EASY DIY CLOTHING! NO SEW! + QUICK 2018 video

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Iron on Patches? Ribbons, bows and ties?

Iron on patches can be expensive if they are large like this one, showing the umbrella.

You might also want to sew the outside of the patch in case the glue fails. Hm. What if you want no iron as well as no sew?

SEWING

No needle? No machine? Never mind. the internet has videos showing how you can create and re-purpose clothes. As I contemplate two weeks in lockdown quarantine, with not enough clothes, I am wondering what I can do. Watch videos for answers.

Fabric extension belt

You can cut the fabric for a skirt so that the belt is an extension of the fabric's waist line. I have a skirt cut like this. On one side, the fabric is short, the width of my hand, sticking out like a thumb, just long enough to tie to the long piece on the other side of the wrap skirt. 

The same system can be used to extend the cut of your cloth to make a shoulder strap. The shoulder strap can lie flat, or be twisted and twirled onto a rope. or plaited. I prefer flat 'ribbons' which don't rub and are wider.

Fabric Glue

If you have a fabric glue, that helps. 

You can also use: 

If you are looking at glueing shoes, you need shoe glue. I wondered if shoe glue was even stronger and firmer than the strongest glue. No. On the contrary. Shoe glue sets softer, so that you can flex the soles of the shoe when walking without the pieces pulling apart.

Patches

Think about quilts from patches. Think about iron on patches. Most hotels can supply an iron.  Two pieces of fabric can overlap with a patch holding them together. A large patch can be cut into strips.

Ribbons

Ribbons can make ties. Alternatively, ribbons can be glued or stapled, or folded under a pleat.

A ribbons can make a an ankle fastener, belt, a cuff tie, a bow, or a bow tie, or a long necktie.

Safety Pins

If staples and pins seem to dangerous, use safety pins. Small ones are easy to conceal. Large ones can be concealed by tying ribbons over them.

Safety pins can be a feature. Do you remember the Liz Hurley dress?

 

Staples

Staples can attach two pieces of cloth or ribbon, the cloth or ribbon can be folded, so that the staple is not visible and does not touch your skin.

Tie Pins

Tie pins can be used to fasten two pieces of material. You could use two or three or more to form a line. Conceal them or display them.

Tie Up

Alternatively, do what they did in the old days with togas and sarongs and sarees. Wind a long oblong of material around your body. You can tie it at the waist or tuck it over. Tie it above the bust or tuck it over. Tie it over one shoulder. Alternatively throw it over to drape or hang at the back like a shawl or tail. Tie it behind your neck.

A thin fabric is easier to tie up using the pointed ends.You can tie a knot or a bow.

Tuck In

You can tuck fabric into itself, like a sarong.

You can also tuck fabric into underwear, such as pants (Americans say underpants), a bra, or a vest or a tank top, or a half slip or long slip.

Wear A Cover-up

Wear a Jacket

An open back can be concealed by wearing a bolero or jacket.

Wear a Scarf

A thin scarf makes a belt. A scarf conceals an untidy knot.

A scarf can be twisted into a rise and pinned on with a safety pin.

Useful Websites

https://www.wikihow.com/Tie-a-Sarong

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Versace_dress_of_Elizabeth_Hurley

YouTube video about no sew

About the Author

About Angela The Author

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President.

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . Also educational on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meeting, Wednesday evening, May 5th, 7 pm Singapore. Next meetings 1st Wednesday evening and third Saturday afternoon, Singapore time.  

Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

Please share links to your favourite posts. 

How to copy, measure and sew a caftan

Problems
When i first arrived in Singapore I could not find clothes to fit. My low neck 'holiday' tops were unsuitable for teahing mixed sex Englisl language pupils. I swelled up in the heat so nothing fitted. Tight clothes were constricting My shspe changed as i went from the hot street inddooors into air conditioning and out again. I ubderstood why Indian eomen wear sarees and others wear caftans and sarongs.

I soon bought some caftans and bought
lots of fabric in Spotlight store.

I had several too long caftans from India. When i wore them i was in danger of tripping over and had to walk clutching the m and hoisting them up when climing steps and getting on and off buses.

I cut the lowest edge off, the height of a hand width. I wanted to keep the hem a safe height.

I used pinking shears to stop the hem fraying. A hem can easily be sewn by hand. It just takes time. I matched the colour of the fabric but i doubt whether anubody would notice an inexact match .

The leftover fabric I hemmed and made a matching scarf. If you need a belt you could use the spare material for a belt. You could wear the belt loose. Alternatively make two loops at waist level from a cut off pieve of fabric from the scarf o use two pieces of ribbon.

Do you need ribbons urgently? You probably have a dress or skirt with hanging ribbons inside the shoulers or waist of an old outfit. These ribbons are sometimes too long just what yiu need. Cut off a tiny piece for the belt on your new garment and sew back the end of the shortened hanging loop.

I have several styles of caftan. One has a low neck which requires cutting a large v shae fron the centre front and edging it with matching fabric Cut oof the hem or from extra material.

However my more elegant evening caftan has a high neck. Imagine using the lower third of a saucer and then cutting a vertical line to help get the garment over your head.

I wrote my measurements in my diary.

Width of fabric 114 cms.
Length 113 cms.

Mid point to neck approx 56 cms.
But 2 x 56 = 112. Be careful if you copy an existing garment. The two sides might not be the same.

Neck width at top - cut shallow semi cicle for high fastening.

The raised semi circle reinforces the neck at theback. When looking at shop bought garments I always wondered why they did that.

To fasten the neck elegantly at the top use small raised domed button like a small pearl on a shank. On the other side, sew aloop of ribbon. It's a bit fiddly to get the ribbon the right length for the button.  If it is too big a loop just sew the two inside edges of the loop to make it slightly smaller.

My neck se.mi circle is 16cms wide with a neck depth of 9 cms.
As they say in tailoring as wee as boot making and carpentry : measure twice, cut once!

Finally, the two long vertical seams:

Sew 20 or 22 cma in from the edge. Mark with safety pins and/ or tailor's chalk.

Failing all else mark with soap - which washes out!

I sew up to 20 or 22 cms below shoulders to alloe me to put my arms in.

In theory you could sew a horizontal line or sloping line above the waist to create a tighter sleeve or kimono sleeve effect.

I needed the two vertical sewing lines wide enough to allow for my hips and sitting down on a chair  easily.

But the two caftans which I copied had very different widths. The narrower centre for the body with wider flapping panels at the two sides with more material to hang over the arms looked more tailored and elegant.

Tips
If you can find a printed line of part of a repeating pattern, you can use that as a guidelines for a hem or vertical line.

Angela Lansbury, author and speaker. Please share my posts.