Saturday, September 20, 2014

Uh Oh.... Now, what?!?!

Thursday morning I reached for one of my favorite jackets... and guess what?

WHAT?!?! How did THAT happen? I don't recall seeing that when I put it away, but it must have been there.  The more important question is, HOW DO I FIX IT???? It's along the back center seam. I feel like the Hulk, must've flexed too hard...

Hindsight is 20/20... I should have block fused that fabric from the start, with it's loose weave.  Bad seamstress, BAD seamstress!!!! But, what's done is done, so now I need to know, have any of you done a repair like this before? Any ideas on how to attack it?


Thanks in advance for your help. I'm pretty bummed about it, as I only just made this up last year and the fabric was from my one and only trip to the NYC garment district. So, aside from the fact that I labored over the trim and love the way it turned out... I want to cry.

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Thank you all for your advice on the pink floral print purchase. A went back to the Mood website, plopped a few yards in my cart, and... couldn't pull the trigger. Something in my gut said, "This isn't exactly what you want," so, I did more searching. And came across this:

Now, it's still not "right" because this fabric is mesh. I've found a lovely print, but the wrong type of fabric. Crap. And, I really like this fabric! So, I do a Google search for "mesh print dresses" to see what styles I should be considering for this fabric. Slinky. Tight. Short. Body Con. Not the vibe I was going for with this print. Ugh. But, then this dress popped up and I thought, "HEY!!! I really like that look!

Milly 'Natalie' Faille & Mesh Print Dress

Hmm... reminds me of another dress I've always wanted to make...

Which I bought a pattern for a year ago...

Funny how things come together, right?!  Granted, that Natalie Portman/Dior dress still HAS TO happen, when the right fabric crosses my path. And to make the most of my Mood credit, I filled my card with 3 yards of navy silk crepe de chine and 1 yard of Oscar de la Renta herringbone. Why waste fabric dollars on shipping, when I can maximize my purchase? The silk will be this McCalls top and the herringbone will be a pencil skirt to match. Mood Account credit now... ZERO!
My version will be navy blue...

6 comments:

Jenny said...

When I make similar repairs (mostly for friends with ripped purchased things they can't bear to part with), I use a fusible web (usually used for quilting) to fuse the ripped area to a fabric fairly similar from my stash which will extend to make a seam allowance. So, that basically glues all the stray threads and everything to the new fabric. Then, I resew the seam. Maybe pop a little fray check on for good measure. Maybe not how you want to treat your beautiful couture jacket (glue and all), but it's worked for me. :-)

Marybeth said...

I am making a similar repair on a sleeve seam of a dress for a friend, and I was going to do the same thing as Jenny... Fuse the loose threads to another piece of fabric to stabilize it and keep it from ripping any more, and then resew the seam. The extra piece of fabric won't show since it will be in the seam allowance. Hope this helps!!

Bunny said...

It's all those muscles you've built up with your Cross fit training!

I do the same as Jenny, fuse then take in the seam and most importantly, cross your fingers. Sometimes you can only squeeze a few more wearings.

If you don't want the drape of a fused backing, just fuse strips along the seam line next time. Loose weaves are gorgeous and seductive in the store but this pull out thing is their nature. I find it can be worse if there is a high rayon or cotton content.

Lori said...

Oh no, what a terrible thing to happen to your fabulous jacket. I think you have 3 great suggestions. You will love the McCall's top and I can't wait to see your dress. Happy sewing and sewing repairs.

Gail said...

My only suggestion is to fuse from the inside. This doesn't work on a seam that takes a lot of movement, but worth a try.

Unknown said...

You could -- but only if you want a piece of wearable art rather than a restored basic jacket -- open up the seam and insert a gusset to give you a bit more room across the back. I'd do a long oval, in a solid suede or pseudo-suede, my ownself,