A Place to Create

My big project over the last few weeks was cleaning/reorganizing my sewing studio.  It had really reached critical mass.  I found I couldn’t easily work in the room because of the clutter and items that had no home.  Since I did not have any projects with critical deadlines I thought this would be a good time to completely deconstruct the space.  I set up a new bookcase which helped and tried to purge some unwanted items though a lot more needs to be done.  I found I had a lot of bulky fabric in the form of wool, recycled t-shirts and sweaters which I sealed up in Space Bags and am storing elsewhere.

What a difference a clean room makes!  I’ve been getting back into sewing some projects and find it is so much nicer to sew in a clean room.  I’m taking the time to put things back where they belong (wonder how long that will last?)  This exercise has once again solidified in my mind that I don’t need any more fabric or sewing supplies.  In fact, acquiring more “stuff” is almost an unpleasant thought.  I need to work on using what I have.

Here are pictures of my clean space.   I’m hoping they will act as inspiration for you and me, as well.

This dishtowel was a gift from my friend Linda when we traveled together to Alabama for our Alabama Chanin workshop.  I hung it on the wall in my studio to remind me of those good times.  Linda, I know you are reading this:  my studio is finally clean enough for you to come and play!

Projects hot off the press coming soon!

Use What You Have

Recently, I was working on some plans for a project, writing down my ideas in a notebook.  I was getting a little carried away, listing all sorts of possibilities.  Then I had an epiphany:  I wrote in large capital letters at the top of the page USE WHAT YOU HAVE.  This has become a sort of mantra for me in the last few weeks, one I find applies to so many aspects of my life.

Take the meatballs, for instance.  I needed to take a batch to an event at my church and had planned to use that old faithful recipe that combines grape jelly with chili sauce.  I had neither, but I did have a jar of apricot preserves and a bottle of barbeque sauce.  Those meatballs turned out better than the originals.  I plan to make this my go-to recipe from now on, unless, of course, I am out of apricot preserves and then I might use the orange marmalade in my pantry.

My sewing space has been undergoing a serious overhaul in the last few weeks (which is why I don’t have a lot of pictures to share today).  I am almost finished (thank goodness for Space Bags).  Only the truly hard part remains (sorting through and finding a home for a big box of cotton quilting fabric inherited when my mom downsized.)  I found that I was able to apply the USE WHAT YOU HAVE philosophy during this project, too, repurposing many items and storage containers for better use.  I’ve lived in my current house for almost 6 years now and have been meaning to do something about the window in my sewing room closet for all that time.  (Why do builders put windows in closets?  The sun is not kind to textiles).  While packing away some fabric I had hanging in the closet I noticed some sun fading and decided it was (finally!) time to put a covering on the window.  I contemplated finding some fabric in my stash and making a curtain but then I remembered UWYH!  A brief look around the house turned up a Roman shade that I had used in my boys’ nursery (rolled up and languishing under the dresser in my bedroom).  It took me less than five minutes to remove the slats in the shade and hang it on a tension rod in the closet.

You see, UWYH also applies to time.  Maybe you don’t have time to start a major sewing project tonight but I bet you do have a few minutes to straighten up your space so it’s ready when you are, or to make that small improvement you’ve been meaning to accomplish, like my curtain.  Or how about trading in some of that surfing (dare I say “blog reading”) time and do a little hand work or mending.  This is an area where I need to practice my UWYH mentality a lot more.

Of course, UWYH can, and should, also be applied to your talents.  Find ways to share your talents with others.  Find a community service event and volunteer your time (my Sewing Guild is sponsoring one on June 2 in the DC area if you are interested).  There is no shortage of organizations looking for help.

These are just a few examples of how this apparently random thought has really started to change the way I think.  It fits in with my goal of living a more sustainable life and will help me to stop contributing to the clutter that is weighing me down and draining some of my creativity.  I think my pocketbook will like it, too.  I’d love to hear ways you are incorporating UWYH into your life.

We’ll be celebrating Memorial Day here in the States this weekend, the official beginning of summer.  Happy holiday and safe travels to all.

French Bias Piping

Today I attended my American Sewing Guild Neighborhood Group meeting.  I took part in the program for the day which was on seam finishes.  I presented two:  French Bias Piping and Underlining and Seam Finish.  While making the samples for the program I snapped some pictures and wrote up a tutorial on the French Bias Piping.  This is a lovely way to pipe a neckline or armhole and eliminate the need for a separate facing.  Hop on over and take a look.

Also while preparing for this program, I remembered some pictures that I took that should have been included in my last post about my Paisley Houndstooth skirt. 

I get questions about the best way to add 5/8" seam allowance to the underlining technique I used on this skirt.  After I cut out my fashion fabric I place the pattern on the underlining fabric.  I attach a Removable Rotary Guide Arm (made by Olfa) to my rotary cutter and set the distance from the blade to 5/8". 

It is then a simple task to guide the arm along the edge of the pattern while the blade cuts 5/8" away from the edge.

I hope you will give both of these seam finishing techniques a try.  I'd love to see how you use them.

Paisley and Houndstooth

Who knew that paisley + houndstooth is a match made in heaven?  Here’s the story of my discovery.

Photo from Alabama Studio Sewing + Design

I waited (notice that I did not say patiently) for many months for the release of Alabama Chanin’s latest studio book, Alabama Studio Sewing + Design.    When it arrived it was even more beautiful than I thought possible.  In this third book, Natalie Chanin and her staff have truly given away all of their secrets.  The book is a compendium of all of the various techniques used to create the lovely line of clothing they produce from their workshop in Florence, Alabama.  This latest in the series is meant to complement the other two books though it can easily stand on its own as the only resource you need.  Inside the cover you will find details on the materials and tools needed, eleven stencil designs, a myriad of stitches with illustrations, full-sized patterns for 4 garment pieces that can be constructed in a number of ways plus several accessory pieces, and enough embellishment ideas to keep you busy for the rest of your life.  Even if you have no intention of using the book to make garments or accessories, the photographs alone make this book worthy of the coffee table.  It is, in short, 175 pages of pure inspiration.

Photo from Alabama Studio Sewing + Design

Photo from Alabama Studio Sewing + Design

This book arrived while I was working on my blue wool crepe dress.  As sometimes happens, I start thinking about my next project while I’m still working on an unfinished one.  This time I dreamed of using more wool crepe from my stash since the current piece I was working on was such a dream to sew.  My mind was also busy mulling over all of the possibilities opened up for me from reading Sewing + Design.  What came out of that brainstorming is this skirt.

My fingers were busy with wool while I was thinking about organic cotton appliqué.  Why couldn’t I substitute wool felt for some of the appliqué designs from the book?  Wool felt has a lovely weight and doesn’t fray; it would make the perfect embellishment for my wool skirt.  I found some loosely woven black wool crepe in my stash and threw it in the washer and dryer a couple of times.  It felted up very nicely.  I also decided on the Paisley design that is include as one of the stencil patterns in the book.

Photo from Alabama Studio Sewing + Design

First I started with the skirt.  The pattern is Simplicity 2058 from the Amazing Fit series.  After fitting my muslin I cut the skirt from a loosely woven wool houndstooth check in classic black and white. 

I knew the fabric would need to be underlined if I was going to apply appliqué so I cut the underlining from charcoal gray silk organza.  I used the technique of underlining and seam finishing all in one that I’m fond of.  It makes for a beautifully finished garment interior.

Once the skirt was constructed (I left one seam unsewn, allowing for a flat panel to work on) I started the hand appliqué.  Alabama Chanin’s techniques include using stencils as the means of transferring designs to cloth.  Several ways to accomplish this are included in the book but I tried something different for this project.  First, I printed out the paisley design from the full-sized download available on the Alabama Chanin website.  I then copied it onto freezer paper and cut out the stencil with an Exacto knife.  This left me with both a positive and negative stencil. 

I used the positive stencils, shown above, to cut out the black wool felt.

Next, I took the negative stencil, centered it on one skirt panel and ironed it into place.  I removed the paper backing from the black felt appliqué pieces and positioned them in the openings of the negative stencil.  The photo below shows one of the appliqué pieces pinned in place.

After all of the pieces were placed I carefully removed the negative stencil paper and hand stitched each appliqué in place with a parallel whipstitch and black buttonhole craft thread. (I quickly discovered it was easier to work with small safety pins rather than straight pins to keep the appliqués  in place; this also led to less bloodshed while stitching).

Taking a tip I learned from Sarah Veblen, I constructed the waist facing from interfaced silk dupioni which I bound with a strip of white china silk.  This makes a really nice facing:  the silk feels more comfortable than wool and there is no bulk.

I finished the hem with some cotton lace from my stash (you can read more about the hem here).

I’m really pleased with this skirt and am sorry I finished it so late in the season that I will have to wait until next fall to wear it.  I think it will look great with black boots.  I particularly love the juxtaposition of contemporary vs. traditional in this garment.  The modern version of the paisley is a nice contrast to the more classic look of the houndstooth.  I also love that I can take an idea and tweak it to make it my own.  I think this new book in my library will offer lots of opportunity for that sort of thing in the future.

Update on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 9:36PM by Julie Bowersett

I came across some pictures I took back in January when I first started on this skirt.  These show the easiest way that I have found to add the seam allowance to the underlining fabric I used on this skirt.

After I cut out my fashion fabric I place the pattern on the underlining fabric.  I attach a Removable Rotary Guide Arm (made by Olfa) to my rotary cutter and set the distance from the blade to 5/8".

It is then a simple task to guide the arm along the edge of the pattern while the blade cuts 5/8" away from the edge.

A Highly Underrated Seam Finish

Back in the day, humble lace hem tape was the popular way to attractively finish hems.  That technique has largely been replaced with super-fast clean finishing with sergers.  While I was finishing up my most recent garment, a skirt, I was reminded why this lovely finish was at one time so popular.  After turning up a narrow hem I wanted a way to cleanly finish the edge without adding the extra bulk that a double fold would have made.  I contemplated binding the edge but chose, instead, to cover the raw edge of the skirt with lace.  I didn't have in my stash any packaged lace hem tape but I did have some pretty cotton lace edging that I bought in bulk several years ago.  I thought it would do the job nicely.

I sewed the lace header to the skirt by machine and finished the hem by hand sewing the delicate, picot-like edge to the skirt's underlining by hand.  I think this makes for a lovely, feminine finish, and reminds me of the beautiful lace-trimmed undergarments once worn by women.  It feels like a little secret but adds an element of surprise if the hem is exposed during wearing.

This got me imagining all of the fun things you could use to finish your hems, including little bits of vintage lace edging.  I'm sure I've got some in a box somewhere.

I have, at last, finished this skirt that I've been working on for weeks now.  I'm working on a post for next week to share that with you.  You can have a little sneak peak of some of the details in the picture that opens this post.  Till then. . . .