Friday, July 17, 2009

Do You Sew in Your Underwear?

My first sewing book was the Vogue Sewing book circa 1975 and one of the pictures in the section on sewing rooms was of a woman in a housecoat/dress. It's a whole lot easier and faster to fit when I don't have to get undressed every time I try on my garment. I usually sew in my underwear and either a t shirt or my robe, but the robe tend to get caught in the wheels of my chair. In the winter I'll wear tights to keep warm. Obviously, I wear clothes that I'd wear under jackets or coats when I am sewing those. Good underwear is imperative. I tried on my jacket with an old bra (forgetting it was old) and got briefly upset when I saw drag lines from the bust. I actually went and put on a good bra to prove to myself, that yes, I got the bust point in the right place! Being so anal about fit, I try on my garments a lot during the sewing process. It beats getting a surprised when it's finished. What about you? What's your fitting and sewing process like?

I should be posting photos of my jacket, top and pants this weekend. They are finished, but not photographed yet.

13 comments:

  1. Yes, I try on all the time but since I sew in the family room I stay dressed. (The kids don't need to be seeing their old mom in her underwear.)

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  2. I try on a lot as well,I don't like end of project surprises, but my sewing room is off the bedroom so I do have a few split seconds to speed dress when I hear someone coming!

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  3. I get my best results when I try on a lot. The weather is the main factor determining what I wear; this old farmhouse can be very cold in winter and blistering hot in summer. I'm upstairs away from the front door, so not likely to be seen by anyone but dh....

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  4. Yes, I do - sew in my underwear for fitting purposes - how did you know (lol). When I sew in clothes I also get covered in thread!!!! I've had to have black pants dry cleaned just to get all the thread and lint off them.

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  5. Here's the thing. In my sewing room, I have a 3-way mirror--like in dressing rooms. It's way too much of a shock to see myself sitting in my underwear sewing!

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  6. I only sew in my underwear when I am fitting a muslin that needs me to be out of jeans. Once the muslin is done, I just sew through the garment without much thought. Probbly a mistake but there it is.

    My sewing room is in the finished basement, and, according to my MIL, I have supersonic hearing, so it's pretty unlikely anyone except DH will see me sewing in my underwear. Not that I care. You can buy far more "interesting" magazines with lots more photos at the 7-11 for $5.

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  7. ~giggles madly~ I love the title of this post. I often read in my underwear since the first thing I do when I get home from work is take off the clothing covered in germs and kid. Personally, I think it is logical to sew in your underwear if you are always trying stuff on, what a pain in the butt to keep having to get undressed!

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  8. I have often thought it would be the way to sew but livng in a household with two teenage boys who often have their mates around - it can't happen!

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  9. Mostly I sew in jeans and an easy shirt, only when after fitting I have to change something small, I remain in my underwear for quick fitting again. If it takes more than 10 minutes, I put on jeans and shirt again.

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  10. Great post! I sew in a comfy knee-length nightie with my underwear on underneath, and just whip off the nightie when I need to check fit. That way I'm reasonably decent when zipping into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. I used to just sew in my underwear, until I found myself eyeball to eyeball with the mailman through the kitchen window on one of these coffee runs!

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  11. Although I have a sewing room, I'm compelled to wear a house dress which makes fitting easier during the warmer season and t-shirt and leggings during the cold season. Family members have a tendency to disregard a closed door and just bust into the room.

    As of late I have taken to positioning the mannequin behind the door if I know I will be trying on the garment frequently.

    The comments are hilarious.

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  12. Hi Nancy, I just stumbled on your blog and this made me laugh. I used to always sew in my underwear when my machine was in the bedroom. Now I have a lovely front room where I sew, and I like to leave the curtains open. So I tend to stay a little more decent these days!

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  13. I sew dressed but pause to try on whenever required, but there's only me and DH so its OK.

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