Reverse Scarf Sleeve May 13, 2008

On my latest wrap dress I wanted to do something different with the sleeve that was interesting but not too fussy. As I was trying to go to sleep one night, it hit me: taking the scarf sleeve and turning it around into a split sleeve! Still covered, still cool, just a little different. The pattern alterations are easy! You are basically splitting the sleeve straight down the shoulder line to the hem, removing the flare from the underarm and adding it to the new seam. I also thought it would be nice to eliminate the unnecessary underarm seam so I simply lapped the front and back at the seamline (since this sleeve will have a lot of movement I didn’t want a serged seam showing under the arm). Don’t forget to add a seam allowance to the new seam. The only drawback is that this sleeve cannot be set in flat, it must be set in the round.

ORIGINAL SLEEVE:

NEW SLEEVE:

COMPARED TO ORIGINAL BACK SLEEVE CAP:

COMPARED TO ORIGINAL FRONT SLEEVE CAP:

To sew this, simply stitch from the shoulder point down as far as desired - purely personal preference, I sewed down about 3.5″ to the point where the sleeve starts to flare out. If you wanted it more open you could start the flare higher. Once that is sewn finish and turn up the hems and you are ready to set the sleeve. To reinforce this area, I sewed through a small square of stay tape. You could also fuse a tiny bit of interfacing over the stitching line to give it a bit of strength.

If you look closely at my pattern you will see that I have a 1/4″ seam allowance in the cap and 5/8″ everywhere else. Knit sleeves are just so much easier to set with a 1/4″ seam allowance especially if they are set in flat. Remember that the armscye seam allowance will need to be reduced as well.

I am sometimes asked why I bother to leave the 5/8″ seam allowance at the side seams instead of trimming them down to 1/4″ to make serging easier. Well, I am not a big fan of serged side seams on knit dresses (or long skirts and pants) as they tend to draw up. Instead, I sew the standard seam with a tiny zigzag - stretching the seam a little as I sew - and press it open. This gives a nice flat seam. The unfinished edges are perfectly acceptable to me. It is more important to me to retain the fluidity of the knit than to have a serged finish.

THE FINISHED SLEEVE!

Notice that I stitched across at the top of the split - I HATE IT and don’t know what I was thinking! I’ll go ahead and wear the dress tomorrow night and then remove that stitching and stitch all the way up to the shoulder on each side. My topstitching also looks crooked but it isn’t, that’s just the way the sleeve is hanging. You know if it was I’d rip it all out and start over.

To see the completed dress along with the accessories I chose to wear with it and get the fabric information, please visit my personal blog, Behind The Seams.

Classic Calvin March 21, 2008

My daughter Emma has a weekly percussion lesson so I hang out at the library to catch up on fashion mags.  This month’s Vanity Fair has a wonderful in-depth article on Calvin Klein. In addition to the story, the VF website has a great video of Calvin showcasing his best designs from the past 40 years while he candidly discusses his design philosophy, color, sewing, design school and a whole lot more.

He’s charming, modest, handsome as ever and of course his clothes are exquisite!

The Hostess Cupcake Dress August 31, 2007

Some of you may recognize this dress, published in Threads as an illustration for my article on snoop shopping. What you probably don’t know is that this dress was a joint Sewing Divas effort. I made the pattern, Diva Emeritus Ann sewed it, and Phyllis did the embellishing. All of this was done by phone and e-mail, a great collaborative dress!

I started with a sketch based on a top purchased at retail. There was to be no embellishing around the neck, just some lace trim and an organza rosette at the center front waist.

However, in the way that sketches have of changing as they begin to take shape in RL (Real Life), the original concept had to shift with the requirements of the situation. What happened? First of all, I had to get the sample made FAST - I could not send off to China to get the sample made. Second, BB (Big Boss) wanted the sample to be in chocolate brown silk chiffon. No chance of dyed to match trim….so I went to the trim stash to see what I could come up with, and purchased a couple of other things to toss in there. I sent all of the disparate elements to Phyllis and she made it into a lyrical cohesive embellishment that added enormously to the final allure of the dress. Here’s what I sent her, and just see how she put it together in the final dress above! The tea-dying of all the elements took away some of the white icing on the cupcake look that we struggled with (hence the dress’ nickname).

Phyllis’ hand made silk rose at the waistband was the real icing though, with her strands of beads cascading down, far better than the tacky ivory flower pin I sent her, or the organza roses with the trailing ends seen in the photo from the shop in Hong Kong. Phyllis’ embellishment is what made this cupcake dress so yummy!

The Cutting Edge July 14, 2007

Some say if it’s in the New York Times, it’s already over. This Thursday’s style section ran an article about the resurgence of sewing, knitting and crafts in general. I guess that must be news to them.

The Home Sewing Association says that there are about 35 million sewing amateurs in the United States, compared with 30 million in 2000.

So for those who are new to sewing (5 million??) welcome to the wonderful world of sewing, ripping, and eventual accomplishment. How many returned to sewing, after abandoning it? did you learn from your aunt or your grandmother?

My grandma, and the teenage girls who lived next door to her, helped me make doll clothes, starting when I was 8 years old.

If you know how to sew, pass your skills along! It will keep sewing on the cutting edge.

My dear daughter participated in a runway fashion show at her high school this past year. There were some great outfits. Here is one of the 3 she showed - the seams are wobbly, but for her first efforts at putting stuff together, totally great!