Saturday, April 18, 2009

Saved from Wadderville



I'd been staring at it sleeveless and hopeless on Zillie for weeks. I couldn't toss it because I really like the fabric. I couldn't (wouldn't) cut a new back piece because I didn't want to mess with that binding again.

And I'll digress for a minute …

This is the fabric. The binding was cut from the border. But it was a Royal Pain going through my coverstitch machine.



So I fused black knit interfacing to the back of the strip and it immediately behaved.



So, back to wrestling with the top.

Can you see what I did?



How about now?



It's not the most elegant of fixes but it's really hard to see unless you're looking for it. And, most importantly, it worked. Which means now I can wear it and after I do the hems tomorrow, I can also move on to something else. This top had been like a big boat anchor around my neck.

(In case you still missed it, I inserted a 1-inch strip all the way down the side, including through the sleeve too.)

23 comments:

  1. Great save. I saw it, but not if you hadn't have pointed it out to me. No one better say anything while you're wearing it. Some boo boo's earn slaps from people who pipe up about them, right?

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  2. Great way to save it. I could figure it out after you said you did something but wasn't even sure if I had guessed it right. Some of these things you can never tell if they're design elements or fixes. Once it's hemmed no one will notice it.

    Looks great!

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  3. I've used the same save several times on knit tops; yours is far more subtle than mine - I have a tendency to declare them to be 'design elements'. But the top looks GREAT!

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  4. Good save! Um, design element! ;)
    I guessed what you had done but, like Sandra, only because you said you had done something.

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  5. It's a great feeling to save something from Wadderville. At least, I think it is. I've never been able to save anything. It's good that you didn't give up.

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  6. What a great fix. You can't see it at all. I enjoy you blog. Thanks.

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  7. I sure didn't figure it out. I LOVE the binding by the way. And thanks for the interfacing tip.

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  8. In the print the strip is lost so that worked out great. Your top is beautiful. I need to find some of that fusible tricot interfacing or get dd to get some with a coupon at her JoAnns. mssewcrazy

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  9. You matched the print so perfectly that unless it's pointed out, no one will notice your "fix". Great job.

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  10. You are a sewing genius! great save - I love that print

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  11. You did such a great job matching up the horizontal on the print that no one will notice. If they do, slap them. They are way too close to your under arm.

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  12. What a great save! Because of the business of the print you will never notice it. Glad you are free to move on now.

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  13. Wow! You couldn't see that strip unless you got up within 2 inches of of the fabric. And I'm sure you'd dispatch anyone who did within seconds. I'll have to put that save in my sewing 911 file.

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  14. You do such great work no one would notice the design element unless you mentioned it. I'll store that in my archives of quick saves. Thanks!

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  15. A great idea and now a great top to wear.

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  16. I really liked the top and am glad that you were able to practice your "creative genius" and keep from throwing it away!

    Based on your input and tutorials, I purchased a Babylock BLCS yesterday. I was wondering what size binder you use the most? OR do you really need to have them all?

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  17. Great save! Even after the reveal I still can't really see it.

    Fantastic idea to interface the binding. I'm doing that with my next ill-behaved fabric. If I remember. :)

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  18. Wow! That knocks my socks off (bending over to retrieve them). Very clever!

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  19. I love reading your blog. I have a similar body shape as yours. I was reading your posts, and interested in your jeans. I don't subscribe to Burda (although I'm thinking I should), but you talked about your TNT Simplicity pant pattern. Well, I found it on EBay and bought it.

    Now, I'm going back to re-read your jeans posts again. Yours have such a great fit. I'm not concerned about the sewing--I can sew them and have in the past--but fitting jeans is a whole other issue.

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  20. Totally doesn't show! I've done that before too, it works a charm.

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  21. Great save. I only saw it when you turned up the side. I had an issue with this pattern. Sausage like fit even though I had the right amount of stretch and it supposedly was the right size. Mine ended up in the garbage.

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  22. Wow! That's cool! You can hardly tell. I give you a high five for the awesome save.

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  23. I shy away from doing a self-fabric binding around a neckline or sleeves. It never looks good! Do you have any tutorials on how to do this nicely? Do you use one of those bias tape makers?

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Thank you for each and every comment. I appreciate them all, but I have to be honest and let you know that I'm usually bad about answering questions. I hope you understand that there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything I want to do.

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