Draping on the stand 0.3 – the solution to the draped tent dress puzzle
Last week I set up a puzzle. I draped a tent dress with a yoke and told you that the side seam was on the selvage grain, and asked what you thought was happening at the CF. Lots of you nearly got it, but I don’t think anyone got it exactly right.
The puzzle
To hold the suspense for a few more moments, here is the dress with the back draped to match the front. Large flares emanate from the bottom of a yoke that passes over the bust point (apex). As before the side seam is on the straight grain (selvage). The side seam hangs nice and straight as a result. The question now is what is happening to the grain at the CF and the CB?
The solution
The answer is that the CF and the CB is on the cross grain, ie at a right (90 degree) angle to the side seam. So it is effectively one-quarter of a circle – or a right-angle triangle if you look at it the other way. Once the four sections are put together we would find a circular dress.
Here is a photograph of the half front and half back pinned flat. Currently the dress is a mini length as the calico was getting in the way. I will draw a paper pattern full length, and then I want to play with the grain some more. The U shape above the central side seam is the under arm part of the arm-hole. The nibbled away section is where the dress attaches to the yoke. The back is on the left.
My triangles have different angles to the flat pattern “Futuristic” dress I cut previously. This implies it will be fuller. However the separate yoke means it has a different look higher up.
I did try belting the toile too, to see if it could be worn by me (she who needs belts). Also I am thinking it needs to be in something very soft if it is for me. I have found some £2 m cotton lawn on the market. I may try that as a first step. I am also thinking about how to construct this. Perhaps an interlined, lined yoke, into which the skirt is sandwiched, with some sort of bias tape finish at the underarm?
And although I would need a softly draped version, I like the look as a short structured dress too – it would look great on the right figure.
V&A Shoes Exhibition
As usual you will be reading a warm recommendation to go and see this exhibition if you can.
However the display of over 200 pairs of shoes is arranged by theme, with a strong emphasis on extremes of shape and function. If you are interested in the worship of inanimate objects – fetishism – then there will be much to interest you, and the exhibition is sponsored by Agent Provocateur. Equally if you are interested in the process of design there is a very nice film featuring Manolo Blahnik (he’s a scream) and Louboutin. Upstairs there is an exhibition and film of handmade shoes being made (including on Singer sewing machines) – another of the sponsors is Cordwainers – the guild that have been making shoes for centuries. The process of design from drawings or sketches, to pattern cutting, to selecting materials and then manufacture is interesting for its parallels with dressmaking (in my view).
However I found the exhibition ultimately frustrating. I like to see shoes in context, related to the clothes they support. I like to understand their historic frame of reference, where human society and behaviour is linked to the economy and politics and innovations in fashion, style and design. This exhibition seemed so random with a gold Egyptian slipper jammed next to a 1930s dance shoe, complemented by a feathery concoction form the 1950s. Yes it makes you think, a bit, about what shoes can do for you – in terms of status (white shoes, shoes you can’t walk in, shoes made out of rubber, metal and monkey fur), dreams, pain and pleasure. In the cabinet below there are: ancient Chinese Emperor shoes, embroidered moccasins from Canada, co-respondent shoes as worn by the Duke of Windsor, some Paul Smith white loafers, modern Laboutins, and a dear pair of 1965 Moon boots.
My own interest in clothes, including shoes, is essentially part of my interest in the history of fashion. I am most interested in British fashion from the Second World War to say 1990, with a particular interest in the 1960s. Obviously French, Italian, European and American designers are closely allied with British design and normally quite similar. Also I am, because I have been brought up in a very multi-cultural city (London) I find the fashions and colours of Asia and Africa very compelling too. But shoes from the 19th century or earlier, from ancient China, Greece or Egypt has less allure for me. I can’t really relate to them as clothes (that I could conceivably wear).
I was on the look out for shoes by Roger Vivier (yea) – apart from film clips of Catherine Deneuve wearing the Pilgrim shoes, a made to measure pair with a discrete crystal buckle, there were these pink stilettos. And a pair of Courreges Moon Boots which you can see in the top cabinet, above.
There were some super Mary Quant yellow boots, covered in PVC, with daisy imprints on the heels.
The queues were long and it was a bit of a bore to stand behind dozens of folk reading every label. If you are not a member it will cost £12 to get in. You may come away with a greater understanding of why people find shoes so seductive and important. But I felt that the museum had tried to cash in on the “fad” of shoe worship instigated by Sex and City, celebrity culture which encourages young women to wear silly shoes and a continuing fascination with sex, which of course, always sells.
Otami embroidery
On a recent visit to the V&A I saw this lovely, hand-stitched textile. The colours, flowers and the curious long-eared animals (one playing the guitar) really attracted my attention. Imagine the work that went into this huge wall hanging (which was on sale for around £1000). I discovered it was Otami embroidery from Mexico, and in the back of my mind I remember having something like this years ago that my parents brought back from a trip to the area in 1968.
This amazing embroidery comes from Tenango, in the Hidago region of Mexico. The modern industry was introduced in the 1960s following a drought which undermined the subsistence farming (rice, beans, corn) of the local people. The design style was based on both Spanish and older Aztec styles of drawing, some copied from ancient Aztec designs found in the local caves. Many of the motifs include animals and birds, but also traditional patterns such as the Tree of Life. The style of embroidery is “false” satin stich where the thread is carried back on to the front side rather than the reverse of the cloth, producing just an outline on the underside. This is an economical approach to embroidery when materials are more expensive than labour. The stitch is not mentioned in my 100 Embroidery Stitches book.
Some of these styles are incorporated into clothing which are still worn by the embroiders and for special occasions.
The materials for the work are usually purchased by a relatively well to do person in the area. The designer draws the motifs on to the cotton backing (usually white cotton) with a washable marker pen. The designs and materials are then subcontracted to some of the hundreds of embroiders who often carry out the work alongside other tasks such as selling on the market or looking after children and the home. Men do the embroidery too, and different generations and areas have slightly different styles.
The charm of these designs, to my mind, is that there is a nice balance between the individual motifs and the background space, giving the designs a graphic and modern quality. It is no surprise that the designs have been translated into furnishing fabric that works wonderfully well with Western minimalist interiors. I think these designs would also work really well for a screen print.
McQueen – the play
Last week I went to see a new play about Alexander McQueen, at the St James Theatre in Victoria, a guest of the theatre’s lawyers, Devonshires. I had a lovely time and the actors and writers were kind enough to discuss the play with us afterwards.
What I liked
The author James Phillips explained to me that he had initially been asked to write a play about McQueen which he found an impossible task until he read the story of the “girl who came down from a tree”. Then Phillips introduced a dream girl – Dahlia – into Lee’s life and this forms the narrative of the play. He was insightful and interesting to talk to. I asked him what he knew about fashion, designing and clothes making.
“Fashion is a way of talking about stuff” he said, “It definitely is “a thing”.”
As someone who loves theatre, is very interested in McQueen and his amazing artistic output I was thrilled to have the chance to see the show The young actor who played McQueen, Stephen Wight, was incredibly talented and completely convincing. As you can see he looks like a lot like Lee, and his voice, gestures and mood was incredible. The way he touched his head and face, his stance and even ability to capture the slightly manic quality of McQueen was brilliant.
Before I saw Savage Beauty I assumed that Lee had taken his own life at the age of 40 due to depression, loss (especially of his mother) and drugs. I discussed my reaction to the exhibition – which was that Lee died because he finally ran out of creative energy – with Stephen. Maybe he had said all he could. Maybe the sheer exhaustion from having to do brilliant shows, season after season, took its toll, even someone with prodigious energy. “I think it was all those things” Stephen said, commenting on how emaciated Lee was at the end. “He wasn’t eating or sleeping”.
Apart from the quite brilliant performance of Stephen Wright there were other things I loved about this play.
Firstly was when Lee, in his old tailor’s shop, takes a bolt of fabric, rips it, and drapes it on Dahlia. By doing so he manages to reproduce a dress similar to one from McQueen’s collection. The draping is really fun – quite magical – and it is a dress is born before our eyes that is similar to the real thing.
The other thing I really liked was when Dahlia describes a woman in a restaurant as blond and skinny, and Lee then analyses her – her body, the type of skirt she is wearing, how she crosses her legs, how she feels – her history of relationships that are captured in her clothing choices. He provides psychological insight just from looking at her. And it is an interesting and insightful moment in a play with very few of them, so I will treasure it.
The dancers and chorus were talented and beautiful. There was a sequence when the actor-dancer-models catwalked the stage with pieces of blue, diaphanous silk pieces, and also with round white table cloths. I found these scenes suggestive of the process of designing as they gave a sense of fabric draped over a beautiful body and an exciting sense of possibilities.
What worked less well
I was disappointed with the clothes in the show. I am probably being harsh, but as a dress-maker and aficionado of McQeen I was disappointed by the costumes. The piece de resistance gold coat was stiff and, made for a short normally shaped actress, it looked squat. I mentioned to James that I found it unbelievable – it looked like cardboard with gold spray paint – but he explained that it had been faithfully reproduced and had cost £10,000. Of course I know nothing about wardrobe design for the theatre, but I think you could have got something like a gold McQueen coat by using other materials – or chosen other items to be inspired by. The clothes in the show just looked, to me, like poor copies of the items I had seen in the flesh just the other week, just a short walk away.
Similarly the actress who played Isabella Blow was wearing a light weight grey “angel” dress (she is dead in the play after all), and maybe it was made from the finest satin, but it just looked like a badly fitting night-dress. Her hats (Isabella wore hats all the time, and really impressive ones) looked like Debenhams. She was just too big and too mature to be convincing as Isabella, in my view.
I would have like the writer, producer and designers to work together to produce clothes that captured the essence of McQueen rather than try to copy them (can’t be done). For me this heroic attempt to produce verisimilitude meant, in the end, that the play was neither a proper allegorical fairy tale, nor a convincing biographical play. It was summed up for me by the “Falcon” scene.
McQueen loved birds, especially birds of prey, and enjoyed nature very much, deriving much inspiration from watching animals move. The concept of a bird of prey is redolent with dramatic possibility and could perhaps have been a theme. Instead we had a bizarrely wooden hologram of a golden falcon towards the end. It looked like a taxidermist had not quite finished with it, and I almost laughed as the actors discussed the meaning of life as they stared at the “bird”.
Verdict
Three stars
It is hard not to be enthusiastic and supportive when one enjoys such a treat. But, frankly, this play struggles.
Writing, casting and putting on a play about a very recently deceased person is fraught with danger – either you do a “mockmentary” or you produce a story that gives some new insights into the life and approach of the subject. Unfortunately I felt that to some extent the three main actors (Lee, Isabella and the imaginary girl-from-tree) were impersonators rather than working with a revealing script. Stephen did this more successfully than Tracy-Ann who plays Isabella. Sometimes her accent was suitably plummy, other times she reminded me of the “I Vont a Vicount” advert from the 1980s. And the casting of an American tree girl, who never really came to life, was probably conceived as a device to get the play on to Broadway, but it just seemed pointless. McQueen was aggressively British, surrounded by dozens of interesting young English women – I wasn’t convinced that his alter-ego would be an American girl.
If you don’t know much about Lee McQueen – the person – this play does give you some basic and accurate biographical information. But if you adore his work it will not give you anything new – you would be much better to spend a couple of hours going round Savage Beauty at the V&A, or reading a book about him. McQueen wows at every turn. Unfortunately this play does not.
Lining a jacket with a hand-painted lining (Vogue 7133)
I have covered this topic before, but I just lined my 1967 Vogue jacket using hand painted silk and I love it.
- First cut out your lining pieces and do the tailors’ tacks in a colour you won’t be using (navy blue in this case). I used a cheap habotai silk (£5 a metre from Simply Fabrics). I have used the navy from there before and found it rather shoddy, but this white silk was of better quality. I used less than 1m for this project.
- I generally mark my linings with a soluble felt tip, but of course the watered down silk paints dissolve it. I find the markings very important with silk painting as they help as guidelines and ensure you don’t put a crucial part of the design in an area where there will be a dart, such as here. I made a light yellow by mixing two yellows and diluting. I then created a cross hatch design, giving me little windows in which I could create my colour scheme. As this lining is going into a yellow jacket I chose yellow as my background colour. Where it attaches to the jacket it is yellow. Therefore I started by painting all the outer edges of each lining piece (there were seven) in yellow. The seams are made in yellow fabric meaning a neat finish and you don’t need to change the yellow thread in the machine. The next stage of my design was to introduce light pink, again made simply by diluting my rose-pink.
Outlining the design in yellow - Then I built up the pink by adding more pigment so that I had four different shades of pink including straight-from-the-jar strong rose pink. I then mixed a little blue into the pink to produce a greyish mauve just to “dirty” the colour scheme a little bit. I don’t like it to be too “pure” – but I kept this very watery as I was keen on a light, summery, pastel look, inspired by an English summer garden. I let the paint dry off between colours. This doesn’t take long in a warm house, in summer. Maybe 20 minutes. Finally I added a couple of shades of blue.
- The painted pieces are then fixed with a hot iron.
- Make up the lining as instructed in your pattern, creating darts, and joining the sections as outlined.
Painted silk lining - Press open the seams, remove those ugly blue tacks that are not needed for matching the lining to the jacket, and place it, wrong sides together on your stand if you have one. I do find this a good way to attach a lining, ensuring there is no twisting of the lining and making sure that every seam and mark joins up. It has a very slightly tight feel at this point. Don’t worry because this relaxes once it is turned the right way. The pleat in the back provides a little ease in wear.
Matching the lining to the jacket - Apply bias strips of interfacing to the hems of jacket and sleeves to give stability and a soft edge.
- Hand sew the lining into the jacket, by attaching it to the seams, and then sewing it, by hand, to the facings and hems.
- Try it on. Smile. Your jacket has a lovely secret!
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Lined jacket
Juki Juki Juki!
Eunice writes:
I need your recommendations to decide on upgrading my sewing machine. I have a Brother BC2100 now and I am looking to buy a machine that can work with tricky and heavy fabrics and give a more professional results. I want an automatic industrial sewing machine but cannot decide on one as there are so many out there. Please could you give me an idea on what’s best to buy. Thank you so much in advance.
Thanks for an interesting question Eunice.
For over a year I have been thinking of buying a Juki Exceed HZL-F600. I had a go on one when I had my Elna serviced in Croydon. In a word the Juki feels like an industrial machine – fast – but much quieter. It is highly suitable for quilting which I am not very interested in, but I want something fast, accurate, and reliable. I really loved it when I tried it, and have been seriously thinking of spending £1000 on one. It is a big price to pay and I am perfectly content with my existing machine, but I keep thinking of this big boy coming to live with me.
For the record I am looking for:
- Fast
- Quiet
- Excellent stitch quality on all types of fabrics (ie chiffon to denim and furnishing fabrics)
- A machine that minimises the movement of the upper layer during stitching
- Great buttonholes
- The opportunity to do more free machine embroidery
So I happened to mention it to one of my blog friends Alli Yazzo, who writes as follows. The punchline is that Alli likes the machine, but she prefers the slightly cheaper one – one that is not easily available in the UK. This means I have been reconsidering my choice. She writes:
I love my Jukis! Well honestly, I love my TL-2000qi the most, and I love my F600 by association. If you’re considering a Juki, you’re probably thinking about an F600, right? mmm, if I could only have one sewing machine and I were the kind of person who actually went to a shop to try them out, I think I might keep looking. Here’s a list of things I like and don’t like about my F600!
I like:
- the power cord and pedal are interchangeable with the TL-2000qi
- pedal thread cutter
- needle down
- knee lift for the presser foot
- bright light
- lightning stitch sews great
- auto buttonholes are good enough for me (I don’t have enough experience to know if they’re acceptable to better sewers :} )
- I like using the fancy stitches to make tacks for faux-tied quilts.
- The bobbin winder is fun — it winds automatically once you snap it into place
I don’t like:
- I’ve been sewing lighter fabric recently, and I noticed that my thread tension is a little off (the bobbin tension seems too tight). I increased my top thread tension and called it good enough even though it’s really not balanced yet, but if this were my only machine, it would drive me crazy.
- The knee lift doesn’t slot into the machine as securely as in my TL-2000qi
- I was manhandling something bulky under the foot once, and after I was done, I had somehow knocked the auto threader out of alignment. I haven’t been able to figure out how to fix it. On the other hand, if you don’t break it, it works great! 😀
- Another time, I was sewing a bag that had foam stabilizer in it, and then I noticed that you could pull the seams apart enough that you could see the thread. I resewed the seam with my TL-2000qi and it was perfect, and I didn’t bother trying to figure out if I could adjust the F600’s settings to get the same result since I was able to just switch machines.
Really, if you could live without a stretch stitch, button holes, and a free arm, I would totally recommend the TL-2000qi. :}
To be honest the button holes were one of the attractions. I am not really satisfied with the quality of my current machine button holes. But Alli suggests that I might “keep looking”.
I am not going to splash out in the very near future (maybe for Christmas 2016), so if anyone has a view on what sort of machine Eunice or I might move on to I would love to hear from you. In the meantime I will do some more research and report on my findings.
Draping on the stand 0.2 – the flared dress project
I mentioned that I have been learning to drape, or model, on the stand. Now I am making a bit of progress I thought I would give an update. I mentioned I was keen to see if I could do a version of the Claire McCardell Futuristic dress which also complied with my brief of creating a dress with a yoke and flares. Let’s see.
First I did a little drawing of a full length dress with a V neck front and back (so it could be put on over the head) and then used the thin cotton tape to mark out the design lines on the stand. I created a V neck, and then echoed the angle with a line across the bust point more or less down to the waist at the CF. Then, supported by my tutor Lynda Kinne, I decided to have the straight grain go along this over-bust seam line. As I will be attaching my flared skirt from this seam it made sense to have the straight grain here rather than at the CF. Consequently I will have a bias seam at CF, but I think it will mould nicely once it is sewn up. The back followed a similar path, with another deep V and the straight grain along the seam under the shoulder-blade.
It’s an experiment, so only time will tell if this works well.
The next step was to drape the rest of the dress, with flares. These are created by identifying where the flare will come from on the seam line, then manipulating the fabric to create the flare. I put pins every 2″ along the over bust seam line to create plenty of flare in the dress. To get the effect I wanted I guessed that I might use all of my 1.5m. Lynda had demonstrated how to drape flares from the CF to the side seam, but I started draping at the side seam because as the flares are put in the grain drops down. As my seam was at a descending angle I thought this would work better.
It worked pretty well. What do you think happened when I got to the CF? Can you work out what happened in terms of the grain and the shape of the cloth? I could leave you hanging like my fabric, or I could tell you the answer. I should just mention that I draped the skirt of the dress, then took it off and created the seam allowances etc, and put it back on. It is not very carefully draped but you will get the general idea, I hope. I have to tell you I was so excited by this project that I couldn’t sleep for around two hours last night, just thinking about it.
If you can work it out, please do leave a comment below. If you want a clue think about how a circle skirt works. Or have a look at this post. I will explain what I did in my next post, and show you the fabric flat. It was a fun experiment and I will try to make this dress too.
What type of fabric would you recommend?
Kondo 0.8 – The handbag question
I have been writing about the Japanese writer, Marie Kondo‘s approach to tidying up your life. Then I got an email from a reader.
I’m so pleased you blogged about it. I genuinely feel like it is changing my life. Yesterday, I did all my clothes and toiletries, shoes, all the kids’ stuff, kitchen cleaning drawer, bathroom cabinets, and sorted out my handbags with a tray to empty all the contents of my bag each day. Initially, it seemed so silly reading about her emptying her bag, but it is actually amazing, as it means you only take with you what you need for each day, and you end up tidying stuff away, even if you accumulated contents during the day. My bags and notebooks and laptop never owned a ‘space’ of their own before, so I would pile them on the floor, and sometimes it would stack up over the weeks.
I include this excert as the writer refers to the handbag question, an aspect of Kondo which I have also found most helpful. Kondo recounts how she puts everything from her bag into a ‘designated place” each evening, before she does anything else. It only takes five minutes. “Keeping your space tidy becomes second nature” she argues. “The essence of effective storage is this: designate a spot for every last thing you own”.
Marie Kondo suggests that you unpack your bag deliberately, each day on your return from work. You put all your regular things onto a tray or into a special place.
I tried it. I cleared out a drawer near to the front door. For five weeks, I have emptied my handbag and put the following items back into that drawer:
- Keys
- Purse
- Phone
- Kindle
- work pass
- small make up bag
- umbrella
- little pencil-case (1 pen, 1 pencil)
- phone charger
- sunglasses
- padlock
- travel sized shampoo and conditioner
- ear plugs
- ear phones
- diary
- asthma inhaler
Extraneous items are scrutinised eg today’s paper, tissues, bus tickets, leaflets, travel details – and go straight in the bin or are actioned. I hang up the empty bag and get on with my evening.
In the morning I open the drawer and take out what I need for the coming day. Every day I need keys, purse and phone. But I do not need every item, every day – for example I wash my hair every other day, in the gym, so I don’t need the shampoo and conditioner on a Tuesday or Thursday. If I will be in my office I won’t need the phone charger.
This small change in my life (as part of a more comprehensive Kondoing) has proved very effective and life changing. I have stopped losing my keys/phone/purse/work pass etc. I have stopped panicking a few minutes before my bus arrives as I madly search for my inhaler, ear plugs or padlock. I don’t need to ask my husband or daughter if they have seen my purse, keys, phone etc. I don’t forget the things that I might need today – such as sunglasses or umbrella. I am no longer just carrying everything around on my back in case I might need it. I have taken a significant piece of stress out of my life. And my loved ones don’t have to search high and low with me.
I have seen “organiser bags”, and hand bag inserts which claim to do “organise” things for you. The first seems to be a handbag with lots of zippers and special sections for a pen, glasses, credit cards, keys. You search for items to fit into the spaces! The insert is the same idea, but rather than one ugly black bag, the company assume you have several bags and change them frequently. You pull out the insert with the phone, pen, cards, books etc in it, and put into a fresh bag.
So what is the problem?
- You can’t see what you have got so you just cart it around whether you need it or not.
- It is an “organsation” aid that encourages hoarding. It won’t be long before you have business cards and receipts hiding in those pouches.
I have no idea how men manage this. They don’t appear to have handbags which appear to be an inherently female thing.
Any insights?
Inspiring Blogger award
Beth of Afterdarksewing kindly nominated me for this award. I am glad she likes my blog. I like hers and we comment on each others’ blogs regularly.
I am not sure what I really think about this kind of thing – recognition from fellow bloggers – but it feels nice to be nominated and I hope those that I nominate (see below) will pass it on, but only if they feel like it. I did a quick search of some of the blogs I love and discovered that many of them had been honoured with this “prize” such as Mrs Mole, Sew2Pro, Jay from Pattern Pandemonium, Amarylis log, Diary of a Sewing Fanatic, Pretty Grievances, and Ruth from Core Couture, so I will put forward a few of the newer blogs that I love and hope that you will take a look and consider following them.
The award guidelines are at the bottom of this post.
Three things that inspire me
History of fashion
Colour in nature
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Delphiniums Making Things
Lino print
Some bloggers I really enjoy reading (not including who have already had this award) are – in alphabetical order:
Annieloveslinen is a nice blog. Anne is a highly competent seamstress, and is always very generous with her advice and support, and something of a mentor to me. She has given me good advice on sewing, and how to use the darn blogging softwear. She lives in Shropshire.
Cut it out and stitch it up is Helen’s lovely blog. Helen is a competent pattern cutter, a keen cyclist and bravely gives a wide range of sewing projects a go.
Morepleasethankyou is a blog I always love to read. Alli is a very skilled craftswoman and creates the most amazing patchwork. She is very skilled, highly imaginative and very generous. I recently asked about her sewing machine and she sent me a very detailed response. Her kids are very cute too.
Make and Wear is Irish Chris’s inspirational blog. I came across her blog as she won one of Pattern Review’s competition using several second hand shirts. She is also a fun knitter who makes me think it is possible to make clothes with yarn and kneedles.
Dustin writes beautifully about vintage patterns, giving lots of intesting historic photographs. He is generous and has helped me with dating an old pattern. Try Make Mine Vogue.
A new blog for me is Gail’s Myfabrication. I like Gail’s style – she adventurously makes a dress a month in a range of challenging styles and fabrics. I have planned to meet up with her next month so will give you some feedback (she is based in Sydney)
My Vintage Inspiration is a super, well written and researched blog in which Stephanie from Ottawa describes her sewing and knitting projects, but she also writes about books, travel, food. And love. She works as an economist, skates to work, runs marathons, enjoys classical music, speaks Italian and French and is an all round sophisticate.
Pattern Vault is one of the most professional and learned sewing blogs out there. Sarah, another Canadian, is a proper researcher (she calls herself a recovering academic) who puts inordinate work into her scholarly but fascinating posts about individual designers, fashion houses, pattern companies or other themes. There are some free designer patterns on her blog too. And check out her wedding photographs.
Sewniptuck‘s Lesley is my kind of girl. Fascinated by fit and pattern cutting, thoughtful, kind and funny. I like her style – both in terms of clothes and the way she writes. She also has nice big, colourful photographs, which does it for me. She wears her advanced skills lightly. I hope to meet Lesley too (she lives in Sydney but is coming to London later this year).
Symondezyn‘s Amanda is another funny girl. She works as a graphic designer and makes nice clothes. She always has a slightly off beat take on things and she makes me laugh. Highly recommended.
Award Guidelines:
- Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog.
- Display the award logo in a blog entry.
- List the award guidelines so your nominees will know what to do.
- State 7 hidden facts about yourself OR 3 things that inspire you.
- Nominate 10 other blogger friends for the award.
Vogue 7133 – 1967 Kimono-sleeved jacket
Turns out this “simple” yellow jacket is quite a time consuming job.
Pattern
I am using a 1967 Vogue pattern. It’s not a “designer” pattern, but clearly around that time many designers were using the kimono sleeve. And the dress and jacket look (dress suit) was very popular in the mid to late 1960s. The third (right) Pucci pattern below was recently made up by Karen, if you are interested. I would say my pattern is derivative, but captures all the elements of the designer versions of the style, and I have been so looking forward to making it up.
I really like the grown on kimono sleeve. I have had a go at designing my own jacket with a kimono sleeve. I have also made a 60s dress with a similar sleeve. It seems a little counter intuitive to make a sleeve that joins to the bodice, and the sleeve is at an angle that the arm is not held at – neither straight out like a true kimono sleeve, nor held to the side of the body which would restrict movement. The seaming is from the shoulder seam down the sides of the sleeve.
Fabric
I am using a remnant and it is a lovely, soft, very light lemon wool with cashmere. It is a bit blankety, but so is a cardigan. I think I will enjoy wearing just as happily over a smart dress as over a pair of jeans. It has been easy to sew once I lengthened the stitch length.
I underlined using silk organza and interlined with cotton organdie.
Construction
The yoke and sleeves are made up, then the body of the jacket, and then it is sewn together from CF to CF in one long seam, capturing the four right angled pivots that allow the underarm to be created in 3D.
The top stitching is of course done by hand. I didn’t find the pocket instructions very clear. Once the welt is trimmed, turned through and pressed I was required to slipstitch the opening together, then top stitch on three sides. Not clear if it was the folded or slip stitched edge. I assumed the folded edge, which meant the stitched edge was to the top. My instinct told me the other way (as the hand slips into this top edge), but the diagram seemed to imply the other way.
Then I was told to put the top stitching in 5/8th inch from the outer edge and then a second line of top stitching next to it – inside or outside was not specified so I guessed outside so that the first was at 5/8th and the second at about 1/2′. Once the jacket is lined I will have to top stitch it along all the outer edges.
I did the facings, stitched the neckline and tried on the jacket with shoulder pads, as proposed. But I took them straight out again. That was mainly because Nick said I looked like Lieutenant Uhuru.
The jacket is now ready for lining. I will be using silk, which I will cut out and then decide if I need to add some colour.
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