kareina

On Wednesday Josie was flying in from the Seattle area for a visit. I also had an appointment to go get blood drawn so they would have current numbers on whatever they check for before surgery next week. My appointment was 11:20, and when I was done I still had a full hour before the flight was due to land at 12:45. One hour didn't seem long enough to be worth heading back to the office, so I went to a second hand store on the way to the airport. They were having a 50% off of everything sale, which meant that I paid only 50 SEK for a knee-length button up sweater of purple/grey 100% linen.

Like many modern sweaters it was designed for use by someone who never lifts their arms. Therefore, when I bought it I first double checked that it was wide enough that if I were to cut the upper part down to fit my tiny shoulders and waist that it would leave enough scrap to put in an underarm gore. I wasn't certain if I would bother altering it, or just use it as is.

Josie went to sleep around 19:30, having had a long flight and not so much sleep on the plane. I thought of going to sleep early myself, but then I did a few useful things around then house, then tried on the sweater again, and decided the way the arms attach really is too uncomfortable, and I started taking off the left sleeve. The next thing I knew it was nearly 01:30, and I had nearly completed altering the left side--only the second pass of the long side seam left to do (I was sewing bias tape over the raw edges of the seams to keep it from fraying).

Tonight I went back and finished that, and realized that the rest of the bit I had cut off the sides was big enough to make a pocket (it had none to begin with). So now I am wearing the sweater, with its left half altered, and its right half still original. While typing this is fine--but if I move much then the right side sleeve attachment is annoying. But it is after 01:00, and I am not going to start taking apart that side today. besides, if I leave it then I can get Josie to take some photos by the light of the day to show the difference in before and after.

Around a decade ago now learnteach gifted me with some of the most amazing fabric I had ever touched--a lovely blue herringbone wool twill that is so soft and snugly that I am willing to wear it against my skin for those middle of the night privy runs at a camping event. Sadly, when I cut the fabric to make a tunic from it I must have done something wrong when doing the math, because the gores wound up a fair bit too long for the length in which I cut the tunic. The tunic goes to around knee level, but the gores reached from hem past the waist and all the way to the bra-strap. Oops. I have no idea how it happened, but I have lived with it like that ever since. I did pleat together the top of the front center gore and stitched it down to belt level so that it didn't look quite so odd from the front, but other than that I just accepted it, because the fabric was so truly wonderful, and it was my favourite tunic for years.

However, after moving to Drachenwald, getting a "real job" and having access to other nice (but still not that nice) fabrics and some really nice tablet woven bands I wound up making myself a new wool tunic that has a much nicer cut, and, with the trim, is just enough fancier that I haven't been wearing my old favourite blue tunic as often.

Then, yesterday, my apprentice gifted me with a beautiful blue and white laurel-wreath inspired tablet woven band, and I wondered what to do with it. Then I thought of my old favourite tunic, and checked, and, yes, yes indeed, the trim does look lovely on that fabric.

So I put the tunic on, and looked closely at it, and decided how I can fix it. Tonight I accomplished the first couple of steps. I have taken out the front and back center gores, slit the front the last little bit to the neck line and then sewed the front shut back down to waist level. Next I need to also slit the back and sew it down to the waist level. Once that is done I can sew trim around the neck line. I am still not certain if I will sew it right to the edge of the neck, and then change the silk band on the inside of the neck to only be the same width as the trim (so that the seam where it attaches on the inside isn't visible from the outside), or if I will sew the trim down a bit back from the edge, so that it covers the other edge of the silk inner band. Though the more I think of it, the more I am leaning towards the latter. Since the body rectangle will now be slit fully to the waist front and back I am also planning on sewing down the neck trim in two segments such that the leaves are upright on both sides of my neck, which will help emphasize the "wreath" aspect of the trim.

Once all that is done I will need to take out the side gores, and also remove the little extra trianglar gore bits that I added on each side of the little square underarm gores, to make the tunic looser (because I was somewhat heavier a decade ago than I am now). Then I will be able to sew shut the armpits and sides to the waist. Then I can cut as strip off of one side of each of the front and back center gores to make them a bit smaller, use that strip to extend the hem of the body rectangle down about 8 to 10 cm, then sew all of the gores back in, this time with their top points at waist level. Then I can sew trim onto the cuffs of the sleeves and around the hem, possibly along the level of the seam attaching that extra length.

If all goes well it would be great to wear it to the Frostheim event next Friday. My apprentice really impressed me by taking the yarn I gave her at Norrskensfesten and turning it into trim so quickly, the least I can do is then turn the trim into a costume just as quickly. Wish me luck that the end result is as nice as I think it has the potential to be.