Utena Complete

A few more comments on the making of Utena.

The cuffs for Utena weren't very difficult, once I modified my original plan. The pattern I made (on the left) was cut on the fold, and two were needed for each cuff. What I had initially intended was to have that smaller lip fit within the coat sleeve, but this came to naught. There was no way to cut an sew thing without have strange angles, raw edges, or large gaps. To solve this the lip was cut away, and a separate ring of material stitched within the cuff. This ring slips right into the sleeve, and is currently pinned to the hem. Eventually I'll have attached snaps so that it is simpler to add and remove.

The ring is something I began designing years and years ago. The rose was a button from which the back loop was removed, but I never got any further than that. Thankfully it was still sitting in my jewelry box. I pulled it out, and sifted through all my other old charms and found the ring. It was one I have had since I was eight or nine, and while I does not fit my pointer finger any more, it perfectly on my ring finger.

To combing the two I popped out the mood gem that no longer functioned, and filled down the top. Likewise, the back of the rose was filled down smooth. When I was sure both were flat enough to sit together, I super glued them in place. Honestly, I was not expecting the glue to work so well, I thought I would have to solder them.


To fix my petticoats I pulled them all apart and looked at several different options. The length of fabric was about 90", and clearly that much fabric about the waist was too much. I decided to cut wedges from one end so that the length about the waist would be 32 inches instead. I admit not being perfectly exact in my measurements, but no matter. in the end I cut out ten wedges, about eight inches deep and 6 inches wide at the highest point. All the layers were sewn together, then the triangular sections removed. once again a waistband was attached, and a skirt hook and eye set was used in front.

Along with this adjustment in fabric, a strip of horsehair boning was placed in the bottom most layer. The amount is unsure, because I did not measure it. The petticoat and coat were both on the dress form, and I adjusted the boning to the desired stiffness, then cut it off. All together, a great improvement over the original!

The problem with the shorts was indeed the fact that cotton does not accept acid dyes. Since I was on a schedule I did not want to wait for my mother to send me some dye, and instead tried Jacquard's iDye. Disclaimer: the only reason I was willing to try this is the fact that Dharma sells it, and I trust them. There was no way I was going to use Rit dye, or anything else.

The iDye was not used the way all the other procyon dyes I have experience with were, but it was a simple process. Again I was worried as I rinsed out the shorts, but this time I was afraid it would be to dark. It took three rinsings to remove all of the dye, but they ended up being the perfect color! When the coloring process was done, I cut them off, then hemmed them.

A few other things that were done (that I have no pictures for):

• The lining and shell were stitched together and the collar added.
• The bias tape was put around all the edges. Some parts were hand stitched into place when the machine did not catch.
• The button holes for the passants, and coat front were made; and the buttons sewn on.

I say complete, but it is not entirely so. As said above, I need to sew on snaps about the sleeve hems. Also, after wearing it once, I have decided that I need hooks and eyes to keep the collar to keep in from gaping. Other than that though, we're good, so I say, "Close enough".