Over the weekend I decided to try a little sewing for myself. I don't like sewing clothing for myself, I'm funny that way. I had an old peasant style tunic that I had worn to thread bare and it was time to sadly let it go. I decided to cut it up carefully and attempt to recreate the pattern using the pieces as a template. I made up a muslin as a test. Shockingly, oh yes I was indeed surprised, it turned out rather well. Not perfect or stunning by any stretch of the imagination, but I did not sigh in defeat and wonder why I bothered at all. This is rare let me tell you. Being pleased as punch, I tried it on to adjust the sleeve length and The Bearded One said, "Looks like something you would wear in the lunatic asylum." Nice right? Though I did know what he meant, the color of unbleached muslin, the shapelessness of the tunic, and the overly long sleeves did have a straight jacket quality going on. Maybe even a little convent wear in style so...I added some vintage lace...
More pleasing but still...I decided to try some iDye in brilliant blue. The package said it was meant for the washing machine, sounds good, less mess...let's give it a go. I highly recommend this dye, we shall see how it holds up in the long run but, easy to use and the color is lovely!
It turned out the prettiest blue color, just dreamy. Now, had I just remembered to use all cotton thread so that it would have turned blue too. Still for something I only intended as a test pattern, not so bad. Oh wait! Fraying at the neck line! What the devil?Well, I was toying with the idea of adding some embroidery around the neck. Will that fraying be fixed with some decorative floss? Will I actually wear this out in public? What will become of this accidental shirt?
Stay tuned to find out.
Love how it turned out. I wait with interest to see what you do with the neck line! Have fun. Leah
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed! Great idea to use the dye to make a "mock-up" wearable!
ReplyDeleteI love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful colour blue! It looks so delicate - I really like this and can't wait to see what you have planned for the neckline :)
ReplyDeleteGreat blue - I can't wait to see the final conclusion...
ReplyDeleteMy sewing is always about fixing problems, never starting clothes from scratch. I've got a recup' lab coat going on at the moment for Son 1, which is a bit surreal. I really admire what you can do!
I'm on the edge of my seat...
ReplyDeleteit looks lovely! and i can so relate to the asylum-comment, my m is like that too, hmf...;)
ReplyDeletei have been meaning to recreate some favourite skirts of mine like this - though they're not yet worn to bits so i thought i'd recreate the pattern through old sheets or something. dying in the washing machine is on my to do-list too, i just want to stuff it with as much dyable things as possible and i can't decide on what colour i'd like for all those pieces...
of course you should wear this out and about, the colour alone is stunning!
Thank you all, you have encouraged me to continue the work. Just the boost I needed!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the way that tunic turned out! You're so good....
ReplyDeletei say "wear it loud and wear it proud" my dear lola... it's flipping fantastic, i am in awe. my ability to construct a garment from scratch is complete pants.
ReplyDeleteyou truly are a master :)