Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #46

After a much needed small tulle break, I started sewing the second petticoat ruffle. It's even worse than the first, because of the extra fabric. But, with an extra dose of patience, I'll get there!

Slashed sleeve, lined and pressed

 

While I was sewing around the first sleeve slashes, I realised I never cut their lining. I searched in my photos, and nothing. In the photos, because the fabric is so shiny, it's really hard to tell all the pieces apart, but I still don't think I actually cut them, and I can't find them anywhere. I don't need them immediately, and I may add one or two ribbons inside, for the extra puff support, but I'm still intrigued why I didn't cut them. And no, they're not in the raw fabric stash. Maybe I thought of using the mock-up's burgundy cotton? Maybe, but I discarded that idea since October, because the fabric stains a lot, and I don't want my pristine white shirt to become pink in some places. Suddenly my satin is becoming short, I need to revaluate how much of the satin I need, cut all the remaining visible pieces (the bias tape trim, the big hat bow, the button closure "loops" - I don't know what to call them, and the skirt embellishments), and then check if I have enough to line the sleeves. If not, I can always buy some generic satin, it won't be seen anyway.

+ Yay, petticoat! Now the sleeve slash sewing is going more smoothly, and it's not a boring thing to sew.

- The miscalculation from not cutting the sleeve lining may lead to have to buy more fabric. Not something I was looking forward to.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Keep going with the petticoat and keep going with the slashed sleeves. I can leave the sleeve lining towards the end, it's the last thing to do on the sleeves anyway. Make the patterns for the button closures and embellishments and cut the bias tape and hat bow.

NOTE
We're entering a new lockdown next Friday. I was planning to go downtown with my friend Carol to buy a white taffeta for the bloomers, but now the shop will most likely only be open by February. This leaves me time to make the bloomers' pattern, which isn't done yet. Patternwise, that's the only thing missing, plus the shoe covers. If I have all these and the burgundy satin pieces done by then, I can also buy extra fabric to line the sleeves, if needed.

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #45

sleeves before slashing

Started sewing the slashed sleeves. The sleeves have five pieces: the outer layer, in the cherry red grosgrain fabric, with the slashes on the top part of the sleeve, a lining for the slashes in the burgundy satin, an inner puffy short sleeve in the burgundy satin, a tulle ruffle, that will be inserted between the puffy satin upper sleeve and the lining, to give it a natural volume, and, finally, a very normal looking satin lining. There will also be decorative button straps at the cuffs, but those will be made later.

I started by pinning the outer part of the sleeve to the slashes lining, redrew the slash lines, that will be cut later, with a pencil on the outer fabric's inner side, and, started sewing around the slash line, from the top. To have even spacing and a bit of seam allowance, I made a gauge out of cardboard with two measurements: 2,5 mm and 5 mm. First I used the 2,5 mm measurement for the first seam, placing the top of the gauge on the pencil line, and sew. On the bottom, I turned around and now used the 5 mm measurement to sew back up the second seam, making long U shapes.

+ Marking the slashes and sewing them with the more stable top fabric facing me, makes it easier to sew two nice straight paralell lines. The thinner pencil line and the gauge also help a lot.
- At first I only used the already fading chalk lines that marked the slashes, but I had to redraw them with a pencil, because It was very hard to sew a straight line. With the pencil line and the gauge, everything went quicker and smoother.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Finish sewing all the slashes on both sleeves and fray check at least the satin, if not both fabrics, before turning them around. After turning, tack the bottom of the satin lining to the main fabric.

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #44

petticoat with the first ruffle

one ruffle volume under the skirt

Finished sewing the first petticoat ruffle. The first tier is a tulle rectangle, folded in half on the long side, with a satin ribbon waistband. To each of the first tier layers I'm sewing long strips of tulle, folded in half, which will result in four ruffles in total. I'm still not sure it won't collapse under the jacket's skirt weight, so my backup plan is either make a short crinoline or just add a hoop to the petticoat, on the inmost ruffle joint. I sewed the bottom tier to the top tier with a chain stitch in thick embroidery thread.

the base of the jacket is finished

slip stitching the lining

Meanwhile. I also finished sewing the jacket's skirt to the bodice. After sewing both petticoat layers (outer fabric + lining) to the bodice's outer fabric and inner fabric (with the boning), I folded the lining's bottom seam allowance to the inside and sewed it to the waist seam with a slip stitch, for a clean finish.

+ One petticoat ruffle sewn, one more to go. Handsewing the jacket's waist, especially sewing the lining this way, gives it a very nice finish, even if nobody will see it, I will know.
- Sewing tulle requires a lot of patience, that's why I sewed the first ruffle in small installments and intend to do the same for the second. Even though I used a gauge to try and sew the jacket's waist seam the straightest I could, it's still a bit wobbly. One has more control when sewing by hand, but on longer seams it's still a learning curve.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Leave the jacket hanging, so gravity makes the skirt fabrics stretch, to trim it even later. Until then, I'll be sewing the slashed sleeves.

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #43

 

sewing the jacket's skirt to the bodice

Ended up having a small break over New Year's, but today I went back to sewing a little bit more of the petticoat, and started sewing the jacket's skirt to the bodice. I lined up the bodice's and skirt's side seams first, and then the back seam. The skirt is in two separate pieces, slashed in the back and in the front. For no reason whatsoever, I ended up leaving a seam allowance in the skirt's front, but it's fine, I'll cut it after sewing. At least it's wider, not narrower. In order to have a clean finish, I'm first sewing both the outer and lining layers of the skirt, to the bodice's outer and inner layer, leaving the lining unsewn. After, I'll turn the lining's seam allowance in, and slip stitch it to the inner side of the seam.

+ The petticoat's first ruffle is 50% sewn. Started to sew the jacket's skirt to the bodice.
- The skirt's back panels are a bit narrower than the bodice's, I think I ended up adding a bit of width while sewing the bodice. It puckers a little bit, but I thin I can shift the fabric in place when I iron it.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Keep sewing the petticoat's ruffle; keep sewing the jacket's skirt.