A Pattern Takes Me Down a Peg or Two

Second Post of the Day

I love sewing, and I love making pleats. But every once in a while, a pattern can take you down a peg. 

This pleated shortgown took me almost a year to make - I started it before last year's Feast.

At first, things went well, but then I got stuck on the back pleats. I pinned, I asked for help from Brooke Sauter (a master sewist) and we repinned it together, I realized it was still wrong and I pinned again...

But it still wasn't right - the neckline (at the bottom) was WAY too short and the shoulders would be scrunched in towards the body if I stitched it that way. It was not wearable like that.

I'd made the pattern once before and not had any trouble with the back pleats. I pulled that shortgown out and laid it on the sewing table next to the problematic one. I flipped it over and examined the pleats, and then I saw the problem.

I was making the pleats to face the center of the garment when they really needed to be oriented to face the side seams.

I took all the pins out and repinned those pleats so they faced outward, then stitched them up. Success!

All that was left was to finish the raw edges of the sleeves, the hem, the center front, and the neck.

The neck was a curved narrow hem and those are not easy to do. Ironing is essential, but laying it flat to do that doesn't work well - the rounded edge can lose its shape and then the hem is off as you stitch it. It needed to be ironed on a rounded surface, not a flat one.

Luckily, I have a tailor's ham, a stuffed muslin tool that is rounded and allows the sewist to iron the curved hem without losing the curved shape.

I ironed that curved hem and then carefully stitched it down, ironing it again on the tailor's ham when I finished stitching.

Finished! Finally, after almost a year of hanging on the clothing rack waiting to be worked on.

I'm pleased with how it turned out and the fabric I used was a fantastic find. (I made a bedgown out of it and it sold almost immediately. I expect this one may do the same.)

Having said that, I'm not sure I want to tackle that pattern again. I think I will wait and see if it does sell quickly and then make my decision.

Stay 'tooned!