Patchwork Gemma from Scraps
Turning leftover fabric from past projects into patchwork garment fabric is starting to become a regular thing for me (see Exhibit A: my scrappy Cleo skirt and Exhibit B: Citrine made from scraps). Another garment option for patchwork is a quilted coat - quite the hot thing in recent years - but while I love love love my quilted coat (see Exhibit C: Patchwork Coat), there’s really only so many of those I need (one).
Whereas once I’ve created a new fabric from leftover scraps or harvested pieces from worn-out garments (see Exhibit D: these little shorts I made for Elliot), there are almost unlimited possibilities. In this case, I made myself a scrappy Gemma tank with a combination of double gauzes, linen, and a dotted chambray that happened to be sitting next to each other in the scrap bin, proving that all it takes is proximity and a pleasing color combination to inspire me.
The difference between making patchwork for a quilted coat versus making patchwork for other garments boils down to one thing: if you’re not quilting or lining the garment, the seams must be finished on the inside so that a second layer is unnecessary; else you’ll end up with a mess of frayed threads on the inside after you wash it.
You might be thinking that it must be time-consuming to finish all of those seams, and you would be correct that it does take more time, though not as much as you’d think. For this top, I used my sewing machine for the patchwork piecing and then finished those seams with a flat fell finish by hand. I then cut out the tank top pattern pieces and sewed it together using my machine.
While it did take longer than if I had done everything by machine, I really loved being able to take this project with me (around the house, to appointments) and work on it in a similar way as my knitting.
I’ve been incorporating more slow stitching* into my projects lately for that reason; I’ve appreciated the portability of knitting for years, and to me, any time saved stitching alone in a sewing room is outweighed by the convenience of being able to hand stitch those same seams in the middle of family life. Kids are more likely to come up to me and chat about their day when I’m sitting on the couch stitching as opposed to when I’m sitting in the basement in front of my sewing machine.
* “Slow stitching” has a rather nebulous definition, but the concept is to take your time creating and use what you have rather than buying new, savoring the meditative aspects of crafting (hence hand sewing and stitching is often employed), with a focus on reusing and recycling fabrics, and repairing and mending worn or older garments.
I love that you can see the hand-stitching all over the garment.
Speaking of slow stitching, I’m so, SO excited because I’ve been invited to teach this summer at A Gathering of Stitches in Maine!! Samantha has been offering summer slow stitching workshops for many years, and I’ve always loved seeing snapshots and blog posts from past retreats and hearing rave reviews from friends who have attended in the past.
This year, I’ll be teaching “How to Create Pieced Apparel Fabric from Scraps” at the Slow Fashion August Retreat (there are four sessions offered, each with different topics and teachers) along with Stacy Taylor and Jessica Marquez, who will teach Top Down Center Out Pant fitting, and Clothing Refashioning, respectively. If you've been looking for an amazing sewing retreat this summer, consider joining me at AGOS - it's going to be so fun!! Plus you’ll have a chance to give those beloved scraps you've been saving from prior garment projects or no-longer-wearable clothing another life (but if you don’t have any scraps, that’s ok too - we’ve got you covered!!).
The sessions have all been announced, and registration opens on March 3rd. Registration tends to sell out fast, so I recommend signing up for the newsletter if you’re interested in attending. More details here!
Gemma makes a great template for scrappy project because it has such a simple design- if you have scraps you want to turn into something new, why not give it a try? You can find the pattern in my shop: