And here are Karen, Isabelle, and me at a cafe, taken by a very attractive waiter. I kind of wanted to ask him to take a picture with me, but that would have been weird, right? Right?
Monday, May 12, 2008
Paris, Day 3: Monday at Montmartre
Karen and I met up for some fabric shopping today. Unfortunately, it was a public holiday and Reine and its creepy half-size mannequins were closed. We did manage to sate our fabric appetites at Dreyfus, though. Here's what I was wearing (it's number 128 from the April BWOF plus section; I used a top pattern from 8/07 with the same shape in my size and the collar/scarf from the 4/08 magazine):
And here are Karen, Isabelle, and me at a cafe, taken by a very attractive waiter. I kind of wanted to ask him to take a picture with me, but that would have been weird, right? Right?
And here are Karen, Isabelle, and me at a cafe, taken by a very attractive waiter. I kind of wanted to ask him to take a picture with me, but that would have been weird, right? Right?
Paris, Day 2: Sunday at Versailles
I spent the morning shuttling back and forth between the airport to pick up my luggage. The first thing I did was put on sandals to go with...the Lilly Lemon knockoff! It ain't perfect, folks. I'll talk about its flaws in more detail when I get home and take photos and write it up. But from a distance and to the untrained eye, it looks pretty darn cute.
And here's the back, complete with the little bow (I think that's my favorite part):
And here's the back, complete with the little bow (I think that's my favorite part):
Paris: Day 1, Saturday at the Tour Eiffel
So the apartment we've rented comes complete with a computer and high speed internet so I thought it would be fun to post my Paris wardrobe as I go. I don't have an arrival picture because my flight was an unbelievable ordeal (12 hours later I was still in New York) and I'm pretty sure you could have smelled me through the screen by the time I arrived...sans luggage.
So the first day was not part of my Paris wardrobe, but a rather cute jersey top/dress (top on her 5'7" self, dress on my 5'1" self) co-opted from one of my travel companions. It's so cute that I may have to try to copy it when I get home, if I can ever find any plain cotton or cotton blend jersey that I like. I am so fussy about it. Here I am at the Tour Eiffel. Please note the boots. They take up so much room in the suitcase that I wore them on the plane to save space. This was a decision I would come to regret after wearing them for about 30 hours straight. Please note that it was about 80 degrees in Paris. Oy.
So the first day was not part of my Paris wardrobe, but a rather cute jersey top/dress (top on her 5'7" self, dress on my 5'1" self) co-opted from one of my travel companions. It's so cute that I may have to try to copy it when I get home, if I can ever find any plain cotton or cotton blend jersey that I like. I am so fussy about it. Here I am at the Tour Eiffel. Please note the boots. They take up so much room in the suitcase that I wore them on the plane to save space. This was a decision I would come to regret after wearing them for about 30 hours straight. Please note that it was about 80 degrees in Paris. Oy.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
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.
=======================================================
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?
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.
=======================================================
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?
Monday, May 5, 2008
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.
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.
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