Finally Ready to Sew.
Now that my bottom thread is coming up properly, I really was ready to sew this beautiful fabric into a top for myself.
I realized one of my first problems was that I was not entirely sure in what order I should be sewing the pieces together. I could not follow the video exactly where Mimi G Style shows how she traces a shirt to make a pattern, because my arm holes and neckline would be different. I decided to do what TrendyEby shows and attach the facing first to the separate back and front panels. But before I did this, I ran into a video by Downtown Tailoring where the owner goes over the importance of doing a stay stitch before you attach another fabric on top of the first. Perfect timing! I used both those instructional videos to continue my sewing journey with African cloth!
Now to prepare my facing I used a zig zag stitch on the edge since I don't have an overlocker. I need to practice the zig zag on curves more because these need work!
Next, I needed to attach both facings to the correct panel. Here I realized I made a mistake, and I learned how important it is to be thinking/know how you will be sewing the pieces of fabric together all the way at the start, while you are making the pattern! I made the seam allowance at the neckline pretty large and that would have been fine if I were finishing the neckline the way I would the hem, however I decided not to. Instead, I would be doing a simple facing finish and this technique combined with Downtown Tailoring's advice to bring the facing a little higher than the neckline, and the fact that I made the facing the size TrendyEby recommended (2 inches), it meant my facing got very small very quick. I ended up having to cut off a lot of the extra fabric after sewing the facing on.
I sewed on the top stitch after cutting the excess fabric. You can see how small my facing is looking. But this top stitch was also a challenge. I was not sure if I should attempt to do the top stitch directly over the line where I attached the facing to the neckline, or slightly above? Or slightly below? I realized after I finished the first neckline that when I turn this to iron it down, I saw a peek of the other thread lines... honestly, I am still unsure how best to do this top stitch I will need to keep practicing.
Sewing the cuff was also a challenge. So much so that I forgot to take a picture. LOL. My trouble came at the amount of layers/fabric I was dealing with where the two panels meet under the arm. So much fabric! And how to make it look smooth and finished nicely on the inside? I don't have that answer yet. Don't look on the inside of this top you might catch a fright by how messy it is. LOL.
And then started my REAL problems... the hem. Again, here I left myself a generous amount of hem and seam allowance when I made the pattern. But this hem is curved. And no matter how much I tried I could not figure out how to make the hem look nice by rolling in the fabric the way I did with my son's top. It was a mess! I went back to the original black top I was loosely attempting to copy, and I realized they finished their hem with a type of bias tape. The bias tape was covering the edge of the fabric on both sides... like a fabric sandwich. Soooo... I made a bias tape from some of the scrap fabric I had. I did not cut it length wise and purposely left it a little longer than the amount I had measured to need for the whole hem. (Spoiler alert: later I would find out it would not be long enough!)
Now, I thought I had cut the bias strip wide enough... well it turns out I did not. Because I wanted to turn in the edges on both sides so that I would have absolutely no fraying. But when I actually started turning and ironing the edges in place to make it easier to sew on, I realized the strip was looking tiny. I had not cut it wide enough. If I left it like this it would show a little of the selvage I had left when cutting out my pattern because I had been planning on simply turning the edges in for the hem line. That would have ensured the selvage would not show, it was very little, but when using the bias tape, it would show.
I did not want to make a new bias tape, so my compromise was that I would turn in the edge of the bias tape that would be on the outside of the fabric and cover enough of the edge to not show the selvage. And the bias tape on the inside would have the raw edge showing. Again, do not look at the inside of this top please!
Now were my hem line troubles over? No. Because of my compromise on the bias tape, I ended up having to sew first the inside and then covering that line and sewing the outside. But this too was easier said than done.
As you can see as I sewed on the bias tape in some spots, I did not actually attach the bias tape to the panel, so I had some holes. I had to become a reluctant friend to the seam ripper. But I am glad I fixed it. Remember how I had measured the hem line and I knew I had extra fabric in the length of the bias tape? Well somehow it turned out to be slightly too short... so I had to attach a small additional piece of bias tape and carefully ensure no raw edges would be showing. I actually love how the bias taped hem line turned out! I think it gave the top such a clean looking finish... even though I know the truth and we are not allowed to look at the inside.
You can't see it in this image very well, but I like how well finished the boatneck neckline looks! However, for the next top I want to make the neckline more open.
And the sleeves... oh boy these pointy sleeves. Haha. They don't look horrible... but they are pointy and definitely NOT the look I was going for. I like the size of the sleeve and the look of the dolman sleeve, just not the pointiness.
I knew from the start that this fabric is very different from that of the original top. This one is pretty stiff, so another thing that I need to work on is making the top more tailored to me. I like that it is not tight on the front since I feel self-conscious of this right now, but I could tailor it on the back to make the fit more flattering.
I have been wearing very baggy clothes recently and I feel very comfortable. But there are days I want to look a little dressier and feel a different type of beautiful and comfort. I have not found what I have been looking for so this is truly my first attempt at making clothes I can feel beautiful and comfortable in despite wanting to dress modestly and despite my current struggles with my weight.
Truly this was such a huge learning experience, and I am thankful for each aspect of it! I am looking forward to making a new one... after this international move we are 16 days away from! We don't even know where we will live yet! BUT that is in God's hands, we are simply trying to be obedient with our time right now, and just do the hard things one decision at a time.
Tell me... do you have a sewing project that has grown you in so many ways? I would love to see some of your photos.
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