Sew with us: Vintage Bedsheets (and some fitting tips!)
A few weeks ago, Renee headed to Revolve and picked up some adorable vintage bedsheets. We were inspired by Sarah Hearts and her top, also made out of floral bedsheets, so we went pattern hunting and picked out what we wanted to make for our sew-a-long. We also thought we’d share some of our fitting tips along the way!
Also, did we mention we used the Best Friends tags from Sarah Hearts to add the finishing touches to our makes?! We loved them so much, so we added them to the shop.
Danni:
Danni decided to use the Ashton Top pattern from Helen’s Closet with the sleeve expansion pack. She chose a green floral sheet that reminded her of her grandmother. When Danni was sewing her shirt, she accidentally made a size too small, and didn’t use the back extension to widen the shoulders before putting in the sleeves. See picture below of the resulting shoulder gap.
Here are some of Danni’s sewing and fitting tips based on her experience.
- Read the pattern instructions fully before starting to sew.
- If you have a less than a 2 inch difference between your upper bust and bust, don’t worry about the bust darts.
- Make sure to adjust the pattern for your torso length.
Renee:
Renee decided to make the Apron Pattern from Studio Handworks using 3 different patterns of vintage sheets, including the sheets that both Danni and Maggie picked out. Here are some fitting tips from Renee based on her experience sewing and working retail!
- Use stretch denim or denim with spandex if you are curvy on the bottom.
- Ignore all the fake rules about horizontal stripes, you can wear any prints you want!
- If your waist measurement is your largest measurement, then go for a high waisted jean.
- Use a pin to pull out your seams as you’re pressing for a nice crisp seam
- Leave sewing up your side seams for dead last.
Maggie:
Maggie decided to sew a simple beginner's pattern from Helen’s Closet called the Luna tank (free if you sign up for the mailing list). This was her first time following a real sewing pattern and making a garment! Here are some things Maggie learned after making her tank.
- Your cut lines don’t have to be perfectly straight and smooth, they’ll be hidden when you start sewing anyway.
- If your binding is too short, just cut another piece and sew them together to make it long enough.
- Make sure you think about if you’ll actually wear something and if it matches your personal style before you make it.
If, by chance, we’ve inspired you to make your own clothing from vintage bedsheets, tag us on Instagram @blackmountainyarnshop so we can see all your makes!
written by Maggie Kent