I had all kinds of trouble attaching clear elastic to the waistline of my first Moneta. I got some great tips in response to my plea for assistance on tackling clear elastic and recently decided that enough time had elapsed for me to give it another go. I bought this bamboo jersey at Hickey’s in Dublin when I spotted it on sale several weeks ago, and managed to finish up the Moneta before we left for Shanghai. The jersey is quite thin and has a strong tendency to roll up at the edges – which contributed to things going a bit crazy at the hemline…
I used a twin needle around the sleeve cuffs and neckline before working on the hem, so luckily those were already finished before disaster struck: the needles kept chewing up the hem and sucking it into the needle plate. I think this was down to a combination of bad fabric management on my part and having the tension a touch off (though it had seemed ok on the neckline!). Then, when I was trying to straighten things out, I hit a pin and shattered the twin needle. Whoops…
So, I managed to make a complete mess of the hem – it was really puckered and the back of the stitching was all kinds of odd. I didn’t want to cut the fabric and lose the length though, so instead I scouted out some lovely stretch lace from a haberdashery in the Powerscourt Centre, A Rubanesque. She didn’t have enough of the lace I’d picked out left in stock, so instead she suggested cutting this really wide one in half, which worked perfectly for making a nice wide band of lace.
I hand stitched the lace on to make sure I moulded it around the skirt without puckering and so that it covered the hem evenly along the bottom. Here’s a closer photo of the lace being stitched on – and the ‘right’ side of the hem pre-lace:
Ooof…
It feels like cheating a bit to basically put a band aid over what is a truly disastrous hem, but I quite like how it turned out! I’m not sure how I could have rescued it otherwise, without cutting up the skirt and re-doing the hem with a new twin needle. As it is, I really like this dress and have already worn it several times. The bamboo jersey is a lovely bright blue and is really, really soft, and the lace adds something a little delicate to what would have been a very simple dress.
Have you ever done an emergency patch-up or patch-over on a sewing project? How did it turn out?
It looks so intentional and great! I cut a hole in a waistband while trimming seams which led to belt loops stuck on top, haha! I’m still waiting to get a belt though, oops!
Beautiful dress and love the styling! ๐
Oooh, accidental cutting is never good. Sounds like you made a great save though! I’m not sure I would ever have thought of belt loops.
I like it!
Thank you! ๐
I think it looks brilliant. Totally intentional.
I think we’ve all got makes in our closets with unconventional fixes. ๐
๐ Very true – am sure there are a lot of creative solutions out there!
The lace was a brilliant fix. Your dress looks great!
Thanks, they stock some really lovely lace in that little shop!
The blue and black together look fabulous. This looks deliberate and stylish, a great dress.
Thanks Louise! I’ve been trying to find different ways of embellishing my sewn clothes for a while now, think I’ll use a lacy hem a bit more often to break up solid fabrics.
Nice recovery!
Thanks Emma Jayne! ๐
Great idea! I never would have guessed that you cut that lace in half. Love the color and the fit.
Yes, the design was perfect for splitting it down the middle. I thought about adding a band along the waist too but it didn’t really suit.
Great idea to hide an unruly hem. A truly genius way of adding a little bit of creative detailing to the fabulous Moneta.
Such a gorgeous colour on you too. I hope you have settled into your new home. Looking forward to some exciting posts about your new adventures.
Thanks Caroline, still settling in but finding all kinds of interesting places! I’m going to finally have a stab at making trousers using New Look 6246 – I really need a lightweight pair for this warm weather and to hide from mosquitos!
I like it! It doesn’t look like a recovery job, but it looks like a beautiful well-planned design detail! Now everyone is going to be doing that!
I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for other rescue suggestions now – never know when you need an emergency fix! ๐
I love it! I would never have guessed the lace wasn’t part of the original plan. How’s Shanghai?
Good so far though having some Mandarin will really help! Am starting lessons soon and we’re going to get a tutor for practice. The city is fascinating – you’ll have to put it on your list for your next Asian adventure ๐
That w a a great save. It looks super professional. The fabric looks lovely and cosy. And the colour is fantastic I’d nearly go up to Dublin to get some of I thought there was any left. This is one of the nicest monetas I’ve seen online.
Thanks Maeve! I always find Hickeys a funny place – you really never know what you’ll come across in there. Where do you usually buy your fabric?