March Mending Madness: Navy thread edition

There was no Easter morning sewing group for costumes for the musical.

You do all the stuff with that one color, and then rethread.

You sew this way, I know you do. 
Black, grey.....

So after I rethreaded......in navy blue......it's time for navy blue polka dots!

Hemming out the hi/lo feature of the chiffon overskirt brought my friend the laser level out of the box.

It is hard on the eyes, as the red light is reflected back from the poly fibers (like tiny mirrors). I don't leave this going for any longer than I have to.

I use coil-less safety pins because there's less to get snagged in the fabric with them. Craft and knitting shops have them. Worth the cost of a bag in saved tears.

I didn't need the antacids for this job, but the container was the right height for the level.

 I moved a lot of furniture around to get the dress on the form on a board on a tipped-over plastic box I could sit by to mark the hem; the whole assembly being altogether shorter than the height of the basement sewing cave was an hour I won't get back.

Next time I'll take photos. It's comical, certainly.

It's chiffon. Shams has a great tutorial for this.

http://communingwithfabric.blogspot.com/2016/05/tutorial-tiny-machine-hem-for-sheer.html

I sewed a line, using the pins as a guide.

There is power in navy blue polka dots.

 How many different ways can I  take in the waistband on a pair of jeans?

This is not my greatest moment, but frankly, this process matches a pair the wearer already has, so I did it. Yes, I'd recommend pulling the waistband off the back and altering it and the back separately, but....eh. Customer is right.

So spreading the darts to the center sides works to break up any monodart distortion.

And the dart in the stretch material is going to end in the pocket.

See this poochy dart end?

I hate stretch denim. It's going to do this at a fold or a turn now or later. Go look at every pair of stretch demin RTW you have. Look at the pockets? That lump won't stay steamed out forever.

Where is that poochy end? It's in the pocket!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Watching people make things is almost as good as making them...no it's not

Now and then I like to cruise You Tube for sewing and designing links. I am most partial to the TR Platforms videos; pretty much swoopy shots of still photos of amazing stuff on dress forms. Some action vids as well.

I could watch the woman make the  the rolled hem on the Hermes' scarf one over and over again (and I have, often in tears).
And speaking of action shots: did you ever wonder how those rosette forms are made?

Free style draping video (about fifteen minutes)

There is action, suspense, a few heartstopping moments, and a nice resolution. My spouse had to leave the room while I was watching, as I was talking back to the screen ("Oh no! Really? WHAT? Oooooh!"). I had to take a break for coffee in the middle. Where is the popcorn?

I'm not so interested in the completed item; I have an allergy to big shoulders (mine are big enough) and things that make you look a little like an extra from Star Trek. That said, the process is fun to watch.

Alterations and hem rolling

If you have ever wondered why a Hermes scarf costs what it does, this is the video to explain that for you. I am working on altering a bias cut prom dress, and found this vid fascinating. And a little daunting - I'm working on a bias, the pulling will distort the hem. Which led me to this Worth a look.