Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

Shortcuts in Modesty Clothing

02:59, Tuesday, October 10, 2006 .. Posted in Sewing Room .. 4 comments .. Link

Occassionally, I have been receiving emails and such asking about how to make the transition from your usual wardrobe to a more modest dress while living on a budget. Here are a few ideas that may help.

First, let me say that what constitutes modest dress varies according to the personal beliefs of each person. I don't condemn those who think differently than I do. It wasn't that long ago that I wore clothing that I now consider to not be modest. Each person must come to the decision themselves as to what is or is not modest according to their own beliefs and faith.

Let me give you my definition of modest dress. I base my beliefs on the scripture in Deuteronomy chapter 22, verse 5 which states: "the woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment". That being stated, I dress in long skirts or dresses. I am currently making the change over from skirts to dresses only. I also wear a head covering. This is out of respect for my Beloved, Joe, to show respect and honor him in his role as head of our house. Abbie is also beginning to wear covers. We will raise her to do so until the time comes when she is old enough to make the decision for herself. Our church does not teach covering or modest dress. This is something that Joe and I do as a family.

What I am making for Abbie and myself are dresses and jumpers. With winter coming, I am also making us panteloons from cotton and flannel to wear under the dresses for both modesty reasons and also to help us stay warmer in the cold temperatures. Below are some suggestions for how you can make the transformation into a more modest dress using your current wardrobe as a launching point and a quick trip to a thrift store.

Skirts: I first chose a long (ankle length) denim skirt. These are very easy to find in the thrift stores. It is also one of the most versatile pieces in the wardrobe. Anything works with denim. Any top that you have currently can be worn with it. My denim skirt is probably one of my most worn items for that very reason.

Underpinnings: Long slips are getting hard to find, so I reached a solution. Since all of my skirts are dark colors or denim, I got one of those airy little light weight long skirts in a white or neutral color. These are the skirts that you typically see that have that "broomstick" wrinkled look and an elastic waist. These can be used as a slip with minor alterations. If anything, you may have to shortened the length of the skirt so that it won't show under your dress/skirt.
Camisoles can easily be made using the silky/satin summer tops. Those spaghetti strap little tops would be great. If you like more coverage, check out the sleeveless tops. You may find something that could work as a camisole. Panteloons/pantelettes are easily made using sleep pants as a pattern. You can also use the capri length leggings under skirts for modesty. I would look for a pair that fit you well and either make a pattern from it, or else use as is. If you decide to make your own, you can use any pajama bottoms also. Simply cut them to the capri length or whatever length you prefer and hem them. You can also make or use the women's version of boxer shorts.

Making a top modest: a very easy way to make any top more modest is to wear a dickie under it. These are extremely easy to make. At the thrift store find some pretty blouses. Here is the fun part...you don't need to find one your exact size! To make the dickie, cut off the sleeves and cut open the side seams. Put the blouse on. With pins or pencil, mark the length that you want the dickie to reach. This will become your sewing/hem line. You may want to round the bottom edge to get a more finished look and also make the dickie lay nicer under your tops. Lay the dickie on a flat surface with the front buttons or snaps fastened if necessary so that you can have the blouse lay smooth and flat. Cut the front of the blouse about a half-inch below the marked line. This will allow for you to have a 1/4" rolled hem. Cut the back the desired length, also leaving the 1/2" allowance ot make the 1/4" rolled hem. To make the rolled hem, fold and press the cut edges under 1/4". Repeat and press again. Pin into place. Top-stitch the hem to finish. Variation: if you don't want to use a dickie, you can take the same basic idea and sew the blouse botice to the inside of a top to give it a more modest neckline.

A note about sewing with patterns: Here are a few suggestions that I have for those who want to make their own clothing from a pattern. If you find a garment at the thrift store that is in your size, but maybe the fabric is not something you would wear, go ahead and buy it. Carefully cut it apart at all the seams, labeling each peice as necessary (i.e. skirt front, skirt back, waistband). Iron each piece flat. On a large sheet of paper, trace each piece, adding on 1/2" for a seam allowance. The easiest way to do that is to take 2 ink pens, such as BIC pens, and tape them together. The pens are just the right size so that they will draw lines 1/4" apart. The outside line is your cutting line. Mark all the pieces with the part name, what the finished garment is (skirt, dress, etc), size, and a grainline. I would also add the number of pieces to that garment so that you will be able to keep track and not find that you are missing a piece during the construction of the garment. To assemble the garment, follow the basic steps given for any standard pattern, assembling sections that will be joined in the last steps. ***NOTE: a cheap paper that you can use for transferring patterns onto is the end rolls of newsprint paper. You can get it at any newspaper printing location. Just stop by the newspaper office and ask for them. They will direct you to the place you need to go. One end roll can have paper from 1"-4" thick still on the roll. Big printing locations change out the rolls each time they start a new print job so that they don't have to stop mid-way and replace empty rolls. These end rolls are great for covering tables and other projects also. You can expect to pay about $4 - $6 per roll depending on it's size and how much paper is still on it.

Another quick tip is to watch your fabric store sales ads. Our local store has ads come out every 2-3 weeks. Once a month, each major pattern company such as McCalls, Simplicity & Butterick are put on sale for $.99 cents per pattern. They usually have a purchase limit of 5 patterns per customer. Go onto the pattern companies' websites and make up a wish list in a notebook. If necessary, write a note as to what you want to use that pattern for and any notes as to alternative ways to use that pattern. When that company's patterns go on sale, I take my list and buy the patterns. Most times, Joe will go with me and we will each purchase the limit of 5 patterns. That gives us 10 patterns for less than the cost on 1 pattern at it's marked price. I have easily bought 10 patterns for a cost of $10 that if I had paid the marked price, the cost would have been over $120. I am buying patterns that will give me alot of multiple uses. For example, patterns for home decor, wardrobe basics, etc.

I hope that this helps to explain things abit. I will be happy to answer questions if you have any or need further explanation.

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head coverings

04:35, Tuesday, October 10, 2006 .. Posted by kas
I have always been curious about why women wear head coverings, but never asked. From what I read in your blog, it is to show respect for your husband, or for men as heads of the household, spiritual leaders. Thanks for sharing about modesty.

something interesting

08:13, Wednesday, October 11, 2006 .. Posted by tioga12
We were raised with that Scripture in mind when it came to dress...
Recently I read something which revealed that the "that which pertaineth to a man" in the original language had to do with garments worn in combat. I don't know if that was the author's intention or not, but found the observation interesting...
Thanks for sharing!
~Annette

Untitled Comment

12:57, Thursday, October 12, 2006 .. Posted by oklamouse
Thank you for your comment. I will not allow this comment area to become a debate forum, but I must state my position publicly since you brought this up publicly. If you have further comment regarding this, please contact me privately.

I do not agree with the idea that the scripture was referring to combat clothing. I read the entire chapter (in addition the chapters previous and following) and found nothing that supported that thought. I have also checked Strong's Concordance and it supports my beliefs in that the garment spoken of is simply clothing. Nothing mentioned about combat. Again, please contact me privately if you wish to further discuss this. I would be interested to hear your source of reference for the combat clothing idea.

God Bless.

So Glad I Found This!

04:06, Sunday, January 21, 2007 .. Posted by Keeblur
I had written a post asking about making clothing for my daughter and myself. Someone directed me to your site. This article was the perfect answer to at least part of my questions. I printed off the article (actually the printer printed off your entire sewing postings) and I'm going to read them all through. If I have any questions I will ask you, if you don't mind.
Vicki

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Shortcuts in Modesty Clothing

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