This weekend has been totally productive on the sewing home front. Maybe my dishes might have piled up a little, the laundry did not quite all get done and a quick run to the grocery store did not net enough food for the week but hey.. there are only so many hours in the day and only so many days in the sew along deadline.
I did manage to get those awful creases out of my linen, thanks to Amy from A Sunny Day in L.A. The vinegar mixture took care of the problem. I got my linen washed, hung to dry and re-pressed in time for a busy Sunday of sewing. Yeah for me!
The pattern I chose for Sewing for Victory 2.0 had such an interesting detail and the pattern for the waistband of the skirt to be stiffened with crinoline. I have to be honest and say I had no idea where to find that. Off I went to Joann’s and one of the clerks recommended something called Buckram. It is a stiff-finished heavily sized fabric of cotton or linen used for interlinings in garments, for stiffening in millinery, and in bookbinding. It reminds me of Hardanger fabric used in cross stitch or embroidery, only stiff. I did manage to find crinoline online but did not have time for shipping so I purchased the buckram. I really think that it was the right choice. Crinoline, while stiff may not continue to hold its shape over time and the waistband needs to remain in a stand up position above the waist the buckram is stiffer and should be a better choice.
Please ignore the fact that that center seam does not exactly meet the center of the waistband detail. I took that same section out three times and each time I was off one way or another. And the poor linen could not take any more abuse from my seam ripper.
I also had to conquer the seams, linen begins to ravel as soon as you cut it. I decided to use a french seam finish. It worked out great until I came to the side seam that required a zipper. Grabbing some lace hem tape, I used it to finish the edges for the zipper to make sure the seams would wear well through the years.
One final fitting next weekend and I should have it completed. Now it is off to finish the jacket. This one will take a little longer, alterations are more detailed and I still have to make the decision to add a lining it or not.
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It looks great so far, and very well executed 🙂
I am still waiting for my fabric, so it is a little nerve wracking to watch all this sewing time just pass…! You seem to be on schedule 😉
Yay…so glad the vinegar solution worked! The skirt turned out beautifully!
Love your pattern choice and the skirt is lovely. Have you seen Simplicity 4044? The skirt and trousers have a similarly shaped waistband.
After reading your comment you know I had to go check out the Simplicity Pattern you mentioned. The details on the skirt is exactly the same. I l love that detail.