Mind the stretch is all I say - sewing a longarm shirt

in #hive-1279113 years ago

I love when people look sophisticated and put together. I love looking at people who wear an „outfit“ not only some garments, I love to explore other peoples style. And I really really also want to look like this. So, when I I visited the fabric shop to buy more of the pink fleece for my exhibition and my eyes fell on this lovely striped fabric in the scrap box, I could not resist to buy it, because you know, it exactly fits with nothing in my wardrobe. 😂

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You perhaps expected me to give you a recap of my exhibition today, but sigh double sigh, I am too tired and headachy. The opening las weekend went very well (as well as its possible during covid) and am really happy about this. I will write more about the exhibition when its finished and I am fitter.
Today will be a short post about a very slim fitting shirt I made, and I wore during the exhibition set up.

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As written above the striped fabric kind of autonomously hopped into my shopping cart and I was forced to buy it. What shall one do…? Again, I forgot to measure the scrap I bought, but I guess it was roughly 1 x 1,40 m. Just enough for a long sleeve shirt…. Nearly.
At home after washing the fabric I noticed why it had a reduced price: someone had cut roughly 40 centimeters of the fabric, very annoying (note to my self: check the fabric better next time). To save on the fabric I decided to use a very slim fitting pattern I have drafted after the explanation of the amazing book Pattern magic stretch fabrics. As so often I forgot some crucial things while lusting after a quick sewing fix. For example, the drafted shirt pattern is meant to be the starting point for designing other clothes, so it’s drafted like a second skin. Very, very tight… But, as said, I forgot this.
While cutting the parts of the shirt I noticed that the fabric will not suffice if I cut the sleeves with the stripes in the „right“ direction (like the body), but why not make the sleeves with stripes in a different direction I thought. Yes, dear needleworkers, why? BECAUSE THE FABRIC IS LESS STRETCHY IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION!! (I am yelling at myself)

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All cut out and still oblivious to my mistake I sewed the whole shirt together with my serger. No hiccups, all went well. Shirt done. Excitedly I put it on and had a bad awakening: the sleeves and armholes are too tight. It is wearable, but I would have liked roughly 2-4 cm more fabric around my biceps and armpit. I am not sure if I drafted the pattern wrongly, if the „wrong“ less stretchy fabric direction or both are the culprit. Additionally, I am wondering why the shirt is not tight from the waist downwards…

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A good next step would be to draft the pattern again, or even make notes on the pattern pieces, so that I do not forget that the sleeves are too tight… yeah, I really should do this (while writing this my eyes are wandering to the kettle, and I contemplate making a very strong coffee in hope it will alleviate the headaches and the pattern is so far away… 🤣)


Thank you @crosheille for initiating and @marblely for hosting the #needleworkmonday and the community builder team @lauramica, @romeskie and @kattycrochet I am so glad to be part of. If you want to see more beautiful projects with yarn, fabric, and most of all needles, follow @needleworkmonday. Or even better grab your needles and keyboard and join the #needleworkmonday community.

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Read more about my art und upcoming exhibitions on neumannsalva or buy some of my digital artworks on NFT showroom.

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Nice outfit, you did a great job

Thank youuuu <3

You're welcome

Stretchy or not, I love the look of those stripes!
I'm impressed that you have lined them up so perfectly, so annoying that the arms are not quite right. Is there any spare seam allowance that you could incorporate, even a centimetre might be enough from a much thinner seam allowance?
I think, actually, you do look well put together 😍

sigh sigh... you know my lazy self: I sewed the complete shirt on the overlock and I don't think I can unpick the seams without destroying the fabric. But thankfully the sleeves are not too uncomfortable, so I can wear it... I only feel like sweating more because of the narrow armpits (I think we talked about this already in knitted sweaters)
And thank you so much for the complement. I tried my best to find something besides black which will fit with the shirt (and I nearly do not dare to write it, but I may have bought another scrap fabric yesterday and its even weirder. But I have a vision for it :-DDD) I write you on discord

I hope that your headache went away! And looking forward to reading about your exhibition.

Thank you for your well wishes, but sadly the headaches are persistent and I will today visit the hospital perhaps I have the idea it could be jaw or tooth problems…

Yes, cutting patterns for stretch fabric is a completely separate way of working but it's not a bad result for an experiment

I know, I know, but there was really not enough fabric to cut it the right way and I did not need a short sleeve sweater as it is still winter here. But I fear its not only the fabric, but also the drafted pattern, I need to make it again with wider sleeves (maybe I am a female Hulk… Hulkessa, Hulkwoman, Hulkina? I have to research 😂)

Hulkess sounds good :) If there's any left over, put a small, long v-shape in there around the biceps area and cut the armholes out a little. Since it's stripes, you could even get away with cutting a completely different colour too

I fear this trick has to wait for the next too tight sweatshirt because I can‘t unpick the seam… 😱 (mix of black thread on black fabric and the overlock seam is unwilling to unpick)

Overlockers are a joy all of their own...

I hear ya @neumannsalva! Sometimes I procrastinate on a project because I am unsure of the outcome. I have already warned people that I know, if I make it I will be wearing it. Good for you and thanks for sharing!

The procrastination seems to come with the craft (I tell this myself :-DD) I have a box full of half finished garments, which I am unsure how to make them wearable… Good to know I am not alone <3

hahahaa my God elastic fabrics are so treacherous. Many of those mistakes in my first bras, where later nobody would fit because the fabric stretched on the wrong side. But the good thing is that you will never forget to take this into account and measure the fabric either 😅.

Sorry for answering so late, but I am still/again with headache problems. And yes to the gods of elastic fabric :-D I so love that its much easier to fit garments with stretch, but unpicking seams or working with the wrong side is no fun.
I just visualised a bra with the stretch in the wrong direction… perhaps one could advertise it as a corset :-DDD

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The idea of a sweater with that fabric was brilliant, I must admit it really looks great on you @neumannsalva i mean anything you wear somehow eventually goes well on you 😂

Thank you, I am happy you like the outfit :-D Here its still so cold that I need sweaters (but I hope spring will come soon)
Thank you so much for the compliments.

I really like this blouse, my dear! This fabric really suits your face. The direction of the pattern on the sleeves looks very interesting with the rest of the fabric of the shirt. I'm sorry that this shirt is not very comfortable for you in the sleeves. and I'm very sorry that you have these headaches again 😥

Thank you and please excuse that I answer so late (exhibition ended yesterday and I still have headaches. I will visit the hospital today because I am no thinking it could be jaw or tooth problems)

I think you made the right decision, my dear! your headaches are very frequent 😥 you need to establish an accurate diagnosis and choose the best treatment for you. I wish you find a good specialist who will help you! 🙏 💐

As written above the striped fabric kind of autonomously hopped into my shopping cart and I was forced to buy it

Hahahaha it's the magic of the fabric store!!!

And OH I so feel you on this. Years ago, I had bought a scrap piece at the fabric store of thermal shirt material, and thought - yes! I can make myself a thermal shirt and it will fit the way I want (read: long enough to stay tucked in to my pants, because so many of them are too short for me and my long torso but short legs). Well, it being a scrap piece like yours, it was maybe, mayyyyybe, juuuuuuuuuust enough to do that. And I got to work.

I sewed it all hand stitching because I knew I was going to need to make really tight seams for it to even possibly be enough fabric.

And it fit. Snugly.

Like, when I was staying at a friend's house, she and I were hanging out and changing into our pajamas (sharing a room), and she saw me put it on (since it's a thermal it normally goes underneath and no one would notice how it fits), and said, "wow, that fits you like Spanx!" 😂😂😂