Bargaining for Fabric

In our third podcast, Cidell and I talk about the April edition of BWOF. Yeah, we're a little behind because I keep jetting around the world. So I know I've kept you in suspense for way too long, but I'd like to introduce the fabrics I bought in Vietnam:



You can hear the kind of hard bargain I drove for them in the podcast. One thing I didn't get a chance to explain is how the stalls work. They have short lengths (about 2 meters) of lots and lots of fabrics. If you want a short length, you just get what's there. If you want a longer length, they get on the phone and call someone who magically appears a few minutes later with it. How they manage to keep track of hundreds of varieties of fabric and where in the world they store the extras is one of life's mysteries.

The swiss dot with orange polka dots was my first purchase in the Mekong Delta town of My Tho. I had a translator with me as that was the work part. I didn't bargain though--at around $3/yd, I couldn't ask to go any lower.

The stretch silks I got at the Ben Thanh market in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). I bargained for Cidell's fabric and ended up paying around $5 yard. When the asking price at the next stall, where I got the rest of the silk, was only around $3.50 yard, I was no longer quite so proud about my bargaining skills. I just paid their asking price, because I thought it would be obscene to get it any cheaper.

There is more fabric than you can shake a stick at. Here's the fancy stuff:



Here I am in hog heaven. Check out the slightly dazed, slightly manic grin.



And here's the girl who sold me the fabric at non-tourist-fleecing prices (I think):



I haven't decided what all it will be yet, but I think the blue floral might be the Duchess of Windsor dress from the March BWOF. I made it in a knit (and still haven't reviewed it) for Vietnam, and loved it:



fabric photos from the trip and all the photos from the trip.

You can download the podcast here, or listen to it below.

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Cidell insists that I show you my Paris wardrobe. I leave in the morning so I don't have time to say anything about it. But a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Yet Another McCall 5314 Wrap, With Bonus Origami Trim Tutorial

So I spent the weekend sewing my head off for Paris. I made the Milly knockoff, plus another dress, a blouse, and a skirt and finished a dress that still needed a hem band. I have another top cut out that I should be able to finish, and it would be great if I could also make a little shrug but not sure I'll get to that. So I *have* a mini wardrobe and will be entering the mini-wardrobe contest assuming I can find time to take and edit photos!

With the most recent sewing, my review backlog is up to about eight or nine projects! It's the photos that kill me. I did photos for my silk contest entry, Vogue 2859 (not that I am urging you to vote for me or anything) and for this project so I can at least post it.




Obviously, I love McCall 5314. So when I was looking for a pattern to show off this gorgeous silk-cotton from Paron, a PR Weekend 2007 purchase, this one immediately came to mind. I have to say I'm doing OK using this haul up--7 of the 13 cuts have been used at this point, plus a portion of the batiste so really it's 8. Over half! This project is part of the Two Weeks of Winter Work Tops endeavor (still short a woven blouse even with this one, and the maroon gather neck tee was vomitous and needs to be reviewed as a "Did not work for me").

OK, so pattern chosen, fabric chosen. But how to make this "me"? How to dress up this basic pattern? I loved the trim on the evening coat in BWOF November 2007 #101 and had tucked it away in my memory for reference. This seemed the perfect project to bust out their technique. I also added little puffs at the ends of the sleeves. I really love this top, though it--like so many before it--is Too Special to wear too often or for ordinary occasions. This is the story of my life, or at least of my wardrobe. I finally wore it to work several weeks ago and felt like a princess all day.

To make the trim, first cut strips of fabric. Mine were three inches wide, with a total finished width of the trim at 1 1/4" (1/2 inch seam allowance). Start by making the strips into tubes, turning, and pressing with the seam in the center (rather than on one side).

Mark your pleats on the strips. I allotted 1 3/4 inches for the pleats with 1 inch in between.



Pin up your pleats.



Sew down your pleats. It was useful here to be working with two strips because I could alternate them on the machine without having to pull it out of the machine and cut the thread every time. Trimming those tiny threads that were left was a pain. Clipping threads is definitely one of my least favorite sewing chores. Of course, a bad sewing chore is still better than a good housekeeping chore!



Press your pleats (doesn't matter which direction).



Here comes the time consuming part. At each pleat, fold the corners into arrows. Tack down each side of the arrow with an invisible hand stitch, coming up through the inside of the arrow and back down right outside it. Here's what it looks like on the underside. I took my project to the National Portrait Gallery and sat in the lovely courtyard to do this.



When you determine the length you need, finish the ends and then hand stitch in place on the garment. It creates a really luxe look, and adds panache to an otherwise basic garment (here's a closeup of it applied to a sleeve).

All photos of this and previous versions of the pattern are here.

Milly Lemon Knockoff Project: Pattern Draping and Drafting

So, a LONG time ago I posted on PR that I was going to knock off this Milly Lemon for the RTW contest.



Time passes. I bet you'd forgotten all about this unfulfilled project. I haven't, at least not totally. I leave for Paris in less than two weeks and I have nothing to wear! OK, I can't say that with a straight face, but I don't have anything to wear that I've specifically made for Paris and sewing for trips is half the fun of them for me. I bought some red Mirabelle Dansko sandals to go with a (also mythical) planned wardrobe of red, white, and navy and so I figured I'd leverage them into service for Paris, assuming it's warm enough. A big assumption, but I have red boots that can be worn if the weather is cold, even if they will look a little funny with springy clothes. So, I need some red clothes. And this was the first project that sprang to mind. The yoke will be solid red, and the body a red and orange printed (not woven) stylized plaid.

Soooo, since I was going to try to get some coordinating clothes ready for Paris, why not do the mini wardrobe contest? The most compelling reason is that I have less than two weeks and have done very little planning for the actual trip part. But, I won't let a little thing deter me. I can't start cutting until May 1, but I can draft my pattern before then, so tonight I started.

First, I draped Violet. One of the things I love about this dress is the racerback. My bra straps are forever falling off my shoulders, so I wear racerback bras whenever feasible. For this, I clad her in one of my racerback bras and made sure to draft so the straps would be covered.

For the upper front yoke, I used scissors. For the side and back pieces, and I just pinned some fabric to her and drew some markings in chalk.

Front



Back



I unpinned it from Violet, cut along the dotted lines, smoothed out the edges, and made the first pattern:



The first muslin was actually pretty great! I am quite excited that I got pretty dang close on the first try. There were a few issues. The front neck was a little too high and narrow, and it was slightly too tight. Well, not even tight, but very close-fitting. I decided to lower and widen the neckline about 3/4 of an inch, and add about 1/2 inch at center front.

The back looked great. The lower center back was too low for the style and there was a very slight gape at the upper edge. I decided to alter the pattern by bringing the lower back up about two inches and taking in the inner shoulder seam less than half an inch.



Here's the pattern with alteration marks.



And that's enough for one night! I have to go to bed. But I am very pleased with how smoothly it's going. I don't know if I'll make another muslin or not. I might just have faith in my alterations and go forth and sew.

The muslin also helped me to figure out how to sew it together. I think the lower side fronts I'll sew to the fronts only between the seam allowances, leaving the SAs free. The front to back at shoulders and right side (zip will go on the left side). Then I'll assemble the facing (using the same three pattern pieces--front, side front, and back--as the outer), stitch them together all at once along the outer edge, sew the dress part on, and then hand-stitch the facing SA to the seam allowance of the facing/outer.

Saucy Seventies or Mod Maid?

So, I was totally in the right place at the right time when Cidell got a shipment of vintage patterns from eBay, because one of them was exactly my size:



They used to make patterns for women 5'2"-5'3"? I was really born too late. Anyway, I LOVED the giant pockets, and the keyhole neckline, and the princess seams, and everything about it really. I instantly saw it in black with polka dot contrasts. The polka dot fabric also came from Cidell. She spoils me, I tell you.

I made it up this weekend and it caused me all sorts of quandaries. First, I wasn't sure whether to put sleeves on. In favor of sleeves is that it's black, it's (tropical weight) wool, and I envisioned it with sleeves. Against sleeves was that it's already warm here so I likely won't get to wear it until Fall, and I wanted this dress for my Paris wardrobe and it seems like Paris might be too warm for longish sleeves by the time I get there. I finally decided to go with the sleeves as planned and I think it was the right call.

Except now I'm concerned about the pockets. I'm afraid they make it look like some sort of futuristic maid uniform from a 1950s sitcom. I didn't think of the hazards of black and white!

So, what do you think? I'm leaning toward one low pocket, but in the photos it doesn't look as cute as it does in the mirror. The high pockets are the suggested placement. Their advantage is that they are tummy disguising in that position, but it looks the most like an apron/maid uniform that way. It actually might look the best with no pockets, but is that any fun at all? Hmmm. It's troubling me. I'd like to get this project done. Help?

Stashoholism Confessional: Knits Edition

So, I'm back from Vietnam and will be doing a Very Special Stashoholism Confessional for those fabrics soon. I'm thinking if I do these more quotidian fabrics first, these minor sins will be forgotten when I do the Vietnam post. `-)

Last Saturday was Fashion Sewing Club at G Street. I didn't make it in March because I was having a tour of the White House courtesy of a friend who works there, and I'll be in Paris for the May meeting (what a life I do lead! it sounds so exciting when I write it down) so I was happy to make this one. We talked about elastic and shared recent projects and just generally had our fun time.

I had an excuse for checking out the fabrics on the $2.97 table, because I needed something to coordinate with a knit print I got from Kashi at PR Weekend 2007. I love it but it's a little busy and the advice I was given when buying it was "not right up against the face." I did find a coordinating fabric, but two more somehow jumped into my arms. The green and navy print will go with a couple of navy skirts I have planned, and the black and white will be a nice basic knit tube/pencil skirt. You can never have too much black and white, right? I only got 1 yard of each, so I think I showed remarkable restraint.



I had not been really moved by any patterns with neck binding that would let me keep the Kashi print away from my face...until I got home and tore into the most recent BWOF. I LOVED this top and dress from the Plus section:



I was bummed about the idea of maybe having to grade it until I realized that Burda does this style top fairly often and sure enough, I found it in my size in August 2007, #105. It will be easy enough to translate the neck binding idea to the 8/07 pattern. I even like the puffy sleeves of that version better, and will do the bottom sleeve binding in the contrast, and maybe also a contrast band at the hem (I'm liking this look in some boutiques I pass on my walk to/from work).

Here's the Kashi fabric with the blue eyelet-ish knit.



I was actually kind of hoping to find red rather than blue, but I have a weird relationship with red. I almost always love it...but I don't wear it that often. Blue, on the other hand, has been my staple since I was in high school. One of my close friends from college says that everyone with blue eyes is totally narcissistic because blue is always our favorite color. Ha! Maybe it's true, although my theory is that somehow the color of our iris affects the colors we see and blue is the most pleasing because of that. We're probably both wrong, but it's funny anyway.

Let me know in the comments if you have blue eyes, is blue your favorite color? And if blue is your favorite color and you *don't* have blue eyes, leave that too. Or just leave your favorite color totally aside from your eye color. I love hearing people's favorites.