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To Muslin or Not to Muslin

To Muslin or Not to Muslin
I have a confession to make….come closer…..closer….closer still…..OK, I have never in my life made a muslin – until today. This wrap shirt has been sitting in my collection for quite some time. I finally purchased fabric that I think would make this blouse pop – a rich red silk that I purchased from Fabricmart Fabrics. The pattern was EXTREMELY easy; I finished everything in four hours. I always look like hell when I sew, so I had my daughter try on the shirt. When I redo this for myself, I will add about two inches in length.

The pictures on the pattern do not show this little treat. The bow really adds a little something extra to the blouse, n'est pas?


Is it arrogant of me to like my incarnation better than the ones printed on the pattern envelope?

In other news, I discovered these neck-tabs on Etsy and thought them rather clever. I have wanted to make one since last summer. I finally had the five minutes to construct this from an Old Navy tie. Tomorrow, I will make a choker from the smaller end.


Well, I am busy with spring cleaning, so hopefully, I will be back to show you all the neat things I am doing in the next week.

Thrift Store Refurbish

I absolutely adore silk! My love affair with silk began when I was 14 and my mother bought me a pale green Diane Von Furstenburg church dress. That dress was so soft and silky that I wore and treasured it until I was 25.

I was a spoiled brat and still am, but I don't always have the coinage to fund my Cosmopolitan tastes. This is one of the reasons why I make my own clothing. Another mechanism which enables me to maintain my Cosmopolitan leanings on a pauper's dime is the friendly neighborhood thrift store. While foraging this weekend, I came across these two delicious pieces of silk:

Often, one can find perfectly fine pieces in the thrift, but more often than not, one has to perform minor (or major) surgery to make a piece work. Like these two beauties had a couple of fixable imperfections. The skirt had a hideous piece of tulle attached to the hem. That might be OK for a twenty-something, but I'm pushing forty, so I can't do what the chickadees do. The blouse had an aweful cut out neckline (well, it was aweful to me, but someone else may have found it perfectly acceptable):

So, I removed the tulle from the skirt and reshaped the neckline of the blouse after removing the cutout.Here is a closer look at the back neckline:

Well, that's it for now! Back to the studio....

Simplicity 2896

I saw this pattern last year at Joann's last year, but didn't buy it because the price was beyond my pocketbook. Thank God for dollar sales! I purchased this pattern last week, along with a few others to update my spring/summer wardrobe.

The first incarnation of this shirt is in denim:

I have about five yards of beige linen that I got at the end of last summer for a song and that fabric will be the second incarnation of this shirt. This shirt was fun for me to make as I always loved these types of sleeves. When I was a young girl, I would try to iron or pull my sleeves upward so that they would form a pouf. If it was up to me, all ladies shirts with sleeves would have poufs!

Until we meet again...

Bbitce Is Bback!

My apologies for the super duper long hiatus. My digital camera was on the fritz (right after the warranty expired, I might add) and it has taken me quite some time to get a new one. Since I've been gone, I have continued creating and have gathered a few "toys" along the way.





I'd like to introduce you to Ching Mai:

She was a (belated) Christmas present to me and already has proven to be indispensible. The only problems I have with this dressform are that the dials are hard to turn and the waist does not expand as far as the specifications state. Right now the waistline is a problem because I am at my winter weight…le sigh. But, I will be back down to my summer weight in a few months, so then that won't be a problem.


On a late night forage through the internets (sic), I came across these:

They are paperless reusable patterners that adjust in size. With these two particular tools, I am able to make basic patterns without paper for jackets, blouses, shirts, coats, dresses, and skirts. The company also sells the pants patterner, but since I also have these:

I don't think I'll get the pants patterner……BUT then again, I have an obsession of keeping 'sets' together, so I probably will break down and get that as well.





Well, back to Ching Mai and the tools….I am working on this coat (that my son swears is a poncho):

With Ching Mai's help and using the rulers and French curves, I hope this will end up as a wool coat with a quilted lining.



I'll share other projects later, including some crocheting and knitting. So in parting, take a look at this 'fun' scarf and hat set I crocheted for my lovely mini-me:

Busy Bbitce!

I've been busy getting things uploaded on my Etsy site. Who knew it would be so difficult. I'm a do-er, not a writer! Trying to write item descriptions is beyond difficult for me. Ugh!

Here are a few items up for sale:

The Touch, The Feel of Cotton! The Fabric of Our Lives....

My cotton caftan:

This is Simplicicty Pattern #6656

I found these REALLY kewt clear acrylic buttons from Valique's. I think they were for wedding attire. But hey, never a bridesmaid....never be a bride -- so sue me!

Draping Experiment

This is a dress that I fabricated last night for my daughter's friend. I was bored. I had the extra fabric. She was there. This is the resultant:

The floral fabric was the pre-shirred stuff from Joann's. The denim was a clearance item, also from Joann's. I had ten yards of the denim stuff. I only had about 25 inches of the floral, which was not enough to make a dress or a skirt. So, I draped the denim in the middle (on the bias) and pinned it. My original thought was to have the denim in the back, which would cascade out, like a train. However, the denim was a bit heavier than I expected. The heaviness caused the fabric to pull downward slightly. So, I cut off the excess material and did a simple hem. This is a view of the dress from the back:

We took a wrestling break, therefore the dress is a bit wrinkled.....

The two fabrics do not necessarily go together, but the experienced gained in doing this was valuable. I learned two VERY important lessons:

1. Draping is not that difficult....just do it. Make it work!
2. Listen to what the fabric says to you. As you work, the fabric will almost fall into place. I find this to be much less frustrating then attempting to 'force' results.
   

Good Morning

Today's the first day of the rest of my life................

I'm feeling mighty fine! It is the first day of the public health summer institute and yours truly is a graduate assistant! Of course, I needed some new gear to wear to mark the occasion. But, money is tight, ya'll. I made the skirt on the left over the weekend. This is only the second thing I have made in my entire life without a pattern. I am quite pleased with the results and I am looking rather cute this morning if I do say so myself!

Well, I am going to be running around like a chicken with its neck hacked off this week, so if I don't write until next week...take care....and rememeber:

It's not a taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot -- Adinkra Proverb

My Shape

Thanks to the Sewl Sista (Hi, neighbor!), I discovered Myshape.com! Contrary to what I believed to be true, I am an A (triangular) shape – beats the rectangle that I thought I was – HA! According to the site, the following is my profile:

Other than the suggestion of plaid (puke, yick, gag!), it is dead on!

Fabrics
Plaids, bold prints and textured fabrics on the upper half of the body add a nice balance.

Necklines
Experiment with scarves and simple designs. Focus on adding interest at the shoulders and neckline.
Boat, crew and ballet necklines are all beautiful—the idea is to add balance and shape that broadens the neckline.
Mandarin collars, wide pointed lapels and patterned blouses create focus.

Pants
Flat-front trousers with side zips are ideal. Avoid pleats and extra details on the hips.
Slash or inset pockets on pants are preferable to side-seam or back pockets that gap or add width.
Slightly softened boot-cut jeans are fabulous (not too low-rise and with just a touch of give).
Leg flares that begin below the knee add grace and length.


Jackets & Tops
Cap sleeves and a raised waist on a simple top pull the eye upward.
Tops with horizontal lines along the shoulders, and ¾-length sleeves, particularly if you are short-waisted.
Jackets that fall either at or above the high hip balance your proportions.
Shorter, double-breasted and asymmetrical styles with interesting collars work well on you.
The wide lapels of a jacket that nips in at the waist and ends at or above the high hip keep the eye moving upward.
Patch pockets and set-in sleeves on a jacket create wonderful upperbody proportions.

Trims & Details
Patch pockets on top add a nice balance.
3/4-length sleeves also pull the gaze up a bit and away from the hip area.
Brighter tops than bottoms are the way to go.
Details by the neck or patterned blouses and jackets with wide, pointed lapels or mandarin collars create focus.

Skirts & Dresses
Simple A-line styles with a side zip smooth you out.
A paneled A-line skirt minimizes the hips.
Flat-front or softly gathered skirts (such as a broomstick style) can flatter.

Voila

Introducing Chang Mai:





This picture doesn't do her justice. I should have taken a picture wearing it, but I looked like a Tranny Hot Mess last night. I also need to add another froggie at the waistline. My daughter tried it on (she's one cup size larger than I) and the fit was gorgeous! If I make this again, I will take some of the billowage out of the sleeves (although it wears well).



So, um....this is me in casual fierce mode. As you can see, I am a black & white combo addict. The neck piece was also constructed by yours truly! I didn't make the shirt, but I did make the earrings. I apologize for the picture blurriness, but it's hard to find good help.... ;-)



My son's pants went over OK during is Jury Show yeasterday. His teachers had the same comments for him as I did. He is interested in designing clothing for skaters, so I guess we won't be opening a power couture house after all....or maybe his designs will be the economy line?



Before I go....a word about fabrics. I love, love, love natural fibers! Synthetics make me hot and itchy, particularly polyester. I made the jacket in polyester one because it won't be touching my skin and two, well, look at that fabric design! I had to have it! Generally, I only work with silk, cotton, wool, and linen. I plan to make a leather this year (pray my strenght!) and possibly learn to make shoes....daunting, but that would be haute!

Mandarin Jacket Progress

I am almost finished this jacket. Contrary to the picture, one sleeve has already been set. Unfortunately, the jacket and I had a disagreement on setting the second sleeve. So, I told the jacket to sleep on it and I would deal with it when I arrive home tonight. She and I are having a talk tonight!

This jacket was fun to make. I am not crazy about the fit because I was too lazy to alter the pattern, but a padded brassiere should do the trick.

In other news…My son is a student at the Baltimore School for the Arts in the Visual Arts Department. He has since decided to become a fashion designer. Yeah, me! He
wanted to make a pair of jeans for his Ninth Grade Jury. Well, here they are:

We both made it through this!

FIERCE??!!
He drew the pocket design and hand embroidered it. He also hand sewed the zipper and the topstitching at the fly. He hand sews pretty straight. Now, if he could only sew straight. But this isn't bad for the very first project and minimal help from me..

I'm searching for some shantung for the next project. I already have the pattern cut and ready to go.

First SWAP Piece

I decided to just jump in and take the SWAP challenge. My color theme is red, black, and white. I have loved this color combination since I was a little little girl. All my clothes were purchased in triplicate (down to my socks!) in these three colors. I still do this today when I can find things in all three colors.

Hmm.....I think I will do the entire challenge in Asian inspired designs. My next project will be a mandarin shantung dress in black silk. I love the designs from Asia and Japan.

I hope to finish this jacket over the weekend. I'll post pictures when I do.