape.

Then it's folded over and topstitched along the scallop points.  It needs a good ironing, and the gravity feed isn't set up yet, so the backup iron will have to do.

 

I even got to try the invisible zipper foot for the machine, and it looks pretty darn good.

Scallop close up...

The trimming was a bit harrowing...

In the end it produced a very flat waistband, except for the closure area in the back, which will need a hook.  Will still need to work on it a bit to get that area less bulky.  For anyone attempting this, make sure you have bobbins prewound so you don't run out and interrupt the pattern.  The testing and final stitching took an entire bobbin's worth, and part of a second.

Now off to Joann's for a bit of fray check!  May have to try another skirt next!