Category Archives: Tutorials

My first attempt at hand embroidery

The last hand stitching embroidery I remember was at school. That´s quite a long time since then. After some research, I decided to copy this pattern for my husband´s 1840´s waistcoat. A friend, Helena, who does a lot of 18th century needle painting embroidery, recommended using floss silk for my project. I was a little bit shocked when I got my floss silk. The thread was so fine, and with its golden color it was nearly invisible with the background of my kitchen table. However, the first try on my ice green silk was not too bad. I used a sateen stitch for the branches and a false satin stitch for the leaves, due to my panic running out of thread during the project. All the embroidery process was quicker than expected, enjoying the first spring sunbeams on my terrace while working.

At the same time I started to prepare the other waistcoat pieces. Here you see the back, ready prepared to be joined to the front. Just a single layer of fabric, the armhole neatened with bias binding.

I interlined the front pieces with linen and made the welt pockets the usual Victorian way. Anybody here interested in an extra how-to?

I sewed a cotton tape along all edges and the roll line with a catch stitch, along the stitching line I tried to make small stitches through the fashion fabric. At the center back, I joined the fronts and laid the interlining one side over the other to avoid bulk.

The front with the embroidered lapel facing already attached and pressed.

Now I decided to make things a little bit different, due to the single layer back. I sewed the back part to the fronts, first the neckline, after notching the shoulder seams and at least the side seams. All seam allowances are trimmed, and notched at curved seams, then pressed towards the fronts.

Then I folded the fronts along the roll line and sewed the edges of the facing to the interlining. I notched the facing at the shoulder seam, turned in the seam allowance along the neckline and fell stitched the collar.

I prepared the front lining, turned in all seam allowances and fell stitched the lining to the inside of the fronts.

Ready!

A 1830´s Stock Collar for my husband

During the last months I sewed some 1830´s clothes for my husband. He got trousers, skirts, waistcoats, a Frock Coat and a Tail Coat. To be properly dresses just a stock collar was missing. I´ll show you how I made it from silk sateen fabric and inlay, all fabrics came from stock except the buckle.

First, I cut two collar pieces from the inlay, one on the straight, one on the bias. As it was a fusible inlay I didn´t had to pad stitch the pieces together, just fuse with the iron. Now it had the desired stiffness for my collar. Then I covered the inlay with the silk sateen using a catch stitch on the inside.

Next was to cover two pieces of linen for the belts with the sateen and prepare two straps for the buckle on the back.

I attached the belts to the collar with the straps for the buckle underneath.

I placed the belt pieces on top of the collar and basted them to the collar on the center front. Think of additional width needed for the belt when the collar lays around the neck.
For the bow, I lined up the two straps, right sides together, and sewed around. I left an opening and turned inside out after trimming the seam allowances. I pressed the bow strap carefully and closed the opening with some invisible stitches. I made a bow, arranged the loops and ends carefully and fixed everything with some stitches. Then I attached the bow to the collar.
I covered the back of the collar with lining fabric, attached with a felling stitch.

For the inside collar I lined up the collar pieces, right sides together, sewed and trimmed back the seam allowances. I turned the inside out and pressed. I lined up the straps for the collar stand, right sides together. Placed the collar pieces between, leaving a gap at the center front, and stitched along short and upper edges. I trimmed back the seam allowances, turned inside out and pressed. I turned in the seam allowances of the bottom edge of the collar stand and stitched along the bottom edge.
At least I starched and pressed the inside collar, folded the front edges and basted to the inside of the stock collar.

You can download the pattern for the stock collar here, have fun with sewing:

0217_StockCollar1830

Kinderkostüme Weltraumprinzessin und dunkler Space Lord

Ja, der Fasching kommt mit großen Schritten. Wer von und nähbegeisterten Eltern kleidet seine Kinder nicht gerne in individuelle und selbstgenähte Faschingskostüme?

Immer wieder kommen meine Kinder mit großen Wünschen, die auch mich vor große Herausforderungen stellen.

Ein großes Thema bei den lieben Kindern sind immer wieder die Star Wars Filme mit Heldinnen in großen Roben, finsteren Bösewichten und guten Rittern.

So habe ich bereits vor einigen Jahren diese beiden Kostüme für meine Kinder genäht und sie nun gemeinsam mit der Nähszene für euch in eine schöne Nähanleitung verpackt. (Bisher nur auf Deutsch)

Möge der Nähspaß mit euch sein!

Faschingskostuem_Weltraumprinzessin_Gr_140_146

Faschingskostuem_Dunkler_Space_Lord_Gr_122_128

Men´s waistcoat 1820-40

As I promised I show you some pics from the making off a men´s 1820-40´s waistcoat.

First the front part with the pockets. The welt pockets are made a little bit different as nowadays. Baste a piece of linen or cotton to the wrong side of the left front, covering the pocket opening. Mark the pocket opening with a basting thread, clearly visible on the right side of the fabric. Cut your welt from fabric, matching the fabric pattern and fold in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, press the edge and reopen. Attach a cotton tape along the fold to the inner half of the welt with a catch stitch. Sew the outer pocket bag to the inner half of the welt using, right sides together, stitch exactly between the marks of the pocket opening and press open the seam allowances.

Place the front on a table with the right side up. From below, line up the edge of the outer welt half with the pocket opening, right sides together. Sew with a reduced stitch length exactly between marks, indicating your pocket opeining. From above, line up the inner pocket bag with the pocket opening, right sides together and sew, starting and stoping about 1/8” (3mm) inside the marks.

Turn the front to the wrong side and cut the fashion fabric in the middle of the stitching lines, cut V-shaped towards the corners. Pull the welt and outer pocket throught the opening to the wrong side and press the bottom edge of the welt carefully. Turn the welt along the fold line, wrong sides together. The welt seams should match up now, but most important is a regular welt on the right fabric side. Baste together the welt layers and pull through the opening to the right side. From the right side, stitch (invisible) in the ditch of the welt seam, joining the layers.

Pull the inner pocket bag to the wrong side and close the pocket, stitching the small triangles to the pockets, press. Finish the welts, after basting the interfacing to the fronts.

Turn the front right side up again and turn in the loose ends of the welt. Sew down the edges with a prick stitch through all layers, make a second row of prick stitches about ¼” (6mm) from the first. Trim back the turned in ends of the welt close to the second row of stitching.

Join the front pieces at the center back, press. Don´t catch the interlining, place the edges of the interlining one above the other to avoid bulk.

Attach a cotton tape a little bit behind the roll line, prick stitch the collar (you can skip this step). Trim back the interlining right behind the sewing line and attach a cotton tape all around the outside edges (Front, bottom and armhole).

Sew on the collar facing and trim back seam allowance, along the collar attach the seam allowance with a catch stitch to the interlining.

Turn inside out and press. Attach the raw edges of the facing to the interlining with a felling stitch.

Take the lining and sew to the front along the armhole, trim back seam allowance and place inside the front parts. Attach the lining with a felling stitch.

As I need the waistcoat for summer, I decided to make single layer back. Join back parts with a flat felled seam, cut straps for the bottom facing, join and turn over. Attach buckle straps.

Join back and fronts, now you have raw edges at the side seams, the back armholes, shoulders and neckline. Cut bias straps, about 2” wide and cast the raw edges with the straps.

Here you see the finished waistcoat with fabric covered buttons.

Next project? A matching frock coat, what else?

Men´s trousers 1840

This year we do again our history Sumer retreat. This time near Leipzig. As costume theme the romatic era would be suitable.

During the last years I made two Dresses for me, just a suit for the Gentleman is missing.

Let´s start with trousers. After some research it was clear I´ll sew checked trousers with a front fly. From 1830-40 front fall trousers became unfashionable. At the back they have a saddle like Jeans, a gusset and straps.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find pictures or anything else about pockets bags. So I decides to make them like Jeans pockets.

Let´s start with the pockets! The back pocket back gets a facing from fashion fabric and is joined to the front pocket back with a French seam.

Sew the front pocket back to the front trousers along the pocket opening, right sides together, trim seam allowances, turn inside out and press.

Sew the fly facing to the left front piece, prepare the buttonhole stand and sew five button holes. Pin the buttonhole stand to inside of the left front edge. Sew together with a curved seam from the right side.

Sew button stand to the right front edge.