Lekala 6026 - Classic NonBinary's Shirt - Free Pattern!!

Lekala 6026 - Classic Shirt - Free Pattern

My partner is adorable.

Lekala has this shirt listed under 'men's' but neither my partner nor I are men, so these labels are ridiculous.  Note to the public:  a beard does not a man make!!!

This was simple to sew and went together nicely, but as usual Lekalas instructions were a bit hard to grasp.  Luckily I've made dress shirts before so it wasn't a problem.  Standard burrito method yoke and flat felled seams (which was not suggested by Lekala).

I chose to remove the long sleeves and make it short sleeved.  I had intended the epaulette bits to clip to the sleeve itself but during construction my partner really wanted them to snap to their shoulders, which is why the epaulette is not quite on the right fold or is the right length. Next time!

This pattern was a test make through and through.  First, to test lekalas fit.  Second, to test my partner's style and preferences in handmade things.  They tend to wear anything I make them, loose threads and all, so I don't know if I can trust them to give me good feedback.  They love everything I do too much!  DAMNIT PARTNER BE MORE NEGATIVE.  

I screwed up while making it and tore the front during button construction (also, bound buttonholes from here on out.  Am I the only one who finds welts easy and sewn buttonholes hard?!?!).  So there's a wee little diamond shape patch in plaid covering that up.

Also I chose to just use the collar stand as a collar.

Fabric:  a black sheet salvaged from the Salvation Army rubbish bin.  Accents:  Purchased two years ago for around $7/3m these were scraps.  I guess I could say total cost to make was about $.50?  The buttons were salvaged from a dress shirt that was thrown in the same bin.  It was super lacy and weird so we just took it apart for the lace and buttons.

Total cost:  $.50 if you count scraps from past projects as a cost.

Notes: Fix sleeve, use thinner collar stand for this style collar, size is good, height of partner needs shortened by 2cm in Lekala.  Partner has narrow shoulders and needs adjustment.  Sew on grain next time.

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Aside:  I am getting REALLY ticked with gendered patterns.  It's not like the same exact companies couldn't just include all the measurements they already have and LET PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT THEY WANT TO WEAR.  "Misses Dress".  Like WHY do we need to hammer in that dress is misses?  Socially speaking we all fricken already know who the majority wearing this stuff is.  It just seems like a way to say WOMEN ONLY WEAR THIS DRESS OKAY WOMEN ONLY NOT YOU.  Just fricken say "dress", shove the patterns in men's and women's and let people pick what they want to wear based on THAT.

Sure, testosterone and hormones cause different body shapes but raise your hand if you haven't had to adjust a pattern....thought so.

My partner is not a man and it makes them feel awful to have to look through patterns labeled as "mens" just to get a nicely fitted dress shirt that doesn't accomodate boobs.  Come on, some women don't have boobs and some men do, so this kind of gendering is just ridiculous.

#transrantoftheday

Donna Karan Wide Legged Pants for Vogue 1993 - #1186 Review

I suppose I actually need to blog my sewing in order to, you know, blog about it.  Gee, novel concept right?

I have a ton of garments in dire need of being photographed and catalogued.

Let me start with something I made in about four hours while my partner was at work.  From deciding to cutting to wearing, I had this baby whipped out between the time they left and the time they got home - with breaks and TV!

I started this garment early in the morning, before the sun had risen.  I wanted a new pair of pants but was actually wanting a fly-front zip.  I thought, gee, I'd love to have a pair of red pants.  Do I even have red?  If I didn't have enough red, I was totally going to make harlequin pants in black and red.

So I went through my stash and found - a nice bright red!  And there was enough!

....except as the sun rose I noticed something about my fabric.

Orange.  Very orange.

This was not red!!  I am tempted ton post a photo of the thread I chose so you can see how badly I thought this was red fabric.

It's a salvaged piece from the Salvation Army rubbish bin (not slang, actual rubbish) and the selvege said Cashmilon - which is an acrylic/cotton blend designed to mimic wool but be cheaper/easiuer to wash/ less scratchy.

My face isn't showing but my facing is.

I gave poor Donna Karan a bit of a grilling over on Pattern Review for the simplicity of these pants, but the truth is I love them!  Yes they are a VERY simple faced four-piece pair of bellbottoms (listed as wide leg...come on!  That's a bell if I ever saw one.) but they have the classic Donna Karan drape below the knee.  Donna really knows how to make a swoosh!  And /that's/ the part of this pattern that stands out.

Donna Karan for Vogue 1186

I found this pattern in the rubbish bin as well (sorry Donna) and was immediately drawn to that giant pointed collar in the drawing.  WHICH IS NOT INCLUDED.  You have GOT to be kidding.  Would you buy a $25 pattern that's so black you can't see any details for bellbottoms, an elastic waisted skirt and an unlined vest?

That would have to be my top complaint about this pattern, which in retrospect is actually a really minor complaint.

It's too simple.

It's even too easy.

When you pick up a Designer Vogue pattern you kind of have...expectations.  Usually a couture method or a complicated shaped piece or something... but no.  This really is an unlined vest, an elastic waisted skirt (in a knit?!  What?) and a pair of waistband-less bell bottoms.

Of course the actual drafting is classic Donna and classic smooth sleek Vogue, so I don't really know what I'm whining about.  I noticed these pants fit my hips ridiculously well.  If I forgot to zip it all the way and it dropped even a quarter inch you could see the billow from the hip space.  Meaning it follows my leg shape /perfectly/.

One thing the pattern had that DID stand out was the double lines for petiting the pattern.  Only - I think the pattern may have already been petite.  The cover says normal/talle but the description says petite.

For reference, I am standing on a chair and am actually 5'1".  I measured the length of my waist to the floor and thought the fabric would pool too much.  I also decided I wanted to make this the length for flats as I rarely wear heels (and the proceeded to wear heels for the photos.  and a sports top.  Who actually wears that?  The things we do to show off pants!).

I -REALLY- loved how part of the petite aspect was in the crotch.  I really did need that as I seem to have a short crotch depth, something I have noticed in previous home sewn garments.

I should not have petite'd the legs.  That 2" meant that my FIVE FOOT ONE self only had half an inch to hem with instead of the 2" she recommends.  I chose to do a wide rolled hem.  I've been practising narrow hems but WOW am I bad at those so I figured I'd practice it on 1/4" instead of "fuck you this is one thread thick, enjoy on your mistimed machine!".

So apparently Donna Karan makes petite pants for people who are 4'11".  SO IF YOURE REALLY REALLY SHORT AND WANT TO LOOK TALL IN BELLBOTTOMS THIS PATTERN IS PERFECT.

Which to be honest MUST be a drafting genius thing only Donna could really pull off.  I'm 5'1".  I know I've said that three times now but LOOK HOW TALL I LOOK.

Okay but let's all be honest my ass looks great in these.

The zip was stolen from a handbag we also found in a bin.  So once more, I have made a 100% FREE garment of 100% salvaged materials.  Reminder EVEN MY SEWING MACHINE WAS SALVAGED.  Once I buy a machine, if I do, or get mine serviced, I will be including my costs for the year.


As it is my total costs for the last three months of sewing supplies has been $42.  I bought:  two jeans patterns, one wheelchair accessory pattern, two dress patterns (which in retrospect was probably silly, but I had a friend in mind when I got them), two seam rippers, five packets of machine needles, one packet of sewing needles, a thimble and a packet of 600 pins.  Since there's FIVE patterns in that $42 I'm pretty pleased.  If I used only salvaged patterns my total for supplies $17.  Wow!  That's some ACTUAL clothing saving.

Out of that $42 I have made:  a dress shirt for my partner, three pairs of shorts, three tops, a pair of spats, a shortsuit, this pair of pants, a dress shirt for myself I am working on today, and the vest I'll be finishing in the next few weeks.

12 items, 3 months, $42.  This is not including my failures, this is ONLY my worn and successful garments.  I don't think anyone can get a wardrobe these days including Donna Karan for $42.  Less than $4 a garment.

So HA! to all those who think you can't save money while sewing vs RTW cheapies.  YOU CAN BARELY GET A TARGET TANK TOP FOR $4 ON SALE.

Hell yeah.

-Splithoof