The baptism of Kitson John 24 November 2014
On Sunday our latest grandson was Baptised at our local Church, St John’s Hyde Park. It was a beautiful, moving, funny, sweet, reverent and jolly event. Here is Mum and Dad, holding Kitson. He is wearing the Christening gown and hat that I had made. I had also ironed it but that was a complete waste of time.
The actual baptism was held at the back of the church, using a copper bowl and water poured from a silver jug. Revd Phillipa Turner conducted the Baptism, assisted by Revd Margaret Legg (who married our son George and Bianca). As you can see Ted is taking an intense interest in the burning candle. I made the orange bow tie that he is wearing.
Kit got a candle of his own, to be lit annually on the birthday or anniversary of the Christening. Vicar Revd Stephen Mason, who preached passionately on social inclusion, looks on.
I would like to thank all the family and friends who came along to make this a special day. The Godparents Bren, Ade and Kate. Grandma Faye for cooking an amazing dish of curried goat and rice. Grandpa John, after whom the baby was named, and Jo who provided the cake decoration (recycled from Ted’s Christening). Maroush who provided wonderful Lebanese food. And to the congregation and clergy of St John’s Hyde park who really supported and welcomed Kitson into the community with love, kindness and understanding – Thank you.
After the ceremony Esme changed into a something more comfortable and I was thrilled she chose one of my blouses. It is really nice to have an event like this where so many of the clothes and so much of the food is made by hand, by family, with love.
And what does the Grandmother of the baby wear at a Christening? Here I am with Kitson’s Godmother Ade, wearing my Chanel jacket and curvy pencil skirt. They go quite well together I think.
An interview with Betty Margai – Housing officer and shoe maker!
Betty works for Notting Hill Housing. She is a Housing Officer and looks after 130 tenants in Hounslow. But she started out in Fashion, so we met up to talk about it.
Tell us about your background in fashion, Betty
I did Art at O and A level, then a Foundation course in Art and Design, followed by a degree in Fashion at Hertfordshire. The course included designing, pattern cutting, illustration, business planning, and clothes making for men and women. For my final show I chose Geisha – I created a range of clothes using origami techniques, including Kimonos and Obi belts and I used a Chinese model made up to look like a Japanese Geisha. My parents are from Africa – Sierre Leone and Ghana – and I am currently mainly working with African fabrics, but at Uni they wanted us to avoid cliché and to try something outside our knowledge and comfort zone.
Sounds great – how come you ended up working for a Housing Association?
Originally I wanted to go into buying, but it was hard to find work. I worked in the Thomas Pink Shop (high-end shirts) – I loved the product – hoping to get promotion to visual merchandising (window dressing). I wasn’t successful when I applied for a job internally and in the end my Mum, who is a Housing Manager herself, suggested I try housing. I really enjoy my job, especially going out to meet tenants and helping people. Now fashion is something I do in addition.
So you are still making clothes?
Yes! I go to quite a lot of parties. In my culture we are very keen on the correct dress, especially at funerals, and weddings and other church occasions. There is a strong dress code and often the family will insist on a certain fabric being used. At a funeral of an older, venerated person a special black and white print will be used.
If there has been a terrible tragedy, say someone younger is killed in a car crash, then black and red will be worn. For a normal funeral, plain black will be worn. At weddings and funerals the whole family try to wear the same thing, a phenomenon known as Aso Ebi, originating in Nigeria. The person organising the wedding or funeral will send a photograph of the fabric they have chosen and tell you to get it at Liverpool Street, which is the place to go for African fabrics. I make all my African clothes – tops, dresses, shoes – and also outfits for special occasions.
I love following new trends. I love it that African fabric is fashionable at the moment and its great that it is so popular for weddings.
Tell me a bit more about the funerals, Betty
We are evangelical Pentecostalists, so there is the service which is really about giving thanks for the person’s life, and celebrating. We then have a party! The family sit at the high table, all dressed in the same fabric. We have a proper sit-down meal, a DJ, dancing. It’s more like a party. It takes a whole day, maybe two. It starts with a wake, then the burial, then the reception. Dressing appropriately is part of the event, and it is very important to show respect to the person’s family, and your own connection with the deceased.
Why is African fabric sold is six yard pieces – it can be expensive, and who needs such a big piece?
That is how much you need for an outfit! A blouse or jacket, a long skirt, a head tie, and a wrapper. It takes a lot of fabric. I don’t normally bother with the wrapper, which is worn around the hip. I find it breaks up the design too much. But my Mum insists “You have to have a wrapper”, it is part of the outfit and it is traditional. The main reason for it is if you have to pick your baby up and carry him on your back.
You make shoes?
Yes! I found a way to wrap shoes in African fabrics, then I decorate them with rhinestones. You can wrap just about anything in African fabrics. Not everyone wants to wear them head to toe. So you can wrap books, bangles, phone cases – you don’t always want to go mad with these strong colours and designs ! Just a pair of shoes can look great. I have an Etsy shop Betsboutique, where I sell the shoes and a few other products.
Burda Tailored trousers 11/2012 #107D: style and construction notes
SWAP plans
You may remember I am thinking about a number of trouser options for my SWAP.
- a good pair of jeans (although I have two or three already)
- a second pair of the Simplicity 6087 trousers but in a different colour
- a pair of perfectly fitting tailored trousers
- high-waisted trousers
- a jumpsuit
- a pair of tailored shorts
- adapting my curvy pencil skirt to make a trouser pattern.
Tailored trousers – style notes
At the moment I am working on item 3 – the perfectly fitting tailored trousers. If these don’t make the cut I still have the other options, and I have yet to try out numbers 4 to 7.
So I finished 3. the tailored trousers.
Do they fit perfectly?
They fit comfortably. I cut the size 40, and altered the waist to fit (using the multi-sized pattern to grade down to size 38 at the waist). Otherwise I made no changes. I didn’t even lengthen or shorten the trousers. And surprisingly the fit is excellent. However I did have to take the waist band in by at least a further two inches during the construction. This was not difficult due to the back seam being the last one to be stitched. Actually I machine basted the trousers once the fly and pockets were completed, and tried them on. With the very long seams on trousers unpicking in the event of a poor fit can be tedious – but I didn’t change leg width. Maybe I should have done.
The lapped fly front is great, and came out really nicely. I have Sandra Betzina to thank for this. She suggested a longer than specified zip – what a breakthrough! This allows all the stitching to be done nice and flat, and then you just cut off the top of the zip. Fantastic. I will never struggle with a little zip again.
I took the construction slowly and was glad of the thread tacking which meant everything was lined up perfectly. Of course it is a nuisance to remove but I have a good pair of tweezers. I really like the colour of the fabric (forest green) and it is a light, smooth wool with just a bit of elastane in it.
The real issue is – do they suit me?
Esme’s view is that they should be narrower in the leg, to make them look more contemporary. I think she may be right. Let’s have another look at the J Crew Cafe Capri pants description.
Introducing our wildly flattering wool café capri—now your favorite perfect-fitting pant can be worn allyear long. Crafted in lightweight wool and a collection ofcan’t-miss colors, it’s the one piece you’ll need to anchor your wardrobe for fall (and beyond).
- True to size.
- City fit—our lowest rise.
- Sits just above hip.
- Fitted through hip and thigh, with a skinny, cropped leg.
- Wool.
- 27″ inseam.
- Cuffed
I have noticed a number of J Crew reviewers saying the trousers are too tight on the calf. For the record my calves measure 14 inches and my Burda pants are 15 inches at the cuff. In fact my Burdas are comfortable rather than “fitted through the hip and thigh” with a “skinny” leg. So I could perhaps slim them down as Esme suggests, narrowing the cuff to 12 inches (the same as my 1960s pants) are generally tapering the legs. Maybe.
I really don’t love this look on me. I feel self-conscious about my shape and even with a little heel I feel stocky. Stocky with a large rear. At the moment these trousers are not going into the SWAP. I will wear them for work; I already wore them to meet the housing minister. They may grow on me. But I found them comfortable and practical rather than professional and elegant.
But in terms of the SWAP it is back to the drawing board. I plan to make the alterations suggested below, but I think I can do better. Next up I going to try option 7 – the adaption of my favourite skirt pattern.
Construction notes
- The pockets and fly are really nice. I like the method of putting the turn ups together too. If you look great in trousers this is a good pattern.
- If you make them in a nice wool it really makes sense to line them.
- I think the rise could be just an inch or so lower to get closer to the J Crew “City fit” – they are advertised as resting on the hips but they came above the navel on me.
- The waistband could be more shaped (contour waist band).
- If you like to wear a belt they probably need belt loops.
- To make them look more contemporary taper the leg by between two and three inches (ie half an inch on each trouser piece) from the knee to cuff.
Sewing with a Plan 2015 0.3
Fabric choices
This is the week I examined the fabrics that I already owned and my new purchases. I have enough fabric to complete two or three SWAPs to be honest and sometimes you have to know when to stop. I do not yet have a complete plan, and the plan I have is subject to change. But I have made some decisions and some investments so I will use this week’s SWAP post to give an update on my fabric and patterns I choices.
Firstly I bought the charcoal/magenta coat fabric because it reminds me of a Vivienne Westwood design called Squiggle. It is a really classy fabric, apparently used by Roland Mouret. In fact while I was buying 2.5m two other people also decided they too would have a piece and then it was gone! So no room for errors.
Here is a close-up of the fabric. The colours have not reproduced perfectly; the deep grey is made up of a black thread woven with a slightly softer blue-grey yarn. This gives the possibility of matching it with blue, as well as with grey, black and pink.
By reason of this purchase I am now committed to Magenta and Grey as my primary colour palette for the SWAP. Because grey and blue are my best neutrals it is fairly inevitable I would feature a blue or grey in my SWAP. Last year it was blue, with pink. This year it is grey with magenta. I have decided to make one of the suits in charcoal, even though I find grey a such an unrewarding colour to sew. Deep grey or charcoal is my “black”, but of course combined with magenta (an almost red, slightly purplely pink) it can be quite exciting.
While the grey part of the pattern is hard and flat, the red is slightly fluffy. This is more evident on the back of the cloth where the fabric appears to have a pile. While I prefer the flat side, and think this is the right side, this variation does present interesting opportunities.
Because the fabric is so nice on both sides it would be possible to do a reversible item with this cloth. This is what I mean about fabric coming first when choosing what to make. Once I have the fabric, have draped it, felt it, really considered it, I will come to think of the type of item it is best for (eg a coat). Only then will I choose a specific pattern.
Look at my Squiggle fabric on Camilla. A shawl collar would be charming. On the other hand we could create a two piece suit with the jacket and skirt made from opposing sides. A coat and scarf would work. Of course there is the also the idea of making a reversible coat. But while fun, I don’t see the point. Pink or grey dominance would hardly give a really different look, would it? I actually prefer this cloth to the Vivienne one in the top picture, and am very pleased with it. As you can see below it is a sort of deconstructed dog-tooth check.
In addition I found a piece of Fuchsia wool under my bed. It is also coating weight, and very slightly heavier than the squiggle cloth. So if I use it for one of the suits it will need to be a fairly robust design.
Of course the other option would be to use the Fuchsia for the coat and the Squiggle for the suit. Here is an image of the two pieces together. The lighting is not great and you can see that they do not “match” perfectly. That is fine. I prefer that. What they do is blend, as the two pieces both have cool, bluish undertones.
I also bought a nice piece of blue-grey crepe at Simply Fabrics. Again we have a nice match without it being over done. The grey fabric is slightly lighter and has a different texture. I love this shade of grey which I feel is deeper version of my eye colour.
Having given it a lot of thought I am going to go with
Suit 1: Squiggle (possibly with reversible skirt)
Suit 2: Charcoal wool
Coat: Fucshia wool
This means I have decided on five out of 11 garments, or the ten that I am going to make. Sewing with half a plan.
I have not thought about the blouses or indeed the “wildcards” yet. I will certainly want to bring white in to lighten the palette, but there is room for one other colour, perhaps of a surprising nature. I am thinking of a minty green, turquoise, or bright blue. This Oasis blouse has bright blue with my colours. I would really welcome any thoughts you have on the third colour.
At the moment I am hoping to create one or more of my tops in hand-painted or printed fabric, but if I see something that takes my fancy I may buy some printed silk. I still have plenty of time. Still to be decided are the two blouses to go with the suits, a pair of trousers, a skirt and two more tops (one of which I may buy). I need my plans fairly clear by Christmas, after which the construction begins.
And in Sewing news…
I have been thinking about trousers and have made up a pair of tailored pants, using a Burda pattern 11/2012 #107D. Although I am reasonably happy with this pattern I think I can do better. Also I have cut out some fabric to toile the Simplicity 7305.
Experimenting with tailored trousers
SWAP 2015 – the Trousers
In seeking a pair of suitable trousers to work with many items in my wardrobe (and specifically with my 2015 SWAP) I have narrowed down the options.
- a good pair of jeans (although I have two or three perfectly acceptable pairs from NYDJ)
- a second pair of the Simplicity 6087 trousers but in a different colour
- a pair of perfectly fitting tailored trousers
- high-waisted trousers
- a jumpsuit
- a pair of tailored shorts
- adapting my curvy pencil skirt to make a trouser pattern.
For now I have discounted 1. As I am allowed to have a RTW item in my SWAP I can always use a pair of jeans from my wardrobe. One thing about the two jackets and the coat I am making is that they all have a bluish look so I could go for denim. While I am keen to make jeans one day, this is not a pressing issue. I am going to keep the Simplicity 6087 as a last resort. I know these trousers suit me and I can run them up in an evening or two at any point. They don’t need testing. So now I come to item 3 – a pair of well fitting tailored pants. I know this is not my best look, but I am tempted to give it a try. And now is the time. I could make a wearable toile and then consider whether or not to build the tailored trousers into my SWAP. If it is not a good outcome I will move on to one or more of the other options.
So, while tailored trousers are not the best look for a shaped bodyline, I am going to give them a try.
Tailored trousers
What are tailored trousers?
- made in wool
- waist band
- fly front
- side pockets
- possibly lined
- possibly with tailored pockets
Trouser patterns
I have very few vintage trouser patterns and most are voluminous. I think I need a contemporary look for these trousers.
I have a piece of grey linen that blends with the charcoal wool, but I am longing for a bit of drama. I am also thinking it would be nice to have a bit of lycra in the mix for wearability, or maybe this is where I can use a third colour. At the back of my mind I am thinking tailored Capri trousers in a luxury evening fabric, a colourful stretch wool, or even my squiggle fabric. Here is a lovely photograph of a tapered, cuffed ankle length trousers in a gorgeous colour. Although sold as “Capri” pants you can see that on a petite model the length (ankle grazing) is appropriate and flattering. I like this length on me whereas Capri just shorten the legs. Thanks Phi-Phi for letting me us your photos. I love your styling too!
To get something similar I looked at what Burda has on offer, and chose something suitable. Now the photograph associated with the pattern I have just down loaded is pretty shocking. The model has muscular thighs and as adopted a ridiculous air-guitar pose, so it is hard to tell what the trousers look like.
Here is the technical drawing, which has more appeal. These trousers have a number of attractive features. They fit at the high hip rather than on the waist, like the J Crew pants. They have side pockets and a fly front as required. I also find the turn ups an attractive feature, even though shorter women should not normally wear horizontal lines.
Pattern design and alterations
I downloaded, taped and altered the pattern so that the waist line was one size smaller than the hips. This is an easy change to make when you use a multi-size pattern to make your own trousers. Just taper the lines from one size to the other. I like the fact that they have a seamed waistband that allows fitting in the back. This ensures that you can fine tune the pattern without messing around with either the pockets or the fly front.
Fabric choice
I had a piece of dark green wool in my cupboard that was low cost as it was an end of roll. You can see the tell-tale sticky tape. This is how fabric is often rolled. The edge is stuck down on the roll with paper masking tape or other sticky tape. Then the machine rolls the fabric automatically. I often get fabric like this at low cost. I try to pull off the tape, but even then there is invariably a sticky residue. So when I can I avoid including this bit of the fabric, or just use it in the seams. You can see there is also a sample cut out. No problem. It is just a matter of arranging the pattern pieces carefully.
The reason I chose this unlabelled remnant was this little tell tale whiteness in selvedge. Of course you know it has elastane (Lycra) in it because it has some stretch. Stretch can come from a fabric being knitted (a jersey) or if it is woven, through the inclusion of an elastic fibre in the yarn. For trousers that you want to bend down in elastane is a great shape. So while it can add to the cost of wool if I find a good quality wool remnant with Lycra in it I will buy it. So this was a good chance to use one of my remnants.
As you know if you have downloaded a Burda pattern they are
- good value (£3 or £4)
- well drafted
- no seam allowances
- sketchy instructions translated from German
No seam allowances is not a problem. Personally, once the pattern is assembled, I cut out my size (in this case the hips and waist are different sizes). I pin it to the fabric leaving enough space between the pieces. I use chalk to indicate the notches and cut these as triangles. I cut approximately 5/8th inch seam allowances, with extra allowed where I may need to let out the pattern. I allowed a little extra at the hem in case the trousers were too short. I then trace tack the sewing line. This is very useful when creating a toile as it allows great accuracy. When making tailored items I find these tread tacks absolutely invaluable.
The instructions
The photograph above shows how scant the instructions are. If you know what you are doing they are just fine as they do describe an order of work that is reliable. When it comes to describing something tricky – a lapped fly front (described here as “zip slit”) can be very challenging – they are almost impossible to follow. I had not made a fly front for a while so I looked on the internet for help. There is a great video from Threads magazine which I heartily recommend. I will write up these trousers when they are finished.
Bloomsbury group Inspiration
The Bloomsbury group were a group of artists, writers and philosophers based in Bloomsbury (WC1, not far from Euston station) in the early years of the last century. The names associated with the group include: Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Virginia Wolf, JM Keynes and others.
I am not enamoured with their writings but the home established by Bell and Grant is the most wonderful place, Charleston House in East Sussex. Inspired by Italian fresco painting and the Post-Impressionists, the artists decorated the walls, doors and furniture. On display are many original and priceless art works, ceramics and textiles. I love the way that pattern, fabric, paintings and wall painting work together. In the Studio the browns of the wood, the sage green walls and doors, beige linen and the flesh of the numerous nudes work harmoniously together. It is an amazing place to visit if you are in the area.
Apparently the mirror over the fire was broken by Vanessa’s little boys playing with a ball indoors, and Duncan Grant painted the wall inside the frame to replace it. Here the orange, white, bright green and grey colour scheme is both restful and pretty.
Also if you visit the house it is not far to visit the nearby church at Firle, where Bell and Grant also went to work creating modern frescos. Here is a picture of the baptismal font. I love the soft feminine, muted colours.
Bell and Grant also worked with Roger Fry as the Omega workshop, creating textiles for soft furnishing, rugs, screens and other interior decor. The workshop was also associated with the Hogarth Press with the aim of publishing and decorating their own books too. They wanted a brand that enabled people to buy items uninfluenced by the fact that the work was designed by a well known artist. The lovely geometric patterns, and the simplified floral patterns have, to me, timeless appeal. The use of colour which is often muted and softened means it is possible to mix many of the patterns together for a harmonious look. I find the work of these artists very inspirational and stimulating when thinking about creating textiles.
The Farmhouse has been used for many fashion photo shoots over the years, but here are just two that really appealed to me. Firstly menswear from The Guardian.
And more recently the Burberry collection for A/W 2014, based on the art of Bell and Grant, photographed for Harper’s Bazaar by Tom Allen. Doesn’t it look sensational in situ?
Ladies – let’s talk trousers!
I want a pair of trousers in my SWAP. But I have a funny relationship to trousers. They are comfortable and practical. Jeans are my first choice for the weekend, and certainly when walking or cycling I would never wear a skirt. For a relaxed, off duty look, they are just the job with a comfortable jumper or T-shirt. I have a very nice navy jump suit I got in the Topshop sale. I sometimes wear this for evening events – and accessorised it makes me look tall and slim. But overall, when I want to look my best, I choose a dress, or skirt.
So for work I generally wear a skirt or dress, usually with a jacket. I do not posses a trouser suit and while I do occasionally wear trousers for work, they are not my “go to” garments. I only have four or five (casual) pairs, compared to 15 skirts and say 10 dresses. I just prefer a dress or a skirt, which I feel is more flattering on me. The reason for this is that, like many women, my legs are not particularly long. I feel shorter and stumpier in trousers than I do in a skirt.
In my SWAP 2014 I made a pair of 1960s trousers. This style is fairly high fitting, with a defined waist, a side zip and is cut narrow to the ankle. I am wearing them with ballet flats in the same colour. I think this look is OK, it’s just not my very best look. Even standing side ways you can see my big bottom and fuller thighs. Trousers just can’t help emphasising the hips.
Without a doubt trousers look best on women with long straight legs, a high or flattish bottom, and slim ankles. In my view they flatter a slightly masculine physique and a straight body line. Women with a more curved body shape have to work a bit harder to find trousers that fit and flatter. This is mainly because we really need the waist emphasis that a dress or belted skirt gives us.
Let’s have a look at the trouser styles we might recommend for a curved body shape.
- softer lines
- softer fabrics or fabrics including elastane
- unpressed pleats
- tapered trousers
- flat front trousers
- paper bag or high-waisted trousers
- shorts/pedal pushers (which have the advantage of ending at a more flattering point)
- jeans with a looser fit
- long flowing palazzo pants
If you have a straighter body shape and slim hips then trousers may well be a first choice. Here is our straight bodyline Princess in a nice pair of trousers. Her slim hips and long legs mean that she generally looks great in trousers.
Women with a straight body shape can try
- tailored looks
- firmer wovens
- slim legged, straight trousers
- trouser suits
- pressed pleats
- well-defined pockets
Trousers are the reason I started sewing. Getting jeans with a good fit on the hips without an enormous, yawning, gaping waist, made my teenage years somewhat miserable. However just making trousers that fit doesn’t always mean that they are flattering. For the SWAP I am therefore considering.
- a good pair of jeans (although I have two or three perfectly acceptable pairs from NYDJ)
- a second pair of the Simplicity 6087 trousers but in a different colour
- a pair of perfectly fitting tailored trousers
- high-waisted trousers
- a jumpsuit
- a pair of tailored shorts
- adapting my curvy pencil skirt to make a trouser pattern.
Any suggestions?
Making a butcher’s shop
While I am sewing my husband can get a bit bored. So he has started a long term craft project of his own. Nick loves Victorian “toys” and fancied making a butcher’s shop diorama. You can see many of these on the internet and in museums.They were often used as a display item in the butcher’s shop, but now they are highly collectable. A really nice one recently fetched £30,000.
One of the attractions of making something like this is that the style is “naive” rather than realistic, so allows for imperfections. So far Nick has made the casing from a couple of Ikea trays. He has started carving the figures, using lime wood which is fairly hard but can be modelled. He is using Fymo for the hands (and one of the heads that came out a bit small). I have agreed to clothe the little fellows once they are carved and painted. The small butcher lost his arm in a terrible accident. Nick discovered that, when screwed back on, it can now articulate. Ideal for serving the sausages.
Did you spot the Fymo hands on the floor. And the shoes? Last weekend Nick finished a side of beef. Just for fun I made a little apron for the master butcher. As you can imagine I have been given the role of providing outfits for the men, and curtains for the upstairs windows. I will give you an update on dressing the figures once everything has been painted. The pig and turkey made in modelling material have now been discarded in favour of wooden meat articles.
The habit of making small scale models has been popular for ages, not just for children to admire and play with, but also to entertain adults. I made a doll’s house and a green grocers at evening classes in the past. My ex-husband John has a model railway in his garage, while his car is parked in the road. There are dioramas put together with Barbie dolls, and scenes using small stuffed animals too. I am not sure why we find these diminutive worlds so compelling but I love them.
Almost every day now I inspect the shop and find something new has arrived. Like five perfect little flower pots, and then this weekend the whole thing was encased in an old picture frame and mounted on the wall.
The evolving scene, made in wood, is so interesting, it almost seems a shame to paint it. I will update you when it is a bit further along. Have you ever made a dolls house or shop?
Screen printing – using photo sensitive screens
I am doing a 12 week course in screen printing at the Mary Ward Centre. In the first few weeks we tried monoprinting, and then we created silhouettes which we turned into paper stencils. These were used to get familiar with the screen printing process.
We moved on to spray paint, stencilling and sponging freezer paper shapes. Now are learning to use photographic stencils. I got to mix the photosensitive coating with Nina.
Once the two liquids are mixed, turning from blue to green, we were ready to coat the screens. Zoe demonstrated how this was done with a squeegee.
The screens were left to dry while we transferred our designs onto acetate. The screens are placed on a white board, the acetate print is covered with a sheet of heavy glass, and strong light is shone through the acetate. We found that this worked best when exposed for about four minutes.
The areas of blackness on the photograph resist the light, and remain soluble in water when they are hosed down, leaving very accurate shapes, ready for printing. The white areas of the photograph or drawing harden in the light and prevent the printer ink penetrating the mesh of the silk screen.
I used a photograph of beetles, which when printed in navy blue looked like a tea towel. The effect is quite good for a first attempt, but I was hoping that there would be more detail and “shades of grey” in the pattern. Nevertheless I will have some fun experimenting with this silk screen.
I also used bright white ink on a sample piece.
I will be developing this idea over the next five weeks, perhaps using white lawn as I did for the Christening gown, in order to produce a fabric for my second SWAP blouse. I am keen to experiment with different colours, flocks and iridescent foils, perhaps using beetley greens and blues. I get such a kick out of printing and painting on fabric – it’s such a messy, hands on craft – somehow a good anecdote to the rather precise dressmaking and tailoring construction I am doing at the moment. This weekend I have been busy with the family, but I hope to get my SWAP trouser toile made and written up soon.
Sewing with a Plan 2015 0.2
Last week I announced I was participating in this year’s Sewing With a Plan (SWAP) challenge. I said I would make ten items, and buy one.
- two suits, each with a matching blouse
- skirt and blouse
- trousers and purchased knitwear
- a coat
The search for a cardigan
Here are some ideas of multi coloured cardigans that I am attracted to that could form a basis for my wardrobe. The first is very similar to the one I had last year. The Brora one is made from wool and mohair, and beautiful if rather expensive. The Boden one is different and I like the colours. I put these pictures up just to give an idea of what I am trying to do.
Choosing my SWAP fabrics
Misan Fabrics, in Berwick Street, is one of my favourite shops. It carries many lovely woolens at £50 a metre or more. However I just cannot justify spending say £150 on fabric for a suit. £15 to £20 is what I consider reasonable. For this price the fabric is usually polyester. So I did not go to Misan.
To get 100% virgin wool, beautiful tailoring cloth, unusual designer fabrics, end of line bolts of exquisite cloth for a bargain price is worth a trip to the deepest south (it’s only at the end of the Victoria line; doable in my lunch hour if necessary). I went to my favourite fabric shop – Simply Fabrics – in Brixton.
Here is Robert, the owner, offering me a wonderful Roland Mouret fabric. A piece of wool “Burberry” is on display behind him. While I was there someone phoned and bought the whole roll. This is a great shop for a gossip – I love to chat with Robert (I know his wife), and Leo (the bag designer) who also works there. And Andrea who runs the other shop (that sells zips, buttons, scraps of leather, table cloths, interlining, African fabric, feathers, needles, cotton, vintage patterns, braid, trimmings, elastic – haberdashery in other words). On a typical recent visit
- two men bought 14 m of beige linen to make habits for Nuns in Africa
- I met Elizabeth of Quilting Mafia
- a party organiser came in and bought 50m of mint polyester organza
- a young designer, dressed in brown velour, bought a further 10m of the same fabric.
The wonder of this shop is that is has some very good quality cloth at low prices. Wools cost between £5 and £10 a metre. One down side is that it is a bit of jumble sale and you never know what you will find. They don’t sell online so you have to go and have a mooch around. But if you appreciate and can identify quality it is a treasure trove. Of course there is one major limitation – you have not got unlimited choice. While I went in with an idea of a yellow and green colour palette as a possible option, and found three or four plain dark greens, there was nothing other than that tartan that had green with other colours. Well there were a few greens and yellows, but not in my shades of (cool) blue-greens and clear yellow yellows. So you have to adapt your plans to what is available. I don’t have much energy or inclination for shopping around. If it is not in my cupboard or Simply Fabrics it is not going to feature in my SWAP.
The lace (on a white sheet) is dark navy – can you see the dinosaurs? The others are all lovely fabrics suitable for separates or suits, and I considered them all for the SWAP.
Immediately after identifying and getting excited about two of them – the green/turquoise/purple plaid and the green Chanel type fabric – I had to walk away from the display. Although they are gorgeous quality, high-end cloth, these colours are not for me. They would make super coats or jackets, or a nice little skirt for someone with a warm complexion who looks good in lighter shades. But I am not that person. This often happens. I like something and can appreciate it’s beauty, but I know it won’t like me back. I sometimes wish I had a red-haired alter-ego, close friend or loving sister who I could design, make or buy for. For example, where searching for a patterned jumper for my SWAP I was drawn to a nice sweater (if you have light, warm colouring).
An appreciation of what colours suit me stops me buying items like this although I think this is a very pretty jumper (but not with those trousers).
Did you spotted the matches already? The Brora cardigan, and the charcoal/magenta and the bubbly pink wool. I like these together and I have more or less decided that a charcoal and cerise colour palette may be just what I need. The charcoal/magenta is an exceptional, sensational fabric, ex-Roland Mouret and I am excited by it. But I think it needs turquoise, or light green, or blue to stop it being too strong and deep for me. This is what I felt about the boucle. It is pretty dark, although blue rather than black, and a creamy white rather than black and beige as it appears. If I were to use it, it would be best for a lower-half garment.
What I bought
- 2.5m of the charcoal and magenta suiting. I think it will be either the centrepiece coat or a one of the suits.
- 1.5m of the turquoise cotton/elastane for the trousers
- 1.5m of the navy boucle, although this may not appear in the SWAP.
- around 1m of pink fabric – all there was – with a view to possibly making a skirt
- 1m of the dinosaur fabric, of course. It’s navy, it is pure cotton and it will need mounting on a second fabric, obviously, ( it’s full of holes). It was an impulse buy and nothing to do with the SWAP. I just thought it was so unusual I had to have it. And of course Ted loves dinosaurs and knows all their names.
Patterns
I have made a provisional decision on the suits; two simple, classic suits which differ from each other. One has a mandarin collar, the other has revers. One is somewhat rectangular, the other is closely fitted and shaped. Neither is over designed and both will flatter nice fabric, allowing a mix and match approach. The first has an A line skirt, the second a pencil skirt (or pleated option). Simplicity 7305 is a 1967 suit with a stand-up collar.
The second 1950s suit is S.100. I will make a few modifications to these patterns as we go along, but the contrast of styles pleasing and the patterns are unpretentious. The S100 is more challenging to both fit and sew, and I am more likely to use a plain fabric for this one, reserving the checked fabric for the S 7305 (or my coat).
Toiles
I have completed a toile for the reversible skirt. Now I need to download, toile and fit the trousers, and if I have time also toile one or both of the suit jackets. It’s a tall order before Christmas, so we will see.
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