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by Molly Hamilton

When I was growing up, my paternal grandmother had a shop in Banner Elk, NC called The Gaelic Shop.  She sold imported goods from Scotland and Ireland, many of which she sourced from her trips to those countries.  She would find crafts people working from their cottages and set up a relationship for supplying her shop.  She carried hand knit wool sweaters, scarves, belts, sporrans, leather goods, tea towels, and many other things from classy-but-touristy knick-knacks to estate jewelry.  And she also carried kilts, in many of the clan tartans.  Her shop smelled like wool, leather, and lavender and I loved it.  

We also participated in the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games for many years when I was a child.  My grandfather had some kind of leadership position in the Armstrong clan for a few years and we would spend all day, every day of the Games on the mountain.  I cherished those times -- an amazing picnic that my grandmother would pack, bagpipes and fiddles playing, dancers to watch, all the games, and the vendors with their beautiful things to buy.  And all on top of a beautiful mountain meadow with the summer sun and breeze and everyone having a good time.

When we at Folkwear decided to feature the 152 Scottish Kilts pattern this month, I also decided we needed to make a kilt for our sample collection.  We have a (women's) kilt skirt and a child's kilt, but no man's kilt.  And I've been wanting to get photos of a kilt for the website too.  The woman's kilt pattern is included in the 152 Scottish Kilts (called a kilt skirt), and a child's kilt pattern can be found with our 154 Child's Scottish Kilt and Jacket pattern

And, I wanted to make a kilt from our pattern.  Our instructions for making a kilt are slightly intimidating when you read through it -- very detailed and with a lot of steps.  They were developed for Folkwear by Ann Stewart, a world-renowned kilt maker (her daughter still makes kilts in her shop). These instructions are detailed and authentic for making a tailored, traditional Scottish kilt.  And they do not use any pattern pieces.  The kilt is made from a length of tartan.  No pattern pieces are needed -- just some good measurements, rulers, thread, and needles.  And a bit of time and patience.  Once I started the kilt, I found that it went fairly easily if I took it step-by-step.

In this post I am going to go over a few things about making the kilt. I am not going to show you how to make the kilt (that's what the pattern is for - and it is too involved for me to do at this point), but I am going to give a few helpful tips and tricks that I hope will help you navigate this pattern easily and successfully.  

Most of the kilt is hand sewn. So keep that in mind when starting on this pattern. 

First though, this was also my first attempt at making a kilt.  So, if you see something that looks wrong (or is wrong), please forgive (and kindly let us know if the comments).  I am not a master tailor and I skipped a few steps (I'll let you know about that below).  This may be sacrilege to some, but mostly I want to help make this kilt pattern accessible to everyone.  So, don't be intimidated, but also don't be too critical!

Measuring

First of all, I did not have great measurements for this kilt.  The measurements I was given turned out to be too big for the person I was making it for (I am not sure what happened!), but the kilt fit the measurements I was given!  So just bear with the not super great fit on our model (I need to find a larger man!).  But the instructions made the right size for the measurements, so that was good!  However, a big tip will be to get good measurements and test the kilt out on the person it is for (if you can) before sewing the pleats at the hip-to-waist (Step 3).  You can always adjust pretty easily at that point  by adding a pleat to either or both sides (adjusting the over- and under-apron size and darts) and/or adjusting the pleats at the waist to get to the size you need.

Measuring, and measuring accurately, is critical for making a kilt.  Waist and hip measurements, length measurements, difference between waist and hip, distance between waist and hip -- all these are important measurements.  And I found it helpful to have a sheet of paper with all these numbers on it and space below where I could do some of the basic calculations that are needed for making the kilt.  So, I made a simple sheet you can print out and use when you are making a kilt to help you keep track of these numbers and refer back to when kilt-making.  Download and print the free PDF here.

Planning Your Kilt

For this kilt, I used a piece of wool tartan that I found in my fabric stash.  It was one my maternal grandmother had bought many years ago, and from the label is a Douglas clan tartan.  Her family may have had a connection to the Douglas clan, but I also think she really loved the name Douglas and liked the tartan.  Anyway, you can search official tartans on the Scottish Register of Tartans to find your family's tartan.   Finding tartan fabric is not easy.  You likely won't find it at the local fabric store or even your regular online fabric shop.  I will list some suppliers of tartan fabric at the bottom, but you can also find these fabrics at any of the Scottish Games or Festivals that happen in various places.  

The pattern (and a kilt, in general) calls for 8 yards of single width fabric (30-32" wide) or 4 yards of double width (60" wide) fabric.  Again, this might be sacrilege, but I only had just over 3 yards of double width fabric, and I was making a kilt for a large man, and it worked fine.  You may not get quite as many pleats (though it seemed good to me), but you can work with shorter lengths than suggested and still get good results.  

I cut the long folded edge of the fabric off when I cut the fabric down to the length I needed.  Later I used this folded edge piece to make the waistband, belt pieces, and belt loops.  I laid out my two pieces on the ground (where I had the most room) and labeled each side with chalk to mark the right-side-up and which side was to be the under-apron and over-apron.  This was a huge help and I think very important.

I also used chalk for all my markings on the kilt.  Chalk was a great option - works well on wool, can be brushed off (erased), and can be pressed without issues.  I did have to re-mark the kilt if I took too many days away from the project or moved it around (which I did often because we moved offices when I was making this kilt).

Pleats and Darts

The pleating and darting was a little tricky, but again, I just started with one step at a time in the instructions.  The waist and hip measurements were very similar for the kilt I made, so I made very tiny darts at the apron waists.  

You can see the tiny dart marked here - based on the measurements for the kilt

Looking at the top of the dart - you can see how small it is.  These darts were handsewn into place

I ended up doing dress pleating on this kilt, which meant I kept the tartan pattern with the pleats (you can see the tartan pattern even though the fabric is pleated).  I did not use the waistband/cut off piece to test or plan it.  I just started folding the tartan to see what I thought looked good and it worked very well.  One of the little "tricks" I felt I learned is that the pleats don't have to be exactly the same size all the way through.  As long as they are about the same size, and they match up to get the look you want, it is fine. 

My pleats were supposed to be .74" wide according to my calculations.  I had an even number of setts between the aprons so I took my number and subtracted 7 (36 setts - 7 = 29 pleats).  Then I took half of the hip measurement (for me was 21.5") and divided this by the number of pleats (29) -- so 21.5" / 29 pleats = .74".  So I went with approximately 3/4" wide pleats, but sometimes they would be narrower or wider by almost 1/4".  But it was not noticeable because of how the plaid pattern showed.

I had 2 sections of fabric to work the pleats on and I just put them together as if they were one, pinning them at the center back.  I worked the pleats so that this seam would fall in the back of one of the pleats and would lay flat.  This was easy to do because I also had several inches of fabric to work with since I was only considreing full setts as part of the pleat plan -- and there were not full setts left at each end of the fabric in the center back.

I will also note that my fabric had a few moth holes in it, but I was able to manipulate the pleats so that they were completely hidden in the garment.  Just a little extra bonus to making this kilt!

I also hand basted all the pleats in place instead of using pins as the illustrations show.  I think this was really helpful and if I needed to access inside the pleats, I could just snip the basting threads away.

Here you can see the kilt pleating is done with the under-apron on the right side and the over-apron on the left side.  I was able to work the center back seam into one of the back pleats.  

Again there was a very small difference between the hip and waist for the kilt I was trying to make, so I did not have to take in much at the waist on the pleats.  But, my feeling was that I would just adjust each pleat at the waist by about the same amount to take out the extra width to get down to the waist measurement.  This is a good place to measure your kilt to see if it is coming out the size you expect.  Mine was a little larger than the measurements I had, so I took in a little more at the waist than my calculations indicated I should, but that way it finished at the correct waist measurement I was using.  

Fell stitching the pleats at waist-to-hip on the kilt back.  Fell stitching is very easy and is basically an applique stitch.  It is flexible and mostly invisible, so works well for this application.

This shows how I took in a little fabric at the waist when I sewed the pleats from the hip line to the waist.  The tartan does not stay even when you do this.

Buttonhole (and finishing pleats)

I did not cut the excess fabric from each pleat in Step Four of the kilt.  By the time I got to this step, I was running out of time (and maybe patience?).  So I only cut out the extra fabric in the pleats past the buttonhole so I could open the buttonhole pleat up.  It wasn't totally clear to me that the pleat where the buttonhole goes has to be cut open.  The extra fabric is not cut away, but the pleat does have to be cut open to access the stitching that needs to be opened up to make the buttonhole.  And the pleats to the inside of this pleat were in the way of opening up for the buttonhole.  So I cut the extra fabric away.  But that was all I did.  I am sure by leaving all that fabric, I was leaving in quite a bit of bulk, but I just didn't feel like it was worth it for this project.  

You do cut through the pleat to get to the stitching to make the buttonhole for the belt tab.

Extra fabric in the pleats were cut away here just to the left of the buttonhole pleat.

Here you can see the pleat is open all the way and make bartacks above and below where the stitching will be taken out to make a buttonhole for the belt tab.

Interfacing and Lining

I used a medium-weight linen for the interfacing and a light weight white muslin for the lining in this part of the pattern.  These fabrics worked well and they were scraps that I had on hand.  I thought they did a great job, but I don't know if they are considered totally appropriate for the application they were used for.  They worked for me, but perhaps you would want to try something else. 

I also trimmed my belt loops down before I turned them right side out (which made them much easier to turn out).

The insides of the kilt with lining/facings finished. 

Waistband and Buckles

It was very hard to find buckles for the kilt.  There are a number of Scottish wear and kilt shops but very very few that have the kilt-making supplies.  I ordered them from Highland Xpress, but also saw them on Amazon (coming from Scotland).  Highland Xpress had exactly what I needed for this kilt.  I made my own buckle tab as instructed in the pattern, but didn't have it made (because the buckles had not yet arrived) when I took the photos of the kilt. 

For the waistband, I used the fabric I had left from first cutting the tartan for the kilt.  I could have tried to line up the band so that the vertical lines of the tartan matched, at least for the over-apron.  They won't match elsewhere on the kilt because of the pleating at the waist and probably won't match on the under-apron either. And that is because the pleats at the waist are manipulated to fit the waist and so take in some of the extra fabric.  

Also this is a good place to note that wool has some stretch to it.  You can manipulate it a bit when fitting the waistband (and lining) to get it to where you want it to be.

Back of the almost finished kilt 

Finishing

I also did not do the finishing technique that has the hem edge at the double sett pleat and corner of under-apron hemmed.

But I did do a LOT of pressing.  I pressed the pleats consistently throughout the kilt making process once I had them basted.  I pressed with steam from the front and back.  I did not place them under books or other heavy items, but that is not a bad idea and could help keep the pleats super sharp.

Finally . . .

I really did enjoy parts of making this kilt.  I liked designing the pleats and getting the kilt finished.  I loved working with the fabric -- wool is so nice to work with.  And I do like hand sewing and this was nearly all hand sewn.  It took quite a while to finish this kilt, but I am proud of it.  It is certainly not perfect, but it would look beautiful at the Highland Games on a summer day!

18 September 2024

Moving

First, if you haven't heard, we moved Folkwear to a new location! It is only about 10 miles from where we were located, but has nearly twice as much space and is right beside Western Carolina Sew Co. (and just down the road from non-profit Local Cloth).  We feel very lucky to have such good neighbors!  I borrowed a needle the other day from the folks at WCSC because I couldn't find my hand sewing needles (lost in the move and showed up today!) -- it is a great fit and so nice to have a related business to work beside.

We are now located nearly downtown Asheville, in the River Arts District, at 240 Clingman Ave Ext.  You can come visit us when we are open, which is generally 9 to 4 Monday through Friday.  And Western Carolina Sew Co operates a gorgeous boutique of their clothes (sewn right here in the factory) called Rite of Passage Clothing.  The boutique is open Thursday-Sunday 11-5.  To get to our studio, either ring the doorbell at 240 Clingman Ave Ext.  Or, come to the back - behind Ultra Coffee and we are the first door on the wooden walkway.

It has taken some thought to get our space organized and moving all these boxes was a LOT of work!  But we are so excited to be here.  Personally, I am enjoying walking around the city during breaks and getting good coffee.  I am hoping to bring my bike into the office soon and take breaks on the river trail which is near our office.  

The empty studio before we started moving in.

Looking from the other end of the studio.

As you can imagine, it was a lot of work to move all these heavy boxes (full of patterns) into the studio.

All moved in!  Still some work to do.

Printing and Folding Patterns

One of the reasons we needed to move to a larger space was because we bought a printer and folding machine to be able to print and fold our own patterns.  If you have been following Folkwear's journey over the last 3 years or so, we have had quite a few changes in pattern printing options (read more about it here).  And it has led to some hard decisions and some easy ones.  Another wonderful company printed many of our slower-selling patterns over the last few years, but they are located on the west coast of the country so shipping was very expensive (lots of patterns are very heavy).  They also could not always keep up with our demand and sometimes we would be back ordered on a pattern for many months.  We decided to take control over part of our production and get a wide format printer that could use lighter weight paper, and print our own patterns.   

The folding machine was harder to find but we tracked a Germany company down that makes and sells them and now we have a printer and folder.  We are still figuring out the folding machine (there are so many folding options), but it certainly is nice to have to quickly and easily fold patterns.  

We are now printing many of our patterns on 18# paper (as many very old Folkwear patterns used to be printed).  This is a nice weight -- lighter than copy paper, but still very durable.  Printing and folding in-house cuts our cost a bit, but mainly gives us control of our process.  

We are still printing most of our best selling patterns at the Simplicity factory near Chicago.  This saves tremendously on printing costs because they are able to print in much larger volume and on tissue (very lightweight paper).  So we are still working on keeping our costs as low as possible so we can pass that on to our customers.

So all that means we do have a variety of different tissues for our patterns -- some are real pattern tissue (brown and very lightweight), some are still around from our McCalls printing days (white 8# tissue, not as lightweight as the brown), and some are on 16-18# paper (lightweight bond, but not tissue).  I don't love that we don't have a consistent pattern paper, but it does save (you and Folkwear) a lot of money on printing and it allows many patterns to be able to stay in print rather than just be available as a PDF pattern.

The new printer and folding machine also means that we can print patterns for other people.  We are working through the process, but for now anyone can upload their PDF patterns to our site, we will print them, fold them, and ship them.  We are offering 25% off of all printed PDF patterns if you order more than one.

The Green Pepper

The other really big news, and bigger reason we needed a larger space, is that Folkwear LLC has acquired The Green Pepper, a sewing pattern company that provides patterns, fabric, and notions for outdoor clothes and gear.  The Green Pepper has been around for over 50 years and has over 100 patterns in print for an array of clothes and gear for adults and children (and pets). 

Late in the spring, Susan Downs, former owner of The Green Pepper, called me out of the blue and said she was interested in retiring and was seeing if anyone had an interest in taking over her company.  She knew Folkwear nearly from its beginning; it was also a small indie pattern company founded on the west coast.  And she had followed my journey with Folkwear when I took over nearly 7 years ago.  I had heard of the The Green Pepper and knew it to have great patterns for outdoor wear.  After talking with Susan for a while, I got really excited about the possibility.  Susan (and she and her mother, before) had built a sweet little business with some really great patterns, also offering performance fabrics and notions.  The integrity and kindness showed through.

After several months of working through all the details, we finally closed at the end of August.  I flew out to Oregon to see what I'd bought and was delighted to meet Susan in person.  The Green Pepper inventory is now on its way to Asheville, NC and our new location.  Meanwhile, Susan is keeping things running smoothly while we set up inventory here, prepare for shipping, and get our new website online.

I am very excited to have The Green Pepper under the Folkwear LLC umbrella.  It will keep its name, website, branding, and incredible patterns and drawings.  We are just going to be ushering it into the future by updating the website, gradually adding PDF patterns, and potentially increasing sizing in some of the smaller ranged patterns. We mainly want to keep offering these great patterns and provide exemplary customer service to all the loyal Green Pepper fans. 

You can read the press release for this exciting news here. 

Finally . . .

All of these changes have come together fairly quickly over the last month.  It has been a whirlwind.  A bit wild, and a bit stressful, but very exciting. And no big changes would be complete without my children bringing home another pet.  We got the opportunity to take a dog back into our house that we fostered for a short time about 9 months ago when my daughter brought him home from a farm.  So now we have a large Pyrenees/Golden mix 10 month old puppy at home as well.  He's bringing lots of joy to the family and just the right amount of chaos (and so much dog hair).  And he does make me laugh with some of his antics.

By Esi Hutchinson

Welcome to Part 2 of how I made 250 Hollywood Pants Knickers into pants. To see how I made the adjustments for this design in my pattern pieces (and how I made the pocket larger), check out Part 1 of this tutorial.  In this blog I am going to show you how I made the front fly with a zipper instead of a buttoned fly.  While I do like the look of buttons on the fly for a pair of pants, I get frustrated when taking them on and off.  So I decided to put in a zipper instead. 

The pieces I cut out are below. I used the pattern pieces I made in Part 1 to cut out the fabric (an 8oz sanded twill).  I didn't need the Cuff Placket J and Pocket Facing E, but I forgot and cut them out anyway. Whoops!

When sewing these pants I followed the instructions quite closely for the general assembly of the Knickers.

Starting with the right sides together and I stitched from the box to the top of the crotch seam.

I pinned the Back crotch seam and stitched and pressed the seams open and serged the seams.

Assembling the fly front is a little tricky. I highly recommend labeling your fly pieces (left, right) and right and wrong sides. Refer to this blog post where I walked through assembling and sewing the buttoned fly front of these pants if you need help figuring out the fly for this garment. However, if you are adding a zipper instead follow below to see how I did it.

Zippered Fly

Stitch the Right Facing C to the Right Fly C with right sides together on the unnotched edge and around the bottom to the box. I think it is helpful to clip in the seam allowance to the box before trimming. Trim the seam and turn the fly right side out.

Press under 1/2" (13mm) on the long double notched edge of Fly Facing C.  Then stitch Fly C to Front Pant A, with right sides together, from the top to the box. Trim the seam.

Press the fly and facing away from the pants.  Pin the pressed under edge over the previously stitched seam line to the inside of the right pant and topstitch.

Now work on the left side of the Pants.

With right sides together stitch the unnotched edge of Left Fly D to the double notched edge of Left Front Pant A from waist to the box. Press Fly D away from the Left Front Pant A.

Now we are ready to sew in the zipper. 

The top of the zipper teeth needs to be 2-1/4" (5.7cm) below the top of both the Fly/Facing C and D to accommodate the Waistband Facings H and I in later steps.

Place the left part of the zipper with the right side face down onto the right side of the Left Fly D, making sure the top of the zipper is teeth is 2-1/4" (5.7cm) below the top of the Left Fly D and the center of the zipper teeth is 5/8" (1.6cm) away from the Fly D and Pant A seam. 

Sew the left side of the zipper onto Fly D using a zipper foot, then stitch again close to the edge of the zipper tape. Try and stitch as far down as you can within the 1/2" (13mm) seam allowance.

Right sides together, stitch the Left Fly Facing D to the Left Fly D along the notched edge, backstitching at the box. I made sure to keep the extended part of the zipper that doesn't have zipper teeth on it out of the way of the stitching, but you do not have to do that. Trim the seams and turn right side out.

Trim 1/2" (13mm) off of the unnotched edge of Left Fly D. Press the Fly to the inside of the Pants along the seam line of the Fly and Pant seam.

Topstitch the pressed Left Fly/Facing D down through all layers including the Left Front Pant A.

Now back to the Right side of the zipper.

You should have already pinned the pressed under edge of Right Fly Facing C over the seam line of Fly C to the right Front pant A and topstitched.

Place the wrong side of the other side of the zipper on top of the Fly Facing C making sure the top of the zipper is teeth is 2-1/4" (5.7cm) below the top of the Right Fly Facing C and the center of the zipper teeth is 5/8" (1.6cm) away from the seam of Facing C/Right Pant A (the same way it was done for the left side).

Sew the Right side of the zipper using a zipper foot, then stitch again close to the edge of the zipper tape, stitch as far down as you can.

Instead of overlapping the Fly and topstitching the triangle as show on the pattern piece Fly C, I overlapped the Fly and stitched through all layers. Starting from the bottom of the fly, I stitched up 3/4" (2cm) backstitcing at start and finish and bartacked (small zig-zag stitches) through all layers.

Sewing the zipper is now finished, let's move on to making the rest of the pants.

Finishing Sewing the Pants

Stitch the Front A and Back B at the inseam, matching notches. I pressed the seam to the front and finished the raw edges with a serger.

I topstitched my inseam close to the seamline then topstitched again about 1/4" (6mm) away from the pervious topstitch.  This creates a faux flat-felled seam.

Pockets

I don't need to use the pocket facings because I'm using the same fabric for the pockets as for the rest of the pants, and my fabric is midweight so I'm not worried about it being too bulky.

Right sides together, stitch one pocket side to the Pant Front matching stars and notches.

Clipping to the stars.

I serged the side seams on both Front and Back Pant pieces after I'd sewn the pocket sides to the Front and Back Pants.

Understitch the pocket side seams to prevent the pocket rolling out from the Pants. This keeps the pocket bag in place.

With right sides together, stitch the Front and Back together at side seams. Start with backstitching at upper star of the Pocket and stitch to the top of Pants. Then stitch from the fold at the bottom of Pocket to the bottom star of the Pocket and then down the rest of the side seam of the Pants.

Sew the top of the pocket closed

Waistband and Belt Loops

Make the belt loops and sew the waist facings H and I as instructed.

Pinning the waist facings to the inside of the Pants.

Sew the bottom of the belt loops in place.  Then make your buttonhole.  I used a 5/8" (1.6cm) button.

I hemmed my Pants by folding 1/2" (13mm) then 1" (2.5cm) and stitched close to the pressed edge.

The rise of these Knickers work really well for my body type. I really struggle when making pants for myself, I usually have to shorten the rise. However this worked out great (I did make a muslin first) and I now have a new pair of comfortable pants to wear. Sanded Twill is by far my favorite fabric for pants.  And I really love these pants!

By Esi Hutchinson

Our featured pattern this month is 250 Hollywood Pants, which includes three styles of pants: trousers, knickers, and shorts. This pattern exemplifies the start of the acceptance of women wearing pants for practical, casual, and fashion purposes during the 1920-30's.  And right now is a great time to make a pair of wool pants for the coming cool weather, or to whip up a pair of shorts for these lingering hot summer days!

"Knickerbockers", shortened to "knickers" in our pattern, were the summer sportswear attire mainly worn by men in the 1920s and 1930s. These short pants were traditionally baggy, buckled, and sinched below the knee. 

Over time, knickerbockers evolved from being just men's trousers to a style of breeches worn by both men and women. They were often paired with knee-high socks, creating a distinctive look that was both practical and stylish. Knickerbockers were especially popular for outdoor activities like golf, cycling, hiking, and gardening as they allowed for ease of movement.

As knickerbockers gained popularity in the fashion world, they also made their mark in the world of sports. Athletes began wearing knickerbockers for comfort and flexibility, leading to being associated with various sports uniforms. Even today, you can see references to the classic knickerbocker style in sports like baseball and football (American football, that is).

I decided to make the knickers from 250 Hollywood Pants into actual long pants for myself. It's difficult for me to buy pants because they never fit me in the right places.  These knickers, however, fit me comfortably without any modification, but I felt I was more likely to wear them as pants or shorts rather than as traditional knickers. So, in this blog post, I will show you how I transformed the knickers into pants. I will also show you how to make the pockets larger (because who doesn't want bigger pockets!).  For Part 2, go here. 

The fabric suggested for the knickers is medium to heavy-weight cotton, wool, linen, and twill. I used a 60" (150cm) wide cotton sanded twill in Monty Tan (weight of 8.5 oz/280 gsm). I would say this is medium weight fabric. I'm a size medium in this pattern and needed 2 yards of this wide fabric to make the knickers into pants.  So if you make these knickers into pants, you will likely need 1/2 yard or more of extra fabric, depending on the size you are making and the width of your fabric.  I will also point out that we received some beautiful designer lightweight wools last week, and they would also be lovely for this pattern.

Getting Started

First, I needed to recreate the pattern piece A and B, the pants Front and Back.

I used: 

• tracing paper (or large sheet of paper)
• pencil
• ruler
• tape
• original pattern

I traced out the knickers pieces A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I. Since I was making these knickers into long pants, I did not need pieces J and K (the cuff placket and the cuff). I did not use E, the pocket facings, either because I used a medium-weight fabric that wouldn't make the garment bulky. If you are using a heavy-weight fabric, I would use a light-weight fabric such a broadcloth, poplin, other light-weight cottons, or linen, for the pocket facing E and fly facings C and D.

Transforming the Front and Back

I measured the length of both inseams of the original pieces A and B for the knickers because I know that in a pants pattern, the back leg is usually slightly longer than the front leg. The Back was 3/8 (9.5mm) longer, so when I extended the pattern pieces, I made the Back 3/8 (9.5mm) longer than the Front. 

I taped the knickers Back (B) to tracing paper so that I could extend the original lines of the knickers, making them into long pants. I excluded the 1/2" (13mm) extension on the pattern piece that is for the slit of the knickers.

I decided I wanted the pants to be 40" (101.6cm) long with 1-1/2" (3.8cm) hem.

I used the grainline as my straight line and measured from the waist to the hem 40" (101.6cm) and drew my cutting line at the bottom of piece Back B. I also added notches to help match the pants legs together.

I did the same with Front piece A but made it 3/8" (9.5mm) shorter than the Back (i.e. 39-5/8" (100.6cm) long).

 I transferred the notches to the Front piece. Then my pants pieces were ready!

That is all I did to change the Front A and Back B pattern pieces to make pants from the knickers.  I highly recommend making a muslin to see if you like the fit and make any adjustments you might want before cutting into your fashion fabric.

Enlarging the Pockets

I found that the pocket of the knickers was a bit too narrow for my liking, so I wanted to figure out how to make the pocket wider.  These pockets are cut as one piece then folded to make the pocket bag.  To enlarge the Pocket F piece to be wider, I traced the pocket piece onto paper, and then I cut it in half using the center foldline.

You don't want the top of the pocket piece to be wider because the pockets are sewn into the waist and get pressed toward the front after you've sewn the pockets on. The width of the top of the pocket might exceed the width of the top of the pant fronts if you made it wider and it would not work or look good.  

Instead, pivot the cut-in-half pocket from the top and make it wider toward the bottom.  Note that you don't have to cut the pocket in half as I did -- you could just cut from the bottom to nearly the top, creating a pivot point in the pocket.  Pay attention to how wide your front pant pieces are so the whole pocket isn't wider than the front pant and therefore interfere with the pant crotch.

Place and tape the pocket pieces on tracing paper and connect the bottom of cut in half pieces together with a curved line. You can make the pockets longer at this point as well. Now your pockets will be wider.  I always feel women's pockets are never big enough!

New pocket piece being made.  Keep the pocket attached at the top, but open the bottom up so you have more room and a larger pocket.

Once all these changes were made, I was ready to make the final version of the pants.  Follow along for Part 2 here!

The 142 Old Mexico Dress is one of Folkwear's most popular patterns.   And for good reason.  It is simple to sew, comfortable to wear, and is a canvas for creativity.  You can make it with a combination of fabrics, make a dress or a shirt, or add traditional or modern embroidery to the yoke, sleeves, and/or dress.  We are sharing the historical notes and some resources for embroidery here.  The pattern does not include embroidery designs.  Folkwear kept it simple for this pattern; plus there are thousands of amazing designs out in the embroidery world that would be incredible on this dress/shirt.  We love that you can find options that you love (or create yourself!).  

Historical Notes

Basic dress in pre-Hispanic Mexico included a simple tunic called a huipil that was worn by Aztec and Mayan women and can still be seen today for daily wear, especially in southern Mexico.  In central and northern Mexico, women wore the quechquemitl, a diamond-shaped poncho style made from two rectangles sewn together and pulled over the head.  These tops were worn with a skirt formed of panels of cloth stitched together and then wrapped around the waist and held in place with a belt.

The Spanish Conquest of 1521 brought the introduction of the European loom for weaving lengths of cloth, as well as the imposition of more modest clothing.  Missionaries encouraged women to wear an adaption of a Spanish chemise under the quechquemitl.  This undergarment featured a loose bodice pleated or gathered into a yoke.  Made from the newly available loom-woven fabric, the women then hand-embroidered the yokes and sleeves in rich and colorful designs. 

While this colonial garment has been referred to by many names over the years – huipil, Puebla, Colonial, Oaxaca, traje, Boho – it has an instantly identifiable look and a well-loved style. 

Resources for Embroidery Designs

With this basic garment style, your options for embroidery and other embellishments are nearly infinite.  Embroidery, applique, strip-piecing, beading, and creative fabric choice are just some of the options for personalizing your Old Mexico dress or blouse yoke, sleeves, and body.  There are many resources available for your inspiration, and we’ve listed a few below.

Folkwear’s own design can be found here: https://www.folkwear.com/products/142-old-mexico-embroidery-pattern

DMC embroidery designs: https://www.dmc.com/US/en/patterns/free-patterns-by-craft/embroidery

Creative Machine Embroidery: https://www.sewdaily.com/embroidery/#2

Etsy (search for embroidery designs): https://www.etsy.com

Machine Embroidery Designs: https://www.embroideryonline.com/

By Esi Hutchinson

Making a pants fly can always be a bit tricky.  And the 250 Hollywood Pants has a faced buttoned fly that sometimes causes a little head-scratching for customers.  So we here at Folkwear thought it would be a good idea to show how to make the fly and little tips to make the process smoother. This tutorial will focus on the pattern pieces A (Pants Front), C (Right Fly and Facing), and D (Left Fly and Facing). 

To make the fly, you will need to cut one Right Fly C and one Right Fly Facing C.  These pieces should be cut as mirror images.  For the Left Fly D, you need to cut one with the pattern piece face-down on the fabric for the main fabric. You also need to cut two of Fly Facings D so you have mirror images of each. 

Below you can see the pieces I cut.  I cut the facings from muslin so you can see the difference between the fly pieces and the facing pieces.  However, you can cut all your facings from your main fabric if you wish.  I also just cut the pants front with short legs so it is easy to see the fly. 

I have three pieces for D, the Left Fly (one main fabric fly and 2 facings); two pieces foe C (one main fabric and one facing).  It helps to label each piece and note which side is the right side/wrong side so you don't get confused.  Note that below, I did not always label the right side of the fabric, so don't let that get you confused.  

Lets begin!

Right sides together, stitch Knickers Fronts (piece A) together from box to bottom of the crotch seam, backstitching at box. Press the seam open; you may finish the seams using a serger, overcast or zig-zag stitch.

If your fabric is light-weight and your need more structure, interface your Fly pieces C and D (main fabric).  Do not add interfacing to your facings.

Now, we start by working with the Fly and Facing C for the right side of the pant. 

Right sides together, stitch Right Fly C to Fly Facing C, matching notch 1 and backstitching at the box. 


Right sides sewn together.

Trim the seam, turn and press. Clipping to the box and trimming this seam is helpful before you sew the fly to the Front Right Pant crotch.



Press under 1/2 in. (13mm) along the remaining long raw edge (double notched side) of the Right Fly Facing C.

Right sides together, stitch Right Fly C (main fabric) to the right-hand side of Right Front A (as you wear it), matching notch 2.  Backstitch at the box to secure.  



It is helpful to clip to the box on the pant seam after your have sewed down the Fly C to the pant. This will keep the rest of the seam flat when folding over the Fly C.



Press the seam toward the Fly C.  Then pin the pressed-under edge of Fly Facing C over the seamline to the inside. Slipstitch Fly Facing, or topstitch on the right side of garment, to finish.

  

Now put aside this right side of the pants, and let's start working on Left Fly and Facing D.


A Left Fly and a Left Fly Facing

With right sides together, stitch Left Fly D to a Facing along the unnotched edge, and backstitch at the box. 

Clip into the seam to the box and trim this seam.  Then turn right side out (i.e. put wrong sides together) and press.

Transfer the buttonhole markings to right side of Left Fly Piece (main fabric). Make the buttonholes, stitching through both Fly and Facing.  It is best to make the buttonholes now because it is hard to maneuverer to make the buttonholes after the fly has gone in.

With right sides together, stitch the remaining Facing D to the remaining raw edge of Left Front A opening (again, ignore the double notches on Left Front A). Stitch from the waist to the box. Backstitch at the box to secure.

Clip into the seam to the box and trim the seam.  Then turn Facing D around to the wrong side of Left Front A (wrong sides are now together) and press. 

Right sides together.


Wrong sides together.

Now, trim 1/2 in. (13mm) off of both Left Facings D  -- the one sewn to the Left Fly and the one sewn to the pants leg.



Then press under 1/2 in. (13mm) on the long single-notched edge of Fly D (main fabric), clipping curve as necessary to help press under.



You now have the Left fly ready to assemble. 

Open out the Facing D that is stitched to the Left Front Pant A. Place the Left Facings D with right sides together and pin, matching the seams.  The Left Fly D (main fabric) will have its folded-under seam allowance go around both Facings.  Trim off a little more from the Facings if needed. 



Now stitch a few stitches between buttonholes, through FLY and both Facings, as marked on the Pattern.


You can see here that the folded-under seam of my Left Fly D was not yet folded around the Facings.  It is probably better to do this before taking the stitches in case you catch the folded-under seam in the stitching.

Now turn the entire Left fly D to the inside, and pin the pressed-under edge of Fly D over the trimmed Facings. Topstitch through all the layers, close to pressed edge.

Overlapping bottom ends of both Flys, stitch Right and Left Fly together at bottom edge by topstitching on right side of the Left Front A as shown on the Pattern Piece for Right Fly C.

Now your are finished!  I hope that cleared some things up. To me, the most confusing part is making sure you cut your Left Fly D (main fabric) with your pattern piece faced down.  

by Molly Hamilton

We all really love the 234 Cameos pattern.  I love the details, the romance, the fun sewing challenges, and how feminine and pretty the tops come out.  

I decided I wanted to make a sleeveless camisole to wear for myself this summer.  I had already made one sample of View A (without the tucks and insertion lace) and wanted to try View B with the tucks and lace.  After making View A, I knew I wanted to adjust a few things to fit me the way I wanted it to.  These are simple adjustments, but I will walk you through what I did.

My daughter wearing View B of the sleeveless 234 Cameo.  You can see it flares a bit at the hip and the straps are narrow.

First, I wanted the straps to be wider and closer to my neck (i.e. not so wide across the span).  So I adjusted the pattern pieces for the front and back yoke by widening the straps toward the neck and making the neckline a little smaller.  

You can see the original pattern piece on this tissue. I extended the line for the shoulder to make the strap wider (about 3" total) and connected this line with the center front (and back) using a hip curve ruler.

I also wanted a bit less flare in the lower part of the cami.  This camisole was originally designed to have that flare to go over a back bustle or pad, and the peplum shape is fun.  But, I wanted something a bit more fitted and modern.  So I just straightened the lower curve of the side back and back pieces using a ruler on the pattern pieces to straighten the seam.  This was a very easy adjustment.

I always recommend a muslin of your final pattern to make sure that the garment fits the way you want and to make any final adjustments that might be needed.  With this pattern, you would not need to do any tucks, lace, or bias for a muslin.  Just stitch together at the seam lines and front darts and try on.  It's very quick!

I just used a straight ruler to draw a line from the side seam to the hem in the lower part of the shirt, removing the flare.

Note: I used French seams for all of my seamlines and this is an easy way to get a really nice finish on the inside of this top.  French seams are perfect for this cami, especially when using fine and lightweight fabric.  The fabric I used for this was a cotton/linen blend in an almond color.  I really love the look of this cami in solids and prints, and lightweight fabric is needed.

I made the tucked yoke pieces first from the rectangles of fabric (Pieces N and M).  Do not cut out the yokes first.  It is far easier to make the tucks from these rectangles and then cut out the yoke pieces after than to try and make the tucks on the smaller yoke pieces.  Making all the tucks on Pieces N and M is a bit laborious and takes some time, but it is not difficult.

This is the center back, which I did not cut on the fold, but traced onto the tucked fabric section where it was indicated on the pattern.  Note the new strap and neck lines.

I used my modified yoke pieces to cut out the yokes from Pieces N and M after the tucks were made.  If you are adding lace insertion, you can add the lace to Pieces N and M before cutting out the yoke pieces as well.  I wanted to add lace, but I did not have very much lace of the type I wanted to use, so I added the lace just to the yokes after I cut them out.  I also decided not to do true insertion lace.  My lace has some scalloping on the edges which can make lace insertion slightly more difficult.  And, I didn't really want to spend more time on the lace insertion.  If you want to do lace insertion, though, read our blog post about it here.

My new pattern pieces cut from the tucked fabric.  And I've added lace to the sections where insertion lace could be added.  Note I did not add lace to the center front. This should be done as instructed in the pattern if you want to add it.

I just applied the lace to the top of my yokes and stitched it down with a narrow zigzag stitch. Note that y ou can choose a different width of lace than the pattern calls for.  The lace I used was slightly smaller than the lace the pattern recommends, but it was the color and style that I liked best of all the lace we had on hand.  You could add lace that is more narrow, or add two rows of narrow width lace (even using two different laces to create the look you want).  You could even stitch ribbon down on each side of the lace if you wanted. There are a lot of possibilities.  

My edging lace was also a bit narrower than the pattern called for.  And was not as gathered as many gathered laces are.  So to adjust for this, I eased the lace in places to have some extra room.  And to adjust for the more narrow lace, I moved the lace to the edge of my stitching.  You could also make a narrower bias binding (1/4" instead of 1/2"), but I like the wider bias to help cover seams and stitching. I moved the edge of the lace near the stitching line of the bias, and was careful to have it caught in the stitching.  Again, there is some leniency in the size of edging lace you use.  I had some edging lace on hand that I wanted to use - one that was a ecru color with a floral design.  And I like the subtle, narrower lace.  But you can use a variety of lace here, too.

Note that I placed the lace edge near the stitching line and not all the way into the bias.  Because the lace is narrower, placing it this way means that it will not disappear in the bias but be at the edge.

Finally, I took in about 1/2" (13mm) at the back armhole where the side back and back come together.  Again, this was an easy adjustment because it was at the seam, but it helped the armhole fit just a little better.

These were all the adjustments I made to this pattern, and I love how it came out.  It fits well and is a pretty top.  And, let us know what you make from this pattern!

by Molly Hamilton

Pintucks play a big role in our new 234 Cameos pattern.  Both sewn versions have pintucks along the fronts and backs.  Pintucks are often found in vintage garments like the one that this pattern is based on.  They were popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, especially on blouses, camisoles, summer dresses, and children's clothes.  

Pintucks are easy to make, but they definitely add time to your construction.  The number of tucks in these camisoles is not terrible and is totally worth the extra work. 

I am going to show you how I sew my pintucks in this post.  However, there are a number of ways to create pintucks.  If you want small pintucks that are more like a raised line of fabric, you can use a double needle with a tight tension and sew a straight line.  You can also put a heavy thread going through the middle of it to give more depth to the pintuck.  I have tried this method and while it is decorative, it does not give me the size pintuck I like.  

To make pintucks, I transfer the markings from the top and bottom of the pintucks on the pattern to the fabric.  I try to make sure the pintucks fall on the straight grain of the fabric.  This makes making the pintucks easier and there is less distortion. 

I connect the top and bottom of the pintuck, only where the fold of each pintuck will fall, not where the stitching is going to be.  

Then, I press the pintuck with the transferred line at the edge of the tuck, with wrong sides of the fabric together.  And I sew 1/8" (3mm) from the edge of the pintuck.  I don't always backstitch at the beginning and end of the rows because the stitching will be cut when the pattern pieces are cut out (at least for this pattern).  Also backstitching adds bulk to these tiny seams.  And, if you really mess up, not locking the stitches makes it easy to pull them out and try again.  Also, use a longer stitch that you normally would when making pintucks.  This helps keep a smooth tuck without any puckering.

Having the pintucks so close together in this pattern (as they would be in most patterns from this era), can be a little challenging.  However, I don't worry about which direction the pintucks go until I am finished with a section.  Then I can press, with steam, the pintucks and get them folded in the correct direction.  I will press from the front and the back of the fabric.  A good iron is very helpful for making nice pintucks.

Here in the office, Esi makes her pintucks slightly differently.  She pins the entire tuck before pressing, matching the "legs" of the tuck where the stitching goes.  She stitches the pintuck, then presses it.  And they come out quite well.  Which goes to show there are many correct ways to make pintucks.  

My pintucks are not perfect.  But I don't expect them to be.  I want them to be decent, but I am not a perfectionist.  You don't have to be either - you can sew pintucks and get good looking ones without them being perfect.  They will look just as good!  And if you feel like any of your tucks are frustratingly wrong, just pull them out and do it again.

Tell us, do you have any tips or tricks for making pintucks?  Do you love pintucks?  Do you add them to your garments?

by Esi Hutchinson

Hello! First of all, I just wanted to say I love, love, love this pattern, 234 Cameos. I've made myself all the sewn camisoles from this pattern. I think they are a must-have in my wardrobe. These tops go with everything, truly versatile. I can wear them with a pair of jeans, skirts, dress pants; even wear them under overalls and the outfit would look super cute!

In this blog post I am going to show you some tips and tricks for making this blouse, using the long-sleeved version I made for myself. For this version, I used a cotton/linen blend and dyed the lace to match (fabric is Cotton Linen blend - Green Maze). I also took out the elbow dart and made a gathered sleeve, which I will also cover in this post.

Refer to my fabric suggestions post here for 234 Cameos to get an idea of what you could use to make this pattern -- for either the long or sleeveless versions. Light-weight options are best -- lawn, batiste, handkerchief linen, voile, rayon, silk.

Lace

I wanted to use the optional lace for this pattern, but I wanted the lace to match the green, which was a challenge.  I did make one sample of this long sleeved top in a yellow linen with lavender lace trim that we had on hand in the studio.  I really liked the contrast of the two colors in this blouse -- see the photo below of this sample.

Yellow linen long-sleeved camisole with a light lavender lace and ribbon.

However, for the one I wanted to make for myself, I wanted the lace to closely match the color of the fabric. To do this I had to do lots of dyeing, and re-dyeing, to get the color as close as I could to the main green of the fabric. I used blue, green, and yellow Cushing "Perfection" Direct Dyes from my local store called Earth Guild and bought lace in the sizes suggested from Etsy. Depending on what fibers make up the majority of your lace, you will need to use dye for that specific content.

I used 100% cotton lace for the edging lace and 90% cotton to 10% nylon for my beading trim and insertion lace. Also think about the content of your lace and how it will react to heat. If you are using a 100% cotton lace and don't give it a wash first, it could shrink when you wash your garment and distort your final product. Also hot irons can melt some synthetic laces. So be thoughtful with your lace choice and care. By dying my lace, I made sure it was pre-shrunk. I also had to press it before using it and used a warm, but not hot iron.

Folkwear has recently stocked up on some lace, check out our lace and trim options here (and if dyeing it, do it at your own risk ;-)).

I got the color pretty close, with some variation, and it still blended in quite well with the fabric.

Dyed lace from left to right, 100% cotton to 90% cotton/10% nylon.

After my lace was ready, I began making the tucks, with patience, on the front and back bodice pieces of the long-sleeved version.

The back and both fronts with all tucks sewn (but not pressed).

If using insertion lace follow the sewing guide, and use it where you want. You don't have to add insertion lace and you don't have to do the "insertion". You can also just sew the lace panels to the designated area and leave them on top of the fabric. This look is very nice (and less work, and slightly more modest, if you are worried about having see-through panels in your shirt). I just sewed the lace right on top of the fabric without cutting the fabric away in the back, not the true use of insertion lace but makes it easier! If you want to learn how to do true lace insertion, read this blog post that will walk you through the steps for lace insertion.

Lace pinned to the front by the tucks.  You can use nearly any size lace you want (not exactly what the pattern calls for).  Adjust your tucks or add two rows of lace -- whatever you think looks best to you!

Assembling the neckline lace together requires some precision, so go slow and don't tug at your lace so that it does not become distorted and therefore create warps in your neckline.  For sewing lace in this pattern (or any pattern, really), you should use a narrow zigzag stitch.  If you have a very straight edged lace, a straight stitch might work, but the narrow zigzag is great.

 
Neckline lace: insertion lace at bottom, beading in middle, lace edging at top. All sewn together.

The dart on the neckline lace is shown below. I've not seen that in other patterns with neckline lace before, but it makes so much sense to get the lace to fit to the neckline well.

Dart sewn into neckline lace (as instructed).

Neckline lace pinned to the bodice with right side of the fabric up.

Neckline lace on the inside of the blouse.  You can see the dart on the left side.

I also added the beaded lace trim to the bottom of the bodice so ribbon can be run through it later.  And added lace edging to the peplum before attaching it.

Beading on the lower part of the bodice (inside).

Lace edging pinned to the peplum.

Cuff Dart to Gathered Sleeve

I did not use the dart on the sleeve that is in the pattern.  That dart goes from the elbow to the cuff (Cuff dart), and is original to the original camisole and is a traditional way of shaping the lower sleeve. I didn't love how it looked on me and I wanted something a little less rigid.  So, on the sleeve pattern piece, instead of cutting out the triangular opening at the bottom of the sleeve, I cut the sleeve keeping fabric where the dart would be and connecting the bottom of the two dart legs.

The original pattern piece laid on top of the fabric.  I did not cut away the fabric that would make the dart, but left it and connected the dart legs at the bottom.

I cut the sleeves as shown above and the cuff as instructed in the pattern. I love the lace on the cuffs and had enough lace to add to both my cuffs.

The cuff with tucking and insertion lace on the top and edging lace on the bottom of the cuff.

When it came time to put the sleeve and cuff together, I sewed in two rows of gathering stitches at the bottom of the sleeve. I evenly distributed the gathers on the sleeve to fit the cuff and pinned the cuff insertion lace on the 1/2" (13mm) seam allowance at the bottom of the sleeve. I stitched the cuff and sleeve together, and then stitched the underarm of the sleeve. This is an easy modification that you can make to this pattern.  

The new sleeve gathered into the cuff.

Other Tips and Tricks

I added a bit of interfacing for structure on the wrong side of the right front bodice before sewing my buttonholes. If you are using a light-weight fabric this is very helpful to stabilize the buttonhole area for making the buttonholes. You can always rip away the extra after you've sewn the buttonholes.

You can also space the buttons and buttonholes to your preference.
Also, for the tucks, you can use a slightly longer stitch length and that will help to keep them from puckering.

I was very satisfied with the outcome of this blouse. I think this pattern is straightforward, and even though the tucking and lace embellishment take time, it's so worth it when finished! I love this top and fabric. The sleeves turned out well. Getting the lace color to match was very challenging, though I was determined for it to work. Working with delicate lace calls for patience and gentleness (definitely test a zig-zag and straight stitch on the lace to decide which one is best to use for your specific lace). Overall, I think I did a good job. I hope you enjoy making 234 Cameos. And please show us your Folkwear projects -- as always!

Close up of the lace and tucks

Close up of the gathered sleeve.

by Esi Hutchinson

Folkwear recently re-released its 1980's pattern 234 Cameos, which is a versatile pattern that blends well with its late-Victorian origin and what is considered a popular vintage style of today.  You can wear it for costuming, casual, or evening wear, depending on the fabric of course. 234 Cameos includes three sewn views, one long-sleeve and two sleeveless, with a crochet and knitted cameo pattern as well. Read more about this pattern on our blog!  

For the sewn camisoles, the lace embellishment is encouraged, and Folkwear has a small lace and beading trim selection that work perfectly for 234 Cameos.  And our fabric collection keeps growing and we are proud to carry a variety of beautiful quality fabric. Below are some of my fabric suggestions for 234 Cameos pattern of the month! 

First is our handkerchief linen.  We always try to have white handkerchief linen in stock, and it's probably one of Folkwear's most popular fabric, its washes really well and feels lovely on the skin.  And it is perfect for a traditional vintage camisole.

 56" Handkerchief Linen - White

We also have a handkerchief linen in a pale blue that would be subtle color substitute and make a beautiful blouse.

We also have these great natural Indian cottons that are light weight and semi-shear and have some pretty embroidered designs woven in. These are very soft and feel amazing.  These are a great choice for the camisoles, especially those that include lace insertion and edge lace.  You can use them without the tucking and still have a delicate and interesting blouse.


Natural Indian Cotton - Neighborhood

Natural Indian Cotton - Lady Luck

 

These floral flat seersuckers are new at Folkwear!  I think these make a beautiful camisole that is lightweight and pretty.  And, they are great fabrics for the summer -- lightweight and have a luxurious feel.

Flat Cotton Seersucker - English Garden

Flat Cotton Seersucker - Florence Garden Green

Flat Cotton Seersucker - Florence Garden Orange

 

Folkwear also has some lovely light cotton and cotton/linen blends in check patterns that actually work really well for this pattern.  The long-sleeved peplum is cut on the bias and it makes an interesting detail.  I made the green one at the top with a large check pattern (there's only a small bit of this fabric left).  

Cotton Linen blend - Maria Teal

Gable Blue Check - Cotton

 

Cotton/linen blend - Estelle

 

We also have this pretty light-weight 100% cotton options that would work really well also as a print.  

Cotton Lawn - Garden Peonies Yellow

Finally, Folkwear received several colors of pretty Cupro/rayon that looks (and feels) like a sanded silk.  This would be lovely made into one of these tops also.  Below is the Taupe, but we also have Grape and Espresso colors.

Cupro/rayon - Taupe

 

I hope these suggestions help when thinking of what fabric to use for this new reprint of 234 Cameos!  We love this pattern and used several of these fabrics when making samples.  There will be some tutorials and sewing tips for this pattern on this blog in the near future, so stay tuned.  Which fabric are you going to make your camisole in?

During the late Victorian and early Edwardian era, camisoles played a crucial role in women's fashion. These undergarments were not only functional but also served as a fashion statement. They were typically made of lightweight fabrics such as cotton, linen, or silk, which are known for their breathability and comfort.  Unlike earlier styles of camisoles, late Victorian camisoles were often more embellished and decorative. They featured intricate lace trims, delicate embroidery, pintucks and ribbon accents, adding a touch of femininity to the undergarment.  The undergarments were not only practical but also served as a symbol of modesty and femininity. They were designed to provide an extra layer of coverage under sheer or low-cut dresses. These late Victorian (and early Edwardian) camisoles were a reflection of the societal norms and fashion trends of the era. Their intricate designs and functional purpose make them a fascinating piece of fashion history that continues to inspire clothing today, and inspired us to bring back the pattern, 234 Cameos.

234 Cameos has been sitting in the Folkwear archives for many years.  First published in 1985, this pattern went out of print at least 10 years ago and was never brought back (until now).  And that is a real shame because this pattern is delightful.  

234 Cameos consists of 4 patterns: two sewn camisoles, one long sleeve, one sleeveless (with two views); a knitted short sleeve camisole, and a crocheted sleeveless camisole.  These designs come from the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras; the long sleeved camisole pattern is based on an original from the 1890s.  These camisoles feature lots of lace worked into the patterns, from lace edgings to lace insertion to lace designs in the crochet and knit work.  

I have tended to shy away from lace in my clothes, but I really loved the look of these camis (which is a reason we wanted to bring them back into print), especially with the lace.  Not only is lace in clothing on trend right now, it adds romance and interest to your clothes, and it can be fun to sew with (learn new skills, loads of design possibilities). 

This pattern took a lot of work, or re-work, to be ready to release. First, we had all the camisoles graded up.  The original pattern was available in sizes 6-16, which is our current X-Small to Medium.  Which is quite small.  We had the sewn camisoles graded up to 3XL and the knitted and crocheted camisoles to 2XL. Then we tested the sewing patterns, then made sample garments.  Which is when we really fell in love with this pattern!  We loved working with the lace, loved the seemingly endless combinations of fabrics, views, lace, tucking, and modifications that can be made to make these very flattering camisoles.  We actually loved the lace and beading so much (and had a time finding lace and beading we loved) that we decided to stock lace and beading in our shop.  The lace and beading we have works perfectly with this pattern.

The long sleeved camisole has a darted sleeve, lace at the neckline and cuff, tucks in the front and back, as well as optional lace insertion.  The waist is gathered into a flattering peplum.  The scoop neckline and the waist is gathered with delicate ribbon through lace beading.  We will soon have blog posts to show you modifications for the sleeve and how we made some of our samples.

Long-sleeved camisole in green cotton/linen blend.

Long-sleeved camisole in yellow linen with lavender lace.

The sleeveless camisole in this pattern has two views.  Both have wide set scoop neck fronts, princess seams and darts to create a flair below the waist in the back (to go over a bustle in years past).  View A has a plain yoke; the yoke of View B has pintucks and lace (insertion if you want).  Both views have lace around the yoke and are finished at the neck and armholes with lace edging.  

Sleeveless camisole, View B, with a plain yoke in a cotton with fine embroidered designs.

View A with a plain yoke in a flat seersucker print.

View B with a tucked yoke.

Back of the sleeveless camisole (View B) with tucked yoke and lace.

A beautiful chevron lace pattern is used to knit the short-sleeve knitted camisole.  The waist and sleeves are gathered with ribbon or knitted cord and make a very pretty top.  The sleeveless crocheted camisole has a lace pattern made into each side of the front, and is buttoned in the front.  The waist is also gathered by ribbon or cording to create a pretty silhouette.  

Crocheted camisole worn over the long-sleeved camisole (with the 206 Quilted Prairie Skirt)

Stay tuned for some blog posts showing more details and modifications for this pattern.  We really enjoyed using this pattern to create samples (and garments we are going to continue to wear) and hope you enjoy it just as much!

A few weeks ago I took my children to Italy for a vacation.  And since I work with cloth, textiles, and clothes everyday, I really took notice of what I saw there and learned.  I wish I'd had more time to do a truly textile-focused trip to Italy.  This time was mostly vacation on the Ligurian coast.  Maybe next time!  However, the colors, landscape, and food of the coast was also inspiring.

Pretty little doors and rock buildings everywhere.

Delicious fresh food everyday!

Linen

Italy is renowned for its linen.  There are many linen mills in Italy producing luxury linens and everyday linens.  Linen is seen everywhere - from towels to clothes.  Men wear linen shirts, linen suits, linen pants.  Women wear linen dresses, skirts, shirts, and pants.  And especially in summer, linen seems almost ubiquitous - and nearly all of it is milled and sewn in Italy.  And I would venture that linen was probably so prevalent partly because we were visiting in summer.

We carry quite a bit of linen in our shop and use it often.  And most of it comes from Italy.  It made me glad that we have access to this great fabric.

The colors I noticed most in linen clothes while were were in Italy (in the city and on the coast) were white, light blue, and tan.  These are classic colors, great for summer, and go with just about anything.  I also saw a lot of stripes - blue and white and tan and white.  Darker colors were brown, dark olive, and navy blue. It felt so very classic for fashion and I loved it!  I do love linen so much! I bought a couple of linen shirts while there.

Linen selection at a fabric shop.

Milan

We did have one long afternoon in Milan where I tried to fit in everything!  I really wanted to go to the Dolce & Gabbana exhibit at the Palazzo Reale.  The exhibit is called From the Heart to the Hands and goes through the end of July.  Unfortunately there were no tickets available the day we were going to be there!  So if you are going, get your tickets well in advance.

We went to see the fashion exhibit that explored the changing styles from the late 1800s to the late 1900s at the Palazzo Morando.  It was quite good and it was really amazing to see all the other artwork in the palace, including the incredible wall cloth.  

Fashion exhibit in the Palazzo Morando - this one from the 1950s reminded me off our 241 Fit & Flair (but with a bubble skirt!).

I loved this one from the 1920s - gorgeous silk with bias skirt (somewhat similar to our 237 Tango Dress).

Such stunning fabric and cut on this dress from the 1930s.

This jacket is actually from the late 1800s, and the fabric is a gorgeous jacquard - and reminds me of our Basics Jacket.  This is anything but basic with that fabric!

Inside rooms of the Palazzo Morando. 

Another room in the Palazzo Morando - this wall cloth was stunning!

We, of course, saw the Duomo, which is stunning.  And the area around the Duomo is full of high end fashion shops -- Balenciaga, Prada, Alberta Ferretti, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, etc. Window shopping here is incredible!  I couldn't afford to go in any of the shops, and it is a bit intimidating when there are guards at the doors!  I saw a gorgeous gold cuff in one window with a ruby in it - for 110,000 Euros!  So, we just stayed outside and walked along the avenues.  

Duomo

Cartier -- so many diamonds!

I loved these fabric covered chairs in a Milan shop window!

Versace store

One of the shops we loved the most was the American Bookstore, which is a beautiful book shop with many new volumes, many very nice used books, and just out of reach above the shelves are very old and probably rare books.  Not only were the book displays good and full, there were gorgeous displays of stationary, prints, artwork, journals, and paper. My daughter and I loved this store.  And the prices were very reasonable.  A book lover could spend hours here.

I also popped into a fabric store, of course.  The easiest one for us to get to was Telerie Spadari.  It is a high end shop that mostly makes fine shirts, pajamas, and day dresses from the Italian cotton and linen they carry.  They also make and sell sheets and towels.  It was a lovely store and the customer service was very kind.  My youngest son found some linen he liked.  He had been asking me for the whole week in Italy if I would make him a linen shirt so he could look like the men in Italy.  So, I had to buy it, even though it was nearly $50/meter!  And that was the cheapest fabric they had.  They had some very fine cotton shirting, which felt so luxurious and was over $100/meter!  While we were there, several customers came in to pick up shirts (or pajamas) that had been made for them.  It was a fun store to visit.  I also bought a meter of a Liberty fabric they had because my oldest wants to make a tank top from it.  Since she sewed a skirt to wear in Italy (the first garment she's ever made, plus first time using a pattern -- see last photo), I had to encourage her new sewing hobby.

Fabric at Telerie Spadari

I love how the selvage is the color of the Italian flag.  These were the $100+/meter shirtings.

With my bags from Telerie Spadari.

My daughter in her first home sewn garment - Maeve Skirt by True Bias.

Milan was a gorgeous city (and has some of the best gelato around).  I wish I'd had more time to explore it.  Drop a comment if you have other suggestions for visiting Milan!