Apparel: November 2011 Archives

I HATE gathering. It just seems so tedious: sewing 2 lines down the edge of a really long piece of fabric and then carefully pulling the bobbin threads until it is just so and then carefully arranging the gathers and THEN sewing it onto the fabric. Something always goes wrong and I have to rip or I get frustrated. I wish there was an app for that or at a tool. Oh, wait there is- A gathering foot. This handy foot does all the work for you. All you do it load it on your machine and then sew one line of stitching. You can either use it just to gather and then join pieces or you can gather and join at the same time. I recently used it on my HotPatterns Cabriolet Skirt but I have used it many times in the past, most notably on my daughter's Halloween Costume last year: Little Red Riding Hood.

I prefer to use this foot to gather first and then join because I have found it difficult to control both pieces of fabric. The gathering goes so smooth and fast but once you get two pieces going at once at different speeds, I get flustered. I am more confident since I have studied this video by Bonetge (which gives some great ideas on gathers) but I need to practice more. It is just so easy and still cuts a lot of time to just gather and then join separately that I am not sure if I really will practice.

To use the gathering foot I like to set up my machine as though I were going to do gathers the old fashioned way: tension as high as it will go (9) and a long basting stitch. If you want less gathers you can adjust by lowering your tension and shortening your stitch length on a practice piece of fabric. Then line up your fabric edge with the edge of the gathering foot -this will give a ½ in. seam allowance--and start slow working up to a comfortable speed. What I love most it that these gathers stay put better than those formed by pulling thread and so need less supervision when joining. When joining, place right sides together and the gathered piece on top to make sure no gathers get tucked up in the seam.  

 

 

For the second installment of my From Film to the Closet series, I've got "Mad Men" on the brain. I super love the swell of popularity that retro looks are experiencing. It's crazy fun to walk through the mall and see all the shop windows styled to look like a previous era.

I fell in love with this Kwik Sew pattern quite a while back, but I've never really loved the lower half of it.

I'm hippy, so I like skirts with a little more swing. It didn't occur to me until recently to use the skirt from this Kwik Sew pattern to make a dress with a silhouette more to my liking. Pattern mashup time!

The only real trick here is figuring out where to cut the bodice to attach the skirt. For me, this meant cutting the bodice pieces a little long, and then trimming them once the bodice section was together and fitted to me.

Here are the bodice pieces being cut using the full-length pattern pieces -- I opted for a pink Duchess Satin.

 

I didn't cut any length off the paper pattern -- I just used the cut end of the fabric as the bottom of my pieces. I also didn't worry about making the bodice pieces all perfectly match, length-wise. I just left enough on each that I felt comfortable that I wouldn't fall short, and then I was careful stitching to match up any notches. The bodice underlap piece on this dress cuts off close to the waistline. Taller gals than me might be able to use it as your waistline marker. I had to clip about 1.5 - 2" off of it.

I made a quick fabric belt out of the same satin I used for the rest of the dress, and tacked it into place along the waistline. If I were to make this dress again,  I think I would incorporate the belt along the waist seam.

I think this is such a fun dress! I can so easily see an entire "Mad Men" style wedding party, or just a fun retro-themed soiree. Who wants to host?

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first in a new series, where I take inspiration from film and television, and find ways to work silver screen style into my day-to-day wardrobe. I hope we all have fun with it!

 

To kick things off, I'm starting with one of my very favorite movies of all time -- "Mary Poppins." I have had a crush on Dick Van Dyke ever since I first saw this movie as a kid. The DVD is on heavy rotation in my sewing room DVD player. I hum the songs nearly constantly. Hello, my name is Holly, I and I am addicted to "Mary Poppins."

I adore the jacket Bert wears during the Jolly Holiday fantasy sequence. The stripes are so fun, and the look is just joyous. I have been lucky enough to see the original piece -- it's on display in a shop in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Imagine my delight and surprise when I saw that the fabric pattern is actually customized with grosgrain ribbon stitched onto a striped base. Instant inspiration!

I decided to make a jacket for myself based on Bert's finery. I tweaked the colors slightly, thinking that I wanted to end up with something that had a look reminiscent of ribbon candy.

Here's what I used:

-          A blazer pattern I drafted for myself about eight years ago. Almost any pattern you like will work just fine, though I'd recommend one without too many seams. The short style on this Indygo Junction pattern is a good candidate.

-          2 1/2 yards of striped fabric. I used a Premier Prints stripe as my base.

-          10 yards of yellow grosgrain ribbon

-          10 yards of orange striped grosgrain ribbon

-          2 1/2 yards of sunflower china silk lining

I cut all my pieces from my base fabric first, then I stitched down all my ribbon on the cut pieces. This was time consuming, but so totally worth it for a completely custom look. The key here is to mirror the look side to side if you want to achieve a symmetrical look. If you like to shake things up by not worrying about symmetry, that'll give your jacket a totally different edge. It's all about playing!

Once the ribbon was all stitched down (I used every bit of those 10 yards!), I assembled the jacket like normal, and ended up with some serious stripey fun!

Even though the colors on mine are springy, I plan on wearing it through winter while I wait for warmer weather. With the addition of a glittery pink mini poinsettia from the local garden and craft store,  I am ready for holiday cheer! (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the trend in recent years of pastels being holiday colors? LOVE!) It'll be a jolly holiday indeed, and this look will carry me right through spring.

Imagine all the combinations you can use to make your own entirely custom look! I love the idea of making a project like this with my go-to color combo of black, pink and gray. And who says you have to start with a striped base? Applique ribbon stripes over a print base, and you can really create some amazing designs -- all uniquely you!

It wasn't too long ago that I believed that waist shaping was the extent of the tailoring I would need to know for a good fit in knitting. Boy, was I wrong. I have learned many times over that just a few increases and decreases along the side seams is not going to give me the tailored, fine fit that I need. Fitting knitted garments well is especially important for woman no matter what your size because we are not all created equal. While some may have a bigger chest, smaller waist or well rounded hips, others may be the opposite or just share one of these attributes. That means darts; or increases or decrease in a centralized area to give one the extra fabric or less fabric to create a flattering shape. Like sewing it is important to place your darts in the correct area and to use the correct shape of dart. Here are 2 dart patterns that can be modified to fit your shape and added into any pattern.

Vertical Dart: While not completely vertical, this dart does the job the same way. This dart is best used for targeted waist shaping, light bust shaping and in the hip area. You can add several of these darts with just a few increases/decreases each for dramatic shaping (i.e. if your waist is significantly smaller than your hips) or just a few with more increases/decrease for a gradual shaping.

Mark your dart placements with a marker
R1: Work to your dart marker, slip the marker (SM) and increase with either M1 (make 1) or Kf&b (knit front and back)
R2: Work in pattern
R3: Work to dart marker, SM, k1, increase (here you are increasing on the stitch added from the previous increase)
R4: Work in pattern
R5: Work to dart marker, SM, k2, increase
Continue adding increases on the previous increase your dart resembles the picture or the diagram until you have added the desired number of increase. For a reverse dart, trade the increases for decreases.

Side dart: This is an excellent dart for bust lines (it is similar to short rows). This dart can also be used for collars. It is built with a number of increases followed by an equal number of decreases in a dart shape.

Mark your dart location with a marker
R1: work to marker, SM, increase (Kf&b or M1)
R2: work in pattern
R3: work to 1 st before M, increase, work in pattern
R4: Work in pattern
R5: Work to 2 st before M, increase work in pattern

Continue until you have increase the desired amount then on the next increase row, K2tog directly above the last increase. Continue moving your decrease out back to your marker every other row until you are back to your original stitch count. You will have added an amount of fabric in a very targeted area for better drape and fit. 

I love a good juxtaposition of fashion, namely mixing men's suiting with a feminine silhouette. You will probably not find me in such a richly ruffled piece of clothing unless you can tone it down with some smooth, dark and simply decorated men's suiting. The combo is my cup of tea. I was looking for the perfect project to branch out our men's suiting and the overtly feminine design of the HotPatterns Cabriolet Dress/skirt was perfect. There are 2 layers of gathered ruffles that flow and drape to accentuate a woman's body coupled with a long tie to cinch in the waist and create a dramatic bow. If this design doesn't say "Woman" nothing does. The wool suiting I selected is dark blue with a simple and stark window pane detail in gold. That is it. It is rich and lightweight but dark and simple. The perfect fabric for a man's garment. The two together make for a striking combination that can be worn to a number of occasions. Paired with a fitted white button down shirt and red pumps makes a dramatic outfit for a work Christmas party. Worn as a dress with leggings and knee high riding boots and a fitted blazer can be fabulous outfit for Christmas shopping or an outdoor fall party. Or you can wear it as a dress throw on a shrug and a pair of bold heels for date night or girls night out!

I love this version and can't wait to wear it out. I might not be able to wait and will probably be seen sporting it at the grocery store and maybe down to the park. Nap time tomorrow might be spent finding new outfit combinations to post on Facebook!

Some tips on the pattern:

1)      Either cut a second tie as a lining or serge or zig zag all your pieces before assembly. You can also opt for a decadent bias tape like dupioni silk.

2)      Try using a second fabric for your tie to create interest or a color block effect.

3)      You can plan and add a long button hole to slide your tie through if you want since it is not in the instructions. 

Cowls and jersey necklaces are exploding in the fashion scene today and I am drooling. I love a good accessory because many days I only get time to pull on jeans and a t-shirt in between playing blocks, going on leaf collecting journeys and watching Sesame Street. I need some glamour most days even if it ends up just being a pair of earrings, fancy socks, or -in this case- a jersey knit cowl or stacked necklace. Both are easy and FUN to make (mostly because they are quick) and a great addition to your wardrobe whether you are an accessory queen or a busy mom looking to offset some mom jeans (that last part was, of course, hypothetical. For the record I don't wear mom jeans- no matter what anyone may tell you).

To make the Sunshine Sequin Jersey Knit Cowl you will need ½ yard of Sequin Stripe Jersey Knit Fabric and coordinating thread. You can opt to serge or zig zag your cut edges or leave them raw to roll over. Match up the selvedges and stitch together using a french seam. The French seam eliminates the raw edges and gives a tailored seam. That's it. You can wrap your cowl as many times as deemed per your style or the outside temp.

The necklace is just as easy as the cowl but I did not use a French seam, just a regular ½ in. will do. Start with another ½ yd of Jersey Knit Fabric, with right sides facing, match up your selvedges and stitch them up, creating a tube. Then lay your tube flat on a cutting surface and cut your tube into smaller ½ in. to 1 in. tube strips. The bigger the strips, the thicker the strands of your necklace. Cut as many strips as needed to make your necklace the desired thickness. Once all your strips are cut, stretch them out as far as they will go and when they bounce back the sides will have curled up to give the necklace its signature appeal. Gather up all your strands and tie a bow around them at the back to keep your seams together and at the back. You can mix and match colors or tie 2 bows (like mine) to use as an accent.

Both projects make great gifts. A word to the wise: only use jersey for the necklace since it curls and don't use a jersey with details like the sequin stripe or screen printing since the stripe and ink will interfere with the curl. 

I mentioned French Seams in my Café Curtain Post so we are back today to explain with a nifty diagram how to create your own French Seams. First, I want to thank Stacy from StacySews.com who taught me everything I needed to know about French seams.

French seams are a very easy technique of hiding your raw edges inside your seams to give a professional finish inside a garment or on the wrong side of a home dec project (like mine) so both sides look nice. I chose to use French seams to join my curtains panels so viewed from the outside of the window, you would only see a nice finish. I could have serged or pinked but I wanted something VERY nice, so I opted for French seams. French seams are a great couture finish and a way to make your projects extra special because they will look good no matter where you look.

French seams are also easy but there is math involved. Don't move! You can use a calculator. First choose the seam amount you want to use for the majority of the project. Let's use ½ in. for the example. You will need to calculate ¾ in. for each French seam (that is ¼ in. plus ½ in.).

To complete your french seams, first place your pieces wrong side together (you read that right, we are starting off backwards), pin and stitch along the seam like using a ¼ in. seam. Press you seam open and turn your fabric over the seam. Now you right sides should be facing and your first seam is sandwiched in the middle. Press again to get everything smooth and stitch along the seam line using a ½ in. seam allowance. Press your seam open from the right side. You will see that your raw edges are enveloped inside the 2 seams and the only thing visible along the back side is a nice, welt-like seam-a French Seam!