I’ve lost some weight in the last year. And that’s definitely a good thing for my health. But it’s been a bit hard on the sewing front. My weight loss has been slow and steady but the physical size changes seemed to happen all at the same time. I’d finally fit those too small jeans and a few weeks later, they were too big. Everyone was congratulating me but I was so upset that all my lovingly made garments no longer fitted. It sucked! I’d been careful, making garments that could be worn with other items in my wardrobe. I had a rainbow of outfits that mixed & matched & all the accessories too. And I get a lot of joy out of sewing & dressing. I felt like all was lost and I’d never sew again. Super dramatic but I’d never planned for a day when even the too small things were too big.
I spent a while mourning my me mades and then it was time for some sewing plans! We will rebuild! I wanted everything I made to have some adjustability – wrap dresses & skirts, elastic back dresses, shirred tops and things made from stretch fabric. I built all my sewing plans from there. If you found this post because you are in the same boat, I thought I’d share what I’ve been making and that might help you with your journey.
I started with something I’d made before, a reversible wrap skirt. I used my own tutorial but made this skirt a half circle instead of a full circle. I made the waist band for the skirt wide but the actual ties skinnier. I chose a bright, tropical print that has a black background, that way it can be worn with black or any of the colours in the print. I chose a matching bright pink for the second side, as pink works well with the printed side and a bunch of accessories & tops I have. You can see the print faintly through the plain side but I rather like the effect.
The next skirt project was an adjustable skirt inspired by vintage patterns. The front panel (which can be secured with buttons or waist ties) conceals a button up waistband that can be adjusted by several inches. The modesty panel also forms concealed pocket! It’s a pretty clever design & I’ve translated it from the pattern into a tutorial that is the February Sew A Long with Killer Kitsch, tutorial here.
I’d planned to make some dresses this year, even before the weight changes but now I was looking for things that could be size flexible. I traced off McCalls 7745 which is a wrap dress with several ruffled variations. I made the bodice lining to test fit and it was all kinds of wrong! Lots of fullness in the wrong places & just a crazy shape. I checked my work and was very puzzled. But then I read the reviews and realised the pattern was way off for others too. I trashed that idea and moved on.
The Patterns for Pirates (P4P) So Classic Sundress has an elastic back, perfect for my needs. Rather than use new fabric for a wearable muslin, I unpicked my striped pleats & gathers skirt. I had enough fabric to chop a little off the end for the centre bodice. I used poplin for the rest & for the lining. I made the pattern up as directed except I used the ‘no waistband’ hack and half inch elastic in the back. The results were gorgeous and the fit was very good. I knew I’d be making more, so I ordered 1” elastic for the back of the next ones. I’m also going to try the 1” elastic to the stand alone bustier from Charm Patterns Jane Set.
I wondered if I could alter the P4P sundress pattern to be my favourite deep v instead of a subtle sweetheart. I printed off another copy and added a little height to the side bodice & front bodice pieces and drafted in the front angle. I figured out what size I’d need to make the half circle skirt (I have post on how to to do that) and could not believe the number that popped up! It was the finished waist measurement of most of my half circle skirts. Because of the elastic back, the skirt is larger than the finished waist measurement of the dress. I tend to keep scraps from skirts in case I ever make a matching top, so I knew I could recycle my skirts into dresses.
First skirt to dress renovation was my Mexican floral skirt. I not only had scraps from the original skirt but I had some yardage set aside for an adjustable waist skirt. I unpicked the waistband and zipper from the original skirt and closed up the back seam where the zipper was and set that aside. I made up altered P4P sundress bodice from scraps & with a poplin lining. I went with skinner straps because of the V shape, I thought it would suit better. This time I had 1” elastic and that was not only much easier, it sits better when worn too. I attached the skirt to the bodice and voila! I love how this came out so much, it’s exactly my style and reminds my of a dress I wore all summer long in the 90’s. Some unpicking but no hemming! And I get to reuse my skirts and get use from them. It won’t work for every single skirt but I can save many. It’s pretty exhilarating!
I also bought an entire garbage bag of clothes for $5 from a local op shop for some quick refashioning. I have a Brother machine that will not shirr and shirring is such a quick fit fix. So I got to experimenting and found an excellent work around that I think is even easier. I made over this tent like top into something more fitted in half an hour! If you want a shirring work around tutorial, just let me know!
On to good old stretch fabric! I had been eyeing the top in Simplicity 8342 for a while and decided it was time to crack it out months ago. I started with a grey & black stripe fabric from stash. Against the reviews I made the cap sleeve version and it was not good. Most of the sleeve ended up on my back? That short apex bust to shoulder thing gets me again. So I did what anyone would and chucked in the UFO tub and left it there for months. Eventually I unpicked the cap sleeves & finished it and is super cute! For some reason, I made a pleather version and then wondered where I was going to wear it. Don’t worry, it’s perfect for my pre birthday drag show night with the girls.
Then I got more serious and decided to make a two piece romper type outfit. I fell in love with a large scale pineapple slinky crepe knit. It’s so bouncy, I knew it would be hell to sew. And it really, really was… I put in a new ballpoint needle, used tissue and my machine ate it repeatedly. I ended up sewing each seam with tear away stabiliser and basted many with wash away wonder tape. But it’s is beautiful!
And that brings us to the other half of the pineapple two piece. I used the Made for Mermaids (M4M) free Cora Culottes pattern for my shorts because they’re half circle and floaty. I dropped the crotch down 2” to make them sit closer to my natural waist but otherwise made them up as directed. I didn’t even think about hemming them though. I also made a black pair because the style is so cute. Definitely recommend the pattern & its free!
And that brings us up to date! There has been a lot of furious phone scrolling, pattern hunting and hours in the sewing room but I feel like I’m getting my groove back. I love everything I’ve made and I’m especially excited about recycling much loved skirts into dresses. I feel confident that I’ll have plenty to wear this summer.
Where to next? Since McCalls 7745 was a bust, I’ve bought Butterick 6654 which is quite similar. So fingers crossed that will be a better fit. I’ve also got my eye on the Wearing History 1940’s Wrap but that will need to be scaled up to fit.
I’m going to be busy building my wardrobe V2 and will have a few tutorials heading your way. And if you needed to get your sewjo back after weight loss, I hope I’ve inspired you to rebuild! Happy sewing xx
Comment
You done a awesome job if only i had your talent beautiful