Christine Sews

Shower curtains don’t have to be ugly plastic, or used to hide the shower stall.  I use one as a closet door.  That allows for the maximum amount of space to be available for the closet contents.  And I get to look at a pretty pattern.

How to Make a Toile Shower Curtain:

1. If you have a shower curtain that fits your space, use it as a pattern.  If not measure your door space.  Add four and a half inches at the length and two at the width.
2. Turn in an inch at either side and sew.  Press and trim.
3. Turn under the bottom hem two inches.  Trim the corners and stitch.
4. Turn under the top hem and press.  Set aside.
5. Cut a strip of fusible interfacing two inches by the width of your curtain.  For example, two by 54 inches.
6. Slip fusible interfacing under the top hem of the curtain and press in place.  Stitch near the hem edge.  Trim any excess interfacing that peeks out.
7. Edge stitch at the top hem.
8. Make seven or more buttonhole markings at the top hem, depending upon the width of your curtain.  Markings should be evenly spaced and of the same depth.
9. Stitch the buttonholes .

Sewing Tips and Notes:

• Shower curtains are a great home decor opportunity - you get to bring a pattern into the bathroom.
• Make sure that all edges and hems are deep enough.  Bathrooms get steamy.  And edges will curl if the hems are too narrow; even if you are not using your curtain directly in front of the shower.
• Don’t forget the interfacing.  Use an additional piece of cotton broadcloth to reinforce your top hem, if you dislike the fusible adhesive.
• This project is simple.  But because it is simple, sloppiness will really show.  Carefully cut and press.

Just in case you were wondering, I am married.  And my husband owns shoes.  Right.  That was the only way I could get that much of the shower curtain into the photo.

Speaking of the husband, he says the giraffe print is atrociously ugly.  I think it is terribly amusing.  I know that the hamper doesn’t match.

The bathroom is one of those fun places where the fabric doesn’t necessarily need to match the rest of the house.  So when the last remaining plastic hamper broke.  I decided to make a new canvas hamper out of giraffe print.

It is very similar to the other laundry hamper that I made from a queen sheet.

How to Make a Canvas Laundry Hamper:

1. Cut a 20 by 60 inch rectangle of fabric.
2. Cut a 25 by 8 rectangle of fabric to use as a handle.
3. Finish one 20 inch edge by serging or turning under.
4. Fold the 20 by 60 rectangle, right side together, so that it is 20 by 30.  Set aside.
5. Fold the 25 by 8 inch rectangle right side together so that it forms a long 4 inch wide strip.
6. Sew the long edge.
7. Turn right side out and press.
8. Trim corners and turn in.  Stitch so that the ends are closed.
9. Attach the handle rectangle to the body of the hamper. Center it top to bottom, so that it will not get in the way when you sew the hamper.
10. Sew around the two unfinished edges of the larger rectangle to form the hamper.
11. Box the corners.
12. Turn right side out and press down the open, finished edge to form a casing.
13. Sew a casing, leaving at least 5 inches open for threading.
14. Thread a cord through the casing, or leave open.

Sewing Tips and Notes:

• The giraffe print is decorator fabric.  So it should be either dry cleaned, or hand washed and hung up to dry.  It can be washed, but will lose some of the finish.  It is unlikely to fall apart.
• This size hamper holds two standard loads of laundry.  It is shown holding one load, one half of its capacity.  That is correct for my standard size washer; yours may be larger or smaller.
• I made the handle wide, because I find that easy on the shoulder.
• These are great gifts for college students.  Especially if you piece together their favorite old shirts.

See also, Sewing Canvas and Mitering a Corner .

Vogue Pattern V2949, a cardigan sweater, has a very different feel to it sewn up with charcoal colored fleece, than it does with cream colored waffle knit.  It is entirely more serious, much warmer, and the bottom bands of view A add an asymmetrical peplum style to the bottom.

I thought I looked a bit large and odd wearing this coat, due to the unusual shape of hemline.  It does not skim the body, but rather drapes loosely and stands out to some degree.  I think it stands out due to the thick fleece that I used.  And the seamline where the bottom bands are attached at the hips cause it to be a little stiff in that area.  The coat actually looked better after I had sat on it for a while. That appears to have removed some of the stiffness at that seam.

Unlike some of the patterns I have made; I think the addition of the peplum for view A, and the absence of it for view B , really make the coat look different.  It is still a loose modern coat.  But view A is much longer, and does drape differently.  I think perhaps view A would be best on a woman with a longer torso, i.e. not me.  I feel more comfortable in the other jacket that I made with the waffle weave, as it feels less bulky around my body.

Sewing Tips and Notes:

• Use a heavy northern type fleece for a more professional look.  The cheap fleece will begin to pill immediately.
•  Fleece is thick.  Adjust your serger and sewing machine accordingly.
• Most sewing patterns for fleece can be put together with the serger for all of the main pieces, using the sewing machine only for the edges.
• Fleece does not ravel.  If you need a fluid edge, as this modern design requires, leave the edges free for the most drape.
• Fleece does not breathe.  I only like it on open neck styles.  Consider whether it will cause you to be too warm when you are deciding if you want to use it.

See also, Vogue Patterns V8151 .

This Kameez style blouse is worn by a very petite woman.  The sleeves were too long.  And she is not comfortable sewing with this sheer fabric.

The design of the blouse has what I would typically think of as the outer fashion fabric on the inside, with a sheer fabric overlay.  The sleeves are made of the same sheer, synthetic fabric, with heavy embroidery and sequin trim.

To maintain the design and keep the trim I removed one inch of fabric above the trim and a few of the embroidery motifs, moving the trim upward.  I reattached it with a straight stitch.

Then I trimmed it a little and folded it open, pressing on a very low heat.  And then sew again over the joined fabric with a narrow zig-zag, creating a felled style seam.  It looks natural on the finished garment.  (First photo.)

Sewing Tips and Notes:

•  When working with embroidered garments, plan carefully where to cut and how much embroidery will need to be moved, or removed.
• Press synthetics on very low heat, or not at all.
• Do not cut or sew too close to sequins or they will snag, jam the sewing machine, or fall off.
• Tension may need adjusting to accommodate special fabrics.
• Use a brand new needle to avoid snags and pulls.
• Sew as straight and perfectly as you can. When you are finished, step back and see how it looks.  If you use a machine, this sort of alteration will not line up exactly if you examine it up close.  You’re looking for it to blend in with the design.  If it must be perfect and invisible, do it by hand.