Teal Dress, Part 3

The Smocking

Now that I've got the fabric marked so that I can actually deal with it, I can do the smocking. The type of smocking that I'm doing is called "direct smocking" or "dot to dot smocking". I'm sure there are other names for it, but this is different from "picture smocking", which is stitching worked over a piece of fabric that has already been pleated into tiny pleats. My mother in-law does the picture smocking and even has her own pleater for pleating the fabric. Picture smocking is exactly as it sounds - when you're done, you end up with cute little pictures of bunnies or ducks or whatever. It usually is worked from some sort of chart, too. Direct smocking uses the placement of dots on flat fabric as a guide to the stitching. Variations of direct smocking include different stitching orders and names such as "Canadian" or "North American" smocking.

The stitch that I'm working for this garment is a honeycomb stitch. Two rows are worked at the same time and are worked from right to left. The best fabrics to use are those that have some crispness and body. Cottons are very popular for smocking.

First, come up at dot 1 and take a small stitch.

Second, go over to dot 2 and take a stitch there, and bring dots 1 and 2 togther.

Third - this is very important to getting the fabric to be 3 dimensional (besides fabric choice) - stitch the two dots together - you'll have to take a deep stitch, as this makes and keeps the pleats in the fabric.

Fourth, put the needle back into the fabric at dot 2 and bring it up at dot 3. This dot is directly below dot 2 on the second row. Do not pull the thread tight, but keep it smooth on the wrong side. Repeat steps 1 through 3, but at dots 3 and 4.

Fifth, put the needle back into the fabric at dot 3 and bring it up at dot 5. This dot is directly above dot 4, back on the first row, again, don't pull the thread tightly, but keep it smooth on the wrong side. Repeat steps 1 through 3, but at dots 5 and 6.

Continue stitching across the row, alternating between first and second rows until the end of the row. If you're going to add beads, the time to do it would be between steps 2 and 3. Pick up a bead after step 2 and continue on with step 3.

Here's the finished product with some stitches done on rows 3 and 4, so that you can see the completed honeycombs or diamonds.

I'm a little over half way done with the front, and I'm pleased with it - hopefully, I'll finish it off tomorrow!

Parting Shots: Yesterday I mentioned some silk that I was planning on using for a dress, and here it is. I was able to get the silk from St. Louis - I actually picked it out, but because the shop was closing, Marji was gracious enough to go back the next week, get the fabric and ship it to me! I'm planning to make BWOF 5/07 #124 from it, with some creative use of the borders and dividers.

Teal Dress - Part 2

Plan C and almost Plan D

First, Carolyn saw my scissors in a picture I posted yesterday and wanted to know if I used scissors or a rotary cutter. I actually use scissors! I prefer them, I've always used them and feel like I'm in control. I can't cut curves tremendously well with the rotary cutter, either. I do use the rotary cutter for cutting bias strips, long pieces like belts, and for cutting out those tulle overskirts for little girl's dresses. I can cut multiple layers precisely and quickly without fighting with the tulle and pattern pieces.

You know all that smocking you saw yesterday? It's gone. That's right, I ripped it out. Every last bit of it. It wasn't as nice as I'd like. In fact, I almost went to plan D, which was to make a completely different dress from BWOF, and put this one on the back burner. Thanks to all of you, I'm going to finish this one up! I really appreciate all the positive feedback and support, because I was really bummed about the smocking last night. To the point where I traced off the Burda dress pattern and figured out how to best use some gorgeous silk that I got in St. Louis (I'll show you that eventually!).

For bus work today, I ripped off all the beads and took out the stitching. After a quick press, I went on to plan C. The major problem at this point is evenly spaced lines that don't fade. There's only one solution for this: basting. Tedious, but, you know, there's a lot of things we do in sewing that may be tedious but produce excellent results. To get the lines nice and straight, I used my sewing machine and the quilting bar:

Now, I can get this top smocked properly. I'm also going to try a variation of the stitch that I'm doing to see if I like the results any better. I think this fabric is a bit too drapey for smocking, but I still like it, so I'm sticking with it. Tomorrow I'll post on how to do the smocking. I apologize about not posting about it today, but tomorrow it will look much better (I hope) and I'll give you all the details.

So far, so good:



Parting Shot: More irises! I have two different varieties of irises, and these are blooming, too!

The Teal Dress

At the end of the school year, our school has a formal banquet honoring our seniors. Our students look forward to the event, and even though it is held in our gymnasium, it is complete with a catered meal and decorations. Hmmmm . . . . I wonder what artistically talented person they have doing all those decorations? Oh yeah, that's me. So, in addition to everything else I do, I get to figure out how to decorate the gym. For the third year in a row. Fortunately, I have a great group of students that help me out - some have been helping me do events for 5 or more years and know how I operate. I also get to hostess the event, which brings me to the teal dress.

As hostess, I run around all evening coordinating the event and making sure things happen in the correct order and the emcee does what he's supposed to and that the seniors and their parents are well taken care of. I always dress up a bit for the event - I don't wear the long gowns and spend hours at the salon like the girls do, but I do try to wear something dressy. I've wanted to make this dress for a while now, and it looks like this week and next is the time to get it done. My original inspiration came from this Bottega Veneta dress from the Spring 07 collection (photos from style.com):

The style instantly reminded me of a vintage pattern I had seen! The pattern is similar enough to capture the style and the shape of the dress is good for me, too. While the Via Spigga colors are lovely, they're just not for me. Personally, the color is a bit bland and washed out. I had been looking around for something that was a bit different than what I usually wear (which is, yes, black or red). This teal is perfect. It's actually a sheer fabric, and photographing it has been difficult. It also has gold irridescent threads running lengthwise through it, which give it a bit of sparkle. I finally found lining that matches pretty closely, so last night I cut the whole thing out. The sheer was very slippery, so I placed the pattern pieces underneath the fabric, pinned them down, and then cut them out. It was a little easier than having the whole thing slide around.
Today's task was to get started on all the smocking. The pattern still had the original smocking transfer, and believe it or not, it actually worked! The only problem is that the transfer is dark blue and my fabric is a medium/dark teal. It doesn't show up so well, so I had to go to plan B, and eventually plan C.

Obviously, white or yellow would show up well. I have 3 options for white markings: pencil, chalk and tracing paper. Neither are easy to do, and all of them rub off more easily than I'd like. I also have the problem of making precise dots (stitching guides), spaced 5/8" apart on quite a large piece of fabric. The dots just weren't going to happen, to I decided to make a grid instead. The dots would be where the lines intersect. Drawing the lines wasn't easy, either. The fabrics, even though basted together were very shifty. I tried using the ruler and either the pencil or chalk. I liked the chalk best, but it can't be pressed or it remains permanently in the fabric. Notice how big the transfer is - that is the transfer for the front.

The next thing I tried was making a template of sorts. I took a piece of freezer paper and drew lines on it 5/8" apart. I then placed tracing paper on the fabric, with the coated side down, the stencil on top and traced the lines. This made for the most accurate, albeit faintest lines. The good thing is that I can either add the perpendicular lines to the template or I can just turn it 90 degrees and trace the other lines. I haven't traced the back bodice yet, so I'm not sure how I'm going to do it.

The smocking part it is actually very easy. It's extremely repetative, so once you get it, it's sort of mindless. Now you know I couldn't get away with a project this easy without adding some beads. I found some beads that matched perfectly - they're green, but chartreuse lined, so they actually mimic the color of the irridescent threads in the sheer. Here's what I have done so far, and tomorrow, I'll show you how the smocking stitch is actually done.

Parting Shots: The irises are blooming! Here are the first irises of the season and the iris bed. As you can see there will be more to come. I'm glad I'm home to enjoy them.

I'm back!

We got back yesterday, but it was a very long and busy day, so I didn't post. I was up at 3:45am, to catch a plane out of Orlando, FL at 6:00a, made one stop in Atlanta, and got back to Manchester, NH sometime after noon. By the time I got home, had lunch and got through all the regular mail and e-mail, it was time for church, where I had to present the school's yearbook and a copy to the person it was dedicated to. After that we came home and shot off some fireworks. I think I finally got to sleep around 11:00pm.

When I got home I had several surprises waiting for me! First, in the mail, I got a Knipmode magazine, courtesy of Isabelle; I sent her some petticoat pattern copies a while ago and she went to the trouble of tracking down this magazine from another source since she couldn't get it at her local newsstand. Thank you, Isabelle! There are quite a few things I'm seriously thinking of making from this issue! My husband wanted to know if it was another German mag, I said, no, I think it's Dutch!

I also got some fur, from Faux Paw Furs. This is white channeled mink, and will be used for the jacket for Diamonds. (I will finish it! I promise! I'll be working on it soon!) This is one of the few snow white minks I found on the internet and locally. Most of them are I've found to be a bit beige or yellow. This one is a true snow white, even though it might not appear to be in the picture.

Obviously, I was missed, as I found these waiting for me in the kitchen, the picture isn't the greatest, but the roses are orange, and the carnations are fuchsia and bright pink (a combo that tends to sneak into a lot of my artsy projects):

This week I'll be working on flowergirl dresses for two little cousin who will be in their uncle's wedding. I'm also going to make a dress for myself for the graduation banquet at the end of the school year. I showed you the pattern and inspiration a while ago (and will post it again soon), but here's the fabric and beads, too. A bead will be placed at each smocking stitch. I'm hoping to get this cut out tonight and start work on it tomorrow.

Parting Shot: My travel companions wanted to go to the beach to see either a sunrise or sunset. I opted for the sunrise as it was only an hour to the Atlantic Ocean. These pictures were taken at Cocoa Beach, and way, way, way, off in the distance across the ocean you'll find Portugal where Tany lives!

Still in Florida . . . .

I'm still here, but will come home on Sunday. This is the first time I've been on the Net since I left and I've got a lot of catching up to do! I also have a lot of sewing to do when I get home!

I'm not sure why the comments weren't enabled for the last post - I didn't turn them off on purpose, so who knows?

Parting Shot: We've been going to amusement parks and generally having a good time. Here I am on a griffin-like create at Islands of Adventure in Orlando:

For Isabelle

This is post is for Isabelle, who if you don't know, is making her wedding gown for her upcoming wedding the August. My story is similar to hers in that we decided on an August wedding date in May of the same year, and I made my gown over the summer. Here it is:

Almost 14 years and 2 children later, I can still wear the gown! It's a little big through the bust and waist, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

It's made from a Victor Costa Vogue pattern, #2618. I used a heavy peau de soie satin, tafetta for underlining the skirt and bodice, embroidered and beaded organza/satin lace, and glimmer tulle. The only changes I made to the dress was not to make the train, and not to put any lace or trim on the skirt because I'm short and visually would make me look shorter. To date, the lace on this gown is the most expensive fabric I've worked with, at $135.00 per yard. I'm not a big fan of lace, but this lace is perfect for me.

I'd forgot about some of the details until I got the gown out of the closet. It has a waist stay, loops to pass the hanging loops through, sleeve heads and bound armholes, buttons and loops on the sleeves and back, and horsehair braid in the hem. I had a matching tiara/veil trimmed with cutouts of the lace.

If I were to remake this gown today, I'd definitely put in boning and cups and a support system of some kind - notice it's practically backless! I'd also make the sleeve heads a bit smaller due to my frame size. They were in style back then, but from today's viewpoint, they're a bit big. Other than that, I wouldn't change anything, I love the gown as is.

Here are a few extra pictures just for fun from my wedding album. First, my grandmother and I - she passed away last fall. Isn't that blue dress perfect for her? Right color and style. I had never seen my grandmother in a dress until my wedding day - she always wore pants. Next, a one of my husband and I, and a few of just me.




Parting Shot: I've always loved this picture from my wedding album:

I will out of town for the next week in Florida. I do plan to keep up with the blog, but it will probably be only every other day or so. If you need to e-mail me, use summersetbanks@gmail.com.

Purse Embellishments, Part II

After the background is complete, and any quilting or stitching is complete, I'll do one of two things: either construct the piece and then do the beadwork or do the beadwork first and then complete construction. It depends on on how hard it would be to bead the piece if it's already put together. In the case of the purses, it's easier to work on them while they're flat. Of course, you do understand, that beads and sequins are a big part of my art work. I very rarely make a piece without them.

*Enabling Commercial Ahead*

While I'm thinking about it - if you love sequins and sparkly things, you've got the check out this website: Cartwright's Sequins. They have every kind and color of sequin imaginable! Lori in MN sent me the URL when I was looking for square sequins for Diamonds (yes, I am going to finish it - when I get back from FL, so stay tuned!). Thank you, Lori, it was exactly what I was looking for! If anyone wants to combine an order, I'm game, they do have a $10 minimum to the US. You *know* I don't need $10 worth of new sequins!

*End of Commercial: Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Program*

When I bead an item, I rarely, if ever, start the process by knowing exactly what I'm going to do. I usually have a vague idea, such as "beaded flower centers", but no exact plan. I already have out any and every bead and sequin that would work for the project, so then I survey what I have, what I think I want to do, and try something. It make take a few tries to get the right effect, so this part of the process can be a bit slow. Once I figure out what I'm going to do, it's easy just to finish it. It's a bit of a spontaneous process, but that's part of the fun.

For this purse, I needed beaded flower centers. It's easy just to put on a sequin and hold it down with a bead, so while that worked for the smallest flowers, I wanted something else for the medium and larger sized ones. This is what I came up with:

The medium flowers and some of the large ones have sequin and mini-bead tassel centers. The large red flowers just have a scattering of aqua beads. The tassels are very easy to make: pick up 5 beads on the thread, skip the first 3, go back through the next 2 beads with the needle and thread and into the fabric, pull tight but not too tight so that the tassels stands upright. I've made 3 for each flower. The larger flowers have a either scattered bead center or the tasseled center surrounded by bead/sequin combos, while the medium red flowers have a flower shaped flat sequin as the center with tassels.

Once the piece is complete, I'll take a good look at it and see if it needs any more beadwork. Sometimes instead of beads, I'll add Swarovski crystals. I know they *can* be the ultimate of tacky, but you know, a few here and there aren't going to hurt. I'm not covering my cell phone in them! This purse is getting crystals, plus I need to go back and add the antennae to the butterflies.

How do I come up with all this stuff? Honestly, I don't know. For the most part, I study other people's work, I read up on techniques, and then when it comes time to actually make something, ideas will surface in the old brain and things start to happen. For me, this is my favorite part - when I can sit down, take out various bags of beads and sequins and play around with them. That's all I'm actually doing - just playing around with color and shape combinations. It's amazing all the things you can do with a few different kinds of beads.

If you need inspiration, do get some good books on beading and surface techniques. You may not like every project or technique, but you'll never know when one small detail may spark an entire journey of discovery. I have many books and magazine subscriptions that aren't quite "my style", but are great sources of inspiration. One book I would recommend is Kenneth King's book on beading, which was released last fall. I got a copy for Christmas, and have really enjoyed it - the work is beautiful and the explanations detailed.

Parting Shot: The large assortment of junk on the worktable wouldn't be complete without a cat! There are 21 different items in this view of the table, including the cat! What a mess.

BWOF #113, Part 2/Final Post

It's all done! I'm really happy with it, I got a lot of compliments from students/teachers at school, and my husband really likes it. He liked all the seaming detail at the shoulders, and said he wouldn't have picked the white as his first choice for the binding, but that it works nicely. I will say, there is *a lot* of binding for this version, so if you make this and aren't up to doing all the binding, I completely understand.

I only made one more small construction change. This one is a cross-over technique from the quilting world. Instead of making 4 separate belt carriers as per the pattern, I made one long carrier of the proper width, bound both edges and then cut it apart with the rotary cutter for the 4 carriers. Many pieced quilts are constructed this way, where two or more pieces are sewn together and then the separate units are cut apart and put back together another way.

The resident jr. fashion photographer was back in business this afternoon. I look a little bit "deer in the headlights", and the blouse is a bit more rumpled than I'd like, but that's what I get for having the photos done after wearing it for 10 hours.

I wore it to school with a brown skirt, but I put on these white shorts for the photos . I really like the white shorts with it, and need to make another plain white skirt. I'm trying to decide between the pleated one from the same Burda issue or one from Patrones.

Parting Shot: Rain on the lily leaves. We've had some really lovely days recently, so a little rain isn't a bad thing!