Orange Dress - Petticoat Finished

I completed the sleeves. I took each sleeve and inserted it into the armcye of the dress. The dress is wrong side out while the sleeves are right side out.
I sewed the sleeves in the armcye.

I had a slit for the zipper at the left side of the dress.

I pinned the zipper, starting from the armcye, downwards ...

... and back upwards at the other side. The zipper teeth are aligned with the edge of the slit. I sewed half a centimeter along the slit at the right side.

The neckline's lining is hand-stitched to the dress with an invisible stitch so it couldn't move or stick out.
The petticoat is finished for now. The only thing that's left is the lenght - it must be measured at the fitting.

Orange Dress - Petticoat

My new project is a dress for a member of our group Immortalis. She designed it to match the rest of our dresses:-)

I shrinked the cotton canvas in the washing machine and cut the panels out.
I sewed the vertical seams and the shoulders together.
The breast and the upper back should always be sewn at the side panel - it's easier to sew the curve this way.

We both love wide skirts so I widened the dress with gores.

You can see how I fold the tip of the gore's seam allowance when serging it.

I cut out the lining pieces for the neckline and side zipper, ironed the fusible web on and serged them.

The shape was derived from the pattern of the dress' neckline and side seam. The neckline lining piece has shoulder seams (it's made from the front and back piece).

I put the neckline piece on the neckline, right sides together. I sewed a curve a cm from the edge. Then I could turn it over, iron and sew a securing line of stitches close to the neck line.

The same with the zipper part. I sewed the pieces right sides to the right side of the dress, turned over, iron..

The last thing for today is the elbow tuck. The sleeves are shaped with it, it's at the elbow part of the sleeve's back edge. Every tuck must be curved at the tip, and this one is no exception:-)

Patchwork Coat Bag

I sewed a coat for me at school and I found out none of my rucksacks fit to it:-D
The bag is made from the leftovers of the coat: duvetine (one colour comes from the horizontal waist part of the coat) and lining.

The front piece is patchwork.
Two slantwise laid squares (should be cut as bias): the dark one under the light one. Fold the corners to the center and attach with one vertical and one horizontal line of stitches. Then fold the diagonal edges back and sew on place. They can be stretched out easily and wont fray out as the squares are bias:-)

That's for one piece. If you want more of them neatly joined (I have four), you must sew the squares together at the sides before folding them. They are sewn together exactly at the place of the fold.

Lilly Surcoat - Body

My new order - a men's surcoat sewn for a girl.
I cut out the pieces - body, skirt and sleeves.
I basted the lower edge and some lines important for decoration.

A slit has to be made at the neckline.
I cut out a rectangle as the lining. I applied fusible interfacing on both the lining and the location of the slit on the front panel.
I put the lining right side to the right side of the piece. I sewed along the drawn slit on both sides, with a triangle at the tip of the slit.
Then I cut the slit and turned the lining inside. I ironed it and sewed the lining on with decorative line of sitches.


I basted the hips and the shoulders of the body.

I sewed and serged the side seams of the skirt for the fitting, basted it to the body and basted one sleeve.

Brown Fire Costume - Finished

This is our new outfit for the new fireshow.
The trousers are rather wide at the bottom and fitted at the top, everyone has the same costume except for the colour of the top and the neckline design.
The gathering ensures free move at the tight bracers. Without it it wouldn't be able to bend an elbow easily.

Brown Fire Costume - Bracers

New bracers as an accessory to the new fireshow costume.
This is the pattern I've drawn. I measured my arm at several places. I measured the distances between them and put this all on the fabric.
The rectangle at the left is for the velcro and the ones at the upper part are for the gathering.
I serged the piece except the lower third.

I cut out a rectangle from canvas, pressed the edges inwards and sewed on the bracer pattern into the upper part rectangles. The short sides are not sewn on.

I cut out bias tape, ironed its upper edge and sewed on the lower edge of the bracer piece.

I turned it over and sewed on.
I ironed the upper edge to the wrong side and the lower third's edges for the velcro.

Now I could sew one part of the velcro to the right side of the bracer.

I used a twill tape to gather the elbow area. I threaded it through the tunnel, sewed on one side, pulled the other end to a measured mark and sewed on this end as well.

I pinned the elbow seam and sewed from the velcro level to the upper edge. At the elbow part I decreased the width of the seam allowance to provide freedom of move.

I sewed the other part of velcro to the wrong side of the bracer.

I pressed the seam allowances flat and sewed the upper hem on.

I put each bracer on the sleeve board and evened up the chaotic gathers to neat lines.

Brown Fire Costume - Neckline

Now I have the body sewn and the lower hem done.
I drew and cut out the lining pieces for the neckline and the armcye.

I sewed the pieces together, ironed the fusible interlining and serged one side.

I prepared the straps: I folded a long rectangle and sewed it at one long and one short side.
I put a needle in and turned the strap inside out.
I ironed it for the seam to be in the middle of the strap.

I sewed on the lining pieces (right side to the right side of the waistcoat) and ironed them to the wrong side. I sewed on the armcye lining along the edge.
I pinned the straps on and fitted this on me.

When the result was satisfactory, I marked the positions with a thread. I ripped out the stitched here and drew the straps through these holes under the lining.
You can see the straps have the angle drawn with chalk on them.

I resewed the ripped part, with the straps between the neckline and the lining.

I'd made a bra with one strap. Now I sewed one strap of the neckline that's been left long to the bra in the front and at the back

The bra is supported with one strap of the neckline at one side and with its own strap at the other side. This one is hidden under the waistcoat's shoulder and secured there with this little band I sewed on the seam allowances.

I sewed on the neckline lining along the edge as well and for the neat fininsh I sewed the seam allowances of the neckline and armcye to all the vertical seam allowances.

Brown Fire Costume - Beginning

New season calls for new fireshow costume.
The concept is this: everyone has wide black trousers and a waistcoat of chosen colour, with slanted lower hem and a individual neckline.
I took a dress pattern from Burda, cut the lower part out, left out the sleeves and drew the shape of the neckline.
I prepared it for the fitting - I basted all the vertical seams.

The top fitted quite well, so I sewed these seams as well. The tricky part is always the tip of a tuck. It must be sewed carefully and slightly curved. The threads are tied in hand in this case.

The lower hem is just folded and sewed on. Before I could do it, I had to make the corners.
I folded the seam allowance of the slit right side to right side and sewed at the line over the whole seam allowance.
I turned the corners over and pressed them flat.

The basic overview.
I just have to finish the neckline and it'll be done.

Pirate - Waistcoat Finished

So the waistcoat is sewed, hemmed, what now? Fastening:-)
Decorative one, in this case.
I sewed a narrow rectangle around each mark. The buttonholes are quite long.

I cut each one (not the stitches). Then I embroidered each one with overcast stitch.
And what cotton did I use? These are threads I pulled out of the fabric!

I marked the buttons opposite to the buttonholes and sewed each one on.

The completed costume.

Pirate - Waistcoat Hemming

I turned the lining of the armhole right side out. I pressed the edge for the seam to appear inside the garment.

I attached the seam allowances by hand. I sewed with herringbone stitch and caught only one thread of each layer. This way it shouldn't be visible at the right side.

Or a machine alternative. I used it for long straight parts - the lower hem and the center-front lining.

It's called blind stitch. You fold the hem under the garment. You sew at the seam allowance, at the serging and every fifth stitch goes to the left and catches one thread of the fabric.