Bored with Your Wardrobe?

Are you bored with your current wardrobe?  Are you also bored with your sewing projects?  I found that I was bored with my sewing  projects and most of those projects ended up in my wardrobe, so that made my wardrobe boring as well!  I sewed basically the same pieces of clothing all the time; usually, pants, capris, tee-tops and shirts.  I used the same patterns most of the time and the only thing that changed was the fabric. 

Finally, this summer I started to be more observant of what others were wearing.  I noticed that my friends who do not sew were wearing items of clothing that had scallops somewhere on them.  One friend had capri pants that were scalloped at the hems.  I told her I liked them and thought I would try to make some.  Before I could get them cut out, I noticed another friend with a dress that had a scalloped neckline.   Then another friend came to church with a top that was scalloped at the bottom hemline and also at the sleeve hemline.  Then it dawned on me.  I was witnessing a fashion trend!   

I decided to participate in this fashion trend.  I had some hot pink fabric purchased a few months ago during one of my trips to Zink’s Fabrics in Ligonier, Indiana.  I also had a pattern for capris that I have used lots of times I knew I could use this pattern, but I would have to change the pattern to accommodate the scallops at the hemline of the legs.  I decided to do that by adding a facing at the bottom edge of each leg.  I traced both the front and back pieces from the bottom edge up to 2.75 inches from the bottom.  This would be the facing.

It is always best to make a sample before cutting out the entire pattern.  I made my sample by cutting out only the bottom 5 inches or so of one front and one back piece as well as the front and back of one facing.   I sewed the seams on the sample capri together and then sewed the seams of the facing.  Then placing right sides together, I pinned the facing to the capri sample.

Next, I needed to make chalk marks for the scallops.  To do that, I needed something round to trace to make the scallops.  I decided to use a small plastic thread spool cap from my sewing machine.  I traced around one-half of the spool cap to make the scallops.  I then sewed on the chalk line using a stitch of 2.5 on my machine.  I was able to get the scallops sewn, but it was difficult and the scallops were not smooth. 

I felt the first attempt was not perfect, but it was good enough to make a couple of changes and try it on my pants.  So, I sewed the pants together and then added the facing.  This time, I used a larger plastic thread cap to trace the scallops and changed the stitch length on my machine to 1.0 – 1.5.   I used the 1.0 to sew the scallops where they curved the most.  It was easier to get around the curve in a smoother manner by using the very small stitch length.  I knew I would not be ripping out stitches this small so, I hoped for the best outcome!  Once I trimmed the scalloped edge, I knew that although this attempt was not perfect either, I could live with it.  If I make more scalloped capris for next summer, I will definitely try using a more gradual curve between the scallops.  Pictures of the finished product are shown below.

 

I showed the capris with two different tops that I might be able to wear with them.  The navy blue print has small pink flowers, so I think that would work.   I like the pink tee top.  It is maybe one shade lighter than the pants.  I am concerned that if I pair those two together, it may be too much of a bold color.

The one thing I learned from this experience is there are lots of ideas or fashion trends we can use to sew items for our individual wardrobes.  Take a look around you to see what others are wearing.  Also, look at the stock in high end stores or just go browsing at some of the online stores.  It doesn’t cost anything to look.  Once you have an idea in mind, you can always hack a pattern to make it work for you.  We just need to pay attention to the trends as they develop and then decide if they are trends that we like and would feel comfortable wearing. 

I hope you will try adding something new to your sewing soon!

Judy

#sewing #addfashiontrendstoyourwardrobe #patternhacks