totchipanda

The other week I was stymied by the missing bottom corner of the back pattern and an inability to decide on what fabric to use as a mock-up. Today I woke up after SIX UNBROKEN HOURS of sleep, which granted was at 5:30 am so I do plan to nap in a bit, and then after laying around for 4-ish hours, decided it was time. IT WAS TIME TO MAKE THIS BLAZER.

I used a washed cotton that was on the Kallax shelf, and I think I had intended to use it for a teens skirt, but as I was ironing it (boo hiss why did I do that to myself) it had some red staining. I probably washed it with something that bled more than expected. Anyway, got it all cut out and stitched and pressed, trying to make it all nice and pretty even for a mock-up because there's so much work that goes into tailoring, I want to make sure the fit issues are because of the fit and not because I didn't press it.

Of course there are fit issues lol. I expected it. I am using Closet Core's Jasika blazer because as pieces go it's very similar to the drafting manuals I was looking at. I cut a straight size 14 with the C-cup front pieces provided. (my sewing-size bust cup is at least a C, not the usual B drafts are made for, and it's not the same as a normal bra, bc of course it isn't.) I did not have shoulder pads in, nor was I wearing anything I might expect to be wearing under it (starting with a bra). Right away:

The back is too long. I pinned a ribbon along the waistline markings and it sags quite a bit at the back. It is also very wide across the shoulders and i could sometimes get it to stand 2-3 inches above my neck, but I will fix the back length before I make changes there.

The hip is too narrow. Or rather, my booty is too amazing. When it sits "normally" (with the too long waist), the vent gapes A LOT. When I pulled the waist up into place, it gaped less but still gaped. I expected this would be one issue I would have regardless.

The back overall is just a baggy mess. Again, not going to make any changes until I start with the length. But I don't want to over fit this either, and keeping in mind that my main project is going to be a quasi-Victorian cosplay, I don't need it to be so fitted. (Otherwise I could have just made a woman's suit lol)

I think the front is too wide too, particularly through the upper chest.

The sleeve was very snug through the bicep. I also found the armhole to be very low which I may need to work out.

then it was time for a break, so I have had lunch and wrote this post lol. When I get back to it, I will start by pinning up the back length and also try it with at least the corset on, and perhaps the waistcoat.

Speaking of the corset! I think it would be best if I took a wedge out of the back and added a gusset. I need to try it on again to be sure, but I think the fit was otherwise OK.

ETA: I pinned up the back approx 1" at the CB above the waist and tapered it out to the side-front seam and holy CRAP that improved the fit immensely. Then I put on the corset and waistcoat and tried it again and there's some new fit issues with that, but over all I really like it!

The cold snap has broken! After 3.5 weeks of -25 or colder, it has warmed up to just above freezing. What I don't like about that much warmth is that drivers seem to have forgotten that its still winter and sloppy roads covered in slurpee-textured snow are not *clear* roads, and that the snow has lost all structural integrity. The city still has not plowed our street and the condo board never clears the drive paths (in fact they cleared one of the sidewalks by pushing all the snow into the drive path, in front of the city-owned garbage bins), so all the vehicles on it just destructure it more, and then it will refreeze and turn into the consistency of oatmeal.

On the plus side, that did allow some of the homeowners on the street the opportunity to break up the packed snow on the sidewalks. I really need to get them some gift cards, I appreciate them so much!

Also on the plus side, my car started! I was able to go get groceries the other night. We are making a Costco run soon to get household supplies.

I decided that I was going to work on some of the sweater sleeves I have outstanding, so I have picked up one sweater in which I can do the sleeves together at the same time. I felt like I worked on them forever, but they were only 4.5" out of 18". I've put maybe another inch on them since haha.

I also got my butt down to the sewing room. First I sewed all of the buttons onto my suit project. The shirt required 12, the combos 7, and the pants 2. Then I tried my vest mock up again, and made a third one (which ended up almost exactly the second one) and cut out my fabric. GASP SHOCK OMG SCARY. I have enough fabric that I can make another one if necessary, it's just so hard to know if this is going to be *right* without making up like... most of it.

I don't even want to think about the jacket yet. That's going to require even MORE layers and MORE tailoring and have less room for error. That one I might make a full mockup of in a different fabric.

I want to continue my pants journey this year. I probably talked about this already, but I've come to the conclusion that sewing patterns are just not well-known about in terms of fit. Like I was on a review site that listed patterns for "curvy" folks and so many of the brands, in particular the Big Three, were listed as being curvy-friendly when they only go up to a 20 or 24. The problem with that is that those sizes, as listed, are still straight sizes. They're still built on a 9-inch rise and 9-inch waist to hip ratio. They are not specifically drafted for plus sized bodies, just large ones, and even then they do not account for all the various ways people carry their muscle and fat distribution.

Muna and Broad does plus size patterns for bodies that carry more weight in their tummies, and they posted on instagram some months back about how to find and measure anatomical locations for the various measurements. How to find the iliac crest on your hip to find and measure your waist, how to find the hip joint where your leg moves to measure the hip measurement. I was reasonably confident about my waist area, but less so about the hip. Most places say "measure the widest or fullest part". Anatomically, that's too low for me. Pressing into that spot and moving my leg (as the IG post suggested) just moves my hand too. It's a little above that where the joint is, so in theory I should be using patterns for that measurement, and then adjusting for a full, low seat (i gots da booty yo) and full thighs and calves.

Yes it's a pain in the ass (ha!). Drafting my own pattern is just as frustrating because the measurements and drafting methods don't change. I will still need to make adjustments for The Perfect Fit. Starting with a pre-drafted pattern is just one less headache and task I need to do. (I tried this out with the trousers for the suit. My self-drafted pattern was decent, but it needed a lot of work, and the predrafted one by Laughing Moon only needed small adjustments.

Most of that is Projects for Later. Just taking everything one day at a time for now.

Saturday I was writing and watching a very bad horror movie, so Sunday got dedicated to sewing.

The trousers are nearly complete! I had left off with finished fronts minus the button fly. I put the buttonholes in and then it was time for backs. Which meant... welted pockets (lightning crash).

Honestly it was fine. I got the pattern secondhand and a few pieces were missing, including the welt and back pocket bits. I cut squares and rectangles bigger than the width of the welt on the back piece, figured I'd make it up. And it worked! I didn't make a test one, we died like men and went straight into the fabric. The first one ended up a little wonky because I didn't QUITE understand what was going on, but the second one was much better. And now my trousers have legit welted back pockets with pocket bags and EVERYTHING.

Full steam ahead. Fronts and backs were attached for a try on. I took a little TOO much out of the top waist area, but it's still wearable. Next pair will be a little better. And ASLKLKNDKLAN"SPU THEY LOOK SO GOOOOOD. I'm really really happy! The afternoon was spent putting the waistband and lining together and puzzling that out. Ive reached hemming and attaching buttons. That's it! They're almost done! Tonight I plan to try them on with shoes to make sure I like how they look. I could cut down the legs a little, I need a full size 10 at the butt but an 8 everywhere else, and there isn't much difference between those on the leg.

Then it will be time to finally make the shirt, because I won't be able to properly do the vest without it. After that, it will be coat time and that... is more terrifying. But that will likely be a later autumn project.

WHEEEE PANTS!!!

I did go and draft the shirt pattern. I knocked 4" off the total length because I'm a very short man or a very tall boy, but it was almost too short still! That was a little surprising. I narrowed the shoulders and neck, left the sleeve length alone, and shortened the cuff a smidge. It fit pretty good. I had drafted it based on my upper chest measurement, the armscye is very snug under my arm, and my sleeve draft is VERY twisted (might have helped to put it on the correct side of the body, but holding it into place was not encouraging). I think I will add an FBA and possibly deepen the front curve of the sleeve to start, and see how it goes.

My fic writer has abandoned the current fandom for Peaky Blinders. A number of us were interested in watching it, so it's kind of a thing now. I watched the first episode the other night. She wrote my fic though, so I still owe her a suit!

She also sent me a link to an extant ladies suit at the Met and OMG I'M IN LOOOOOOOOOOVE. It's so pretty!! Its going on my to-do list. I had been looking at shirtwaist drafts THAT MORNING and was pondering what they meant by the waist belt. Now I know. Bless you Met, for having such deliciously large, clear photos.

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In life news, I had a very unpleasant and uncomfortable pain in my right side at waist level, and pain in my collarbone. Asking doctor google and polling facebook led me to believe I wasn't about to drop dead, but I should get it looked at if it got worse/didn't change. It had faded a bit on Wednesday and came back on Thursday, so I saw my doctor and he is sending me for bloodwork and an ultrasound. It's likely gallbladder. So for now, no alcohol and no fatty foods, so of course I have one glass of wine left in the bottle and all I want is fried potatoes.

(again with the song lyrics lol)

Not much, if any, sewing will be happening this weekend. As long as the air quality index is good, I will be heading down to Calgary tomorrow, just for the day. I thought I might make a new cap to wear for a costume picnic, but by the time I left work yesterday I had completely forgotten, so that didn't happen. Sunday, my roommate and I are planning to build and put up the bookshelves I bought over a year ago so I can FINALLY get my books inside. Then it will just be a matter of getting the rest of the stuff out of the garage so I can actually USE IT to park my car!

In doing research for The BB Suit (heehee I decided to abbreviate it just now, I like it bc it def stands for Bastard of the Barrel, but the author said I didn't need to go full Bernadette Banner, whom we usually refer to as BB... IT'S FUNNY OK) I was making myself rather aggravated bc I wasn't finding any drafts with the dart that Freddy's coat DEFINITELY has in the show. Look here, self, Freddy's coat is almost certainly modern and tailored. I am not creating a show cosplay. I am creating a historically accurate suit for cosplay purposes.

Freddy is also ridiculously tall compared to my short self, and a vastly different body type. My suit will almost certainly have darts simply because I have boobs.

So yesterday, I was looking at a tailoring manual on archive.org, and it is a damn goldmine. I had saved it for the section on tailored skirts (and the hilarity of the image showing a fashion drawing of a woman in a "circular" skirt, which is not a true circle, but the drawing is... a straight skirt. Every single one of my "circular" drafts has come out the same as the drawing showing the layout, and they do not hang like that) but in going back through it, there's a complete section on how to tailor a coat. Y'ALL. I nearly shrieked with joy. There's so much structure that goes into a tailored coat but I didn't have a good grasp on WHAT kind of structuring.

I also nearly shrieked with despair, bc it's gonna take me approximately forever to actually make this coat. Alas.

I will DEFINITELY be making a test coat first. I don't have a TON of the striped wool, so that will be saved until I am more confident in the steps and skills required. A part of me wants to buy some poly suiting for it, or maybe cotton, but honestly I almost certainly have something in the stash that will be good enough. I thought of this rainbow striped something (not sure what type it is) that I have a good quantity of. I'm not sure what else I have off the top of my head, but I will not be finding out until next week some time. I WOULD like a fabric that I would actually wear, but budget. Anyway.

The book goes on to describe a canvas interfacing (linen canvas recommended) for the fronts, sleeve hems, armholes and back of the neck, then a hair interfacing for the front chest only, then padding for the armhole and chest, plus how to make the padding (cut out sateen, then at least 5 layers of "sheet padding" in progressively smaller increments, pad stitch together). I started to get lost when it started in on construction for the first fitting (so much hand stitching!) but it was also the end of the day.

It also had info on men's shirts and the different types. I'm diving back in today with hopes of making more sense of all of this. I particularly need to wrap my brain around pants, of which the closures differ between mens and ladies. Ladies has a side opening, mens is front. I am not here for your side opening pants, people.

And then a vest. And some detachable collars and cuffs. And some other sexy neck action.