Holiday 2007 - Vouge 8313, Preparing the Pieces November 25, 2007

This is probably the least interesting part of the construction process.   The pattern has been thread traced onto fabric blocks, and each piece will be cut as I need it to keep raveling down to a minimum.  The seam allowances will also be cut extra wide and trimmed to deal with the raveling. The photo on the left is a back skirt piece from the right side, and the right side photo shows the same piece with a partially basted underlining.  In my mind I went back and forth over whether or not to also add a lining, and then decided the organza underlining would add enough structure, and I would still be able to see and enjoy the reverse side of this brocade, which is just a beautiful as the side I chose.  The silk organza looks much more opaque than it really is because I didn’t use a flash for this photo.

The crystal beads arrived yesterday, so I mocked up the crystal picot edging.  After some experimentation with thread, it turns out that the best one for this application is a double strand of Guterman silk (sold on the blue spool you see below.)  I tried Nymo, a beading thread, but it was too stiff, and a single strand of Guterman was not strong enough to hold the beads upright along the edge of the fabric, which is on a slight bias for the  upper bodice.  However, a double strand of Guterman silk is perfect.  The needle is a sharp with a small eye.  The Swarovski crystals are size 2mm; about the same size as a seed bead.

 

If I can get all of the pieces pinned and then thread basted to the underlining I’ll be making good progess for today.

Holiday 2007 - Vogue 8313, Muslin Mania November 18, 2007

So far, I’m up to muslin No.4  on Vogue 8313 and here they are from left to right:

I’m not in the least upset that it’s taken me four muslins to correct the fit, because the challenges are totally due to my shape.  Vogue slopers, as well as McCall’s, have linebacker shoulders, and I’m just the opposite.  When I tried on the original muslin, even though it was a 14, my normal size, the upper bodice was so big it slid right off my shoulders! 

In addition to having narrow shoulders, one shoulder is also higher than the other, and the pattern pieces, when laid out flat (this is after adjustment), really do look very different from each other:

Pretty crazy right?  The differences between the two sides of my body are really apparent when the flat pattern pieces are compared against the Vogue original (the seam allowances have been removed):

Needless to say, I’ll have to do a single-layer layout when I cut the fashion fabric.  The back upper bodice piece didn’t need the indvidual attention of the front, so I’ll able to use one pattern piece:

A few more tweaks and I should be ready to move onto the fashion fabric.  The Swarovski crystals are on their way from Fire Mountain Gems & Beads, and I discovered that  I do have enough fabric for applique seams at the sides.  Gotta order some black silk organza for an interlining, and then the fun begins!

Holiday 2007 - Vogue 8313 November 12, 2007

Our company holiday party is at the Westin Copley Place this year, and for the first time in quite a while I need to make something other than sportswear! So after an email consultation with the rest of the Sewing Divas,  I’ve settled on Very Easy Vogue 8313:

I’ll do the 3/4 sleeve version.  The fabric is a deep garnet silk taffeta brocade with a floral border design on the cross grain (a gift from Ann of Gorgeous Fabrics). The floral pattern (about 18 inches deep) will be along the hem and it thins out to scattered floral motifs. I’ll bead the deep-v neckline front and back as well as the sleeves with jet Swarovski crystals in a picot edge.

Maybe, just maybe, and if I’m careful and lucky with the layout, I’ll have enough fabric to do an appliqué seam at the sides - it would be nice to preserve the floral pattern all the way around the hem.  The pattern doesn’t call for a lining, but adding one in black China silk won’t be difficult.

The party is December 14 - it’s  time to get going on a muslin!

What to do with the scraps? November 9, 2007

In a recent raid on Barnes and Noble I found a new publication called “Sew Somerset” - found in with the sewing, quilting, and craft magazines. It was like a window on a whole new world…The cover tag line says ‘the art of creative sewing with mixed-media’. There is a whole slew of ways of mixing paper and fabric and bits of stuff into art, which I have really never explored. It definitely got me thinking, as you can probably guess I do have lots of bits and pieces of cloth, buttons, lace, and trinkets. It closely resembles collage, but goes beyond that into book making, Artist Trading Cards, etc…

I have done a bit of patchwork and appliqué over the years, like this top with the front pieced together with stretch velvet swatches…

Or this patchworked cardigan made from printed stretch velvet swatches…

I have even embellished cardigans with bits of lace and ribbon like this piece.

But nothing like the sewn bits of memory and fancy I found in this magazine. There is a Somerset Studio website, mainly geared towards selling their main product: rubber stamps (there’s a reason the parent company is called Stampington) They produce the magazine Belle Armoire and have a new publication called Altered Couture coming out this month, with lots of tips and tricks for re-fashioning already made garments. Their web page with rules for art submission gives the background on all of their publications for those interested. I am looking forward to seeing what Altered Couture looks like.

I particularly loved the “Sewing Book” on pg 30 of the Sew Somerset magazine: an altered book by Caterina Giglio. She started with an Eddie Bauer catalog and glued and gessoed the pages to make a book. She then proceeded to sew and glue images, buttons, lace, fabric scraps, pattern pieces to make a highly evocative and personal piece of art to express her relationship to sewing and to honor her grandmothers who taught her so much. She is part of a group called Creative Underground in Ft. Collins CO. I found their website and see they have many books and useful products for sale. Well worth a visit!

I made a covered folder a few years ago that reminds me of this kind of sewn mixed media. Covered in stretch lace and embellished with ribbons and scraps of stretch velvet, I felt like I should transfer the technique to a jacket or some other garment. This sewn mixed media magazine got me to thinking that maybe I could play with the scraps and bits for its own sake, and it never need be applied to a garment at all. Hmmm

Color can make a difference October 18, 2007

Yesterday my son’s girlfriend showed me her new bought winter coat. It is a nice wool black coat with large black buttons and a funky woven belt.

In my view there was missing something, so I suggested that I could sew the buttons back on but with a matching green from the belt, instead of the original black thread they were sewed on.

Girlfriend thought it was a good idea and see what a different color thread can do.

 

                                                                                           

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!

Knitting necklaces August 23, 2007

I bought a fantasy yarn in Denmark two years ago and received some fun fantasy ribbon yarns from my friend Annika from the US and they were still waiting to be used. Since the yarns were not enough to knit a shawl they were in my stash because I did not know what to do with it. 

Some time ago the light bulb went on in my head when I wanted to see a movie on tv but felt the urge to do something with my hands while watching tv.I knitted some necklaces. Easy and fun to do it does not take a long time and the result is a colourful fantasy necklace with little effort to make.

The first one I knitted was just a long narrow piece from the fantasy yarn. I used large knitting needles size 9.I knitted a so-called straight stitch on every row till I used all the yarn, joining the short edges was all what I did since the yarn is curly enough so I can wear it just as that. It matches a kiwi green knit short sleeve top. 

The others I made from a USA Ribbon Yarn called “Incredible.

Casting on 8 or 10 stitches wide the first row knit stitches and on the reverse side purl stitches this is called stocking stitches. I did cast off the stitches when the piece was long enough land sewed both short ends together using a large embroidery needle and continue with joining the long edges.

  

For the next 2, I used knit stitches, which is called garter stitches.

The pink one I also started with 8 stitches and I Increased some stitches so the rectangle piece begins narrow and widen towards halve of the desired length than do the reverse for the other half decrease the stitches, joining the short and long edges.

Enjoy all the novelty yarn that is now available.

Mexico Lindo July 17, 2007

My work in the garment industry takes me to a lot of far away places. I love seeing the local handicrafts, like weaving, dyeing, embroidery, and local clothing. This has led me to collecting Indian saris, Indonesian batiks, and Chinese embroidered silk pajamas. I have found wonderful buttons in Korea, and blazer patches in a New Delhi bazaar that are worthy of the most expensive Ralph Loren cashmere jackets.

Here I am in the packing department of a handloom/powerloom weaver in Coimbatore India. This is very far off the beaten path! Yet it is hard to find ‘local’ product - it is all made for export.

It’s tough though, as usually I only get to see the hotel, the factory, and the road in between on these trips, they don’t pay me to be a tourist. I have to steal time away, and beg people to take me to places where such things can be found. Often the local people devalue the indigenous crafts, they all want blue jeans and tee shirts, Adidas and Coca Cola. I would much rather have a chai in a rough hut in an old part of town and discuss making something with a elderly tailor who’s been trained in British-style menswear traditions. Give me an old guy, any day, who learned the old school way, rather than a young’un who wants to be all modern.

Earlier this month when I was in Mexico, it was no different. I had to ask several people to guide me to finding local embroidery and weaving, leaving them to scratch their heads and wonder where I might find such a thing. Finally, I found out that a small town near Puebla called Cholula had a Saturday market, and that there were 2 old ladies that often had local style embroidery and weavings for sale. Unfortunately we had to leave for the long drive to the airport in Mexico City at 10 am, so time was very short to mount an expedition. “They are at the market at the foot of the Mayan Pyramid” was the only directions we got, so it meant driving around losing time getting lost for awhile before we found it. Sure enough, the 2 old ladies were there, getting set up for the day. It was early and most of the others who would lay out their wares had not even shown up yet. It was so early that I was in a fog and neglected to photograph the women in front of the Mayan pyramid. I hope I can go back some day and get that photo, and see what else might be at that tiny market.

I was underwhelmed. There was not much selection, and the fabric used was the wretched poly/cotton that I can’t abide. I chose the 2 best pieces - the most sophisticated in terms of color and pattern. I suppose I could unstitch the handmade bits and set them on another garment – but that’s a project for a rainy day in the distant future. Meanwhile, it is totally awe inspiring the amount of work on these 2 garments, and what a surprise when you get up close!

Here is the black one, most definitely poly cotton.

The red and black one may actually be cotton, but most likely not.

And now for the surprise, it’s not embroidery at all, but actually seed bead work!

Summer Snoop Shopping June 16, 2007

This summer I’ve been wearing a-line floaty skirts in hot weather, and I find them to be a really comfortable and fun alternative to capris. Last week I found this no-name RTW skirt at Filene’s Basement here in Boston - it’s not a work of art by any means, but it has a few ideas worth stealing.  The fabric is a really pretty poly chiffon with a slighty vintage-looking pattern of green-black-white hydrangeas, and the style is a simple 12 gore falling from a contour waistband with additional triangular gores set in between. The hem is edged with a strip of raw edge white netting and it’s attached to the skirt with a simple roll hem turned to the outside. The lining is a cream poly chiffon.

This breezy skirt would be very easy to replicate with Simplicity 4188, Vogue 8297 or McCall’s 5331. This year you can find some lovely silk and synthetic chiffon prints at Gorgeous Fabrics, Thai Silks, and Fashion Fabrics Club. I think I might need to whip up a few of these because I have some nice brown netting in my stash.  If you can’t locate netting you could use a netted embroidered lace, a venise lace, or even bridal tulle.

Add a cap sleeve t-shirt or an eyelet blouse and it’s a very cute weekend look!

Lingerie Sewing With Machine Embroidery Stabilzer May 19, 2007

Whew - sorry I’ve been away for so long! The past few weeks have been super busy (new job, end of school year activities, holidays, etc.)

It’s been crazy, but I did mange to finish this gown. This is a gift to Diva Mary Beth, who as many of you are aware, has been receiving radiation and chemotherapy treatment. The goal of this project was make her something simple and fresh. This pattern is a lovely Burda WOF style from 1993, and I saved that issue because this is so simple and womanly. I think you could adapt Simplicity 4180 for a very similar look. This project turned out pretty well, and it was not as hard as you might think because I used machine embroidery stabilizer (Pellon Sol-U-Web) in the application of the lace. There are generally two types of water soluble stabilizer for fine fabrics: clear rolls or sheets that look like plastic wrap, and then types such as Sol-U-Web, which is a mesh. I prefer the mesh type because it doesn’t dry out.  This is very simple style , just five pattern pieces, and it relies on one layer technique with no facings or interfacings of any kind. The lace application may look really difficult, but you take your time and use the right materials you can do something just like this.

Trimming & Placing the Lace

The lace itself was a rayon Chantilly galloon about 18 inches wide, and it was trimmed around the flower motifs to create an interesting transition to the beige silk charmeuse.  The seam allowance for the bodice pattern piece were removed at center front, and the point of the scallops were placed along that line - the scallops form the new finished edge of the center front. The lace is pinned and then hand basted to the bodice pieces.  Also, notice the small portion of the scallop on the inside of the shoulder seam - this represents the seam allowance.  The lace was placed this way because I wanted a perfect scallop to frame Mary Beth’s neck at the shoulder.  The piece on the right has been pre-pinned, the one on the left has been basted and the pins removed.

Adding the Stabilzer

The fashion fabric is a pre-washed stretch silk charmeuse. Pre-washing makes this fabric very soft and vintage looking, so I needed the stabilizer to keep the two layers from shifting. Below you can see in this (fuzzy- sorry!) photo the back bodice with the stabilizer, attached with a temporary, water soluble spray adhesive. Also - here’s a hint - never spray the fabric. Spray the stabilizer and then pat it gently onto the pattern piece making sure the grain is preserved

Now it was ready to stitch from the right side, using a small 2 x 1.5mm zigzag along the cut edge of the lace. Then the stabilizer was carefully pulled away and the fashion fabric is trimmed away from the back. Any remaining stabilizer is soaked off in warm water, the piece rolled in a towel, and then left to air dry. Then the rest of the nightgown goes together.

After the gown was complete it’s washed again (in a mesh bag) to remove all traces of the stabilizer. The sleeve and hem edges were finished with a shell stitch. Stray threads will turn up with this type of one layer sewing, and those can be trimmed after the second washing.

So - even if you have no interest in machine embroidery, water soluble stabilizers are still a really useful sewing tool. I also like using them to make buttonholes . The button hole is marked with a sewing marker right onto a strip of stabilizer, which is placed on the right side of the fabric. Then it just washes away!