Shirts are *not* easy!

[auntiemeesh]

"Oh, shirts are easy," says lyda_pearl.

"Ha!" says Meeshie, "shirts are *not* easy! They have gussets and weird flat-hem/seam something or others and they're impossible to adjust in size because I don't know what any one piece needs to look like or how big it needs to be in comparison to the rest of the pieces and AAARRRRGGGG!!!!"

*Auntiemeesh takes a deep breath*

Okay, I'm better now. Well, I'm no longer screaming, at any rate. I'm finding the sewing instructions included with this shirt pattern to be less than entirely sufficient or satisfactory for a novice seamstress like myself. Or maybe it's just that I'm sewing illiterate. The terms they use don't mean anything to me, so they are spectacularly unhelpful at telling me what to do next. I wanted to have this shirt done by Monday night and here it is, Thursday, and it's still in pieces. I have the sleeves pieced together, but no cuffs and not attached to the body. I have the placket on, but no collar.

/whine

So how are all of you doing on this fine Thursday afternoon?

Comments

[lily-the-hobbit.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

I wish I could help you, but I fear I'm even more useless when it comes to sewing.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

My problem is that I tend to just assume that I can do something, without actually having any of the particular skills that help one do said thing. So I've decided to make this shirt, but I don't know any of the terminology or tricks of the trade. I guess it's learn-as-you-go time. :D

[eve11]

Wow. I am completely sewing illiterate. I think I might have to do like, three seams in my costume and that's it. And I'm seriously considering doing those with hot glue instead.

How am I? I'm trying to figure out how the heck I'm going to support this Scarran head above my head. Method 1 was attach it to a cardboard box and then attach the box to a bike helmet and wear it. That didn't work because it's too heavy and pulls the helmet forward over my eyes. Method 2 is going to be -- find a way to reinforce it by attaching light, flexible but strong material in behind the eyes and along the jaw on the inside, and then running it over the cardboard box and attaching it to the shoulderpiece in the back. Gotta find me some material for that though.

Believe it or not, I'm actually getting some work done today too! :)

[arthurfrdent.livejournal.com]

put a heavy duty balloon [punchball] in the head, tape that to the carboard box and so on? or make a chest/back frame with a stick running up your back, holding an l shape to hold the back/top of the head up from inside. That way the weight transfer will be to back/hips and it will be much easier to walk on stilts...

oh yeah... hi, auntiemeesh :D looks like I'll have to learn to sew on a machine to fix the seat covers in my old rundown RV... so I'll be a complete novice there.

[eve11]

I was thinking about the balloon thing. Actually what I have now is a structure I constructed out of foamboard that seems to be working pretty well. But yeah, I think what you are saying there about the chest/back frame is the direction I'm heading toward. I already have a set of hockey pads that are going to frame the chest and the back so I was thinking of using them. The only thing is that the head is going to sit pretty far forward but at the same time I want the back of the neck to have some curve to it, so I'm going to have to try and tweak the 90-degree angle of an I-frame and the support.

It's going to be an interesting project, that's for sure. Worse comes to worse, and I'll find something that will work for me to be stationary at least. It won't be as fun as being able to walk around though. We'll see...

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

Hi AFD! Good luck with your seat covers. :)

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I am completely sewing illiterate

And yet you made that Aeryn vest all by yourself, sewing. I'm gradually figuring things out with this shirt, but it is turning out to be a lot more complicated than I thought it would be.

Good luck with the Scarran head. If worse comes to worst, I can always walk around behind you supporting the head somehow, lol. Like the way the bridesmaids all walk behind the bride, adjusting her train so it never gets funky looking. I'll be your Scarran bridesmaid. :D

[melilot-hill.livejournal.com]

It's rather hard to help from the other side of the world, so I'm just going to wish you good luck. I'm sure you can do it :-)

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It *will* get done, I just may pull out all my hair in the process, lol.

[dreamflower]

What pattern are you using? If I can get a gander at it, I might could talk you through some of it. Not sure, but I could try.

Pattern instructions are definitely their own esoteric language, some more so than others. I don't know why--I have had a couple of my doll clothing patterns published, and I ran my instructions by someone who was completely sewing illiterate, to see if they could understand. I don't know why the major pattern companies don't do that.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

The pattern is Simplicity 5023, which is a civil war pattern. I'm doing the shirt with the band collar (but without pockets). The thing that I was getting completely hung up on was the flat-felled seam. I've made a guess at what I'm supposed to do with it, but it's pure conjecture, based on the drawing that accompanied the incoherent directions for how to do a flat-felled seam.

[dreamflower]

Okay, I see your pattern here:
http://www.simplicity.com/index.cfm?page=section/civilWar/shirts7.htm

This is not as hard as I thought, as it's based on actual period construction. That means you have mostly straight seams and so forth.

I don't use flat-felled seams very often--I prefer French seams, which give a similar finish but to me are easier. However, the main thing with flat-felled seams is don't skimp the ironing. After sewing the initial seam, you have to press it both ways. Then press it open before you trim one side. Trim as straight and as close as you can without nicking the actual sewing line. A pair of duck-billed applique scissors are helpful. Fold one edge over the now wider side and press. Then press *that* side over the now narrower one. Now you topstitch the folded edge of the seam, or stitch it down by hand, whichever turns your crank. For a more accurate historical look do it by hand, but if time and convenience are more important, use the machine.

If my directions aren't very clear, you might check here:
http://www.sewneau.com/how.to/flat.felled.seam.html

Thanks!

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

That helps a lot, both your description and the step-by-step with photos. I was a little off in my interpretation of the directions in the packet, so I'm glad I didn't actually do anything with it yet. :D

[ani-no-mouse.livejournal.com]

I once tried to make a tank top, which you would think would be considerably easier than a shirt since neither sleeves nor a collar are involved. Nonetheless, I spent the whole summer ripping out sleeves with Jack the Ripper. Mom argues that my problem was with the type of fabric I was working with (a very 70sish polyester knit) but I am pretty sure it was my total lack of talent. I have had no inclination toward sewing since then. So, I applaud your courage and fortitude in tackling these projects. Good luck with it!

*salutes you*

ripping out seams, I meant.

[ani-no-mouse.livejournal.com]

that's right, I meant to say ripping out seams, not ripping out sleeves. It's hard to rip out sleeves when they are not part of the project to begin with.

Re: ripping out seams, I meant.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

Lol! I figured that's what you meant. :D

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

My sewing projects never turn out as well as I want them too, but I've learned that I'm just not enough of a perfectionist to keep taking things apart and trying again until I get it just right. I fuss around for a little while and then say 'good enough'. It gets the job done but leaves a taste of discontent in the back of the mouth.

[(Anonymous)]

I understand what you mean. It's how I was when I first started sewing. But as I continued, and got a little better, I began to gradually get more picky. I'm still inclined to go with "good enough" if I'm in a hurry, but I have learned that you actually make life easier on yourself by not skipping such steps as pressing or finishing seams, things which I once thought were unnecessary frills.

If you keep at it long enough, your skills will improve. And read sewing books and magazines such as "Sew News" and "Threads". I have learned *so* much that way!!

[dreamflower]

Darn! I was sure I was logged in! This always happens when I try to respond at the email instead of going directly to the LJ! *sigh*

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I do that all the time - although I what I do is log in as erpjirl (generally to play with different lj styles without messing up my auntiemeesh journal prematurely) and then leave comments, forgetting that I'm not signed in as auntiemeesh. :)

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty good about pressing seams and things like that. Those same seams are usually a little crooked though, because I can't seem to sew in a straight line to save my life, and I decided I just can't be forever ripping out seams and redoing them only to rip them out again and again. So I just leave them crooked. I'm hoping that as I go on, my seams will get straighter.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh dear. I'm the one who suggested that pattern aren't I? (Hanging head in shame.) Dreamflower had good instructions for the flat fells--just remember to tuck the raw edge of the wider piece in before sewing so all ravelly bits are enclosed. I find that if I do the flat-fells by hand, I don't need to press them but a third hand (sewing clamp and bird) and a good bit of time are necessary for this. Of course, you could leave off the seam finishes and the shirt likely won't unravel too fast, since you're not likely to be giving it hard wear during a con, but it depends on your fabric and your tolerance for unfinished seams. One warning on the gussets if you have never used them before: DON'T sew all the way from/to the edge of the piece but start and stop your seams a seam-width from the edge. Otherwise, the gusset won't want to shift enough for the right-angle seams (I learned this the hard way). I always sew the neck gussets in by hand, as I have trouble fitting the pieces under the presser foot and it's such a short seam, but YMMV. The sizing of the pieces can be changed and I'm trying to think of a formula. I developed my measurements by making several shirts over time and writing down what to change, but you don't have that option now. The width across the triangular neck gussset plus the distance from the end of the neck slit to the edge of the shirt piece will be your shoulder width (allow for seam allowances). The shirt is designed so the shoulder comes off the the natural shoulder, so if you want the shoulder seam to sit higher, either cut the gusset smaller or lengthen the neck slit. I'm a small woman, and I like my neck gusset about 3" square (cut in half for the triangle) and my sleeve gussets about 4" square, but the rest of my measurements are in boxes right now, so I can't tell you how large the neck slit is or the size of the sleeve pieces. Remember that changing the shoulder width will affect how long the sleeve is, since it was designed expecting a dropped shoulder. If the sleeve seems too "bat-wing" for your liking, you can shorten the armhole to tighten it up and either cut the sleeve narrower, the gusset smaller, or gather it more at the shoulder. If you like the fullness of the sleeve at the shoulder, but it is too droopy at the wrist, you can slope off some at the wrist end of the sleeve piece, ending the cut midway up the sleeve, ending up with a sort-of trapezoid instead of a rectangle. Keep taking deep breaths: even for experienced sewers, period shirts can get screwed up. On more than one occasion, I have finished my machine sewing to find that one sleeve was attached inside-out from the other.

Good luck on your sewing. I've got packing to do, as I'm moving this weekend and my hands are objecting to the wood-stacking they were assigned this afternoon (a cord was delivered and I've still got a lot to stack). I hate moving. Stacking firewood doesn't rank too high either .

--elisabeth

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

No need to feel responsible for the shirt trauma! I would have settled on this pattern in the end anyway, as it's the closest to what I wanted.

I didn't mess with the neck measurements at all because I don't know how all the pieces relate to each other and I didn't want to mess the whole thing up. And it remains to be seen if I've messed anything up with the sleeves, but maybe I'll get them done today.

Good luck on your move and the wood stacking. :D