Mommy and Me Caplets

First off I would like to preface this project with the knowledge that I have been sewing mainly straight seams and channels, so this projects was mostly me just practicing with my seaming and creating a reversible garment.  This is a pretty straight forward, not difficult at all kind of project.

This project came from my love of everything 1950s.  I had been seeing more and more posts of caplets being sewn or knitted all over the internet and wanted to have a matching set for myself and my daughter.

So I decided to take the plunge, however, finances were low so I went to my local DAV Thrift store to see if I could find some fabric there.  After thirty minutes of searching their remnant fabric I was coming up empty.  I, at that point, decided to take my chances at some other thrift shops.  On my way out I found a matching set of two light creamy yellow brocade looking curtain panels and one large single medium brown curtain panel that was similar in print.  I then went back to the fabric section and picked up a brown floral print fabric that I originally was going to pass on to make my daughter's reversible.  I figured using the curtain panels was worth a shot.

The matching set was going to be for my daughter, so I set to work on that first.  I ripped out all the seaming along the top where the rod goes through as well as the bottom, then cut four matching panels of the curtain and the floral fabric.  (As is - they were of two different lengths even though they were a matching set, almost a two inch difference.)  It came out nice, I think.  I stitched up two panels separately, then sewed them together so that there was the floral print contrast up the back.  I had enough of the contrast fabric to make a second sash to double it up with the brown ribbon I used.  It gave it more depth and tied in the contrast fabric better.

Both caplets are in the photo, adult version on bottom, child's on top.  Detail on the design of the fabric is hard to see, but both are shiny.  The child version has a damask type look and feel, while the adult one has a more upholstery look.  I attached a hair clip to the adult one to show how the look can be altered.

The adult one was super simple.  The panel as is was perfect, so all I had to do was feed the ribbon through the curtain rod pocket at the top.  (Yeah, this was a cop-out, but I was more interested in sewing the child sized one to begin with - this project was more about experimenting with making a reversible caplet garment than a caplet for me.)

These were fun to make and cost me roughly $5.00 to make both.  That included the purchase of the curtains, fabric and the ribbon used for the drawstring (which was bought for 98 cents in a bag with other ribbons at the thrift store as well).  I already had thread on hand.  I had to purchase a leather needle halfway through sewing the child caplet because the needle I had been using was used for a while before starting this project.  However, it still did not make the cost go over the $5.00.

I would love to hear comments on this project.

Sewing and Me - sometimes do not get along.

I am rather new to the world of sewing and this blog is somewhat a sort of diary of my projects and how I learn.  I am a visual learner, and not very terminology literate.  So when I look at sewing patterns, you could say I go into panic-attack mode.  My breathing quickens, my heart starts to pound, and eventually I put the pattern away because the words, jargon and terminology make my head hurt - literally hurt.  Me and my ADHD - curse you!

So when I began finding tutorials on refashioning existing garments I was hooked.  So no - it's not a pattern, and most times it is mostly just cutting - but this was a good pace for me.  Being new to sewing this was the perfect intro for me.  I could set my own pace, get used to every step of sewing along the way.

But why would you go the route of refashioning?!  Well, I tried doing the visual tutorials on the web that use fabrics and patterns and found myself at a loss.  I was still having to follow the directions on the packaging and that is where I lose all hope, and concentration.  Patterns are hard for me to understand.  I understand garments, and I have figured out on my own how a garment is put together by pulling a garment apart.  Some might say this is cheating - but if there is anyone out there in my shoes - they understand.  There may not be many, but at least someone can sympathize with me.

Some items that have helped me learn how to work with fabric and techniques:

Pillowcases - Quick and easy to create dresses or tops from.  Helped me learn how to make seams straight.  I experimented with different threads, and adornments.  I figured out how to adjust my thread tension, and feed dog pressure.  This basically gave me the foot in the door into the sewing world.  Other things that I experimented with - ruffling, appliqué with laces and ribbons, making and attaching pockets.  My daughter now has a closet full of my experimental pillowcase dresses.

Curtains - These helped me work with various fabric weights, from laces, to organzas, to much thicker fabrics.  I've made various items from these things - caplets, table runners, placemats, drink coasters, and crinolines so I could figure out how to work with them - experimented with types of threads, style of stitch, and stitch lengths.  I even made drink coasters where they were nothing but stitches of different styles, lengths, and combinations of those on the bias, vertical, and horizontal to the grain line just to see how the fabric reacted.   I liked the way they looked (almost quilted).

Bedsheets - These helped me delve into making clothes from scratch.  This allowed me to create skirts, blouses, tops, shorts, and pants from a panel of fabric (but not with patterns - still not yet).  I wasn't so much concerned with making clothing that could be worn, but getting the practice in so I could eventually make a garment worth wearing.

Clothes I or my kids have outgrown that are not worthy to gift away - These are how I started delving into patterns.  Instead of throwing them away, I rip them apart, cut my bed sheet fabric and try to reconstruct the garment.  This helps me understand how a pattern is supposed to work.  How the pieces fit together and in what order they should be sewed together.  Do I always end up with the correct result?!  No.  LOL  But the point of this exercise was for me to begin to understand how to use those tissue paper patterns.

In a sense my refashioning, and up cycling of clothing into new clothing wasn't just for the sake of up cycling, but my way of trying to figure out how to sew.  Are there some things in sewing that I am still terrified of?!  Yes!  Button holes, zippers and darts, oh my!  But not in that order.  I'm getting better at darts.  The other two still petrify me.

So here's how I work through a new sewing experiment:
For instance: zippers  (I have a bunch of salvaged zippers from outfits that I ripped apart to make a blanket for my daughter)

First project will be drink coasters and placemats using clothing remnants or bed sheeting fabric (this will help me with the simple technique of how to sew the zipper to a simple single panel of fabric.  (It won't be able to unzip the fabric apart.  It is just a zipper attached to a block of fabric.  This is where I am learning how to work with the item, getting a handle on the feel of it, how it handles for me and how it feels on the sewing machine.   (I prefer doing this with a thin piece of fabric, and making zipper bracelets - this way the project is more useable.)

Second project:  Two pieces of fabric, joined by a zipper that can unzip the fabric pieces either completely apart or not. (This will help me in actually sewing pieces that will open up.)

Third project:  Three pieces of fabric, that when I unzip it, it creates a pocket.  So this is where I can actually have a project that is actually more useful then just being a "practice" swatch.  I figure I could make a set of drink coasters that I can store a wine glass charm inside the pocket when they aren't being used.  Or a placemat where I can actually zip cutlery into a sewn in pocket.  Or a table runner where I can zip up the matching placemats inside of it.

Fourth project:  Creating a wearable zippered skirt or tank top.  Even thinking about this is giving me a quicker heartbeat (right now), but hopefully after having completed the first three projects, this particular one will feel less daunting.  For me this is a process that will make me feel less intimidated by my sewing machine.

Hopefully you all will journey with me as I begin posting some of my projects on here and travel with me as I learn each new technique.  There might be posts that someone out there will say - she is doing that totally wrong! - and if I do, educate me!  I would love to get comments on how I can improve my technique.