May challenge for those Lazy Bums

My challenge this month was to make a T shirt, from fabric which has been lurking for over a year. What excuses can I make?

Pure idleness!
So the challenge was issued, just as I had got the fabric out and the pattern ready anyway! Lucky lucky!

I think this may be a Liberty print jersey- it is certainly William Morris inspired, with a dark blue background, and those lovely colours in the print, slightly muted, but singing to me. 

 Top-stitching round curves is not as easy as it might be...  but helps stop the facing escaping.

The facing was interfaced with iron on stretch interfacing, which is different from my last stretch interfacing, more stretchy? I think it may be better for this project. It is very light weight!

I do like a slightly longer T shirt than is currently available in the shops, so making it oneself is the sensible option. I also like the bell sleeve, which I redrafted from a straight sleeve, for a previous T shirt A little cooler than the straighter version.

And I overlocked all the seams, just hemming and topstitching with the standard machine. It went together super quick, and is very comfortable.

The hem is done with a twin needle, designed for stretch fabric. Not a ball point twin, but a stretch twin. It makes all the difference!

Dressed

You remember that fabric?

This was found at the Cloth shop, in Culcheth, if you are anywhere near it is well worth a poke around- she does all sorts of haberdashery and trims, as well as other craft supplies..

 well, it progressed, to this,












 and then to this...

and my daughter was kind enough to take a few photos.

Yes, the head is cut off deliberately...  it is the DRESS you are looking at, not me!







Oh, all right then- I will admit to being me!

and just for good measure, the next couple of shots are what goes on after midnight, when your self timer on the camera is maximum 10 seconds!

The invisible woman struck again!

















For the record, I cut most of the fabric out, all bar the black sections, on Friday night, and worked on Saturday 'morning', so after I had had lunch, I started sewing. There is an invisible zip in there, but I do not have an invisible zip foot, so I checked out the Burda tutorial for fitting one with the wrong foot- hey, it worked!!! and that took some time, I took a break for supper of about two hours-ish, and I finished sewing about ten past midnight. I reckon I took 6 1/2 hours to complete it, down to hems and everything.

I used my walking foot for a lot of the seams, and also my overlocker,  ( serger for the American element) so most seams are sewn twice.

On that showing, I reckon GBSB is safe from me, don't you? 

but the walking foot was a dream for sewing the jersey fabric. and I would definitely use it again!

Burda pattern 124 from magazine 9-2012

Fallen...

Well, I didn't really say I wouldn't buy more fabric... and when I saw this, well, would you have left it behind? OK, yes, you probably would have left it behind, but I didn't. It came home with me.




























I had a dress in mind. No pattern, but a dress. So I trawled through all my patterns, and have come up with one. Designed ( wouldn't you know) for woven fabric. And this is a knit. It is a soft, lightweight jersey. and, of course, I want a contrast band. Black, I thought, though a plummy maroon would work. What have I not got? A soft jersey in black or plummy maroon. I have lycra, but it is shiny, and for this, I think, shiny will not be right. I have tape to stabilise shoulder seams, I have stretch interfacing. I do not have soft black jersey. And I do not fancy doing contrast bands in this same fabric. I think it would be too busy and confusing...

So, just now my sewing space looks like this...


Magazines laid out on the ironing board while I looked for the right pattern..

Pattern diagram laid on the floor so I could crawl all over it to get my pieces..

 and everything else turned upside down to hunt for all the missing necessary items I couldn't find... I will find even less now...




But you can't be creative without making a mess, can you.... Perhaps I shouldn't ask.....

And, I couldn't resist, look at these crocus, singing their little hearts out!

They make me smile!