Sewing Lessons & FAQ

[December]

I got a hole in one of my vintage dresses and took it for my Grandma to mend.

She got a bit of fabric in a similar colour and some iron-on wonderweb and stuck the fabric to the back of the hole, fiddling with the frays so they were sort of "weaved" and disguised the hole.

It worked brilliantly- you'd have no idea the hole was there now.

 

[MirandaFern]

One more question! This pattern is described as being '40s, but for some reason it doesn't seem as.. swooshy. Do you agree with the dating? Early or middle part of the decade?

Do you have a pattern company or style number?

 

[Lauren]

Cici, looks like a New York pattern from the late 40s to me

 

[HepKitty]

I got a hole in one of my vintage dresses and took it for my Grandma to mend.

She got a bit of fabric in a similar colour and some iron-on wonderweb and stuck the fabric to the back of the hole, fiddling with the frays so they were sort of "weaved" and disguised the hole.

It worked brilliantly- you'd have no idea the hole was there now.

wow that does sound brilliant, thank you for sharing

 

[kymeratale]

ARGH!

:rage:

Please, oh please, tell me that I will get faster at this whole sewing thing as I go.

Everything is taking me forever to do. Plus, I keep making stupid mistakes that require ripping out seams or stitches. I just put bias tape for an armhole on the wrong side.

Once I get everything sorted out, it seems to work. I have finished a 6-gore skirt that came out beautifully, complete with me doing extra fitting with darts and things. Even the zipper came out perfectly. It just takes so damn long.

I have a pair of pants and a halter top that I thought would go together fairly quickly. Then, I spent the better part of 2 hours on the top to finish 3 seams, reinforce the armholes and screw up the bias tape.

I am trying to cut myself some slack since pretty much everything I am doing I am doing for the first time. First skirt, first pair of pants, first top...

I will get faster right? RIGHT?

How long did it take you experienced ladies to get up to a decent speed when you started out?

 

[kamikat]

You will get faster, I promise. Like any skill, it just takes practice. Think about learning to drive. You weren't a perfect driver the first time out, but some time along the way, it became second nature. How long it takes to get good varies from person to person. I think for me, it took several years. But the lovely and talented AmyJean was great right away (at least it looked that way to me).

 

[crwritt]

:rage:

Please, oh please, tell me that I will get faster at this whole sewing thing as I go.

Everything is taking me forever to do. Plus, I keep making stupid mistakes that require ripping out seams or stitches. I just put bias tape for an armhole on the wrong side.

Once I get everything sorted out, it seems to work. I have finished a 6-gore skirt that came out beautifully, complete with me doing extra fitting with darts and things. Even the zipper came out perfectly. It just takes so damn long.

I have a pair of pants and a halter top that I thought would go together fairly quickly. Then, I spent the better part of 2 hours on the top to finish 3 seams, reinforce the armholes and screw up the bias tape.

I am trying to cut myself some slack since pretty much everything I am doing I am doing for the first time. First skirt, first pair of pants, first top...

I will get faster right? RIGHT?

How long did it take you experienced ladies to get up to a decent speed when you started out?

I don't know about speed, but my skills have improved. I've been sewing since I was about 12 years old. I make fewer goofs and have more patience correcting them when they happen. Take your time,
its not a race. I've sewn whole seams with no thread in the bobbin. I have a pile of sewing projects I probably won't ever finish because I got to some point on them and decided I just didn't like something about them. I find I make more mistakes if I stay up late at night sewing, and even more if I forget to wear my glasses!

 

[Lottie]

I find I make more mistakes if I stay up late at night sewing

Oh yes!
I've been sewing since i'm 12 or so, and just recently I started finishing projects in just a few days. Before that, it took me weeks to finish them. (it may sound odd or "duh!"-ish, but I've noticed a big improvement since I've started checking the patters if they'd fit my measurements before cutting and sewing. never did that before (impatient teenager, I guess.. ) and i've ALWAYS spent a major amount of time fixing the waist and back width. very annoying!)

 

[Lauren]

Ditto what everyone says. I think we all make mistakes! We're not robots!
I can't sew late at night either- even if my body feels awake my brain often times isn't all there. If I'm sewing late and I make one mistake I set it aside because I know more will follow! Sometimes I won't even rip out the mistake because I've done that when tired and ripped a hole in my fabric :eusa_doh:
Take your time. Sew for sewing's sake. Pace yourself, and don't get in a rush. If you get flustered set it aside for a while, do something else, and come back to it later. I find a good cup of tea will do wonders for morale

 

[MaryMary]

Attention sewing experts!! Need your help!

Hi ladies,

Was hoping one of you very talented seamstresses could assist me. My great aunt gave me a 1930's dress that I adore and unfortunately it is a little too snug to pull over. Once it got on, it was fine in the bust, but good lordy was it torture getting it on and off! I am really afraid it will at some point tear the material...but really want to wear it because it is a family heirloom.

Soooo here is the question...is it possible to insert a high side zip at the side seam? I know this is kind of a vintage massacre, but this dress will never leave the family so I'd like to at least be able to wear it!

Would a side zip help ease the garment on? Has anyone ever tried this? I don't want to tamper with the dress if it wouldn't do much to help....

Thanks for you input!

 

[Amy Jeanne]

A side zip will absolutely help get it over your shoulders and bust. Don't expect it to slide right on, though -- there's still going to be some "vintage effort" when you put it on. If the material is weak it might not be a very good idea in the first place.

If not, maybe you can try hook and eyes instead of a zipper? They are more period-accurate.

 

[velvetongue]

You'd still have to cut into the dress, but have you thought about sewing snaps at the side seams? Covered snaps (using a similar fabric as your dress fabric) might be a better choice than plain snaps.

 

[Gracie Lee]

Is there a side seam you can unpick, rather than cutting fabric? It's perfectly acceptable to use a zipper, if you're comfortable installing one. They began use in everyday clothing in the 20s, and were accepted for women's dresses, most commonly in the side seam under the arm, in the mid and late 30s. These would have been zippers with metal teeth, but they're hard to come by, so I wouldn't stress total authenticity on that bit. If you unpick the side seam and carefully match your colors, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to attach a zipper to the seam allowances without it detracting from the dress. However, if you're not 100% comfortable doing it yourself, you could always take it to a tailor or a dressmaker to be done - they likely wouldn't charge all that much for a relatively simple adjustment like that.

 

[MaryMary]

Thanks ladies!

You have given me such good info! Nice to know there is still hope for my cute 30's dress!

Mary

 

[bunnyb.gal]

short sleeves into long?

I have been looking for a bolero pattern, '30's/early '40's if possible, think I have finally found one in my size. However, it only has options for short sleeves. Bearing in mind that I am a novice sewer (seamstress?!), is it relatively straightforward to modify or would you hold out for a few more months?! (Or try upgrading a pattern, as it seems like only ladies with 32" busts wore boleros back in the day? )

 

[SugarKitten]

I'm not a super skilled seamstress (hehe, sewer now looks quite wrong to me) but I have drafted some sleeves to remake/change something and did not find it an impossible task. All I did to save a headache was make sure I used as similar an edge where the sleeve meets the arm hole as I could.

Or you could find another pattern with a similar sleeve you liked and match the two? I have more faith in my sleeve ability than other parts, but I'm sure others would have more expert opinion!

 

[GoddessMama]

I have been looking for a bolero pattern, '30's/early '40's if possible, think I have finally found one in my size. However, it only has options for short sleeves. Bearing in mind that I am a novice sewer (seamstress?!), is it relatively straightforward to modify or would you hold out for a few more months?! (Or try upgrading a pattern, as it seems like only ladies with 32" busts wore boleros back in the day? )

It can be difficult to actually modify the origional sleeve as short sleeves are made from long. However there are constantly patterns for just sleeves in ebay and you could take one of those and use it with your bolero pattern. Its as easy as finding the sleeve you like in the right size and using it.

 

[Lady Day]

The main challenge Ive found with adapting sleeves to a new creation is the shoulder length of the garment v the sleeves. Look at your pattern picture and see where the shoulder rests on the model. Is it over the curve of the shoulder, right at its edge etc. Generally a lot of that is a 1/2" to 1" difference, and on my crazy body, that makes all the difference in how that sleeve is going to fit my overall torso.

The main spot for adjusting that area of the sleeve Iv found is about 4" down from the top of the sleeve. Too short and the back bodice can pull, too wide, and you can get drapes on the bust.

I have a pattern of sleeves that actually has a mock up shell for the bodice to address this exact issue. Its a great fitting tool.

Vintage patters exclusively sleeves are highly collectible and go for bank (and Ill fight ya for them ), so you might want to look at what you have in your current stash.

Good luck!

LD

 

[SugarKitten]

Style/body type question for all:

I'm sewing a pair of house dresses for my mom. It's the first time she's ever expressed interest in me sewing anything for her, and she says it's the first time anyone's ever sewn anything for her.

Suffice to say, I consider the stakes high.

The first house dress was to her specification, as best as she could give over the phone with no fitting, no input on pattern, etc

I just used a tunic pattern and made it longer, not exactly rocket science.

I have four yards of yellow and white lemon print fabric for house dress 2, and would like to make something a little more figure flattering than the first. My mom has a very different body type than my own, she's plus size (a US 16/18) with not much of a waist and a large chest she'd rather minimize. The house dress has to be loose, esp in the arms/shoulders, and be long enough to cover her knees.

Can anyone come up with something vintagey/flattering that meets these requirements other than a caftan?

 

[Miss Sis]

On the subject of 'Will this whole sewing thing get faster?', I find I'm so fussy about finish and fit that it seems to take me ALOT longer than it really should to make anything, but I need to be happy with the end result, so I just take my sweet time.

I'm making a 1930s blouse at the moment out of a sort of dotted voile. It's obviously going to fray madly so I'm french seaming the whole thing. On a front seam that comes to a point I couldn't do that, so I've had to use bias tape, and all my hems I do by hand, including the facing inside the back opening as I find it sits softer and this fabric is very see through.

I don't have an overlocker (serger) but I like to finsh my vintage things with a period finish anyway. Again, just my fussiness.

For once I have not put myself under pressure to make it for an specific event and it is a *much* more pleasant experience! I have pinned the sleeves in and will do that during the week after work when I'm not too tired.

Tiredness = stupid mistakes!