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Adventures in dressmaking
The patterns in the book have no seam allowance - not quite sure why - you have to add it manually when cutting the pattern out.
The process of making a top goes roughly like this:
1. Not that the pattern had a single front piece and two back pieces. See no reason for there to be two back pieces, so cut it on a fold of a fabric and end up with one front and one back.
2. Pin it and try it on.
3. Realise that the reason for having two back pieces is that you can't fit the top over your head unless you have a back opening with a fastener of some kind.
4. Not enough fabric to cut out two new back pieces, and cutting it in half would leave no seam allowance, so try one of the many options suggested in the book and decide to do a pinhole neckline at the front.
5. Pinhole neck needs bias binding. Go out and buy bias binding - have no idea if wide or narrow binding is needed. Am stupid enough to believe staff member in Hobbycraft who assures me that the wide binding I am holding in my hand will be fine.
6. Attempt bias binding - find that the thick binding can't cope with the tight curve of a pinhole neck. It sticks up at right angles from the fabric...
7. Cut the bias binding in half down the centre of the strip and read lots of stuff on the web about how to attach bias binding round curves.
8. Better result this time, The bias binding still sticks up a bit, but not nearly so far.
9, Find button in stash and make a loop with bias binding to fasten it across the pinhole. Of course, the button has to be slightly to one side of the centre, which is annoying when you look at it...
10. Decide that I'd like to add some short sleeves. There's just enough fabric left from the skirt to do it. I'd like sleeves with a sort of loose, floppy effect, so I cut them on the bias (some of the Sewing Bee sticks).
11. Sew first sleeve in inside-out.
12. It also seems a bit tight.
13. Hm. Tweak sleeve shape a bit to make as much space for the shoulder as possible.
14. Sew in both sleeves. It all looks good, but I really don't like the way the neckline looks with that button, and the sleeves are still a bit tight.
15. Ah, we forgot the missing seam allowance when cutting out the sleeves....
16. Decide to scrap the pinhole neck. Cut out a big, deep neckline. Remove all the old bias binding and apply new. Getting much better at bias binding now! It's definitely lying flatter, and pressing it properly helps even more.
17. THere are some slight wrinkles on the shoulders now - probably a result of the new neckline removing some of the tension in the fabric.
18. Some careful measurement reveals that I remembered the 'extra' seam allowance on the back panels, but not on the front. Hm. That's another reason why the sleeves feel tight - the fabric across the shoulders is a bit tight.
19. Decisions, decisions. I can either remove the sleeves altogether, or take them out and reduce the seam size as much as possible. It's sewn with a 2cm seam, so I could probably gain 1cm all round without totally destroying it....
It's a good thing that I regarded this entire exercise as a learning experiment!
I've learnt a lot about both fabric and technique. The skirt was old and well worn and the fabric was soft and slippery and very hard to pin and cut accurately.
I've gained a reasonable understanding of darts - I managed to alter the pattern correctly for my bust, and I also managed a slight change to the side shaping. I wanted it loose fitting, but with some slight shaping.
I now have an idea of how to modify patterns to alter the shape of sleeves.
I now know three different ways to apply bias binding and have a reasonable idea of which one to use where and why.
I will always check patterns to see if they include seam allowances!
I will try my next project with a slightly stiffer fabric (I've a second-hand duvet colour in a nice, bold pattern...)
Here's what the top looks like at present - it looks a bit crumpled as I hadn't ironed it and it had got tossed in a pile by the sewing machine overnight....
So, shall I remove the sleeves, or try resetting them in with a reduced sleeve allowance?
I mean, I could just abandon it. It's never likely to fit that well, but it's all education!
How's the picture size?
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There are some indie pattern makers I like who have a few free patterns. (They are pdf patterns you print and then tape together.
https://5outof4.com/product-category/free/free-patterns/
https://www.patternsforpirates.com/product-category/freebies/
https://www.madeformermaids.com/product-category/freebies/
https://georgeandgingerpatterns.com/collections/freebies
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But I did notice a nice pattern for paperbag shorts that I might buy one day.
It was definitely the fabric that made me want to salvage the skirt. It had a rip where I'd caught it on something, and couldn't have been neatly repaired, so it was nice to reuse the ivy pattern.
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Tip on patterns without seam allowance. Get some kraft paper or butcher paper and copy the pattern then draw in seam allowances all the way around. You can trace a pattern on the paper in pencil, then use the above muslin pattern laid flat, with all the darts taken out, to make sure it will fit your body.
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I've been using greaseproof paper which may be the same as your 'butcher' paper. I had to trace the patterns from the sheet that came with the book (it has about ten patterns all drawn on top of each other on the one sheet). I should have traced extra seam allowances at that point - we live and learn!
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The reason why patterns used to be printed without seam allowances was so that you could put the pattern piece on the fabric and mark the actual position of the seams (then cut out around those, leaving enough extra for whatever seam allowance you wanted to use). If seam allowances are included in the pattern pieces, this requires you first of all to cut out with extreme accuracy and then to sew a fixed distance in from the cut edge of the fabric in order to hit the unmarked seam line. I find it a lot easier to mark seam lines and cut out roughly, then sew up by matching the markings. (It also allows you to skimp a little when positioning pattern pieces, if you can't quite squeeze the full seam allowance all the way down; it isn't always needed.)
Modern patterns are always printed with seam allowances on them, for some reason. I never worked out how to cope when the important regions of the pattern that needed to be marked were all hidden under the paper pinned to the cloth!
On the other hand, I only know one way to apply bias binding, and have no idea how to alter sleeve shape :-)
I'm surprised the pattern directions didn't mention the requirement for a fastener on the back opening, and specify it in the list of 'notions' needed to complete the project. Or perhaps another thing to learn from the Great British Sewing Bee is the importance of reading the instructions all the way through before you start! I admit I have a tendency to work down the list in strict order without 'cheating' by reading ahead... too much novel-reading, perhaps ;-p
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I'm not sure which way I'll end up doing it yet. I think I may cut with seam allowance and then mark with chalk the actual stitch line - I think that's what I did with the top - except that I cut difference pieces at different times and missed the seam allowance on occasin.
I would assume that printed patterns come with seam allowance as it's safer that way. If you cut too big, you can still reduce - but if you cut too small and you've no more fabric, then you're totally screwed!
The book was using the same pieces for several different patterns and giving lots of techniques for doing all kinds of things, rather than going through any individual patten in great detail. ie. No list of 'bits needed', or fabric length or layouts, etc.
It is a useful book though - the pages on sleeve shaping were excellent.
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I have often watched the Sewing Bee and thought, I should try that! when it comes to the transformation challenge. Then I come to my senses, remember that I cannot sew and do not understand the relationship between pattern and finished garment, and decide not to. (I used to go through agonies when I had to provide my own costumes for our Old Time Music Hall shows. Trying to turn a second-hand bridesmaid's dress into something plausibly Edwardian was just a nightmare.
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This was my first try at something with real shape.
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It's more a comfort factor. The sleeves do look nice, but I don't have the movement range that I want.
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As for free or open/optional payment dressmaking patterns, I have some sources you might find worth a look. A lot of dressmaking patterns like that are put out by independent fabric stores, so that people will buy their fabric. Mood Fabrics, the famous garment district store in NYC has a bunch of patterns and tutorials.
https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/ <- There's their blog, the free pattern links are in the sidebar in a number of different categories. Some of the patterns are more high fashion-y than others. (They put up a post a few months ago about what they think the skill levels and difficulties involved in some of the patterns are. https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/basic-sewing-patterns-for-beginner-to-intermediate-sewists/ <- Here)
Fabrics-store . com basically sells linen. So they will always recommend you do their patterns in linen. But they do have a lot of free patterns! And probably a lot of them would work in non-linen wovens with a relatively soft drape. https://fabrics-store.com/sewing-patterns?pattern=Free+Download <- Here. You can filter by skill level and garment category in the side bar.
So-Sew-Easy is a sewing blog run by an independent pattern designer. They sell a lot of their patterns but they also have a really extensive library of free garment patterns (you can pay-as-you-wish for the free ones but they state they don't expect it) https://so-sew-easy.com/free-sewing-patterns/ <- a beginning list
Peppermint Magazine is a sustainable living publication from Australia. As part of their commitments in that direction they put sewing patterns in their monthly editions and then offer them on their website for free or Donate As You Wish. https://peppermintmag.com/sewing-school/ <- Some of these patterns are toys, but most are garments.
Those are the immediate ones that came to my mind!
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https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/the-piper-shorts-free-sewing-pattern/
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I'm learning. Long way to go, but I am happy with the progress I'm making.
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