t-skirts and more

   As I said before, I have a new obsession:  making clothes, by hand, with previously loved clothes.  So, This is how I started...

On the Alabama Chanin website, http://alabamachanin.com/, I saw a blue, embellished and beaded shirt that caught my eye,and prompted me to chase this style of clothing and construction.  Cotton knit, raw edges, visible stitching and lots or little embellishments are all details I love.  I made this green shirt, inspired by the photo on the AC website, using an old favorite Stretch and Sew pattern, not the AC pattern...for stitch experimentation purposes I used pearl cotton, 6 strands of DMC floss and Cotty thread, and various stitches. The fabric is cotton double knit, from my stash.  I later dyed it with indigo and clear yellow (I think!) fiber reactive dye.  I made this before I bought the book, so was working from the seat-of-my-pants.  Turns out years of sewing has lead to good instinct!

detail of the stitch experiments....6 strands of DMC on the armhole binding, and one strand Cotty on the neck binding.  I like the way the neck binding has 'fluffed' a little after several washings.  I'll use 3-4 strands in the future, and I like the Cotty, a 12 weight, mercerized cotton thread for more delicate stitches.

So, the top turned out OK, and I learned which thread and stitches I liked.  The book, Alabama Studio Sewing + Design arrived, patterns included.  I devoured the book the same day!  She has already invented the wheel, so why should I work for the best stitches/threads/ methods?

This is the four-gore skirt, which I cut from 2 previously-loved t-shirts.  T-shirt knit is a single knit, but handles the same as a double knit, with the exception of the Roll Factor.  You know:  a single knit rolls to the right side, a double knit doesn't roll.  I went to several thrift shops in town, and while GFC has, by far, the biggest inventory, the new Salvation Army shop on Floral Parkway has the best prices:  $1 for men's t-shirts.  My fav shop is Vintage Values for everything else.  I need two XL's for a skirt.  After a short online search, I didn't find the fold-over elastic recommended in the AC book, so I used some 3/4" sew-through elastic from my stash.  Perfect!  OK, I cut the elastic too long, but I'll adjust that on the next skirt...

Detail of skirt construction....Also learned that stitching the pieces together by machine, and hand-felling the seams works very nicely.  I like the Cotty thread, and I have lots of colors in my stash!  12 weight.  This cretan stitch is good for the elastic application.  Now, I've made three skirts, all of which fit great!

OK, on to another idea.  This jacket is from an old Calvin Klein pattern, I made in another century.  Really.  It got shortened, and I cut circles, inspired by the June's Spring stencil in the AC book (copies on their website for free downloading, enlarged at Staples).  This is linen, and I cut circles from linen.  The scary thought is that I still had the linen remnants in my stash!  The circles are getting stitched on, by hand with a running stitch and beading thread, and I'll crust the edges with beads.  A long-term project, for sure.

A tank top (my style), cut from a polo-style shirt (NOT my style!) and bound with strips from another t-shirt, bought at Vintage Values.  Again, I used the S&S pattern, which doesn't fit as nicely as the AC pattern.  Don't skip the stay-stitch-the-neck-edge step.  It WILL stretch.

The bolero is cut from the AC pattern.  I never thought I'd like a bolero, but surely had to try it before discarding the idea.  I'm not fond of clothes that I have to tug and adjust because they feel like they're falling off or getting in the way.  Well, I love the bolero!  Just the right amount of warmth, with a tank top.  Even better:  2 XL t-shirts will yeild one skirt and one bolero, if I cut carefully.  The sleeves are the sleeves from the t-shirt, hem included.

Time to check out the AC tank top pattern now.  I cut it from 2 XL blue t-shirts...in my head, I can cut a tank top from one shirt, but it doesn't happen like that.  I don't worry about the two t-shirts being exactly the same blue.  The difference is part of the charm of this style.  The center front/back seams really make the top fit nicely, and it's not as low as it appears on the model in the book.  Thankgoodness!  I reallyreally like this tank top pattern. 

Now, I have three more tank tops cut out, from used shirts.  The stash of left-overs is growing, and will be used for bindings.  The next step is to use one of the AC stencils, now that I have worked out the fit and stitch questions.  This is going to be a great project for the Oaxaca trip!