harem pants

miss_shimmy

miss_shimmy

New member
hi beautiful dancers.

i was very lucky today,i was given some beautiful indian silk material ,i want to make my first pair of harem pants for the joy in 2 weeks.

any hints ,sites,tips etc would be more than appreciated

thankx kindly


miss shimmy
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Suhad

Suhad

New member
Aziza Sa'id's FAQ - Costume Construction - Harem Pants

This is the website where I learned how to make a circle skirt and it was very easy to follow and to do.

Happy sewing!

BTW, I would definitely follow her advice on cutting the first pair from throwaway fabric, my first circle skirt I forgot to allow for the waist, and cut it four inches too short! Luckily it was on $1 per yard fabric, not the blue lame I ended up making it out of!
 
miss_shimmy

miss_shimmy

New member
thankyou so much,the fabric is silk,so how is best to wash it?
for practise material,how many yards would i use?

thankx so much for your patience

love and smiles


miss shimmy
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Babylonia

Babylonia

New member
My book says that you can wash silk by hand or machine (on gentle). If you plan to dry clean it instead then press with a steam iron (1/2 inch above not on the fabric) or take it to the cleaners to be steam ironed. You can also steam it by hanging it in the bath for an hour or so and steaming up the room.
Use a 60/8 or 70/10 needle (new of course) with a stich lenth of 1.75-2mm (12-15 stiches per inch).

I've washed silks before but I do notice that it changes the texture a little.I don't recommend the dryer and would air dry. Do you have enough fabric to where you could do a couple test swatches to see what you like?

Since silk is delicate I recommend test pattern out of a cheap fabric. Muslin is a good choice and you can get it for $1 a yard sometimes, even an old sheet will do. I'd say 2 yards maybe 2 1/2.
 
miss_shimmy

miss_shimmy

New member
well started the veil,easy enough as all i need do is hem it,i will shop for muslim next and give that a try out,thankyou.
for a top,i was thinking velvet,but you see i think tat might be too heavy,so i am thinking a black choli in ,maybe in simular material?
my book recommends against a bra as i am quite big chested,but first the harems.
id like to get good enough rto make a few pairs as i love wearing them around the house.i could use the muslim ones as pj's:)

going to look at those blousy pants-thankyou salome:)
thankyou babylonia:)
thankyou suhad:)

i am so very grateful for all the help and advice,thankyou so very much.

love always

miss shimmy
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miss_shimmy

miss_shimmy

New member
i like the chholi,as i can wear a good comfortable bra underneath it,secure and feminine!!like the one in my avatar,but i would prefare it to be stretch material,a bit like what carolena at FCBD wears,it looks so comfortable:)

tonight i will hem my veil,a little with my costume each day,and one day i will have a full costume...yey!!!:D

love always

miss shimmy
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steffib

steffib

New member
You can wash new silk in the machine - if you have a toploader, using an underwear baggie is a good idea.

If your silk is an antique sari, I'd be a bit more gentle ;-) and wash it by hand in the sink. I like to use hair shampoo for my silks - and I have used conditioner in the past, which lead to nicely soft silk.

You can use fairly hot water too, if the colors are properly set. Silk is very resilient. I have boiled silk (when dyeing) with no negative effects - not that I woudl recommend that on a regular basis, of course, but it shows that silk is not as delicate as we often believe.

I just hang it to dry, and when it is not 100% dry yet, I shake it out a bit - seems to give a nicer texture. But, I wouldn't put my silks in the dryer.
 
Shanazel

Shanazel

Moderator
steffib said:
If your silk is an antique sari, I'd be a bit more gentle ;-) and wash it by hand in the sink. I like to use hair shampoo for my silks - and I have used conditioner in the past, which lead to nicely soft silk.
quote]

I dunno. The oil in conditioners and certain shampoos could cause some staining. I use mild soap meant for handwashing delicates- it's not expensive and a little goes a long way. I do a lot of hand dyeing and silk is more resilient than a lot of folks think, but I'm pretty careful about stains, and I certainly agree antique sari silk needs special handling!
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B

belly_dancer

New member
everything steffib says regarding washing seems right on... I have used shampoo extensively on handwashables... ( never tried conditioner though!!).... baby shampoo is the best (not too many weird additives!)
the biggest problem w/ silk seems to be colorfastness... so use cold water if a bright color...
Salome's instructions are right on... but I would add more than 3" to the length for the top & bottom casing (I fold over abt 1/4" on top, then abt 3/4" for the casing... using 1/2" elastic, then 1/4"+ abt 3/8" @ ankle for 1/4" elastic.... so another 1 1/2 " total to length....)
I also have found that rather loose elastic at the ankles is better for me... (the pants seem to hang better, & not ride up & get stuck around your shinbone after, say, getting back up from floorwork) if I cut the elastic long enough to fit like an anklet (but not soo loose that your foot can slip out (in??) easily!!!!
other tip:
make your practice pants out of a fabric that has a similar "hand" as the final fabric you want to use. (by hand I mean similar weight, feel, & the way it drapes/hangs... for instance VERY lightweight drapey fabrics usually need to be cut alot fuller (wider) than a heavier, stiffer fabric, or they tend to look "skimpy")
 
Atalanta

Atalanta

New member
I've never been too fussy with fabric, as in "babying" it. Depends on what the final garment will be. If I'm making something that I'm gonna be sweating in, then before I start cutting, I'm gonna wash it in the washing machine with the rest of my laundry and then throw it in the drier. And you know what, it's not the end of the world. I've done this with silk, linen (yes, linen) and if it's cotton, then it definately gets washed. Oh, and it's not cold gentle wash and cool drier either, it's the hot wash/cold rinse and hot drier. Yeah, I can be a bit abusive.

Course this has been relatively inexpensive fabric where I take the whole piece and abuse it like this (under $5 yard). If it's more precious then I take a swatch and throw it in the wash and see what happens. And no, I don't do this to brocade, velvet or antique/vintage fabrics.

However, for cleaning vintage fabrics, OxyClean works well. You're just going to be soaking or spot cleaning, not scrubbing. I've seen it brighten up some old laces.

What I've found is that the fabric isn't that much worse for wear. If it's going to bleed, it'll bleed then rather than on the wearer (yes, I've been blue). It will often get softer (I don't use fabric softener or drier sheets). The problem with doing this to linen is that you can no longer get crisp creases, but if I need something like that I'll often "cheat" and either stitch the crease or use (gasp!) fusible web (like stitch witchery).

One of the fabric stores I hit most is Fabric Warehouse and good luck knowing the content or care for the fabric (the only thing on the bolt is the price). I've not yet thrown the mystery fabric in the wash and come out with tangles or just a pile of lint.

Muslin or broadcloth is good for making a sample, especially when you're making something fitted, like a choli that isn't stretch. Muslin you will want to wash first otherwise it will be stiff. It is also easily dyed so if you like your sample, you can dye it and use it later too. Bleached muslin is more expensive than unbleached, which sometimes has brownish "bits" in it. Gives it character IMO.

But, if you're making harem pants, I don't think you'd need to make a muslin. I hardly ever make one, the last one I did was when I made myself a fitted satin chinese dress. But for things that have more "forgiveness" you should be able to go right in and start sewing. Just don't forget to take your measurements!!! Like the This Old House (etc.) addage - measure twice, cut once.

Ok, I've blathered on enough. I think I just put everyone to sleep.


"Is 45" wide enough?"

Depends on how long the fabric is and how you're planning to cut it.
 
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