Tiered Gauze Skirt

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a skirt I made for my friend.  I was so surprised how fast and easy that skirt went together.  So, when I decided to write a tutorial on an elastic waistband technique that I like to use, I thought I should make myself a similar skirt in the process. 

The fabric that I used is a brown cotton guaze, perfectly lightweight for a summer skirt and for easy gathering.  This skirt has four tiers, each one slightly longer than the previous.  I decided to try gathering the tiers by zigzagging over a heavy cord and this worked quite well.  If you begin with the lowest (biggest) tier, you can reuse the same piece of cording for all of the other tiers by pulling it out once you've sewn down the gathers.  I used a 6 mm x 6 mm zigzag and crochet cotton for my cord.  The hem of this skirt is quite full, about 120 inches.  I'm looking forward to wearing it this summer.

Tomorrow I board a bus for a day trip to New York City with my sewing guild.  I'm really looking forward to a day of shopping in the city, something I haven't done in over 5 years, before my first son was born.  Mostly, I'm happy to be spending the day with like-minded gals and seeing friends I don't get to see as often as I like.  I'll be sure to report back next week after my trip.

Contemporary Sashiko Jacket

Nancy Shriber is one of those teachers with the unique capacity to inspire, nurture and instruct in a way that always leaves her students wanting more.  I had the good fortune to take one of Nancy’s Contemporary Sashiko classes a number of years ago.  In this weekend-long workshop I learned to paint silk, and then transform that fabric, through hand stitching, into a unique work of art.  The weekend began on Friday night when all of us gathered with our wet silk and applied textile paint and just a sprinkling of salt to create the canvas for our project.  Almost immediately I learned a “Nancy-style” lesson:  when the fabric I had intended for the lining turned out to be the more beautiful of the two pieces I painted,  I changed tack and used it, instead, for the outer fashion fabric.  

The rest of the weekend was spent designing our garment, cutting our fabric, layering it on flannel and finally, stitching by hand our chosen design with lovely hand dyed threads.  Nancy also encouraged us to make the interior of our garment as beautiful as the outside.  Out came more paints, stencils, stamps and lots of creative ideas.  At the time I was taking this class, my husband and I were (somewhat desperately) trying to have a baby.  I decided I would use this jacket as a positive affirmation project.  When I created the lining (the inner life of my garment, as Nancy would say) I stamped Asian characters with a positive message and hand painted the words they represented (hope, believe, change, dream, transformation).  At Nancy’s suggestion I also added a little treasure pocket made from organza.

I chose Loes Hinse’s lovely Kimono Jacket as my pattern.  I carefully marked the sashiko design that I wanted to stitch on the flannel side of my project, matching the patterns across seam lines.   I created a sort of landscape effect, with water along the bottom topped by rocks and grass and finally a geometric pattern for the sky above. 

For the next several months I carried my jacket pieces with me and stitched at every opportunity.   I added metallic thread and beads to portions of the stitching.  When I was finished I constructed the garment, adding velvet lapel bands in a matching blue color.

Here’s my confession:  I’ve never worn this jacket (in fact, there are still pins holding the lining hem in place).  This is a great example of making a garment that is the wrong style for me.  I will probably finish it one day and wear it – it is the sort of garment that you can’t get away with wearing too many times as it is pretty memorable.  I put many, many hours of work into this jacket but I don’t feel at all sad that I have not worn it.  I view it as a piece of artwork that I made with my own two hands.  I loved every single minute I spent creating it and every single stitch I put into it.  It was the process, not the result, that was truly the prize.

Sharing today over at Today's Creative Blog's Get Your Craft On Tuesday.  Come check out all of the great inspiration.

Edgy Jackets

I’m featuring two jackets today, since they were created as a two-part project, which were inspired by Linda Lee’s article ”Edgy Jackets” in Threads magazine #119, page 56.  Linda’s beautiful black and white houndstooth version with lime green lining is just stunning.  The layers of fabric are quilted together and the edges are left unfinished making for quick construction.

I created the pink jacket first from a loosely woven novelty suiting and a vintage china silk fabric.  I drafted the pattern using Pattern Master Boutique software and followed the instructions in the article to complete the jacket.  This jacket turned out to be a fun, casual jacket to wear.  I even left the printed selvages of the silk for all to see.

As much as I enjoyed making and wearing this jacket I felt that it was a little more deconstructed than I like.  So, for the blue tweed version, I covered some of the jacket’s raw edges with strips of navy ultrasuede, specifically along the waist seam and along the front and neck openings.  I left raw edges at the bottom and sleeve hems.  I had originally planned another ¾-length sleeve for this jacket but didn’t like the look once it was completed.  To solve this dilemma I cut the sleeve in two pieces, fringed both ends and sewed them back together, adding another raw-edged tier at the wrist.  The blue flower pin was created specifically to wear with this jacket.

I love wearing both of these jackets as they are so comfortable.  The soft tailoring involved in their construction makes them feel like sweaters rather than jackets.  I urge you to try Linda’s technique for yourself.

Dawn Anderson Rococo Blouse

This week’s garment is the Rococo Blouse from Dawn Anderson Designs.  I first met Dawn at a local ASG event (she is a member of my local Chapter) and have watched her business grow from the early days.    Dawn’s lovely designs reflect her background in theater and costuming , her love of historical garments and her forward-looking modern approach.  You can read more about her background and see her pattern collection on her website.

The Rococo Blouse features a low square neckline with princess seams, is fully lined, buttons up the front or the back, and includes interchangeable sleeve ruffle options:   gathered sleeve ruffles with a detachable eyelet ruffle or triple circular ruffles.  The pattern is sized 4 through 26.

This blouse is very flattering, comfortable and fun to wear.   I’ve made it twice.  The first time, I was testing the pattern for Dawn and I made View A from a blue and white striped embroidered cotton.  I made no alterations to the pattern and it fit perfectly. Dawn has written extensive directions for altering this pattern based on your own measurements so if you do need to alter, she will walk you through it. 

I liked this blouse so much that I decided to make View B which the pattern describes as being for an advanced skill level. I used a large floral print silk crepe lined with China silk.  I lined the circular ruffles with two different silks, a striped charmeuse and a damask-like georgette.  The pattern allows for the ruffles to be tacked up for a drapery effect but I didn't do that on my blouse.   I matched the fabric’s pattern along the center back closure and used self fabric covered buttons.

Dawn's instructions are some of the best of the independent pattern companies. They are very thorough and walk you through each and every step of the process. I like this blouse pattern so much that I would love to make it again.  Here I am wearing it during a photo shoot I did with my family in 2009.

photo by Sally Brewer Photography

Monkey Tee

This is the day I would normally post a garment picture.  I am not sure that this really qualifies as a "garment" but I am away at a sewing retreat and am missing my little guys back at home so, in a moment of wistfulness, I decided to post this picture of my brown-eyed boy.

This applique monkey design comes from Sew Many Designs who has "sew many" cute things, including a lot of designs for boys.  When I was making this shirt I decided to stitch it onto a background panel instead of the actual t-shirt so it could be removed and stitched to another larger shirt should I want to.  This worked well and also eliminated all of the fiddly parts about embroidering onto knits.  Give it a try.

Today and tomorrow I am living in luxury (alone!) at the George Washington Hotel in Winchester, VA where almost 40 of my favorite sewing friends have gathered for a winter retreat, sponsored by the Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Sewing Guild.  Before my children were born I was a regular attendee of these retreats, though back then I was sleeping on a bunk bed and eating cafeteria food at a 4H Camp.  This year the powers that be decided to move the retreat to somewhere a bit more upscale (that wouldn't have been hard) and picked this lovely, renovated hotel in downtown Winchester.  I am basking in the (deafening) silence of my stately room and will soon go join others in the Ballroom to sew to my heart's content.  I've brought with me a number of UFO's (unfinished objects) as well as a new dress to work on.  If I had had the presence of mind to pack my camera card reader I could have uploaded a new garment hot off the press.  But you will just have to wait until next week for that.