Re-tailoring the dresses.

[Jack Williams]

My sewing is very primitive and left over from hippy days of sewing jeans up etc. I have two dud sewing machines, but you need an overlocker if you're going to replicate the Chinese factory. What I have is back stitching and sail stitching. (which you may think takes a lot of time, but I may not be reading so much newspaper, and can be of course listening to music, and without a machine it can be done sitting out in the sun (or shade) or inside on the couch in front of the speakers). The knit dresses are supplied with long sleeves and a "relaxed" fit for various "body types". This means they fit women of fattish and/or biggish boob body without any tucks etc in the bodice. So what I do is pin the sides to my waist, and also a "V" down the middle of the back to the top of the first tier of the skirt to bring the neck up smaller. This also gives a chance to bring in the small of the back a bit, and combine with the sides for a better go at a "tailored" fit for my "body-type"! Once this is got right (without scratching the bod too badly from the pins!) I sew it in with the back stitching. I use about one quarter-inch stitches with half that on the back ones, giving one-eighth apart stitches. This gives a perfect finish from the outside. Then I try it on before cutting, just in case anything needs altering (nothing so far) and then cut out the excess about a quarter inch (.5cm) away from the stitching. Then use the sail stitching to finish off AKA the overlocker. The job is just as neat and probably stronger.The sleeves are the last to do. I make them just on elbow length. Just a turnup of about five-eighth" (one cm) and only the back stitching. Using "homeward bounders" of about three-eighth inch with tiny back ones, hardly through to the outside (there's no tension on them after all) so they are really invisible. Just cut the material a bit out from the stitches (about one-eighth"). This is good quality material, and will not fray at all. Thus I get really good tailor-made dresses!

[Mipi]

Any pics to see the result

[Jack Williams]

Yep, can do. Let's see if these images go up:

[Jack Williams]

Here is the brown dress outside.

[Skirt Chaser]

Exultant indeed, Jack! You look very comfortable and happy.

[Jack Williams]

Exultant? No more.

[Jack Williams]

P.S.: please let's know what you think of these dresses guys. Thanks, Jack.

[Jack Williams]

The denim ones were a lot less work. Not so much re-tailoring than a bit of slight re-design. Originally they were complete button-through, but I preferred to have the skirt a complete circle, so I sewed the bottom front together to a couple of inches (5 cm) below the bottom button. I also sewed the waist-band together at the front so it didn't gape over my stomach! The only other thing was to take the girly cuffs off the sleeves which were otherwise the correct length. I tried to circle the skirt in this picture:

[owen]

Excellent work! A dress like that is perfect for casual warm-weather wear, and I'd love to try something similar myself. Did you buy the original dresses online? Can you tell us where?

[Jack Williams]

Yes indeed. The original dresses are from "Victoria Hill Clothing" Out of Australia, and Googling the above will find them. The knit dresses, cord and denim skirts are in the current catalogue. The denim dresses have currently disappeared. Jack.

[Jack Williams]

Just a random shot.

[owen]

Maybe I should look a bit closer to home (Europe), as I assume the postage costs from Australia would be astronomical. Thanks.

[Jack Williams]

Hmm.. Possibly not as they are not that big or heavy as parcels go. Jack.

[Jack Williams]

I guess I've just been getting a lot of use out of the few I've sewn so far, around here and at music festival (the denim was the thing there). In the cotton knit ones, the ones I have done are: one size "m" and one "L" in the black, and one size "L" and "XL" in the brown. Size for size, the browns are a little shorter than the black. Something very good about the t-dresses is that you can layer them up. Now I'm not one to have longer under stuff visible under my outer garment, so the "L" size black is really good over the "L" size brown' which is not going to show. The necks are the same. And I did bring the neck of "XL" up to the same as the others, and did make the sleeves big. So right now, as it has cooled down a bit weather-wise, I have the brown "XL" over the other two. It's skirt is the same level as the "L" black. Underneath I have one of the "XL" double silk nightshirts and men's black bamboo singlet (both N.Z. Nature co.) Those have wider necks and I have shortened the sleeves of the silk, so they're not about to show.A very cosy and comfortable collection, but I think the denim shirt-dresses are the only ones for up the street.(HA-HA!) BUT, the other day, warmer, I had been wearing just the "L' size brown knit, and so just put the "XL" brown over the top while I consumed a few "burbs"at the end of the day. Then I decided the grog shop would still be open so I took off on foot down to get more. Still in the "XL". As I gave the bloke the money, I said I'd "have to be too drunk to serve if I came down in this". He just grinned. Outside, a woman who had been ahead of me mentioned "fancy dress", and I said "That'd be it." Actually, it would in fact be great if people did get about more in "fancy dress".