Apropos of Nothing

Today I am madly sewing a bridemaid dress that I have to finish this weekend, so I don’t have any finished projects to show you.  For today’s blog post, I have some topics jotted down in a notebook - none of which seem to merit a their own post, however I do enjoy it when other sewing bloggers do a kind of random thoughts post.  A great example of this is Victoria’s Ten Thousand Hours of Sewing weekly post, sometimes including sewing plans, new shoes, or other “stuff orbiting her brain.”  

Which got me thinking about my hours of sewing and doing a few calculations. I started sewing around age 8,  but really seriously around age 14. From then on I have always had a project going so I am estimating a total of somewhere between 15,000 - 20,000 hours.  Whew!  Yes I was the one who made my prom dresses, my first business suits, all my party dresses.  I have always told myself that all the money I saved on clothes I could spend on shoes!  Anyway - kind of amazing for something that is a leisure time activity. 

Pattern Tracing 

Just can’t seem to do it.  I have seen some great creations from Burda or La Mia Boutique pattern magazines, but somehow I don’t have the knack for finding all the pieces and tracing the pattern.  I ordered a My Image magazine earlier this year, thought I would give that a try, and one day I took out the pattern sheets, started looking for the components of a simple dress and gave up.  Eeek!  it looks like scribbles to me.  Oh, I can make out the various garments but it just doesn’t seem worth it.  Not when my lovely tissue patterns are so easy to use.  So despite my hours of sewing, this task escapes me.  

Project Runway

Wake me up when it’s over.  OK, not really, I watch every episode but I find this season’s designers are really boring and the challenges repetitive.  The producers seem to have forgotten the show’s roots in fashion and couture, and have moved to more of the kooky challenges using unconventional materials, which I always find less interesting.  Also the team challenges means more drama and fighting, and usually fewer garments.  So enough with the crazy creations and let them make actual clothes.  The preview for next week did not bode well, it almost sounded like Halloween costumes.  Hope not.  A little of the workroom theatrics adds a nice spice to the show, but I watch it to see what they create.  My favorite season by far was Season 3 which included Jeffrey, Laura, Uli, and Mychael.  The participants were outstanding, some of them had already been in business, the skill level was a lot higher, and the challenges were mostly very interesting, my favorite being the week they had to use a famous fashion icon’s style as inspiration.  Also Season 4 was good, and with Christian being quite phenomenal to watch and Rami making some beautiful clothes.   If you want some international Project Runway entertainment, I can confess that I watched Season 1 of Project Runway Australia in its entirety on line (although it may be removed from YouTube now due to copyright)  and it was fantastic.  

Fall Sewing

Sewing for Fall.  While I do love making tailored jackets, using gorgeous wool fabrics and sewing holiday party dresses, wearing the autumn/winter items fall into the category of " guess I have to get through another winter so might as well sew something fun to wear".  Granted it is not exactly arctic here, I feel a bit guilty when I see the weather reports from the east coast, cities digging themselves out from blizzards and serious sub-freezing for weeks on end.   But I am a California girl, through and through so with a nod to the Beachboys,  I say Endless Summer would be fine with me.  Friends who are from other states say they miss the changing of the seasons.  Our seasons change, believe me, as evidenced by my heat bill and the quantity of leaves falling in the garden.  But I could not leave my home state where it snows in the mountains as it is supposed to and not on my driveway.    Late August and September find me hoping for our typical SF bay area early fall which usually brings the most sunshine in the city proper, much to the delight of the tourists.  In fact if you plan a trip to foggy San Francisco, think about  September which is statistically the warmest month in the city.  

Some of my all time favorite creations have been winter garments, such as my black wool coat, but considering my output of cotton dresses and affinity for sandal over boots I will be picking out a few fall/winter patterns and dreaming of summer by reading all the lovely Australian sewing blogs. 

Strapless Dresses

In my last post I said that I didn’t care for strapless dresses but that it was a topic for another day.  Its not that I would never make or sew them, but that they seem to have taken over the formalwear and bridal category, to the detriment of so many other styles.

Two things about them.  FIrst - it is really not a good style for many body types, a change in neckline or addition of sleeve or strap can serve to flatter a shape.   OK, some actresses like Anne Hathaway can look great, but as evidenced by many of her red carpet appearances, she can wear almost anything.  Someone a little more endowed, such as Penelope Cruz, also looks great, but I suspect that anything she wears is fitted to absolute perfection so the result is dazzling.  Other times you see a strapless dress and it is too tight, so there is too much girl on top of too little dress.  The other issue, causing an equally bad result, is a dress that gapes because it is not fitted enough to the body contour, or the bodice is too short and the wearer hunches over a bit to keep the bodice in the right place.  My second criticism of strapless dress is that they have become boring, like an evening wear uniform.  There are so many options for a dress, formal or daytime, and a strapless dress takes away the option of neckline and sleeve variations.  

Can a designer be a Genius?

Slightly facetious question, but I have been very impressed this past year with the Donna Karan Vogue designs,  some of them really are genius in the way they go together and flatter the body.  Could it be because she is a woman?  Interesting to ponder.  Based on the number of people making them I think many will agree.  I am having some great success as well with Michael Kors designs, and found a vintage pattern in my stash that will appear in a future post.

So any of your thoughts on summer vs. winter sewing, Project Runway or strapless dresses, it would be fun to hear them.

Back to sewing - next up a dress for my birthday dinner.  Thanks for the nice comments on my last dress, appreciate it.  Also thanks to all who wish me well with my back issues, especially Shannon (Mushywear)  - as I know you are quite the athlete now so that gives me confidence I will get "back" to normal, even if it takes longer than I want.

Here is my SunnyGal garden photo - a very nice plant (feverfew) I bought at the garden club sale earlier this summer, and I now realize is missing.  I hope the gopher enjoyed it.

In the Mood to Model

And its not a dress for me!  I started this dress a while ago, as I had ordered yards of the cotton sateen fabric to use in my Etsy shop and now it is all but gone.  So I am giving this dress to my hairdresser Lia.  She and I are just about the same size and height.  I decided to slip into her dress take some photos of myself for a change.


Before I get to any sewing, I want to say a very heartfelt thank you to everyone who commented on my last post with lots of good wishes for a speedy recovery to my back problems.  I am being careful, slowly healing, diligently doing my exercises. Surely I speak for many when I say that through a year of blogging I now have some wonderful friends in all corners of the globe and it would be so great to meet in person. If only!  And go fabric shopping!

This is one of my all-time favorite fabric choices.  You know I love the super-colorful but my sister pointed out that for other people who may not be as color crazy as I am but want a print or some color, the 2-color or one bold color on white is a good option.  I think she is correct since this fabric was snapped up pretty quickly.

Of couse I put pockets in it.  The pattern is New Look 6457 with a few tweaks, such as much thinner, wide-set straps to give it a retro look.

This summer I have altered a few J.Crew strapless dresses and they all have the inside elastized back strap which helps with the fit and maybe keeps someone from a wardrobe malfunction.  I really dislike strapless dresses but that is a topic for another day. So I added the inside back strap to this dress to try it out and I am really happy with it, I don't know why this is not included on patterns, such an easy addition.  This version is not particularly beautiful but I made it on the fly - next time it will look a little better.  I attached it by stitching in the side seam through all layers (dress plus lining) from the outside, the stitching is hidden and it makes it very secure.

This pattern has a nice shape across the top of the bodice and an attached facing that creates that pleat across the front.  I used the same pattern last year on my Floral Dress for a Sunny Day.  As I did on that dress the front facing was changed to 2 pieces, and is sewed into the side seam.  

The SunnyGal garden photo was included in my first photo - the crepe myrtle trees in shades of pink.  So instead a look at my newish sandals - I really like them, but due to my back issues they will only get out for photo shoots, 5 minutes at the most. I bought them on a whim,  silvery-bronze on cork wedges.  Oh well, next summer. Plus you get a peek at my lovely tennis-sock tan lines.  

Happy Summer Sewing, Beth

Unexpected Break from Sewing and Pleated trim tutorial

As the title says, I have had a very unexpected break from sewing, as well as gardening, cooking, walking, going out to dinner, enjoying life, in short just about everything.  A back injury has kept me mostly off my feet for the last 3 weeks.  Long story and I will spare you the medical details however now I am on the mend, thanks to a great physical therapist and some new ways of moving.  
The last few days I have been catching up on everything, and finishing the unconventional wedding dress made from Japanese Kimono silk I mentioned some time ago.  I have taken lots of pictures but the post and photos of the bride in her dress will have to wait until after the wedding which is in 2 weeks.


Today I did some alterations and finishing on a dress I started months ago.  My neighbor Jenn kindly models for my Etsy shop photos and looked so great in this color so I decided she should have it.  


I used Butterick 5314 (out of print) as a starting point, which is a basic dress with bust and waist darts, separate skirt, and different neckline views.
I changed the neckline to make it a bit deeper, and pulled in the armholes at the shoulder as I like that look.  For the skirt I changed it to a very slightly gathered skirt where the center front is flat and then the gathers begin where the front darts would be which gives an effect of a smooth front but the ease of gathers.   












Here is a look at the pleated trim on the neckline.  This is so popular right now and I have my own low-tech way to make the pleats.

This is my pleat maker,  which started as a manila folder.   To make one, measure and mark the pleat distances, fold, press and secure the edge by stitching.  No glue or pins needed.

Before pleating, make the ruffle to the desired width, and finish the edges.  Then pleat away.
I used a scrap of white fabric, unfinished, to show how the pleater works.
On left, fabric placed in pleater.  On right, fabric pressed and ready to shift to pleat the rest of the strip.

Next step is to shift the pleated area down, placing the last pleat into the bottom slot, and then continue until the entire trim is pleated.  Once I have the whole strip pleated, I can stitch down the center to secure, or just pin it directly on the garment and then stitch down.

So that is my handy-dandy handmade pleater.  I think I saw a contestant on Project Runway, Andy from Hawaii, show Tim Gunn pleated garments he was working on and there was a quick flash of his handmade pleater so that is where my idea came from.  Does anyone else watch that show with a notebook in hand?  There are some very clever tips and techniques for the sharp-eyed viewer in between all the workroom drama, which I also enjoy.

Here is Jenn in the dress - actually before alterations so it is a little big on her but I think the color suits her.

I have lots to catch up on this week,  around the house and in the sewing room.  Hard to resist the temptation to do too much - but I REALLY don't want to go back to where I was 3 weeks ago. So I will be taking it easy and enjoying feeling better :)




Definitely no gardening for me for the time being, so I will share a beautiful tropical bouquet sent to me as a get well wish.

Patternmaking - Copying a favorite blouse - the result

Looking in the dictionary, there are a few definitions listed under the word "clone", such as to make an identical copy, or something designed to simulate the exactly the operation of another, typically more expensive item.   I like that second definition, particularly as applied to clothing.  After all, a lot of my sewing is inspired by things I have seen in stores or magazines and would never be able to bring myself to purchase.  (such as a $ 2000 coat or an Armani tuxedo style suit).   So the part about simulating the operation of another item,  that sounds about right.  Typically a more expensive item, definitely, as refers to my own wardrobe.


The result at right of my first go in a long time at cloning a blouse  Here is that post : 
making  a pattern from the existing blouse.  


As they say on the radio, this was a test, I repeat, only a test.   I skipped adding the cuffs for the test version.


The real blouse will be made from Liberty cotton purchased in the shop in London.  












I was set to cut it out from a scrap of bedsheets, but then thought - with just a bit of care I can sew the whole thing. I was planning to go through all the steps, collar, placket etc. so better to use some real fabric.  I had this turquoise gingham so that became a summer shirt.


 This is the original blouse which I copied.




Here is a look at the collar.  A while ago I did a post about collars and collar stands, and a really great method I saw on a PBS tv show with Louise Cutting (who often writes in Threads magazine)  If you are interested here is the link  Cotton blouse with variations.

I am really happy with the way this turned out, and am crossing my fingers that I get the same result when I cut into that expensive Liberty fabric.  Here is a peek at it.  The purple at the bottom is for a bias trim along the hemline.

If you are interesting in cloning a garment that you have, I do recommend the book I mentioned in my last post:  Patternmaking for a Perfect Fit by Steffani Lincecum.  very helpful.

Here is today's Sunnygal Garden photo, this Hydrangea is right by my front door, and is really not my favorite, I like the mophead type better.  As it happens this one is huge - almost crowding out the other shrubs in that area.  Good thing it puts out a lot of blooms or I might have to take defensive action.  No mercy here for plants that are not performers!

and to those celebrating Independence Day, July 4 - have a great one! 

Beth

Patternmaking - Copy a favorite blouse

Why did I learn to copy garments?  In one word - pants!  What is more confounding than the fit of pants?  Years ago I did take a class on garment copying and have occasionally used it to remake a pair of pants or duplicate a dress.  I pick my battles carefully with this technique, as there are so many great sewing patterns so I can usually find the dress or jacket I want.  Pants are a bit more complicated to copy than a dress, but definitely do-able and so worthwhile.


This week I am re-making a blouse in a new fabric.  Here is the original, front and back. Note the touch of contrast turquoise piping along the hem - nice detail!

 The owner loves the fit and style, and really wanted me to copy instead of using a new pattern.  As it happens I was just reading this book,  Patternmaking for a Perfect Fit:  Using the Rub-Off Technique to Re-create and Redesign your Favorite Fasions by Steffani Lincecum.




I highly recommend it if you are interested in this technique.  The photos are clear, and she shows you not only how to copy a garment, but how to take that copy and redesign it to make other styles.  She copies a dress, skirt, blouse, and a handbag, using vintage items. 


I have been using something very close to her technique but learned a lot from reading the book.  This is nowhere near a tutorial but I can show you some of the steps involved in copying.
To get started, I pin the blouse together in order to divide it in half lengthwise and find the center back line which I will put on the fold.

Next I run a thread trace down the center back line, which is folded.  Then I unpin the sides and then take some measurements to be sure the line is accurately in the center.  See bright green thread line.

For the back yoke, I used a technique straight out of this book.  Previously I would have placed the tracing paper on top of the garment and then traced, but here the tracing paper is underneath the blouse, the pins hold it down and poke holes in the paper which can then be joined in a connect-the-dots manner to draw the pattern piece. 


Here is the finished back yoke piece, after I have connected the dots.  Then I can lay it over the blouse to re-check the dimensions.
Onto the collar which is one of the easier pieces to copy, because you can lay it flat with no trouble.  Following that logic, the sleeve is the real troublemaker in this process, but with some fussing it can be done.
Non-sewing tidbit.  As I was tracing I noticed I was using this red pencil, which must be at least 50 years old.  It is from a long gone jewelry store in downtown San Francisco owned by some of my mother's Italian cousins. It was one of those upstairs stores - you had to know where it was, and had a claim to fame.  Baseball great and SF bay area native Joe DiMaggio brought Marilyn Monroe there to pick out her engagement ring.  Very thrilling for the family!


Back to sewing:  here is the front of the blouse, which has long darts.  With some fiddling and folding, it is possible to pinch the darts into the paper, you have to pivot the fabric a bit underneath in order to get the full width of the garment.


Here are some finished pattern pieces, with the seam allowances drawn on.  Even though I am constantly adding and dividing fractions of 1/8" in my head, I cannot bring myself to use anything other than a 5/8" seam allowance.  Oh, how that 1/2" would be so nice and even. But then I would probably sew at 5/8" and my garment would have mysteriously shrunken in the sewing.  So better to stick with the 5/8".

If you have a garment that is just right, you love the fit and want to re-create it, give it a try. I suggest starting with a skirt or a simple blouse.    

Next post - making a test blouse.

Here is today's SunnyGal Garden photo which is Tanacetum parthenium, common name Feverfew.  Another plant sale purchase and I think it is so cute!  Things are looking good in the garden, the tomatoes are ripening and we are heading into the mid-summer time when there is not much garden work and mostly garden enjoyment.                                  Happy Sewing                          

Bold Bright Color - yay or nay?

Fact about me - I am crazy for color.  All the jewel tones, bright garden greens and floral pinks, reds, yellows.  Sky blues and ocean turquoise.  Citrus, berry and deep wine red.  Sounds like something from the kitchen but actually more like a look in my wardrobe.  However today I may have gone over the color edge if that is possible.  


I bought this fabric back in the depths of winter, to use in my Etsy shop for something summery but now I am not so sure.   It has been on the shelf and every few weeks I take it out and try to decide what to make.  Summer is scooting by and the fabrics don't sew themselves so here are the results of yesterday's efforts.  It would be great to get some feedback on these items.  

Both my sister and my friend Alice shuddered slightly when I showed them the fabric, but both did say they thought it would work as a skirt, and I think they were right.  

However due to my slight obsession with dresses, this is what I made first.

I am really happy with the style, I always like the cut-in armholes and it can be worn with or
without the tie belt.  Maybe it is just a bit too much color + print for a dress? 
Some of my favorite places to window shop are Kate Spade, Boden and Tori Richard, who all use a lot of color and pattern.  


So what do you think about this fabric?  Just right for a skirt?  OK for a dress for the bold among us?  If you know someone wild about orange, I did list the skirt in my Etsy shop and have a few more yards available.


Edit 6/26/11:  thanks for all the great feedback, I did list the dress as well in my Etsy shop,
send your non-sewing friends that way :)


In between plenty of other projects, I am working on my Vogue 1241 Dress I mentioned in my last post.  Even though I made a muslin, and fine tuned the fit - I just couldn't bring myself to cut my nice knit fabric, so I cut out the dress in a 100% poly crepe that I got for a super discount of about $ 5 because it had holes in the fabric along the edge.  (which don't bother me but I didn't tell the store that).  So if this one sews up nicely I will move on to my other "real" fabric.


Here is today's SunnyGal Garden photo. Bee Balm (Monarda) v.Jacob Cline
a plant I just bought in May at the local garden club sale which is doing very well.  I have found that the shop local philosophy applies to plants as well as veggies.  Unfortunately for the bees that were living in my apple tree - a local beekeeper came out to try and rescue, but in the end had to seal up the hole in the tree.  He thinks that there is probably a very big colony in the oak tree just behind my yard, so there are still plenty around to do their good work.

Giveaway Winner and my new projects

Using the highly technical method of writing all the names on slips of paper and mixing them up in a bowl, the name drawn is . . . Susan, who writes the blog  Knitters Delight where she posts some great garments she has sewn.  She also seems to have the knack of posing to show off her garments in a relaxed and stylish way - I shall have to study her photos as I do not have that talent.   So Susan, send me an e-mail with your address and I will send your Vintage Simplicity Sewing book to you.  I would love to see a vintage style from you this summer!


But for anyone who commented and is still interested in vintage sewing instruction - I have another find and giveaway to come later this summer.
We move along in the fashion timeline about 15 years to 1972 - practically the same book but with some additions and updates, and oh the pictures.   Instead of the scary femme fatale eyebrows of the 1958 book we have the equally frightening bell bottoms and Charlie's Angels haircuts of the 70's.    Here is just a quick peek.

As this book is sitting here on my desk, I just noticed that they did some strange early photoshop morphing of her hand, so the yellow scissors appears to be growing from her finger.  Perhaps that explains her look of amazement. Not very useful, at least for Edward Scissorhands his scissors faced the other way - so he could actually use them.   

My current personal project is this Kay Unger Dress, Vogue 1241,  Not a designer I am familiar with but I really like the ruching on the side so am giving it a try.   For once I made a muslin, just in case it looked really strange on me, but even in the muslin it is quite flattering.

I am using a knit (yes, trying another knit)  it is definitely not a jersey.  Something I got on line from Fashion Fabrics Club as a remnant, a thin double knit, maybe?  In blue-white-black abstract print.

So this I am squeezing in between other projects.  Next week I am going to make a blouse in Liberty cotton, copying an existing ready-to-wear blouse that fits the owner perfectly so I will try to do a post on that. 

The bees are still as busy as ever in their colony in my backyard.  I have spoken to a few local beekeepers to see if anyone will take them away and they all have asked me if they are bothering anyone - well not yet, but it is darn near impossible to get near the apple tree.  

Hmm.  still pondering this one.  After all, they like the same things that I like in the garden, pink flowers and the scent of orange blossoms.  Here are some pink flowers that don't get much attention from me, but put on quite a show.    Geraniums.