Blue Striped Dress. How to make a matching hairband, dress 368 (a), options a


 Blue and white striped hairband, by Angela Lansbury. Selfie.

How to Make a Matching Hairband

I looked at my hairbands, rigid hairbands. I planned to cover one with a thin ribbon of fabric cut from my outfit. I chose the thinnest hairband which would take the least material to cover it.

Seamed Armholes
I had rescued the strangest shirt. It was over large. The skirt or hem was huge and flowing. Contrast with the long tight sleeves which had smart businesslike shirt cuffs with double buttons. 

But you could not get your arms into the sleeves. A seam had been sewn right the way up over the armholes.

Why? Was it a mistake? Or deliberate? 

I had previously had garments with seamed pockets.

Seamed Pockets
On the internet you can find lots of blog posts and websites about seamed pockets. Some are sewn with secure stitching and without any pocket, just to add decoration.

Others are real pockets, as you can see if you hold the garment up to the light to see where the lined fabric is darker, four layers instead of two.

The idea is to keep the garment in shape whilst in the shop before the customer buys it. Not pulled out of shape. Not drooping. No gapping.

Nowhere could I find anything about seamed up sleeves. I cut the sleeves off.  I still could not wear the garment. I needed to cut off the seam to get my arms through the armholes. 

I now had the sleeves to re-attach, use just as cuffs. Cut off from the armhole end for the headband. What else could I do with spare fabric. I now had a skirt but no top. Any other use, such as a belt. 

How To Make A Matching Top?
The spare fabric was not large enough to go all the way round my body and make a full top. How about making a dickey, a short shirt front, worn over a white tee-shirt? I hesitated to cut the fabric.

Instead, how about a waist length front of a tank top? It does not reach the shoulders. It could be held up with ribbons.

Easier to attach the blue and white striped front to a white vest with spaghetti straps. Quick to sew. Or use safety pins for a photo.

 The missing sides of the top can be hidden by a jacket. In this case I used a cape blazer. You can see from the picture that I have done that.

I pushed up the sleeves to conceal the gap at the top. I showed the cuffs, as if the sleeves had been pushed up my arm.


Photo by Trevor Sharot

The blue was surprisingly hard to match. Even whites can be bright white or creamy white. The best solution is to use an offcut from the fabric of your dress or skirt or shirt.

After all that thought, what did the audience think?

The Onlooker's View
I was delighted with my outfit. Usually, my husband is impressed by my ingenuity.

To my disappointment, my husband did not express the same delight. Not my sewing (or lack of it). He did not like the fabric.

My husband's view:

Stripes
'The stripes remind me of escaped prisoners. The blue and white stripes look like a bedsheet.'

Never mind. I had lots of fun, creativity. A learning experience. 

I hope the lessons learned have helped you.
One label is white. Another is black. The size is L (large).
It has a boat neck. A white nylon invisible zip runs diagonally down a seam from the left side in front of the sleeve.
The back is longer than the front.
The armhole is only six and a half inches in diameter.

The Fabric
The washing instructions are: 
Turn inside out.
Machine wash warm
separately
Use only non-chlorine bleach when needed
Tumble dry low

Remove promptly
Cool iron if needed
Do not iron on decoration

You might be able to reverse guess the fabric content from the washing instructions. The fabric feels stiff and cold and is stiff and noisy like paper.

Brand E.nine
I could not find E-nine in Singapore nor elsewhere. I presume E nine means extra nine or extra small, or size 9 and upwards. Looking at the label again, I see that it is not E then hyphen nine, but a dot half way up, impossible to search for.

Finally, looking for size 9 large clothes, I found Whimsigirl, and a picture with clothes in stripes. On Instagram.
That doesn't explain the narrow sleeves or the seam across the armholes, which I have to assume was a sample, or a mistake.

I now know that a man's shirt with a collar you need to cut off, can be adapted into a dickey with a matching hairband, a scarf or necktie, or a tank top and belt, with cuffs to attach to a white tee-shirt.

I now have to decide, finally, whether to leave the top as a top, cut out a section, and wear it with a short plain white skirt. Or wear it as a long skirt.

I like it as a top. I can wear it straight away. I can sit admiring the cool colour. 

However, I shall cut the front which is far too volumnous. I have a spare piece of fabric. 

Useful Websites



https://www.facebook.com/E-NINE (Taiwan clothes)


Video on how to tie the knot skirt

See what else I have done with this dress, two posts further on, 368 b .

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pearl brooches on hat paired with M & S sweater with pearls. Dress Post 686 by Angela Lansbury

Image
    Sweater embroidered with mock pearls matches my hat pinned with mock pearl brooches.  I had never worn this pale grey sweater  I thought pale grey was a boring colour and always opted for something brighter such as royal blue or bight red. However, as I re-folded warm winter tops to fit them into my crammed dresser unit shelves, this fell out. Was the universe sending me a message?  I thought, I don't remember ever wearing it.  I must wear it once. Just for a change.  Snow is falling outside in London. Now is its hour. I looked  at the decoration. Sequins! I had been searching for sequins to wear at New Year. This thick sweater would not match my red solid sequin evening skirt. However, it would match my knitted hat, which bore brooches with mock pearls. The Grey Marl Sweater M & S Collection. Size 14. a mixture of four fabrics, cotton.  As I had anticipated, the garment had pinned inside some spare sequins and pearls and rhinestones....
Read more

Stripey Red & White Socks, thigh high, and tights - outfit 679 by Angela Lansbury

Image
  I bought a pair of knee high red and white stripe socks in St Luke's charity shop. At one pound or under, you can't lose much. (Their charity fundraising shops are in NW London in Hatch End, Harrow Weald and elsewhere.) Why did I buy the long socks, in hard to match, garish, childish, stripes - after hesitation and consideration? The Advantages Of Long Socks The  length was attractive, at this time of year. I often need long socks under a midi skirt. For warmth in winter. And not to show bit of bare legs above socks. To co-ordinate colours. Advantages and Disadvantages of Red and White Stripes I like red. It's fun. White can show dirt quickly.  Red and white is a bit restrictive. It will clash with patterns, only go with plain reds and whites. But under a table at dinner or on Zoom nobody else will notice. Nor will I. I will only feel them. If the socks are too tight, you might feel uncomfortable. At night, when you take them off, you might see red indentation lines acr...
Read more

Inspection of Collection, M & S Dress poem Plus PACKING LIST, Post 739 by Angela Lansbury.

Image
I've clothes in every shade and hue Red, orange, pink, purple, green, blue In every style and kind of dress From, Primark, Temu, M & S I love to count, and keep in order Yes, you've guessed it, I'm a hoarder. -ends- Permanent Packing List When I was a busy travel writer, taking at least one trip a month, often two or three times a month, I would keep a suitcase permanently packed with clothes in black, white and red.  My all purpose wheelie bag contained all the things I had regretted not taking on previous trips. CLOTHES & COSMETICS 1 A swimsuit and swimhat. Later I bought a swimsuit with an attached hood. 2 I always had one tank top in case it turned sunny, or I had a stopover somewhere warm. 3 A brimmed hat or baseball cap. 4 A thermal vest, scarf and gloves for chilly nights, air conditioning, breezy boat trips, or trips to another continent with reverse seasons. 5 A couple of scarves, one with gold to convert a plain black or white tee-shirt into an evening out...
Read more