Poncho Ambitions

Source: google.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

It was love at first site...this Etro poncho and me. A different color at Neiman Marcus, but just as elegant. A heavenly silk wool blend. So fabulous with a chunky belt. I think I will try to make one... for me and my mom.

What you can't see is the silk charmeuse that lines the front panels...and you can't feel how soft it is...and you can't see that it's really four panels of fabric sewn together with straight stitches....excellent...

Thanksgiving Day at the Races!

This Thanksgiving we participated in the New Orleans tradition of dressing up and going to Opening Day at the Races. While others focused on hat construction, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to test my refashion prowess.

Awhile ago, I snagged a hot pink polka dot pleated skirt suit at St. Vincent de Paul's Thrift Store - at a whopping 75% off the $6 price tag!

BEFORE:
After ripping the pockets off the front and cutting a bodice out of the top, I stitched it to the skirt (which I was prepared to take in, but luckily didn't have to.) I used the top of the Anda pattern to give the top a general shape. I centered the button up front along the back seam - making the buttons a back enclosure instead of a front enclosure.

AFTER:


Pattern: Anda for the top.
Cost: $1.50 for the dress, $7 for the hat
Material: 100% Polyester!
Left Overs: shoulder pads... hmmm....

I do wish I'd done something more interesting with the neckline - especially given how long the skirt it. The whole dress is pretty conservative (when you wear a camisole under the top, of course.)

Thanksgiving Day was 72 degrees and sunny in New Orleans! A gorgeous day for the races. I didn't gamble, but Gus managed to break even, and S made $7, which she then left in the betting machine by accident. As you can see - we are novices.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Infinity Banana

Yikes! It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry. Life.

Good news, though! I made my first article of clothing for another person! Soul sister of mine, S, professed a deep love of my Palindrome Dress, so I made her a variation... here's how it went down:

S: I love this dress!
Me: Bring me the fabric and a Diet Dr. Pepper and I'll make you one!
S: I can pay you.
Me: How about you don't pay me, but if I screw up you don't hate me either.
S: Deal.

S showed up with some fabulous stretchy banana fabric. And two months later (I got distracted), voila:
Fabric: Banana yellow cotton jersey - 50% stretch, fabric.com
Pattern: Palindrome
Belt: Banana (Republic)

Why am I calling this dress Infinity Banana, you may ask. Let's break it down.

Infinity:
I did use the same pattern as my Palindrome dress - but the fabric S chose was slightly see through. I decided to do a double layer of fabric. My brilliant idea was to have the inside layer be like a facing for the arm holes and neckline. I lined it up and sewed the pieces together as such - but when I went to turn it inside out, I found that I had turned the dress into an infinity circle. You could keep turning it forever!

A bunch of stitch ripping later, I settled on the facing technique for the neckline only. I ended up just hemming the armholes.

The lining side is also a little shorter than the outer dress, which makes the bottom of the dress a little translucent.

Banana:
I'm not going to explain this. I know you get it. I would, however, like to recall the wonderful palindrome "yo, banana boy!"

S was a willing model, so I give you Two More Views.

Dancing:
Showing off the Saab:

Needless to say, making clothing for others makes me nervous. The fabric sucked itself into the sewing machine several times and I nearly panicked. It's not like the fabric was super expensive or anything - my competence was just on stage, I guess! I'm happy with how it ultimately came out, though. What was the first article of clothing you ever made for someone else? Did it make you nervous?

National Sewing Month Pledge: Sewing Machine Maintenance

I'm still trapped on Martha's Vineyard... I say "trapped" because it's been cold and raining, until today. Which is sunny and beautiful, but I woke up with a head cold. FOILED.

Tucked into my cozy New England bed, I discovered from xoJane that September is National Sewing Month. I haven't decided what to do with this information yet...but I do have one pledge I'd like to start off with.

Source: google.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

I pledge to master the art of sewing machine maintenance and practice it zenfully (and consistently).

I mean, I didn't even know you were supposed to change the needle out. I'm sure some of you are shaking your heads at me right now. I'm ashamed. I've been awful to my little Brother and it's high time I made amends.

Of course, reading the manual will be my most important step, but I've found these resources while I'm laid up here.

Source: threadsmagazine.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Threads Magazine
About.com
New Mexico State University
SewUSA - more of a repair guide
Burdastyle

These are some great resources for sewing machine maintenance and preventative care. Maybe I'll find all those pins that periodically get sucked into the machine. Yikes.

How Tropical Storm Lee Thwarted My Plaid Ambitions

Self Stitched September Day 1!!! Blue plaid flannel Anda dress. One of my first successful projects. Vintage belt. As you can see from the background, I'm at work here.


And now for the story of why this is the only Self Stitched September photo I have so far:(

Tropical Storm Lee. Actually, it was Tropical Storm 13 when it started this trouble. As you probably noted in my last blog post - I had some great ambitions for Mad for Plaid week - a plaid pencil skirt AND a plaid Sorbetto. The former to be fitted on Friday evening. The latter to be whipped up on Saturday morning. All so I could take said items to Martha's Vineyard with me (I'm here for the week) to show my mom.

But then it started raining. And I got nervous. And my mom got nervous. And my coworkers said "get out of here while you still can! There won't be flights on Sunday!"

So I listened, and I flew out of New Orleans on Friday afternoon - no plaid in hand :(

Already, I'm modifying my Self-Stitched September promise. I did bring self stitched attire, but in my haste to pack, I did not bring anything weather appropriate. See, it's raining on Martha's Vineyard too. Except not as hard, and much colder. To be honest, I've been wearing one outfit all week, made up of all the warmest pieces I quickly tossed in my suitcase on my way out the door.

Yikes.

So here is what I can offer you:

Photos of the completed (but not perfectly fitted) pencil skirt:


2. This photo of Gayhead on Martha's Vineyard. It's gorgeous, even in the cold rain.


I return to Louisiana on Sunday evening... to reassess SSS'11 and get back on track! I think the best solution is to disregard vacation week. Sigh.

Plaid Ambitions: A Pencil Skirt is More Complicated Than It Appears

I was about to write a blog post about my Self-Stitched-September 2011 inventory, when I realized how pitiful my self-made-stash really is. So rather than dilly-dally counting what I've got, I jumped into making a few more wearables.

I was so satisfied with the quick and successful nature of my first Sorbetto that I assumed the same could happen with a simple pencil skirt pattern. I mean, I'm a one-night garment wizard, am I not?

The answer is "not." But I get ahead of myself.

Convinced I could make a quick skirt, I picked up this faux vintage pattern at Hancock's:

Fabric Selection
The Sew Weekly's weekly challenge has historically been an anxiety producer for me. I'm like "one week! I have to make a decision AND fabric shop AND sew something? Too much!" But this week is different. This week, the theme is Mad for Plaid. And I love plaid. Especially for fall. And I'm making a skirt for fall. Purrrrfect.

So I grabbed a poly-rayon blend suiting and cut out the pieces. Voila.

Pattern: Simplicity 2154
Now, Simplicity is a silly name for a pattern company. It creates a constant search for irony as I sew. At every step of a Simplicity pattern I think "How Ironic, this pattern isn't simple!" OR "How Not-Ironic, this pattern is so simple!" Here is the count on 2154 so far.

Not-Ironic
Only 4 pattern pieces! And two are the same.

Ironic
Last time I used a Simplicity pattern I cut a size 14 based on my measurements and it was enormous (I needed an 8). This time I cut a 12 and it was too small. ARG.

Not-Ironic
No lining, only 1 piece of interfacing, darts are the most complicated step.

Ironic
The waist band doesn't look like the picture when you attach it according to the notches. The front is too long and the back is too short. Double ARG.

Needless to say - I'm a little worried about this project. It was so tight on the hips after I did the side seams that it reminded me of shopping in the junior's department. I let the sides seams out a bit only to have the waist be huge. Yikes. Looks like Lizzy has some fittin' to do. Here you can see the unpressed progress I've made.



Side note: I knocked my dress form funny when I was moving it last. Now it slouches. Or I guess it is just leaning forward, but it looks like it slouches. Oy. A dress form with bad posture. Not good.

Bottom Line: I'm hoping this skirt comes out okay. It's fine if it is ultimately a muslin for a future masterpiece, but I'd like it to at least be wearable for SSS'11.

In other news: I also grabbed some plaid shirting for my next Sorbetto! I'm stoked about this one...


More plaid to come this week! (Duh.)

Suddenly Sorbetto: How I Made a Work Appropriate Shirt in 3 Hours

I was catching up on my Google Reader, when I noticed that fabulous Shawnta of Peace, Love, and Namaste had added the Self-Stitched-September '11 button to her side bar.

GASP!

It was just this time last year when I started getting serious about sewing...or at least serious about thinking about sewing.

That's when I realized... I've made very few practical garments in the past year. Sure, that Macaroon made of quilting cotton is adorable, but it's mighty close to showing off my business when I sit down. Not appropriate. And my Green Goddess Dress is divine on a hot Louisiana evening, but a little too curve hugging for the office. If I'm going to survive Self-Stitched-September, now a year old dream, I'm going to need some work clothes.

And so, a Wednesday night became Suddenly Sorbetto.


Of all the Sorbettos I've seen out there on the interweb - and there are quite a few because the pattern for this little number is FREE - I have never, NEVER, seen one that couldn't been worn to the office. Provided pairing with a pencil skirt or slacks. With Mena flouting her 45 minute Sorbetto completion average on her Seven Days of Sorbetto series, I figured I could cerntainly make this bad boy in no time, provided I had some usable fabric in my stash.

I found some left over swiss dot from my Sweet Swiss Dot Dress, and Gus was at poker, so at 7pm I told myself I would finish this Sorbetto TONIGHT.

Here is what my sewing table looked like mid-Sorbetto.
For work, I thought it best to add a sleeve to the blouse. I downloaded Mena's sleeve pattern from The Sew Weekly... unfortunately I don't think it came out to scale. It appeared to be a sleeve for a small child... so I used the Macaroon sleeve to estimate my size (I eliminated the curved edge of the sleeve because I wanted to finish it with bias tape.) You can easily scale up Mena's sleeve, or use a sleeve from any other pattern you have around.


With a black pencil skirt, this blouse is 100% work appropriate! And kind of cute too. For my next Sorbetto (and yes, there WILL be a next Sorbetto) I plan to extend the length to make it easier to tuck in. The whole thing took about 3 hours - including a trip to Hobby Lobby to get white bias tape!


Self-Stitched-September '11 here I come! Living the dream, folks. Is your wardrobe ready for a full month of self-made attire? If not, what's missing?

A Tale of Four Purses: How I Finally Made A Clutch

I've been uber busy traveling for work and pleasure and haven't had a lot of time to sew lately. A couple weeks back I had a hankerin' for a sew-fix and decided to try a small purse - what I perceived to be a quick, satisfying project. I made a couple bags as a teenager, and always just made things up as I went along. I didn't think it would be that hard.

Little did I know, I was about the embark on a journey through purse construction... trying to get it right...mostly getting it wrong. And now I share my story.

PURSE #1: Too Soft
I made this little beauty out of some scrap teal linen and a fat quarter of quilting fabric. It started out so well. A front gather here. A snap there. The end result, however, is completely functionless.
Some mistakes I made:

• Only used lightweight interfacing to stabilize the pouch. It's quite flimsy.
  
• Didn't reinforce the snap. It's hard to open.
• Gathered the lining as well as the outer fabric. Why? I have no idea. I should have just cut it to size.

BEST USE: Stuff with potpourri. Put in sock drawer.


PURSE #2: Too Stiff
For my next go-round, I dug through my scrap heap and found the remnants of one of my favorite projects to date. My Macaroon. I was stoked to have another item out of this print. The results were less exciting.


This clutch is a stabilizing nightmare! I so wanted a sturdy purse after my first attempt that I stabilized this bad boy with EVERYTHING. If it was stiff, I bought it and attached it to the interior of this clutch. That's why the lining wouldn't fold under. You thought that was piping around the top edge? NOT SO.

As you can see, I didn't even sew up the turning hole in the lining. Another UFO for the pile.

BEST USE: Fold in half. Use as door stop.

PURSE #3: Too Small and Neon
At this point, I realized that I have no idea how to make bags and should consult a pattern. I found this great website, Keyka Lou, which has a number of downloadable patterns for reasonable prices.

I decided to try the Pocket Clutch, primarily because it could be done with two fat quarters.



This one came out better. Unfortunately, this blackbird on yellow fabric looked positively NEON when I got it home, making this pouch look like a child's toy wallet. Again, I haven't made the last few adjustments and closed up the turning hole yet. I may finish it up at some point. I guess can keep my allowance in it. Boo.

BEST USE: Hold money you're saving to buy a troll doll OR sleeping bag for a mouse family.


PURSE #4: (houndstooth is always) Just Right!
FINALLY: I returned to designing my own clutch, hoping it would work this time, promising myself I wouldn't rush. (I rush. A lot. Especially when sewing.) This time I did a variation of the first clutch, which a front flap to make it more useful.

Relief! A clutch I can actually use! The interior is the same teal linen from Purse #1 and the exterior is houndstooth calico. I used medium weight fusible interfacing on both the lining and the outer fabric. Next time I'll add a layer of batting too.

Now, granted, the snap is off center, but all in all - it looks good! It holds my keys, iphone, small digital camera and small wallet.

BEST USE: Carry while wearing the Lacey Shoulders Dress!

Who knew that trying to squeeze in a quick project would turn into a battle for decent bag construction! I hope this will save at least a few people from making the same mistakes. Have you ever had a project you just can't seem to get right?

Tutorial: Hand Washing Silk

I’ve been so excited about my new silk, fantasizing about the perfect blouses and dresses I will make out of the three pieces. So excited, in fact, that I shocked myself when my mind turned to prepping the fabric for sewing and I realized I didn’t know how to clean it.

Of course, I turned to the trusty internets and found several recommendations. Here is the information I culled from those articles, in a pictorial step-by-step:

1. TEST IT! Use cold water ONLY.

2. THUMBS UP! Move on to the whole piece. Have a hanger ready for dripping dry!

DRAIN IT! RINSE IT!

TIPS: Only use a tiny bit of Woolite.

The silk dried wonderfully. I used a cool iron on it to get the wrinkles out. Now it's ready to become Sencha! We'll see if that happens soon. I'm simultaneously working on the Bombshell Dress for the Sew Retro online class (see button in side bar) and a version of my Palindrome Dress for BFF, S. Not to mention being repeatedly out of town for weddings! Minneapolis this Thursday...yikes!

Silk and Bathtubs: Trip to NYC

Just a few days ago, I returned from an amazing trip to NYC. Gus and I were there to attend a wedding... but many other antics ensued! Here are some highlights.


WE STAYED IN AN ANTIQUE TENEMENT BUILDING


No, no. Not a cool historic hotel. Merely a building that should have been gutted decades ago, but has maintained its early 20th century charm as a haven for artists. I like to think of it as Vintage. We stayed with Gus' high school pal, A - and A's maltipoo, Piglet. We got to take baths in the kitchen claw foot (no showers) and enjoy the painted hardwood floors, old fireplaces, and naked mannequins scattered about the house. A said to us "you should check out the Tenement Museum. It's just like my place, but with period furniture."

A also happens to be the Super, so he gave us a tour of the back building - a similar structure, except abandoned. He used to use it for studio space. Now he uses it to throw unusual, fabulous, dinner parties.
I wish my new Nikon D40 had come in the mail BEFORE this trip. Oh well - the iphone didn't do so bad. Thanks for the experience, A and Piglet. You guys rock.


FABRIC SHOPPING

Yes! The part you've been waiting for. When Gus asked me "is there anything you want to do in New York while we're there?" I just looked at him. "So you want to go fabric shopping?" He knows me so well.

I was worried about finding anything, because frankly, with the wedding and seeing everyone from my past, I just didn't have that much time to fart around. So I posted the question to The Sew Weekly and got some great answers!

I also consulted A - who used to buy costume fabric for a living. He sent me to New York Elegant Fabrics and Daytona Trim, with a stop in Spandex World. He also gave me the tip to ask how much things are - because it doesn't always correspond to the tag.

What did I buy, you ask? SILK.



Okay, so I know it's hard to work with - but I won't learn if I don't try, and you just can't find anything nice down here. I'm dying to use that yellow polka dot to make the Sencha blouse from Colette Patterns. I think the purple woodland nymph print is the new forbidden fabric in my stash - I don't know what I will use it for, but I want it to be perfect! Suggestions welcome...