Oooops I Did It Again!

Used a TNT pattern that is...

The Pattern:

Sewing Workshop Mission Tank

Fabric:

Purchased from Emmaonesock - here is the description ~ From Jones NY, this is a lovely knit, very drapey and silky with 2-way stretch, and the print is beautiful medallion design with a double border (each border is about 4" wide). The colors are paprika (18-1447), a super-dark espresso-black, with ivory highlights. Lighter weight, opaque, great stretch recovery, nylon/lycra blend, 57" wide.

Changes to Pattern:

I added a bowtie to the neckline of the tank top. I also used a knit fabric for this pattern which was originally drafted for a woven fabric.

Backstory:

This is my FAVORITE tank top pattern that I have made a gazillion times in all types of fabrications. I have made it from a wool/cashmere/lycra blend, a silk duppioni, linen, and several smooth silk fabrics in solids and prints. This pattern is such a hardworking piece in my wardrobe because it goes so well with my suited looks as well as my business casual ones.

I know that blouses are back and are all the rave right now but I need a top that doesn't tuck in yet still gives me a professional appearance. This tank top pattern and subsequent renditions fit my wardrobing needs perfectly.

For this tank, the Fall 2007 Sew Stylish Magazine that featured Simplicity 3631 on its cover, influenced the tie decision. The instructions in the magazine on how to add a tie to a top made from the dress pattern, is the inspiration for this garment. This inspiration has shown up in my sewing before, when I made this dress using the instructions in the Sew Stylish issue.

Construction Details:

First to construct the tie, I did not use the measurements provided in the article. I knew that I wanted the tie to be comprised of just the border tile print so I carefully cut it out. However, since I was squeezing two garments out of three yards of fabric and the pieces were cut on the crosswise grain to take advantage of the border print, I had to piece together leftover sections to get enough length for the tie. Thank goodness it is a busy print so that you can't see where the piecing is.

The other important construction tidbit is that when the tie is first sewn to the neckline of the tank, I added a flexible twill tape that Nancy's Notions sells to the seamline. This was done for two reasons - to provide stability to the neckline and to stop it from stretching during wearing. I have to admit that I was a little concerned after I applied it because I wanted to make sure that the top still went over my head easily and it did!

There is one other construction detail to note in this top. The original SW Mission Tank has a rounded neckline. As instructed in the Sew Stylish Magazine an alteration needs to be made to the neckline to lengthen it before adding the tie. I did this by folding down 1" at the center front and gradually folding less until it got to the front curve. Since a picture is worth a 1000 words, I will include one...

Otherwise the tie was applied using the Sew Stylish directions. Finally, I know most sewists apply Steam A Seam 2 to the hems of their knit garments but my preference is stitch witchery. Maybe its because I buy a lighter version of it from Steinlauf & Stoller (on a 50 yard roll) that doesn't give that heavy, hard appearance to the hem that the packaged version of stitch witchery does. Or maybe I've just gotten use to it...but that is what I use to seal the hems closed before I topstitch them.

I love the fit on this top and I especially love the funky print. It is not really a "corporate" type print but it will work well on Casual Fridays or down time work days. However, it is me and I'm thrilled to have finally been able to make a "truly me" piece for my work wardrobe.

Jean Louis Bertrault

I love old movies and three of my favorite star Lana Turner...

*Imitation of Life

*Madame X

*Portrait in Black

One of the reasons that I love these movies so much (besides the wonderful stories and Ms. Turner's acting) are the clothes. In Imitation of Life, she wears this amazing short sleeve top and pants with a lightly flowing long skirt over it in the scene in her Connecticut home. I can see the outfit in my mind's eye because it is so wonderful!

In Madame X, even though Ms. Turner is a stay at home Mom waiting on her diplomat husband, she is elegantly turned out in beautiful two piece suits, a 2 strand set of pearls and always perfectly coiffed. Many times I've stopped the movie just to gaze at an outfit she was wearing to memorize the details.

So what does this have to do with Jean Louis Bertrault? Well he was the costume designer for many of her films and especially for Madame X. Since they were finally releasing Madame X on DVD, I went in search of more information on Jean Louis Bertrault who designed in Hollywood under the name Jean Louis. And to my surprise, the internet held very little information on him. I couldn't find any biographies written about him and only a few "solid" references.

One in Wikipedia - that gives these bare bone facts about him:

Jean Louis (born Jean Louis Berthauldt, October 5, 1907, Paris, France - April 20, 1997, Palm Springs, California, USA) was a French costume designer and multiple Academy Award nominee in Costume Design. His most famous works include Rita Hayworth's black satin strapless dress from Gilda (1946), Marlene Dietrich's celebrated stagewear on her cabaret world tours, as well as the sheer, sparkling gown Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy in 1962. In 1993, six years after the death of his first wife, Louis married former client Loretta Young.

Academy Award Nominations
1950 - Film: Born Yesterday
1952 - Film: Affair in Trinidad
1953 - Film: From Here to Eternity
1954 - Film: It Should Happen To You
1954 - Film: A Star Is Born
1955 - Film: Queen Bee
1957 - Film: Pal Joey
1958 - Film: Bell, Book and Candle
1961 - Film: Judgment at Nuremberg
1961 - Film: Back Street
1965 - Film: Ship of Fools
1966 - Film: Gambit
1967 - Film: Thoroughly Modern Millie

Actresses Designed For
Rita Hayworth in Tonight and Every Night, 1945, Gilda, 1946, Affair in Trinidad, 1952, and Salome, 1953
Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday, 1950 and The Solid Gold Cadillac, 1956
Gloria Grahame in The Big Heat, 1953
Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity, 1953
Judy Garland in A Star is Born, 1954
Joan Crawford in Queen Bee, 1955
Kim Novak in Picnic, 1955, and Bell, Book, and Candle, 1958
Kim Novak and Rita Hayworth in Pal Joey, 1957
Lana Turner in Imitation of Life, 1959
Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959) and Send Me No Flowers (1964)
Marlene Dietrich in The Monte Carlo Story, 1957, and Judgement at Nuremberg, 1961
Marilyn Monroe in The Misfits, 1961, and Something's Got to Give (unfinished), 1962
Shirley MacLaine in Gambit, 1966
Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing in Thoroughly Modern Millie, 1967

And this information, doesn't even list that he designed the gowns in Madame X which it clearly states in the opening credits of the movie.

On the Academy Awards site, you can learn that he was nominated 14 times for Best Costume Design and actually won an Oscar in 1956 for the movie, "The Solid Gold Cadillac", which was filmed in black and white.

He also worked in Hollywood during the time that one of my other favorite costume designers worked there, Miss Edith Head. Of which there are several biographies and she even appeared in a couple of movies...however, as stated before there are no biographies about him, no link upon link on the internet...just the information from Wikipedia, the Academy Award site, the Turner Classic Movie website and a much more detailed costume listing on IMDb.

To me it is a little unsettling, that an Academy Award winner who dressed some of Hollywood's leading ladies during the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, is such an unsung personality. So I wanted to do a brief homage to one of Hollywood's finest costume designers...Jean Louis!

And to a little girl who learned to sew when she was 11 and found out at 13, that people actually had careers making those wonderful outfits in classic Hollywood movies, then found a few Vogue patterns by Edith Head, and who watched the "boring" part of the Academy Awards every year to see who the Best Costume Designer was...he is a man of legend!

If you get a chance, check out the fabulous Lana Turner in the movies listed above, especially as Holly Parker in Madame X. Bring your tissues...the ending will make you weep, it is a three tissue picture!

How I Take Measurements

Several years ago, I attended the Worcester Sewing Expo with my friend Lisa. I took almost two full days of sewing classes with Cynthia Guffey and after those classes my sewing changed dramatically. One of the reasons was because I took a class on measuring your body and purchased Cynthia's book, "Precision Measuring & Pattern Alterations for Bodice, Skirt, Jacket." Lisa and I spent an entire afternoon after the Expo, measuring each other so that we both ended up with a complete set of measurements.

I use this list of measurements whenever I start a new pattern...comparing the flat measurements of the pattern to my measurements and then making changes to the patterns based upon those measurements. I rarely have a fitting issue with a garment when I take the time to compare the numbers and alter the pattern pieces. So I thought I would share this information here and encourage you to visit Cynthia's site and purchase her books and DVDs! To me they are worth every penny and will definitely take your sewing to another level!

Here is her opening paragraph to the book on Precision Measuring (copyright 1995):

"Accurate measurements are the first step in assuring proper fit. This booklet illustrates a basic measuring process plus jacket measuring techniques. There are separate charts for each with descriptions and measurements. You will need a partner to take your measurements. Even if they do not have a sewing background you can instruct them on what to do. If this is the case, select someone who is patient, knows how to listen, and can follow instructions."

And a few more of Cynthia's salient points:

- For a jacket take the measurements fully dressed

-Measure the waist and hip area over a skirt or pants this helps to eliminate guessing about the amount of wearing ease

-She stresses the importance of making a muslin and including the sleeves...mark the center front lines, waistline - front and back, and any pocket placement

-transferring a proper set of measurements to the pattern in the beginning should yield a muslin that needs few, if any adjustments

But I love this sentence:
"By following the system that is outlined, you can achieve beautifully fitting, comfortable clothing!"

Here is the list of measurements:

Shoulder Width:
Finished Shoulder Width:
Shoulder Slope:
Upper Back Curve:
Back Waist Length:
Sleeve Length:
To wrist - both right and left wrists
To elbow - both right and left
Circumference of Upper Arm (bicep) both right and left
Circumference of Forearm - both right and left
Circumference of wrist - both right and left
Back Bustline Area:
Front Bust:
Shoulder to Bust Apex:
Shoulder across bust apex to waist:
Right side to floor:
Left side to floor:
Center to floor:
Back waist width:
Front waist width:
Back hip width at 2" below:
Back hip width at 4" below:
Back hip width at 6" below:
Back hip width at 8" below:
Front hip width at 2" below:
Front hip width at 4" below:
Front hip width at 6" below:
Front hip width at 8" below:
Front Widest hip point at _______"
Back Widest hip point at _______"
Finished skirt length:
Finished jacket length from back base of neck:

This will take awhile to complete but you when you've taken the entire set you will be able to compare them to your pattern pieces and get a much more accurate fit.

I hope that you will take the time to measure yourself via the Cynthia Guffey measuring system! I am sure that you will be more than satisfied with the resulting garments made using her system. To me, she is a sewing goddess and has such wonderful information and sewing revelation! And yes, I am a bona fide Guffeyite!

Can I be any further removed?

http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/home/default.sps

It's 9:26 pm on a Friday night. I have been home for approximately one hour. Most of that time I have been reading blogs - gotta lot of catching up to do - when I get to Ann's (Gorgeous Things) blog....and I want to cry!

Not because she spent a day in NY! Not because she got to go to a show in the tents! I have done that and remember the thrill of sitting in the audience and feeling so special because I was there...and Cindy did you go yet? Did you have a good time?

No, I wanted to cry because it's Friday, Fashion Week is officially over and I haven't thought about it once...okay maybe just thought about it quickly...once or twice this week when I was on the 6:17 am bus to NYC whilst looking over someone's shoulder at their paper!

Now I know you are all shaking your head and wondering what is the big deal? Well, I love fashion! I majored in Fashion Merchandising in college. I have worked in and out of the fashion industry up until the last 9 or 10 years. At my last job, financial institution also, I at least took the bus up and down 42nd Street so I got to watch the tents go up...and at lunch time I could head over to pick up the daily papers. I also made sure that I picked up a newspaper so that I could see what the fashion editors thought was hot!

But have I done any of that this week....nooooooo! I haven't thought about fashion. I haven't looked at fashion and I d*mn sure haven't sewn anything! Now there is definitely something wrong with this situation...when did my life become all about a job! *sigh* It is more than time to re-evaluate my priorities!

So I guess I will spend a lot of time this weekend on Style.com and the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week site trying to catch up with what will be hot for fall '08...but this is sad people, just sad...

No sewing going on here...

I mean I have to go to work every day and sometimes work gets really busy - out of the house at 5:45 am back in the house at 8 or 9 pm so there just isn't much sewing going on...

However, there is purchasing going on...well that is one of the reasons that I put with the hellish hours to make money to buy sewing stuff and oh yeah, to have a place to put it! *LOL*

Here's what came yesterday:

Yeap, my ATS order arrived lickety split! Now I have thread but no where to put it!

I only own two of these thread holders (toy car carriers purchased from Wal-Marts - who no longer makes them!) and I think I am going to have to investigate finding something else like them because I love these things!

I also got this today:

Now what does this movie have to do with sewing? If you can get your hands on a copy, rent it. Lana Turner wears some amazing outfits in this movie and I just love them! It kinda goes with the Oleg Cassini book, "A Thousand Days of Magic" that I keep thumbing through and drooling over!

Finally, I hardly ever look at the New Look patterns because usually they are only graded up only to a size 18. So imagine my surprise when I found these two in a size 22!

New Look 6779

New Look 6788

I immediately put them in the shopping cart and bought them...so they are winging their way to me as we speak. They should make cute summer work outfits, right?!

I did baste the collar onto the Barrie Pace jacket and I have to admit that after a couple of days of seeing the collar on the jacket, I am inspired to finish it. It will be a cute jacket, will go with several dresses already in my wardrobe, as well as, and the dress that I want to make!

I probably won't be blog again until the weekend, work is just that crazy! Hopefully I can get that jacket finished and in wearable shape so that I can move on! I'm really ready to move on! *LOL*

Giants 17, Patriots 14

Ohmygod! They did it! Did you hear the screaming from my house!

My Barrie Pace Jacket

This is an excerpt from an email that I sent to Marji earlier today:

"I am slowly sewing. This pattern may be a TNT but now after replacing the sleeves 3x, I know why I stopped using the pattern. The sleeve pattern is drafted poorly which makes it terrible to work with...they are in but not great and I am just not taking them out again. This is one of those times when I wish I did know how to draft patterns because I would just make another one...

This will be an amazing jacket when it's finished and will work so well with garments that are already in my closet as well as the coordinating dress I want to make...but the work of it is beating me down. I don't have much joy in the process...I understand how people stop sewing. If I didn't realize that I had skills I would toss it and walk away from sewing...so I am sewing in fits and starts.

Also the other jacket has all of these issues resolved and I did not write down anywhere how I solved them...that's what happens when you go to finish a 7 year old UFO...and probably why the shoulder seams were left a little wide...I am sure that I was disgusted with the sleeve issue and couldn't handle any more. I was a lot less patient with my sewing back then than I am now...

I have the buttons and the piping trim for the UFO jacket...have decided to just omit the collar, it will make a huge difference between the two jackets...but I need lining. Any way all of this is making me sad and slow which in turn is making me crazy because sewing is suppose to be my escape from my job and this is turning into work! I am really slogging to get this jacket finished. You would think that I would just move onto something else but I am truly afraid that if I put it down, it will be another 7 years before it is finished. So I gotta make this work!

Sometime today, I will cut out the lining fabric and sew it together and begin the job of inserting it into the jacket. Again, something I'm not looking forward to because I feel that lining jackets well is not my strong suit and I'm worried that it won't look good."

That was earlier today...here is the lining basted in before adding the collar...

This is why you haven't heard from me or seen a completed garment...there is no joy in Carolyn's Sewing World! This pattern is truly kickin' my behind! After these last two jackets it will get relegated to the "Never Use Again!" pattern pile!

Now to answer a few questions...

Vicki asked:

Couldn't you have just undone the sleeves and interfaced them?

Nah...the interfacing would have shrunk the fabric just enough to make the sleeves too tight for my bodacious biceps! I have to fuse the interfacing to the fabric prior to cutting it out. So I had to cut out new sleeves and start again!

Is this the same thread that Gutermann sells on those 110 yds spools?

Yes, it is. Now Atlanta Thread has a sliding scale...1-29 spools is $2.80 per spool; 30 or more is $2.66 per spool and 50 or more is $2.49 per spool. I have a thread chart that I purchased from ATS and I pick colors from the chart. I am trying to own a spool of thread in every color they own. However, I buy basics first and then add additional colors.

Sheila asked:

The Emmaonesock fabric is gorgeous, maybe I missed a post, what will you make with the fabric...?

I bought that a few weeks ago and never posted about it. I flipped into the EOS site one day at work (more stress buying - but I only got one 3-yard piece) saw it and bought it...just enough to make a cardigan...which I will get to sometime! *LOL*

So that's my update! Go Giants!

Remnants

• Thread

I placed a thread order today from Atlanta Thread and Supply. It is not as exhilerating or fun as buying fabric but it is a necessity...no thread...no sew! So 30 spools of 1100 yards each for $2.66 per spool are on their way to my sewing atelier (okay, apartment!) I did stop for a moment and think about purchasing the 5000 yard cone, but the difficulty of making bobbins with my sidewinder and threading my sewing machine stopped me.

• SWAPS

I can't believe that I'm not Swapping this year. Something doesn't seem right with the universe?! I have to admit that after Summerset and Shannon published their storyboards, I began to question my decision, but I just can't SWAP right now. I will have to stand on the sidelines and cheer everyone on!

• Sewing Gifts

These came in the mail yesterday from a dear friend...okay, the buttons are all the way from Panama - purchased by the one and only too-kewl to be real, Cidell!


And don't they go just fabulously with this fabric from Emmaonesock!

• Jacket Progress or lack thereof

As I stated in my previous jacket post, I did not fuse interfacing to the sleeve pieces because I decided that I liked the fused look AFTER I cut my pieces out. However, look how poorly these sleeves are compared to the rest of the jacket!

This terrible look forced me to recut the sleeves from the remaining fabric AFTER block fusing the fabric! Now, I'm praying that I have enough fabric remaining to make the coordinating dress.

• So will she or won't she?

Why sew this weekend or not...I don't actually know. I have some errands to do and I think I am going to have to just give up and spend some quality time at the hairdressers. Oh how I loathe to waste the amount of time I will waste there just to get beautiforius hair! And I need to get a new bookcase - I am really tired of those piles of magazines that are hanging out in my living room! Instead I would rather be working on and finishing up those two "inspired by" pieces...

• Divine Inspiration

Lastly, check out this NY Times article, "The Newly Uptight". Terri K posted this to a folder on Stitchers Guild. It is a really interesting article about how proper, gracious dressing is returning. Personally it sounds like the designers have made the rounds of sewists blogs and have been inspired by us! *LOL*

As always I will keep you updated on what's going on in "Carolyn's World!" Hope you have a wonderful sewing weekend...and whoever has the snow that's suppose to be in the Mid-Atlantic states, would you please send it back?! I NEED a snow day! *LOL*

Why oh Why...can't I make just one?!

I am moving at a glacial pace on my jacket. I don't know if it's 'cause I'm tired and not feeling well or if it's because I have already made quite a few garments for my "Corporate Chic" wardrobe and I just don't need to rush this one.

Or it could be because there is just so many construction aspects to this jacket. I made some samples...yeah, I know this sample making thing is getting out of hand! *LOL* I was considering underlining the fabric with silk organza...however, after I made the samples ~ fashion fabric with the silk organza vs. the fashion fabric with lightweight knit fusible interfacing, I liked the hand of the fabric better with the interfacing...so all of the pieces needed to be fused. Now this is not that big a deal when you are using a press but when you are using a little Rowenta...we are talking major time stealer!

So the shell of the jacket is finished with the sleeves basted in...sorry the picture is so dark but you know how it is photographing black...

The sleeves cut from the lining pieces...

Next up is to cut the body of the jacket from the lining fabric.

Now I know you are wondering about the title, right? Tell me, does this happen to you? As you work with the fabric, cutting it out, sewing it up, etc...does it start to speak to you? Does it tell you what other garments you can make with it? Opening possibilities and making you travel down roads that you hadn't originally seen or planned? Like opening a road map and finding a new highway to a familiar destination...or is that just me?

Because, this fabric is talking loud y'all. It has planned out an accompanying dress which was not in my plans at ALL! I picked this fabric to make this jacket BECAUSE it worked with two dresses I have already made and worn! But noooooo, now because of fabric-speak, I have plans for a black/white dress with an insert that is going to be fabu underneath this jacket. I also have plans for some awesome buttons for the jacket that weren't in the original plan either. So see, I can't make just one piece! *LOL*

Anyway, this is my update...letting you know where I am with the jacket now! I have also updated my "What I'm Sewing Now" sidebar on the blog. I have a few other pieces planned...hopefully things I can get completed before it is time to turn my thoughts to spring/summer sewing.

Things you can learn from a UFO

As I have stated before I have very few UFO's and if there is still one hanging around there is a very good reason for it...

Thus this one...it is from McCalls 2085. I started it at least 7 or 8 years ago. Several times I have thought about tossing it but always at the last minute I have held onto it. Once a few years ago I pulled it out to finish it with the intention of shortening it...but that never happened. I just couldn't take the scissors to it. And now I know why...

Because it matches the S3631 dress perfectly! And because when I tried it on this morning, it fits perfectly...well the shoulders are a little wide for me but nothing I can't live with. I can't find the collar pieces and I may end up doing without them but other than that I understand NOW why I held onto it. It will so work with this dress...can we say beautiful new "Corporate Chic" outfit!

Also since the jacket is unfinished, I can see all of the construction details that I did to the inside of this jacket...the sleeve heads added, the shoulder pads catch-stitched to the jacket and the muslin jacket shields that are inserted. I started this jacket at a weekend sew-in that Colleen Jones sponsored that I attended with my friend Lisa in New Hampshire. I am now inspired to finish it! Well after I make this new version!

This jacket provides the perfect roadmap for the black/white tropical wool that will be my interpretation of the Barrie Pace jacket and dress. From seeing this UFO, I have already altered the front and back shoulder pieces, making the shoulder seams a little shorter...I have definitely decided to add sleeve heads to the jacket (wasn't sure if I was going to do that before) and found another set of those shoulder pads that work so well with the UFO.

So this is where I'm at on the BP Interpretation Jacket - fabric/lining and underlining pretreated, pattern alterations made, and I'm getting ready to cut out my fabric fashion. Just wanted to give you an update 'cause I'm heading back to my sewing area to spend some quality time with these jackets!

My Threads Collection

I know not the post you were expecting...but two things happened to me.

One - my bookshelf holding my magazines collapsed...yeap, shelves just folded in on themselves. Now I knew this was going to happen, because I have rescued and rearranged it several times trying to forestall the inevitable...well the inevitable has occurred and now I need to either purchase a new bookshelf and some magazine holders 'cause stacking the magazines on a shelf ain't hitting it! Or leave the stacks of magazine articles laying in my living room floor - NOT!

Two - a friend asked for an article from an older Threads magazine that she did not have...which of course having saved every Threads since I first started purchasing them...I did have!

These two events caused me to reflect on how awesome the entire Threads magazine library is that I own. I have almost every issue since December 1991-January 1992, Issue No. 38 (where the cover price was $4.75). I have about 5 or 6 issues prior to that date but they are really sporadic. I started to purchase Threads Magazine back when my daughters were babies.

I was working a job that I didn't like but it was close to home (5 minutes away), I didn't have to work overtime or weekends, I could come home for lunch and check on my children or food shop during the day, and it brought in the extra money that my family needed. A co-worker knew that I sewed, admired it and encouraged me...the sad thing is that I don't even remember her name. I was in my 30's at the time and she was in her 50's. She sewed but she primarily knitted, the most amazing sweaters! Anyway, one day as I was headed out to the local fabric shop, in those days I bought a piece of fabric and a pattern for each project, I had very little stash, she told me to look for the Threads magazine...so I bought it.

Now I would like to say that I was instantly hooked! Subscribed and/or purchased each one from then on...no, not quite! I liked the magazine but with a young family and a daughter still in Huggies, I had other priorities...sewing was pretty far down the list. But somewhere around 1992, I did start to purchase them frequently and then I got a subscription. I have subscribed off and on since then. I have been consistently collecting Threads magazines for 16 years!

Whew! What an introduction! *LOL* To the real point of this post...my Threads collection is a wonderful assemblage of sewing information...even when the issues were lukewarm, the collection taken as a whole is jam-packed with sewing knowledge. There is no aspect of sewing that hasn't been covered by the Threads staff! Of course some things that were too advanced for me when I first picked up a magazine, is on point now! And some of the things that I needed earlier on to take my sewing to the next level, don't interest me as much anymore.

But that is the incredible thing about Threads...it does try to hit a sewist in whatever stage of learning he or she is at...which is an awesome task! And one that the staff has managed to do on a pretty consistant basis! I know others have become bored with the magazine or tired of it and stopped purchasing it. However, I never did and as a result there is an encyclopedia of sewing know-how at my fingertips. For that I'm grateful and glad that I hung in there with the Threads staff.

So if you are just starting to collect Threads...and I whole-heartedly suggest that you do! Or if you've stopped and wondered why you should continue, just go back through a few years of the magazines that you have and reread some of the articles, you will be sooooo encouraged to continue to pick up new ones and maybe even buy some back issues from the Threads website, from Ebay and even periodically from Patternreview's classified section.

One last thing, I don't know how my overseas visitors can subscribe to or purchase Threads, I hope that you can. If so I am not sure what postage is but again, if you can manage it, I definitely would try to get my hands on some copies. I believe that this magazine series is invaluable to the sewist!

Also for anyone asking, I have NO affliations with Threads magazine or the staff. I just love this magazine and am so appreciative that this sewing instruction is at my fingertips due to their diligence!

I Agree...

Y'all know that I agree with you...the sleeves SUCK! *LOL*

I HAD a vision of something a little funky but still corporate. What I ended up with instead was "Little House on the Prairie" plays "Corporate Dress Up"...definitely not Corporate Chic!

First, thanks everyone for your wonderful comments and suggestions...there wasn't a bad one in the bunch! Many of them gave me pause and all of them have jumpstarted my creative juices...I can feel the ideas flowing again! I think I am going to let a few of these ideas simmer on the back burner until the weekend and I believe I can move this garment off the UFO list and into my closet!

NEXT...

The new Early Spring Barrie Pace catalog is up on their website. I am LOVING the cover look right now in a fall/winter fabric and then again for spring in a fantabalious linen! Oh...I can feel my heart beating faster already at the mere mention of Spring! *LOL*

I have already pulled fabric and lining fabric for a jacket version. Also I have a TNT jacket pattern that I KNOW fits me so except for making a few notion choices, I hope to work on this piece this weekend.

Now I know that some of you have already caught onto the fact that I mentioned the jacket only...well that's because I chose a black with white pindot wool blend from the fabric collection to use for my first version. This was a deliberate choice. I intend for this coat/jacket to work with both versions of my Simplicity 3631 dresses. I imagine Spring/Summer versions of this outfit in luscious pastel linens which thankfully already reside in my fabric collection!

Thanks again for talking back at me....it was soooooo appreciated!

"Menswear Lace" Dress

This dress is still not finished...I didn't feel like sewing much this weekend and pretty much took it easy. Usually this stresses me out when I have three days to sew and nothing emerges from my sewing machine, but this weekend I was so tired that I just didn't care.

So the dress needs to be hemmed. One minute I see it and hate it...the next minute I'm not so sure. I know its the sleeves that I'm dissatisfied with. I took a chance and did something different and now it might be a little toooooo far to the left...so it hangs, waiting to be hemmed.

I hate UFO's so I have two options:

1. Take the sleeves out and make them over. However, if I do that I will have to rework the sleeves I have because I only have scraps of fabric left...or...

2. Take the sleeves out completely and wear the dress as a jumper.

I like the lace on the bottom of the sleeves but....so the dress sits. And I need to move on, 'cause did I mention I hate UFO's...

Anyway, weigh in...all opinions are welcome! Doesn't mean I'm gonna follow your advice! *smile* But I will definitely read it!

A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I am a 48 year old black woman living in the United States. I am the daughter of a woman born in the segregated south, who went to "colored" only schools, drank from water fountains marked "white" and "colored", and used public restrooms marked "white" and "colored". My grandparents were descendants of sharecroppers, freed slaves and Native Americans.

As a small child visiting my grandparents in South Carolina, I remember picking cotton with them and walking down the main street in town with my grandfather ~ a tall, dark skinned man with hazel green eyes, who would have to get off the sidewalk and walk in the street when white men passed us by, calling him boy and nigga, a man who didn't dare raise his eyes and stare at a white woman as she passed by.

So to me today is a very special day, a day worth celebrating!

Yesterday, I went to a program at my mom's church in celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called, "The Man and the Message." There were passages of his most famous speeches played and spoken, there were songs of freedom sung, and the children of the church danced and sang. There was even an offering taken for the local food bank but there were two things that really touched my heart...

One was the Litany that was included in the program...and I include a part of here...

CONGREGATION: Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned the ultimate freedom: the freedom achieved in struggle; the freedom reached in brotherhood and sisterhood; the freedom inspired by the lot of a people; the freedom free of hate; the freedom full of love.

LEADER 1: He came into our lives when the yearning of a people to be free had turned their attention to justice. For justice, and only justice, we shall follow, that we may live and inherit the land which the Lord our God gave us.

CONGREGATION: He reminded us that the spirit of man and woman soars from depths of despair with the strength and belief in the promise of the Creator. We know and we testify: the Lord loves justice; God will not forsake the saints.

LEADER 2: And so he set off with us on a journey for justice. It was a journey proclaiming the words of the ancient prophet, Amos: "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream." It was a journey calling forth the modern Christian ministry to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.

CONGREGATION: And even when death was confronted, as the journey reached Memphis, he could say in final triumph, that in life he had found something worth dying for, something worth life itself - The Promised Land, a land of freedom with justice.

ALL: We praise the Lord God for sending us a man of peace, a man of non-violence who fought for liberty, a man of God who worked for people. Thank you Lord, for Martin Luther King, Jr. who inspired us with his dream, who walked into our lives and our hearts with his marches for justice, who demanded freedom with great courage in the face of grave danger, and who has now passed on into your Promised Land. Thank you for his noble legacy to continue the journey to that land here on earth. Thank you God.

The other thing that touched me was the address given by one of the NJ state Congressman, who was of Indian descent, who attended the service. His comments paraphrased were basically that every immigrant, every person from another country that has made their way to America after Dr. King's valiant fight, owed a debt of gratitude to Dr. King and the people who marched, fought and suffered with him because their fight for equality made it possible for everyone else who came behind to be free in America!

I know for many that this is just a day off from work. The post office and banks are closed. The retail outlets are running more sales and you can sleep late, run errands or just relax. But to me and my family, this is a day of celebration, a day of reflection, a day of atonement but mostly a day of gratitude...because someone cared enough to stand up! Someone believed enough in freedom for all men and women no matter their color or creed, believed in an America that would, could and should change...

So I celebrate today and every day a man of vision, a man of courage, a man who had a dream, that still is working on becoming a reality...

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

1929-1968

Samples and more samples

I know that it seems that I sew like the wind...but actually by the time I sit down to the sewing machine I have so planned out a garment that all that is left is the sewing.

One of the things that I do is make samples of techniques, interfacing, thread usage, etc. I use to hate making samples. I thought they wasted valuable sewing time. I have since learned that making a sample actually saves me so much sewing time, especially if something I have envisioned doesn't work in the final garment. So to avoid wadders, I now make samples.

For the "Menswear Lace Dress", I actually made a couple...

This one is a lace sample....

This one is a thread sample...

Now I am actually thinking about muslining a jacket using real muslin...ohmygosh those internet sewists are working me over rough! *LOL* Seriously, I can actually see the benefit of sewing and fitting a pattern in muslin, altering it and taking the garment apart to use the muslin pieces as the actual pattern pieces...or maybe this is just another byproduct of reading the book, "The Collection"!

I haven't sewn much this weekend at all...sorry to disappoint, but I have just been so tired! And today I spent the afternoon at church watching my niece and nephew perform in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Program.

Hopefully, tomorrow since I will be home all day...it is too cold for man or beast around here...maybe something will fall out of my sewing machine, into my closet and onto my blog! One can always hope!

New sewing books have arrived

One of my Christmas presents was an Amazon gift card. Now I knew that I wanted books but I wanted to take my time to insure that I bought the perfect books for me! If you've been reading along, you know that I have a pretty good sewing library, consisting of both older sewing volumes as well as newer sewing issues. I have shared my list of "Ten Favorite Sewing Books" and some additional authors whose books I MUST have!

So it should come as no surprise that one of the first books on my list was, "Make Your Own Dress Patterns" by Adele P. Margolis. I was turned onto Adele by Colleen Jones. She gave me my first one, "Fashion Sewing for Everyone" and I just loved that book. I subsequently added the following titles to my library:

The Complete Book of Tailoring
How to Make Clothes that Fit & Flatter
The Dressmaking Book

The book that I purchased from Amazon, is published by Dover Publications. There is a note on the second page that says this is an unabridged republication of Make Your Own Patterns: A Primer in Patternmaking for Those Who Like to Sew, originally published by Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York in 1985. So this is not an original but I am happy to get my hands on it anyway!

Due to an extraordinarily busy week, I haven't done much but skim the book. However, here is the introduction:

"For many sewers, creativity is often blocked by dependence on ready-made patterns. One has visualized something that cannot be found for all the looking in pattern books. There's such a time lag between the moment an exciting style triggers the imagination and that faraway day when a pattern for it is commercially available --if it ever is. Some sewers give up and settle for what they can get. Many begin apprehensively to take liberties with existing patterns. Timidly, they attempt to combine one pattern with another but are too fearful to make much progress. How they wish they knew more about patterns!

If you are one who has been scared to death to move a dart (you think it is put there by an act of Congress) or one who is awed by the seeming complexity of a pattern (the professionals in the field like to keep you that way) or one who doubts his or her ability to create ("I'm really not an artist") --relax! The basic principles of patternmaking are neither too mysterious, too numerous, nor too difficult for the home sewer. Anyone who can work through the labyrinthian directions for sewing that accompany the commercial pattern can surely learn the comparatively simple and clear rules for patternmaking. What's more, the rules work alike for skirts, pants, jackets, and coats and for men's, women's, and children's clothing. For the I-can't-draw-a-straight-line-myself crowd, there are plenty of helpful drafting tools.

Even for the sewer who prefers the timesaving use of commercial patterns to developing one's own, a knowledge of patternmaking is essential. Without it, one is slave to the bought pattern; with it, free to make such changes as one desires. Most important of all, understanding what you are working with will give an independence in design, construction, and yes even in fitting.

It is my hope that the simple nontechnical instructions for patternmaking contained in this book will open the door to a new world in which sewers may find creative excitement in executing their own designs."

Adele Pollock Margolis

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

There is just nothing else to say after that, except pick one up at Amazon.com or your neighborhood bookstore. It is presently selling on Amazon for $13.57 plus shipping. Here is a link to all of her books that Amazon is now featuring...Adele Margolis books on Amazon. Buy one, buy a few, you won't be disappointed!

The next book I received is "Chanel A Woman of Her Own" by Axel Madison. I bought this one because I just read The Collection by Gioia Diliberto. I wanted to read a biography about Chanel instead of a fictionalized account. This was one of the suggested readings in the bibliography for The Collection. Again, I've only skimmed the book, mostly looking at the pictures. I never realized that Coco was a very pretty woman. I am use to seeing her in the pictures taken during the 1950s and 1960s. There are quite a few of her as a very young woman and I can now see how she attracted so many men! *LOL*

So that's what's new on my bookshelves...I hope you will be inspired to pick up some of the Adele Margolis books for yourself and any biography of a fashion designer is always a good addition to your library, IMHO.

As for sewing, I haven't done any and I'm really tired today. It was a loooooooong work week. Later on, if I feel like it, I may do some more hand work on the "Menswear Lace" dress and I would like to finish it up this weekend. Otherwise, I am just winging it!

Enjoy your sewing journeys today and every day!

I played this weekend

This was a lazy weekend for me...I didn't really feel like "pushing" out garments. I actually wanted to take my time and explore an idea that I had...because I just don't know when to quit with a garment...or better still I just have to let an idea play all the way out before I can move on creatively.

So I was working on one more dress...and this dress is inspired by some old DKNY. I don't know if you fashionistas remember when Donna Karan burst onto the scene with her own label but she revolutionized woman's career wear with her menswear fabrics and lace. Lately that theme has been playing in heavy rotation in my mind...I loved it then but now I totally get it. See in a world where suits are a daily occurrance, you need something that subtly sets you apart. Nothing that makes you stand out and look like a freak but something that says you have style and aren't a clone just getting dressed to get through the day.

I explored that theme in the tank top that I made from Simplicity 3631 - but it wasn't a true replication of Donna Karan's statement. However, I had to put my little toe into that pool and see if it would work in MY corporate environment. This version worked for a business casual friday maybe because I haven't gotten around to making the coordinating skirt *note to self - that needs to be made up soon!*

But this particular idea is for a dress. My pleated front dress was so well received that I wanted to make it again with a change...after casting about in the vastness that is my mind *okay not really but it sounded kewl* I knew that a little DKNY was called for! So here is a peek at what I'm doing...

This dress has some other interesting points...a handpicked zipper...yeah, I'm getting into hand sewing big time...how the lace and menswear plaid work in the pleat...some special touches on the sleeves...yeah, I'm really excited about this one. It's hanging on my closet door now so that I can see it when I wake up and each morning I am more thrilled with it.

It's not done yet because I'm enjoying the construction process so much but soon, very soon I will have something to share with you! In the meantime...a few questions....How influenced are you by fashion? Does it invade your everyday wardrobe or is it something that you wish you could wear? Have you figured out how to bring the looks of today into your closet? Or are you still purchasing fabric for the life you want to lead instead of the life you are presently leading?

I might not be around much this week...lots of work and after work commitments but I will be back with a fierceness this weekend...it's a three day weekend you see and I've got sewing plans!

A Book Review: "The Collection"

I know that this book has made the circuit in blogland and that many people have reviewed it already...and it's been pretty much decided that this isn't "great literature". But the book tells a great story, is interesting and was a good bus read.

The thing that got me about the book was Isabelle Varlet's love of sewing. See I can just so relate to that! I loved the passages in the book that described her stitches, how she sewed a garment and her love of the fabric...ohmygosh...did this girl love fabric! Shannon & Marji ~ we could have been her sisters!

Then there were the passages that described the fittings at pose, the detail that was used to describe the garments...you know that I read those and then read them again they were so enticing.

But I guess the thing that I really liked about the book was that it made me want to sew. I am sure that is why I recently hand-stitched the lining was into "the ribbed dress" because that's what Varlet would have done. And it's made me want to slow down and enjoy the process even more...I am sure some of you are wondering at that last statement since it seems like I bum rush items when I'm on sewing vacay but do you realize how much preproduction work has gone into those garments? When I'm on sewing vacay, I am in the zone. I am ready and I am sewing! *LOL*

So it was great to go to the newsstand today and FINALLY pick up a copy of the latest issue of Threads and find articles on hand-stitching, a couture little black dress - complete with instructions on muslining it, underlining it and finishing it with a picked zipper...and Amber Eden's Editor's Letter on slow sewing...

"The Collection" will stay with me for awhile...so if you haven't read it...get a copy! Read it and enjoy the sumptious passages about her sewing and the fabrics and the pose...like I said, it ain't great literature but it is a fulfilling sewing read!

Some Questions...

...and a few answers

Theresa (Lovely) wanted to know if the lining fabrics I'm using could be used as blouse fabrics ~ yes, definitely since they are 100% mediumweight polyester charmeuses. I don't really wear polyester charmeuse or prints that loud but they were $1.99 per yard and I thought they would make interesting lining fabrics. Also since they are medium weight they add some weight to my fabrics which make the finished garments a little warmer...so that's why I'm using them as linings.

Cidell had some questions about my darts and the construction...
I am not finishing the edges of the darts because they are encased in the lining so there should be minimum fraying. And to make my comment about serging clearer ~ in my FFF days I would serge all of the garment pieces and then begin construction. However, now I sometimes do some construction and then serge finish the pieces. But I always serge/finish the pieces while they are still flat and not sewn to another piece. I have too much respect for my serger knives than to put them in the position of cutting through a piece of a sewn garment!

NancyK had some questions about the black patent leather piping...
I purchased it at Daytona Trimmings and after inserting it into the garment I was very careful when pressing the garment. I didn't use to much steam or a high setting on my iron. I don't know how this will work at the dry cleaners...I guess I am hoping for the best! *LOL* But since I got this idea from Dana Buchman's line, I am hoping that the dry cleaners I use in the city works with other designer gear and will at least know how to clean this!

Christina asked about my fabric usage amounts
You know this is a work in progress. I have no idea if I will stick with this format. However, I treat linings like notions...always keeping a stock on hand in various colors and prints so that I can sew without too much difficulty at all times...so I didn't think to track or add it to my numbers.

I think I got all of the questions...if not, please ask them again and I will answer them. I have been at work for 4 days now and haven't thought about anything sewing! Isn't that terrible....but you know how it is when you come back from vacation, there is just so much waiting for you...and I have been extremely tired when I get home in the evenings. I don't even have any sewing plans for the weekend. The last jacket and lining are laying there forlornly on the cutting table (which is still relatively clean, btw). I guess I will get to them soon enough!

Hope you are enjoying your sewing journeys!

It's just so darn comfortable...

I am sitting here in my new dress...had to put it on so that the DD could take some pics and it hit me...that this dress is just so darn comfortable...ohmygosh, "Corporate Chic" and comfortable in the same sentence. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to stand myself! *LOL*

So here's some stats:

Pattern:
TNT dress pattern (I know y'all are so tired of hearing that one!)

Fabric:
100% wool flannel from Fabric.com
100% polyester charmeuse from Fabric Mart

Notions:
22" zipper, rayon hem tape

Pretreating the fabric:
I prewashed the wool fabric using Shannon's technique...well not all of it because I did not have any Euculan available. So I skipped that step but I did everything else she said to do and I hung the fabric to dry overnight on the shower rod in the bathroom. A good pressing and a lot of steam and this piece was ready to go.

Now I don't usually wash wools because I am concerned about fulling and felting issues but in this instance because the wool was a tightly woven piece I decided to give it a try. I was very happy with the end results and will try this technique again with the Euculan next time!

Construction Details:
The front of the dress has a pleat ~ a newly added design feature that was not included in the original pattern. I have no magazine or catalogue inspiration for this dress. I was doodling and put the pleat on the front of the dress and thought why not. So I made it work.

To get the pleat I placed the dress front 3" from the center front of the fabric. I carefully measured to make sure that it was 3" from the top to the bottom of the piece. After I cut the pattern out, I cut small notches into the top of the pattern where the pattern piece ended. I did the same at the bottom.

After the darts were constructed, I made a box pleat on the backside of the garment, carefully folding each notched edge to the center of the pleat. I pressed one side of the pleat and then the other. Finally I sewed the pleat down across the neckline. I used a triple stitch and sewed the pleat flat...approximately 1/4 inch from the outer edge of the pleat. I stopped stitching

I definitely used directional sewing on this because I didn't want to get that ruffled edge you get when you sew the in two different directions.

The other change I made was to the sleeves. I split the pattern in half added a seam allowance and belled it out slightly at the end. Then I stitched the center seam leaving an opening of 3". I made a lining using the new sleeve shape and attached the lining to the hem ala the Nancy Ziemen method mentioned in an earlier post. To accommodate the opening, I sewed the hem and up the side of each opening up to about 1/2" from the point. Then I sewed the side seams. After turning the lining into the sleeve, I added a few catch stitches to the inside of the opening where I wasn't able to sew it all the way with the machine.

Add the lining to the dress, insert the sleeves, hand hem the dress fabric, machine stitch the lining and walah, new dress.

This one will have a jacket constructed from the same fabric since the original piece was a little over 4 yards and even after prewashing there was enough to get a jacket and dress from the fabric. But the great thing is that the dress can be worn alone or with another jacket while it is waiting for its counterpart to show up.

(okay why am I holding the fabric on the dress up this way!)

Since this is quite a long and involved post, do you mind if I answer questions tomorrow night? I've kept track (for once) and have answers for all of them, so until tomorrow!

I just may wear this dress to work tomorrow because it is just so darn comfortable!

It was a three dress minimum!

As previously stated I had serious dress fever on this sewing vacay. And also as previously stated, I really want to wear more dresses with jackets and suits with skirts this fall/winter. I don't know how I'm going to accomplish that since I hate the cold but I am going to work on it! So here is the three pack...

I will apologize now because it is late and I am preparing to go back to work tomorrow so there are no photos of me wearing the dress. No construction information either...I will post those details tomorrow evening.

The grey dress does have a jacket (Vogue 7944). The fabric and lining for the jacket are cut out and laying in pieces on the cutting table. I started to work on the jacket but since I'm now into enjoying the journey, I didn't rush it. It will be finished when it is finished! *smile*

Tomorrow I promise pics of me wearing the new gray dress...it has a few special features...and I will share them with you then.