EnchBySew-48:Garment Copycatting

Click on this link in iTunes   to download the 48'th episode of the Enchanted by Sewing Audio Podcast,  produced in October of 2016. Or listen directly on the web by clicking on this link.

This Month’s Show 

Technicos: I'm learning to copycat a favorite knit top, without cutting the garment apart. 

Blog Posts from this Project
Part 1: Getting Started http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2016/10/copycat-pattern-work-sleeveless-tee.html

Part 2: Continuing up through Basted Garment http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2016/10/copycat-pattern-test-garment-basted.html

~ ~ ~ Other Resources
I have a number of Sewing Pinterest Boards: https://www.pinterest.com/lrshimer/

Errata

I meant to refer to Lynda Maynard, not Lynda Myers!

Copycat Pattern Test Garment Basted - Sleeveless Tee

A few days back, I blogged about some of the techniques I used for learning to copy a garment pattern I'm creating my first test garment for this pattern using a plaid remnant, which is lighter weight and more fluid fabric than the original garment - a Pima cotton. Well.... I have the remnant - that's a good reason to test in this, though the fabric has a different kind of drape! Also it gives me a chance to simply make and wear a test garment and see if the basic idea work. 

Notice, after all my talk about not sewing pockets any more, that I've basted one up and pinned it on!  Well..... they are handy for slipping dog treats into - at least Jasper-the-pooch thinks so. He likes to put his furry feet on me for a cuddle and then try to slip his nose in my shirt pockets just in case I left some in there on the walk. I thought I would just try the pocket out while basting, figure out where I like possible pocket placement to be, and then decide if I actually want a pocket on this shirt. If I use the pocket I need to add some fusible interfacing.

I'm also fooling around with a sleeve pattern for this shirt at the same time. In theory, the first time through, I think I should just make up a sleeveless version to wear, but it's actually feeling a little fall 'like in our part of CA lately, and a sleeve seems like a good idea.

For the sleeve, I have a blue remnant that looks OK with this plaid (I can add a little plaid trim on the bottom edge). If the sleeve doesn't work out, then I'll just forget about it. No big deal as I'm not sure what else I would use that small amount of blue knit for.

Copycat Pattern Work - Sleeveless Tee

Why do we talk about copy CAT's?
Izzie the Kitty is unique!

I have a favorite sleeveless tee shirt, in fact I have more than one of this tee - in yellow, orange, dark and light pinks, black..... You get the idea. Though I might not find the high quality Pima Cotton the original is made from, I would love to be able to try making a similar shirt in knits I run across. Also I have a piece of Spoonflower cotton interlock knit printed with one of my Mama's designs - I would love to get this pattern going, in that fabric.

The original tee is sleeveless. The hem hits at the high hip. The shirt is a little bit boxy, but not really loose. There are no darts. The neckline is high with a minimal scoop. In the past I've copied simpler things like aprons and tote bags. This is a good shirt for my first pass at a more complex pattern copy project.

1) First, I pinned along the side seams and the hem. Then I laid the pinned side seam along a 'fold' line, and traced around the hem, after pinning the hem down.

2) I used one of those cardboard cutting out boards (the kind with a grid line on it) underneath, and pinned through that after I released the hem, and pinned the shoulder seams together. I connected the dots the pins made from the shoulder seams. The armscye I traced. You can also buy cork board in rolls instead of the cutting out boards. I had several of these cardboard cutting out boards, and they seem to work OK for pinning into.

I found I had to do the tracing and pinning in stages. You pin, trace, and release, then lay other parts down. I tried out push pins, but they made kind of large holes if I wanted to wear the original garment again. I think large regular pins can work just as well.

Why do we talk about copyCAT's?
Nothing more unique than my kitty!