Sew Distracted

Make It Work

Not sewing, yet, at least not from scratch.  Rather a down and dirty alteration wins the day.

 

A trip to Key West had me in a bit of a tizzy the first few days of the new year wondering what on earth I would wear.  Most of my summer clothes are at least a size too big, more likely two to three sizes too big, but that was something I actually didn't discover until I tackled the alteration pile.

 

 

Of course I had the top I altered to take to Tucson.  I thought perhaps I could alter the two dresses I made in the spring of 2020 (photo above). That is when I learned that I was not necessarily down one size, but at least two, and possibly three.  

 

These two dresses saw heavy wear over two summers, and I knew that they were too loose, unwearable really, by fall.  But the reality hadn't really sunk into my head until I tried them on again with the intention of making alterations.  They fit beautifully when they were made, and I have to thank my friend Marjorie for all the fitting help, but that also meant that more than the most minor of alterations would be required, if alteration was even possible.   I decided to accept that they have served their purpose in my life, that they are still in good condition, and it is time for them to find a new home.

 

 

Enter a Lafayette 148NY tank I purchased 7 or 8 years ago. After trying it on I realized that although I needed to take up about six inches, this was actually manageable in this loosely fitted tank by simply taking up the side seams, and perhaps removing some extra volume at the center back seam as well.

 

 

Initially my plan was detailed, to meticulously deconstruct and then replace all those beautifully finished seams.  But when I actually looked at the garment I realized the fabric was far too fragile for this to happen.  Seven season of wear have taken their toll, and although the top remains wearable, its time is limited. 

 

This knowledge was freeing.  Since the alternative was the rag pile, there was no reason not to just slash and seam, and I did want one more wearable top for the trip.  Therefore,  I simply serged off the side seams, taking out four inches at the bust under the arms and tapering to nothing at the hem.  Notice that shaped hem in the top photo.  Taking significant volume out of the hem would require much more extensive work than the top was worth, especially at the side seams, where the curve is sharp, so a decided bell shape would be preserved.   I also took a big chunk out at the back waist, about 2 1/2 inches, tapering to nothing just above the bra line.  I had a little more leeway at the hips, and was able to remove a small amount of extra volume at the center back hem, but not much.  The trick was to take out enough to eliminate some of the bagginess, but not so much as to shift the side seams toward the back.  The serged edges were tacked neatly in place at the underarm and hem and I was done. Easy-peasy, and if it survived one trip I would be happy.  Everything else is just a bonus.

 

 

Enter the obligatory hotel bathroom photo.

 

The top works.  It is far from perfect, but it fits at least as well as anything I could buy and it fills an immediate gap.   As you can see the top remains loosely fitted through the body.  And it is also quite wrinkled here as this photo was taken about half way through the day, when I took my mid-day retreat from the sun.  If one cannot live with wrinkles, one should not wear linen.

 

Perhaps all I needed was a bit of mad panic and a holiday out of the confines of familiarity and routine.  My brain is sparkling with ideas, and although I still have unpacking and cataloging to finish before extensive wardrobe sewing begins, I am looking forward to new sewing.  Somehow it has even dawned on my that even the idea that I have nothing, no patterns that fit, is itself an opportunity. It won't, perhaps be fast, but it will be fun.

 

After all, how often does one get an opportunity to start over? 

August Vogue, Boucle Dress

I got pulled in many different directions this week and did not get back here even though I had grand plans and good intentions.

 In my last post, there was a page I neglected.  Although the main image, the model with the simple turtleneck, red skirt, and matching boots, is an outfit I would absolutely wear, it is actually the smaller background images that captured my fancy.

I like both outfits in the back, the low round neck of the Carven jacket with the white shirt is lovely.  But I love the dress, the navy Chanel tweed dress with the coordinating solid fabric at the cuffs and neckline and along the button closure at one raglan seam.  I don't know if this is just decorative and there is a zipper hidden elsewhere or if it functions, or if in fact this is a functional opening and there is a zipper.  I might fancy both a zipper and working buttons.  This dress appeals to me because it seems modern and sporty, whereas I tend to think of tweed dresses as being rather formal and old-fashioned.  It seems I have a generous collection of tweeds, boucles and textured fabrics so new ideas are always appreciated.

August Vogue -- a few ideas

 The August Vogue Magazine arrived over the weekend and although, I have generally been less than thrilled with Vogue lately, I was eager to curl up with it hoping for some fall inspiration.   Mostly I was disappointed.  

Since I am mostly interested in Vogue, and other fashion magazines for inspiration and design ideas, which I still collect even though I am in a fallow period sewing-wise, I found very little here that captured my imagination.  Even the editiorial pages, which were filled with classic clothes that should thrill me, left me cold.  It is not that the individual garments were not nice, some of them were lovely, but the choices and the way they were presented seemed to detract from the product, at least to my eyes.  

 Upon first reading, I thought "bah" and cast the magazine aside.  Upon perusal though, I did find a very few small things that captured my imagination.

This ad for Derek Lamb really appeals to me.  Actually I am only interested in the skirt, but the styling does not detract from that.   I like the combination of leather and the soft fabric which I envision as a soft wool.  I like the firm yoke, the front zipper, the "tough" look of the topstitched pocket combined with the soft pleats of the fabric which end with the leather band at the bottom of the skirt, also pleated.  It is an appealing blend of masculine and feminine and I although I would not cut a skirt exactly like this, I think some combination of these elements in a slightly longer length, has the potential for becoming a favorite skirt.  

This was my big inspiration for this issue, so Vogue certainly isn't inspiring me to go shopping, either for actual RTW or to the fabric shops.

 I was intrigued by this dress, which was a very tiny photo on ALT's page.  I dislike the actual dress intensely.  It would make anyone but the slimmest youngest sylph look like some heavy-hipped hausfrau.  But what intrigues me is the combination of the stripes with the lace or embroidery overlay on the skirt.  I also like the way the stripes are pieced on the diagonal in that center front inset.  I didn't notice that detail until I scanned and enlarged the picture and now it has captured my imagination.  

Don't expect any kind of literal copying of this dress, but for pure inspiration factor it my head is reeling. 

   Then there was this photo of Stacy Goodman.  I clipped it for the top.  It is a very basic top, and yet not so basic at all. I could find a lovely stripe, or even piece the stripes.  I see this as a very structured tunic, well and close-fitted at the shoulders and even through the bust line, perhaps narrowing a bit below the bust, not close-fitting but skimming with a hint of shape, before flaring in a bit of an a-line inspired shape.  I realize that the top shown does not narrow, but I think that for this top to work it must be fitted to the shape of the wearer.  For me, fullness off the bust will look very bulky and I do think there is room for interpretation here, adapting the attitude but not the exact style. This will definitely take some muslin fitting to get exactly the look I want, but I think it would be fabulous just as shown here, with narrow pants.  In some ways it is a difficult look to pull off as fit is everything.  But then, isn't that one reason we sew?

Another One Bites the Dust

I've had this photo of a dress by Narciso Rodriguez on my computer for some time.

It was from the spring collection, and I think it was shown more like a light coat, but I think of it as a dress.  More exactly I think of it as a fall or spring dress, but definitely not a summer dress.

It has been on my mind a lot lately, and I was thinking of making it.  In my vision I see the dress with a little more structure than the original, which seems gathered and soft, where as I am thinking of a more dramatic flared line in the skirt out of something with a little crispnes like a doupioni or shantung.

Today DH saw he photo on my monitor and told me I can't wear that because I would look like a Cardinal (as in Rome).  Now I can't look at the dress without imagining it as a Cardinal's robe.  Too bad and I like the color combination too, and I know it is the idea of a black dress with a wide colored band at the waist that has captured his imagination.

What do you think?  Could I pull it off with a crisper hand, in a more stylized version? Perhaps I should skip the black and go for a deep blue-green with a lighter band at the waist?

Well, anyway, it appears to be off the "must make" list for now.

More Coat Dreams

So, I am getting my head back together enough that I am beginning to think about sewing again -- perhaps it is all that playing with fabric, perhaps it is just that life seems to be running a little more smoothly at the moment.  It is not that I feel more in control, dangerous territory that, but that I feel less out of control.

Specifically, what has immediately caught my attention is this Burberry Prorsum coat:

I am incredibly intrigued and fascinated by this. At $11,995 it could never fit in any conceivable budget.  And I think I am really intrigued by the idea of it as much as actually owning it.  Or more exactly I want to try do something inspired by this.  Creating my own version of this just looks like fun, and that would be something thrilling to wear.

This picture is from the NY Times Style magazine  and it is the best picture I have found.  On the various runway shots this coat is much to easy to miss. I am surprised that I can't find more pictures or information about this coat. Does anyone know of any better detail shots? Does anyone have any information about the coat?  I am not going to get out snoop shopping this year, at least not much, so I guess it is up to my imagination.  

I believe it is silk organza.  At least there is  a silk organza dress with similar draped pleating.  I can see doing this in organza.  It is light enough that it would not be too bulky and I don't think anything softer would give you that crisp pleated look. That doesn't make this a practical trench, but I am not really interested in it for its practicality.

This coat has reminded me of the lace coat that Burberry Prorsum did in the fall of 2006.  I was pretty interested in that one too, but I wanted to make it for spring and I didn't want exactly the same kind of lace.  I never found a lace I liked that I could get in a large enough quantity to make that trench, especially since I wanted it a little less fitted and close to the body than the original trench.

So now, after a discussion about lace on Stitcher's Guild, and Liana's link to Lace Mart I have also resurrected my interest in a lace trench, this time perhaps in a more traditional lace although I am now considering dyingthe lace some deeper color and perhaps making a trench with a little more volume.  That would make it something I would wear for a long long time.

As neither one of these coats is something I need to survive the winter I can take my time.  My question now is it better to just sew quick little things as I find time and inspiration, or should I start a grand project, just putting in bits of time as I find it available.   After all I did that for years when I had a very time-consuming job:  I just make one or two evening dresses a year, working on them as time allowed.

But before I can sew anything I need to make some sense of my sewing room.  It is still the place that everything that I can't deal with gets shoved until I can spare it the necessary attention.  And I don't have fabric ready for either trench.

I also have to deal with the "what to wear this fall" issue as I am pretty much in need of some new fall clothes that fit.  I think the best solution is just to place an order with J Crew and Banana Republic for the basics, which is really all I need.  And yes it is true, I would order from Banana Republic even though I occasionally bitch about  the quality.  I still like their style and colors.  

If I can satisfy my basic wardrobe needs I am then free to sew what ever I feel like when the time and mood hits, be it simple tees, dresses, or even more complicated epic projects.   And even if initially I only sew the simple things, well dreaming of tees just isn't as much fun as dreaming of pleated organza coats is it?

Ideas from Chanel

From a rather prolonged autumnal season, we have moved in to full winter, in all of its Hudson Valley "loveliness".  In short November may have been warmer than usual, but so far December is colder, and we have had three sleet and ice storms in as many days although yesterday we alternated  a bit between rain and ice.  Thrill.  I don't really mind winter in theory, and I like the snow, but it never lasts here, much to my dismay.  What I truly dislike though is the general dreariness.  Everything is dark and damp and cold. I like light.  So why do I live in a house that does nothing to maximize available light? 

I spent a significant amount of time yesterday trying to take photographs of a jacket I want to share, as much for my own ability to remember, as anything else, but dark house and bad weather lead to poor photographic opportunities.  It took several rounds of photographs before I just gave up.  Since the forecast is for more of the same all week, and the jacket in question needs to be returned to its source, we will have to suffer through not so great photos.

I received this Chanel suit, made of brown wool crepe, from a personal shopper.  The photo does not do it justice, but you can get a glimmer of the seaming from the photo.  Click on the picture to enlarge.

Since photos of the jacket on me showed even fewer details than the flat photo, and did even less for the jacket I have attempted to sketch it:

This is partially a guess, as to the fit of the jacket.  I could not find an photo of this jacket on the Internet, and the belted waist seam on me is about 2 inches above my waist, but since I often have to lengthen jackets by one to two inches, I am assuming this is meant to be a waistline seam.  It would actually look nice cut higher as well.  The seam was not flattering, however, on the place it actually hit my body

One of the things that attracted me to this jacket is the sleeve detail.  Note that the sleeve is three pieces, two of which are cut on with the body.  The third piece consists of a gusset that is aligned with the side panel of the jacket.   There is a center seam running down the shoulder line.  The back piece is cut in one piece with the side back panels.  There are also two center back pieces to the jacket with a center vent.  I could not get a photo that shows any of this detail.

.Here is a slightly expanded view of the front seaming.

Take a look at the buttons.  They are covered in self fabric and then a fine chain is sewn on top, I would use a very fine link chain.  Where the chains cross there is a little "CC" symbol, but I think this would be particularly nice with a bit of simple beading at the cross as well.

Although this photo is not as clear, you can see the waist seam, and the way the waist is finished below the notch collar and under the belt.  The belt and belt loops could be easily removed.  I actually like the really low neckline of this jacket, it makes it perfect for showing off a beautiful top or a blouse, and I think the shaping of the sleeves is also interesting.  The gussets and the shoulder seam allow for room for fitting and give a rather sleek modern line, which is really not apparent in my crude sketch.

This only serves to remind me that it is probably time I invested in a better digital camera, one that allows me to set the shutter speed so that I can maximize what light is available. There was a time, not so long ago, when I believed I would never want more than a simple point-and-shoot camera.  As so often occurs when the word "never" creeps into my vocabulary, I have been proved wrong.  I will start looking after the new year, I know Santa has already arranged for my gift and it will not be a camera.

What is inspiring me now

[In my own truly obsessed fashion, I did not like the way this post originally showed, so I have reformatted it with new pictures.  The originals (if you saw that post) were downloaded from the Anthropologie website, but they were too small to see anything .   All new photos have been scanned from the August catalog. ]

Sewing is seems to continue to be something that continues only to exist only in the virtual reality of my dreams, hence the excitement over sewing on a button.  In a world where getting through the most basic stack of work seems to be a never ending task, I continue to be thrilled to have clothes that are clean and not held together by safety pins, and I continue to be be consoled by dreams of sewing.

The day my power dry arrived from Ressy's Co-op, I dreamt of sewing slips.  Even that bit of mundane virtual sewing was refreshing.

Yesterday, many of my spare minutes were spent dreaming of of the inspirations found in the August Anthropologie catalog.  This month was absolutely filled with inspirations

First there were the dresses:

 

The first one is definitely not for fall, and may be too youthful of a style, but what I am actually attracted to is the combination of the dramatic floral print with the color blocking and this can be easily adapted to another look. 

I love this layered wrap knit dress with the bubble skirt that does not bubble too much, but just hangs so nicely. 

And I love the shape and the idea of the last dress.  The dress is made from a sweater knit, and it is described as having "paint-like" metallic stripes.  When I look at the photo I can't tell if the hipline is gathered, tucked, or smocked ofr if the stripes are actually painted on the fabric.  I suspect they are not painted and there is some kind of gathering going on there, but one could probably fake it by simply painting stripes, angling them into the waist on the finished garment, and saving oneself a little extra bulk at the hips.  I doubt, however, that my artistic abilities are up to rendering anything as nice as the large painted flower on the skirt.  Paint by numbers anyone?

This jacket (on the right) really appeals to me, and although it is described as being made from a sweater knit, I can really see this made up in a lovely wool double knit.  I was very tempted to order this jacket, and if I did not already own several gray cardigans and jackets with dramatic and interesting collars, it would be winging its way to me as I write this.  Instead, I dream of making something inspired by this shape in a different neutral color -- perhaps a rich deep brown or even a lovely deep red.

 

The styling of the black corduroy  jacket on the left doesn't really appeal to me, but the embroidery does. You can get more detail  here.  I love the idea of this kind of dramatic detail on an otherwise simple shape.

But by far and away the item that most captured my imagination is a sweater.  It is, unfortunately not a sweater that I could find on the website so we can't zoom in and look at the detail of the embroidery yet.  Even though it is a sweater, it is not something I plan to knit:

 

"Softer than felt" they say.  Well, the photo looks almost felted but I am not going to knit this and felt it and embroider it.  I do however think this is another look that could be darling in a nice wool double knit.  The problem would be the collar.  If I made the garment out of wool double knit, it could be difficult to find just the right yarn to knit a matching collar.  I could, however, just make a sewn collar of the same double knit fabric.  I am interpreting this look, not trying to make an actual copy.

The color of this is not good for me or I would have ordered it too, and Anthropologie has the annoying habit of not stating how long the garments are in the catalog or on the website so I suspect it would be too short anyway.

I don't like the shape and length of the sleeves and I would do mine differently.  I could do the embroidery.  I used to do crewel work, but if I were going to put the time into this it would have to be something I would really love.  And it just might be.  My dreams include plans to play with a muslin of this shape, and I have a lovely soft violet-blue double knit that would probably look lovely in something like this. 

Perhaps dreaming of making something like this is a bit ambitious given the current state of my sewing life.  But hey, it never hurt anyone to have grand dreams, now did it?

 

I just don't get it

Sometimes I just don't get it.

This Chanel jacket arrived  this past week, forwarded by one of my favorite personal shoppers.  The jacket fits me beautifully, but I don't like it.

Why?

Well, it looks like a muslin, like something I just slapped together to get the fit right.

It is not a muslin.  It is actually beautifully finished, beautifully and meticulously constructed to look just like it was slapped together.

I understand about deconstruction from a purely intellectual standpoint.  I understand about exposed seams and ravelling and fringes and so forth.  But I  can't help myself.  I still fail to see why someone would spend $4,000 on a Chanel jacket that looks like something their dressmaker just slapped together in a few hours. 

I suppose, if I were the person who purchased this, (it is on sale now for about $1700) I would appreciate how beautifully it was made and get a little thrill out of the fact that it is such a meticulous piece of work even while everyone who saw me thought I was wearing some falling apart jacket that I didn't bother finishing.

But I am not that person.  And although I don't have trouble with the idea of people buying expensive clothes or investing in them to the best of my ability, I don't really get this "expensive run down" look.  Perhaps I don't have enough money to appreciate the irony.

Later in the week, I got another Chanel jacket.  This one is from the fall line and it is much more traditional.  I like it much better.  It is also cheaper, retailing for around $2700.  I am still not buying it, and it doesn't fit me well -- it fits through the shoulders and needs serious shaping below the bust.   I would enjoy making something like it however, and I have the perfect fabric in mind.

Why is it cheaper even though it is wool? Well it is much more traditionally made.  This jacket looks more like a finished jacket but it took less time to finish it properly.  There was a lot of work that went into making that other jacket look like it was unfinished.

Here is a peak of a detail from the original. 

For more you will have to seek out your nearest Neiman Marcus or Chanel boutique.  Or wait to see if I ever do anything further with the ideas this jacket has inspired.

New Inspirations

The long family weekend was grand but now the creative itch is truly ready to be scratched and I need studio time.

Still, today was reclamation day, you know that day after visitors have gone, and yes there does come a time when the children, although they are still family, become visitors.  Today was spent wandering around putting the house and our minds back to rest in their normal state of personal clutter and being.  Tomorrow, or perhaps a little bit tonight, will be time to work on projects.

Two things came in the mail that lit that creative spark though.

First, Neiman Marcus sent me a packet of postcards touting the St. John line:

You can also get a view of this at the Neiman Marcus Website  which will let you look at the details more clearly.

I just love the jacket, and although it is a basic style, and even the laced fabric trim comes back repeatedly, I think I must really make something inspired by this look.

I am shooting for fall though.  I might have a red that will work, but I am not sure I am limiting this to red on this look.  After St. John has already done red with leopard.  I just might have to do something else....

The other source of inspiration in the mail was the new June issue of Patrones and it looks like another inspiring issue.  There are quite a few things I like, although there are some which I think the photo does not enhance.  And there are several things that I am currently enamored of which will require some modifications of the pattern or my weight before they could be worn.  But neither of those requirements stop me from dreaming.

Truthfully there are more.  But I haven't even made any of the numerous garments that inspired me from the last issue, although there are several in the plans.   

Stay Tuned.

Distracted by dreams of future projects

No, I haven't finished the swirly dotted tee.  I have it all constructed, and it is fabulous, but I have to hem the sleeves, bottom and topstitch around the neck and shoulders.  This should take, what 15 minutes?  Ha!

Well, getting that off my chest felt much better.

And so what have I been doing when I could have been sewing? (not that I have had that much time).  I have been playing paper dolls and dreaming of future projects.

I am sure you remember this beautiful fabric I bought at Kashi's:

Well, I purchased more than I needed for a straight skirt, which is the first thing I envisioned, but not really enough to guarantee that I can make anything else.  I got 2 yards.  I might get a dress out of 2 yards, but it will be very close, and that is not counting on the border print.  (but cutting on the cross grain uses less fabric we hope, right?)

And just as I had relegated this to the back of my mind, thinking I would whip up a skirt soon, but not too soon, Mary Beth over at The Sewing Divas  takes this very same fabric and turns out a really spectacular dress. 

So I look at Mary Beth's dress and think?  Why must I make a skirt?   My fate is sealed.  My mind begins to wander.

Then, over at Stitcher's Guild someone starts discussing THE dress and ideas start flowing. 

Progress on practical matters is abandoned and I start playing with ideas.

As stated above, I originally planned on making a simple straight skirt with the embroidery along the hem.  This idea is still a strong contender and it would be a very wearable and versatile contribution to my wardrobe.

But then, after Mary Beth's got all creative I started thinking about other options.

Since the fall collections, I have been thinking about a simple fitted v-neck jumper using an old Vogue pattern, # 8416.  This would also look pretty with the embroidery on the bottom, along the hem.

Or perhaps with the embroidery along the hem and at the shoulders:

 

Both of these options are nice, but I really think I like the first one better, the simpler one with the embroidery on the bottom.  Besides, bright shiny golds and yellows are not my best colors and bringing them too close to my face is perhaps not the brightest idea.

In a fit of madness, I had another idea as well, cutting up the embroidery and putting a zipper down the front with the bottom piece of the embroidery running down the center front, mirrored from side to side.  Although my cutting and pasting and manipulation of computer images is not all that good, I think you can get the idea.  It is definitely overdone and far too much, for me at least.  But still, I am glad I played with the idea.  Better to spend time cutting and pasting, making paper dolls on the computer, and then deciding something is a mistake than cutting and sewing and wasting a lovely piece of fabric.

The upshot of all this computer dawdling is that I like the skirt and the simplest dress best.  If I make the skirt I will do it this spring as I still have time to wear it (if I am not distracted by other projects that is).  If I go for the jumper, well that is definitely a fall project.  And I am still not sure I have quite enough fabric.  The last time I made this pattern, I noted that I need 1 3/4 yards.  I have 2 and I am a good bit fluffier now than I was then.  In the end the skirt might win.