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Anna Demb wrote:
Elena Wulf wrote:Here's one. Please ignore the wet spot
One idea with less trouble than gores could be to slit the sides of the skirt, and insert rectangular panel into each side to make more room for walking without changing the drape. So what you would do is
1. cut a rectangular piece of cloth the length of the skirt and as wide as you'd like to expand the circumference of the skirt. For example, 1 foot on each side for a total of 2 feet wider.
2. sew each side of the rectangle to the corresponding side of the skirt, leaving a big flap in the middle under the armpits.
3, fold each rectangle to make a pleat on each side of the skirt—half to the back and half to the front might be best, but you could try folding the whole rectangle to to the front, or to the back.
4. sew the top edge of the folded pleat to the top edge of the skirt.
(5. you could also insert a pocket into the seam if you wanted to.)
Then maybe either make darts in the bodice for shaping, with a mini-pleat in the skirt under each dart, or maybe just put in an elastic at the seam between bodice and skirt.
Attached are pictures, from outside & inside, of something similar I did with just one retangle to make more room for movement in the back of a shirt.
Tereza Okava wrote:
Jay Angler wrote: The Japanese used to fold up their futons every morning - not leave them on the floor. You may need to do something like putting loops on the top corners of the mattress and hang it on hooks somewhere that it will get enough airflow to dry.
this is really important. it's still done, generally hanging over a balcony railing or something just to get the moisture out before you fold it and put it away. if you don't do it, it becomes mold fest.
the carpet undermat sounds like a great idea. the futons in japan generally work well when you're on top of tatami, which has a few layers of give, they're not much fun on top of a concrete floor, like in the one apartment i had there.
I think you could conceivably make the sweaters fit your purpose, just frankenstein them together (i don't think the kind of thread really matters, cut them open or fit them together intact and start stitchin'). personally i wouldn't worry about appearances and would get myself some old sheets and sew a case for it to go inside, think duvet cover). my only concern is that you're going to need a lot of sweaters. i'm thinking of what a futon looks like inside and it's a pretty significant amount of cotton batting. wool sweaters look fluffy and soft til you compress them, although maybe you have much more than i'm imagining.
if i needed more materials i'd go to a thrift store and get some old comforters or blankets and use them for some more bulk.
Jay Angler wrote:Let me see if I understand.
Plan A is to put the carpet squares on the floor, put a homemade quilt made out of quilted sweaters on top and that will be your "mattress"?
1. What is the "footprint" of the carpet squares?
2. Do you have, or can you get from a local charity shop a large chunk of natural fabric like a bedsheet/drape/cotton bedspread? Assuming your carpet foot print is about the equivalent of a single bed (3ft by 6') a double size bed-sheet would make the top and bottom of a felted wool "mattress".
3. There are ways to cheat. If you have a good pillow, you will need less mattress thickness for the top foot. Similarly, the legs below the hips may not need as much thickness to be comfortable as you need to comfortably support your body from your chin to your upper thighs.
I made myself a mattress topper out of chunks of leftover quilt batting a long time ago. It was for a double bed, so I used 2 cotton sheets. I laid the batting in overlapping sections trying to keep it more or less the same thickness. I then did large running stitches to hold the top and bottom together in rows at about right angles to each other. I intended to cover this with a separate sheet, so I didn't have to worry about getting caught on loose stitches or about how it looked. I was having shoulder issues at the time, and the existing mattress was too firm. This topper was enough to soften it and I got better sleep.
Warning: Beds normally have airspace beneath them. Your body heats the air in the mattress which therefore holds more moisture, and if it hits a solid surface under the mattress, it will tend to condense there and likely result in mould issues. The wool squares will decrease that risk if they have enough loft, but you may need to watch for this. The Japanese used to fold up their futons every morning - not leave them on the floor. You may need to do something like putting loops on the top corners of the mattress and hang it on hooks somewhere that it will get enough airflow to dry.