Made this week: Bralettes

Here are the very first bralettes I have ever made. I traced various pieces from bralettes I already own, fitted with some cheap jersey, then made them up on my singer machines with lockstitch and zig zag stitch. I'm really pleased with them, thank goodness I really don't need much support in the chest department, otherwise I really couldn't wear them. They have a fair amount of support, and are perfect with little summer tops and dresses. Also, I am in love with low backed clothing (as you will see in my next couple of posts), so these with pretty backs go so well together. I have now collected a large shoebox of lace and trims, and have been scouring the web for more, but pretty elastic lace is surprisingly hard to find. 

Europe update: everything is booked, bar tickets down to the Eurostar, and I am so excited/nervous! This is the furthest I have been from home on a trip not organised by others. Only 6 days before I leave.

Accidental all nighter

The other evening, my family went out, and I was left alone in the house for the night. I thought 'Oh good, now I can sew until late'. Normally, I stop at about 4pm, as my sewing machine can be quite loud. I did not, however, intend to stay awake all night. Oops.

I started sewing at 6pm, and had design set out for some shorts, a bra, a top and a playsuit, and decided to do all the patterns, then cuts them all out, then sew them all, like a production line, whereas normally I'll do them one by one, especially if I'm making patterns from scratch, as they often need toiling. The only one that was brand new was the top, but I was tracing it from a couple of garments I already own, so I just winged it. The others only had a couple of new elements, like a changing of the bra back design. I finished the patterns, and had them all cut by 11pm. This was when I noticed it was dark outside. Now, I'm not really one to be creeper out by the dark, but when by myself, my imagination does tend to run a little wild. Cue closing of all curtains, blinds, making sure all doors are locked etc. I turned up my music, and began to sew. Here is where I really don't know where the time went. I looked down, turned on the sewing machine, and when I next looked up, it had began to get light. 

I used to see the sun come up at uni, when I was walking back from a night dancing my workload stress away, but this was very different from that. The sky was beautiful, red, lilac and pink, that fresh morning light that seems different,  more white almost, from the light in the daytime. I realised I wasn't sleepy at all, probably due to the fact I drink enough tea to fill a lake, so I continued to sew. I finished all four garments at about 5am. There was no point in going to sleep by this point, so I tidied up, hung up my clothes, and turned on the TV. 5am TV is not the best.

Designing on a budget

Designing can be an expensive business. There comes a time when you realise that there are defiantly certain materials which give better results during the design process, whether its a certain kind of papers and inks, or the kinds of fabrics and thread that is preferable. When it came to making clothes, I used to try and get the cheapest materials possible. This ended, rather obviously, in low quality things, from paintings and drawings to garments. Now, I seem to have found a good middle ground, choosing cheap where it doesn't matter, and investing on the important parts, or where I can be thrifty. Now, I do not claim to be any kind of expert at all in design, however, being a design student on a budget, living on toast after spending £30+ on sketchbooks alone, you learn a few things on saving pennies.

Designing
In the design process, I only go for the basics, a pad of paper, and a pencil. I don't tend to colour in my designs because I'll draw it up first, then choose my fabric later. I like using tracing paper, and putting an outline of a woman's body beneath, as its quick and easy to get the proportions right, and see where it sits on the body. My favourite kind kind of pencil is the mechanical kind, less sharpening and better precision. These are cheap materials anyway, especially from Amazon or EBay. The pencils will cost around £1-£2 for a pack, and I always get the kids brand of tracing paper, the nice kind is quick unnecessary unless I'm designing for portfolio pieces, in which case a nice pad of tracing paper can cost between £6-£20, but the kids tracing paper is around £1.50 per pad.

Pattern cutting
Pattern cutting does require more equipment, however, once you invest in a couple of tools, its plain, inexpensive sailing. The tools to invest in are a pattern wheel (which I actually only learnt the use of a couple of months ago, I thought it was just a weird spiked wheel), and a pattern square. Neither will break the bank, obviously, but I find them very useful tools, so its nice to have good quality ones. For drawing out, I will literally use anything to hand, a fine felt tip, pencil, Biro, whatever, as long as the line is thin, and doesn't smudge. Any old paper scissors will do too. Longer scissors are nicer to cut with, as they make a smoother line, but anything will do. Pattern paper, especially the kind with the crosses and dots, is quite expensive, and, though its lovely to work with when the opportunity arises, its not something I buy. Instead, wrapping paper works well. My pattern box looks very festive and merry right now! Lighter colours of cheaper, thinner paper means you can see through it for matching lines, so, while it might not make the most long lasting of patterns (I can't see myself being able to still use these in 20 years or so), its perfect for practice.
Making a garment
Firstly, a sewing machine. I have used an old straight stitch singer machine from around 12 years old until my 17th birthday, when I decided it was time for an upgrade. My parents bought me one of the budget Singer sewing machines, with around 12 different stitches. It does the job, but I've been craving an old model of Singer recently. I like using metal machines more, they feel much more sturdy, and since I only use lockstitch and zig zag stitch, I am searching for a Singer sewing machine from around the 1960s, just before they started to make them from plastic. These can come quite cheaply, I am forever seeing second hand sewing machines in the classifieds in the paper, but my hunt continues. They aren't too expensive either, so I will always go for second hand in the future, especially since my current machine is so tempremental, especially on zig zag stitch. Secondly, fabric. This is my major downfall. Like many a seamstress, I have a fabric hoard so big I could make a patchwork tent the size of a manor house. If I see a piece of fabric I like, I have to buy it, especially if its in a vintage shop. I do try and be a little clever with collecting it though. A big help for me is, as previously mentioned, my old job. I have so much fabric from them, I currently own three large boxes of fabric, and I'm trying to resist buying more. Trims and buttons are just collected as I go. If I see a piece of lace, or some vintage buttons I like, often they are so cheap I have the change in my pocket. My collection is quite vast now! If I am looking for something specific though, like bra strapping, eBay is the best for it. I recently got 5 metres of 6mm black stepping for £3, plenty to experiment with.

Now, back to sewing. I have a babydoll dress sitting upon the sewing pile, but cannot sew until everybody in my house is awake. The problems of being an early bird.

2:1!

I done it! I have passed university with a 2:1! Now how to celebrate? Sewing of course. Today I shall be doing patterns for a blouse, a bodysuit and a dress.

Bralette

Here is the Bralette I made today, from scratch, pattern and all. I'm quite happy with it, it fits well and the straps on the back give a little something special. I based the pattern off a bra from Gillyhicks that is really comfortable. It took me about 4 hours to put together, just using my home sewing machine, a small zig zag stitch, although it took some hand sewing in the end when putting the straps on, my sewing machine was just not having any of it.

Refining

I have a couple of weeks before I leave for Europe. I have decided, instead of using this time to, if I so wished, watch TV, read, lounge in the sun, etc., I am going to educate myself further in pattern making and garment construction. Though I have studied sewing for  three years as a module on my university course, and have taught myself from an old sewing book before any formal education (aside from textiles in high school, but I don't really feel like I learnt much from those short classes), there are still some areas I am lacking in.

I have a tendency to speedily make clothes so I can wear my designs as soon as possible, like DIY fast fashion, with the similar result of a poorly constructed, ill fitting garment that only lasts a couple of washes before it is a tattered mess only good for dressing up as a lost boy. I realised, after being inspired by a beautiful sewing blog by the name of Madalynne, that if like her, I invested time and money in my garments, they could be things to treasure and care for, rather like when buying an expensive dress. The dress means a lot more when you wear it because it was designed with time and care, made with high quality fabrics, put together with skill, and you know how much money you spent on it, rather than having a wardrobe too full to see any outfits, and too many cheap things. If I applied this very same attitude to when I made my own clothing, not only would I own clothes that are unique and would last a long time, I would also become a better seamstress, something I could hopefully apply to a future career in design.

I have been sitting on a couple of designs for a while, inspired by images I have seen whilst browsing Pinterest, books on vintage clothing, various blogs, and my own wardrobe. I now have a nice fabric collection together, because at my old office job, they would order in new fabrics every week, so would forever be throwing samples away. Yards and yards would just go in the skip, and initially I saved as much as I could carry, however, after a while I began to run out of room, and became more selective about what I took home. I have narrowed my selection the three boxes of fabric, and am aiming to make a couple of garments a week. I love designing and making dresses, but to develop skills I must branch out more. I'm thinking lingerie, just some simple things like bralettes and pants, and possibly some shirts.

My first pattern was a dress similar to the Free People lace toile trapeze dress. I fell in love with this design, but it looked far to complex to bother doing, with all the triangle panels and gathered bits,  but that was before I decided to become the very best seamstress I could be. After two days of French seaming, binding, more French seaming, cutting lots of strips, and lots of frustrated noises at my sewing machine, I have a nicely fitting, fully finished dress. Though there are a couple of things I would change, its nothing I can't learn from.

Overall, my first few days of being at home have been enjoyable. Task for today: book interailing tickets!