anybody into sewing clothes?

[threenorns]

that's what i call saari - chickpea - cause she's very rounded with a cleft up the back side.

i'm adapting an outfit i bought for her. well, not adapting - i'm making a new one that i hope will fit her better.

so far, i've:

• made the waist area wider (cause it fits exactly when she stands up but tightens to a drumskin when she sits down) - i increased it from 11.25" across (22.5" around) to 12.5" across (25" around, based on her sitting-down girth of 24")
• made the sides at the waist 1/4" longer
• dropped the bottom of the armhole 1/4" and pulled it in a bit cause i could see it was cutting in under her arm
• made the skirt wider to match the waist of the top section (it has an empire waist) but left the length - i was going to make it longer and straighter and leave the side seams open to make it a proper kameez for a salwar and kameez outfit but my friend pointed out that if she crawls in a long-skirted outfit, she'll likely embed her face in the floor when she crawls up onto the skirt.

have i done it about right? did i forget anything?

[pilvikki]

make sure that she has room to move her arms around.

on the other hand...

:whistle:

[threenorns]

oh, no worries - i made the sleeves extra long.

[pilvikki]

that's what i was worried about.... :lmao4:

[imbizze]

I learned how to sew long ago. But try as I may, I just suck at making alterations other than a quick hem job! Sewing machines and I don't mix!!

I bet you did a fine job!

I think JC Penney sells girls' clothing that's designed for heavier girls....they aren't called "Husky" like boys' clothing is. I forget what the sizes are called. It sure would be so much easier for you if you could find just her size. Good luck to you! ( perhaps they are called Half sizes?)

[threenorns]

we don't have JC Penney and she grows so fast that it's not worth spending money on special fit clothing =(

[VS~]

I sew fairly proficiently, but I suck at alterations other than hemming or buttons.
I have made entire outfits with less effort than it sounds like you took with Saari's outfit. Altering clothes is about having to RE-make it and it's easier, from my prospective, to cut the darn thing out, pin it, sew it, press it, and it's done.
I learned to sew from my mom who made ALL of my clothes from the time I can remember. I loved that when I was little, but as I got older, I wanted store-bought clothes so badly. Once I got the store-bought clothes, I realized the kind of quality I was giving up to have those, so I learned to sew and made my own clothes for many years. I occasionally get a sewing wild hair and took up quilting several years ago as a form of therapy. It proved to be so therapeudic, that I neglected other things for quilting. Then my near vision crapped out and I do very little in quilting or cross-stitch anymore.

[kg]

I think JC Penney sells girls' clothing that's designed for heavier girls....they aren't called "Husky" like boys' clothing is.

Sorry, but I got a chuckle out of that statement. Can you imagine the reaction if the "heavier girl's" clothes were called "Husky?" There would be riots in the stores; after which you would see "Husky" girls walking down the street busting out at the seams because they refused to wear any clothes whose size included the word, "Husky!"

No, I can't sew a straight line without guidance, and afterwards my clothes look like a Frankenstein monster. All I would need was the charging posts.

[pilvikki]

you have a very valid point....

what about a dress that is a basic A line with a belt that can be adjusted accordingly? cap sleeves that can be grown in?

[Jolyna]

I can sew on a button and just about manage a hem or two. :oops:
SHameful really but the only sewing I do is cross stitch :sigh:

[mamie]

Unless you are just doing a simple alteration, like a hem or a button, you have to take proportion into account. Sometimes that is difficult because factory made garments do not offer generous seam allowances. It's often impossible to expand a garment in proportion to its original size. The best bet next time, if the garment is not quite right, is to buy a size larger and 'seam-down' the extra material to be let out later. That will give you an whole extra size to play with.