Undershirts to Wear Under the Scoliosis Back Brace: OOP Vogue 9057

This pattern, out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 9057, has been a go-to for t-shirts so, I thought I would revisit it to make a more fitted version of an undershirt to wear under the scoliosis back brace.  Just a side note:  this pattern was re-issued as Vogue 1733.  The first step is to create a pattern piece for the underarm padding and adjust the neckline.  

The back brace comes too close to my underarm area and without padding, the brace gives me abrasion wounds.  Not fun, but it worked on the previous top so I'm recreating it here as well.  I made the pattern piece covering the front and back pieces under the arm, but then I had to cut it where the side seams were to construct it the way I wanted.  

The shoulder seams were sewn right sides together but the armhole and side seams were sewn wrong sides together.  I did this so that I won't have to deal with any uncomfortable bulky seams against my skin while wearing this t-shirt with the scoliosis back brace.  The neckline was raised one inch all around and then top-stitched with a 5/8" hem around the neck.  

This time with this pattern, I did not add any extra ease, it is a straight size medium with no other adjustments.  It fits perfect, even the sleeve length.  I really wanted a undershirt with sleeves.  It's winter and the one I previously made with short sleeves is not keeping my arms warm enough and I'm not brave enough to throw a sweater over the brace with all the metal and velcro.  

Notice that little blue square near the hemline.  It's not decorative.  I noticed that there was a flaw in the fabric half way through the construction process.  

The "made it" label by KATM is to patch up the hole.  It really wasn't necessary because once I put the brace on, it would be covered.  I like the way it turned out though and I am glad I patched it up.  

I'm not disappointed with the fabric even with this small hole, I picked it up for $3.00 (Cdn) a metre.  A real deal considering that it is a French terry.  There are some other flaws in the yardage but I can work around it.  I really like the comfort provided with the French terry fabric I used in the last version and since I have a lot of it remaining in the stash, I'm will also be revisiting the same fabric.  The plan is to make more now that I found a pattern that is the perfect fit.  

Project details

Seams:  Serged and lightening bolt (knit stitch)

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.4 metres (1 1/2 yards)

Label:  1--KATM "MADE IT" label

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 9057, circa 2014

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Folding table, fabric scissors, paper, measuring tape, pins, pin cushion, black fine tip marker, paper scissors, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, iron, ironing board, and a few breaks.  

Happy Sewing!

Hand Sewing / Repair Work

 

In the spirit of saving money through a repairing before replacing work ethic, these socks ended up on the mending pile.  The worn down areas and one hole were patched over with some heavy "wool sweater knit" fabric from Marcy Tilton.  

Cutting patches from old sweaters or knit fabric is my preferred method of mending socks.  And it's more comfortable to have a bit of extra padding on the bottom of the socks.  

I've also been mending some pieces of clothing that have long been stored away while I ventured into obese territory.  And then came some unwelcomed news at the doctor's office that lead to eliminating sweets from my diet, processed foods and cutting back on the amount of fruit I was eating.  Right before Christmas.  It didn't ended up being as hard as I thought it would be.  Sure, I missed eating those sweet treats I used to enjoy and I did have to leave the room when people didn't respect the personal decision I made not to eat sweets.  "Just taste," someone would say.  So not cool.  I even avoided church gatherings that were a minefield of sweets.  But I made it past Christmas and I'm fitting into clothes that I haven't worn in years.  And I'm feeling better.  All thanks to God.  I can't believe that I'm no longer in the obese range, hello overweight category.  That means that I still have weight to lose and I'm determined to get to my healthy weight.  In the meantime, it feels like a whole new wardrobe has been welcomed back into the closet.  It's been so long since I've worn some of these pieces.  

This cotton sateen skirt, OOP Vogue 1247, had the snap re-stitched in place.  I guess it gave way as my waistline was expanding over the years since I made this skirt.  I'm so happy to have this one back in rotation, those pockets and the fit are the best features of this out-of-print pattern.  I might have to revisit this pattern now that I know it fits again.  

And these wool pants, OOP Vogue 1325, required the hook to be reattached.  This might be the first time in a long time that I was happy about mending.  

Happy Sewing!  

National Dress Up Your Pet Day!

Five years ago I wrote a blog post on National Dress Up Your Pet Day and I started off with how "the pet market for pet products and services is a multi-billion dollar market."  Oh my goodness, how much the headlines have changed since that time.  

This news story appeared a year and a half ago.  And twenty twenty-five continues with this trend.  It's not just a local issue, BBC also wrote about the same issue as well.  Yes, times are heartbreakingly tough for a lot of us with the price of EVERYTHING going up and the newly re-elected and soon to be president of the United States threatening economic hardship towards my country.  Things are well past the sticker shock phase of inflation and price gouging and threats of tariffs.  It has lingered into eye rolling and walking away territory.  And sadly, according to animal shelter employees and these new articles, it is happening to beloved pets.  

So maybe on National Dress Up Your Pet Day, instead of sewing up the latest pet attire let's think about the poor abandoned pets as well.  Maybe, this year we might consider helping a local shelter care for the animals looking for a forever home.  

Of course, celebrate our pets and even dress them up, maybe just add a different twist to the celebration this year and help out the ones looking for a forever home.  

Happy Sewing!  

Sewing IS Political

Wow, every single time the newly re-elected soon to be president of the United States appears on the television or on my computer screen I turn the channel.  Sorry if you voted for him, but I find him and his rhetoric repulsive.  But today, that person the people of the United States elected as their next president made economic threats to my beloved country.  

Wow.  

Just wow.  

I might be just one person but listening to his economic threat today just makes me never want to purchase anything that comes from the United States.  Ever again, at least, not while that re-elected soon to be president occupies the white house.  

I guess that is my new sewing goal for 2025: no more sewing supplies or fabric or patterns if they come from the United States.  

Sewing IS political.  

A Departure From Garment Sewing

Happy New Year!  

The end of the year had me reflecting on what I have and need to fix.  Top on the list is this saggy bottom arm chair.  

It's been in need of repairs for years, many years now.  It was an antique store find from back-in-the-day and once I removed the covering from the saggy bottom it really showed it's age.  

I carefully removed the burlap ribbons hoping that I would find a replacement in the upholstery section at the local fabric store.  No such luck.  They did have burlap fabric by the metre but no where as strong as was found in the interior of the chair.  

Thankfully, none of the spring were broken.  All I needed was to cover them up.  Instead of burlap, I found an outdoor upholstery fabric that was strong enough to hold the springs in place.  

I didn't start the year off with much sewing or even some pretty stitches.  I didn't even match the thread.  It was mostly a staple gun and tool box kind of project.  Two layers of new fabric, some fray check and a whole lot of staples there is no more saggy bottom.  

It feels good to have this armchair repaired.  

Favourite Makes of 2024

I thought I would pop back in and reflect on the top ten list for twenty twenty-four.  

Oh my goodness, Vogue 8909 is such a great pattern!  I made these back in May.  This is the second pair I've made from this pattern.  And I wear these a lot.  It's comfortable to kick around in and I can even dress them up a bit with a nice top to go out and run errands.  They are made with a navy cotton French terry.  

This top has saved me from abrasion wounds in the underarm region while wearing a scoliosis back brace.  It has extra padding in the underarm region.  It was made with out-of-print (OOP) Kwik Sew 2899 and a yellow cotton French terry.  It will have to go down as my favourite makes just on comfort level.  It entered the wardrobe rotation in the end of October and even though I have had this for a short time it quickly became one of the most important pieces in the 2024 wardrobe.  

Is there anything better than wool pieces for survival during a prairie winter?  I do tend to live in ski-pants while outdoors in the winter but sometimes you want to show up at church in something that doesn't make noise when you walk.  I am saving this outfit for such occasions.  The top was made with Sew House Seven's Toaster sweater pattern.  The pull-on skirt is OOP Butterick 5790.  Both pieces were made in October.  

Here is another October make and another Sew House Seven Toaster sweater in merino wool.  It ended up being a wearable toile as I was playing around with an oversized version.  It has since shrunk a bit--an intentional shrinkage and fits much better.   

Oh my goodness, I wish I kept this top!  I made this cotton French terry top with OOP Butterick 5790 back in October when I was much heavier.  Since then I lost quite a bit of weight, although there is more to lose, I am sure that this would fit me today.  This top made it to the favourite list because this was nostalgic sewing.  Back in the day, when I first had a copy of OOP Butterick 5790, this was a favourite pattern and item to wear.  Even though I never got to wear this version of the top, it was fun to revisit this pattern at the time.  

This is a lovely Katherine Tilton design, Butterick 6784.  I made this dress back in April after dreaming of a second version in a cotton for the hot summer that promised to come.  I did wear this dress often during the warmer months, it's comfortable and I adored the print.  It reminds me of the decorative tiles I saw many moons ago in the Azores.  

This wool jacket was a labour of love.  It was made with OOP Vogue 2571.  If you come across this pattern, it is one that I would recommend.  I love that I found some beautiful vintage real wool fabrics at Winnipeg Sews that was unmatched to the wool blend or polyester faux-wool fabrics found in today's retail landscape.  This jacket is unbelievably warm and kept me warm on days that the wind chill hit minus forty-two. I was thrilled that I found leather toggles online before the postal strike.  There is nothing close to the quality of these toggles in the local retail stores here.  I completed this project during the summer before the cold weather arrived.  Just one sad note about this project, Winnipeg Sews, the business that I found this lovely fabric, closed this month.  It is sad to see another resource disappear.  

This butterfly print top was made back in June shortly after I received the scoliosis back brace and was searching for tops that could be worn over the brace.  There was some extra ease added to the back to help it fit over the additional bulk.  The pattern is a much-cherished Katherine Tilton design, OOP Butterick 5891.  

This is another gifted make, a wool winter coat made back in April.  My heart wasn't into making this at the time and it was a real struggle to get it done.  I guess it made the favourite list because of the fabric.  It's made with a beautiful wool find from Winnipeg Sews.  It turned out well , maybe because I've made so many coats (this is the fifth version) using OOP Vogue 8934.  Previous practice helped in getting it done.  

Well, there are my top ten makes of 2024.  Happy New Year! and wishing you joyful sewing in the upcoming year!  

What Was I Thinking in 2024?

Hello, it's been awhile.  

Boas Festas (Happy Holidays) to those celebrating the season.  I haven't been sewing, still taking a break.  I thought I would pop in with a look back at some of 2024's sewing bloopers.  

I started off 2024 with this top which ended up being gifted.  It was way, way too roomy in the bust and arms.  I have hips so I was okay in that region.  I don't know what I was thinking after all the reading all the reviews that recommended going down a size or two with Vogue 9330.

What was I thinking when I drafted this foam cover?  Good grief!  The first sewing blooper of the season was this self-drafted foam cover.  

Another project, Vogue 2000, that I started out making for myself but ended up gifting because it didn't fit.  What was I thinking when I decided to cut my good fabric without sewing a toile first?  

What was thinking when I made this denim gardening apron without pockets?  And why did I make it so long?  Maybe if I remove some of the length and make a pocket I might get more use from this next gardening season.  The pattern was from Tessuti patterns.  

What was I thinking when I made these sleeves so short?  I tried to use this make as a pajama top but I found that my arms were always cold.  And then I just stopped reaching for this top.  And this cotton knit fabric was too heavy for this Closet Core pattern.    

What was I thinking when I made these barrel leg pants for my short petite sized legs?  The pattern used was vintage and out-of-print (OOP) McCall's MP349.  

What was I thinking when I made this dress?  Oh yes, I wanted to use up the last of the nautical print fabric but there wasn't enough to make another top.  But it didn't turn out as I envisioned the project.  It looked like a nineties throwback and not at all my style.  Made with SD Patterns.  

 

What was I thinking?  I really wanted to make a caftan and that it might be something I could wear over the scoliosis back brace.  In reality the armhole openings were so big that it didn't hide the brace.  Even though it didn't get worn as intended, I did enjoy wearing the caftan at home.  The pattern used for this project was McCall's 8516.  

What was I thinking when I thought that a cotton sateen version of the Closet Core top designed for knits would be a good idea?   I thought that it could be worn under the scoliosis back brace  

What was I thinking when I broke my 2024 promise to sew no more polyester?  This was my last sewing project of 2024 and I never wore it.  It quickly ended up in the donation bin.  Made with a satin back polyester crepe and OOP Vogue 1730, a pattern designed for knits.  Everything about this project was just wrong. 

Happy Sewing!