purple corduroy
October 23rd, 2009
I wanted to make some corduroy pants for my kids this fall and my son picked out this crazy purple called blackberry. That was weeks ago. And it’s not like the fabric has been sitting around waiting for me to get to it. I have been working on these pants and his sister’s skirt for a good long while now. First it turns out that a yard and a half will no longer get me two pairs of pants like it used to, so the shorter one got the pants and the taller one had to settle for a skirt (luckily the tall one’s a girl). And then when I really looked at the fabric, though it is corduroy, it’s barely thicker than quilting cotton (damn you Joann’s and your cheap ass fabric) so I thought I’d try to line it. Which I’ve never done. And while we’re at it let’s try flat felled seams because hell I’ve never done those before either. Oh and pockets, they need pockets. All of this added up to my sewing machine permanently living on the dining room table, because I only have 10 minutes here and there to work, and now my hand wheel is covered in peanut butter. Neither piece turned out great, but I was doing lots of things I didn’t really know how to do and made up the patterns as I went along, so really I shouldn’t be surprised. Lining is hard. We live in Wisconsin and our winters are super cold, so I would love to line all the clothes I make, but I don’t know how. You would think it would be easy. In the vastness of the craft blog world there must be some “how to line clothes” tutorial . Isn’t there? I know I did the lining for the skirt wrong because it can stand up with no one in it and the ruffles aren’t very ruffly. And the pants lining was a little easier, but the hems were a pain in the butt because they were so thick. So they got warm, if a little half ass, purple clothes. All they care about is the purple, so whatever.
The heart pocket was my friend’s brilliant idea and my daughter loves it. And I love the bright blue stitching that I used on both garments and the buttons she chose. So they weren’t complete failures. Luckily I just bought the book “Carefree Clothes for Girl,” which is beautiful–and has patterns, because I learned I can’t just wing it. And to help with that problem I got “Design It Yourself Clothes: Patermaking simplified” from the library, which I just started to read and it’s awesome. My list of things to make get longer with every new craft book that comes out.
LOL Oh man I’m laughing at your Joann comment ONLY because I too fall prey to their arranging, the quick gratification of getting something local that doesn’t cost $14/yard and then sometimes you get something that makes you think, “Joann’s, never again!”
Like today when I had to take a full size roll of batting bigger than me with all three kids down their ridiculously smile aisles on a rinky dink cart already full of fabric.
All that out of the way I loved the pants and the skirt! The pants look very Ottobr-ish and for that matter the skirt with its cute pocket.
Yes, Jo Ann’s… its always on sale for a reason.
I understand all of it, the peanut butter wheel and living on the table sewing machine the most. I think you did a great job, especially with the time issues! I myself understand that very well. This is my computer 5 minutes…
these are super cute! they sound like an overly frustrating project for a mom of two, though! yay for you taking it on. and yes, I’ve been duped by crappy JoAnn fabric before, too, on a large quilt nonetheless! so lame when that happens.
Sounds like what would happen if I tried to make those things, too. :)
The heart pocket is super cute!
I know, the internet is totally silent on the subject of lining clothes. What’s up with that? I don’t understand how to hem a lining–it always looks kind of rinky dink when I do it. BAH.
Anyway, your kids’ clothes look great from the outside.
Super cute and funny post! Great color btw! Where in Wisco are you from? I am from there too- Rice Lake- and now reside in Indianapolis!
darling. I love the heart pocket too!
First off, the outfits look great, and they are for young children, so comfort should be the priority (and purple-ness!)
I have yet to find a great article on lining clothing, but what I did was visit some high end clothing shops to see how the clothes are lined. The lining actually hangs free of the hemline, ending a scant 1/2 inch or so above. You may tack it lightly to the outer garment near the seams to keep it from riding up.
Fair warning: prewash everything! I have a cotton sateen skirt lined with a polyester satin that I paid quite a bit for; when I washed it (per instructions) the sateen shrank, leaving the lining hanging below the hemline. Ugh!
The Burda site may have lining tips. http://www.burdastyle.com
hmm, I’m reminded of the “how to line curtains” tutorial over at The Small Object. Yup, there it is: http://thesmallobject.com/stenopad/wordpress/?p=727 Gosh, her tutorials are amazing. Anyways clothes being nothing like curtains (except in The Sound of Music), that may not help, but one thing she does that was a little bit of a lightbulb for me was leaving the bottoms of the two pieces (curtain and lining) separate–so they hang better. maybe that would help with the pants?
I agree with Mitzi about tacking the lining down. When the pattern doesn’t call for lining and you want to add one, try cutting the pattern again (backwards) in lining, sewing it mostly together and then use the inside waistband, placket, etc to sew it into the garment and cover the seam. Hemming it separately is a very good idea just in case the outside does shrink – then you can adjust the lining hem upwards without having to tear out the rest. (Sorry if that was clear as mud….) :-)
Lining, shmining. Invest in some thermal underwear! Okay, that won’t really work for the skirt . . . .
“because it can stand up with no one in it”
that cracked me up. :)
It seems that every time I check your blog I find something new to love. Thanks for making cute stuff.
:)
[…] and get crabby and nothing would get done. But shockingly, I am slowly crossing things off. The purple pants and skirt, a little red riding hood cape (for her birthday), and now this coat. I was very nervous when I […]
That JoAnn remark is so true. I made my daughter a nightgown with some flannel there and just running it through the washer a couple of times unraveled the fabric; cheap, cheap, cheap. I still shop there though, it’s a sickness I know. I did find a book on Amazon, maybe your library has it, they need to in Wisconson, man I don’t envy you during the winter.
http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Guide-Sewing-Linings-Connie/dp/1561582255
I bought that same color corduroy to make a dress, I’m so excited because the color is so good. Great to see it somewhere else. You did get it from JoAnn’s right?
If you did, the fabric wasn’t cheap quality, it’s just that the color was offered in a21-wale weight for making shirts. They also had a slightly heavier 18 and 16 wales and 8 and 4.5 wale for pants and coats, but probably not in that color.