I have a very lightweight denim pullover top that I hardly ever wear because it has sleeves that puff at the top. This is not a good look for me, and it's been really annoying because otherwise the top is fine. Well, I'm also not 100% sold on the neckline, but I'll fuss over that when I get rid of the puffs.Here's a shot from the top showing the puff. The sleeve looks even puffier on. This is an 80's look that is not going to come back during my lifetime, trust me. If it does come back, I'll have to go someplace quiet and lie down.
 |
| OK, to work. First I picked open the seam with my trusty seam ripper/picker, and smoothed out all the little gathers |
Now I have to get rid of all the extra fabric at the top of the sleeve. Note that there were no shoulder pads in this top, so the shoulder seam is in the right place. If the shoulders were exaggerated, this would be the time when I'd have to trim off some fabric from the body of the blouse, taking care that the two pieces would align when the trimming was done, and frankly, that is not a project I would take on.
Here's another view of the opened shoulder seam, sleeve ready for trimming. First, though, I have to sew along the line that I've drawn - the sewing will take place with the whole thing inside out, of course. This shows you that my new little seam will line up with the shoulder seam on the blouse body.
Now about that neckline: it's fine except for those dangly strings that look like an underfed bolo tie.
One side will lose its tie altogether, and I'll add a button. The other string will get a haircut, so that there's only an inch or so left, and the end of that will be stitched to the underside of the string attachment to form a loop. C'mon, you didn't think I was going to make a buttonhole, did you?
Oh, by the way, Sunday wasn't all work. Not hardly.
Puff sleeves are a deal breaker for me. If they come back, I'll be going to that same quiet place with you.
ReplyDeleteGreat fortitude to redo the sleeves. That looks like a cool place for some music and a bite to eat.
hi, tr! well, the top was just sitting in the "too good to throw out" pile, and since I have ethical objections to donating out-of-style items - just because someone's poor doesn't mean they should have to dress funny - I figured I had nothing to lose.
DeleteImpressed that you tackled that puff sleeve! There are so many cute tops that are ruined by a strange sleeve or weird neckline. I hope you post a picture of the completed top. :)
ReplyDeletehi, Carrie! I don't think I'm up to tackling a neckline, but I've learned not to be intimidated by a shoulder, at least if the garment isn't lined. The top won't be finished for a while, because we're setting off for London/Paris tomorrow night, and I have no idea why I started fussing with this when I should have been packing. But at some point the project will be finished and a pic will go up.
DeleteIt's odd that we know instinctively when a shirt or jacket just looks wrong at the shoulders. I put on a jacket I used to love a few years ago but it just looked wrong. I haven't changed in size so can't put my finger on why it looks dated...but it does.
ReplyDeleteI take my hat off to you for tackling that top, I would have been inclined to shove it back in the wardrobe until it came back into fashion but then, as we all know, they never really do.
Hi, Trish, well, my denim top was unwearable as it was, so I figured I couldn't make it any worse. A preliminary try-on indicates that the alteration will work, but I won't finish it till we're back from the upcoming trip.
DeletePuffed sleeves! Reminds me of Anne of Green Gables. I definitely wore a Laura Ashley shirt with puffed sleeves in 1994 while pregnant. It was chambray and if I still had it I could operate on it as you've done.
ReplyDeleteOh, Laura Ashley... another case of me trying on stuff, looking on mirror and seeing self in a calm and gracious lifestyle that I certainly did not have in those years.
DeleteWell done WFF. This season I removed some droopy fabric roses from my JC tanks, and removed ill filling sleeves from a blouse and made it a tank. Nothing as ambitious as re vamping sleeves. BTW, just wondering- are you WFF or the WD? I wouldn't want to call you by the wrong name!
ReplyDeletehi, KnitYarns, rose tees still turn up at our local Crewlet - I call it "where the rose tees go to die."
DeleteHimself is the WD, when I started the blog I was going to chronicle some of his antics, got as far as a few posts on snoring and then decided it was more fun just to roll with it...
You deserved a beer after that! Well done! I had the Laura Ashley puffed sleeves, too, Dani; if they come back I'll sit out. I could not really make buttonholes either. There's a whole sweater in a basket here, knitted up except for the side with the buttonholes.
ReplyDeletehi, Lane, my Museum of Almost-Finished Projects has outgrown its initial quarters and the directors are considering fundraising to allow for inevitable expansion.
DeleteGood job! I too have a pile of thingd that need just a nip and tuck to make them wearable- and for once i'm actually making a dent in the pile too! Thanks to watching the great British sewing bee- great television- i'm inspired to even use my machine a bit!
ReplyDeletehi, TDGD, I don't know the Great British Sewing Bee, our local public tv stations show a lot of British sitcoms (seems like they only recently stopped showing Benny Hill), but that's as far as they go. I find BBC America frustrating because of all the commercials, there's a paradox.
DeleteGreat job at dealing with the sleeves. If that look comes back anytime soon, I will have to go lie down quietly too. Not sure WHO did they look good on.
ReplyDeletehi, Rose, I've gotten fanatical about finding things that need to have shoulder pads or puffs annihilated. The fabrics are so nice it seems a shame not to try.
DeleteOld blouse, new life. I love it.
ReplyDelete