Make a Pattern from a Readymade Shirt

My son asked that I make a pattern from his favorite and best-fitting shirt. It is a bit hard to see using a black shirt, but I hope you can get the gist of it and use the technique to duplicate one of your favorite wardrobe items.

Lay the shirt out flat. Run a line of pins down the center front, measuring across the front to be sure you are centered.

Using wax paper (the traditional kitchen type), line up the edge of the wax paper with the pin line you made down the center of the shirt. Pin the wax paper to anchor it to the shirt.

Using a Sharpie pen, trace the front of the shirt as shown. For the shoulder area, I found it helpful to press and feel the seam with my finger so that I knew where to place the line. Mark the front center as a fold line.

For the sleeve piece, I traced the front and back sleeve portions separately and then taped them together, as shown in the pic below.

Use your sewing measuring tape as a guide to add 5/8 inch seam allowances where necessary. (The standard width of a measuring tape is 5/8 inch.) Be sure not to add seam allowances to center front and back fold lines. Add about 1 inch to the sleeve and body bottom hem line. There is no photo, but I also traced the stand up collar piece and marked where the zipper bottom would be on the front of the shirt.

I hope this is helpful. As always, be sure to ask if you have any questions!

Felted Wool Purse Tutorial

Note: This pattern will have to be adjusted to whatever materials you use. If you have any questions about any of the steps, please be sure to ask in the comments or send me an e-mail. I hope you enjoy this tutorial!

This project started with a felted wool vest. You could make the same bag with fabric but you would have to insert the zipper. I used the zipper that was already in the vest.

I removed the pockets with a seam ripper and repositioned them, orienting them correctly for the purse.

Fold the vest wrong sides together, with the zipper at the top. Pin through the layers and mark straight cutting lines for the size of your bag. Cut along the lines. The side seam of the vest worked fine in the style of the purse, no need to worry about that.

Cut two pieces of lining fabric the same size as your bag, plus 1/2 at the top zipper edge. Cut pocket for lining 16 inches x the width of your purse.

On the wrong sides of purse and lining fabric, mark 2-inch squares at both bottom corners. Do not cut out the squares.

Press under 1/2 inch on top edge of both pieces of lining. Pin to edges of zipper on wrong side of purse fabric.

Flip over to right side and pin next to zipper, through all layers.

Leaving pins in right side of purse, remove pins that you put in lining fabric. Flip back over and stitch through all layers, next to zipper.

Fold your pocket fabric right sides together and stitch along width. Turn tube right side out and press. Stitch pocket sides and bottom to right side of one of your lining pieces, with bottom of pocket positioned 3 inches from the bottom of lining piece. Sew a seam dividing the pocket into two pockets (these can be any size you'd like).

Unzip zipper (very important step). With ride sides together, stitch sides and bottom of purse together and sides and bottom of lining, leaving a 4-inch opening in the side of the lining for turning.

On wrong sides, pull out corners on the bottom of the purse and the bottom of the lining. Pin and stitch along the lines you drew for the 2-inch squares. Trim this seam as shown in the lining photo below.

Turn right side out through the opening you left in the side of the lining. Fold lining opening under and stitch together close to the edge.

Push lining down into the inside of the purse. You should have something that looks like the photo below!

The vest had a separating zipper, so I put a few stitches across the zipper (see below) to make it unable to separate. I also stitched up the edges of the purse by the zipper area by hand that were too thick to sew by machine.

I used a woven belt for the strap. I cut a rectangle of purse fabric and folded it to encase the ends of the belt and stitched it on all sides, through all thicknesses including the lining. I sewed through the belt by hand since it was too thick for machine stitching. I made the stitches go through the weaving on the belt so I didn't have to go through the leather.

I cut a 1/2 inch strip of purse fabric and pieced it to make it long enough. Using a crochet hook, I wove it through the belt strap. 

Thrifting, Recycling, Vintage

Three of my favorite words. Thrifting, recycling, vintage.

When you look at food photos, do you also study the dishes? Me too. 

I picked this bowl up at Goodwill for $1.99. 

This book was my paternal grandmother's. "The Complete Book of Sewing: Dressmaking and Sewing For the Home Made Easy," by Constance Talbot. Copyright 1943. (Related to THE Talbots? Does anyone know? I'll have to research that.)

Look at these pages! Beautiful illustrations. Believe it or not, there are some great ideas in here, some 67 years later.

There is an entire chapter devoted to "Restyling--Remodeling--Remaking." Nothing went to waste in those days. We're coming around full circle.

"Choosing Clothes According to Personality" -- Are you the Tailored Type, Feminine Type, or the Sophisticated Dramatic Type?

From a discussion about sewing machine care: "After using the machine for a long stretch, while sewing for your local Red Cross Unit perhaps, it will be necessary to clean your machine once a week to remove lint." 

I'll leave you with this. Every year my husband's mother makes me a German Chocolate Cake for my birthday. Yes, an entire cake just for me. There is one piece left which will serve as a tasty breakfast tomorrow morning. Mmmm!

Sweet dreams!

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