sewing projects

all posts related to sewing projects, patterns I’ve used, and sewing related goals or tips

The Reveal: Refashioners 2016 & Gertie’s Butterick 5882

The Big Reveal: Refashioners 2016 and Gertie's Butterick 8882, the artyologist

Hooray! I didn’t wait until the last possible moment to finish up my entry for The Refashioner’s 2016. This is a record, I think. I was fully expecting myself to leave it to the last week, (day? hour?) but I actually finished this project up last Wednesday- with a full week and a half to spare! (Let’s just overlook the fact that it took me 8 weeks to get the project done, even though it actually only took three afternoons of sewing to construct it. . . hehe.)

When I first heard about the Refashioners 2016 challenge at the beginning of August, I was intrigued, but also a bit apprehensive. I am not a denim girl. I used to wear blue jeans all the time, but in the last few years, they haven’t found much of a place in my wardrobe. Not that I hate denim, I just don’t seem drawn to it as much as I used to be. I did at one point have a pair of skinnies that I liked to pair with my fur coat as it made me feel rather hip 😉 but they have worn out now, and the only other pair are designated for painting and other messy home renovation projects (designated as such, because they are covered in paint). So, even though I loved the idea of taking part in the challenge- I had to think seriously about what I could make that I would actually want to wear after I made it- and I came up with the answer: a retro styled bustier/playsuit top. (And just in time to put it away for winter too! What ridiculous timing. . . )

The Big Reveal: The Refashioners 2016 and Gertie's Butterick, second view, the artyologist

So, in case you are here only to see the details, here they are first, and then I will continue after this to ramble on about how I made it, what mistakes I made (what? mistakes!?), and whether I will make it again. Oh, and show you a billion more photos too.

The Low Down:

  • Butterick Patterns by Gertie 5882 bodice pattern
  • Dark denim bodice made out of the bottom cutoffs of my sister’s old jeans
  • Light denim pleated inset made out of the back piece of the pant legs of my brother’s ripped jeans
  • Floral lining made out of a remnant from a past project
  • Boning leftover from a past project
  • A recycled vintage zipper from the stash
  • Thread we already owned
  • Cost= $0.00, since everything was from the stash!

The Big Reveal: The Refashioners 2016 and Gertie's Butterick, details, the artyologist

My inspiration, and details that I wanted to include in the final project:

  • A winged “collar” or any other bust detail for interest
  • 1″ crisscrossed or straight straps. No halter straps as I find they give me headaches 🙁
  • Ideally, I wanted to make the top out of patterned or coloured denim, or utilize two different washes of blue denim for contrast and interest
  • I thought about using topstitching or preserving some of the flatfelled seams, but it ended up coming across as “biker chick” rather than “vintage girl”
  • I was nervous about sewing with a stretch denim, but decided to do it so the top would be more comfortable for hot summer days (note that this pattern is designed for woven, but I was able to sew the stretch just fine. I also cut my lining on the bias, so that it would have some stretch too.)
  • I wanted to try out an exposed zipper, since I was planning on a centre back zipper anyways. Now that the exposed zipper trend is now. . .  you know. . . going out of style and all that. I’ve never been one for following the trends anyways 😉
  • In the spirit of the challenge, I wanted it to be made out of all recycled or remnant materials

inspiration for playsuit top the artyologist

photo source: 1, 2, 3 (my Grandma’s wedding dress) & 4

I have seen several fitted bodice tops like this before, such as this one from Deadly Dames, and I really like them, as they are an easy summer option to pair perfectly with 1950’s style skirts. My original plan was to take a tried-and-true dress pattern that I have, bone it, and then add a collar flip to the top neckline. This was a popular style of bodice in the 1950’s, as I have seen several patterns utilize a detail like that, and even my Grandma’s wedding dress from the 1950’s has a collar flip like that. The Sweetheart Sundress pattern from Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing uses this detail as well. I’ve always liked this style, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it out. Well, as you can see from the finished garment, I obviously didn’t end up sticking with that plan, and here’s why.

first-try_edited-1

Left: the failed first try. Right: so many different colours in one pair of jeans!

I started with an old faded pair of stretch jeans from my sister, (just to test things out first) cut out the pattern, sewed it up, tried it on, and then decided that it just didn’t have enough structure (as I was planning to wear this without any other underpinnings). It just felt like the bodice was the wrong shape, even with the addition of boning, and I thought that I would always feel slightly uncomfortable wearing it. I also wasn’t happy with the shape of the top neckline. After fiddling with it for a while, I decided to change plans. (Which is not unheard of during my sewing projects!)

pattern-and-materials

Top: The cutoffs, lining and zipper. Right: I don’t think anyone minded me cutting these jeans up. Used for the inset bust detail. Right: Butterick 5882 pattern

The other option I had run across when deciding what to make for the challenge, was the bodice of Gertie’s Butterick 5882 pattern. I had not used this pattern before, but have wanted to for a while. We got it when it first came out which was. . . a few years ago, and there it was still waiting in the pattern drawer. This was the perfect project to try the pattern out on, and get all of the potential fitting issues out of the way, before I committed to making the dress out of a more expensive material. I am happy to say that we did manage to get the majority of the fitting issues out of the way, so next time should be a breeze. Also, it was an exciting pattern to make, as it was my first time using boning, sewing a shelf bust style, and sewing with a heavier denim material.

cutting-out-and-too-much-ease

Left: Pattern placement on the denim cutoffs- perfect amount of material! Right: A bit too much ease I would say. . .

I chose to cut out the pattern at a size 16, as I thought it would be better to cut it out one size too big, as a test run, than a size too small. However, when I basted the seams up and tried it on . . . there was a lot of ease. I could’ve omitted the two back pieces and it still would have fit. So, I cut the pieces down to a size 12, which fit much better, though I did still end up taking some material out of the centre front pieces, the sides and the back to get better fit. I also sewed the front seams with a curve as pictured (below) for a nice smooth front. Also note, since this was a refashioning project and I was working with limited material, I cut the centre front piece as two separate pieces, and seamed it up the front.

boning

Top: I curved the front seams in a little bit, for a closer fit. Bottom: The boning sewn into place on the lining.

Once we had gotten the majority of the bodice fitting down, the rest of the top went together pretty straightforwardly. The boning went in much easier than I was anticipating. I don’t know what I was anticipating, but I was expecting it to be hard, I guess. The kind of boning I used had a pre-sewn channel which was nice. Considering how nice of a fit, and the structure that the boning created, I am now hooked and thinking of all the other projects I can bone! I now see why so many vintage patterns use boning- it just makes a really nice structured bodice, eliminates crumpling and fits really well.

seams

Left: The ill fated seam of doom. I sewed it wrong, but it was also very thick! There were a lot of layers of denim in that seam. Right: You can see the exposed raw edge a bit in this picture (right where the strap meets the front). It is covered from the right side by the strap. Bottom: Sewing the strap down covered up the problem.

The bra pieces went together nicely, with no problems there, but are you ready for the mistake I mentioned? 🙁 I lost track of where my notches were, and accidentally trimmed the seams, so when I sewed the front pleated bra pieces on to the bodice bottom, I placed them too close to the edge, which meant that the raw edges couldn’t be completely encased in the lining seam. At this point though (it was several steps down the road when I realized the mistake and I had already graded the seams) I was not about to take it apart again and move them in. So, instead, to save the situation, I just flipped the straps down instead of twisting them like the pattern calls for. I don’t mind the look, even though it did widen out the neckline more than originally planned. I have seen these bustier tops with every kind of strap under the sun, though, so no one will even notice. Right? I also stitched the straps down all around the front, underneath the inset too, as it kept trying to flip up. I also decided to criss cross the straps across the back, so that I will not have a problem with them slipping off my shoulders.

zipper

Top Left: Removing the teeth from the zipper (sounds painful!) Top Right: The correct length. Bottom Left: Sewing in the zipper. Bottom Right: Slipstitching the lining over the raw edges of the back zipper seam.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I wanted to include an exposed zipper up the back. My criteria for a zipper was one that had brass teeth, as I think that it suits the denim better than a silver zipper would. (And I’m not much of a silver girl anyways.) I originally was going to purchase a navy, separating zipper with brass teeth, since we didn’t already have one that was the correct colour. But apparently, a navy zipper with brass teeth is an impossible thing to want. So, all options exhausted, I looked through the stash again, and found this lovely aged one that came from who knows where. Originally it had been rejected, since it is khaki not navy, but then I decided that it would work fine, and would be even better than purchasing a new zipper as it would keep in the spirit of recycling and reusing. It was too long, but I simply removed some of the teeth with pliers, reinserted the zipper stop, and cut it to size and it works perfectly. Once the zipper was sewn in- I was done! And then I had to wait a few days to take these pictures, because it decided to be fall time all of a sudden.

The Big Reveal: The Refashioners 2016 and Gertie's Butterick, back view, the artyologist

So, would I make this pattern again? Yes! In fact, my original plan for the refashion was to not use blue denim at all, but to use a tan and cream, polka dot pair of jeans I found at the thrift store. However, once I had had the one detour along the way, I decided to continue making the top out of the old denim scraps, instead of cutting into the other pair. That way I could work out any kinks along the way, and then when I cut into the polka dot pair, I can avoid the mistakes of the first trial run. So basically, this denim one is a wearable muslin, and the polka dot one is going to be the next project! Also, I like how this pattern goes together, and fits, so I am planning on making it at some point as a dress, as it was originally designed to be 🙂

So, in conclusion, I am really glad that I found out about the Refashioners 2016 challenge in time to take part this year. I liked the challenge of using a material I would normally not be drawn to, and finding a way around those limitations to end up with a garment that I like- and I do really like how this top turned out. It is completely different than anything I have in my wardrobe, and after looking at it for a while- maybe I am more of a denim girl than I thought I was at first!

So did any of you participate in the Refashioners 2016 Challenge? Or, even if you didn’t take part in the contest, have you ever refashioned something into something completely different? And, what are your thoughts towards denim? Is denim something you are drawn to, or like me, would it take a bit of convincing to make it a part of your wardrobe?

The Big Reveal: The Refashioners 2016 and Gertie's Butterick,zipper detail, the artyologist

Complimentary windy weather petticoat

The Big Reveal: The Refashioners 2016 and Gertie's Butterick, another portrait, the artyologist

The Big Reveal: The Refashioners 2016 and Gertie's Butterick, bust detail, the artyologist

A very awkward photograph. . .

The Big Reveal: The Refashioners 2016 and Gertie's Butterick, back detail, the artyologist

The Big Reveal: The Refashioners 2016 and Gertie's Butterick, full outfit, the artyologist

Taking Part in The Refashioners Challenge 2016

Taking Part in the Refashioner's Challenge- The Artyologist

Have you heard about the Refashioners Challenge before? I had vaguely heard something about it last year, in the days before I had a blog, and I never really looked into what it was all about. Then just last week I saw a link to the blog, The Makery, and it caught my eye, especially as last week I was posting about my latest refashioning project, and since taking part in Fashion Revolution, I have pledged to become more conscious in my wardrobe. I took a look at what the challenge is, and I have decided that I am going to be taking part this year!

The gist behind the Refashioners challenge is taking something that we usually toss out, (basically an end of life garment) and turning it into something new, but it is not a simple challenge- oh no there are guidelines! Last year’s challenge was a men’s button up shirt, which people made some great things from! This years challenge is: jeans. Basically it is wide open- take a pair, or multiple pairs, of jeans, and refashion them into something new.

Oh, did I also mention that there are two great prize packages worth over £1000!!!! And the contest is open worldwide!

Taking part in the Refashioners, pincushion, the artyologist

But I think that the challenge this year is going to make us all work for that prize! Jeans are a tough one for me, as there isn’t much fabric to work with, and I don’t really wear denim all that much. I used to live in jeans, but since converting to a vintage style of dress, I hardly wear them anymore. Not that you can’t have vintage style denim- I’ve just never found any that fit yet, and I’ve not gotten around to sewing any yet.

So, I had to think long and hard about what I could make from a pair of jeans that:

1. Would use such a minimal amount of fabric

2. I could piece, without it ending up looking like a hippie patchwork. Other people totally rock that style, but I wouldn’t like to wear it myself.

3.Which brings me to- would I actually wear it? That would be the key- something I would want to wear afterwards. As that is pretty much the whole point of refashioning 🙂 I am not a fan of the faded, washed denim style, so any jeans I use, will need to look fresh, not faded, and I will need to be able to make them into something that doesn’t look too “crafty” if you know what I mean.

the refashioners challenge, jeans, the artyologist

But the thought of overcoming the challenge, the satisfaction of refashioning something old into something new, being part of this online community, and- oh yeah- the amazing prize packages, really drew me in and so I decided that I would join in.

The challenge runs until the end of September, so if you are thinking of joining in you’ve still got plenty of time! (Did I mention the amazing prize packages yet???)

I’m not giving any hints yet as to what I have decided to do, and I am still in the planning stages- as I need to hit up a thrift store for the perfect pair of jeans, (remember I don’t have any old pairs lying around!) but it is definitely going to be vintage inspired. I am going to try and keep as many original denim details in the final design, so that it is obvious that it was a refashioned piece, hopefully without making it look too “crafty”.

Oh, and of course, this challenge would come along, right as my summer/fall gets busy, so the pressure is on.

Time to get sewing!

Have you heard about the Refashioners Challenge before?
Are you planning on taking part?

the refashioners challenge, patterns, the artyologist

No, I am not making any of these things, I just wanted to include a picture of sewing related stuff!

An Almost Vintage Skirt of Recycled Fabric

an almost recycled skirt of vintage fabric the artyologist

This could also be titled as “The World’s Easiest Skirt Pattern”. 🙂 When I sewed up my dutch wax print skirt, and refashioned my black floral, I realized just how much I love pleated skirts. After completing Me Made May, I decided that I needed more of these skirts in my life as they are so easy to wear, and are comfortable and practical for everyday. When I was deciding what fabric to use, I remembered this vintage sheet I picked up a a flea market a couple of months ago, so I decided to recycle the fabric into a skirt. I absolutely love the pattern on the fabric- is it just me or were vintage linens so much nicer than today’s?

skirt construction the artyologist

I used the same easy method as the other skirts, which pretty much involves creating a curved waistband to fit your waist measurement, plus seam allowances. I have found that a slightly curved band is better than a straight rectangle, as bodies are typically not straight, so if it is curved in, the waistband will not gape on you. I didn’t use a pattern for this, I seriously just “eyeballed” the curve for this band and traced to create a mirror image for both sides. To this, I cut a front and back rectangle, and pleated it into the waist circumference (no real math at play, just pleating and fiddling until it fit!) To create something different, so all of the garments in my wardrobe are not exactly the same, I decided to add ties to the waistband this time. I think they give a bit of a fun twist. I sewed the two ties separately, and then inserted them between the zipper (which I had saved off another garment, hence the title of this post) and the waistband when sewing them together. Thus, the raw edges were encased, and the ties wrap around to the front. The skirt took me only about 4 hours start to finish. Well, not including the time that it took to cut the material, I guess. When I went to lay out the fabric, I discovered that somewhere along the way someone had used this sheet as a dropcloth or something, and there was orange paint splattered across it! I had to do some strategic measuring and cutting to avoid all the splatters- but it was successful, as none of the paint shows on the final garment! The joys of vintage material I guess. 😉 I actually love projects like this as they recycle something that would otherwise be discarded. The skirt turned out nicely and qualifies as a Make do and Mend garment, I think, as well as almost being vintage, as the materials to make it were. . .

waistband detail the recycled skirt the artyologist

So, onto the outfit! The skirts debut, the very next day, was for an afternoon of shopping on Edmonton’s Whyte Ave. My best friend came for a visit (as I already mentioned before), so we took the opportunity to go shopping, and Whyte Ave is a pretty fun place filled with lots of lovely little shops and restaurants. (I also found the best little store called Rowena, which carries a whole host of vintage reproduction brands I’ve never been able to find in a brick-and-mortar store! I was like a kid in a candy shop- and I have an outfit post with the dress I bought, next week!)

the entirely recycled fabric skirt the artyologist

the entirely recycled skirt the artyologist

We had a lovely time shopping, but I didn’t get any outfit photos while we were there, which is too bad as there are so many historical brick buildings that would’ve served as a nice backdrop. I was too busy catching up with my friend, though, to stop for pictures, so we got these pictures later. I paired the skirt with a modern ruffled blouse, and my lovely vintage straw boater I got at an antique sale a few years ago. The lining in this hat is so shredded I can barely pick out any of the label, the only words left read “Knox New York”. I did a google search and came up with this article about the Knox hat company, but as it appears they made men’s hats, I’m not sure of the history of this piece.  It is lovely though, and in very good shape too, despite the label being in disrepair. I would’ve liked to have paired this outfit with my cognac kiltie loafers, but as they are not broken in yet, I thought an afternoon spent walking would be better suited to my tried and true brown flats. Sometimes style must be sacrificed for comfort, as much as I hate to admit it 🙁

Anyways, I’ve already worn this skirt several times since I made it, and it is quickly becoming a favourite in my wardrobe. Do you ever find yourself gravitating towards sewing or wearing the same things over and over again?

Outfit details:

Hat- vintage from an antique sale

Shirt- secondhand

Skirt- made by me out of a sheet from a flea market

Earrings- Joe Fresh from a year ago

Shoes- Josef Seibel

Purse- bought in England

vintage knox straw boater the artyologist

the entirely recycled fabric skirt the artyologist

an almost recycled skirt of vintage fabric the artyologist

vintage straw boater the artyologist

vintage knox boater the artyologist

Me Made May 2016; Now That It’s Over. . .

me made may roundup the artyologist

So, the month of May is over and with that comes the end of the Me Made May challenge! It was a neat experience participating in this online event for the first time, and it was fun to see how many people were taking part over on Instagram. (The majority of the photos are gathered under #mmmay16, if you want to go and see)

Now that the month is over (and I am a week late in writing this) (and really where did May go so fast!!??) it is time to think about what I learned from the challenge. I wrote about my reason for joining in in this post here, and over at Zoe’s blog you can read about the whole thing. The main idea is to evaluate your wardrobe, and show the garments you’ve made a bit of love and appreciation. My challenge to wear each of my homemade garments was a good challenge for me, because I have some homemade garments I literally never reach for, so it was good to wear them and evaluate, “Why don’t I wear this? Why is this not the first thing I reach for when getting dressed?”. Here are my thoughts, and lessons learned, as well as what I need to focus on now in my sewing projects. . .

me made may roundup 2 the artyologist

  • I grabbed a dress first almost every day. For me, dresses are my go to: they are so easy. I don’t have to worry about coordinating my separates, or the fact that my blouse is coming untucked, or try too hard to get an ensemble that looks “put together”. I just throw on a dress, grab some shoes, maybe a hat and a purse and I’m done! I wore my handmade dresses, such as the seersucker dress, and black rayon dirndl dress, over and over throughout the month (I just didn’t take a picture each time haha!) So, I definitely need to add more dresses into the list of projects. And as far as what kind: full skirted dresses are my first love!
  • I work from home, so I don’t get dressed to the nines each morning, with fancy dresses, petticoats, hats, gloves, and high heels. When I am at my desk, comfort is key. BUT, I still want to look classy and put together! I found that my pleated skirts are two of the other garments I reached for over and over again. I often paired them with a solid t-shirt, or peasant blouse. Are t-shirts vintage? Nope, not really, but on a casual stay-at-home day, or a really hot day where I think I might just melt into a puddle, t-shirts are great. If I pair them with a vintage style skirt though, rather than jeans for example, I still get the “look”, but I stay comfortable. Those two skirts I made were sooooo easy to make. I really need to whip up a couple more.
  • I have a wardrobe that is full of patterns. I love patterns, but unfortunately, most of the patterns are different florals that don’t coordinate with each other. I need to focus on bringing some more solids into my wardrobe, so the patterns can shine and not compete with each other. On that note, the two hats I made, only coordinate with a select few garments I have in my closet. So, either I need to focus on making hats that will go well with lots of my garments, or make more garments that will coordinate with my hats. I hate it when you don’t have a hat that “goes” with an outfit, and yet you know that the outfit would look so much better if it did have a coordinating hat!

me made may roundup 3 the artyologist

And lastly, what did I not reach for?

  • Like I said, fancy party dresses are not something I wear on a consistent basis. (Maybe I just need to go to more parties. . . .) I definitely wear them on occasion, and I do like to dress up a bit fancier for church, but even then, I would be more likely to wear a rayon or brushed cotton, than a taffeta or silk. I never once wore my beautiful floral “garden party” dress during the month of May, but I do have an event coming up in June that I am planning on wearing it to. I still definitely want to keep these few fancier options in my closet, for those few times a year when I need a cocktail dress, however, perhaps my sewing hours would be better suited to sewing some more “everyday” garments, before I start focusing on the fancy dresses.
  • I never once reached for my pants. I only wore them on the last day, so that I could say that I had done it! 😉 I just find dresses and skirts so much more comfortable. (which is funny considering that most people consider pants to be more comfortable. . . ) Obviously I need pants for occasions like: digging up the garden, walking through tall grass and weeds where you don’t want your legs to get all scratched up to shreds, or going tobogganing (for example), but for daily use, I just don’t wear them. However, when I did wear them, I liked them well enough, so maybe I just need to take note to remember to wear them more often. I recently purchased Wearing History’s Smooth Sailing Trousers, as I have heard good things about that pattern, so perhaps I should sew those up sooner rather than later.

Overall it was great to participate in the challenge, and I certainly did pay more attention to what I have, what I wore, and what I should make to fill in those “holes”, so I would consider the challenge a success! Have you ever taken part in the Me Made May challenge? Or have you ever stopped to do a thorough evaluation of your wardrobe?

me made may roundup 4 the artyologist

Portraiture and Me Made May 2016

the artyologist self portrait with straw hat

You know when you have a bunch of photos to post and you don’t really have anything to say about them? Yep, that would be the case with these.

I was trying to take a picture of what I wore, earlier this week, because I am taking part in Me Made May this year, and then I just decided, why not do a self portrait photo shoot? I used to take self portraits when I lived on my own, but now my sister usually takes outfit photos for me, since we live together. She wasn’t around so I decided to play around with the self portrait style again. That’s why these images have a bit more serious of a style- usually when she is taking photos the majority of the photos end up being outtakes where I am either laughing or making funny faces. Usually making funny faces 😉

the artyologist image of tulips and portrait for me made may

But anyways, yes I am participating in Me Made May, which I was going to blog about on here, and 7 days into the month I still haven’t done so! Oops: time flies by! I, of course, decided to join at the last moment- literally on the 1st of the month when I saw a bunch of people posting photos of their outfits on the morning of 🙂 The idea behind Me Made May is to wear the clothes you have made yourself. I never participated before because I just don’t have enough homemade items to last an entire month (without recycling outfits I mean, which would be super boring for a documented challenge) But I still wanted to participate, so I came up with a twist on the challenge. I do have a fair share of garments, and odds and ends like purses and hats that I have made for myself, yet never seem to reach for on a daily basis. So, my challenge is to wear EACH of my homemade garments and accessories at least once this month. (While I will actually wear some of them many times, I won’t bore you with taking pictures of them over and over!) This challenge of course excludes seasonally inappropriate garments as well. (Unless it snows this month- not unheard of- although I sincerely hope not!) I’ll be posting my pictures, when I take them, on instagram, and I’ll probably do a round up here as well.

the artyologist image of tulips

Anyways, if you want to find out about Me Made May 2016 you can just click on that little button on the side that says “#MMM16I’m taking part”, (go figure!) and it will take you to the page of the lady who is hosting it.

the artyologist self portrait for me made may

And, well there you go. I said I didn’t have anything to say, and here I have managed to ramble on for a few paragraphs 🙂

the artyologist self portrait

the artyologist image of tulips

Oh and aren’t these tulips sweet? My lovely sister got them for me as a wonderful Spring surprise!