BASIC WHITE T-SHIRT/ BLOUSE WITH CANADIAN SMOCKING

Yep, I'm still obsessed with smocking.

I had this idea for some time in my head, so I just had to make it real. 

My idea is actually very simple: 1) take a simple basic pattern of a T-shirt/ blouse (woven fabric like cotton or linnen) and 2) then take out of the front part a rectangular panel; 3) this rectangular panel is then used for smocking – it has to be transformed, of course, it has to be lengthened. For this type of pattern (I call it arrows- arrowed pleates) it has to be a lot longer and just a bit wider. So when you make the smocking it shrinks considerably in length and a bit in width.

I'll give you some numbers. My rectangular panel was: 100 cm x 32 cm which was smocked by using a Canadian/ American smocking. And out of this panel I got a fully smocked piece of 41 cm x 25,5 cm - that was the outcome. I think that I was expecting to get 43 x 30 cm. It wasn't too worrying because I just continued from that point on and adjusted other parts of the blouse.

I used a very simple white cotton (for making  embroidered tablecloths) because I was too stingy to use linen. I wasn't sure if it would turn out OK. I thought that it might be a mess. Luckily it wasn't. After the smocked part was done, I cut out the rest of the parts. There were minor issues: the smocked part shrank a bit more (but not a lot more) than expected/ calculated, the back part was shorter than the front part (?! Jeez), so I just had to add some more fabric there, the sleeves were a bit bigger than the armholes so I had to make some pleats – but, nothing that couldn't be solved.

Like I said: I made the front smocked panel first and after that I cut out the rest of the front parts: upper part, left and right part.

The process of making:

Then I did the same for the back part. Pretty straightforward, right? So, again, when I have the smocked panel, I just need the upper part and the left and right parts to cut and then to sew next to the back panel.

The sleeves had to have small pleats - but - no big deal.

You can see the material up close - basic cotton.

My favourite link for Canadian smocking is by far: Sewing by Anita on YouTube. I love her videos. They present smocking as a simple technique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh1ZvDUINI8

I had a small issue, as I mentioned above, that the back part was shorter than the front part when stitching everything together so I just added a strip of fabric:

 

Problem solved: strip of fabric is added to the back.

All the pictures shown are before washing the garment. I have ironed it several times but I still have to wash it. So you can even see chalk markings (in blue) from the wrong side of fabric (because the fabric is so white). 

When I began imagining and constructing this blouse I knew that the smocked pattern would be ironed a lot, even though it is kind of 3D. Hence the cotton material.

I'm not sure if I should attach the arrowed pleates discreetly at certain points. I have considered topstitching but I think it would look awful because the pattern is relatively even but not perfectly even. And topstitching it would just show/ underline every uneven detail. I have topstitched side seams of the smocked panel. So ironing the blouse a lot is another solution.

Neckline: was made with my own bias band. I do it my way, of course, I make bias tape and just sandwich the fabric between the halves of the bias tape. I stitch everything by hand and then topstitch everything with a sewing machine.

Bottom seam of the shirt: is still undone to this very moment (you can see it in the pictures if you look closely) but I will probably finish it with bias binding - like the neckline.

The blouse seems a bit boxy. It has no zipper. I pull it over my head. This is possible because I don't have broad shoulders or bust area. It sits nicely. It's a bit on the short side. I considered making it more tailored/ fitted and inserting a zipper but I decided to first see how it looked without it. And I have to wash it which might shrink it a bit. 

I have to admit that this front part is a bit bulky and after wearing it for 8 hours it can get messy - wrinkled, crumpled. But I just gently straighten everything with my hands and wait to get an iron in my hands.

And that's about it. I think I have covered everything I wanted to say.

My Old Rose Romantic Midi Dress AKA My Beautiful Tent

Hello doggy!

Earrings were made by my oldest daughter.

There has been an idea of this dress for a long time in my head but because there was no real need for it it hasn't come true up till now. I'm a teacher at primary school and our 9th graders had their junior prom (a conclusion of their years in primary school)  and that's the reason I decided to sew the dress. I made it in 3 days. Pretty quick if I'm motivated.

I chose a pattern from BurdaStyle 7/2015; mod. 110/111; size: 40 - it's a great pattern, simple but beautiful.

I used viscose jersey for the top part (bought in the Netherlands, here:https://driessenstoffen.nl/en/products/viscose-jersey-uni/ ) and chiffon for the skirt part and the sleeves (bought in Slovenia, here: https://svetmetraze.si/kategorija/pomlad-poletje-2022). I will try to calculate the costs. The skirt has a soft and flowy lining which is probably just some kind of polyester, also bought in Slovenia, actually together with chiffon fabric. It's a relatively good combination, as good as it gets. 

(MY USEFUL TIP TO MYSELF: buy fabric for lining whenever and wherever you have a chance because it can come in handy. So, I always ask for some nice soft, lightweight fabric for lining: cotton, viscose, polyester, silk even though I don't need lining at that exact moment - we all know what that means - making a stash!!) 

I carefully thought everything out and came to a conclusion that I don't need a side zipper (I am slightly lazy BUT I actually thought this to be a good idea). I realized that there is going to be enough space for me to pull it over my head, my bust and then it will sit on my hips. It's not bad, I wiggle in and out of this dress. The top part is stretchy. The skirt sits nicely. I lifted the neckline slightly (I sewed a few centimetres higher up for a modest neckline.)

I had to shorten the sleeves for 15 cm because I had just 2 m of the chiffon fabric. I also used less fabric for the skirt part than it was suggested in Burda magazine, again, because I had too little fabric. But it looks OK. There is so much fabric around my legs that I call it ˝my beautiful tent˝. It's nice to have a romantic maxi/ midi dress like that. It's probably a midi dress but I'm on the short side myself.

I completed the top part with the facing and then just carefully sewed the left and right half together by hand. And then I sewed cheap pearls (not buttons but pearls for making girls' bracelets) on the neckline. 

Overall look seems vintage too me but I am no expert on vintage, not even a big fan. Maybe it's the colour that makes it.

Pictures of the process:

Love it, love it:

Can you spot the dog?

As you can see from the millions of pictures I took that I really like this dress. I would love to make it in a soft flowery cotton (batist) or maybe viscose to wear it everyday (because this one doesn't look very everyday-ish). And I can sew a side zipper, I'm not a beginner. (And besides, I also discovered a way to take photos of myself without my husband.)

Attaching the skirt (2 layers) to the top part

I'm probably going to try a  no-zipper-thing again in the future (with stretch fabric of course). I like simplifying and experimenting. Oh, and one more useful tip I heard recently on YouTube: wear a maxi or a midi dress and you are: one-and-done; well, quickly dressed and ready to go and face the world. I would change it to ˝make yourself a maxi/ midi dress and you are one-and-done.˝