Repeats and alterations

Only time for a very quick post this week. As I mentioned last week, I'm currently in the situation of having time on my hands but unable to start a new sewing project. The obvious solution is knitting, so I have started a new Confidette bolero.

I have yarn for three different options, and decided to make the navy one with off-white contrast. Mainly because I have a couple of sleeveless summer dresses in navy and dark blue, and a bolero-style cardigan would greatly increase the times I could wear them.

The swatch

So far, I have knitted the top of the back and the fronts, and joined them together.

It's impossible to stop it from curling

Having worn the blue version quite a lot, I want to make an alteration to the pattern for this version. The back and front of the bolero are knitted to the same length. This means that, on me at least, it looks shorter at the front because - boobs.

Showing a slight rise at the front

When it's worn for any length of time it tends to slide back a bit*, which makes the front rise up even more (please excuse the bad mirror selfies).

Over time it gets worse

Much worse

So my plan is to add some short rows to the fronts, to lengthen them in the centre. I'll knit the sleeves and part of the front before I do this, so that I can try it on and get a reasonable idea of how much extra I need. I'm not entirely certain how this is going to work but, even if I continue to have lots of knitting time, it will be a while before I have to make any decisions.

* - Meanwhile I'm hoping that this cute vintage sweater clip, found online and waiting for me when I got home today, will add a little weight and hold the bolero front in place.

#FoundInOxfam

First challenge completed

Success! I've completed my first Historical Sew Monthly 2026 challenge and the first item of my 1915 ensemble. The challenges can be completed in any order, so originally this was going to be for the March challenge, Comfort at Home. This is to "Make something to wear around the (historical) home or that would be generally only seen within the household", and underwear definitely fits that bill. But once it was done I had a change of plan and instead went for the January challenge, Joy for January. Part of the description of this challenge is "Create an item that epitomises the joy you find in historical costuming", and it really has been a joy to pick up historical costuming again; I hadn't realised how much I missed it.

Challenge completed (Note: the proportions are deceptive!)

Admittedly, it was hardly a difficult challenge. It's a simple make, only two pieces, and between Lauren's extra notes for the pattern and The Dreamstress' blog post I had a lot of hand holding.

The back has a central pleat, to add extra width for sitting down.

Back pleat from the right side

If this had been a skirt vent, I would have just overcast the raw edge at the top of the pleat. But as it's going to be worn next to the body, I covered the edge with some scrap cotton tape to make it neater and more hard-wearing. I also flat felled the shoulder and side seams.

Back pleat from the wrong side, with tape edging

I used beading lace round the neckline, attached by the Dreamstress' method of turning the raw edge of the garment to the outside, and enclosing it in two rows of stitching.

The trimmed neckine

I also followed her approach of reinforcing the flap with a second layer of fabric, to provide more stability for the buttonholes.

Up to this point, I had done all the sewing on my 1930s treadle machine. But then circumstances dictated that I had to be away from home for a while, with no access to a sewing machine but plenty of time on my hands. So the rest of the sewing was done by hand. Thanks for the suggestion, Juliana!

The armholes were trimmed with lace. Again this was sewn over the raw edge of the fabric, but this time folded to the inside.

The lace is sewn to the inside of the armhole

The pattern has markings for where the buttons/buttonholes should go on the flap - either option is historically accurate. But to me, this seemed a long way down the flap. So instead I sewed them closer to the edge.

This looked like annoyance waiting to happen

I have some kind of blind spot about buttonhole stitch. No matter how often I do it, I can never remember how it differs from blanket stitch. Normally I refer to my trusty copy of Vogue Sewing, but this time I didn’t have it to hand. I did, however, have a dim memory of having photographed the relevant section on my phone ages ago 'just in case'. And sure enough, there it was!

When a plan comes together

Finally, my wash buttons were a little grimy from years spent in a button tin, but I scrubbed them with soap and an old toothbrush, and this greatly improved matters. So here is the finished article.

It looks absurd, but it's really comfortable

The ribbon is synthetic and too stiff to really tie properly - a replacement has been ordered. But that's the only issue I have.

I thought that the low flap might feel weird, but I didn't really notice it once I was wearing the combinations. If fact if, like me, you have the misfortune to remember 1980s bodysuits (iykyk), something with fastens you can both see and reach easily is an absolute boon!

It's also very loose-fitting

I tried putting my 1911 corset on over the top, and the combination (no pun intended) worked really well.

But fits under my corset very well

There is still an issue with the corset, but thanks to The Dreamstress' Fortnight in 1916 posts I've finally worked out what it is. And the fix will fulfil another Historical Sew Monthly Challenge.

In the meantime, here are the details for this challenge.

The small print:
The Challenge: 1, January, Joy for January
What the item is: Combination underwear
How it fits the challenge: After a long break, it's a joy to be picking up historical costuming again
Material: White cotton
Pattern: Wearing History Circa 1917 Combination Underwear & Chemise
Year: Around 1917
Notions: Cotton lace for armhole trim, beading lace and ribbon for neckline trim, vintage wash buttons for fasten
How historically accurate is it?: The pattern, fabric and most of the notions are correct for the period. The ribbon is synthetic, but will be replaced as it is too stiff
Hours to complete: Around 12. It's not a complicated pattern, but I hand sewed a lot of it as I was away from home, and my hand sewing is very slow
First worn: Just for photographs
Total cost: All the materials were in my stash, so this is an estimate based on current prices - fabric £14, trims £3.25, so £17.25 total

The end of era, part 2

Many, many years ago, a (non-sewing) friend looked at my workroom and said, "If there's ever a shortage of sewing supplies, you will be arrested for hoarding". The hoard has grown since then, and I have no regrets. Well, only that I got rid of some of my paper patterns.

Part of my 'modern and reissues' collection

I'm no doubt late to the party on this, but I only discovered yesterday that the end is nigh for tissue patterns, in Britain at least. Once shops have sold the patterns they have in stock, there will be no more. The good news is that the Big4 pattern brands were bought out of the liquidation of their parent group. The bad news is that they are now, in effect, a small 'indie' company looking for ways to cut costs. And one way is to not have the expenses of printing and retail pattern distribution outside the U.S.

Patterns will still be available to buy in the UK from the Sew Direct website, but as PDFs only. As far as I can tell, these will be at the same price as the tissue patterns still on sale elsewhere; which seems a bit of a cheek given that the purchaser now has to provide the paper, ink, tape and assembly time. If, like me, you tend to swear at PDF patterns rather than by them, Sew Direct also offers a printing option - although with prices starting at £4.99, and more for larger patterns, it could add a hefty increase to the cost.

As I wrote in my post last summer, this won't really affect me as I almost never buy patterns which are in print. My recent 1986 dress was wildly up-to-the-minute by my standards, and I recently bought a 1990s pattern which feels positively avant-garde! Plus, like many experienced sewists, I have a large collection of paper patterns, and the skills to adapt them if needed. But for a would-be beginner who fancies 'having a go', this just adds to the initial outlay. Hopefully in time new options will come along and offer more choice. But for now, I definitely won't be getting rid of any more patterns!