Above is the back of the original t-shirt. When I sewed it, I was hoping for a flared, peplum-ish look and ended up with some cross between little girl and pregnant. NOT what I was going for. There's way too much flare over the behind.
To start, I cut the back off at the stitching line of the original hem planning to add a fringe to the bottom. Thankfully I basted the fringe in place before stitching it permanently because the back ended up even sweeter looking with worse ruffles that did nothing but further enhance the undesired look. I liked the front. It took me about two hours and several what ifs to grasp that concept. Put the fringe in the front. Do something different in the back. It seems simple now.
I stitched a three inch dart from the hem tapered to nothing right below the bow which worked perfectly for the flare but left the question of how to make an unintentional seam look intentional.
The last several inches of the dart seam were pressed open and trimmed to 5/8" and then - because the cardigan was now too short - a 2" strip of the knit fabric was stitched along the bottom using the frayed selvage as the hemline. I top stitched the strip and around the slit. It improved the look significantly.
If I were doing it again, I probably wouldn't go with a bow in the back BUT... until I think of a way to eliminate it that makes sense... it's staying. Hopefully when the front is finished, the completed garment works for me. I've tried it on numerous times already and it seems to be going in positive directions. Millicent has tried it on endlessly. It is FABULOUS - invaluable - to have a dressform to work with. I have no idea what I did before "she" came to live in the studio.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a fun and unexpected phone call
Does that drawstring actually gather it in back? Why not elastic instead and cover the holes in the center with a decorative button? More tailored but still an artistic detail without so much sweetness.
ReplyDeleteI do like how you persevere and come up with different solutions. That's what keeps me sewing - the breadth of ideas that you come up with or are offered by other creative thinkers ie. sewers.
ReplyDeletewhat if you shortened the cording, knotted the ends and tied in a simple knot... again, not quite so "sweet" but still functional.
ReplyDeleteTie an intricate knot instead of a bow. That makes it look intentional and individual and lends lots of "back interest." Since the drawstring is not necessary for fastening, you don't have to worry about remembering how to untie and retie a complicated knot.
ReplyDelete