Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #42

chain stitch to join the ruffle to the top tier

Sewed one button hole on the shirt! The second one. 6 more to go.

I started sewing the 1st ruffle of the petticoat. First I struggled with normal thread and backstitch. I made a gauge, but with so much tulle, it was more of a nuisance. So I decided, as long as the stitching must be visible, to use thicker embroidery thread and a chain stitch. The thread was inherited, so it has yellowed. Once I got the hang of it, I'm using the basting as a reference, it went fairly quickly. I did about 1/4th of the ruffle.

+ The final effect is pretty, and the thread can be washed.
- It's still a nuisance to sew tulle, but at least i can see the thread and the needle (I'm using a thicker needle than usual).

THE CUNNING PLAN
Keep sewing the petticoat's ruffle, but also go back to the jacket, to join the skirt to the bodice.

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #41

machine sewing again!

I'm machine sewing again, it's been a while!

sewed the satin ribbon waistband

To get it out of the way, I first joined the top tier, overlapping by about 1cm the side seams, and sewing with a wide zigzag stitch. Then, I folded the rectangular loop in two, to form the two layers, also folded the satin ribbon in two, like I did for the skirt, folded it on top of the tulle fold, and topstiched it near the bottom, as neat as I could, to make an elastic casing.

1st tier and 2nd ruffled tiers

Then I joined the two very long strips of the bottom tier - one has two tulle pieces, the other had to be in 3 pieces - using the same overlapping with a zigzag stitch method, folded them in half, to form two layers, and, with safety pins and clothes pins, marked 4 quarters in each. To keep things a bit controlled, I decided to make the ruffling in 4 quarters. I made the ruffles the classical way, with a coloured theread (to be easily seen on the white tulle), I machine basted - wide and loose stitches - each quarter along the fold, turned back, and added a second basting line. When I finished basting, I tied the threads on one of the sides, and pulled the two loose threads on the other side, until I had fairly 1/4 of the top tier's length. Then I repeated this 7 more times, until I had a straight top tier, and two very ruffly bottom tiers.

+ Machine sewing this is a bliss, even though I sent a whole afternoon doing this.
- I can't even fathom having to do this by hand, what a pain!

THE CUNNING PLAN
As it was already a bit late, and I wasn't sure how my mom's machine would deal with this kind of tulle volume, I decided to stop there and finish attaching the ruffles to the top tier by hand, at home. It should be quite easy with a gauge, and probably I'll use double thread, so I can secure it better.

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #40

cut and identified tulle layers

I'll be spending Xmas at my mom's, and we'll have to be on lockdown on the 25th. So the plan is to watch movies and sew my petticoat. Yes... layers and layers of tulle.

I don't have the space nor the table to cut lengths of tulle, which is a difficult fabric to cut. It's stiff, which is an advantage, doesn't fray, another advantage, but one can hardly see single layers of tulle and it springs all over the place. So, I unfolded it, it's a 4m wide tulle, so I kept its factory fold in the middle, and then I accordeon folded the tulle, in a 30cm width (approximated). Then I pinned the folded tulle with safety pins, two at the top, and two at about the length I'm cutting it. My skirt is about 54cm long, and my petticoat will be in two tiers, folded in half. The first with two layers, and the second with 4 layers, two in each of the 1st tier's layer. The top layer width will be the same width as the skirt's, with an elastic waist. The bottom tiers will be as fluffy as the leftover tulle I have. First I thought I only had enough tulle for about double the width, but I could cut one more length, so I added it to the already cut length.

+ Wide stiff tulle is cheap, rather easy to sew and it doesn't fray at all, so it doesn't need to be hemmed.
- It's a pain to cut big pieces from, if you don't have the space, because it springs all over the place and it's hard to see and mark in single layers.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Pack a petticoat kit (the cut tulle, the ribbon for the waist, white thread, plenty of safety pins), and sew it on my mom's sewing machine.

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #39

pocket stabilizing

While drafting and sewing the jacket's skirt, I forgot I could have made the pocket reach the waist, to be more stable and able to support more stress. I just grabbed my go-to inset pocket patterns, and forgot. To reinforce and stabilise it, I added a piece of grosgrain ribbon to the outer end of the pocket, and attached it to the waist. I had already basted the waist, but it's OK, I'll slip it in betwee the layers while I'm sewing the skirt to the bodice.

started with the glove's thumb

trying on the thumb

Meanwhile, I forgot to post about the gloves. I had some leftover thread from sewing the skirt's lining, and, instead of winding it back to the spool, I decided to start the gloves. The gloves are probably the piece I'm most insecure about, mostly because I'm using a non-stretch fabric on the bias, for some stretch. I drafted my pattern from stretchy fabric gloves, so I fear they might be too tight and I'll have to remake them. Unfortunately that's something I will only know when the glove is completely, or almost competely sewn. The thumb feels ok, I can bend it easily, so let's hope I don't have to draft them bigger.

+ The pockets won't hold much more than my phone and small items, but I don't want the weight to pull down the skirt. This isn't the ideal solution, but it works. I started the gloves!!! Sewing them by hand is easier, because they're a fiddly item.
- The gloves might be too tight, let's hope not.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Sew the jacket's skirt to the bodice. Cut the petticoat's tulle, so I can sew it on the machine, while I'm at my mom's for xmas.

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #38

The A5 Tokyo Babylon manga doesn't fit in the pocket.

Finished sewing the jacket's skirt side seams, and the inset pockets. Just missing the second side seam on the lining. I was thinking about adding some top stitching to the pockets, but after pressing them, I thought it wasn't needed. But I might add some closures, either snaps or buttons, I'll decide later. There's a bit of a mis match at the hem, but I'll trim it later, after the skirt hangs for a few days.

+ A pretty straightforward seam.
- The hem doesn't match for about 3cm, but I can trim it later.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Finish sewing the lining's side seam, baste the front and the linings together (at the top and sides).

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #37

The pocket (on the inside)

detail of the blanket stitch finishing on the pockets

Last night I started sewing the skirt. The skirt is a half-circle skirt in two parts, with front and back openings/slits. First, I marked where I want to put the inset pockets, 5cm down from the waist. Then I sewed both pocket sides to their respective skirt quarters (the side seam). Only then I started sewing the skirt's side seam from the top. I stopped sewing 1 or 2 centimeters below where the pocket starts, and sewn the pocket together. After sewing the pocket, I trimmed the pocket seam to 1,5cm, and started a blanket stitch on the border, to stop it from fraying and reinforcing the seam.

+ After a few days break, I'm back!
- There was a slight mismatch on the bottom, where the pocket joins the skirt, and also on the bottom hem. But I managed to correct the first, and I can still trim the skirt on the hem.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Keep sewing the skirt's side seams and pockets, also sew the lining's side seams, and then baste both together at the front and back openings  and the waist. I'm leaving the hem loose to adjust it later.

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #36

the basic finished jacket bodice, on top of the shirt

Only on the outer layer, I cut the seam allowance where I marked it from the pattern, at the top neck opening. This will be finished with bias tape, I only cut it with a seam allowance (on the 3 layers) so it wouldn't fray much while I was manipulating it. I first sewed the front opening seams, outer fabric and lining, good side to good side, with a backstitch. Then, I turned both to the good side, and sandwiched the inner layer in between.

I pinned all three layers together where the boning is, and sewed all layers ans close as I could to the boning, with a running stitch, on both sides. After that, I carefully pinned all three layers together, on a flat surface, along the top neck opening. As I already cut the seam allowance on the top layer, but not on the other two layers, I left that excess fabric on top. I joined all the layers with a running stitch, about 1cm from the outer layer's rim. Then I cut the excess fabric on the inner and lining layers.

cut the excess from the inner layer and lining

+ my plan worked, I'm really happy how everything worked out together, with minimal wrinkling. I'm also very happy how, even though I only eyed it, the proportions of the shirt collar vs. the jacket's top opening are very near to those on the artwork.
- the three layers didn't match perfectly as desired, all three fabrics stretch differently, there is some easing near the straps.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Sew the inlaid pockets to the skirt, sew the skirt sides, on the outer fabric and lining, and baste the skirt to its lining. Only then, sew it to the bodice.

[written in 4.12.2020 - I caught up!]