New Year, New Goals

Apparently, I started this blog with every intent to complete the goals.  And then, I moved in the middle of it, uprooting my entire sewing room.  After that, I became so obsessed with The Sew Weekly, that I completely forgot that I had my own life before The Sew Weekly.  And that is where I have been.
I still obsess over clothing.  So, where were we?

Oh, yes.  Completing Edwardian underpinnings in order to build my own wardrobe.  Which brings me to the fantastic, black & grey striped ball gown petticoat.  More on that in a later post.

I've sewn a lot this year, and come to some conclusions about my weight.  Without going on and on about it, let's say the best thing that could happen to my sewing at this point isn't learning how to keep increasing my bust size by blowing huge holes thru my bodices, nor is it learning tailoring or how to hand-work a buttonhole.  It is absolutely about obtaining a better silhouette and a more satisfying completed garment by taking control of my eating and exercise habits.  So, there you go.

Sewing Goals for 2013:

1.) Complete Stratford Career Institute's Sewing & Dressmaking Course.  (I'm about half-way through)

2.) Complete every project in Stitch By Stitch by Deborah Moebes (I'm about 1/2 way through this too.  I've made the bag twice, and recommended to my boss that we order copies for the store.  Yay!)
                 
                                                                           

3.) Complete my first line of corsets.  Status: Designed, first fabric arrived today.  Well under way.

4.) To Not Forget that I have a life, aside from sewing.  And to not disappear from my own blog.

5.) Take control over my eating/exercise habits.  It's feeling very now or never.  I don't know why.

I spent the best part of today teaching a 7-year-old how to sew for the first time.  We made a pillowcase with stars and puppies on it.  She liked to go fast on the machine, and she was brutal with an iron.  The other good part of today was meeting a lady who had her version of Vogue 1136 published by Vogue Patterns Magazine.

Slippery Fabric Cheat

I actually hand-basted this panel and it came out nicely except for one thing: I lost 1/4 to both top and bottom as the feed dog pulled the fabric through.

 Tomorrow I'm reworking it with some Stitch Witchery or Heat n' Bond, which ever works best, tucking it into the seams and pressing it before I stitch.  In a garment, 1/4 inch is too much to waste.  Things won't sit right or play nice together unless they match up and I'd spent a lot of time aiming for an accurate cut.

Have on Hand - Black Piano Shawl

This thing is amazing.  I found it at a very strange theatrical supply shop (here today, gone tomorrow) and I don't think they knew what they had, much less how to price it.  I grabbed this for a song, and quickly, least someone come in and also recognize it and snatch if from my warm fingers.  I've pressed it and it remains fairly wrinkled, but still beautiful.  It's all silk, with black on black embroidery along the edges and in each corner.  A couple small holes and some sun fading to dark brown: lovely!  It drapes unlike anything  else.

Couture Sewing Techniques

The Dressmaker’s Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques

Lynda Maynard  (Interweave: 2010)

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever…”

That saying goes for the clothes we are all striving to make, and also for this book.

I love the cover and the colors used on the cover.  I love the wire spiral binding so I can flip back the pages in the workroom to use each technique.  I love the large amount of actual runway pictures used as examples and photos of fabrics and how-tos.  

At first glance, I thought the content was a little heavy on hem/banding techniques, but on second run-through, I found that it’s divided between creating supporting structure, finishing techniques and decorative techniques.  Especially helpful was seeing how backing a luxury fabric with a differently weighted fabric can change the hand of the fashion fabric and make it behave in a different way, but there is much more here. 

In the near-future I will be using several new techniques and referring to this book especially for the discussion of lining fashion fabrics.

Happy Valentine's Day

'Erato'                                   from The Year of the Century, c. 1897

Have on Hand - Pin from Grandma

My grandmother had this tucked in her stash when she passed.  While I'd like to think that she'd received it from her great aunt or her mother, I can't be certain, as one of her tales of woe involved her entire train case containing the bulk of her jewelry being robbed from the train, at some point.  This putto with butterfly wings is making a sour face and has one thumb up (love me) and the other thumb pointing down (love me not?).  He is actually a bit grotesque, but the over-all style is nouveau in sentiment and execution.  It is marked faintly on the back "sterling" and it looks quite old.  I drag it out and polish it each Valentine's Day and think of my Grandma.  Polishing silver is one of the chores she taught me to do and I actually enjoy it because of her.

Beaded Victorian Cuff

This was made from period lace and tidbits from around my studio. I built it up, layer by layer doing most of the work by hand, using the machine when I could.  I really like how it came out, even though I know where all of the imperfections are.  It’s base is muslin with ivory silk charmeuse from an old shirt as the mounting.

 I covered the silk with a tiny tulle netting in black, dotted it with glass beads, added vintage lace and velvet gathered from garage sales throughout the years and topped it off with a huge jet bead medallion.  Add a black glass button and voila!  Finished!