But in the meantime, here’s how Sock Monkey turned out (he’s hanging out with Rett The Monkey–the Mister gave him to me 30+ years ago to take care of me when he left . . . → Read More: Sock Monkey Follow-up and Sporadic Posting]]>

Just a quick note to let you know that my posts will be a bit sporadic for the next couple of weeks.

But in the meantime, here’s how Sock Monkey turned out (he’s hanging out with Rett The Monkey–the Mister gave him to me 30+ years ago to take care of me when he left for art school– and Piglet).  This “portrait” is part of her birthday card because she is fond of playing with Rett and Piglet, too.

I decided to go the very simple route because I know Sock Monkey will be “well loved” and this way it will be easier for my sister to give Sock Monkey a bath.  I embroidered eyebrows but they looked very funny so I pulled them out.  Embroidering on knit is an adventure.  I would suggest you do the embroidery first with a hoop and then stuff it.

Sock Monkey and Friends

At Alice’s party today, I’m hoping to get some photos of her with Sock Monkey but I’m not holding my breath since there will be A LOT of people there today competing for her attention.  She is such a blessing in our lives, we can’t help but adore her!

In today’s lesson, I show you how to take correct measurements so that your pattern will fit you perfectly!

My sister, Jill, agreed to be my model and my mom was there, too, so she was my camera woman.  And, as you will soon see/hear, Baby Alice was involved in the filming, too, . . . → Read More: Drafting Skirt Pattern Sew-Along Lesson Two: Measuring (w/video)]]>

Dear Friends,

In today’s lesson, I show you how to take correct measurements so that your pattern will fit you perfectly!

My sister, Jill, agreed to be my model and my mom was there, too, so she was my camera woman.  And, as you will soon see/hear, Baby Alice was involved in the filming, too, but being adorably distracting.  I’ll have to warn you right now that if you get upset by babies making noise in the background (as they are wont to do at the most inopportune time) and mother’s talking to the teacher while she’s teaching, then you better skip watching the video.  I have a feeling, though, that most of you will be able to relate to the “adventure” we had creating this video.  Despite it being a bit “zany” at times, we decided to go ahead and run with it.  After all, it’s real life!

Click here to download the Measurement Guide Handout (PDF)

The lesson is divided into two parts: Video 1 provides an introduction and Video 2 demonstrates how to take the measurements.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section!

Aside from helping out in the beginning fashion summer class at the community college, I haven’t done anything related to sewing for the past couple of weeks.  But then my sister posted a photo of Toddler Alice and I realized that I better get cracking on her dress before she outgrows the pattern!  . . . → Read More: Every Baby, er, Toddler Girl Needs A Dress With Daisies On It! Right?]]>

Dear Friends,

Aside from helping out in the beginning fashion summer class at the community college, I haven’t done anything related to sewing for the past couple of weeks.  But then my sister posted a photo of Toddler Alice and I realized that I better get cracking on her dress before she outgrows the pattern!  On Sunday I cut out the dress and I hope to work on it later this week.

The Details:

Pattern: Simplicity 4709, View A (click on picture to enlarge it).  It is apparently now out of print…I bought it some time ago for $1 at JoAnn’s.

Simplicity 4709 (now out of print)

Fabric:  Quilting fabric from JoAnn’s bought last winter (on sale, of course).

I love the little daisies on it.

Trim: White ric-rac in medium width.  The pattern calls for the “baby ric-rac” but it would have been too tiny to compete with the daisies and lighter blue flowers.

When I bought the pattern, Alice was a lot smaller and I had planned on making the cute little matching bloomers or panties.  Alas, as babies are wont to do, she grew and I had to use the largest size in the pattern and didn’t have enough left over for the bloomers.  Yes, I know I could have just bought a different fabric, but it is the principle of the thing to actually use the fabric I bought for her for this dress.

What projects are you working on this week?

Happy sewing!

Dr. Julie-Ann

PS: I’ll have the first post for the pattern-making sew-along on Wednesday.

After a couple of months of furious sewing and finishing up my custom clothing certificate, I recorded a “catching up with you” type of podcast.

Click here to listen to the podcast via direct streaming/download

Click here to subscribe to podcast via iTunes

RSS Feed for other players:  http://grandmassewingcabinet.libsyn.com/rss

In the podcast, . . . → Read More: Podcast: This and That]]>

Dear Friends,

After a couple of months of furious sewing and finishing up my custom clothing certificate, I recorded a “catching up with you” type of podcast.

Click here to listen to the podcast via direct streaming/download

Click here to subscribe to podcast via iTunes

RSS Feed for other players:  http://grandmassewingcabinet.libsyn.com/rss

In the podcast, I mention The Mister’s bathrobe.  I used McCall’s M6231 for the pattern:

And this is how the finished product looked:

The Mister in his new robe (he doesn't like to show his face online...)

Your turn: What is your experience making bathrobes?

Reality has hit: I will not be able to make the Vionnet-inspired cocktail dress the way I had hoped without too much fussing and futzing for a 1-credit class and a garment I will never be able to wear.

What happened: Last Saturday morning, I sat with eight other ladies around Nancy’s dining . . . → Read More: Now: More Inspired By Reality Than Vionnet]]>

Dear Friends,

Reality has hit: I will not be able to make the Vionnet-inspired cocktail dress the way I had hoped without too much fussing and futzing for a 1-credit class and a garment I will never be able to wear.

What happened: Last Saturday morning, I sat with eight other ladies around Nancy’s dining room table as she taught the very basics of smocking to our American Sewing Guild’s neighborhood group.  I am totally hooked on smocking but as Nancy and the other ladies and I brainstormed, it became more and more apparent that my idea to “just rotate the darts up to the neckline and turn those into pleats that I will smock” was really just a fantasy.  Rotating the darts was not going to give me enough pleating to smock.

Current vision: Nancy pointed out that a lot of smocking was done on an insert into the garment.  As I let that play around in my head, I decided that the problem was the kimono-sleeved sheer overblouse.  After I mentally discarded the overblouse, I was able to see how I could add a smocked inset above the corselette.    I still haven’t decide if I will use chiffon for the inset or not.

The sketch: I think my Illustrator prof will be happy to see me trying to sketch out a rough estimate of what I’m going for (I’m pretty sure I’ll have the smocking go all the way to the edge of the inset…):

I’ve been talking about “draping” the pattern for my Vionnet-inspired cocktail dress.  But what does that exactly mean?  I have found these two videos by couture designer Susan Elias that shows the basic process of draping the front bodice and she demonstrates how darts can be rotated to the neckline in the second . . . → Read More: Theatrical Thursday: Basic Introduction to Draping a Pattern]]>

Dear Friends,

I’ve been talking about “draping” the pattern for my Vionnet-inspired cocktail dress.  But what does that exactly mean?  I have found these two videos by couture designer Susan Elias that shows the basic process of draping the front bodice and she demonstrates how darts can be rotated to the neckline in the second video, which is what I’m doing for my overdress dress.   For a princess bodice front we use two blocks instead of one like she demonstrates.  A princess seam is essentially one long dart joining the waist and another other dart (usually either an armhole dart or a shoulder dart).

I hope this gives you a better idea of the process I’m using!

Click here to watch Part One if the player isn’t working for you.

Click here to watch Part Two

In my last post, I mentioned that I am learning how to make a corselette. In high end and couture gowns, the undergarment is built into the piece to ensure that the right look and fit is obtained.  It is also prevents the wearer from having to keep tugging at the top of . . . → Read More: Making the Corselette Pattern]]>

Dear Friends,

In my last post, I mentioned that I am learning how to make a corselette. In high end and couture gowns, the undergarment is built into the piece to ensure that the right look and fit is obtained.  It is also prevents the wearer from having to keep tugging at the top of a strapless gown to ensure that it stays in place!

The first step was to mark the dress form above the bustline with some drafting tape to kind of create the curve we wanted for the top of the corselette.  We then draped fabric in four sections and marked the center front, center back, side seam, and princess lines.  I forgot to take my camera but Justine from Sew Country Chick has photos that show the basic idea (mine doesn’t have shoulders on it).

The next step was to use these fabric sections to create a pattern.  After I disassembled the pinned sections (this is always the scary part…if I forgot to mark something while it was still on the dressform, I’m in trouble later), I used my ruler and French ruler to “true” the lines so that they are cohesive rather than lots of dashed lines and wonky corners.

I then get out my dot paper (called dot paper because it has evenly spaced dots or letters or numbers in 1″ increments) and mark a grainline reference point.  I lay my pattern piece over it, using the grainline reference to make sure the piece is on grain, and pin it down using push pins.  At school, we use cork boards and we are encouraged to have one at home, too, but I found that my cutting mat and/or my cardboard cutting board hold the pushpins in place well enough for my needs.  I just have to be careful not to make any quick motions that would pull all of the pins out.  If that happens, I have to start over.

After the piece is pinned down, I use the spiked tracing wheel to trace along my trued lines.  I have to use the spiked tracing wheel versus the sawtooth or wavy tracing wheel that JoAnn’s carries because I am trying to make visible holes in the paper.  This needs to be done carefully.  Trust me.  I’ve tried to go too fast in the past and have ended up losing control and veering off into weird directions.  Haste makes waste!  I remove the fabric and, hopefully, I have a nice guideline for making the paper pattern.

There is a line of puncture holes that go from the M to the X to the 6 to the G

If the holes show up as nice an pretty as the lines above, then I can get out my pattern drafting tools and start truing those lines, too.  In the next picture, you will see that the drawn lines don’t always match up with the puncture lines.  That’s okay.  The puncture lines are the guidelines but my tools enable me to draw the actual lines that make sense for the pattern (and that aren’t so wobbly).  The “T” mark near the lower left is where a notch will go.

The next step is to write all sorts of information on the piece so that I won’t forget what it is and, if I accidentally drop it at school, others will know it is mine.  Things to include are my name (duh), the garment, the name of the piece, the size, how many of that particular piece to cut, the fabric (self=fashion, lining, contrast, etc.), and the date.  Anything else I think I need to remember or to use as a reference is also written on it.

The (hopefully) final step is to make a test muslin to find anything that needs to be adjusted.  I discovered that my pattern was too big around the waist when I put my test muslin on the dress form.  I pinned it again, remarked it and started the process all over. (yippee).

Test Muslin 1.0

After doing all of these steps again, Test Muslin 2.0 fit much better.  Yay!  (Sorry…no pics…I’ll try to remember to take photos on Friday).

I’ll be able to create most of the other pieces for the Vionnet-inspired dress using the flat pattern method.

Happy sewing!

Dr. Julie-Ann

"Madeleine Vionnet: Evening gown (C.I.52.24.2a,b)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/C.I.52.24.2a,b (October 2006) Source: Madeleine Vionnet: Evening gown (C.I.52.24.2a,b) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

As I mentioned the other day, I am taking a one-credit/unit . . . → Read More: Knocking Off Madeleine Vionnet]]>

"Madeleine Vionnet: Evening gown (C.I.52.24.2a,b)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/C.I.52.24.2a,b (October 2006) Source: Madeleine Vionnet: Evening gown (C.I.52.24.2a,b) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

As I mentioned the other day, I am taking a one-credit/unit couture clothing class.  It is the last class I need for the Custom Clothing certificate.  Because it only meets for two hours each week, most of the sewing revolves around making samples that we will keep in a resource notebook.  However, our big project is to create a cocktail dress or ballgown that is inspired by a designer gown.  Oh, yes.  We also have to learn at least one couture technique that we will incorporate into the gown and teach our classmates how to do.  Since I want to make heirloom dresses for Baby Alice (who is rapidly growing), I chose smocking.  We also have to choose a couture fabric to use in our garment and teach our classmates how to use (needles, stitches, how to handle it, etc.).  I chose chiffon.

Our textbook is The Art of Couture Sewing by Zoya Nudelman and the moment I saw the Madeleine Vionnet gown in it (pictured above), I knew it was the one I wanted to “knock off.”  According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website,

A bias [pink] lamé underdress is visible through the veil of a lace overdress with velvet [applique']. Seeking the unity of the garment and the integrity of the cloth, Vionnet found simplification even in lace, adding only a small panel at the waist to the one-piece bodice. Thus, even in the sheerest and inherently particled garment, Vionnet insisted on the largest possible element. (Source: Madeleine Vionnet: Evening gown (C.I.52.24.2a,b) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

My cocktail length dress won’t be quite so elaborate.  My plan is to use  satin for a halter underdress and use the chiffon for the overdress.  The kimono bodice won’t have any darts in the front–I will “rotate” the darts into pleats above the bust that I will then smock from the backside using a technique called “backsmocking” or “reverse smocking.”  Fortunately, the area to be smocked is rather small!

Madeleine Vionnet is basically credited with creating the bias cut gown.  She worked out her ideas on small dress forms before moving to life size.  Her gowns emphasize the natural body.  My version won’t.  As part of the course, we are learning how to make a corselette that will provide structure and shaping to the bodice.   The corselette will be sandwiched between the bodice and the lining.  The skirt will be a full flared skirt cut on grain instead of biased.

I keep forgetting to take photos  of my progress but the corselette pattern has been made and the skirt just needs fine tuning.  I’m at the draping the halter bodice stage now.  It is coming together really well and I keep getting more and more excited as I continue to work on it.

I’m beginning to see how all of my learning and hard work is coming together.  And it is really “kewl!”

I am taking the last course I need for my custom clothing certificate: a 1-credit/unit couture sewing class.  It meets for two hours once a week and the time just flies by!  Because it is a one credit class, most of our sewing is just making a sample instead of using the technique . . . → Read More: Couture Sewing Samples: French Seam and Underlined Hong Kong Finish]]>

Dear Friends,

I am taking the last course I need for my custom clothing certificate: a 1-credit/unit couture sewing class.  It meets for two hours once a week and the time just flies by!  Because it is a one credit class, most of our sewing is just making a sample instead of using the technique in a garment.  Some of the techniques are not unique to couture but doing the technique in a fine fabric is what makes it couture.  Our first set of samples were seam finishes:

French Seam I have been a big fan of French seams for–ev–er.  I think it gives a better seam finish than using the overlock/serger and it is really fast and easy.  For this class, we used silk chiffon.

French Seam in Silk Chiffon

Since in “industry” a 1/2″ seam allowance is used instead of 5/8″ that we use in home sewing, we created the seam by sewing a 1/4″ seam–wrong sides together–and then clipping the seam allowance down to 1/8″ so that thread “hairs” won’t stick out of the new seam and so the seam allowance doesn’t show and isn’t bulky on this sheer fabric.  Then we press and turn the pieces right sides together and sewed another 1/4″ seam.  Sarai at ColletePatterns.com has created a beautiful step-by-step tutorial that shows how to create French seams.

Hong Kong Finish with Underlining Before I was taught how to do a Hong Kong Finish correctly, I spent hours doing what I thought was the finish.  Once I learned how to do it correctly, I was amazed at how easy and relatively quickly I could finish the seams of a garment.  Essentially, you take a strip of bias tape and sew it in a narrow seam to the top of seam allowance.  Wrap the tape around to the backside of the seam allowance and then stitch in the ditch on the top.  I thought I had to bind the seam allowance as if it were quilt binding (and, unfortunately, many sites call this kind of binding a Hong Kong Finish when it is accurately called a…wait for it…bias binding finish). This finish is perfect for a garment that won’t be lined but you still want a tailored look–such as an unlined blazer.  Gigi Sews has a quick tutorial on how it is done.

But…what about those times when you want a quasi-lining?  This is where the Hong Kong Finish with underlining comes into play. It creates a wonderful look.  We created it using lace and batiste.  My sample has white batiste with blue lace.  The shop didn’t have any batiste that matched my color scheme so I bought white with the intention of dying it.  My prof told me that I didn’t need to go to that much trouble just for the samples so underlining doesn’t match the lace like it should.

Unlike a regular Hong Kong Finish, you apply the underlining first.  The underlining is a bit larger than the piece it will be sewn.  Make a 1/4″ seam then wrap the underlining around to the wrong side of the fashion fabric.  Then make the garment seams.  You have a seam finish and a quasi-lining in two easy steps.  Laura has a great tutorial on her Laura’s Sewing Room blog. Also, check on JulieB’s Sewing Tip on Pattern Review for her great photos (may have to click on the text to get the photos to show up).

I really like the idea of using Hong Kong with Underlining for a summer wardrobe.  It adds structure and wearability to a garment without having to fuss with a lining.  I can see me using it a lot in skirts using batiste.

Well friends, it is time for me to close this posting.  The Mister is calling to me and asking me if I plan on watching Daniel Boone with him before we head off to bed.

More samples next time!

Happy Sewing!

Dr. Julie-Ann