Today the semifinal of Det Store Symesterskapet -5th Episode was aired, and (spoiler alert!) -I’m made it through yet another episode. Can you believe it? And as always, below you will find my “review” of the episode and the garments I made.
First assignment – silk chemise.
This assignment was right up my alley. They gave us sandwashed silk. And not only that, I have actually sewn in this particular silk before, as it comes from Stoff & Stil, and I made a Belcarra blouse with it this spring. Needless to say this gave me an advantage. The pattern for the nightgown/slip was rather straight forward -except for two things: it had to be made in a 45 degree angle to the grain, and the fabric is as evasive as an indian summer nigh. If you breath heavy around it it will move.
Working with silks. Photo: NRK
I have actually made a list of tips & tricks I use when sewing in silks a short while back, and you can find it here if you are interested.
In order to stabilize the fabric I took a chance and took a piece of plain woven cotton from the fabrics at the back wall and pinned the silk on this. I took my time, to get the grain straight and to smooth out all the creases. The chemise is sewn up with french seams at the center back seam, and a facing at the top front.The back had a elastic casing. The straps are sandwiched between the outer fabric and the facing. When sewing them I made sure both straps had the seam facing outwards, as this makes for a better looking garment than if I had made them face inwards towards the center.
Handsewing Photo: NRK
I used some time to decide what to do with the bottom hem, but in the end I found a nice stretch lace that wouldn’t be too difficult to sew on. In order to reduce bulk at the hem I folded the raw edge outwards towards the right side and pressed it once before i put the lace ribbon on top and sewed it on with a zigzag stitch. That way the raw edge is hidden below the lace, and not visible from the inside. I also pullet the lace just a fraction as I sewed, so not to get a wavy seam.
As a finishing touch I put some shiny beads on a sewing thread and needle and modelled the front gathering to give shape for the chest.
My effort was well rewarded with a first place. It made me really proud that Andreas said it was good enough that he would easily give it to his girlfriend. And Tine said it was perfect. Wuhu. That made me so happy!
Silk chemise. Photo: NRK
Second assignment – redesign.
It’s always with a little unease I go to the redesign assignment. It really isn’t my thing. It’s more a Walter, or Kristin thing. I like to think and plan a little longer than 5 minutes when I go to work on a fabric, even if I do a redesign from time to time. I don’t seem to have the right kind of creativity. Still, this assignment was fun to do. They gave us knitted woolen underwear and asked us to make it into a head garment. Ok. Again I resorted to draping the fabric into shape. I got a vision of british “Ascot” ladies and tried to make a hat in that style. I was pleased with the result, -I got a high ranking with second place. The competition has really become tougher and tougher with so few of us left.
Redesign hat from wool underwear
“Birdsnest”
Third assignment – men’s shirt.
I have made mens’ shirts before, so this wasn’t new to me. Still, 4,5 hours isn’t much time to sew a full shirt. The pattern I chose was new to me. In the past I have drafted the pattern I use when I make shirts for my husband, but for the competition I needed a different size so I decided to buy a pattern I have wanted to test for a while. The pattern is the Negroni shirt from Colette Patterns. The collar is a one piece collar, and I debated for a while with myself whether I should draft a two-piece collar for the shirt. In the end I decided not to.
The fabric I used was a rayon/linen mix I found at Rainbow Tekstil. It had a nice handfeel and a sort of denim look to the colours. But it wasn’t exactly easy to sew. Haha. Once again I have managed to make my project more difficult by choosing an advanced level fabric. The problem was that in the combination of the two fibers -the warp was linen, and the weft was rayon- you got a fabric that would be stiff in one direction and soft in the other. The fabric frayed, and was difficult to cut with a scissor in one of the directions -across the linen threads and super easy to cut in the other. I did fake flat felded seams (overlocked only on the inside) and used a floral contrast fabric for the yoke and inside collar. I thought this made a nice effect, and so did the judges. For the front closing I used snap buttons with a pearly top. It was fun to make the others jump a little when I stated banging the snaps in with my hammer. 🙂
I wished we had had an hour or so extra though, then I would have made the shirt with long sleeves, cuffs and plackets.
Feeling the vibe?
Negroni shirt on Det Store Symesterskapet
The masterpiece.
They chose me! I was (and am) so happy about that. Also it feels that I have a lot to live up to now. 😉
The going home
It was Solveig that had to leave this time. I was so sad for her. She had fought so hard to get to the finally, and then to be the last one to go before that. It must have been sort of bitter for her even if she said it wasn’t. Solveig is a talented seamstress and a good person, and I am very lucky to call her my friend now!
Sightseeing in Bergen
If you want to see Det Store Symesterskapet – 5th Episode you can find it on NRK here. For my reviews of the other episodes you can find them below:
Next time on the show it will be the finally. This is it. Find out what happens next on Det Store Symesterskapet on Monday 22nd of December.
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