Redesigning out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 1247 skirt pattern into an elastic back version is all about comfort. With an elastic back waist, there was hope that it can be worn with the back brace. And I'm thrilled that it worked out.
There were two patterns, OOP Vogue 1247 and vintage and OOP Vogue 9918, merged to create this skirt. The front of the skirt with those lovely pockets is cut from Vogue 1247 and the back piece is cut from Vogue 9918.
There were also several changes to the pattern pieces to make this fit over the lower part of the brace. The back piece from 9918 was cut as a size 18 and an inch width was added at the centre front. The front pieces also had an inch width added at the centre front. The front darts were removed and the waistline adjusted accordingly. The waistline curve at the front side seam was eliminated and straightened to match the shaping with the back side waist. There is an added ten inches of length added to the front and the back piece was adjusted to match. I should add an inch or two to the length on the next version so I could sew a blind hem. This one is finished with seam binding to keep the length. The waistband was cut narrower, shorter to fit the front section only and was not interfaced.
The fabric is a medium weight cotton sateen with stretch. It's been in the stash for years, many years. It was pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam pressing.
Let's talk about thread for a moment. I like Gütermann threads, but lately not so much. Most of the Gütermann threads in the stash are cotton and made in Greece. Love the quality, there are no complaints with the cotton threads made in Europe.
But there are some spools that are polyester Gütermann threads in the stash that are the absolute worst for my Janome sewing machines. The polyester threads entered the stash because I was trying to match colours with a project fabric and they were on sale. Sometimes a sale is not a good deal even if the colour selection is wonderful. These spools are made in the U.S.A., very thin / fine and feel like plastic. When used in any of my sewing machines and serger, I have problems, skip stitches and constantly having to rethread the machines. It's not a tension or needle issue, I've checked and adjusted and the problems persist. I wish I checked online before picking these polyester thread spools as I would have discovered that others had issues as well. And this doesn't seem to be a recent issue according to the two year old Reddit post. So, I was careful to pick out spools of cotton thread for this project. Now, what to do with the remaining Gütermann polyester threads in the stash? Thankfully, there are not a lot of these lingering in the stash.
Sewing IS Political
This is another Canadian made and tariff free sewing project. All of the supplies used to make this skirt were found in the stash. The fabric has been in the stash for a decade and was found at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet. The elastic was also sourced from Fabricland. The scissors used to cut this project are from Merchant and Mills, an United Kingdom company. They were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet. The Vogue patterns are products from the U.S.A. and are from a pre-Trumpian era, not contributing to the convicted felon's tariff economy.
Project details
Seams: 2.8--3.0 straight stitch
Seam finish: Serged
Fabric: 1.5 metres
Elastic: 0.7 metres
Seam binding: 1.3 metres
Patterns: OOP Vogue 1247, circa 2011 and OOP Vogue 9918, circa 1980s.
Additional Tools and Supplies: Cutting table, iron, ironing board, measuring tape, pins, pin cushion, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, threads, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, tweezers, seam ripper, thread clippers, measuring gauge, tailor's ham and tea.
Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.
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