Utility Sewing -

This weekend was a slow sewing weekend. I let out the hems on a pair of pants I made: the grey pair is 1 inch longer. I hope that they don't shrink in length any more. I also made two tops to wear to the gym: longer sleeved versions of KwikSew 3567, made from dark mesh: one version is made from a dark brown with tiny pink dots, the other version is made from a brown and green floral mesh. I hope this helps provide more incentive for working out.

a lovely remedy for a mild malaise

I'm not posting as much as before because I'm back at work (still gainfully employed). However this morning I woke up not feeling well (feverish) so I took a sick day.

I was thinking of working on my trousers (Burda plus 02-2007-402), but I'm just not feeling it. So a lovely remedy for a mild malaise is to sew simple knit t-shirts. I've already finished Burda 7970, a simple knit t-shirt made from some black bamboo jersey/interlock that I bought from an online coop. The bamboo does not have a lot of stretch (crosswise or otherwise) but it is lovely soft. I think that I'm going to enjoy wearing it.

I've cut out another jersey top from a older Burda January 2006 (01-2006-131). It's a t-shirt with vertical seams that I've made it before (reviewed on PR). I searched my stash and I found a jersey made from some sort of synthetic: the fabric has an abstract design in purple, pink, lavender and burgundy. The colors should be nice for these cooler winter days. I'm trying to get away from wearing black all the time.

I should review Simplicity 2603 (the cardi wrap). I made another one from a light cottony/stretchy jersey in magenta that I purchased from Fabrics R Us. I purchased this fabric before I returned to work and it was so lovely that before the week was over, I drove back out to east San Jose to get more yardage in different colors ($3 a yard, outside near the parking area). My stash, now overflowing, contains yardage in lime green, chocolate brown, taupe, and black. I might use the yardage for some other t-shirt variations. We shall see.

The September Issue

It's October 1, so today was the day to see the documentary, The September Issue. It's also the last day that it's showing at a theater close to me. It's a 90 minute documentary that covers preparation of the 2007 September issue of (American) Vogue magazine. The key players in the documentary are Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief of Vogue, and Grace Coddington, the creative director at Vogue. Anna Wintour is still a bit of a cypher, but she doesn't come across as personable, just as a woman who does what she needs to get her job done. At the beginning of the documentary, one of her colleagues explains that she doesn't try to be nice or friendly to strangers. She's not as over the top as Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada. Of course, you knew why Miranda did things, but Wintour is a bit cryptic. I guess that is the difference between drama and real life.

Grace Coddington is a more memorable person--as she shares her thoughts with the documentary crew (and the audience) as she creates and styles fashion shoots. She's a former fashion model and she has an amazing ability to create different visual scenarios that highlight different fashion designs (she knows how to show the clothing!) and she produces results: lots of great pictures for editorial shots. Each one of her layouts had very strong pictures that were unfortunately edited and made shorter. The documentary is pretty funny, because Wintour wears several lovely fitted sheath dresses (I'm trying to find a pattern for the indigo and white ikat dress, with a shoulder yoke on the front and back), with heels, all the time, and Coddington is always wearing a shapeless black dress with clunky sandals.

I recommend it! I'm going to rent it when it comes out on DVD, so I can take a closer look at some of the fashions.

I'm working on my second pair of Marlene pants, and I've got some finishing touches on

BWOF 09-2005-129. I should be able to post some reviews over the weekend.

Not the day I planned

My afternoon did not go the way I wanted. I was planning to start a new pair of Marlene pants, but one of my dental appointment ran over. And over. I'll spare you the details, 3 hours in a dentist chair isn't fun and my one bit of advice is to lean over a sink when you gargle when your mouth is numbed with painkiller. After I got home, all I could think of ibuprofen and a nap.

After I recovered a bit, I did manage to trace off a copy of Burda 7774, a empire sheath dress with short sleeves. I traced the bodice according to my high bust measurement (I'm going to make an FBA) and the skirt portion according to my actual hip and body measurements. I'm making View A, which should require no more than 2 yards of fabric. I'll make a muslin tomorrow. I'm still thinking of Vogue 8555, but I need to start with one dress and see how it works out.

Marlene Dietrich Pants Burda Plus 02-2007-402

I finished another pair of pants! Burda Plus 02-2007-402 is a wide legged pair of pants with a contour waistband (Burda calls this "Marlene Dietrich style").

I'm getting pretty fast at technically sewing pants, but fitting the pants is taking as long as the actual sewing. So this pair took me about 2 days of actual sewing (probably 7-8 hours total), which includes tracing the pattern, making a muslin, a trip to the store to get matching thread for the fashion fabric, a two day rest period. I made the version without the cuffs and the creases, so I know that saved me some time. I spent this morning finishing the waistband, adjusting the fit in the back and hemming. Based on the muslin, I lengthened the front and back crotch seams (by extending the pattern pieces). When I was fitting the pants, it seems like I removed all the fabric that I added. I guess that the inseam stretched. I think that I'll have to play around with the fit on the back a bit (right now, they fit as well as any ready-to-wear LOL!), but I think that this pants pattern can be moved into my pattern repertoire. If I can get a decent picture of the back with me in it, I'll post. There are some wrinkles that could be removed, but I can't figure out what alteration to make.

I am planning on making this pattern again--this pair was made from some brushed cotton twill ("brushed cotton" = "extra lint" in the sewing machine) from my stash. It spent a relatively short time in my stash--I purchased it from an online coop in the Spring. It's a nice olive green and more of a heavyweight twill than a medium. It's definitely a casual fabric. I have some other striped (pinstripes) that will change the look a bit.

The picture above is a true depiction of the color. I'm going to have to get a real tripod and figure out a standard pose for these project photos. If I wear these with a tucked in blouse (not my usual style), I will definitely add a belt.

Here is a hanger picture of the front:

Picture of the rear (hanger)

PatternReview located here.

No Sewing on Saturday or Sunday

Yesterday I got together with several Bay Area sewers (members of BABES from "Bay Area Bash Expressly for Sewists") at Cañada college's Artistry in Fashion event. It was a frightfully hot day, and I arrived sometime after 10:00. I was only able to stay for a short time, but I saw the independent fashion designer fashion show, featuring La Fred, Decades of Style and Loes Hinse. Each designer was able to show 10 different outfits and discuss their design principles, inspirations, etc. Afterwards, Lisa, Irene and I went sales room where the designers were selling their patterns (way beyond the the art to wear sales tables--lots of yummy stuff there) and tried on different garments made up from the outfits. That was really fun-it was great to see if a garment works on different body types, etc. I ended up buying 4 patterns, more that I expected, but I think that I'll enjoy them. From La Fred, I purchased the Daphne Pant and the Maia Jacket. And from Decades of Style, I purchased the 1931 Lily Jacket pattern (# 3006) and the 1950's Diamond Dress (#5002).

I forgot to allow time to look at the student displays. They had a re-cycle/re-use competition--I'm sure the results were great. I did wander through the art to wear tables--there was a lot of cool stuff, but a lot of it was very arty, not what I would like to wear to work. As I was leaving, I did come across another room with sales tables. I will have to allow more time next year.

After this event, I went to two cultural club meeting and then a barbecue. I didn't get home until close 10:30. I'm exhausted. I was happy to see the new Burda World of Fashion (October 2009) issue in my mailbox, as well as the two missing Netflix DVDs. I had given up on ever seeing those discs and had reported them missed last week. Well, back into the mail they go. The new BWOF has some great patterns. I'll also try to finish the olive green pants--I just have the waistband and the hems. More later. I'm recovering today and tonight is Mad Men.

Trousers! Burda Plus 02-2007-402

Over these past few weeks, I've made great progress on making trousers that fit (and fit properly)! My technical skills have improved, as have my fitting skills. I'm sooo happy! I'll have a new wardrobe for work. I'm almost finished with gray BWOF 09-2005-129--I need to either add a button and buttonhole or sew on some hooks and eyes. I've decided to let this pattern rest for a while and work on a new project while I have time to pay attention to it.

After poking around PatternReview, I decided to make Burda Plus 02-2007-402. Burda Plus 02-2007-402 is a simple pair of pants: no pockets, no yokes, no cuffs, just a shaped waistband and pants pieces. It has 4 pieces (6 if you count the belt carriers and the fly shield). Last night while watching Project Runway I traced it and cut out out the muslin. Since there are so few seams, I felt it was important to check how the pieces got together and how it looks on me, I spent this morning sewing the muslin and adjusting the fit. I've become a great fan of muslins. I will have to use the 40% off coupon at J's and get a bolt of muslin, so I won't hesitate to make them. I had a hard time cutting the white cotton sateen I got at an estate sale earlier this month. Sigh.

Burda Plus 02-2007-402 Technical Drawing

Burda Plus is published twice a year--the 02-2007 issue covers Spring/Summer Fashions. The suggested fabrics are "Pants/trouser fabrics, with or without stretch blend." Right now, I'm not going to add the cuff or the crease. I'm planning on a pair in olive green twill (from Ressy's coop) and another pair in a different fabric (probably a striped mystery stretch woven from Fabrix). Even though it's a Spring pattern, I think that it will be okay in an Autumn/Winter Fabric. There's a "Say Yes to the Dress" marathon on TLC--it's ideal sewing TV.