Retro Threads - Trousers - Born to Dance - Blue Sky Sewing

Who says Ladies didn't wear trousers back in the 30's?

Not Miss Lucy James, a leading hoofer in "Born to Dance" (along with Fred Astaire) -  that's for sure.

Wouldn't it be fun to sew up a trouser, shirt, and scarf outfit like this in dotted silk? 

And how 'bout that offset button closure on the belt?

I love blue sky sewing, especially when it's retro.

Vintage Threads - Katherine Hepburn Mid-Rise Waistlines

Hepburn often sported a mid-rise
waistline - a very 30's look

I've been exploring waistlines off and on since early last month. I started with thoughts on no waistlines, then moved into under-bust waistlines. I've also included some elements of fashion history. 

Now I'm moving on down to think about mid-rise waistlines, those that occur between the under-bust (like Empire style dresses) and the natural waistline (like those on "New Look" bouffant skirts).  

You see the mid-rise waistline at several times in history. Some of my favorite are those sported by Katherine Hepburn. The timeless striped dress she wore in "Bringing up Baby" had a mid-rise waistline. I journaled about that dress back in a discussion of vintage godets - the Bringing Up Baby post

Of course Hepburn wore this waistline frequently because it was what was in style, however I also think it flattered her slim-hipped figure. For women who don't go out much in the hip area, this look lengthens the body. It also shows off the leg line. Hepburn had a very active style about her. Indeed she was quite active, and liked to get a lot of exercise. Her mid-rise waistlines make the most of her quick style of movement.

I don't have Katherine Hepburn's slender figure, but I do share one trait with her. I don't curve out much in the hip area. I noticed when I worked on fitting my first pair of jeans, that a high-rise waistband is flattering for me. As I'm working on my first complete (and final) garment assignment for draping class, I'm paying very close attention to where I'm defining the waistline. I've marked both a traditional and a mid-rise waistline on my custom dress form, and I keep experimenting with where to define the dress waistline.

No matter where I draw the waist's line, considering and placing it to best suit my own figure is the kind of project that keeps me...

Enchanted by Sewing!

~ ~ ~

Resources

Vintage Threads - Bringing Up Baby - Katherine Hepburn's striped dress with godets http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/11/vintage-threads-katherine-hepburn-in.html


Enchanted By Sewing Audio Podcast - Creating my own Dress Forms http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/09/ench-by-sew-12-creating-dress-forms.html

My first pair of jeans, created as the final project for my pants drafting class,  have a mid-rise waistline http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/10/jean-sewing-my-first-jeans-are.html

Jeans Sewing: Demystifying Jeans Drafting (Fit)

A classmate gave me permission to share
this photo of her first muslin being fitted
Notice that a piece of elastic has been pinned along
the waistline she stitched on her muslin. Part
of our fit job, was to make sure that line ended up
at her natural waistline. Do you see the pins at the
side seams? We added fabric beneath those zones.
We can tell the pants are fitting better in this zone now,
because the red lines of stitching that our classmate
basted at the high and low hip, are now
parallel to the floor.

In a recent posting I wrote about the class I'm taking in pants drafting. There, I'll be creating a pattern for jeans that will flatter my figure. (There are commercial jeans patterns that include extra instructions for fitting jeans patterns. )

The drafting process is pretty much new to me. I'd drafted two simple garments from books, but nothing anything along the lines of a pair of pants. Here's what I've learned so far.

First we created a pants block, taking personal measurements and making calculations as directed in the class textbook (*). Both the front and back block are contained within the same drawing, there are just different lines to follow. I found that somewhat heavy banner paper from an office supply store worked best for this. This block pattern does not include seam allowances.

Second I traced the pants block and created two tissue pattern pieces. Now I had separate front and back pieces. Before I cut out the pattern pieces I added 1 inch seam allowances. I measured out from my stitching/fit lines on the block with a clear ruler to add the straight seam allowances, and drew dotted lines where there were curves. I tried a Clover duel-wheel tool to do this - it looks like one of those carbon paper type wheels you might typically transfer pattern markings with - but I couldn't manage to get it to make two dark enough lines.

Third I pinned and cut out muslin pieces. I used a regular single tracing wheel and brightly colored tracing paper to mark every single measurement we'd used to create or draw on the block. These included: straight of grain, waist, high hip, low hip, crotch, thigh and calf. I also marked darts, the side seam, and bottom stitching lines. I used a 200 thread count muslin, which seems to be somewhat tighter than a typical muslin, it cost more too. I read somewhere that you cannot assume that higher thread count means it's better. You have to develop a feel for the good stuff.

I basted every single one of the stitching lines I'd marked with a stitch length of 5. I did use a locking stitch at the beginning and end of my stitching. I staystitched the waist line and bottom of the pants with a stitch length of 2.5. The staystitching keeps the muslin from stretching too much during fitting.

Fourth I sewed the muslin test garment, one leg at a time, then the crotch seam (putting one leg inside the other) for a smooth crotch seam. I left the center front seam open to the bottom of where the fly front zipper would be sewn - so I could put the test garment on !

Fifth I took my muslin test garment to class and worked with my fitting group to begin fitting the garment. This is the point where you look for all the things you often see in books about fit, things like folds in the wrong places, smiles and wrinkles. 

The most important thing I learned at this stage, was to keep the lines basted on the garment either parallel or perpendicular to the floor. Often the signal for a fit problem was that a fit line veered away from the straight.

• Where garments were too tight, we snipped along different basted lines and inserted pieces of fabric. You can see some of that in the illustration above.  
• Where garments were too loose we made tucks and folds.
• We adjusted the rise of some parts of our garment. Typical of this type of adjustment was snipping along the high hip mark, moving the waistline up, and pinning a piece of muslin underneath. Often these adjustments were curved.

Sixth Next, I'll be altering my tissue pieces to create a second pattern draft using the alterations on my muslin test garment, then it will be time to create a second muslin test garment.

Yes, it's a time consuming task. And it's exciting to learn more about how to create garments that truly fit.

Learning about pants drafting definitely helps keep me

Enchanted by Sewing!

~ ~ ~ 

* We're using the book Building Patterns, The Architecture of Women's Clothing by Suzy Furrer.

My Newest Greenie Stick 'Em Pants

     

A Recent Sewing Creation
Photoshop Filter "PaintDaubs"

     When I was a kid I had a pair of green pants this same color, that my mother had sewn for me. The went well with a little green striped tee shirt I had.

      I well remember an argument with my father about these pants. He wanted me to wear this ensemble, which he termed my "greenie stick 'em outfit" when he was taking me some place and I just downright refused. Why, I wonder now? I'm pretty sure I liked the outfit. Likely, I was just being ornery.  I bet you anything I outgrew them soon after. Wonder if some other little girl inherited them. Did she cheese off her parents with her own ideas about clothing choices as well?.....

      I'm still partial to green pants, though I noticed when taking an informal poll at the shopping center that no other women were wearing colored pants.  Sometimes I have to nerve myself up to wear what I like, and ignore the prevailing mode. I blogged about that a few days back in What the Arty Romantic Wears on Black Friday, but I'm still mulling it over.

I finished sewing these elastic waist, corduroy pants about two weeks ago and I think I've worn them five or six times since. We've just hit slightly cooler, and occasionally rainy, weather here in our temperate climate. These and my new print cord pants have been just the thing for the current spot on the thermometer. I've put off getting out my light weight wool pants in favor of these comfortable, cotton charmers. 

My experience with this thin corduroy is that it doesn't last much longer than one, or maybe two, seasons. But it's still worthwhile sewing pants that feel so good and work well walking, biking or hiking. They'd be good for travel too. 

These are another shot at an old favorite tried and true pattern, MCCalls 2791. As I mentioned in my November Podcast, "The Lady Wears Trousers", this pattern is out of print. But it's still available through many resellers on the web inexpensively.

I created thread belt loops in these pants as well as the linen ones I made several weeks back. I'm loving those loops. Links to Suzanne Beaubien's youtube tutorial that shows you how to create these loops in the show notes for the November Podcast.

The Lady Wears Trousers: Elastic Waist Pants Checklist

Abbreviations

Right Sides (RS)

Wrong Sides (WS)

Notes:

 a. Mark each leg front, front, back, back. I like to pin a piece of posit tape marked 'F' or 'B' on each leg. It sounds simple, but those legs can get confusing

b. Use Continuous Stitching(CS) whenever possible. It helps keep track of all four legs as well as the usual benefits of C.S.

 Checklist

1.  Sew Inseam pockets

2.  Front legs to back legs, Right Sides (RS’s) together.

3.  Create two separate legs

1.           Sew both side seams of each leg separately (continuous stitching is a good idea)

2.           Sew both inseams of each leg separately

(continuous stitching is a good idea)

4.   With one leg RS out and the other leg WS out, slip the RS out leg INSIDE the WS out leg.

5.   Stitch entire crotch seam

6.  Press

7.  Put pants Rs out

8.  Waistband

1.           Put pants on and tie a piece of elastic or string around waist at natural waistline. Good time to use actual elastic waistbanding too. Try 4-5 inches less than actual waist and see how everything looks in the mirror.

2.            Mark natural waistline using chalk . I also had success folding the ws over the top of the wide elastic waistbanding (not the way it actually will go on!),  safety pinning it front and back on myself, then pressing in crease after I took them off, and marking that crease (on the inside).

9.  Check, is there sufficient casing depth for elastic width used? Add extra strip along casing edge if needed. Twill tape or self fabric

10.      Press actual casing in place

11.       Slip elastic through, safety pin and  eyeball fit.

12.      Measure actual waistband elastic Try 4 inches less than actual because of stitching through center will stretch it out

13.      Sew casing fold, leaving elastic gap

14.      Pull elastic through Safety. Pin well and check fit

15.      When fit ok safety pin or baste through long center

16.      Check fit again

17.      Sew edges of elastic together –butted together or lapped over, using zig zag stitch.

18.      Sew along center of elastic all around waist to give doubled look

19.      Hem

1.           Fold up, press and pin. Try on with clogs to eyeball hem.

2.           Turn in quarter inch fold at raw edge and sew that or finish the edge if not turning under. On linen pants I didn’t turn under. On courderoy pants I sewed on seam tape. Both avoided a bulky look

3.           Hand stitch hem in place for linen pants . Fused stitchwitchery between the two WS’s on the courderoy pants.

* I take sewing classes in the Cañada College Fashion Department, Redwood City, California

The Lady Wears Trousers: Mystery of the Double Needle

 I knew what twin needles did and I loved the look of the belt loops on  commercial jeans (as well as their use to embellish other bits of jean'ery).  But for some reason, it never occurred to me that I would learn how to sew with a twin needle. That skill was for a sewist who really knew how to sew well, somebody who had taken sewing classes.

Do you ever find yourself creating mental blocks like that without realizing it? Apparently I was able to pass Calculus (and that as a teenager), hold down professional work at a young age, and bear and raise a child but a twin needle was beyond me.

Well no more.

I was inspired by the desire for classy belt loops. During my pants construction class, I was told a few secrets concerning the wiley twin needle. They aren't that all secret.

While using the double needle
I sat this thread holder behind my machine

1. Though my machine doesn't have a spot for the  two spools of thread needed to run through the two different needles, there are a variety of ways to mount them. One is an external thread holder. I'm sorry I don't know what they are called. I bought mine for less than $20.00 at a Viking dealer.  It looks like this.

When I watched Lynda Maynard, who taught my Pants Construction Class, use her double needle, I learned that you simply run the thread from both spools of thread along the same standard thread channels. They don't get tangled or unhappy running together. I was pleased to realize that I wasn't the only student who found the whole deal unfamiliar. Even the lady who has never bought a commercial pattern, because she just whips up her own, was surprised by the thread dancing merrily together.

2. Another cool thing about the twin needle, that I learned from Lynda, is that the back side of double needling makes a zig zag stitch. So, I can count on that stitch to cover up any rough edges on the back side of what I'm sewing.

3. With the magic of the twin needle, I can simple put wrong sides together on a strip of fabric to make my belt loops, zig zag the long edge, then press the resulting tube with this external seam running down the middle. Entonces, I run a line of twin needling down the non-seamed side and ¡Qué bien!  a strip ready to be cut into belt loops.

Belt Loop Strip, Ready to Go!

Here's the front side of the twin needle's work
I sewed this sample on a piece of crinole, which is a
slightly sheer material. So the back stitches show a little bit

Here's the back side of the double needle's work
Notice the zig zag

The Lady Wears Trousers: Inseam Pocket Checklist

Inseam Pockets

Elastic Waist Pants Under Construction
The long strip is the Stay for the garment front
The pocket and stay are cut from "Drill"
The Leash running from the top of the Drill pocket
up into the waistband is cut from Silk Organza - sturdy yet light

* 1. Notes 

* 2. Checklist

1. Notes

1.   Pocket bags can be cut any shape that works for person wearing. Make sure they are cut deep enough!

2.   Remember to add extension to pant front and back when CUTTING OUT pattern

3.   Adding extension to front and back of pants (skirt) helps match up where pocket bag fits in better (for me) than notches

4.   Use continuous stitching wherever possible

5.   Remember to mark F and B and Right Sides (RS) of all four pieces

6.   Cut pocket leash from Silk Organza for front of pocket only. This will tie into the waistband, will not add bulk and keep pocket in place

7.   This is also an excellent time to stay the fork of the crotch (fronts only)

2. Inseam pocket checklist

1.  Cut stays from selvage edge or folded muslin strip at least an extra inch above and below

1.           Make sure opening fits hand At least six inches wide

2.  Reinforce front and backs along pocket opening an inch or two above and below hand opening

1.           Sew Stay openings to fronts and backs

3.  Press stays

4.  Pin all four pocket bags carefully

1.           Eyeball check both fronts to backs, make sure it all seems to be laying correctly for the garment

2.           Sew all four pocket bags to fronts and backs. Use a 3/8” Seam Allowances (SA)

5.  Press SA

1.           Towards pockets

2.           With Pockets facing out

3.           Press each SA open

6.  Grade front SAs only

7.  FiNISH seam edges

8.  Hand baste front pocket bags to back along across opening

9.  Sew side seams above and below

10.      Reinforce stressnpoints

11.      Press step three

12.      Sew pocket bags

13.      Deal with extended leash here. BASTE to waistline marking

14.      Catch front seam in stitching

15.      Seam finish edges

16.      Clip bottom, back SA to but not through

17.      Press open below clip

18.      Press pocket towards garment

19.      Catchup pocket leash with basting in waist area

* I take sewing classes in the Cañada College Fashion Department, Redwood City, California