Copy Your Clothes

ITF SPOTLIGHT: LEANNE'S KEBAYA-INSPIRED WEARABLE TOILE & SEWING JOURNEY

A couple of weeks ago I shared my experience using the Copy Your Clothes resources to modernise and personalise a Kebaya blouse, a garment with a lot of cultural sentimental value to me. 

This week, I’m really excited to share some of my toiling journey with you, along with the lessons I’ve learned through the process. If you’re keen to see the entire process, I’ve shared it all in great detail in the Curated by ITF private online community (I recommend joining us!), but here’s a brief overview for context.

After analysing the original Kebaya blouses I had in my wardrobe (watch the video I created about this here), I used the techniques I learned in last month's Copy Your Clothes Skills Kit to trace the garment and draft a base pattern. Here you can see the drafted front bodice, back bodice and sleeve pattern pieces. 

Pattern pieces drafted from a traditional Kebaya blouse.

I then graded my pattern up two sizes using the slash and spread method. As the original blouse was a little tight I felt that moving one size up would deal with this tightness. The additional size up was a personal design ease preference, taking this from being a form fitting blouse to a more relaxed and casual light layering jacket. Here’s my graded Kebaya pattern.

Graded pattern drafted from a traditional Kebaya blouse.

I quickly proceeded from this stage to whip up my first toile!

Leanne trying on her first Kebaya blouse toile.
Close-up of Leanne's first Kebaya blouse toile.

I used this first toile to gauge what kinds of style changes I wanted to make, as well as how I wanted the garment to fit. I realised that, despite grading up two sizes, I still needed to make a broad shoulder adjustment. (This is why it’s so important to make a toile or two!)

Leanne testing out lengths for Kebaya on toile.
Back view of Leanne's Kebaya toile showing shoulder tension.

With my notes from toile number one in hand, I proceeded to make the modifications to the pattern and dived into toile number two. I was really happy with the boxier fit that resulted from the adjustments I made to the original pattern.

I then made a third Kebaya toile, choosing a fabric from my stash which I thought fit the bill but that I wasn't overly precious about (should things not work out well). I had 1.2 metres of this fabric (140cm wide) which, as it turns out, was the precise amount I needed! Sadly, by the time I finished my garment, I found myself questioning why I chose this temperamental fabric for a toile, wishing I'd chosen something better behaved. 

Leanne's Kebaya blouse on a bust - front view.
Leanne's Kebaya blouse on a bust. Back view.

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It wasn't a complete disaster, and I do love the breezy, elegant drape of fabric like this; it's wearable, with a touch of special. But, this Ochre Moonstone Viscose from Atelier Brunette was a bit shifty and liked to fray. 

Attempting to hem it had me shaking my fist at those fabric gods though. I applied interfacing to the bodice facing, as well as 3cm strips of interfacing to the bodice and sleeve hems to add a bit of heft to this slinky fabric. I folded up the hems and then tucked the raw edges under, using hem tape to help keep things place. 

Leanne wearing her third Kebaya blouse toile.

This turned out to be a mistake as when I went to steam the garment in preparation for taking these photos, the tape shrank and made the fabric pucker. I had to unpick the hem and remove the tape. 

But this experience got us thinking. One thing about copying a ready-to-wear garment is that you don’t have sewing instructions to refer to. There’s no notes about the best fabric to use, or how to approach tricky situations like these. So what do you do?

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE SEWING INSTRUCTIONS

  • Most sewists have a decent stash of sewing patterns, and this can be a great resource for trying to figure out what you need to know. Find a pattern that has a similar style or perhaps uses similar fabric and see what approach it uses to solve the problem you’re having.

  • Ask the fabric store you bought the fabric from if they have any advice. Most people who work in fabric stores are also avid sewists, so there’s bound to be someone who can help!

  • Ask your sewing community! Having a community to turn to, like we have with Curated by ITF, is great because there’s a wealth of knowledge just in the sewing experience of all the members. In Curated by ITF you can also ask as many questions of our team. (We love helping our Foldies!) When I posed the question to our community we came up with two solid solutions to my tricky fabric problem.

Back view of Leanne's hacked Kebaya blouse toile.

HOW TO HEM SLIPPERY VISCOSE FABRICS

  1. Double-rolled hem - Check out our tutorial here.

  2. Hem facing - Adding a facing to a shifty fabric like this will give it more structure and help it sit nicely. The concept of drafting facing is pretty straightforward - we shared this tutorial a while back and it can be adapted to any garment edge you’re working on. It's often a good idea to add lightweight interfacing to give the facing stability which will help support the structure of the garment.

We’ve also shared a couple of other posts about working with tricky fabrics, which might be of interest if this is something you’re navigating at the moment. This one is about cutting linen, or other tricky fabrics, and this one has some tips for working with difficult fabrics.

For a minute there I was getting frustrated about the hem, but looking back I feel like I learned more from the mistake than I would have if it had gone smoothly. It also gave me an opportunity to be supported by and cheered on by our community which gave me the boost I needed to get this project over the line. 

Overall, I am so happy with my Kebaya project, but if I’m honest, it’s less about the finished garment and more about the learning journey behind this entire process. 

The Make It Your Own Skills Kit has equipped me with the tools to:

  • Analyse how a garment is constructed. 

  • Accurately copy a loved garment.

  • Draft an accurate and finished pattern.

  • Grade a sewing pattern.

  • Modify a garment by adding ease, cropping length, eliminating darts and changing curves.

  • Pattern hack by drafting additional elements like ties and facings.

  • Make a garment without instructions.

  • Explore optimal finishing methods.

  • Toile methodically in order to fine-tune my vision.

In just a few short weeks I have gained so much more pattern-making knowledge and confidence–I no longer feel I have to rely solely on bought patterns and I'm more inspired to go 'off script' to materialise my ideas into reality.

WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MAKING…

Libby wears her Marden shirt toile in a quilting cotton.

Marden shirt made by Curated by ITF member, Libby.

Cady sits in a red chair wearing her striped Attwood pants.

Attwood pants by Curated by ITF member, Cady.

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH LEANNE: HOW TO USE OUR MAKE IT YOUR OWN SKILLS KIT

The Make It Your Own Skills Kit (part two of our Copy Your Clothes series) is jam-packed full of tutorials to help you individualise your wardrobe. But sometimes we need a little help to understand exactly HOW to use a resource like this. So, I thought it could be helpful to share some of the projects I considered making to share in our Curated by ITF private community.

While I’ve only moved forward on one of these, the rest have been added to my to do list. If you’re in need of a little inspiration, read on!

INSPIRATION FOR HOW TO PERSONALISE READY-TO-WEAR COPIES

Grade loved garments into new sizes

Grading is one of those skills that many sewists wish they knew how to do. (We know because we’ve been asked about it a LOT in our Curated by ITF community!)

And while it is definitely a specialist skill in industry, there’s absolutely no reason why home sewists can’t add it to their repertoire. And it’s the perfect skill to have if you’ve got growing kids who are always in need of the next size up!

I recently inherited a stack of stretch towelling/velour type fabrics in pastel shades, which I knew I wouldn’t wear, but would be perfect for comfy kids trackies. 

If you already own basics like this that you love, consider copying the pattern and just grading it up to the next size. 

Add length for a perfect extra tall fit

At almost 2 metres tall, my husband has a really hard time finding clothes to fit. He needs extra length, but when he sizes up in RTW clothes everything that’s long enough ends up being too wide. It’s very frustrating.

With a bomber jacket that fits fairly well, but is slightly too short, already in his wardrobe, I considered copying the design using the Copy Your Clothes Skills Kit, and then using the tutorials in the Make It Your Own Skills Kit to grade up in size and add the extra length where necessary. And a bomber jacket is a great opportunity to be a bit adventurous with fabric choices - what a fun project!

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Trendy two piece

Having already traced off a favourite t-shirt of mine during Copy Your Clothes month, I felt I was already halfway towards a matching set! 

And I knew exactly which much-loved pair of comfy pants to trace off to complete the outfit. The only question was, which fabric? 

Having recently moved to Melbourne I’ve been enjoying discovering local sustainable fashion brands. During my explorations a theme started to emerge–matching sets in stretch velour. Pretty out there, but also kinda cool. 

Alas, the price tags were often quite high, but luckily we sewists possess a certain “I could make that myself” mindset and voila! The idea for a stretch-velour #TwoPieceSpectacular was born. 

I am still very-much inspired to bring this idea into existence, but since both of the RTW garments I would be using as base patterns fit me perfectly, this project offered little opportunity to explore those pattern drafting techniques I’m so keen to learn, such as grading sizes and other fit modifications. 

Plus, I love a good story, and ultimately it was the narrative behind my final idea which sent it straight to the top of the list.

Modernise a sentimental garment and make it more suitable for everyday wear and lifestyle

Thanks to my part Chinese-Malaysian heritage, over the years I have come into the possession of several traditional Peranakan Kebaya blouses, handed down to me from my mother, grandmother and aunties.

These garments have a very special place in my heart, and happily, I got a decent amount of wear out of them while I was a teenager, before I (very sadly!) outgrew them. 

As I was preparing for this month’s project, and considering what garment I’d like to personalise using the Make it your own Skills Kit, I was really inspired to create something very unique to me. 

As someone whose daily life is spent dedicated to caring for a family, my creative pursuits are a chance to be myself in the moment. They’re an opportunity for mindfulness, self-care and self-therapy. A project focused around my Kebaya blouses seemed to be the perfect fusion of all these elements. It would give me the opportunity to express my own personal modern style, while honouring my family’s traditional ceremonies and celebrating my cultural heritage. I also loved the idea that an everyday staple could be imbued with a touch of sentimental nostalgia.

I often find that my most successful projects are a result of a spark of an idea channelled thoughtfully into something with purpose. For me, the best handmade garments are a combination of having an interesting narrative, being aesthetically beautiful and serving a clearly defined function. And this definitely ticked those boxes!

What is a Kebaya?

A Kebaya is an elegant blouse worn throughout South-East Asia to formal events and ceremonies. (There are variations of this traditional garment – in my description here I will be referencing the particular ones I have inherited.) It is commonly paired with a sarong skirt, essentially a tube of fabric, tucked to fit.

Typically made from sheer materials, like silk, cotton or nylon, and embellished with intricate and often colourful embroidery and lace, a Kebaya has a tailored fit with fisheye darts in the back bodice. It has a deep v-neck and is usually fastened with a brooch around bust height, with the bodice lower front hanging freely and the centre front often tapering to an elongated point. The sleeves are 3/4 length. 

My Kebaya project - Blending tradition, cultural heritage and personal style

Apart from grading up in size to fit my adult body, there were a few must-have modifications that the finished garment needed to include. Using the original and traditional Kebaya pattern as a base, I want to:

  • Create a neutral version suitable for everyday wear and not limited to special occasions. (Sadly no embroidery or delicate/ sheer fabrics.)

  • Potentially incorporate front ties to eliminate the need for a brooch fastening. Brooches don't fit into my daily lifestyle looking after my little kids, and in the past I found the brooch damaged the fabric leaving a visible hole in the garment.

  • Modernise the feel by cropping the length and removing the darts to create a boxier fit. I like the length and feel of the Kebayas below, they seem more casual and jacket-like. I'm going for a light layering piece rather than a form fitting blouse. 

  • Either finish the edges with bias binding to mimic the front ties or draft a facing and possibly leave off the ties.

  • Consider the amount of design ease to take the garment from being a blouse to a light layering piece or outerwear jacket.

Short kebaya with peacock embroidery.
Cropped kebaya in red with floral embroidery.

The Kebaya below is a more recent one I bought when visiting Singapore 5 years ago. It was intended to be a present for my mum but unfortunately it was too small for her, and it's a little snug on me too. This is the one I'm choosing to trace off for my pattern, as it is the one closest in size to my current measurements.

When it comes to sewing garments, the Make It Your Own Skills Kit really opens up a world of opportunities. I hope I’ve given you some ideas for how to use the resource to personalise your wardrobe, and make your garments suit your style and life.

I can’t wait to share the finished Kebaya project with you. Stay tuned!

Happy sewing,

Leanne

WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MAKING…

FIVE MINUTE GUIDE TO SEWING & PATTERNMAKING RULERS

If you’re planning to embark on the journey that is learning how to draft patterns, there are a number of tools you will absolutely need in your toolkit. 

And, while we’re pretty big on making do with what you’ve already got, a good pattern drafting ruler (or two) is an investment we don’t think you’ll ever regret.

Like with all sewing tools these days though, there is a huge range of sewing rulers out there to choose from. 

Is there one ruler to (ahem) rule them all? Or, are they all just a different take on the same story?

Since learning to sew can be an expensive endeavour, we thought it might be helpful if we put together a quick overview of what we think makers should consider when investing in a ruler for sewing and patternmaking.

But first things first.

WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A GOOD SEWING RULER OR TWO IN YOUR TOOLKIT 

If you’re setting up your sewing toolkit, or have been dancing around whether you should invest in a ‘proper’ sewing ruler, here’s your permission. (Or at the very least, three reasons why we think you should!)

A patternmaking or sewing ruler:

  1. Will improve the overall finish of your garments by enabling you to draw smooth and accurate straight and curved lines, and remove the need for ‘eyeballing’.

  2. Is much more versatile than a regular drawing ruler. Most patternmaking rulers come with a variety of elements included. For example, different shaped curves, a set square and various different measurements and markings for adding seam allowances of different widths (to name a few).

  3. Is absolutely needed when drafting patterns from scratch, making fit alterations or hacking patterns. (There you go, you only need one reason!)

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WHICH SEWING RULER SHOULD YOU BUY?

As we said above, there’s always lots of options to choose from, so here’s where we give you our opinions, tell you what you should consider and share what we use.

Grading ruler

A grading ruler looks just like a regular drawing ruler (a long rectangle), but is a lot longer, allowing sewists to draw nice long lines in one go. 

Normally around 50-60cm in length, grading rulers are transparent (making them great for adding seam allowance) and flexible (perfect for measuring and marking curves when turned on the side). 

Some grading rulers have both centimetres and inches marked, and some have commonly used seam allowances (eg. 1.2cm) marked for easy reference.

Pros: 

  • Can be used to draw straight lines and curves

  • Lightweight and flexible

  • Great for adding seam allowances

  • Can be handy to have when doing things such as folding and pressing a hem accurately.

  • Can be used for squaring off 

  • Accessible and affordable - with a quick Google you shouldn’t have any trouble finding one within your budget.

Cons: 

  • Doesn’t have any curves, but you CAN use a straight ruler to draw curves! It takes some practice and might not be for everyone. Check out this tutorial if you’d like to know more about this technique. And FYI - these kinds of tutorials are exactly what we share in Curated by ITF community!

  • Lots of lines and grids can take some time to get used to

  • Bear in mind that some come with metric measurements, while others use imperial. Not necessarily both.

(As a technically trained pattern designer who uses rulers all the time in her daily process, a grading ruler is Emily’s pick!)

French curve

A French curve is a handy tool for drawing necklines, armholes, side seams, hem lines, waist lines and sleeve caps. Any curve a pattern has, for that matter! It’s just a matter of practice. 

If you find it tricky to draw smooth curves, this might just be the tool you need in your patternmaking toolbox. 

Pros: 

  • Very versatile - can be used for drawing straight lines and all kinds of curves.

  • Light and flexible

  • Handy for adding seam allowances to curved seams.

Cons:

  • Can be tricky to get the hang of as it requires practise to master the various curves. (But we don’t think that’s really a reason to not get one!)

Patternmaster

If you only have the space or budget for one pattern making ruler, a Patternmaster is a great choice because it covers so many bases.

Pros: 

  • Versatile - can be used for all kinds of straight and curved lines.

  • Includes a set square which is very handy when drafting your own patterns or checking your patterns.

  • Has a 45 degree marking on it which is handy when making your own bias binding.

Cons:

  • On the heavier side, particularly when compared with a French curve. This may not be a problem for home sewists however, but is definitely something to consider if you’re planning on doing a lot of pattern drafting.

  • Quite thick (which is why it’s weighty). You may see this as a pro as it’s definitely a sturdy tool.

Hip curve

As the name suggests, these rulers are used to draw the hip curve when drafting fitted pants and skirts. They are a softer curve than the French curve and can also be used for hem lines and other areas on your pattern that you might need a softer curve. 

Pros:

  • Lovely gentle curve that can create an accurate hip curve and side seam curve without second guessing yourself

  • Will fill a gap between straight ruler and French curve - just what you need for those gradual curves 

Cons:

  • Limited by what you can do with it.

  • This ruler is likely not a necessity in your kit, as with a little practice most French curves and Patternmasters can be used as a hip curve. (The practice is needed to understand how to pivot the ruler to achieve the correct curve.)

General things to consider when adding to your ruler stash

  • Is it transparent?

  • How heavy is it? How will this impact its use?

  • Does the ruler have the correct measurements for what you need (i.e. centimetres vs inches or do you want both?)

  • Where will you store it? (i.e. does it have a hole or opening so you can hang it on a hook?) Can you accommodate more than one ruler or is an all-in-one ruler more practical?

  • Is it more cost effective to get one Patternmaster rather than multiple single purpose rulers?

  • Do some rulers just feel more intuitive to use?

  • Aesthetics - Rulers come in all different colours and styles, and some colours are more optically pleasing than others. Consider whether you actually enjoy engaging with the object. Is it worth investing a little more for something that will bring you more joy to work with?

Random ruler tips

  • Masking tape can be applied to a ruler at a particular measurement to help you know what to line up with at a a glance.

  • Don’t leave them on the dash of your car. They may melt (Emily learned this the hard way!)

Happy patternmaking and sewing!

Emily

WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MAKING…

Lise wears a blue linen Flynn jacket and is holding one side open to show the bias bound seams.

Flynn jacket by Lise, Curated by ITF member

BEHIND THE SCENES: EMILY'S THOUGHTS ON COPYING YOUR CLOTHES

Since starting the Q&A series a number of years ago, we have consistently received questions about how to make a pattern from an existing garment. 

And I get the appeal. 

We all have a piece in our wardrobe that we love, but for some reason or another can’t purchase again. It may no longer be available in the shops, it might be vintage, we may have picked it up in a market overseas. Or, we may have a piece in our wardrobe we just love but the fit is not quite right, or there’s just that one thing that would make it so much more practical.

But any time I thought of making a resource about it I just couldn’t wrap my head around how to go about it. It felt like such a huge topic and one that would be new to almost everyone in our community. Although it’s not terribly difficult to do, it does involve knowing some pattern making concepts and also being able to then assemble a garment without instructions. 

It takes some troubleshooting and problem solving to trace a garment correctly and then make a pattern that will actually work. I banked it away in the back of my head and just kept making projects that felt possible and achievable. 

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Three years into Curated and I have watched our community go from strength to strength with their skills. Although most of our community have not been there since the very first projects, I still see our community of Foldies like a living organism that is learning and growing collectively. There is something about the skills and confidence of our founding members that spurs on new members to jump in and give things a go. As members share their projects (and more importantly the learning journeys that got them there) new members feel inspired and encouraged to try the projects themselves.

Then it came time to plan the projects for 2024 and I was going through the suggestion list again. The concept of copying clothes came up again, and suddenly it didn’t feel daunting. After doing such an amazing job with our other pattern making resources I knew our community had the skills to draft patterns. In fact, I’ve seen them create patterns that are so far away from the original and so creative that I knew the skills for copying clothes were already there, it was just up to me to create a resource that showed how to do it in the clearest way possible. And I must say, as an educator that is my jam.

HOW EMILY GOT STARTED ON THE COPY YOUR CLOTHES SKILLS KIT

I don’t remember learning how to draft a pattern from an existing garment. I must have learned it at university but I don’t remember the specifics. It feels like something I have always known how to do though, and it’s a skill I use regularly in my creative process if there is a design feature or shape I love on a piece in my wardrobe that I’d like to incorporate into a new design. 

Like any project, before getting started I like to check what’s already available. I don’t want to replicate patterns or content that already exists. That’s boring for both me and our community. I found there were a number of online blog posts and videos about copying your clothes. Some encourage you to unpick your clothes (I didn’t want our community to do that), while others go through the concepts quite broadly, but don’t provide the detail that I have found is helpful to understanding the process fully. Others didn’t have the level of professionalism in the drafting of the pattern that I always want to encourage in our community. 

I realised that what I needed to create was a process that started out with the very basics and then built on that with a number of tutorials, whilst also referencing pattern making techniques that aid in the process. For example, how to use a French curve, how to check and true a pattern etc. 

This project makes sense as the next skill for our community to learn because it doesn’t only teach pattern making skills. It also means that our community can draft exactly the kind of patterns they want to wear.

Our Hack Kits include a huge amount of options, but the designs included are always going to be the ones I am drawn to as the designer of the content. Whereas, by learning to copy your clothes, the sky's the limit with the types of garments you can create!

I hope this inspires you to join our community this month - we’ve had lots of new members with the release of this project (which is ALWAYS encouraging!), and we can’t wait to help them level up their patternmaking skills.

Happy patternmaking and sewing!

Emily

WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MAKING…

Cady wears a denim Ormond coat with big wooden buttons.

Ormond coat by Cady, a Curated by ITF member

Morag wears a blue Ormond chore coat.

Ormond coat by Morag, a Curated by ITF member