More Vintage Fun

Simplicity 2057, c. 1957

I just finished this dress (see photo below for line drawing) for my daughter today. She chose the square neck view, but wanted the eyelet and bow, too. Once we got the border eyelet, we could see that considering the construction of the dress and the placement of the bow the whole thing would be too much for the border eyelet. The bow would cover the pretty pattern and we might as well have chosen a solid white.

The bodice has a bit of unusual construction. What looks like a bodice with an underbust seam and insert really is not.

The upper bodice and lower bodice are construction separately. The upper bodice has a facing attached along the lower edge which is turned to the inside, as shown below.


The upper bodice is then lapped over the lower bodice and a seam is topstitched through all the layers holding them together.

For us, even this construction would mar the eyelet. Since I was underlining the eyelet with bastiste anyway, I made the eyelet upper bodice separate from the bastiste one, joining it only at the neck and armholes. I could then flip up the eyelet bodice and procede with the pattern instructions as written. I stitched a second row of stitching for security. From the outside under the eyelet:

From the inside, you can see how the upper and lower bodices are overlapped, stitched and pinked:

The skirt is pretty straightforward with double box pleats and a total hem circumference of 100" for this size.

The aqua fabric is from Denver Fabrics, a cotton lawn with shiny silver stripes.

Q/A: I've got a few for today. First from Tini regarding the Maizy socks: "How does the yarn wear?" I'm not sure how it will hold up over many washings and wearings just yet. The yarn is very soft and spongy, so the socks are comfortable to wear, at least so far!

From LindsayT: "Sews, draw, knit... Is there anything you can't do?" Um, yes, actually. How about cutting hair? I can sort of trim my own bangs, but other than that I don't dare touch my hair with scissors. Nor anyone else's. You'd think for someone fearless to cut into fabric that sells for over $100 per yard, I wouldn't think twice about cutting hair. Not so my friends, not so. There are some jobs better left to the professionals.

Parting Shot: Flowers. Yes, we have flowers here in New England! These are little ones, but I've got lots of green leaves and shoots for the bigger ones to come.

Garden Path - Introduction - Part IV

Artwork

As most of you know, all of my artwork is original. This means that for every project, I draw all the artwork myself. This is makes my project unique and original to me, and helps avoid copyright issues. Since there will be many types of flowers for this project - 8 different ones, I think - I've been busy drawing flowers and making templates this week.

I usually begin projects with the quilting, but since I'm waiting on threads to arrive, I've decided to get a start on the all the applique by getting the artwork finished and templates made this week.

Here are some samples of the flowers and leaves:



These flowers will be rendered in hand applique in silk and wood burning tool cutouts in synthetics. This is why I needed both silks and synthetics in matching and coordinating colors. Because of this, I need to make two types of templates, both freezer paper and metal. Not all the flowers will be made the same way, some using one technique or the other and some both. Add to that, I need to make leaf templates for each flower, both in freezer paper and metal. Is that confusing enough? Thought so, that's why I made a spread sheet, and then marked off the boxes as I completed each flower's templates so that I made sure I had them all.

You can see in the photo above that I still need to do something about the roses. Not to worry, I save all my artwork, so I've pulled out the rose templates from American Beauty. I'll pick the appropriate size from all the reduced photocopies and trace off new freezer paper templates and make both leaf templates. It also looks like I need another grid for the threads, beads and sequins to keep them organized, too.

The flowers for this project will be quite an undertaking and really the focal point of the whole piece. I usually start my applique too late into the project and then have to really make it point to stay on track (yes, I have a daily goals spreadsheet) to keep the project on course. Maybe that won't happen this time.

Parting Shot: The Back. This is the back to the Mano del Uruguay Sweater. I am really pleased with the sweater so far. The yarn color is beautiful and the pattern so far has worked up nicely. The pattern is in the spring 2009 issue of Interweave Knits magazine, the Millefiori Cardigan. I took this with me on my trip last week and was able to knit the back from start up through the armhole shaping and into the upper back by the time I returned home. I finished this piece last night.

By Request, The Paducah Dress Fix

Some of you have asked me to show you how I fixed the shoulders for the Paducah dress, so here it is. I will have to admit, because of the way the pattern was drafted, it really was not so much my cleverness, as the pattern's.

The dress front neck only is bound. The back neck edges have cut-on facings. You can see this in the photo of the pattern piece below. This is the back, and you can see the fold line, and the facing starting at the top where my hand is, and continuing down the diagonal back edge.


The front is finished first, the joined to the back at the shoulders, with the back edge facing wrapping around the neck edge at the shoulder seam. Once stitched and turned the right side, everything is finished; the facing is turned and already attached at the shoulder seam. You can see this in the instruction sheet below.

All I had to do was turn the facing inside out at the shoulder seam (show below, first photo), restitch, trim and turn back to the right side (show below, second photo).

This is how the neck edge looks finished from the outside with the bound front to the left of shoulder seam, and the back with facing to the right:

Q/A: Cindy wanted to know where I got the fabric for this dress. I got this fabric from Denver Fabrics. It is one of the cotton lawns, but I'm not sure if they have any left. I also have the same print in the coral colorway. I used for one of my daughter's dresses.

Parting Shot: Maizy Socks. I finished the Maizy socks this weekend. The yarn is Maizy (a corn fiber/nylon blend) by Crystal Palace Yarns, in the color Hibiscus knit in this sock pattern. There is a lace pattern to them, but it is hard to see, sorry! Next to knit: the Manos del Uruguay sweater. I started it on my trip, I'll show what I've done sometime this week.

I'm Back!

I'm back from the trip to Paducah, via Chicago and via St.Louis. It was a bit hazy when we landed in Chicago, so this isn't the best skyline photo, but here it is, from the airplane window:


Driving out of St. Louis, I took a quick lap around the arch. One of these days I'll stop for a real visit, which I haven't done in about 20 years or so.


I did not win any prizes this year in Paducah, and I knew I wouldn't going into this show. Forget Me Knot, while it is pretty and has won other prizes, was not quite the level it needed to be to compete in this show. I still got dressed up, had fun, and caught up with many other artists, many of whom I only see once a year or so. Here I am, mugging for the camera:

I was also able to speak with Rami Kim. Rami is a wonderful artist, with 13 Best of Show wins and numerous other awards. This year in Paducah, she had her own fashion show, as the enterainment portion of the fashion show. She showed 20 ensembles, each one beautiful and distinctive. If you ever have a chance to see her work in person, you ought to do so. She also has two books published, Folded Fabric Elegance and Quilted Elegance.

I asked Rami what I could do to improve my garments. She has seen many of my garments and has judged them, too. She said to master what I do and to make it perfect. Excellent advice and something to strive for! The new mantra: make it perfect.

I own both of Rami's books, and looking through them was a real inspiration, but not in exactly the way you'd think. Some of the techniques presented in her books I have seen before, except for the unique Korean Chopkey techniques of 3-D folded fabric embellishments. While the pictures themselves are beautifully shot and the garments wonderful, that was only a small part of what inspired me. What inspired me was the fact that Rami was able to distill the essence of her own artwork into two books. If you look at all of her techniques, these are part of what makes her work unique and special. It really made me think. If I had to sit down and figure out what makes my work unique to me and list those techniques, what would they be? What makes my work different from other's people's work? I was able to figure out three or four major things that I would call my own.

From there I took one technique and asked myself, have I explored this technique to the fullest? What I could do with just this one technique? Within an hour, I had sketched four or five new ideas. In 20 minutes on one of plane rides, I was able to write out the instructions for construction for each technique. I found it very interesting that I was able to define what I do and build upon it so quickly. Maybe it was just a product of being away from home, studio and family, where I had time to think about these things. It was sort of refreshing in a way. Now I'm ready to get back into the studio and back to work!

Parting Shot: Jackpot! I stopped at a couple of vintage shops on my way out of St. Louis and I was able to pick up a couple of belts kits and covered button partial kits for real cheap. I also picked up a pair of yellow gloves, I'm hoping to use them with Garden Path.

Advance 2944 - Part Two

Done!

I finished the dress this morning, so I will be able to pack it and take it with me. Sorry for the blank look above; photographer #2 caught me at the wrong moment. Oh, check out the skintone! I am so white. You can't tell I live in a climate that has winter, can you? The dress was simple to make and only needed one alteration:

Yes, the shoulders were too big. Not a big surprise, I had suspected as much. The fix took me less than 15 minutes and the dress fits much better now.

Most of the inside edges are under facings or are pinked. You can see the waist line finish below. There are two rows of stitching and then the raw edge is pinked. You can also see the white batiste underlining above the waist seam.

Here are the pleats in action on the dress form:

Q&A: From MaryPatR: I am glad Saturday went well for you. Was this the first lecture/trunk show type of thing for you? Thanks! No, I've given lectures/trunk shows before. I have my own laptop and projector, so that helps quite a bit with being able to do a lecture without a guild or group needing to get special equipment. I also was/am (not sure if I'll teach in the future) a high school teacher, so speaking in front of a group is not a problem!

Tomorrow I will travel to Paducah, KY via St. Louis for the American Quilter's Society Show. I will be in the fashion show on Friday, see the quilt show and visit the vendors on Friday and return home on Saturday. I will back to posting on Monday and maybe I'll have a few photos if I have a few spare minutes. See you then!

Parting Shot: Two at a Time. We can now sew two at a time with the addition of the new Janome to the work room. The new machine won't always be set up, but it is nice to be able to sew while keeping an eye on what the children are sewing.

Garden Path - Introduction - Part III

Color Selection Fun!

Picking out the colors for a project is not limited to the fabric. There are many threads, beads, sequins to be considered too. For the moment, this is one of the things that I can do while I'm waiting for my fabric and thread orders to arrive. I really can't do too much until I get the fabric and can start making samples. I know the fabric is on the way, I got an email confirming that. Most likely it will arrive while I'm gone, but will be waiting for me when I get back!

While at MQX last weekend, I went to the Superior Threads booth to see what threads they had available. I think I've found some good matches for the light yellow background for the quilting I have planned for that. I also purchased color cards for Glitter, Metallic and Brytes thread lines. The color cards have actual samples and for me are extremely useful as most of my supplies are ordered via the internet. Glitter, of course, is my favorite Superior Thread. Every project has some Glitter in it, I'm guessing this one will have quite a few Glitter colors. There were no Glitter threads at the MQX show that I was able to find, but I am hoping there will be some at AQS. I've bought that type of thread there in the past. I also talked to Bob the owner of Superior Threads and he said that the Brytes line of threads would not be at the AQS show.

No project of mine would be complete without thousands (literally!) of glittery beads and sequins! I pulled out most of the beads and sequins today, looking for matches to the swatches. I still have one tray of beads to sort through. I probably won't use every color that I've pulled out, but knowing what I have will help if I need to order more colors. You can see that I do not have many green beads, but plenty of green sequins.

Each color will still need to be carefully evaluated to see whether it will be suitable for this project, but that is part of the planning and design process.

I still have some artwork to finish and some templates to make, but that will probably have to wait until next week. Tomorrow I will be busy finishing the Paducah dress (just need to attach the skirt and finish the handwork) and packing, cleaning, shopping, etc for the trip to Paducah. I am hoping to start the aqua sweater on the trip. I know we can take knitting needles on planes according to the TSA. I have a huge collection of metals ones, but should I seek out bamboo needles just in case I get any grief from TSA? Let me know if you have had any airport/knitting experiences.

Parting Shot: The Lob-stah Man. Yes, those are lobsters. My husband saw this fabric in clearance yesterday in Jo-ann's and wanted a shirt made from it like the Cat Man shirt. Not something I would have picked, so I sewed it up quickly today just to move it out of the studio.

Advance 2944 - Part One - Introduction

aka The Paducah Dress

I'm making Advance 2944 to wear the day of the fashion show at the American Quilter's Society show in Paducah, KY later this week. I like the concept of wearing a dress to these sorts of events because it is easier to get undressed and dressed and still look neat.

Today I thought I'd show you some of the details of the pattern itself, sort of like an inside the envelope. There are more details in what seems to be a simple vintage wrap dress than you'd find in a comparable modern pattern.

First, you'll notice that there is a full, gathered skirt on this dress. That is not so unusual, but think about it for a minute: back wrap dress with gathers at the waist. That means there would two layers of gathers in the back because of the wrap. How many of you would want two layers of gathers over your butt? Yeah, alright, not many. This pattern addresses that issue: there are darts in the layer underneath to control the fullness without the bulk. Isn't that clever? Here they are in the pattern, and in stitched into the skirt:

Second, there are gathers at the neckline. We've seen this sort of neckline in many dresses and blouses recently - either with gathers or pleats. This pattern includes a neckline stay which helps to help support and protect the gathers. Notice that the neckline is also finished with bias binding. Again, in the pattern and in real life:


Third, there is a pocket option, which also includes a stay. The pocket looks ginormous on the pattern envelope, but really is not in real life.

Last, regarding cutting out the fabric, there is an option to cut out the skirt using a border print. In this version the skirt pieces are all lapped at the seams and then the skirt is cut in one long piece. I took that idea and used it to cut out the skirt in two sections rather than four. My fabric is 55"/60" wide, so this was a good use of such a wide fabric. I only ran into one small problem with the front, I was short a few inches. For such a full gathered skirt, this really is not a problem and I know I won't miss a few inches worth of skirt. If this skirt was pleated, it might make a difference depending on the pleats, but not with gathers.

I'm pretty much making this pattern as is with one minor exception. I am underlining the bodice in batiste, since the cotton lawn is fairly thin. I lined the bodice of my daughter's dress for the same reason. I did have a question regarding that which I never answered, so I'll answer that real quickly. A reader wanted to know if I lined the skirt, too. No, I did not for my daughter's dress, nor will I for this one. Lining the skirt is a lot of extra fabric, when a half slip will have the same effect. We will just wear half slips with the dresses.

Regarding my lecture at MQX on Saturday, it went very well. There are a few issues to work out with the slide show - I need a remote to be able to control it better. Overall, I had a good time and those who attended seemed too. Maybe next year I'll teach a class or two? I'm not sure yet. There are no photos of me, sorry, these events seem to go by quickly and it is always busy! Thankfully there was the photo shoot post for Fun With Dots so you got to see the dress. I did a few pictures on BOH on display, though. Maybe I'll put one in a Parting Shot this week.

Parting Shot: Life! My son found some flowers blooming in the yard today and brought me one. It is small, but nice to see something blooming.

Garden Path - Introduction - Part II

Color Selection

Color selection for me is a very important process. The colors of the garment set the mood and are a big part of the overall look and message that the garment is trying to convey. Take for example, in Bluebird of Happiness the beige, gold and blue convey elegance; Midnight Garden's blues and silvers convey images of leaves and flowers under the moonlight; Forget Me Knot's lavender portrays youth and innocence.

Usually when I have an idea for a garment, I see a fuzzy view of the whole thing - generally the overall shape and main colors and some embellishments. I don't always see all the fine details of the artwork or beading; those come when I sit down with a pencil, at the sewing machine or with beads and needle. For Garden Path, I saw a light yellow back ground to showcase flowers in clear, bright colors. This garment was conceived in the dead of winter, so there's no surprise that I dreamed up something with a bursts of brilliant flowers! I was craving color and this is what I came up. You can see some of the initial silk selections below - not all of these made the final cut.

For the background color, I wanted something soft that would contrast with the flowers. I chose yellow because it is a happy color and it reminds me of sunshine. I chose the paler shade to contrast with the flowers, not compete with them. This color also needs to be a bit calmer than the flower colors so that the eye has a place to rest, to find a bit of peacefulness among everything else that is going on in the garment. That of course, is about artistic balance - you find it in paintings and music, wearable art is no different in that respect, it is just a different medium of expression.

The flowers themselves are bright, clear colors as are the leaves. Bright pinks and purples and white will be show cased, along with various clear greens. I did have three green silks already in my collection, but when I looked at them with the other colors I had chosen, they didn't work. They were too muddy, too olive, too something. They are lovely greens, just not right for this project - one of them was used for Waiting for Spring and one was used for BOH - great for those projects, not for this one.

Here is another shot of color selection, after we went synthetics shopping. I'll need synthetics for this project, too, so we took the swatches and went shopping at Martin's. Here you can see all the fabrics from my collection and the ones we bought with the final selections taking place of both fabrics. Needless to say, this process took several days. I had to wait for sunshine because it really is hard to match colors under artificial lighting and I wanted to see what the colors looked like in real sunlight.


Another thing I take into consideration when selecting colors is how the colors will look when viewed from a distance and under various lighting conditions. Much of my artwork will be view from behind ropes or on a runway from a distance or in a big exposition hall. I always have to ask, is there enough contrast between elements? How would I react to these colors if I was seeing them for the first time?

Finally, after all these considerations, I also chose the color I love. Reality is, I don't want to spend the next four to six months of my life working with a color I don't love. I think that in a way, that emotion would be carried into the making of the garment and I wouldn't do my best work. There is no point in making something you don't love.

My silks are ordered and should be here next week. Today after my lecture I'll buy thread and show you that next week, along with any pictures I take today at the show.

Parting Shot: Vintage Beaded Sweater. I finally bought a vintage beaded sweater! I found one at my local antique gallery for a really, really good price. This sweater is in excellent condition; it looks like it has barely been worn. There are no loose beads, it has all the buttons, the lining is intact and not shredding anywhere. There is a little staining under the arms on the lining, but that is to be expected if it was worn a few times. The peachy/pink, I do have to admit, is not quite my color, but I didn't want a cream or black beaded sweater as there are plenty of those to be found. I'm hoping to find a red one in my size one of these days. I suppose I'll have to hunting for a sweater clip, too some time.