CONSTRUCTING OCTOBER’S DESIGN CHALLENGE

I had thought the patternmaking for this month’s design would be pretty straight forward and hoped with any luck so would the construction. Why, oh why do things never go to plan.

TWO HOURS TO CUT OUT THE FIRST FRONT PIECE

Yep, you read right. It took me hours to cut out the front of the cover-up. It wasn’t a savage attack of indecision or debilitating hand cramps that cause the time lapse. I like to think I spent the time carefully weighing up my options. Maybe it was indecision-you be the judge.
The garment was designed to be worn many different ways. This multi-functionality does not affect the back of the design to the extent of the front pieces. To cut the back out I centered the design ensuring the area I intended to embroider was in the spot I had planned. Simple, quick and painless.The front pieces are another story.

EVERY WHICH WAY

Depending on how you wear the cover-up, the front would be facing in different directions. Just matching the pattern at a seam isn’t enough for this design. I did not have enough fabric to allow for any mistakes, so I had to ensure it was right first time. What it came down to in the end was what places were the most important along the seams for it to look like the pattern matched (as it couldn’t match at all seams) and what pattern would look best on the front bodice when the design was open and closed. Seems simple right? The first time I thought I had it lined up nicely the centre of the flowers would have end up over the breast points. It looked odd. Thank goodness I caught that before I cut it out.

SUCCESS AT LONG, LONG, LONG LAST

When I finally cut the front piece out of the fabric, I was confident it would look good whether open or closed, tied or belted.

SEWING FUN

I have to admit upfront that I had some concerns from the start of the project and that although I tried to compensate for these, my final garment ended up a little worse for wear because of them. I wanted the garment to be made in a stretch fabric so it would be super comfortable and because of it’s multi-wear style semi-forgivable. The winning design had a very graphic black and white Fortuny-like print. It had a little stretch and an uneven surface due to the construction of the fabric. As soon as I saw this fabric I loved it and I secretly hoped it would win so that I could see if it was as nice as I imagined it would be. The fabric is the best and the worst part of this garment.

Unlike the plaid fabric that looks equally lovely on the right and wrong side of the fabric, the black and white fabric has an unattractive backside and is not reversible. I knew from the start that I would have to line the cover-up with another fabric to hide the wrong side of the fabric at the garment’s front edge. I tried to find fabric that had a similar amount of stretch, but I could not find one that also had the same weight. I know what you crafty sewing women are thinking right now, and I do not blame you. Rookie mistake. In times like this I wish I had Nina on speed dial. She was my teacher and master of all things stretch.

WHOOPS

I am sure experienced sewers know exactly what happened next. After sewing the two layers together, I noticed that the top layer had shifted or stretched more than the top layer, and it now was pulled under at the hem by the inside layer. This problem created a strange bubble over effect just above the hem. You can see this issue in the Periscope video above. I will attempt to fix this oversight by tacking the two layers together but, to be honest; I do not know if that will completely fix the problem. I’ll have to update you at a later date. Besides this huge oversight, I am thrilled will the design. I love the pattern, think the embroidery adds the right amount of interest to the design and love the way it can be worn multiple ways.