Sewing During the Pandemic

What does one sew during a pandemic?

I was in the middle of sewing the Closet Case Patterns Ginger Jeans in early March, was feeling a bit unwell, took my temperature, and it was 101.  No, this isn’t a story about a bout with coronavirus (that I know of) , but sickness and the unsettling changes of sheltering in place led to a month’s lag in working on my jeans.

I got sidetracked by researching mask patterns, sewing several of two different styles, and was ready when my grocery store had a sign “No entry without a face covering”.

I applaud and admire those in the sewing community who have sewn hundreds of masks for donation to first responders.

I also sewed two different “isolation headbands”, the fun challenge offered by Sew Over 50 on Instagram as a remedy to cope with uncoiffed hair.

But I did finish the jeans. I almost titled this post “pandemic jeans”.  They’re  not a complete disaster, but I lost interest in making them, and a few fit issues mean I expect I won’t be wearing them much if at all.

I chose to sew View B, the high waisted option with skinny legs, and a pocket stay. I shortened the legs pattern in two places taking out 6 or 7 inches.

I narrowed the legs.  I did a flat seat adjustment.  I deepened the pocket bags.

The fly installation went well. The thing that looks strange on a lot of jeans patterns I see is the fly area is too long!  Mine looks this way at 7 inches.

I used the same gold top stitching thread as I used on my denim shorts.

When I basted the front and back together I discovered a big problem: my back outseams were 2 and a half inches longer than the front.  I still haven’t figured out where I went wrong, but I cut down the yoke, and matched them up.

When I tried them on I was disappointed.  They are not only lumpy, but the rise is about 1 and 1/2 inch too low.  When I wore them once to walk the dog, I kept pulling them up.  My anatomy dictates where I like my pants to hit on me to fit well and be comfortable.  Odd that they’re supposed to be high waisted, and weren’t high enough on short me.

A close up of the “drag lines” indicating a problem with the fit.  Ugh!

On a positive note, they are well sewn.  The legs don’t twist, the top stitching is good,  the waistband is good, and the belt loops and hardware look good.  I’ve become a slow, but reasonably competent seamstress.

I find the photos I took in the course of my daily life, while staying home, going to the doctor, and going on walks in the neighborhood more interesting than the photos about my pants, don’t you?

On to happier days (hopefully) and happier sewing!

It’s a Grown-up Romper!

There was an Instagram sew-a-long for jumpsuits, and armed with the Sallie pattern by Closet Case Patterns and a few yards of a rayon jersey fabric, I jumped in to give this type of garment a try.

I don’t own any jumpsuits.  Would I like it?  Would it be hard to get in and out of?

The Sallie jumpsuit and maxi dress pattern is designed for knit fabric and has 3 views to mix and match.  I made view A which has a front and back v-neck, a self lined bodice, slash pockets, and an elastic waist.  I shortened the legs to make a romper. I think the last time I wore a romper was when I was a toddler!

I wanted a tropical print, but the fabric I bought wasn’t quite what I had in mind.  I like the leaves, but the background is quite light colored.  I would have preferred more of a blue and green print. This is also my first time working with rayon jersey which was very lightweight and stretchy.

The neckline uses clear elastic between the two layers of the bodice for a clean finish without any stitches showing or a band.  I’ve used clear elastic two times before without any problem.  With this make, I had a problem with one side of the neckline rippling and gaping.  In fact, it bothered me so much I made the bodice twice.

discarded bad neckline

Because the fabric was light colored, I decided to underline the shorts portion with a nude ribbed rayon knit I already had in my little stash.  Following this underlining tutorial by Seamwork, I pinned and hand basted the two fabrics together.

The inseam is 5 inches. I hand hemmed the shorts stitching through the interlining only.

The biggest surprise came when I sewed the top and bottom together, and tried the romper on.  The weight of the shorts caused the bodice to drop way too low, and the crotch was much too long. I had to keep hacking off fabric from both the bottom of the bodice and the top of the shorts until the fit was good.  I estimate I cut off 2 to 4 inches.  I also raised both the front and back necklines when I cut the bodice for a second time.  Being very short, I’m about 6 or 7 inches less in height than the pattern is drafted for, and these changes were necessary to fit my proportions.

This turned into a more challenging project because of my problems with the pattern, the fabric, and the fit.  Challenging is a code word for frustrating.

I bought another rayon/spandex jersey knit fabric at the same time and was planning on making the dress version of the pattern.  The elastic waist of the romper created bunchy seam allowances that poke me, so now I’m thinking I might enjoy wearing a dress without a waist seam better.  Another possibility for a future make from this pattern might be view C worn over a top in a cotton jersey with a tie belt instead of an elastic waist.

So, what do I think of this romper? While I can get in and out of it, I’m not jumping at chances to wear it.  I’m not a jumpsuit convert yet!  Shorts and a sleeveless rayon top are still my summer faves.