I have reached the point in a project that no seamstress likes. The part of half finished projects and things you've been putting off or had to put off because other things had to be done first. When inspiration has pretty much fled and you're left finishing what your imagination started. When laziness and sloppiness start becoming less of a cardinal sin and more of a "I need to get this done so shortcuts are necessary" frame of mind. Using stitch witchery on the jacket facings instead of handsewing it all is sounding very good at this point...
Things have been slow and fairly steady, though the past couple of days have been extremely frustrating due to one thing: sleeves. If you want to ruin my day, tell me to sew sleeves. Then I'll probably just cry as I rip out stitches. Again.
This one I totally blame the fabric. I'm no pro at the whole easing in the sleeve cap fullness, but I've done it before, between bodices and mockups, at least five sets of sleeves smoothly and successfully, and this is the same type of sleeve as the rest of them. It doesn't make sense that I can do this over half a dozen times and not get close. So either I'm going to have to sacrifice the smooth sleeve for a slightly gathered one or alter the sleeve cap. Which I don't know how to do and I'm surely not going to do it on my final sleeves.
But other than the sleeves, the bodice is 95% done other than a little seam finishing on the sleeve cuffs and two buttons for the jacket part. The skirt finally has closures. And the jacket still needs facings and top of the bustle pleats tacked down, buttons, and sleeves. I'm just going to put the sleeves fiasco garments away for now and focus on the overskirt and hat, the last two things that need to be done/pretty close to being done. And hopefully I'll be able to fully dress up for sewing class before the 27th.
I have fifteen days to finish this, and I've been working on something every single day, regardless if I wanted to or not, for at least the past few weeks, maybe longer. It will get done...I hope...
When I have a sleeve cap I can't conquer and time is of the essence I flat out cheat. I set the cap smoothly first and then go pinning around to the underarm. Any excess is worked into a box pleat. I do this because first, it's not very noticeable if the excess isn't, well...excessive. And secondly because it gives me insurance that the sleeve won't be too tight.
ReplyDeleteI may have to try this. It's not a ton of extra either, less than an inch, and you don't see it until you're almost done and you know your easing attempt failed. This may be the only way to do this, because I am hellbent on getting a smooth cap. Thanks for the suggestion! You have saved me more hours of grief.
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd seen this a week ago. I read a reviewer at PatternReview.com that mentioned a sleeve cap ease removal tutorial that you might want to try next time: http://stitchywitch.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/tutorial-removing-sleevecap-ease/
ReplyDeleteI usually take a more complicated route that may or may not involve reshaping the cap curve depending on my assessment of the armscye. This looks straightforward. You could manage it easily.