Vogue 1048 - Chado Ralph Rucci Embellishment April 5, 2008

Man, sewing blogs and forums are on fire over the two Chado Ralph Rucci patterns added by Vogue last week!

I got mine yesterday, and the instruction sheet reveals this pattern to be even more interesting than I imagined. The embellishment is beautiful, and it’s typical Rucci; he has often used self-fabric braid and bullion stitches in his couture collections. 

 

In the example above bullions are used to connect the irregular pattern pieces.

On Vogue 1048 bullion stitches attach the braid to the hem of the dress; and I can say from experience that this is a stitch you should definitely practice in a hoop before you try it free hand.  It’s considered an advanced hand embroidery stitch, and like all hand embroidery sucess relies on thread tension and consistency.   Also, on a technical note, a bullion stitch is impossible to do neatly with anything other than a milliner needle. 

Milliner needles have very small eyes and are the same diameter all along the length; they don’t taper much at the point.  They are hard to thread, so I always use a threader.   Milliners come in different sizes, a thicker one will make a fatter bullion.

The small eye makes it much easier to pull the wrapped threads off of the needle and onto the inner supporting thread when forming the bullion, and you should  make the exact same number of wraps for each bullion.  Here’s a link to a bullion stitch tutorial that is much more thorough than the one in the pattern instructions.  You’ll see how to form the stitch correctly, and there are examples of bullion stitches done incorrectly.  However there is one glaring mistake to note:  the wrong type of needle is shown in the tutorial!  They show a tapestry needle (note the long and wide eye) - trust me, if you try to use a tapestry needle, or any needle other than a milliner for a bullion you won’t be able to pull the thread wraps off the needle.

I have one other major disagreement with the instruction sheet, which implies that buttonhole twist is a good thread for bullions.  It’s fine to use that for the topstiching, but the best looking bullions are made from a single strand, non-divisible thread such as floche.  Regular six strand floss can be substituted, but use three strands instead of six.  Nordic Needle is a good source for floche and milliner needles.

On the braid, 2mm cord or rattail might be a substitute for the fashion fabric bias tubes if the thought of cranking out yards and yards of hand made bias tubing is a little daunting to you (it is to me!)

I’m still thinking about how my version will look; I think this dress in a dark wash denim with jute topstitching, ball buttons and braid  would be great.  Rucci rarely uses prints, but I can see this in seersucker with white topstitching, ball buttons and braid (Ann has a great green and white seersucker on Gorgeous Fabrics). Rattail cord has a shiney surface so there I’d stick with a polished cotton or a linen for contrast and tone-on-tone color between the embellishment and the fashion fabric.

This design is really beautiful and I hope it’s a sign that Vogue has finally got their mojo back for the designer pattern collection.

 

Moving On - A Summer Wardrobe Revamp March 9, 2008

The Girl Scout Leader  wadder dress is in the trash and will be out for pick up in the morning!  I really enjoyed all of the comments and suggestions, but in the end it had to go because I just couldn’t see  myself wearing it under any circumstances.

So - next up -  a revamp of my summer work wardrobe.  Most of the time I go for a three-season work look; Boston can be cool well into April, and my favorite season is Fall anyway.  I love boots, skirts, and light jackets and would dress that way all year if I could.

Summer is problematic; I don’t like hot humid weather, have sun sensitive skin and I loath pantyhose.  Summer is also a short season in Boston, and most people tend to go uber-casual for work because no one wants to bother spending money and energy on clothes that work for just a 12 week period.  I fell into that mindset too, not that I’ll wear Crocs (ack!) but there were days when I  wore way too much Old Navy on a regular basis.

 This has to change!

After giving it some thought, here is my summer work wardrobe criteria:

• No pantyhose; so this means pants, capri’s or longer skirts
• Nothing drapey; I’m SO SICK of the gathered, empire waist, baby doll, Duro looks of the past three years!
• Structured but not tailored because tailored is my regular three season look

 After some stash shopping, I decided to go with the Hot Patterns No Sweat Easy Sew Geisha Girl Jacket and Pants.   The jacket will be a reembroidered Japanese floral cotton with a red silk twill for the facings and belt.  I like the facings on this pattern because I can make the jacket reversible, and the red silk tones down the floral.  The lining will be the same red silk twill, and for the topstitching I may pickstitch the facings with red Delica beads on the red silk side.  I have to thank Gigi for educating me as to the right way to approach florals;  she has often noted they tend to look better on younger women and I totally agree with her.  Fortunately, this floral fabric is more subtle than most, and the red, white and black cross-stitch embroidery adds an interesting surface embellishment.    The pants will just be a nice black polyester for easy care in hot weather. 

Time to trace off the pattern!

Faking It February 23, 2008

 

For the past new years I’ve been building a collection of  costume jewelry and I want to spread the news that (1) costume doesn’t mean ugly, and (2) costume doesn’t need to mean cheaply made.

I’m not a huge fan of fine jewelry; mostly because the pieces I do like are way out of my price range, and the pieces that are in my price range are kind of twee and bland for my taste.  Give me costume any day!

The necklace above is a foray into faux tortoise; it’s a Liz Claiborne piece from Macy’s.  I do wish it were a bit longer,  but that’s easy to change because I can go to A.C. Moore and just buy chain to make an extender.  The resin and Swarovski crystal bangles are Kenneth Jay Lane and are brand new on QVC.com  - aren’t they fabulous?  I really want them and they also come in clear and black in addition to faux tortoise and black.  I may also look for a nice silver chain necklace with big links to wear with this; I like to double up necklaces.

 I wear my faux Chanel jacket all the time with these pieces; the pearls came from the Store Who Shall Not Be Named, the Voldemort of Retail.  This strand is 48 inches long, perfect for doubling up.  The glass pearls are nice and heavy, and each is individually knotted.  The black & silver necklace was made by RivkasMom on Etsy, and it’s made from a gunmetal chain,  lava rock beads, and the beads are embellished with Swarovski crystals.

Somestimes I wear just the pearls along with this brooch; it’s Monet from about 2-3 years ago.

The necklace on the jacket below I found about 2 years ago in Filene’s Basement; I love the bold colors,  and the way it nicely fills in a neckline.  The brooch is 20 years old at least, I think it’s Catherine Stein but it’s unmarked and I forgot who made it long ago.

I’m always on the look out for cool costume pieces, and good sources include Etsy.com, QVC.com, as well as discounters like TJ Maxx and Marshall’s.  Costume jewelry gets marked down pretty fast, and you can get some great deals.  The most expensive piece here was $60.

A Sewing Trinket from the Divas January 18, 2008

butterfly-needle-book.pdf

Above is the pattern for the butterfly needle book.  There are no instructions, and you should be able to figure out on your own how to make one of these. It’s pretty simple.

Also, we offer no PC, Mac or computer advice as well since we’re not computer professionals.  I clicked on the file and I was able to download it with no problem.

A belated Happy New Year!

A Spanish Master January 5, 2008

Here on Sewing Divas, we are big fans of Paco Peralta, a fashion designer based in Barcelona.  Paco is a master of his art, and his designs embody that wonderful Spanish flair for tailoring we all know from modern masters such as Balenciaga. 

 

 

A rich history of Spanish court dress, ecclesiastical clothing, and matador costume is infused into Paco’s work, along with modern influences from Armani and Ralph Rucci.  The end result is truly special.  On his blog Paco shares his work and technique; he is generous with his knowledge and I have learned much from him in a very short time.  His vidoes even have a musical soundtrack! His blog is in Spanish, but he has thoughtfully added a handy Google translator that works in several languages.  His sister Isabel does his fabulous photpgraphy and videos, and we sewists can learn a lot from her as well when it comes to lighting and styling our projects.

We have a link to Paco on our blogroll, and if you have not yet checked him out please do so! 

The Ghost of Christmas Past December 25, 2007

My mother sent me these vintage needle booklets for Christmas - aren’t they wonderful?  She said in her note that she found them at a “second hand sale” and as soon as I opened them I felt an immediate and powerful connection to the sewist who used them.

My favorite tools are always the ones I make myself.  I made the needle book below a few years ago when I was going through a bit of OCD while trying to embroider a proper bullion rose.  

The “cover” is filled with two pieces of plastic canvas zigzagged round the edges, then trimmed.  I added flannel pages and stitched a center “binding” between the pieces of plastic canvas.   I have a collection of vintage needles I that like to use for embroidery and hand sewing, so I store them in this booklet.

 

I have this fantasy that the woman who made the vintage needle books was just as pleased as I was when she finished hers.  The fronts and back are two colors of wool felt, and the pages are white flannel.  The butterfly is missing one antenna, but the simple silk floss embellishment is still bright.  The flower basket is embellished with posies stitched from french knots and lazy daisy stitches for leaves.  The handle of the basket folds down to show the needles.  Based on the shapes and colors I’d say both date from the late 1930’s to mid 1940’s.  I love the imagery from this era because it reminds me of my grandmother and my great aunts.

I doubt I’ll take the needles out - I’d rather leave them just as they are, as they were, the last time the unkown maker touched them.   A sewing moment frozen in time; a tangible link to the past and a respite from modern life.

Alternative for real buttons, part 2 December 23, 2007

I found some more pictures I took from the blouse flower “buttons”. The underside (bottom) is shaped into a small square about 1/2 inch wide.

The bottom is attached to the blouse center front at two spots, this way the loops stay put on them.

It makes sense that the loops although they are tiny are edge-stitched too so they will keep their shape by the weight of the flowers.

Alternative for Real Buttons - Make a Dior Rose December 22, 2007

Els post on the Dior Rose reminded me of how much I love this as an embellishment.  Purchased trims are often more expensive than your fabric, and these can be made from scraps. These are easy to do and they can be made in just about any size.

You can use any fabric, but of course silk makes the showiest roses.   A drapey fabric like charmeuse makes a softer rose than a dupioni,  but really it’s up to you.  I’ve also seen them made from chiffon, wool crepe and even boucle, which is kinda cool.  Here’s how to make them:

Draw a long rectangle on paper.  This one is 2 inches wide by 10 inches long; a longer rectangle will make a rose with more “petals”.  Fold the rectangle in half and mark off a curved edge using a French Curve.  Mark a 45 degree angle as the grain line because you will cut this out on the bias. 

Cut out the rectangle and sew a scant seam along each curved edge; then turn the rectangle out. Do not press it  -  a soft edge makes a prettier rose (I used china silk for the sample below).  Finger press the stitching on the curved side seams (my scissors  above are just holding down the unpressed folded edge.)

Take a length of knotted thread and baste along the bottom cut edge.  Don’t cut the thread after basting ; just leave it in the needle.  Gently pull the basting to form a circle and then begin to roll the rose into shape from the inside to the outside, gently incorporating the gathers into a shape that pleases you.  Use the still-threaded needle to hand sew the rose together once you have it gathered into a shape that resembles the ones from Els’ post.

The trick in making these is to keep the shape flat like a button as opposed to a twisted cone shape.  If this is a challenge you can stitch the flower onto a backing such as ultra-suede, felt or buckram.  It’s also good to make a one or two extra so you can choose the best-looking ones for your project. 

One word of caution – if these roses are crushed or ironed they lose all of their appeal, so it’s never a bad idea to remove them from a garment before you clean it.  You could sew snaps onto them to make them easily removable, and if you’ve use a backing snaps are simple to add.

So that’s it!  This is a classic embellishment you can use on gowns, dresses, bags, hats or even as a brooch.

Alternative for real buttons December 20, 2007

Last week my mother asked me to shorten a RTW blouse. This blouse had an unusual closure which I think is worth to share. The “buttons” were made from bias cut fabric and shaped like small flowers. The flower “buttons” were closed by fabric loops  and the edge where the buttons are attached had a cut on underlay extension.

 

    

   

   

                                                                      

Holiday 2007 - Done ! December 14, 2007

I finished up the dress about 30 minutes ago - yee hah!  The party is at 6:00pm, so we’ll be leaving for the Westin in a few hours.  I’ll post a photo of me in the dress later this weekned, along with lots of detailed photos of the final work - it was mostly hand sewing once the main seams were done.  The photos are a pretty good representation of the actual color.

Anyway - here it is:

Also, the pattern is reviewed on PR.

Happy Holidays !  Phyllis