sewing – Page 19 – Critters and Craft

My youngest likes to dance, and we are now in the sparkly costume part of the year gearing up for performance. The group costume this year is awesome: sassy yet covering, stretchy, easy on, one zipper (this is the big one for me, I’ve had to lace corsets on other costumes. No thank you.)

However, the sleeves are super long on her. I found some invisible thread (clear monofilament designed for sewing) and folded the sleeve inside out, and did a straight stitch around the existing cuff seam. I stretched the stitches out, but not enough. Oops. The stitches lasted through dress rehearsal, then popped. So I had to sew them again.

Zig zag stitch (with thread lines marked in blue)

This time, I used a zig zag stitch. Not with my machine, but by hand. The material is a stretchy net, no way was I going at this with my sewing machine especially with a slippery thread. We might need to let down the sleeves at some point, and I wanted to minimize potential damage both with the stitch going in, and eventually coming out. It took a little longer, I had to do the stitches one at a time, but the result is so much stretchier!

I also examined all the inside seams for partial sequins, and clipped them out. My daughter was much happier wearing the outfit without the scratchy bits of plastic poking her.

Small pocket size (or no pockets at all!) in clothes drives me crazy. But finding cargo shorts, capris, or trousers in woman’s sizes that fit nice is difficult. Either they have useful pockets, or they fit nice, not the two together. Grr. I get that women usually have purses or bags, so don’t “need” pockets. I like having my phone with me, especially when the kids are in school. I also have become quite attached to my instant information (and if I don’t write something down right away, I will forget), and don’t want to walk to my purse to pull out my phone to look something up. (I’d likely forget what I wanted to look up anyway; my phone is my assistive technology.)

So I came up with a way to add a pocket. I like the mid-leg pockets because there is less stress on the phone (I’m not sitting on it!). I tried some surface pockets, but these inside pockets hold the phone better and look nicer.

To make the pocket, cut a piece of fabric about 1 1/2” wider than your phone, and twice the length plus 2”.

Iron about 3/8” up the long sides of the fabric.

Put on the garment and mark where you want your pocket opening. Cut a slit the width of the ironed fabric.

Cut a slit in the garment (measure twice, cut once!)

Turn the garment inside out and pin the right sides of the pocket to the right sides of the cut.

I used a whip stitch to sew the edge all the way around. Remove the pins, and turn the garment right side out and tuck in the pocket. Lay the pocket flat and adjust the pocket fabric to evenly fold around the cut (note, the garment fabric should not fold, just the pocket material).

I used a hidden stitch or hem stitch to attach the edges of the pocket material all away around. Make sure to add extra stitches at the ends of the cut to reinforce. Turn the garment inside out and sew the edges of the pocket closed. I used a whip stitch again. I saved this part until last because it is easier to adjust the folds with the sides of the pocket unsewn.

Yay! New functional pocket!

If you want a bit of pop, you can use a contrasting fabric.

And yes, I hand sewed the whole thing. I like hand sewing; I can stitch while sitting in my chair in the living room with my family, and I find it relaxing.

Critters and Craft

Tag: sewing

Learning from mistakes

Adding a cell phone pocket