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Salmon Striped Dress - update!

9/14/2017

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Here's an update on my salmon striped dress, an early experiment in pattern drafting and an entirely hand-sewn dress.  Previously, I had bemoaned my failure to get the neckline right on this pattern; the pull of my bra straps in the strap-catchers and the movement of my arms in the armscyes always drew the neckline in, and that created awkward bunching which I would have to fix by tugging the shoulders outward.  Part of the problem was the wide neckline which made the shoulder straps sit too close to the joint of my arm, and part of the problem was that I didn't interface or otherwise stabilize the neckline while sewing it, so it "grew". 

Recently, I realized that this dress was languishing unworn in my closet, even though I like it and always get compliments when I wear it.  So I fiddled with the neck and pinned out the excess into two outward-facing pleats that mimic the other pleats and darts.  I hand-sewed these pleats down, and the dress finally works! 

I also finally got pictures of myself wearing it (many thanks to a random and confused tourist whom I press-ganged into doing the job), so I can analyze the pattern a little more.  (I should subtitle this post "Finally!")

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My Failures

8/14/2017

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Talking with a family member the other day about how people curate their online content to create an alternate world where they always look nice, their house clean, their work polished, I realized that as much as I value integrity and honesty, I also "put my best foot forward" when taking pictures for this blog.  If there's stuff on the table, I move it so you only see my pattern pieces, not my dirty plates.  If I take several unflattering pictures and one flattering one, guess which one I post?  This is natural, and not entirely a bad thing.  (After all, do you really want to see my dirty plates?)  But there's a downside to the illusion of perfection.  When all our friends and family look so perfect online, we might get discouraged or feel shame for the world of dirty dishes we have.  

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Highlighter Dress (made in 2015)

8/10/2017

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Since the Kluge Job was a dud, today I'll highlight one of my favorite early successes!  I made it from an embroidered yellow cotton I bought at the Mill End Store and a salvaged white cotton skirt with lace insertions and ruffles which I bought at the Goodwill Bins.  (The skirt had two layers: the outer layer was stained, but I used the inner layer for this project.)  I call this dress my highlighter dress because of its color scheme, like a yellow highlighter used on white paper.

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Me-Made Underwear

7/20/2017

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Or should it be "self-made underwear"?  Or does that sound like the underwear made themselves? 

Much like camisoles, underwear use up tiny amounts of fabric and satisfy the urge to sew something even when I'm not feeling like (or am putting off) a big project.  I first made my own underwear several years ago, when I was living off of sporadic temp work: I could not afford the money to buy new undies, but I could afford the time and scraps to make some.  

I should note that this post contains no pictures of me in my underwear, so if you clicked from prurience, no such luck!  

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One-Hour Dress

7/13/2017

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Picture

Some patterns surprise me.  I start out thinking they're ugly, won't work for me, look bad on a hanger... and then I try them, and they work.  The 1920's fashions are like that for me.  I am not drawn to boxy shapes or straight lines.  The later seasons of Downton Abbey were rather sad, costume-wise.  The wealthy ladies at least had pretty silks and beading, but the servants might as well have been wearing black pillowcases.  So much no.
However, the one-hour dress, a popular DIY pattern from the 1920's, has several points in its favor:
  • the name (only one hour, really?);
  • the pattern is mostly straight lines;
  • the "waist" is really at the hips, which is the widest part of most women, so you can put it on over your head (no sewing in zippers, buttons, or plackets);
  • the lack of shaping means you can showcase interesting prints or decorations. 

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Peplum Top - Delivered!

5/15/2017

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So my sister received the peplum top!  We Skyped and I saw how it fit, how it looked, and how she liked it.  Here are the results:
  • It fits!  This gives me confidence to use the sister'd up dress form again. 
  • The peplum works well to accentuate her hips, but it would work better in a fabric with less "stickiness", since the woven cotton tends to catch up on her back as she moves, and not go back down.  Best to wear it with a slippery skirt.
  • On the other hand, the more I see it on her, the less I like its ruffly look.  Though the peplum was fun to drape and I liked the look in the abstract, I could also tell it wasn't right for her personality.  And maybe the horizontal effect is too much for her height. 
  • The sleeves were a mistake.  I could remove them, but since the rest of the top is just wrong enough that she still wouldn't wear it, why bother? 
  • The pattern was a good color and good level of busy-ness for her skin coloring, if a bit too floral for her taste.

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Draping a Peplum Top

5/8/2017

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Picture

Michael Portuesi, of the Line of Selvage blog, posted recently about Fashion Draping 101, including excellent photos and explanation the purposes of draping.  (Can I just register my envy right now that he gets to take a class on this?!  Lookit how fancy and official his muslin looks!  And a dress-form you can pin into... I swoon!)  If you don't know what fashion draping is, I'll let you read his post rather than repeating the info here.  Here, I'll just dive right into doing it!  

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Rose Chintz Bodice

4/20/2017

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This blouse is a wearable muslin-- by which I mean it's a test garment, but I'm using nice enough fabric and finishing it well enough to wear it.  
​
​​THE FABRIC has interesting provenance: a bunch of rose chintz cotton which once covered the shelves at the store where I work.  It lived in storage for several years before my boss gave it to me when she found out I sewed.

​THE BASE PATTERN
comes from a fun thrift store find: a 1980's style blouse that looked like it came from a high school production of Hello Dolly!  In its original state, it was hideous: the fabric was pink and synthetic, trimmed with black lace and sequins, and some strange black plastic faux-armor stuff which was falling to pieces.  It had big puffed sleeves and a giant collar/lapel which looked like a mini cape in the back. 

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Tulip Skirt

1/17/2017

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One of the first patterns I drafted was for a pencil skirt.  I found directions online, and followed carefully, measuring and drawing and fretting about quarters of an inch.  Those were early days!  I have since used my pencil skirt pattern many times, since it calls for so little fabric, making it a good go-to for stash-busting!
Picture
Little known fact: sewing can't happen without tea!
So here's a picture of a bit of lovely golden damask from my stash, folded selvedge to selvedge, with the pencil skirt pieces laid on top.  The Center Front (left side of picture) is on the fold.  The Center Back (right side) is on the selvedges.  Plenty of fabric for a pencil skirt, but why not use bit more of that lustrous fabric?

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    Karen Roy

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