Sew Distracted

Better than Chocolate? (almost)

I adore Laura Foster Nicholson ribbons.  Usually I buy them to use on some special gift another and I never indulge in any for myself.  But when I heard that they were on sale  through the end of February, I had to indulge.

I think the sale has been going on for a bit, and many of my favorites were gone, but there were still plenty of treats from which to choose.

Now, will I actually use these on some little treat for myself?  or will save them up and give them to someone special?

Tucson Shopping

We returned from Tucson yesterday and I am busily catching up with life but have not yet found the time to greet my sewing machines in more than the most cursory fashion.

I did indeed go to Leandro fabrics and you will get an update on that excursion when the package arrives, either the end of this week, or more likely, early next week.  Needless to say, several pieces of fabric were purchased, at least one of which was planned because I had perused their website before I left New York.  The new store is much smaller than the old one, and many of the fabrics are only available as swatches in the store, but they were very accommodating and went to the warehouse to get a couple of bolts I needed to see in larger scale while my DSDIL and I went next door to El Charro Cafe for margaritas and guacamole.

After Leandro we continued on to ButtonsNBolts  where I was much more restrained. I love Buttons N Bolts and it would be the perfect local fabric store if I had a local fabric store.  I was very attracted to some lovely rayon batiks when I first entered, visions of sundresses and flirty summer skirts danced in my head, but I managed to flick the mental "off" button and walk past them.  I was on a mission for knits and I promptly headed to the back of the store where I actually saw several things I liked.  I only bought one piece though, some rayon jersey in a lovely glowing purple.  Although I was tempted by many things, and although the store carries many fabrics that fit into my lifestyle very well, I have a large enough collection of fabrics for casual clothes, one large box of which I purchased at Buttons N Bolts last February (and we know how little sewing I did last year) so I had to remind myself that "there will always be more fabric".

Besides which, with a couple of pieces from Leandro, that purple jersey, and a little bit of jewelry, I had pretty much done my shopping for that trip.  Here is the fabric with my new earrings:

We picked the earrings up in Bisbee on Sunday.  They are Bisbee turquoise in a chocolate matrix, set in gold and I absolutely adore them.

How could I resist?  Dark chocolate brown and turquoise is one of my absolute favorite color combinations -- so you know these will be getting lots of wear.  Besides, they are set in gold, which I prefer and have gold wires so that I can actually wear them without having to have them reset.  Silver and my ears are not compatible.  Obviously these were just waiting for me to take them home.

 

A little winter entertainment

I went to the post office on Thursday to find that Wednesday's mail was apparently lost in a snowbank somewhere.  Thursday's mail arrived, but Wednesday's was missing in action, the delivery truck never made it to the local post office.  I suppose then that I am very grateful that my February Patrones came on Thursday, since the Wednesday mail (along with my WSJ which I get by mail simply because it is usually more reliable than the local delivery person) is still missing.

This issue looks even more exciting than the previous issue and there are several things I want to get to work on. 

I suppose now that I have the necessary sewing out of the way, I can look forward to copying off some of these spring styles.  However I am still dilly dallying over the decision as to whether I am sewing spring or sewing summer (as opposed to mandatory sewing).

We are off to Tucson for the weekend so any decision will be put off until some time next week, after I  have caught up with all the things life will leave at my door while I am away (hopefully including the missing mail). There will be no sewing over the weekend of course, but I am hoping to sneak off to Leandro Fabrics and Buttons'N Bolts while step-son Adam is off at coaching duty sometime.

In the meantime we have been highly entertained this morning by activities, or lack thereof, on the river:

This tug was pulling the barge down river painfully slowly and we could hear the ice crunching but the sound travelled almost as if in slow motion.  The coast guard cutter does come up and cut a channel at least once a day, but I suppose it is cold enough that the ice just closes back up and freezes in place.  It wasn't long before barge and tug were stopped in place, where they have remained for the past several hours.   It is too bad we will miss the excitement of the rescue.   Once we had a big boat get stuck sideways and block the path of another ship.  In the end, both  got stuck and both had to be cut out and turned around. 

There is always something going on to provide a little entertainment.

Five

While I have been dithering over other projects (like the closet, which remains in planning limbo) and what fun things I want to sew next, there has still been a bit of activity in the sewing room. 

Let me present 5 pairs of simple straight-leg pants:

From the bottom up:
1 brown cotton lycra
2 black cotton lycra
1 brown corduroy
1 wool stretch crepe (lined)

I was in desperate need of pants and I am happy that I now have something to wear other than the one pair of black cotton pants from which I copied this pattern, jeans, and one pair of black St. John knit pants.

I used a favorite narrow leg flat front chino from Eddie Bauer as my basic pattern, tracing off the pants, and altering the crotch curve to match the one in my basic pants sloper.  I also altered one leg to compensate for the skew of one leg  so that the side seams would hang straight, perpendicular to the floor.  No commercial pants hang straight on me, and I have started exploring ways to compensate for this (see May 15, 2005). 

The brown and black stretch cottons are from Fabric Mart and they look and feel the same, but the brown pants, cut to the same size as the black, seem a little more snug, and in fact the fabric has a little less stretch.

The brown corduroy pants were cut looser are is no stretch in the fabric, and I made the legs straighter for the wool pair as the fabric is quite drapey.  However, I did not get the grain quite right on the wool pair, as the side seam still skews a little, more than on the corduroy pants, so obviously there is some issue with the drape and hang of diffferent fabrics, which makes sense as the way a fabric hugs my body will affect how it hangs over the swivel of the hips.  We want to create the illusion that everthing is straight, but how the fabric hangs from the underlying structure will affect the final product.

In short all the pants are pretty good but not perfect.  Sewing 5 pairs of pants in a row is pretty boring so it might be a little bit for I explore this issue again, but then I am intrigued by the engineering prospects, so perhaps, now that I am not desperate for clothes, there will be more incentive to play.

Since we were stuck indoors today due to snow and sleet, I tried on all the pants, marked the hems, and hemmed all 5 pairs. 

It is hard to see the seam on black pants, especially as there is no really good light available today, but it is pretty straight.  I am slowly making progress.

And now, having made 5 pairs of pants and one jacket, I have sewn more clothes in 2007 than I did in all of 2006,   I am well on my way to meeting that vague "sew more" goal, and even progress on boring projects like straight leg pants is enough to keep the fire burning.

Besides, just having something to wear is incentive, especially when that something was made by my own hands.

Too much inpsiration?

Fashion week has just ended and I have been looking at the photos of the shows and feeling and odd combination of excitement and disconnect.   I am terribly excited about several things I have seen for next fall, but next  fall is still several months away and I have never been particularly good at sewing a season ahead, much less two seasons.

Secondly I am having trouble reconciling the things I see and add to my inspiration file.  The spring collections are long forgotten, and absent from my computer due to the October crashes except for a couple of Chado Ralph Rucci items I printed out for my photo collage.  My thoughts of spring mostly revolve around the couture collections, which did not inspire in terms of practical wardrobe items but did inspire pure dream fantasy clothing lust -- the kind of clothes I would wear in my dreams if I were a princess.

So how do I reconcile the over-the-top fantasy images of the Dior Spring Couture show, which I loved, with its combination of Madame Butterfly and My Fair Lady fantasy extravaganzas: (all photos courtesy of www.style.com with the exception of the last one which is www.mbfashionweek.com)

With the almost anti-fashion simplicity of the Marc Jacobs fall collection, which I adored instantly:

Or with some of the other fabulous fall finds, like the fabulous collection Isabel Toledo did for Anne Klein

or a beautiful collection from Bill Blass:

 

There are many more from a collection of designers.

Next fall is months away, and I went through a long period where I wasn't interested in clothes, much less sewing (there the truth is finally out) but that is not the case now.  I have enough pictures saved on my computer to clothe the entire female population of Hyde Park.  And I want to sew them all, even though the pattern companies won't have anything out until the fall of 2008.  But the nice thing about this year is that a lot of the silhouette's are basic and classic, so I have a starting point.

But do I sew spring? or for fall and winter?  And if so for which fall and winter?  I am thinking of a few knit tops and skirts to throw in some quick simple things.  I also am thinking about coats again (you thought I had forgotten) as well as other projects. 

I'm not sure I have a plan, but I do have inpsiration.  Now just to put on the blinders and focus.

Matilda waits for her new home

Matilda is getting a new home and she is very excited about the prospect.  Unfortunately I have been slow at finishing up the planning stages of the sewing room closet and have not yet ordered the components or hardware and so she must wait.

Matilda has had no real home of her own since her stand broke.  This was not her fault, as she is based on me (built from a cast) and is rather unbalanced (like her mother).  When the stand was mounted in the physical center of her base, this was not the center of her weight, but even when we calculated where her true center might lie, we found that a slight brushing up would be enough to send her to the floor.  Alas her stand was broken in many places and she has been relegated to moving from table to table, surface to surface, with no real place to call  her own.

This is about to change, as I have created a cubby in the new closet shelving system just for her.  It will be a place where she can stay and also a place where she is readily available whenever I wish to work with her.  She can easily be brought out of the closet and onto the sewing table, and since her new spot is just about 5 feet from my sewing machine and easily accessible, she will always be at the ready.  She is thrilled, if a little impatient.

Here is a rough plan for the ends of the closet.  IYou can't really see the details as I am still working from the original pencil sketch, but you can see that Matilda has her place. I  am still working out the hardware details, but it is looking like it is going to work:

Marfy Pattern Order

Following an inquiry on Stitcher's Guild I decided to post the actual Marfy patterns I have ordered.  If you are coming here from Stitcher's Guild, this may prove to be repetitious.

I ordered 5 patterns, which seems like pretty few, not that I always order more (although I have -- no fear of excess here) and I have ordered fewer in some seasons,  but that the competition for those slots was pretty slim.  Spring clothes are not my favorites by any means.

I ordered three blouses.  This is the first one. I took this photo of a page in the magazine; it may not be as nice as the later photos which are all courtesy of Marfy .

I like this rather loosely gathered blouse primarily because of the double gathers and it does, to me, at least look more "Renaissance or Roman" as described by the Marfy catalog than "peasant blouse".  It would be lovely in a lightweight silk knit and I can see it in a softly draped woven as well. Boho may be going out for next year, but I think this kind of shape always comes back and strikes me as the perfect kind of thing for summer afternoons by the pool, even when it is no longer fashionable for more formal events.

My first thought on seeing this blouse was how lovely it would look in a light, almost platinum gray silk double georgette with satin bands.  I also imagine it with illusion sewing in the shoulders between the straps, although I realize that this does pose a bit of an engineering challenge from the way it looks like the blouse is designed.  I will have to look at the pieces.  It may be a silly idea, ultimately abandoned, and I don't own pale gray illusion (does it exist?).  But at the moment the idea still lives in my head and must be pursued further.

The remaining photos are, as stated earlier, all courtesy of the Marfy website .

II have long loved blouses more than knit tops and for years I survived on those treasured silk blouses from previous times (decades?) and gradually succumbed to the lure of the knit top.  Knits are more sleek, but blouses to me feel more feminine.  And perhaps because of my scoliosis, I always feel that I look better in a blouse if I am not wearing a jacket, than I do in a tee or knit shell. 

At any rate, my old blouse supply is dwindling and it is time for a restocking.  Perhaps I am more confident now, or just more of a fuddy duddy, but if blouses go out again, they will probably not make a similar exit from my wardrobe.

This blouse,  Marfy 1251, is a lovely classic blouse shape that I know will look good on me.  I purchased the pattern because of the ruffled drape on one collar.  Yes I probably could have reproduced it.  But Marfy patterns are so well cut that I don't mind buying a different shape, and this one is slightly different than those Marfy patterns I already own.

The ruffle may or may not be an issue.  I am afraid of dragging it through my soup, but I do like the look.  A compromise may be reached. With or without the ruffle, it remains a classic.

You might notice that this is the blouse shown on the cover of the Marfy catalog.  I loved it right away.  Twist tops have been ubiquitous and perhaps I don't need another, but the description describes it as being used for a knit or a woven and I can really imagine this in a soft summer voile or lawn or a soft silk print.

I know the style will look good on me from the front and back view, all I really care about.  I will have to lengthen it, and perhaps sew that center seam closed a little further -- I am no longer at the age where I feel that navel exposure is appropriate.  It may be a little low cut, but it may not be, only a muslin will tell. 

I could probably avoid the gathers below the bust from the profile view, but then I don't really care about the profile view anymore.  I finally came to terms  with the idea that I am rather egg shaped, at whatever weight, even at my really skinniest, I was never one who "disappearance" when turned sideways.  This may be to my scoliosis and the fusion, which, I am told "pushed my organs forward" or it may just be my basic anatomy.    Deciding to "embrace my inner egg" was one of the best decisions of my life, and saved me a ton of worry and dissatisfaction.

I ordered this jacket pattern because of the interesting seaming and the stand-up collar.  I am almost always swayed by stand up collars, just as I am swayed by wide standaway collars, both looks that flatter me.  I am also very tempted by different variations on seams and darts.  It is these details of sewing that hold my constant attention and I find fascinating.

Sporty in this picture, this is also a very versatile jacket shape that could look very different, depending on the fabric used.

But then, most people would look at two jackets made in wildly different fabrics and never realize they were made from the same pattern.  I suppose that would be an argument for owning only one jacket pattern.  But it doesn't work for me.

I also ordered a skirt pattern:

Which could be sporty as described in a cotton or twill or could be quite elegnant in a crepe.

Muslin done and Patterns ordered

Well I have been working on my Marfy muslin in bits and pieces this week.  Basically, as a recap, since I started this long ago,  in August, so I could decide what size patterns to order from the fall Marfy catalog then I got sidetracked.

I originally thought I needed a 44 or 46 and I traced off a 44 pattern.  That is where I stopped.    I was partially correct in that I am going to order a 44 for most patterns based on the upper bodice.  I am currently between a 44 and a 42 in that area and must taper out at the bust and below.  I must also taper out at the shoulders, but if I make a bigger size I have way too much fabric in the upper chest and the alterations are more difficult.

I have been through a few tracings here (I am working with a blouse pattern from the fall issue, and so far the 44 seems to be a little easier to work with.  It may be possible that, on a princess seamed garment where the princess seams go down from the shoulder I might want to work with a 42; that muslin example worked pretty well, but I think for now and future work I can work from the 44 pretty easiliy. 

Technically I am smaller than a 42  in the right upper bust and a 44 on the left, with a corresponding difference in sizes in the back.  But the 44 seems easy enough to work from.  I suppose I am getting more and more accustomed to the fact that no pattern is going to fit all of me at any size I may be or dream of being so I just pick a size and hope for the best.  Most of the Marfy patterns are being ordered in a 44, but a pattern that has a more critical detail in the right shoulder area is being ordered in a size 42.  I have done this king of thing before, in bottoms as well.  In skirts and pants I have my average pattern size, which is actually the averaging of the 4 different sizes the four quadrants of my body happens to be.  Sometimes I order the average, sometimes I order the size to fit the most difficult part, and I have been known, on occasion to order two of certain patterns, just to make life easier.  Thank goodness for half-price sales for the US big 4 pattern companies, and multi-size patterns.  This particular problem hasn't come up for Marfy yet.

So confidence boosted, I placed my Marfy pattern order.  There are only 4 patterns from the spring book, two are blouses.  I also ordered several patterns from the fall issue.