Sewing help!?

Question

i'm starting to sew with my grandma & i was wondering if i could make a fleece jacket kinda similar to the ones in good name brands?

i want to save a lot of money this winter, plus we cant have decorated jackets in school so i can make a plain jacket like that.

& can i turn bootleg jeans ect. into skinny jeans if i undo the seam & hem & stuff?

(no stupid answers please)

thanks:)

Answer 1

Go to Joann's and buy a pattern for a jacket, it should be pretty simple to make :]

mccalls & butterick should have one you'd like.

try www.mccalls.com



& yes, if you undo the seam in jeans & sew them back you can make them into skinny jeans, i've done it!

just make sure to cut from the bottom up however much fabric you want gone

Answer 2

Polarfleece jackets are pretty easy, and the fleece can hide a multitude of sewing sins.  See if your library has a copy of Nancy Cornwell's first book on working with fleece, which I think is "Adventures with Polarfleece" , or Rochelle Harper's book "Sew the New Fleece " (might be 'sewing the new fleece')

Rules the regular pattern companies don't tell you for fleece:

1) Fleece has a crossgrain stretch (it's a knit) and some fleeces have lengthwise or all over stretch.  Because it's a knit, it doesn't ravel, so you don't need edge finishes or huge seam allowances.  

2) Most fleeces do not need interfacing.  Despite what most of the Vogue/Butterick/McCalls/Simplicity patterns say.  Fusible interfacings are particularly difficult with fleece.  When I do need interfacings, I use similar fabrics like microchamois (which makes wonderful pocketbags, btw), or stable polyester knits.

3) Buttonholes in fleece can be tricky.  Loop and button closures or a simple stitched rectangle are usually the neatest of the buttonholes.  Machine made buttonholes usually distort pretty badly.  Some folks have reported success with machine made buttonholes if they put something like Totally Stable behind the fleece for stitching.  Try several test buttonholes with different methods before you decide what you like.

4) Zippers in fleece are easy if you know what you're doing:

A) baste in the zipper with the fabric lying flat on a tabletop.  

Use Collins Wash A Way Wonder Tape (about $3.50 for 10

yards) to baste in the zipper.  Do not let any part of the fleece

overhang the edge of the table while you're basting.  Then

sew in the zipper.  The tape disappears first time the jacket

is washed.  Also good for basting patch pockets.

B) Use a good quality "sports zipper" for most purposes.

5) Buy good fleece.  Unless you have experience with determining the quality of fleece on a roll, stick with Malden

Mills or Huntingdon fleeces, imo.  Most of the chain store fleece  looks awful after a few washes.  There is a Malden Mills online outlet:  http://www.milldirecttextiles.com/ that has

the good stuff, and the fleece throws they're offering at $18,

free shipping, are excellent value and just about the right length for a jacket, maybe a jacket and vest.  Or check http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com for a list of other fabric sources -- many of them carry good fleece.

6) Good patterns for polarfleece tend to come from some of the smaller pattern companies.  I can personally vouch for patterns from Kwik Sew, Stretch and Sew and Jalie.

Hang on to your "fat jeans" -- looks like they're coming back

according to some fashion forecasts.  It's really not very practical to convert bells to stovepipe jeans after the fact.  It

can be done, but it's actually faster to sew new ones from

scratch.  And they'll fit better.

If you're determined to refit your jeans, drop me a note and I'll dig up an old post of mine on how to do it.  I also have an old faq on working with polarfleece I can send you.

Answer 3

There are lots of eacy patterns for fleece jackets. To reduce frustration, pick one that uses buttons instead of a zipper.

Don't bother to re-make your jeans. It doesn't work. When you change the seams, you have to take off the pockets, re-cut them and sew them back on in a different position. The fly will be too big. They will look funny.

.

Answer 4

If you just started sewing, the fleece jacket may be hard to make. That is if you're trying to make a really professional one, like with the trim and everything. A basic jacket is essentially a thick shirt with pockets, a zipper, and sometimes a hood. So, if you want just make a shirt out of fleece, cut up the front center, and add a seperating zipper. Or you can make it a pullover or half zip. And you can make bootleg jeans into skinny jeans very easily. Just make sure to leave enough room for your foot to put them on (I made that mistake when I was making some for a friend lol).

Oh, and here's a good website for sewing- www.threadbanger.com

I get a lot of my ideas from there. And they have a great hoodie tutorial on the forum.

Good luck sewing!

Answer 5

On the Jeans: Just turn them inside out and rule a line on each side, back stitch and sew to hem and back stitch, then zig-zag in seam allowance and cut off excess. I have done this for my granddaughters boot cuts and you can't tell. Sherri