Something I have thought about often but have never had the foundational skills or equipment to pursue, is making my own clothes. I have a sewing machine and I know the basics from school and sewing with the women of my family, but I haven’t known enough to pursue it as a hobby. There’s also so much to know about sewing, like the way certain fabrics respond to care and how to read a pattern that it has always felt like too much to start.
Luckily for me, my mother-in-law is a very skilled sewer. She even weaves her own clothes, mats and tea towels. I asked her if she’d be willing to help me with a basic sewing project for the Jane Austen high tea and she enthusiastically agreed to help me on my way. She gave me lots of guidance in everything from choosing fabrics to assembly.
The first step was finding my pattern, which I had acquired some time ago so we could calculate how much fabric we would need. Then we went through the aisles of appropriate fabrics in Spotlight to find the magic combination of a pattern I liked + being on sale. I shortlisted it down to 3 fabrics, finally settling on the pink one I ended up with.
The next step was to read the pattern to identify which parts we would need to cut out and to understand the process. We sorted through the sheets and pulled out all the ones we needed. We were making the biggest size which made the cutting part very easy.
Once we had our pieces cut out then we cut out the fabric on a scrap fabric she had (an old bedspread). This would enable us to work out some of the parts of the assembly that we were trying to decipher in the instructions. She has a handy collection of mint tins that she uses to weigh down the pattern pieces so they don’t shift while cutting. I did have a few people ask me why there were so many mint tins. Now you know!
Next was polishing up my sewing skills. I was so rusty I could barely sew in a straight line. It was good to have the scrap fabric to practice on for this part. The pattern involves lots of gathering so I learned how to baste stitch and then pull the threads to gather. I also learned that it’s a more modern sewing practice to clip pieces together instead of pinning them like I learned when I was a kid.
Once we got the assembly of the top down, we were able to figure out how to start with the actual fabric. My mother-in-law did some googling to see what feedback she could find on blogs from other people who had used the pattern. The biggest comment seemed to be that the opening at the back could gape, so we made it a more conservative opening.
The fabric made the dress longer than expected (we ended up with a rayon) and so we took it up in length twice. I had done some research and looked up historic fashion cards from the era (which was a delight because so many are replicated in the movie Emma) and wanted to try a velvet trim inspired by some of the cards I’d seen. Initially, I was considering green or mustard but the grey looks so beautiful that we went with it instead. This trim was hand stitched on. You can tell which ones I did because on the reverse side they don’t look like little marching ants they look like a packet of dropped eyelashes. To help get it made in time my mother-in-law did a lot of the finishing. I was so excited to wear it on the day.
I cannot wait to make another couple to keep building my skills. The pattern also included a Spencer jacket I will try. I also have my eye on another pattern from one of the other brands which require more fabric. Can’t wait to share my other little creations as I learn.
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