One Week One Pattern, numero dos!
Don’t you love how the more times you make a pattern the faster it is to finish? That’s one of the great things about this challenge and repeat pattern sewing.
I whipped this shirt up in a couple hours. You can see the first version of my self drafted top here.
It’s basically the same idea as last time but I shortened the sleeve cuffs.
The fabric is a feather printed, rayon jersey from Fabric.com which is drape-y and soft and very light weight.
Suzanne made a really cool sleeveless top out of the same fabric (in a different colorway).
I’ve got one more top to make before the week is over!
On a side note – this is the first time I’ve worn these shorts since last summer (ok, more like October) and I have a problem. I’ve lost weight.
At the end of last summer I took the buttons off these shorts and reattached them further towards the sides. This made the waist smaller when buttoned because even back then I wanted them a little tighter.
Now I put them back on (these shorts are also part of my Shorts and Shirts Summer Wardrobe I’m making this year) and not only are they still a little loose in the waist but the legs seem huge! They were never tight shorts to begin with but now they look like I’m wearing an A-line mini skirt. I don’t remember them feeling this large last year.
In most cases losing weight would be a good thing, right? Not for those who sew. Now I have to go back and alter these shorts. I’ll have to take out the hem and re-finish the seams and re-hem again. Ugh. I am annoyed because I hate hate hate having to make alterations on something handmade after it’s been finished.
If you loose a lot of weight you’ll need to get a full new wardrobe but even losing (or gaining) a small amount of weight can be frustrating, too, when the clothes you spent so much time making don’t fit any more!
I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if I was one of those people who spend hundreds of dollars on a very customized dressform that matches your exact measurements and then went up or down a size! Or maybe that’s a good motivator to stay a certain weight so you don’t waste that investment?
Have any other sewers had this problem? Did you alter all the clothes you sewed to fit your new size or just make all new clothes?
I call this phenomenon ” sewing at a moving target” and it is incredibly frustrating. I sewed a ton of things when I was pregnant, and although I made most of them with stretch or adjustability … Now that I’ve lost 55 lbs and gone through a roller coaster of bra sizes while breastfeeding, almost nothing I’ve ever sewn or fitted fits me now.
That’s the perfect term for it. Would it be wrong to push off pregnancy just so you won’t grow out of your handmade clothes?
It is something I have thought about. I would like to lose a few pounds – or twenty. So should I spend $300 on a dress form that fits now or wait until I lose weight – when that day may never come? I’ve decided to buy a cheaper one. That’s my compromise. I’m looking on Kijiji and Ebay to see if I can get one for about $100 including postage ( I live in Canada). I figure I can resell it when the time comes that I need a smaller size. I expect I will be so thrilled to have lost the weight that I will be eager to sell the one I plan to buy now.
I guess that’s why I have the cheap-y adjustable size dress form. It’s not an exact match for me by any means but at least I can make the main parts bigger or smaller if I change size.
Love love love that feather print! Unfortunately weight loss is not a problem I have yet experienced but I live in hope, lol!!
Px
Thanks Portia! Hey, you never know what the future holds 😉
That print is awesome! I have admit that right now I am in love with rayon blends. Your top looks great.
!! I, too, am in love with rayon and rayon blends! I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the soft drape-y texture?
Oooh! I also love that fabric. And your self-drafted top looks so breezy and fun to wear!
I love that feather print!! I just might go stalk some of it… different colorway you say??
I feel pretty lucky that my weight doesn’t fluctuate too much (yet) but there have been garment’s I’ve made where I leave a wiiiiidddeee seam allowance because I’m just waiting for the day when a massive alteration will be needed!! I don’t really plan for weight loss because – if I’m honest with myself – it ain’t gonna happen! I’d need to exercise for that and – yeah. not gonna happen!
I totally feel your pain with alterations. I’d rather make a whole new garment then pick apart my stitches. Ugh! Total pain! Good for you for sticking to it though!!
Me, too, I figure if I made the garment I should have got all the fitting done right the first time. Having to make alterations is kind of like I failed at making the thing from the start. I know that’s not exactly the case here, but still, it’s annoying.
Love what you did with this fabric!! I need more of it now!!
I’m jealous of your tops!
Totally dig that feather print and top! My weight doesn’t fluctuate, but my shape/measurements do. It’s a little infuriating as a seamstress, but definitely keeps me sweating 🙂
I have often altered clothes I made YEARS ago and still wear, if there’s something about them I want to change. My weight doesn’t fluctuate much, but styles do change, and sometimes I alter things to make them look more current. Sometimes I alter because there was something about the fit that always bugged me, and I finally decided to fix it. I just altered an A-line skirt I made a couple years ago with my pattern drafting software, and it was not a good shape. I used a commercial pattern and recut it, practically remaking the whole skirt except for the waistband. It was worth it. Now it looks good.
Karel! Welcome to the blog. I think I haven’t been sewing long enough to make major changes to a homemade garment but I have altered store bought clothes to look extremely different.
I love the print! And even though you lost weight, you look great!
hey thanks!
That print is wonderful! It works so well with that shape. As for losing weight – for me I can stay the same weight on the scale, but one pair of pants can fit totally different one day to the next. I’ve just started sewing so I haven’t had the annoyance of self-made clothes not fitting anymore, but the STACKS of lovely suits and trousers that I’ve had tailored – that really hurts! It’s motivation to stay on a routine and not get too lazy or too crazy about eating healthy. I don’t know how people stay the same weight and measurements consistently. What is their secret?!
I will usually fluctuate up to a couple inches here or there throughout the month (which I found from doing my basic measurements regularly) even if my weight stays about the same. But with built in ease in a garment I usually don’t have to worry about something being too tight (*crossing fingers*).
That’s a bummer about the suits! Tailoring can get so expensive!