Hello Readers! As promised, here is my follow-up post to last week’s post on Sloper School. Using the adjustments I determined during Cashmerette’s Sloper School, I was able to quickly make some well-fitting garments from Cashmerette’s pattern line after sloper school!
Elmwood Skirt in Grey and Blue Plaid
My first post-graduation project was an Elmwood pencil skirt. This pattern is a club pattern, so you would have to pay for the “all access” membership to sew it now. For fabric, I used this wool and silk blend for the shell, and this baby blue Bemberg rayon for the lining. I was admittedly concerned about working with the slippery lining, but it turned out to be no worse than slippery knits I’ve worked with before, and the skirt didn’t really feature any pieces cut on the bias, which may be prone to stretching out.
Below is a list of my adjustments for fit:
- 1 1/2″ of length removed at the lengthen/shorten line
- 16 waist graded to a 12 hip in the front and a 14 in the back
- 2″ full bum adjustment in the back
And here are the details I incorporated to get a slightly cleaner finish on the very fray-prone wool:
- I sewed the side seams as French seams.
- I don’t own a serger (yet) so I used pinking shears on every edge as soon as I was done sewing. Because it frayed so much, I even did this on interior seams, and inside the French seams (I know I’ve lost my mind).
- The instructions had the inner waistband seam pressed down into the skirt (between the lining and the shell). I fully enclosed instead, using a LOT of pins. Basting would also be a great option there.
- I hand stitched (a little badly) the lining to the zipper tape, as it kept moving and getting stuck when I would try the skirt on.
- I sewed the hem by folding under and stitching in place, then using the blind hem stitch, to make sure the raw edge was caught underneath.
Rivermont Dress in Forest Green
The next project was a work dress, the Rivermont! The green ponte knit is very soft and cool to the touch, even though it is thick. I used a polyester jersey scrap for inside the pockets, since the ponte was too thick to use as a lining. I sewed it with a stronger stretch needle, on my regular machine (no serger).
Below is a list of my adjustments for fit:
- 14 G/H at the bust, graded to a 16 waist
- Removed 0.5″ of length between bust and waist
- The 16 waist then grades to a 12 hip in the front, and a 14 hip in the back
- The back received a 2″ full bum adjustment
- Removed 1.5″ of length below the darts but above the hip line
And here are my finishing choices:
- Sewed a stretch blind hem
- I didn’t want to turn the facing under to hem due to the thickness of the fabric, so I just zig-zagged near the edge for stability.
This one also included quite a bit of hand basting to align the darts and seams. The only real visual elements on a solid version of this dress are the darts and seam lines, so I took my time lining them up perfectly to preserve the striking lines!
Alcott Dress in Black
Finally, I made a classic black dress. The Alcott Dress in a black bamboo rayon jersey. The fabric is very light and comfortable in the Florida heat and I found the wrap neckline pretty but not revealing. Below is a list of my adjustments for fit:
- 14 G/H at the bust, graded to a 16 waist then a 14 hip
- Removed 0.5″ of length between bust and waist
- The back received a 2″ full bum adjustment (slash and spread method)
- Removed 1.5″ of length at the lengthen/shorten line (the skirt has straight sides, so it doesn’t really matter where)
- The hem was very uneven on me. It was too long in the side seams by the same amount on the front and the back. As far as I know, this wasn’t caused by my adjustments. I took the original hem curve and traced it to bring the sides up just over an inch, then it looked wonderful.
I used the same finishing techniques as in the instructions!
What do you think of my “graduation” makes? Any suggestions for my next undertaking?