Skyline Redux

Sometimes I am not quite as finished sewing a garment as I think I am.
Such was the case with the skyline skirt.

The first wearing of it illustrated 2 significant flaws:   1) tiny bits of the lace edged lining showed in 2 spots.  Had the showing been even all around, I should have called it a design element, and pretended it was intentional.  Such was not the case.  I had a spot of lace an inch deep X 4 inches wide showing in the right side, and another spot 1/4inch deep X 2 inches wide in the front.  Also: 2)  Despite what I thought were careful measurements, the waist was a little loose.

Fixing both were relatively easy, if atypical.  Typically, if a hem is too long, one turns it up and re-sews.  This may, or may not involve letting out the stitching of the original hem. This method does not work when the hem's edge is the scallop of a lace.  Another option would have been to remove the original stitching that affixed the lace to the lining fabric, move it up an inch, and re-stitch.  This method, however would have involved an act that is as anathema to me as playing with snakes, that is:  ripping out stitches.  I rarely do this, as I don't do it well.
Since this overall look of the pink silk-and-lace lining is decidedly feminine, I chose to add 2 rows of small horizontal pleats just above the top edge of the lace, neatly taking up and inch-and-a half of length. 
Pretty, non???

As for the waist - that, too, was simple.  I shored up my resistance and ripped out the tiniest possible number of stitches - sometimes there is simply no good alternative - on the ribbon band at one side seam (which is where the elastic ends were affixed), and removed 4 inches of elastic, and re-stitched the end.

All better now!

How Does This Happen to Me?

See the small spool of thread in the picture???   That is what I went to the store to buy.
See everything else in the picture?   That is what I brought home from the store. 

S * I * G * H

However, I should like to point out that the serger cone was 50% off, and matched the stitching thread perfectly (which I didn't expect), and, as for the fabric  .  .  .  Snakeskin print rayon challis, 64in wide for $3..00/yd.  How could I possibly have left that behind??

Skirt, or pants - what do you think??  I have 3.125 yds., and I'd love to hear specific pattern ideas!!

Skyline Skirt, Ode to Basic Arithmatic Skills

I think the reason I am calling this The Skyline Skirt is pretty obvious (if not, check out the border design), but if I were more candid, or reveling, I might call it The Design, Re-Design as you Go Skirt.  Because that's what I did.
I bought this at Golden D'Or in Dallas several months ago. I was there with my daughter Varina, mostly checking things out for future use.  She had actual needs, which this deceptively huge, labyrinth of a a textile emporium meet more than nicely.  I had no real intention of buying anything, since I currently have more fabric and patterns than time to sew.  Then we went to the bargain section in the back.  Quell surprise!  I thought the whole store was a bargain section!  wow.  Seriously: wow.  No description of mine can do justice to this store's inventory or prices; you must, if you find yourself within 100 miles of Dallas, go there.  But go in the daytime.  Not one of Dallas' finer neighborhoods.

This fabric is a cotton gauze embellished with vertical lines of metallic threads and sequins extending from both selvages. At 60in wide, I figured I had some considerable room for creativity, so I bought 2 yds.  My original plan for this was a simple, tea-length, 6-panel skirt in which one of the borders would be the hem.  Later (inspired by a skirt I saw on Dharma & Greg  --  I love Dharma's wardrobe!!!), I decided to make the back much fuller than the front, slit the CB up to the knees, and add a narrow ruffle all around and up the CB out of the solid fabric that I cut off. (Dharma's skirt was a 6-panel with 3 rows of narrow ruffles at the hem).  Then I held it up to myself to gauge for length, and that's when things got hinky.

I discovered that the border was so deep, that to achieve the length I wanted, I could only cut off the other border - leaving no solid fabric to be ruffled.   H-mmmmmmm.   A quick perusal through 25 years of Threads magazine (AKA: the sewist's BEST print resource!!!) revealed several articles on  CB skirt insertions.  Then, I was re-inspired.  Instead of a ruffle/slit on a CB seam, how about a CB panel, whose border is pleated???  The more I pictured it, the better I liked it.  Now:  to cut it out.

Of course, this design existed only in my head. So the pattern would have to be drafted.  First: some measurements.  I knew that I wanted the CF panel to be roughly the width of my knees when standing with feet, shoulder-width apart.  I don't know how I knew this.  Somethings, you just know.  My husband took that measurement for me, and some quick mental math told me that that measurement multiplied by 3 (number of panels in skirt's front) would be just about right for half of my hip measurement + a little ease. [Note how I am describing the measuring process without actually revealing the skirt's actual measurements, and thereby risking revealing MY actual measurements??  This is intentional.  Try and keep up.]

I wanted the back to be much fuller, and, I abhor waste, so I cut the CB panel to the same measurement as front panels, and used the remaining fabric for the flanking back panels.  I wanted a sleek, straight-ish look in the front, with a few surprises in the back. As my waist is, so far, smaller than my hips, I took the difference between those two measurements, divided by  12 (number of seam allowances), added 3/4 in to that, and reduced each seam allowance the resulting number at the waist, narrowing to 0, at fullest point of hips.  Taken step-by-step, this is easier than I just made it sound.  Then I cut off the border from the bottom  of the CB panel, and cut a piece of the leftover border from the first cut that was 4 times the length of the piece I had removed.  I don't know why I thought I would be reducing the width by 1/4.  I had several inches of fabric leftover! I must have been tired.



I pleated the fabric unevenly, because the embroidered lines are uneven, and I thought that was more interesting.  (maybe that explains why my math was off in the amount needed for pleating!).  Here is the  panel, during the pleating process.







At this point, I realized that the fabric was much more sheer than I originally realized, and I wanted to line it.  Unable to find a lining color that matched this funky brown/taupe, I went with pink.  why?  I can't really say.  Sometimes, these things just come over me.  Unable to leave well enough alone (or pretty enough  -- although:  when is pretty enough really enough???), I sought some lace from my prodigious stash to embellish the lining.  I thought this lovely, elegant ivory Leaver lace was just the thing, don't you? {Yes, I know -  no one will ever see it but me.  Yes, I know - satin ribbon, china silk lining edged in lace that serves only to put a smile on my face when I am getting dressed is completely impractical and decadent in the extreme.  Why, yes.  It certainly is.}







The lining was attached via serger, prior to finishing the waist, so the two fabrics were treated as one.  I faced the waist with a heavy satin ribbon (not yet pretty enough).  The front of the waist was stabilized by sewing twill tape to the underside of the ribbon, and elastic was inserted in the back half, easing in the fullness.

She is done.  What do you think?  I am wearing her tomorrow with a pale pink silk sweater, and gold kitty necklace I bought at the Smithsonian. (the necklace is a reproduction of one given to Jackie Kennedy when the First Couple visited Egypt.)    Classy enough for a Faculty Meeting??

Cutie Pattotie Birthday duds!

Happy Birthday Emma Rose!

I have not seen Emma since Christmas, when she was just 5 months old, so I had to do some wild guessing as to size, color/style preferences, etc.
Ottobre, and my local quilt shop, The Whistling Chicken, helped a lot!!!






When I saw this adorable ensemble in the Summer 2009 issue, I knew I wanted to make it.








It was in the size range that I guess Emma to be, so I only had to find fabric coordinates. Not a problem!!!!!





Carthage's local quilt shop is just lousy with beautiful cotton muslins (perfect for quilt-making, n'est pas?) that I thought would make this up beautifully. The toughest part was narrowing down the selection to only 3 fabrics. When I saw these, I loved the way the severe brown worked with he girly-pink, and the juxtaposition of preppy plaid, mod flower-power, and sweet tiny calico.

I added only lace to the brim of the hat. A girl's gotta have a touch of lace!

I love the Ottobre designs, and the construction methods. A word of warning: Ottobre assumes a level of experience somewhat higher than does most American pattern instructions. They aren't necessarily difficult, but they don't hold your hand through every step. If you are a beginner, you might want to have a more seasoned sewist on stand-by to help interpret.
But don't let that stop you from trying!

I shall post pictures of Emma Rose wearing her new birthday suit, as soon as someone takes them and E-Mails them to me. Ahem!!!!~

Weird new Dress or: Why I Like Weird

Truthfully, there may be no real explaining why I like some weird things.

Kosher dill pickles and Dr.Pepper when you are no longer pregnant?
A dyed-in-the-wool Southern Belle who hates Summer, heat, sweating, catfish and most fried foods?
An avowed lexiphyle who, nonetheless, says "y'all" frequently?
Somethings will remain mysteries.

I can, however, explain why I like atypical, eclectic, okay - weird - clothes: they can never be dated.

Haven't you sometimes had an item of clothing that you loved so much, you wanted to wear it forever? As long as it was intact, and still fit, you wanted to wear it even if it did scream, "1987". But you relegated it to the back of your closet, and the fond-memory portion of your brain because you knew that every time you wore it people would wonder why you were still wearing clothes that went out of style 27 years ago.
Here's my theory:
If you wear clothes that are artistic, outre, avant-garde, that is: clothes that never were mainstream trendy, or never were 'in style', then they can't really ever go out of style, can they?


Here is my latest foray into the artistic, outre, avant-garde style of dressing.
Vogue 1234, designed by Sandra Betzina.
Yep. This is one weird dress.

Sort of princess-seamed, but with bust darts. Pocket-like projections that aren't pockets, and, amazingly, don't give the impression of hips that are the results of a cheesecake-only diet/ never exercise lifestyle.
This was the strangest thing to sew I have tackled in a long time.
The instructions were surprisingly confusing. I say, "surprisingly" because one of the reasons I gravitate to Sandra Betzina designs is for the wonderful engineering, excellent construction techniques, and clear, understandable instructions.
The pattern pieces don't look like any typical pieces. They are narrow in strange places, stop abruptly, and jut out strangely in improbable spots, and it is nearly impossible to look at individual pieces and see the end result.
I did not find this in the least daunting. This was not the first time I had sewn something of pieces that did not make sense initially, or during construction, but worked perfectly at the end.
The instructions suggest labeling dots on the pattern pieces to be matched by a letter/number combination. Thus: 1A, 1B, 2C, etc. Then, when constructing, match correspondingly labeled dots by keeping the patterns on the fabric, until matched, then sewn. Okay. If that's such a great idea, why wasn't the pattern so annotated when it was being printed?? This pattern retails for $27.50 -- Vogue couldn't spend the extra ink to label dots according to the designer's instructions? I found the whole 'label and match' thing to be way too complicated and time-consuming. I kept the pattern instructions open and handy, and followed the pictures. No problems.
This actually went together beautifully, making more and more sense as pieces were joined.




I made it of a silk/rayon jersey that I ordered from Gorgeous Fabrics. Their name is not an exaggeration - gorgeous, indeed!
The pattern required a 2-way stretch, and I worried that my, frankly zaftig, body would not be flattered by a clingy knit. Not to worry -- this knit doesn't cling - it glides. It feels wonderful, resists wrinkling, and machine washes easily. I shall buy this again!





A word on the relative value of so expensive a pattern: It may retail for $27.50, but I certainly didn't pay that! For that kind of money, the pattern would need to contain more than 1 dress, with only a sleeve variation; or would need to have some very unusual sewing technique that I wanted to learn. I bought this on one of Hancock's sales for $3.99. Let me suggest that you sign up for their loyalty card so that you, too, will know of each and every sale. Vogue patterns @ $3.99 is not to be missed!!!

Next up: Birthday pretties for Emma Rose!

Clown pants (and a pretty top)

Yes, I know they look like clown pants.
I don't care. This pattern makes a pair of pants that is wildly comfortable, goes together quickly with next-to-no fitting, and is extremely adaptable.
I was first attracted to this pattern for its wearable art possibilities. I used the pattern's option of dividing the center panel into irregular blocks, and setting them cross-grain, straight-grain, on the the bias, and not quite any of those.







This was all ready figured, printed and cut, by the designer, Carol Lane-Saber. Another option would be to cut the center panel on the straight grain. here's where the possibilities begin:
1) center panels could be cut of a different color of the same fabric as rest of pants
2) center panels could be cut of different fabric as rest of pants
3) center panels could be print, with sides a coordinating solid
4) piping or lace could be inserted in panel's seams
5) panel's seams could be embellished with decorative topstitching
6) & beyond Whatever you can dream!

The fabric is one of those in my rather prodigious stash that I should like to tell you about, but can't. I am sure I didn't buy this fabric, because I think I would remember choosing something this bold. I think I would only buy something this distinctive if I had something particular in mind to do with it, and I would all ready have done it. I know it has been in my stash for several years. I could never decide what to do with it, but couldn't quite give it up, either. A burn test reveled it to be rayon, so I know that my mother didn't buy it - she hated rayon. The mystery may never be solved.

It was the blue that decided me.
One day a few weeks ago I wore a lapis blue sweater, and received 3 (three!) compliments before lunch! Each one saying, "That is your color!" I came home and searched my stash for some fabric in that color, and could only find this. One of the blue colors is the same as that sweater, the other blue in the stripe is a turquoise that I like very much. And so, the search for a pattern for this fabric began.
I can't really say why I thought that taking this busy stripe, and using it in an even busier pattern was a good idea, but somehow, it grew on me.

In my defense, I can only say that if those rat-bastards at AARP are going to persist in sending me invitations to join, thereby implying that I am old, then I am going to exercise the option of dressing like a crazy old lady.









Now for the coordinating top.
Again with the blue.
Thinking that the clown-pants were excitement enough for one ensemble, I wanted a top that was a little more subdued.
I bought this pattern, designed by Lyla J Messinger, at Sewing & Stitchery Expo last March, and have been looking for the perfect opportunity to make it up.
Now that I have, I am brimming with ideas for making it again, but differently. [stay tuned - next time, there might be colour-coordinating lace at the edges!]
Made of rayon chiffon in the two blue stripes found in the clown pants, this pattern went together quickly, and easily. I constructed it all of French seams, and used my Pfaff for the rolled hem.
The rolled hem could have been done a little more quickly on the serger, but that incorporates a lot of thread into the hem, and, as the fabric was very lightweight, and the hem cut, in parts, on the bias, I didn't want to risk a lettuce-edged effect. Pfaffie did not let me down!






Next up: a truly eclectic, crazy-old-lady dress of a lilac/blue silk jersey. Take that, AARP!!!!

Why Quilters sometimes Sew.

I am currently taking a Block-of-the-Month class at Scharmann's Sewing in Longview. The gorgeous fabric collection selected for this quilt is all batik, called Tonga Rhapsody.

I have always loved batiks. Everything from traditional 1-colour wax-relief batiks, to the myriad of multi-coloured batik-style prints that are currently en vogue - I love them all.





A couple of months ago, when our block kits contained a new batik of mostly purples, corals and black; I took one look at 'Fig' and said, "Skirt!" The class thought I was nuts. [The preacher's wife in the class thought I had Tourrette's, and was simply grateful that I hadn't uttered something a little more classically Tourrette-like, but, I digress] They are getting used to my brand of nuttiness, so the instructor merely replied, "It's available by the yard."










It took a while to decide which skirt to make, and, although I have several recently-purchased skirt patterns that I haven't used yet, this New Look favorite from 1990 was selected. I chose the view with the front drape, and pleated swag. I wanted something a little atypical. Something casual, yet classy. Something no one else would wear, but not because it's too weird. {Although a little weird is always good with me.}











This skirt works up quickly, and resents few problems. The one thing I did different this time around is the waist treatment.
I do not have the same body I had in 1990. Yes, some grading up of sizes was involved. I decided to replace the 2-in straight, stiff waistband, with a 1/4 in bias-bound edge. I am very happy with this adaptation.

What do you think?
I can't wait to see this fabric made up into a quilt!