Clio & Phineas

Inner Workings: Interfacing

2012-02-13T13:07:00.003-05:00

in·ter·fac·ing
noun \-ˌfā-siŋ\
fabric sewn between the facing and the outside of a garment (as in a collar or cuff) for stiffening and shape retention

You've probably noticed that I've been giving a lot of thought to the underpinnings of my sewing lately - the hardware and unseen inner workings of things.

Back in August when I was struggling to insert the zipper in my jumpsuit, someone suggested that I interface the zipper area. I did, and the zipper went in like a dream. This is now my standard operating procedure. Around that same point in time, I came across this post at Fashion Incubator. The gist is that home sewists don't utilize interfacing in their garments nearly enough. It changed my thinking on interfacing entirely.

Upper back piece of my color block dress, interfaced at the shoulders and sleeve seam.

Earlier in my sewing life, I interfaced only when and where a pattern called for it. And my earlier experiences were not very positive. I didn't know the benefits of interfacing or what good interfacing was. Needless to say I had trouble fusing and working with the cheap stuff that was sold to me at the local craft store, and the results were not good.

But, the first time I used really nice quality interfacing, the difference was marked and I was sold. Good quality interfacing fuses smoothly and quickly (none of this holding the iron on it for 10-20 seconds nonsense that can leave you with scorched fabric), doesn't distort the fabric or drape, and adds strength and stability to the garment. For me, good interfacing is worth the extra money. I've also come to appreciate how much interfacing makes things like zipper insertion easier, how it extends the life of a garment at the areas that tend to wear, like hems, buttonholes, zippers, hooks-and-eyes, etc. I also like how it can keep a knit garment from stretching and distorting over time, particularly at the neckline.

So, I finished sewing up my second version of the Burda Cover Dress last night (reveal of this color-blocked dress on Thurday). I used two different interfacings - weft strips for the shoulders and where the sleeves would attached (ie: where the garment should not stretch) and tricot for the facings, for the sleeve bands and at the hem.

Re-doing the hem of version 1

I was so pleased with how the hem came out - how stable and basically invisible it was that I ripped out the hem of my first version of the dress, which I had been unhappy with. I interfaced it and re-sewed it by hand last night. It's so much better now! Much less visible.

Anyway, are you a fan of interfacing or do you use it only as a pattern calls for it? Do you have a preferred brand or supplier? What are your thoughts?

Update: After puu's comment - feel free to weigh in on sew-in interfacing and organza used as underlining or interfacing. I used organza as a sew-in underling for the fabulous red dress I finished in September. And for a fancy dress I think it is the way to go. I loved it. And I've also used sew-in interfacing. Sew in hair canvas was fantastic for interfacing my Lady Grey coat, but I tend to have a rough time with the sew-in stuff in general because it tends to shift while you machine baste it in and I don't always have time for hand basting.

(Too Cool to Be a) Diaper Bag Reveal

2012-02-09T11:25:00.003-05:00

Admit it: if I didn't tell you that this was a diaper bag, you'd never know. Right?

This is my third version of Butterick 4560 (version 1 here and 2 here). The good thing about this bag is that it has loads of pockets both inside and out; the annoying thing about this bag is how many pockets you have to sew. ha ha ha

The last time I made this bag was 2+ years ago, and my skills have come a long way since. So, the real adventure with this version was working with ripstop, particularly with quilted ripstop. I had to seal the cut edges of the ripstop, which is not aptly named, with a flame so that it wouldn't ravel. This pretty much rules out trimming seam allowances once they are sewn. The quilted layer of ripstop and the layer of hair canvas I used to make the bag extra sturdy made for a lot of bulk at the seams which I couldn't trim and could only lightly press with a cool iron. Plus, sewing so many layers of bulk was a challenge for my sewing machine; I got a scary message saying "main motor overload" at a few points. But thanks to my rolling foot and a few different needles, sewing went pretty smoothly overall.

Bag with matching changing pad.

As I mentioned earlier, I've come around to using a lot more hardware in my sewing. I definitely think it makes a better, more durable and functional bag. At the very least, this bag has an adjustable strap, unlike the pattern. The way I figured out how to construct the strap using webbing, D-rings, swivel clasps and a slider was to look at a RTW laptop bag that I own. And a little experimentation.

The only other construction note is that to get a sturdy, but flexible, bottom, I sandwiched 3 layers of artist's plastic canvas between the shell and lining. This gives some stability to the bottom of the bag without making it rigid.

I couldn't resist taking a few "action shots" of the bag and changing pad with my Cabbage Patch Preemie, Burt Adan, as a model.

Phin prevailed on me to delete the nudie shots of Burt being changed. he he he

Here you can see the magenta insides of the bag and the magnetic snaps on the front.

Really, it was fun to put so much hardware to use. I hope my friend loves her bag and feels like the hip, urban mom she is when she uses it!

Technology Part 2 and a Few Sew-y Things

2012-02-07T13:13:00.010-05:00

First, a big thanks to all of you who chimed in on Friday's technology post. It seems like, to a greater or lesser degree we're all in the same boat. So, here's my take on things.

Hardware
Well, I decided to put my tax return toward a few upgrades. My phone and camera were nearing the ends of their lifespans; both have been repaired more than once. So, I'm now the owner of a very clever phone. Really, this makes a lot of sense given how much I travel for work. I'll be able to get email on the go and also blog from the road. And if yesterday's post is any indication, it takes very not bad pictures! That said, I'll be replacing my camera, too. Phin has narrowed it down to 2 or 3 choices and will be buying shortly.

Software
Sigh. I am not a Mac user, and there are days when I feel like Apple has all the cool toys (Skitch, GIMP...). My next computer will be a Mac. But for now I'm going to have to figure out which photo editor I want to use and also sort out my Flickr situation. I'll let you know how it goes with the photo editors. Once I 1-have a new camera and 2-figure out what photo editor to use, I'll try to add a pretty banner to my blog.

That www thing
PR vs BS - Sometimes it's nice to know that we agree, in general. It seems like we all think PatternReview is a great resource. I visit PR whenever I'm planning a project and want to get the low-down on a pattern I'm considering. We also seem to agree on BurdaStyle being, um, frustrating. Honestly, the two things that really kill me are that people don't say what pattern they used and that people sell clothing. In both cases, I find myself clicking on a project to see what pattern was used only to get either no answer or learn that it's basically an advertisement for their clothing/sewing business. Moving forward I think I'll only add Burda projects there, and mostly stick with PR.

Pinterest. Ah, Pinterest. We're all addicted, it seems. Here's where you can find me: http://pinterest.com/cliobklyn

Tumblr. Some of us thought we needed it, but no one seems to know why. Nuf said. LOL

And some Sew-y tThings
Did anyone else catch that McCall's has acquired KwikSew Patterns? You can now buy KS patterns on the BMV website. I haven't really used very many KS patterns so don't really have an opinion, although my very first garment - an elastic waist a-line skirt - was KwikSew. Do you have any thoughts or experience with KS patterns?

Also, I wanted to sing the praises of Fashion Sewing Supply. After reading the tip that Pam posted on her blog about using fusible weft interfacing as stay tape, I decided to give it a try. So, I ordered a bunch of weft which arrived on Friday. Not only does the tip work out beautifully and easily, but in my order there was a note saying that, since the interfacing would be going on sale soon, they had cut my order extra generously. How's that for customer service?

OK, I'm done with the housekeeping posts. Next up will be the finished diaper bag reveal, my colorblock dress and new knit socks! Stay tuned!

(PS - Update at 4:25pm - Would you believe that about 30 minutes after posting this, my computer was infected with something called a blaster worm? Technology. Sheesh. Clearly my desk ninja did not do his job.)

My new phone might be smarter than me...

2012-02-06T16:04:00.004-05:00

And it's got a camera. And a Blogger App.

Ninjas guard my desk

Technology and It's Discontents: Sewing, Blogging and Life with a StupidPhone

2012-02-02T19:12:00.002-05:00

I am not a technology person by nature. I'm not an early adopter. I like to repair things, rather than upgrading or replacing them. My phone is not "smart" in any way. In fact, it's rather stupid. I like the natural order of things in which I'm the smart one in the relationship.

My phone has a low IQ

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't hate technology. I love Kermit (my little green ipod), my noise cancellation earbuds, and my sewing machine, which is computerized. I love blogging and the blogosphere (that's all of you). But I simply am not into technology or the latest internet wonder. I don't tweet and I have no idea what's trending at the moment.

Then, a few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a friend who is a photographer about using social media to expand her business. And I resolved to pull myself together, too, and polish things up a bit in my digital life - hardware, software, the works. (Update: My blog is for fun only. I have ZERO interest in actually profiting from it.)

Upgrading my technology.

Since that conversation, the flash in my camera has died (it's not worth fixing and I've been planning to get a better camera, anyway), Picnik has sent me an email saying they are closing and I will have to transfer or risk losing my photos, and I've joined Tumblr and Pinterest, but have no clue what to do with either. In fact, I'm not sure what Tumblr is for or how to navigate it, and it irritates me that I can't seem to figure out if it's possible to re-order the pins on a Pinterest board. I think I have two Flickr accounts because remembering log-ins is an issue.

I've been trying to be better at visiting and updating/reviewing my projects at PatternReview, BurdaStyle and Ravelry. I had always basically ignored BurdaStyle and now the creative director there is leaving because of "structural changes" to come. I'm not sure what that means for users.

Oh, and don't even get me started on a banner for my blog. I've been wanting to do something nice for the top of my blog for aeons. I just have no idea what or how to do it.

I'm not an early adopter.

So, you see, I'm not really doing all that well on this resolution. Sigh. And I'm feeling rather weighed down by it all and not sure how any of it can or can't help my digital life. Or whether some of these things aren't just time drains that keep me from doing things in my actual life - like sewing and baking. Anyway, please feel fee to weigh in on any of the following, whether you blog or not:

Photo editors and tools - which do you use/prefer/loathe with burning itch?
PatternReview, BurdaStyle and Ravelry (for knitters) - love em? hate em? use them for different purposes?
Tumblr - please illuminate me. Why is it I thought this was something I needed? Do I need it?
Pinterest - I kinda like this idea since I'm forever forgetting where I saw that something cool. Do you pin? Let me know where to find you. And if you know how to reorder a board.
What hardware, software or digital tools do you find most helpful for your sewing/blogging/crafting digital life?

Fabric Find: Modal

2012-01-31T15:32:00.002-05:00

While others are making resolutions to buy less fabric, it always seems like January is my month for stash building.

Did anyone else see that FabricMart now has modal knit? This is hands-down my favorite fabric for loungewear. Here's how herroom.com defines it in their very handy fabric glossary:

Modal

Modal is made with cellulose from beech trees and is essentially a variety of rayon. It is about 50% more water-absorbent than cotton. Modal fabric has softness, good drape and is said to breath even better than cotton. Garments made in modal have anti-crease properties and are relatively easy care.

My favorite DKNY modal pj's

I started wearing DKNY's Seven Easy Pieces modal pj bottoms a few years ago, and now they are the only pajamas that will do. I wore my original ones into holes. Modal is wonderfully soft, incredibly drapey and stretchy, outstandingly colorfast and doesn't seem to shrink.

Before now, I've never actually seen modal sold in anything other than RTW. Trust me, I've looked for it. I've never seen it in the Garment District or online. So, naturally, I had to snatch up 5 yards for my stash.

It's actually black. I had to lighten the photo so it could be visible.

Have you ever worked with modal? Or have you worn it? I have no immediate plans for this fabric, but I think it will become a variety of comfy lounge pants, pj's and some tee shirts over time. The kinds of patterns that come to mind are Simplicity 2603:

And BurdaStyle (then BWOF) 7-2009-127:

I also grabbed 2 yards of this very cool double knit. I have no immediate plans for it, but I think it would make a great dress or skirt.

Animal print double knit in black and tan.

And I've been stocking up on all kinds of basic supplies: bemberg lining, tracing paper, interfacings, etc. I guess it just feels like it is the right time of year to get myself set for all my sewing projects.

Speaking of which, the diaper bag is nearly done. I hope to finish it tonight. I'm eager to start work on my color block dress and a bit tired of making so many pockets on this bag. That said, it's been a nice break from fitting.

Purple. Puffy. Perfect for a 13-Year-Old

2012-01-27T12:15:00.001-05:00

Need I say more? Well, ok, just a few words...

I have no clue what's going on with the color in this pic.

My niece, Miss J, asked me to knit her a scarf a la my very first knitting project. This is such an easy project that I said yes. We decided it should be purple - a lilac shade.

Karabella Puffy

It took just a few nights on the couch while watching tv. Basically, all you do is cast on, knit the whole way (garter stitch) and then bind off when you run out of yarn. Voila! You have a scarf. I made Miss J's scarf a bit shorter and narrower than mine - just 2 balls of yarn.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Double Knit Double Take

2012-01-25T16:42:00.002-05:00

So, my double knit has arrived. Specifically, it's Sophia ponte di roma, which Fayedoll blogged about. (Thanks, Faye!) I'm happy to say it feels really nice in person. I may have initially made the mistake of buying some cheaper fabric which was all scratchy and icky. It was immediately sent back.

This means that it's decision time for my color block dress project. The winner: a re-do of the BurdaStyle Cover Dress (09-2010-122). My decision is twofold. First, I can basically cut and sew this dress without much fuss since I've already gone through the fitting and altering process. Second, I'm pretty jazzed at how comfy and flattering the first version is, so I think a second version will be a win.

The plan is, from the top to bottom, white (top 2 pieces + sleeves), then green (midriff + upper waist), purple (lower waist + hip) and finally black (skirt). I may play around with that a bit. And I'm not entirely sure how I want to handle the back yet. (Thanks for sending me the line art, T Sedai! I just don't understand why Burda makes things so difficult!)

That said, I still plan to make a black sheath in the near future AND, if the color block trend continues into the spring, I may dissect Butterick 5559 and make it into a color block dress, too. I envision that dress in a combination of sunrise colors - yellow, orange, and red. Maybe some hot pink.

At the moment, I'm still plugging away at the camo diaper bag. It's rather involved for a bag - pockets and pouches everywhere. But I hope to finish up this weekend.

Hardware: Yea or Nay?

2012-01-23T17:06:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Monday and I did not burn down the house or burn myself. Phew!

Me in the garage sealing the seams of the ripstop over a candle.

The ripstop needed just the slightest kiss of flame to melt. So, now it's sealed and not raveling.

Besided working with ripstop, the other thing I'm liking about this project and that's changed about my sewing over the years is how much I've come to embrace hardware.

Hardware for the diaper bag

When I first made this diaper bag pattern, I was still at a point in my sewing where I followed the directions to the letter. So, I made the strap out of fabric. It looked nice, but once sewn in, the strap length was fixed. And I used velcro for the closures, as instructed, which I was never really happy with.

In the intervening years, I've learned that there are loads of good hardware solutions available that give a project a much more professional look and finish. So, on this bag, I'm using webbing and hardware to make a fully adjustable and incredibly strong strap. And I'm using magnetic snaps, which are probably my very favorite closure for bags.

Really, this project has excited my inner sewing nerd - the geek that ponders whether it would be better to use sew-in or fusible hair canvas to stabilize the bag (sew-in). It's the kind of project where the technical does make a big difference. What I'm pondering now is which needle to use for the webbing. I'm a bit of a stickler in this department - I'm using a microtech needle and a topstitching needle for the ripstop and have been switching between several different threads depending on the task (basting, seaming, topstitching).

What about you? Do you like to use hardware when you sew? Or do you prefer to sew every feature of a project? How much do you think about the insides or bones of a project?

Ripstop: Here's Hoping I Don't Burn Down the House

2012-01-20T14:04:00.001-05:00

Spoiler Alert: Dr Kiang, if you happen to be reading this - which I highly doubt, as you are a new mom - you should stop before you ruin the surprise of the diaper bag I'm making you. Or you could always read on if you've had too many surprises recently. ;-)

First off, thanks everyone who commented on my 4 pattern dress battle. I'm waiting for double knit to arrive and, in the interim, will be tracing the Burda sheath dress using my new double tracing wheel. The Vogue sheath is officially dead at the muslin stage. More on all this next week.

Butterick 4560

What I've got on the sewing table right now is a diaper bag pattern that I've sewn twice before (here and here), which sounds like it could be a boring project, right? No fitting, no new techniques to learn, no mysterious instructions to sort out... But I'm really excited about it thanks to a new wild card I've added: ripstop.

See, I think that the diaper bag ought to suit the mom, not the baby. So, for my excellent friend Dr Kiang, I wanted to pick a fabric that exuded a sense of urban hipness, since her style is much more Brooklyn Industries than Vera Bradley. So, I bought some supremely cool quilted camo ripstop.

If Vera Bradley was a hipster... LOL

And the lining will be a non-quilted magenta ripstop that I found at Chic Fabrics. More than once when I've been looking for something specific that was harder to find - like magenta ripstop - Chic Fabrics has come through.

Anyway, I consulted with Sandra Betzina about ripstop, since it is a new-to-me fabric. And she said, "Ripstop is a lightweight, wind resistant nylon... Some ripstops have a durable finish that makes them water repellant as well." And she also said, "Edges must be sealed during cutting or immediately after with a candle flame." Yikes! Apparently, the stuff ravels, which seems incredibly odd in a fabric called ripstop, don't you think?!?!

I'm not so worried about the quilted ripstop, but the non-quilted definitely seems ravel-prone. Anyway, most of the parts are cut and I asked Phineas to help me apply fire to the edges this weekend. That way, if I end up burning down the house, at least I'll have an accomplice.

The only other things really to note about sewing ripstop is that you should use a small stitch, microtex needle and hold the fabric taut in front and back as you sew. French seams or a 4-thread overlock were also recommended for seams.

Happy weekend sewing, everyone!

What the Frock am I Doing?!?!?!

2012-01-18T13:12:00.000-05:00

I've learned to embrace indecision as a vital part of my creative process. A nice way of saying this is: I'm "flexible" with sewing goals and plans. I just can't commit to a SWAP or coordinated wardrobe plan. I'm ok with this.

Last Saturday, I cut and basted the lining of my planned black sheath dress with leather piping (Vogue 1237 - Tom & Linda Platt). I was planning to use the lining to tweak the fit. At the moment, there are about 2 dozen pins marking everywhere it needs to be taken in (the entire top half, front and back) and everywhere it needs to be let out (the entire bottom half, front and back). Oh yeah, and it's too short (even with 2" extra that I added). And the neckline is higher than I'd like. More than just tweaking will be required. So, I decided that I should pause and do some therapeutic baking. The only place the dress actually fit was the waist. And with enough cookies, I'm sure I could remedy that.

So, here's what I'm wondering: how much alteration is too much? I'm sure with enough work I could make this dress fit, but will it be worth all the effort? Do you tend to stick with a pattern or do you allow yourself to say "next" and move on?

On Sunday, as I avoided working on the dress, I was reminded of this pattern from BurdaStyle, also a sheath dress.

Burdastyle 07-2011-131

I've only seen one or two versions of this dress. Maybe the weird shrug thing turned people off to it, but it looks like a great dress to me. And the shoulder princess seam should, in theory, help with my narrow shoulder fitting issues. And this got me thinking about all my Burda projects - they've all fit me really well with much less altering than any Big Four pattern I've used. By Monday morning I was contemplating shifting my efforts to this dress.

Then I mentioned color blocking and, by Monday night, I found myself clicking "purchase" to a cart full of double knits. But I was still feeling on the fence about having two of the same dress, so I dug through my patterns and came up with this:

Butterick 5559 - Maggie London

I think this dress could also be a multi-hued masterpiece. But will I have similar fitting issues to the current black dress and fewer seams to help solve them? Should I go with the Burda Cover Dress, which I already know fits great (um, not to mention that I've already got the pattern traced and altered)?

So you see, I'm having a moment of creative indecision and have no idea what frock to sew next out of the four contenders. Do I go ahead with the black sheath with leather trim project - Tom & Linda Platt Dress vs Burda 07-2011-131 OR do I pause and do the color block project - Burda Cover dress vs Maggie London. Color blocking probably has a shelf life, while a black sheath doesn't. And then there are the fitting issues to consider.

Anyway, I'm eager for your thoughts on fitting and on sticking with a project. Once you pick a pattern do you stick with it even if it will be an alteration struggle? And do you give yourself room, creatively, to change your mind or go in a different direction? Or am I the only one who allows myself to change course or simmer until a decision seems clear?

Burda Cover Dress Reveal!

2012-01-16T10:07:00.004-05:00

I am totally diggin' this dress. And not just because it's orange.

First off, it was remarkably easy to sew and fit for a dress with so many seams but not any side seams. So, kudos to Burda for a complicated-looking dress that came together more easily than expected. Also, the style and fit of this dress are pretty great, IMHO. The strong shoulders help balance my figure out and all the seaming really flatters curves. Also, as a few other sewistas have noticed, this dress has mystical bum-flattering properties. At least Phin seemed to agree. LOL

I did make a few alterations to this dress. It originally was a petite pattern, so I had to lengthen it. In addition, I altered the back shoulder piece. The area between my shoulder blades must be narrower than normal. I don't usually need to adjust the arm/shoulder joint area, but am often left with extra fabric gaping at the nape and upper back. If there is a center back seam, I can adjust there, but when there isn't, I've found that the method that I used with my seersucker dress - namely make a dart, press it well and then use the darted piece as a pattern to recut the piece in question - works shockingly well. That's what I did in this case.

There are one or two things that I'd do a little differently if I was to make a second version, but they are picky things at best. First, the collar does not seem to want to lie perfectly flat and it is slightly larger than I would like. So, I'd tinker there a bit. Next, the directions for the sleeve/arm band were not at all clear to me. So, I kinda winged it and I'm sure I got it wrong. It looks fine from the outside, but I will not be showing the messy inside to anyone else who sews. Ever.

And lastly, I'm rather displeased at how visible the hem is. I was very careful ironing just the edge to avoid any kind of crease or show-thru, and then I hand sewed it with a catchstitch. But it didn't come out invisible! So, I'm wondering if I should just go back and use my double needle to make it look deliberately more visible. It is a knit after all. (Any suggestions are welcome.)

When I wrote my review over at PatternReview, I commented that there really is only room for one of these dresses in a wardrobe. But I'm actually feeling very tempted to make another. I'm kind of kicking myself now that I didn't think to use some color blocking for this dress. Wouldn't it be fantastic done up in a few bold colors? I feel like this dress definitely would outshine any of Burda's current offerings of color block-appropriate patterns. What do you think?

Elements of Style: Favorite Colors

2012-01-13T14:11:00.005-05:00

Do you have a favorite color? How strongly do you feel about it?

I have strong feelings about my likes and dislikes when it comes to color. I guess those of us who sew think about these things. And right now my very favorite color, orange, or what Pantone is calling Tangerine Tango - a fierce red-orange, which is my very favorite shade - has been announced as the Color of the Year for 2012.

Tangerine Tango a la Clio

I first learned this news over at the MPB blog, and - WOW - some people really hate my beloved color! And I can't help but be filled with dread about this sudden color of the year accolade, especially seeing how orange is apparently rather polarizing.

You see, back when I was looking for fabric for my Lady Grey coat, it was challenging to find coating in orange. Usually, the only time of year that you can find orange fabric is the two weeks before Halloween. And then it's usually covered in bats or black cats. So, I was thrilled when it seemed like a mini-trend for orange was happening last spring and I gleefully started to stash it away in preparation for the inevitable orange famine to come when bats and black cats would be back.

My Orange Fabric and Yarn Stash

But now my beloved color is in the spotlight. On the one hand this means I'm very on trend for the moment. However, I can't help but worry that by this time next year, my Lady Grey coat will look dated and passe. And what about the Burda cover dress that I've just finished and not yet blogged about or even worn yet? (Here is a sneak peek.)

And the orange socks I'm knitting?

Isn't that a cute cuff?

In addition to what I've sewn, I also have no less than 3 orange tee shirts, a belt (seen here), orange earrings (here) and at last count two orange winter scarves. Will my wardrobe suddenly look past it's prime once this orange mania is over?

Anyway, what is your favorite color? Is it something mainstream like blue? Or is it the kind of color that only becomes fashionable every so often? What do you do when the color you love is "out"? Do you say auf wiedersehn to it or do you carry on wearing what you love despite trends?

Readers, how can I keep orange in my wardrobe and looking fresh once this trend is over?

Work Travel = Knitting

2012-01-09T12:57:00.000-05:00

My first business trip of this year allowed me to finish my last knitting project of last year!

Although I was a little nervous to bring my nice knitting needles on the plane with me (I've heard a few horror stories of overzealous TSA agents), everything went smoothly and I knit my way to Chicago and back.

Feathers and Fans Scarf

The scarf will be a gift to my sister, Calliope. The pattern is very pretty (close-up here) and very easy, too. My version is made from an uber-luxurious cashmere and silk blend, hand-dyed yarn.

Can you tell I've been furiously knitting away trying to clear the backlog? My last mini-project from last year was to make a sample of the lace pattern I worked on fruitlessly in my lace basics class. You remember. It's the one that I sprained my brain trying to do.

Sample of lace pattern

No sprain this time, thankfully. But I did have to sit quietly and focus intently to knit even this much (it's only 3x5" or so). I think it's safe to say that a whole wrap/shawl is just not in the cards for me. Plus it isn't really my style, beautiful though it is. So, my needles are free for a moment, although I plan to knit another pair of socks to keep me busy on my commute home.

For the time being, it will be back to our regularly scheduled programming: SEWING! Next up, I will reveal my Burda Cover Dress, which I finished hemming last night. Stay tuned.

New Year, New Projects!

2012-01-03T16:54:00.001-05:00

Before I dive right into the bazillion projects I've got in mind for this year, here is a brief recap of my sewing projects from 2011! I also added in the knitting projects for good measure.

"Personal Style"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

It's really hard to narrow down and pick a few highlights. My Lady Grey jacket gets TONS of use and lots of unsolicited compliments, but the "Woman in Red" Dress really is the show stopper. Although I've only worn them a few times, the seersucker dress and the jumpsuit were big wins. My flowered pants and single seam skirt - both a cinch to sew - have been worn with glee on many occasions. And my most recently finished garment, the Karl Lagerfeld skirt, is in heavy rotation and probably will get worn plenty more before spring.

Really, I only had a very few projects not go my way.

The Donna Karan skirt that I scrapped before finishing (poor fabric choice), camo pants which did not fit my nephew, and this Burda top which really was just too big thru the neck were the only flops. Not too bad considering all the risk taking and new skills I tried out.

Anyway, on to 2012! I've got so much more on my sewing list than I can reasonably expect to sew. So this is really more of a wish list to get me started. I'll have to do some editing and prioritizing as I go.

I've got two projects going already, which should be done in short order:

Boxers for Phin wich are cut and ready to be sewn
Burda dress from the cover of 9-2010 which is basically together and just needs arm/sleeve bands added and the neckline and hem finished.

Nearly Done!

A few gifts:

A diaper bag - for my excellent friend, Dr Kiang, whose new little one surprised us all by arriving 2 months earlier than the stork predicted. I'm having a mental block on the fabric choice.
Housewarming/newlywed apron - for my excellent friend, Magenta. (Magenta, you can blame Dr Kiang for this not being higher on the list)
Re-do of camo pants for my nephew - Who am I kidding? I'm in the denial phase of this project. I bought two different patterns to ponder and that's where I stalled.

For me me me!

A black sheath dress with leather piping - I've had this dress in my head for a while now, using Vogue 1237 (Tom & Linda Platt). It's got princess seams, which should make fitting much easier.

A leather jacket - I am getting an urge to sew another jacket and I've been wanting to work with leather after seeing so many other sewistas have such great results this fall. Plus, I now have a rolling foot for my SM, which should make things easier.

Burda 07-2010-118

Slips and a Kimono Robe - really this has been in queue since this time last year. I have a vintage pattern in my stash and since Sherry did a fantastic sew along, I'm even more inspired. The kimono would match the slip (naturally).

Corset - OK, I admit this is not one of my more practical projects, but now that I have a book, I'm eager to use it. Plus, I think this will really hone some of my skills, like working with boning, waist stays and other hardware. Plus, I do have a bit of left over to-die-for red crepe back satin from the red dress in the stash. Wouldn't that be luxurious?

And then there are the not-fully-formed plans. I have fabrics in my stash that I really want to sew for spring. I'm just waiting for a pattern to suggest itself. Like these two:


Cotton sateen and orange jaccard

And I have a list of patterns I want to sew just waiting for a fabric to suggest itself. Do you have these kinds of projects in your head just waiting to get out?

Happy sewing in 2012!

Last Project of 2011: Victory!

2012-01-01T18:22:00.000-05:00

Last night, while Phin and I were on the train into NYC for a New Year's Eve/Anniversary night on the town, I finished knitting my Victory Socks!


Knitting on NJ Transit

Last 8 stitches

Voila! Socks!

So today I'm relaxing around the house in my new cashmere socks. They're very cosy!

Top side view

Bottom Side View

And that leaves just one unfinished knitting project from 2011, the feathers and fans scarf that I will be gifting to my sister, Calliope. It's about half done at this point, and really rather pretty. I'm not sure what I want to knit next. There are some sock patterns I've been looking at and my niece, Miss J, has asked for a scarf. We'll see. I'm in no rush to start too many knitting projects, but I do have some business trips ahead as well as my commute. So, there will be something on the needles before too long.

Happy 2012! More to come on sewing and what's ahead!

Cross This One Off the List!

2011-12-27T23:55:00.003-05:00

Thanks to everyone who replied about juggling multiple hobbies and multiple knitting projects last week.

On Christmas, as I sat chit chatting with family, I actually managed to finish my cowl scarf. So cross one off the list of potential knitting UFO's.

Double looped with my Lady Grey Coat!

The pattern I used was a free pattern on Ravelry called the "GAP-tastic Cowl". I guess it's a knock off of a GAP scarf. My knitting teacher, Berta, helped me convert the pattern to a smaller needle and less bulky yarn and still get the length and width I wanted. The original scarf was knit flat and then sew together, so there was a seam. The knock off is done in the round. I did mine with a twist on the first round so the whole thing made a mobius. I made it from a nice soft merino yarn. More deets on Ravelry.

Single loop up

I also made a decision after last week's lace basics class, which I'm feeling good about. We began a rather complicated lace pattern that consisted of 19 rows, each one different and basically unmemorizable. I learned several new stitches during the class, which was fantastic, but failed to get to the end of the pattern even once. In the class setting, it simply was not quiet enough for me to keep track of where I was in the pattern. I think I sprained my brain trying. So, I decided not to go forward with the lace shawl that we started in the class. It's not really my style and would be a huge amount of work that I would have to do in a quiet room. I like knitting for it's portability and my ability to do it in front of the tv and while commuting. So it doesn't really fit in with my plans right now. All that said, I feel like I now have the know-how to tackle basic lace patterns - I know the stitches and how to read the pattern.

So, one down, two to go as far as potential UFO's go. Next, we'll discuss the alarming list of sewing projects I've got in queue! LOL.

Yay, Santa! I Was on the Nice List!

2011-12-26T23:06:00.001-05:00

Apparently, I was nice this year! Santa was very generous and left some fantastic sewy gifts under the tree for me!

I received a copy of The Basics of Corset Building, a book I've been wanting for some time. It's an outstandingly practical guide to the tools, materials and process of building a corset. I like that it is practical rather than inspirational, since I have a greater thirst for skills and knowledge at this point in my sewing. Even when my sewing mojo flags, it isn't because I've run out of ideas or can't find inspiration. In fact, more often I'm paralyzed by indecision over what to sew next because there's just so much I'd like to do and such limited time. What about you?

I also received some fun art for the Craft Lounge and applique scissors. I really need more scissors for different jobs.

And Phin gave me a rolling foot for my sewing machine. He noticed that I've been ~~drooling over~~ admiring the leather tops that other sewists have been making recently. And I've been nattering on about making a leather jacket for myself. (Apparently, he does listen when I talk about sewing! Score one for crafty gals everywhere!) So, that is definitely on the to do list this winter!

I hope the Santas in your life were as generous with you as mine were with me! Three cheers for Christmas!

Pop's Holiday Bread

2011-12-23T12:14:00.001-05:00

One of the foods I love most at Christmas is my dad's cheese bread. In fact, I love it so much that a year or two ago I asked him for my own personal loaf for Christmas. He did me one better by giving me his recipe.

Since I'm not going to see my parents on Christmas Day this year, and it just wouldn't be Christmas without cheese bread, I had to take matters into my own hands. The kneading and waiting for yeast risen bread to rise always seemed a bit forbidding. But as it turns out, it wasn't so bad to tackle on Monday when I had lots of other things going on in the kitchen anyway. Also, kneading the dough in my stand mixer with a dough hook made it an incredibly simple recipe. Here's the run down.

Cheese Bread from Pop's Kitchen
1/2 lb (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1c milk
1/4c sugar plus 1/2tsp
1tsp salt
1/2c warm water (90-110 degrees)
2pkgs dry yeast (about 4 1/2 tsp)
1/4tsp dry mustard
1/8tsp cayenne
4 1/2 to 5c flour (all purpose or bread flour)

Scald the milk and add 1/4 c sugar plus salt. Let cool to 90-110 degrees. In pre-warmed bowl of your stand mixer, stir water, 1/2 tsp sugar and yeast together (with a spoon). Let proof for 5 min. Stir in milk, cheese mustard and cayenne. Mix in 2 cups flour. Now, add in 2 1/2 c of flour and get your dough hook going. The dough should not be too sticky (add the extra flour if needed). Knead in the mixer for 10 minutes.

Post-kneading in my mixer

Form into a ball and let rise in a lightly greased bowl covered with a tea towel or dish cloth for 90 minutes, until it has doubled. Punch it down to release air bubbles and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan (I use the largest one I have). Let rise again, covered, for one hour.

Brushed with Butter and ready for the oven

Brush the top with melted butter or egg wash if you want it shiny and browned. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 for 30-40 minutes - until it makes a hollow sound when tapped on top. Remove from pan and let cool.

Straight from the oven

Now, you know that I can't ever resist tinkering with a recipe. Pop's recipe calls for regular all purpose flour, but I used bread flour, which Phin had on hand for pizza dough making. I thought it might make a softer crumb, and it did. (Score one for my tinkering!) Second, I may have been little lax with measuring my cheese. The block of cheese I had was 10oz and I threw it all in. Again, this worked out just fine. So, honestly, if you are a little off with the cheese measuring, you're probably fine.

Tempting me with it's scent

A few other variations are that you could always sprinkle some poppy or sesame seeds on top before baking. Or a bit more shredded cheese (maybe that's what I should have done with those extra 2 oz?). At any rate, I will be eating a generous slice on Christmas morning, toasted and buttered, which is my favorite way.

Do you have holiday traditions or recipes like this? Some family recipe that gets made just once or twice a year for the holidays? The kind of thing that speaks of Christmas (or whateve holiday you happen to celebrate?)

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all!

Juggling Act: Knitting WIPs

2011-12-21T15:51:00.001-05:00

I'm freaking out about the number of half-knit projects I've got at the moment.

With sewing, I often trace patterns and cut fabric a few projects at a time. But then I sew them up one-by-one. That way, I focus on one project until it's done. But with knitting, this approach seems to fly out the window.

I don't want knitting to cut into my precious sewing time. So, I've limited knitting to my evening commute and while I'm on the couch in front of the tv, unless of course I'm hand sewing something instead. I don't watch all that much tv, which makes this pretty slow going.

Still a few inches short of a pair of socks

I was absolutely fine with two projects going simultaneously. The sock (above) has been commuting with me. And this cowl/infinity scarf (below) is what I've been knitting on the couch. It's very easy - a good project at the end of the day when my powers of concentration are waning.

I'm nearly 5/6ths done.

I'm nearly done with both. But then I started a "lace basics" class*, which includes knitting two projects. We started with a lace scarf. Naturally, I elected to make mine from a cashmere and silk blend. I already have an acknowledged weakness for silk, but blended with cashmere it's like cryptonite... soft, silky, luxurious cryptonite...

"Feathers & Fans" Scarf

I'm supposed to have this at least half done by the next class (tomorrow), when we will start a more elaborate lace shawl. Now, the idea of not being ready for class goes against my hard-wiring. So, I'm knitting this scarf while the other two projects are lingering in idle. And it's got me freaking out. Will my socks and scarf ever be done!?!? Not at this rate.

And somehow I accidentally started a yarn stash. I hadn't meant for this to happen. I just needed a few extra items to qualify for free shipping, and the fingering (sock weight) yarn was on sale. Gah! This is how they get me every time.

The silver lining to all of this is that I've managed to come full circle (or square) with the Hot Patterns Nomad Hobo bag that I made nearly 2 years ago. At the time, I was disappointed with it as a weekend hobo bag because of the shape - it's very square. But I commented that it would probably make a really good knitting bag. I've been using it as a grocery bag, but now it has become my knitting tote. At the moment this is my entire knitting stash - yarn, tools and current projects are inside. I plan to keep it that way at least for the time being.

Knitting Bag!

Anyway, those of you who knit and sew (or crochet, etc), how do you balance your two hobbies? Do you juggle the two at once, like I've been doing or do you oscillate back and forth? Also, knitters, do you usually have multiple knitting projects going on at the same time or do you stick to one at a time?

* The lace basics class is at School Products Yarn where I took my beginner knitting and sock knitting class. They offer a loyalty program - a discount for return students - which is a good thing since they are very good at at talking me into additional classes.

Santa's Kitchen 2011: Dark Chocolate Bark Balls

2011-12-20T11:50:00.000-05:00

So, I spent yesterday coated in molten chocolate and sugar and all things sweet. It was my annual holiday candy and sweet making day. Here's what it looked like:

Ingredients and recipes at the ready

Phin was a huge help. He chopped 7 lbs of chocolate - dark and white..

One of the many batches of molten chocolate

Phin also helped coat the Bark Balls with white chocolate

Peppermint bark, setting up

Finished white and dark chocolate bark balls

Finished peppermint bark

The final tally: 4lbs of Peppermint Bark, 2 batches of White Bark Balls, 2 batches of Absurdly Easy Fudge (which I didn't photograph somehow), and my innovation this year, 1 batch of Dark Chocolate Bark Balls. I also baked a loaf of bread, but that's another post.

White Bark Balls are basically a peanut butter rice crispy treat coated in white chocolate. They were a runaway hit last year. So, this year I thought: why not try them with nutella instead of peanut butter and dip them in dark chocolate instead of white? I played around with the recipe a bit to get them to the right consistency and, thus, the Dark Chocolate Bark Ball was born.

Dark Chocolate Bark Balls
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup Nutella
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temperature
12 ounces dark chocolate (for coating)

Mix Nutella, sugar and butter in a bowl until combined (I used a hand-held mixer). Add in Krispies and mix until combined (I used my hands). Form into balls and chill for a few hours until set. Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler or microwave until smooth. Coat balls with chocolate and put back in fridge til hard. Enjoy!

The only thing that didn't get made is 2 batches of peanut brittle, which I hope to get to on Friday. I thought it was a bad idea to start playing with molten sugar toward the end of the day when I was starting to feel wiped out. (Sugar burns are horrible!)

Do you have any Christmas baking or gift making left?

Karl Lagerfeld Skirt Reveal!

2011-12-18T20:41:00.007-05:00

Here it is! My Karl Lagerfeld (Burda 10-2010-136) skirt in black wool.

I wore it styled like this last night for a pre-holiday dinner with some friends.

And here it is styled for work.

While I think it looks just like the Burda version, I did make a number of changes to the pattern. Also, I used my preferred methods and order of sewing and finishing, rather than relying on Burda's instructions. Here are a few details:

First, this skirt is short as drafted: a mere 13". This is not nearly enough skirt for me, Herr Lagerfeld! So I added 6-7" to the length. It's still a few inches above my knee.
I omitted the side seam pockets.
I lined the skirt with black bemberger because the wool I used was a little scratchy and has a loose (slightly transparent) weave. I used the skirt pattern pieces for the lining, sewing tucks instead of pleats.
I interfaced the waistband and the cuff with Pro-Sheer Elegance fusible from Fashion Sewing Supply. I considered using the Pro-Woven, but decided on the sheer interfacing because both the waist and cuff would be folded over, so there would be two layers of fabric and interfacing. I didn't want it to be too thick or bulky, and the sheer did the job just fine.
Instead of making the back waistband elasticized, I shortened it to my waist length. I took most of the extra ease out of the back of the skirt by adding 2 darts. Then (because I hadn't taken quite enough out with the darts) I used basting stitches to gather the back just a scooch so it fit smoothly into the smaller waist.
I finished all the seams with my serger since I think this fabric would be ravel-prone if I didn't

I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself about this skirt, despite all my self-created mishaps and discontents. It has the best looking insides of anything I've made. Usually, I'm not too picky about the insides, but I've had a lot more practice with linings and my hand sewing has come a long way in the last year. So, I think this skirt looks good inside and out.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm off from work for this year's version of "Santa's Kitchen", when Phin and I make candy and sweets for our near and dear for Christmas. And I've got a lot of backlogged posts, so stay tuned as I try to catch up by the end of 2011!

The Sequel in Which our Intrepid Heroine Carries the Day (with Some Help from Jonathan Embroidery)

2011-12-16T12:13:00.001-05:00

It looks greenish because I had to lighten the pic so you could see the button holes.

Who am I to argue with Kenneth King and Lindsay T? So, yesterday I marched myself over to Jonathan's and had my buttonholes made while I waited. Quite frankly, it took less time to walk there, wait for the buttonholes to be made and walk back to my office, stopping to pick up lunch on the way, then it would have taken to make the buttonholes myself. And look at how nice they are! Much better than the nicest buttonhole I could manage with either of my sewing machines. (Jonathan, you are officially on my Christmas card list.)

Thanks to all of you who suggested that this was the smart way to go and was not cheating. In the end, I agree. I'm really pleased with everything about this skirt, and these buttonholes are befitting all the work I put into it. So, score one for the good guys. Skirt reveal and review to come as soon as I sew on the buttons and take some pictures!

Have a great weekend!

The Episode in Which our Intrepid Heroine Is Defeated By a Buttonhole

2011-12-14T13:38:00.000-05:00

Four awesome leather buttons from my new favorite button shop

Four buttons: that is all that is standing in the way of completing my Karl Lagerfeld skirt. (Insert angry grumbling sound here.)

Back in October when I was contemplating upgrading myself to a PR "Intermediate" sewist, I mentioned that I was not all that experienced with button holes. Little did I realize that I was foreshadowing my own demise! (Is that overly dramatic to say? Mea culpa, peeps.)

I did several test runs on scraps of the fabric, which is a thick, but loosely woven wool. But when I went to sew the actual button holes there were problems. The waistband is not too wide, so my button hole foot is hanging off the edge of the waistband or sitting unevenly because part of it is sitting on a seam. So, I'm having problems with the feed dogs moving the fabric. It keeps getting stuck and making a bobbin nest rather than smoothly feeding. Last night, after very carefully ripping out my second failed button hole, I quietly backed myself out of the Craft Lounge.

I could try using my Granny's machine. I've never tried a button hole on it and am not sure how to do it, but it's a very sturdy and reliable machine, once you figure it out. Or I could march myself over to Jonathan Embroidery where I can pay them to make the button holes for me. Although that smacks of defeat, I think.

So, before I head back to the Craft Lounge for round 2 of button holes, please share any tips or words of wisdom. Many many thanks!

Fancy Footwork: 13.1 Miles and a Sock

2011-12-08T15:00:00.000-05:00

That's right, ladies and gentlemen! On Sunday night, I ran 13.1 miles, completing my first half marathon. Difficult? YES. I didn't set any land speed records, but with a field of 44,000 runners I was definitely not the slowest either.

Knitting at 30,000 feet!

Yesterday, on the flight home, I finished my first "victory sock". I'm telling myself that a pair of $50 hand knit cashmere socks is a reasonable and good reward to myself for the run.

One sock.

Now I just have to knit it's mate.

Lessons Learned: Nothing good happens after 9pm.

2011-11-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

For the record: Nothing good happens in the Craft Lounge after 9pm.

On Monday night, I headed up to the Lounge to work on my Karl Lagerfeld skirt. Here's the "before" picture:

Here's the "after" picture:

Why yes! It is the same picture. Here's what happened:

I interfaced the waistband and the cuff pieces, learning in the process that my new iron leaks. I noticed this when steam started wafting up from the under side of my ironing board. Hot water was leaking all the way through and then as I pressed, it was evaporating off the bottom of the board. Bizarre, no?

After a few choice profanities directed at Black & Decker in general and my iron specifically, I briefly considered basting but then sewed the waistband onto the skirt and tried it on. Two things: first, the waistband is too big. I have no idea how I failed to notice this since I measured it moments before applying it and (in theory) was aware that it was 3 inches wider than my waist, not counting allowances. (duh.) Second, I sewed the waistband on before I basted the cute little faux pocket flaps on. So, I spent the next 20 minutes unsewing black thread from the somewhat loosely woven black wool of the skirt. Not an easy task.

Then I realized that I had no buttons. The pattern calls for 4 of them.

Then my mom called to say that the wearable muslin camo pants I had made for my nephew didn't fit him.

So, essentially, things stand exactly where they were before I began sewing on Monday, except that I am now minus one iron, ahead by a bit of interfacing, missing 4 buttons and needing to sew new pants for my nephew.

The moral of this story is: Clio should not sew after dark. No good can come of it. None.

That said, I'm really really pleased with how this skirt is coming. I decided that, because the wool I'm using is pretty loosely woven and potentially itchy, it ought to be lined. So I created and dropped in a lining. Honestly, I think this is the nicest, neatest trouser-style zipper and lining I've ever done. The insides are shockingly neat for me!

The back of the skirt is supposed to have elastic in the waistband. I'm trying to avoid this. I sewed two darts on the back to eat up the extra fabric and now just have to finess things a bit. Oh, also, I left out the hip pockets since others have commented that they were small (useless) and a bit confusing to sew. Plus I don't like any bulk at the hips.

So, in the next few days, I will be doing this all again, but this time with buttons, pocket flaps, a smaller waistband and a different iron. Wish me luck!

You Can't See Me, Ha ha ha...

2011-11-28T16:57:00.002-05:00

D'oh! Apparently, camouflage does not work in an urban environment.

But my nephew, Orpheus, seemed to think that the pants that I sewed for him over the weekend were pretty cool, anyway. In fact, he made such a big deal over how cool they are that now his little brother, Linus, wants a pair too. (Sigh! Why does sewing for others always beget more sewing for others!?!?!)

There's not much to say about them. I whipped these up from KS 2276, same as the Goku Halloween costume that I made. They could not be easier or quicker. Each leg is just one piece of fabric. So, you sew up the inseams, sew the crotch/center seam, add an elastic waistband and hem. That's it.

The camo I used is a $2/yd ripstop-like fabric that I bought to use as muslin aeons ago at HM Fabrics. My sister has a difficult time getting pants that fit my nephew correctly; we grow kids abnormally tall in my family. So, these are essentially a very wearable muslin to see if this KS pattern, which is meant for sweatshirt fabric, actually works in a woven fabric, too. I told my nephew he is in charge of letting me know how they fit. For emphasis, I added that he should tell me if they give him "wedgies" or fall down to his ankles in gym class. At first he thought this was funny; then he asked if I was kidding. (Ha ha ha, I am an evil auntie).

Since I turned them over to my sister while we were out, I didn't get any pictures of the pants with my nephew actually in them. Oh well. I'm going to have to make that a demand for when I sew for others moving forward.

In between bites of pumpkin pie over the weekend, I also managed to squeeze in a bit of sewing for myself. I hope to finish my Karl Lagerfield Burda skirt in the next day or two so, stay tuned!

Thanksgiving Kitchen Mayhem and Gratitude!

2011-11-23T11:38:00.001-05:00

First, the Mayhem: Phin and I are cooking the Thanksgiving meal for his family this year.

I realize there are a lot of ways that sentence can be read. If you're the kind that hates cooking or gets stressed by company or family events, then it must read very ominous. But if you are like me and Phin, you'll understand that I immediately did a happy dance after writing that line. We are cooking! Woo-hoo-hoo.

Turkey a la Phineas

Phin is in charge of the bird, gravy, a ham, stuffing and brussel sprouts. I'm in charge of mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, 2 veggies and pies. At this point the cranberry sauce is made (my recipe here), and my pie crusts (see my primer here) are chilling in the fridge. I'm about to head to the kitchen to start rolling out and filling pies. I plan to make appl e and pecan, which I've blogged about in the past, and also pumpkin.

I'm feeling rather flattered that my SIL and niece specially requested that I make sweet potatoes. My sweet potatoes are not the traditional marshmallow covered Thanksgiving fare. In fact, I discovered this recipe in a cookbook by Mark Bittman over the summer when I was looking for a potato salad that had no mayonnaise. It was very easy and was an instant crowd pleaser. The recipe suggests serving it room temperature, but we all liked it better served warm. It calls for both white and sweet potatoes, but tomorrow I'll be using just sweet potatoes.

They are my favorite color, you know.

Grilled White-and-Sweet Potato Salad
1 lb waxy new potatoes
1 lb sweet potatoes
4 tbsp nice olive oil (extra virgin or whatever you prefer)
salt and pepper
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp sherry or other vinegar (white wine, champagne, cider... your call)
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped

Peel and cut the potatoes into half inch thick wedges. Toss with half the olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill (in the summer) or oven roast (in winter), turning a few times while they cook, until they are browned and tender. While they are cooking, mix the rest of the ingredients together to make a vinegrette. When the potatoes are done, toss with the vinegrette and serve. Or chill in fridge and serve cool.

Unusual for Thanksgiving, no? But it actually goes very well with my thinking that the traditional meal can get a bit monotonous, both flavor-wise and texture-wise. So adding some veggies that have a bit of texture and a little acidity really brightens the whole meal.

And now for the Gratitude: The thing that I am most grateful for today is that I am strong and healthy.

On Sunday, I completed my longest training run for the Half Marathon - 12.6 miles! Just half a mile away from the distance I'll run in 11 days. Tomorrow, Phin and I will run in our annual 5k Turkey Trot to make room for all that pie. I'm hoping for a new personal best time in that race.

Being strong and healthy enables me to have an amazing hobby like running in my life. It helps me juggle the demands of a career that involves some travel, my marriage/best-friend-ship to Phin and family life, and still have the energy for the friendships and hobbies that enrich my life. It is a blessing: one I hope to never take for granted.

So, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I hope that you have much to be grateful for this year. And, if you are celebrating, I hope your turkey is juicy and your potatoes fluffy!

Mood Fabric Deal Alert!

2011-11-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

Well, tis the season for sewing deals!

There is a LivingSocial deal (exactly like a Groupon) for $30 of fabric and merch at Mood for just $15. And you can buy up to two of them for yourself. (You know I bought two!)

The fine print: It doesn't seem to say whether or not you can use it for on-line purchases. And since I have no affiliation (NAYY) with either Mood or LivingSocial, I have no insider details.

Happy fabric shopping! Click here for the deal.

Strategic Retreat: Donna Karan Skirt

2011-11-21T10:59:00.001-05:00

On Saturday morning, I decided to take the bull by the horns and work on the dreaded Donna Karan single seam skirt ~~of doom~~. After a little taking in at the waist, I think the basted together version fit as well as it ever will. However, I've decided to scrap the project.

The fabric is a dark coffee brown color, and it has a sort of shiny (embossed looking) snake skin print on it. It's a bit slinky. And, as much as I like the fabric, I think it's just not suited to this skirt... or my thighs... or my thighs in this skirt... or something. You get the point.

It's shinier in person. Trust me.

I could actually see this working out just fine in a matte fabric that wasn't so slinky. I think if I had made it in a black jersey, I'd be inclined to finish it, put on some spanx and declare it cute. I may try it again in the future, but for now I'm setting it aside.

My only issue with the pattern itself is the lack of structure in the back. There is no gathering or seam to support the gathers. So, the skirt requires careful arranging to get it to look right and the hem to hang straight, and then the gathers don't stay where they should as soon as you move, anyway.

See how it is not really gathered and kind of drooping in the back at the hem? The only gathers on the back side are caused by my twisting around to photograph myself (my yoga teacher would applaud this twist).

Since this pattern was all of one large piece, I can easily salvage the fabric and make it into something more suitable and more flattering on me, like a slinky top, which is probably what I should have done in the first place.

One large piece of fabric - pretty cool, I think.

Anyway, chalk this one up to lessons learned. Shiny fabric is a no-no on my lower half, at least for body-conscious styles.

Now, on to the other challenging skirt! I spent the rest of Saturday afternoon cutting fabric, so I have 4 projects lined up and ready to be sewn over Thanksgiving weekend. Hooray!

Sewing Groupon Alert!

2011-11-17T10:08:00.000-05:00

I think most of you who visit my blog are probably too advanced for a beginner class, but I thought I'd alert you anyway! Groupon is offering a deal on a Two-Hour Beginner-Basics Sewing Class Including Materials for One or Two at The Sewing Studio (Up to 57% Off). Maybe there is a new or budding sewista or sewister in your life that would like this for Christmas?

Click here for the deets!

Oh, and I have no affiliation with either Groupon or The Sewing Studio.

Back to the Craft Lounge... Without Actually Setting Foot in the Craft Lounge

2011-11-16T15:36:00.002-05:00

Last night was a rare weeknight when I didn't have a run or yoga planned, no baking projects and no social commitments or other things that needed doing. And I'd already finished my homework for tomorrow's sock knitting class. So, I decided to get back into the Craft Lounge for some sewing.

The only problem was that the only project that needed sewing is my dreaded Donna Karan skirt, clearly a potential UFO at this point. In fact, I was feeling an aversion to actually being alone in the Craft Lounge with the skirt ~~staring me down from the corner where it is heaped in a pile~~ in such an unfinished state.

So, I decided to jump to my next two planned projects for myself, both from BurdaStyle and neither requiring a trip into the Lounge, since I prefer to do pattern tracing on the dining room table. (Clever of me, no? Although, I don't know what it says about me or the skirt that I would rather trace Burda patterns than look at my skirt.)

After evaluating the two patterns, I decided to start with the Karl Lagerfeld skirt (BurdaStyle 10-2010-136) rather than the dress from the cover of BurdaStyle 9-2010. This decision was based on the number of pieces I'd have to trace (3 vs. 11) and the amount of altering the patterns would need (the dress is a petite and I am a tall, according to Burda).

My immediate observation is that Karl Lagerfeld really takes the "mini" part of miniskirt seriously. The entire skirt piece measures only a scant 13" in length. At 5'9" (or 69"), this is not quite enough fabric to cover my bum. Forget about sitting or bending or even coming out of the fitting room with the other 56" of my body not covered by skirt. So, I added 6" to the length (so much for avoiding petite to tall modifications!). This will still be pretty short for me.

I've got two wools in my stash and I'm trying to decide which to use - light blue or black. The black would make it look exactly like the Burda version (+6"), which would be versatile and cool and I could probably get away with wearing to work with tights. But blue is a nice color on me and would add more color to the bottom half of my wardrobe. Hmmm, decisions, decisions!

The left fabric is much more baby blue in person.

And that's where things stand for now. More later!

Monday Again: Back to the Grind

2011-11-14T15:34:00.000-05:00

Okey dokey. I am back from a quick business trip to Chicago and, aside from a lingering cough, feeling mostly better. While nursing my cold and traveling, I didn't get any sewing done. The Donna Karan single seam skirt is still sitting unaltered in the Craft Lounge. To be honest, I just didn't have the emotional strength over the weekend to work on a skirt that, as I left it, was so very unflattering to my thighs and butt. And my hips, too. And legs. And.... you get the point.

However, I was productive on the knitting front. It helped that I could knit while under a quilt sipping tea. I finished off Phin's scarf and hat. Here they are together. Cute, no?

Merino Wool Hat and Scarf Set

Phineas is pretty pleased with them, I think, and says he is looking forward to the next snow so he can use them. He's a truly warm blooded creature and only ever wears hats and scarves during extreme weather.

In addition, last week I started my sock knitting class right before leaving for Chicago. Really, I'm more convinced than ever that this hobby is not going to save me any pennies. Because I just love socks and my knitting teacher thought I was ready for a challenge, I picked out this fuzzy cashmere blend for my socks. It is sooooooo soft and lovely. But ultimately, these are going to be $50 socks. Ridiculous.

$50 worth of yarn = two socks. Sheesh!

Then again, they are cashmere. So, I've decided that the only way to justify a $50 pair of cashmere socks (that's $25 dollars each sock, people!!!) is to call them a gift to myself for all the running that I'm doing to prepare for the Vegas half marathon, which is just 3 weeks away. A cosy pair of socks to snuggle on the couch with is exactly what my beat up feet need after a training run.

OK, one last picture of Phin, since he was mugging for the camera. Back to sewing tomorrow...

Monday: Extra Monday-ish Edition

2011-11-07T16:35:00.000-05:00

Today feels more like a Monday than usual Mondays. I don't know what happened this weekend to put me in this mood. Things started out optimistically enough. Sure, I felt a mild sore throat coming on, but I wasn't going to let it stop me from all the things I wanted to get done.

On Saturday morning, I cut and basted together my Donna Karan single seam skirt. Later, I ripped apart my Donna Karan single seam skirt and contemplated mailing the cut fabric to a friend on whom it might not be so horribly unflattering. Then I remembered that she doesn't really sew.

So, I set my sewing aside and tried to run 12 miles, before my burgeoning cold worsened (at this point it was a sore throat and a sniffle). I only made it 9 miles and was wiped out for the rest of the day. My sore throat worsened into a cough.

I proceeded to sleep for 11 hours and then flipped thru Burda Magazine for 2 more hours. I threatened to go for another planned run. My threats were in vain; I napped instead. Then I baked 4 loaves of pumpkin bread (no disasters there, thankfully), although I can't really taste anything at the moment, so you never know. I also knit a few more rows of Phineas' scarf, which is almost done. The hat is finished. Naturally, I neglected to photograph anything that I did all weekend long.

And then I couldn't sleep last night since I had slept so much during the day. And now Phin is sick, too. So, the long and short of this post is that I am mopey and whiny and I'm going to go crawl into my cave and sleep some more. I'll be back when I am fit for less whiny conversation.

Finished! One-Seam Skirt, or How to Complictate Even the Simplest Project

2011-11-03T16:07:00.000-04:00

When I bought this fabric (on the left), it was with thoughts of a one-seam skirt. Afterall, what could be more simple and fun for this wonky knit? And, quite frankly, a horizontally striped skirt is exactly the kind of fashion risk that gets me giddy these days. And did I mention how I love Halloween and Tim Burton?

Anyway, since I really like the fabric, I decided not to wing it. I was a bit worried that a one seam skirt with no shaping might not really work on my body. Anything that needs to fit over my hips is generally going to be huge at the waist, so a simple column won't cut it for me. That's when I came across this article on CraftStylish. A one-seam skirt with darts! Hooray!

So, armed with a plan, I flitted off to the Craft Lounge. Somewhere along the way I decided that if I was going to the effort of adding darts, I may as well add a zipper, too. I've been meaning to try an exposed zipper on something, and this seemed like a fun opportunity. (My ulterior motive was also to avoid trying to match up this wonky striped fabric at the one seam. Ha!)

At that point, it occurred to me that I really will find a way to complicate just about any sewing project. Sigh. It seems that simple is just not in my repertoire. Anyway, here's how it went...

My cut fabric, still attached to the pattern

Basically you draft a flat pattern that is a rectangle where the width is your hip width and the length is your desired skirt length, plus allowance for finishing the hem and waist. Then you add darts equal to the difference between your hip and waist. There is a slight negative ease to this pattern, but you could always add seam allowance in if you wanted.

The darts that are cut out are where there would be side seams in a regular skirt pattern. And there are 4 more darts (not sure you can see them) which become front and back darts. The only fitting change I made from pattern to sewn skirt is that I tapered to the hem just a little bit so the skirt would have a slightly more pencil skirt fit than a straight skirt.

As I mentioned, I decided to add an exposed zipper instead of sewing the single seam down the back. This is a RiRi zipper that unzips from both top and bottom. I love the bold color contrast. I also like that I can unzip it from the top to get into the skirt and also from the bottom a few inches if I want a slit for walking. I'm really tickled with this feature. And it was easy - I basted the back seam (wrong sides together), basted on the zipper, trimmed the seam allowance so it wouldn't stick out from behind the zipper and then topstitched near the edge of the zipper tape, removing all the basting stitches.

It only took about an hour to sew up (including trying on and pressing darts) once I had the the pattern drafted and the fabric cut. And I think it is super cute and fun. I omitted adding elastic at the waist, since I put in the zipper, but I think I'll go back and add it in so the waist is a little more snug after wearing.

Anyway, what do you think? Have I made horizontal stripes work?

Since I had so much fun tackling - and complicting! - this one seam skirt, I've decided to go back for more. This weekend's project will be the skirt part of V1259 by Donna Karan. It's also a single seam skirt, essentially, although with it's own set of complications.

Update: OMG! Phin just pointed out that the zipper for this project ($15 at Pacific Trimmings) actually cost more than the fabric ($12/yd at Mood)! How crazy is that!?!?!?

Halloween Wrap Up!

2011-11-01T15:16:00.002-04:00

My power came back on yesterday afternoon after 48 hours of darkness, and today NJ Transit trains are back up and running. So, it's back to business as usual.

Luckily, I had finished sewing my nephew's Halloween costume before the lights went out. He had asked me to make him a Goku costume. Unbeknownst to me, when Goku gears up for a fight his hair turns blond and he becomes Goku Super Saiyan.


Goku Super Saiyan

Here is my version of the costume. Basically, I used KS2276 to make the bottoms and top. I skipped the sleeves and I made a V neck instead of a crew neck. The blue shirt is store bought.

And here is my nephew, Orpheus, as Goku Super Saiyan. (Sorry this is a poor quality cell phone photo. It's what I was sent. Sigh.)

Anyway, last night Orpheus called to tell me that he "ruled" his third grade class. His mom explained that apparently some kids got in trouble because they were too busy swarming around him asking about his costume to listen to the teacher and get in line. So, I guess that means it was a success. And, as an aunt, it's part of my job to aid and abet my nephew in being too cool for school. LOL

Honestly, this was such an easy project, mostly done on my serger, and my nephew was so very happy with it that I think I'm going to have a difficult time saying no to Halloween costume requests in the future. But for now, it's back to sewing for me!

Happy Halloween! and a PSA: Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness

2011-10-31T12:14:00.000-04:00

Have you ever felt like you're living the opening moments of a grade B horror movie?

By Saturday evening, when my plans had been cancelled, the power was out, there was no train service in and out of my area, and tree branches were crashing down right and left outside my front door in a freak October snow storm, I found myself peeking out the window looking for the inevitable hoard of hungry zombies about to beset my normally pleasant town.

I'm please to report that Phin and I get a B+ for Zombie Apocalypse preparedness. We had plenty of food and water, full tanks of gas, candles, flashlights, a radio and lots of extra batteries. We closed all the blinds and drapes to keep heat in and only opened the fridge once. We have wood for the fireplace if it gets really cold. I had even taken out all of our winter clothes and blankets earlier that day.

So, why no A? Well, we lent our hand crank radio to Phin's brother when he lost power a few months back and our hand crank flashlight to Phin's dad. Altruism is rarely rewarded in zombie cinema, and at some point our batteries will run out.

Yesterday, we ventured out to drop off my nephew's Halloween costume (thankfully finished before we lost power!), and took the opportunity to recharge our phones in the car. Power and trains are still out, but there's no sign of zombies, so maybe I got the movie wrong and am living some other horror movie in which the plucky and prepared heroes are beset by some other monsters. But I'm not convinced. The trick-or-treaters may draw them out. So, this Halloween, I hope you will take the advice of the CDC and be prepared.

The Centers for Disease Control

Oh, and when in doubt, remember Rule #4: the double tap.

Happy Halloween! I hope to have pictures of my nephew in costume and some pics of my new single-seam skirt as soon as the power is back on!

Tied in Knots, I Mean Knits

2011-10-25T11:51:00.000-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, my first knit scarf:

It's nice and long and very very soft and cozy. And I knit it myself!

I'm convinced that I'm in the most ambitious beginner sewing class in the tri-state area. After finishing our first scarf (the puffy garter stitch one above), we moved right into working on a rib knit scarf. And then last night, we started a matching hat. In fact, the class is so ambitious, that Berta decided to add a fourth session so we can finish our hats.

Here is half a scarf and the beginnings of a hat for Phin

Oh, and last night when Berta asked what other things we would like to learn, I planted the seed... and now the whole class thinks they want to knit socks. So, Berta is offering a 2 session sock class next month.. heh heh heh.

Anyway, here are a few beginner observations about knitting:

Yarn is expensive. More expensive than fabric is, at least for what I like.
Expensive yarn seems to be worth it. I've been snuggling on the couch with my scarf these last few nights, sighing over how soft and lovely merino wool is. Mmmmm... merrrrrr-eeee-nooooo...
Knitting is slow work. Holy cow, I thought I was a slow sewista, but it's nothing compared to how slow knitting is! I finished half of the red scarf only after knitting every day for a week! Granted, there were times I had to rip out rows and backtrack. But still.
I am much less likely to maim fellow commuters knitting with round needles than 14" straight ones. Nuff said.
There are no muslins in knitting. This terrifies me.
There are lots of needles for sale on Ebay! I stocked up on a set of 14 pairs of slightly used knitting needles in all different sizes to get me started. And it only cost $20 plus shipping. Hooray for Ebay!

So, really, what I'm saying is that my mind is still boggled by those of you who knit sweaters. But socks are definitely in my future!

More Sewing for Others: Halloween Edition

2011-10-20T15:47:00.001-04:00

A few years ago, I made my nephew, Orpheus, Harry Potter Hogwarts robes for Halloween. He wore them for two Halloweens in a row. So, how could I refuse to help when he and his mom - my sister Calliope - called to say they were having trouble finding his preferred costume this year. (Seriously, "I love you, Aunt Clio" are the five most dangerous words in my universe. I am helpless in the face if their heart melting power.) So, I'm making a Goku costume.

Don't know who Goku is? Join the club. Apparently, he is an anime character from Dragonball Z, which is based on a Japanese manga series. If that sounds like Greek to you, that basically means that it's animated and martial arts heavy. Anyway, here's Goku:

Since this is pretty short order as far as my sewing goes, I bought a blue tee shirt from Old Navy, and I'll make the rest. I stopped by Spandex House today and picked up some orange and blue fabric. Since I won't be able to do a fitting, I figure that a stretchy fabric will give me the needed wiggle room. I'm going to use Kwik Sew 2276, which has just one pattern piece for the pants. Seriously, just sew the inseams, joint the right and left sides together, add an elastic waistband and hem. Voila! Pants.

KS2276

I'll frankenpattern the KS top into the v-neck top that Goku wears over his blue shirt. I plan to do the majority of the sewing on my serger, so I'm hopefull that it will come together quickly.

Are you doing any Halloween sewing this year? For yourself or for someone else?

Boxer Shorts Sew Along with the Bold One

2011-10-17T16:56:00.002-04:00

Well, I am continuing to take sewing at a very slow and unhurried pace since the red dress. No deadlines looming. No sense of urgency. No rush. If I feel like being in the Craft Lounge for an hour, I go. If not, I don't.

One fast and easy project that I've been lollygaging over is boxer shorts for Phineas. I decided to jump on the Men's Boxers Sew Along over at Male Pattern Boldness. This is a great sew along for anyone who needs a break from high-intensity sewing or a newer sewist who wants to learn some nicer finishes for their projects, like flat felled seams, bias bound edges and the very nice waistband/elastic treatment Peter uses.

For Phin, I picked out three nice soft shirtings from Chic Fabrics on W39th Street in the Garment District. They were on sale for $5 a yard.

Checks, Plaid and Stripes

I used Simplicity 9958 since Phin wanted a pattern that had a back center seam. He has a rather flat bum, so the patterns that have no back seam leave a lot of extra fabric in the seat. There is just one pattern piece. Anyway, I stitched two boxers up in the last week (the other fabric isn't washed yet).

I made a few changes to the pattern after a very quick muslin. First, I made a fly facing just by tracing that part of the pattern. Next, the pattern runs very large, IMHO. I lopped 3 inches off the top to raise the crotch - it was waaaaay long. And I folded out 3 inches of width at the hip (so reducing 6 inches off the width of the whole thing). This makes for a shorter, more close fitting boxer, which is how Phin likes it.


Don't these look very RTW?

Taking a page from the sew along, I flat felled the seams, which is a very clean finish. And I used the nice waistband treatment that Peter describes, instead of making a casing and threading the elastic through. I recommend Peter's method - it's just as easy and much nicer looking. Because I had no side seam or side vent, I didn't use the bias finish. I just did a simple double turned hem.

Ta-da!

And here they are. Two boxers for Phin, with a third to follow whenever the fabric is washed. He seemed pretty pleased with them, which is what counts. Now, if I could just remember my Flickr log in details, I could upload this to the Sew Along group. Sigh.

Knit One, Purl What?

2011-10-14T11:01:00.000-04:00

After years of protesting that, although some people manage to make sweaters, the only thing I could ever make from yarn is a knot, I've broken down and started a knitting class. (Hi, my name is Clio, and I'm addicted to Groupons...) And let me tell you, I really feel like it's more boot camp than class, which is exactly what I need.

My instructor is Berta, and she wrote this book. She's rather fierce (I mean that as a compliment) and says she can teach anyone to knit. And by the end of the first class, all 10 of us students were, in fact, knitting!

In three classes - once a week at School Product Yarns right near the Garment District - I will knit two scarves and a hat. It's a very pragmatic class. And I'm laughing while I write this post because it's like being taught by your grandma or favorite Aunt. So far Berta is teaching us how to knit as opposed to spending any teaching time on terminology, how to read patterns, talking about tools or supplies (needles, yarn, etc). I have no idea if we will cover these things in future classes or not. There was no hand out or curriculum. It's instant gratification knitting for now. On Monday morning I couldn't knit a single stitch, but now here is almost 2/3 of a scarf.

It's done with puffy wool and enormous needles, which hides a multitude of glitches and gaffes. It's a fast and easy project to get me going. And on that note, I feel I should share my ulterior motives; what really drove me to knit. I've never really wanted to knit before because, well, I'm not really much of a sweater person. And how many scarves and hats does one person need? Not too many. But what I do love is socks: socks of every size and shape and color and texture!

A few months ago, I picked up these books on Half.com on a whim. And now I'm determined to knit, just so I can knit socks. Ridiculous? Absolutely! But my feet will love me for it.

Somehow, this approach to knitting oddly suits me. I don't know a thing yet, but, dang, I'm knitting and socks are in my future. I'd be surprised if there isn't some sort of reckoning or comeuppance for this wild approach. So stay tuned. It could get interesting.

The Fine Print: Give Away Winners, Mailbag and Scattered Thoughts

2011-10-11T12:31:00.001-04:00

After the Columbus Day holiday, today feels like a Monday. So, it's a good time to get to some "to do list" items.

Give Away Winners
The competition for these patterns was not so fierce; I guess the need for party dresses is not as great as my pattern collection would have me believe. But the winners are:

Debi - Vogue 1162 Belleville Sassoon dress
Rachel - Vogue 8280 Galaxy Dress knock off pattern

Ladies, let me know where to send 'em - email me at Clio[dot]Phineas[at]gmail[dot]com - and have fun sewing them up!

Mailbag
Just to answer a few questions that came my way in comments:

ThreadHeaven - What is it? What's it for? - Essentially, you are supposed to use it to coat your thread for handsewing, as you would use bees wax. It reduces drag and tangles, and conditions the thread against fraying. Unlike beeswax it is non-organic, and it is also non-toxic, UV repellent, retards mold and mildew, and a host of other things you can read about here

Thimble - Did I cosy up to mine with all the hand sewing? - In a word, no. Sewing on silk fabric with silk thread coated in ThreadHeaven really was easy - the needle just glided on thru. Using a thimble actually became cumbersome. So, I am still a thimble deadbeat. C'est la vie.

Scattered thoughts
Finally, it was really great to have a weekend that was completely free - no sewing for a deadline! It was a weekend of dabbling - very scattered. I worked a bit on boxer shorts for Phineas and a single seam skirt for me. Neither is done. I baked peach coffee cake and apple cinnamon muffins, which are half eaten now. I went for a long run, since I signed up for the Vegas Half Marathon (Dec 4) last week and have some serious training ahead.

(OK, the embedded video was starting to drive me bonkers every time I visited my blog. So, I've changed it to a link. CLICK HERE to see how cool the Vegas Half Marathon is.)

Seriously, how fun does this look?? And all I have to do is run 13.1 miles. It almost makes me think this was a good idea. Ha!

Oh and I took a knitting class, which is a first for me. So there are lots of balls in the air at the moment but nothing finished to show just yet. Stay tuned.

Belated Birthday, Pattern Give Away, and PR Promotion?

2011-10-05T16:28:00.002-04:00

So, here are some of the thoughts I meant to post on Monday for my birthday. But first, a gratuitous shot of the incredibly decadent brownies (recipe here) that I baked for myself as a birthday treat...

Mmmmm.... brownies... my one true weakness. Well, aside from silk.

OK, now, about my birthday! And sewing! It was almost exactly four years ago that Mom Muse gave me my first sewing machine as a birthday present. Can you believe it? I was looking back at my very first sewing post - here - and I have to admit that not a lot has changed other than...

...instead of sewing an elastic waist a-line skirt...

...I'm now hand picking zippers on silk dresses.

But my love of fabric, obsessiveness with details and lack of camera skills are essentially intact. That said, I posted a Pattern Review for the red dress yesterday (here) and a few commenters suggested that it's time to give myself a promotion from Advanced Beginner to Intermediate. What do you think? On the one hand, there is sooo much I still don't know or have never done, and even more that I have done but don't consider myself truly skilled at (um, button holes is the glaringly obvious one here. There are just so many good hardware solutions to button holes that I haven't worked so hard at perfecting my skills.) On the other hand, I've really upped my game in the last year. In fact, I've...

...tailored a coat,

...worked extensively on bust fitting,

...and done my first project with boning and a waist stay.

Oh and lets not forget that since my last birthday, I conquered my fear of welt pockets.

Who's afraid of the big bad welt? Not me!

I'm also feeling good about zippers, fitting my body and hand sewing. So, why am I hesitant? Maybe it's that my sewing is always such slow going compared to others. I tend to stick to a few big projects rather than sewing a lot of quicker things. And Intermediate seems like a big jump at a time when I really feel like I'm in the snarky adolescent phase of my sewing hobby - some days I'm a spoiled brat know-it-all; some days I feel like I don't know a thing. Please share your thoughts - is it time for a promotion? How did you decide you were ready to move up the PR ranks?

So, back to my birthday! I always feel full of plans and goals for the coming year. This time around - birthday number 36 - is no exception. Maybe it's my way of gearing up for another year of life, maybe it's how much I love and feel alive during my birth month (hooray October!!!), or perhaps it's the nearing holidays, but I can't help being joyful and thankful at his time of year.

And now, because birthdays traditionally involve gift giving, I've decided on another give away. The theme is Beautiful Dresses. Just holler in the comments before Friday at midnight EDT (NYC time) and let me know which pattern(s) you'd like, if not all. I'm happy to ship to wherever your Craft Lounge may be.

Gorgeous Dress Pattern Give Away
First, Simplicity 3823, a halter style classic party dress. Or with Halloween coming, this could be the perfect pattern for a Marilyn Monroe costume.

"Happy Birthday, Mr President" in Size 14-22

Next, I've always been a big fan of "That Dress" - the Roland Mouret Galaxy dress - and this Vogue pattern is clearly a knock-off of it. Also, it's got a similar feel to my red dress, but without the labor intensive sleeves and pleats. And like the red dress, I think this would be great on pear shaped figures - the strong sleeves/shoulders really balance out the hips visually. I could see this done up in a really dressy fabric for some sex appeal or in a more tweedy fabric for an office chic vibe.

Vogue 8280 - sizes 16-20

And finally, Vogue 1162, my red dress pattern.

Size 14-20

Just a few caveats with this pattern. This is the pattern I used for the first muslin, which was too large. I had to go down to the size 12, which was not in the same pattern envelope. I didn't cut the pattern, but did trace it with a wheel. So this pattern is NOT in factory condition. However, all the parts are there, as are the instructions in a somewhat beat up envelope. This is an advanced pattern, but I hope I've convinced you that it is worth it - I'd love to pass this pattern along.

More tomorrow on the boxer sew along I'm participating in. Have a great day everyone!

My Birthday: The Woman in Red Revealed

2011-10-03T15:43:00.002-04:00

Today is my birthday, and I feel fabulous!

I actually had a completely different birthday post planned, but given how great I felt wearing my red dress and how a picture is worth a thousand words, I decided: why not celebrate my bday by posting the final project dress reveal?

Honestly, I felt great in this dress and I think it showed. In all seriousness, I doubt I will ever wear a LBD to a wedding again. Red is the color for me! And the wedding was so much fun - lots of dancing! Even the bride had on a belly dancing scarf/skirt at one point. The only thing I'm a little disappointed with is that I didn't take pictures before the 30 minute drive to the church - there are now no pictures without some creases. Gah!


Isn't Magenta a beautiful bride?

I won't lie, it was a race to the finish to get this dress done. The day before the wedding I was just finishing up the hem and sewing the lining to the vent. But it all got done. And I felt great.

Me and some of the muses: Calliope, Erato and Mom Muse

A few parting thoughts on this dress - Vogue 1162 Bellville Sasoon. First, it was a lot of work! From the sleeves to the hand picked zipper to the fitting (and more fitting) and hemming, nothing was easy about this dress. Well, except maybe for the piped neckline, which really was very easy. (I see more piping in my future!)

All in all, this dress was beautifully drafted and everything fit together - no complaints with the pattern. The only thing that could have been better on the instructions was that Vogue could have had better directions and/or images of attaching the shoulder yolk to the bodice and in suggesting what kinds of hand stitches to use for the sleeves. Otherwise, they were very straightforward.

A few good decisions that I made were: using silk thread for basting and hand stiching, underlining in silk organza, hand picking the zipper, and pressing very very carefully and thoroughly. Thank you to ALL OF YOU who gave me advice and encouragement along the way.

The lucky guy who was my date.

I thought that I would be exhausted after this project, but I'm not! I'm jumping right back into a project - the MPB boxer shorts sew along - as a thank you to Phineas, who zipped and unzipped me about 100 times (every time I needed to try on for fitting purposes), marked the hem for me (twice, because I changed my mind) and didn't complain that he basically was living with a dress-obsessed maniac who would have forgotten to eat if he didn't remind her to for a month. (Thanks for feeding me, my love. You will have boxers aplenty!)

Sneak Peek and Give Away Winners!

2011-09-29T10:28:00.002-04:00

It's straight to business today! Ladies and gentlemen, a sneak peek of the finished dress:

And by finished, what I mean is that there are still one or two little things that need to be slipstitched on the inside. No one but me would know if I don't get to them. And it needs a good final pressing.

Next, here are the winners of the Give Away:

The book on fleece is going to Tanit-Isis! And the book on felt, to Mar-Mar. Congrats, ladies. I'll get them out early next week if you email me your deets at Clio[dot]Phineas[at]gmail[dot]com.

Have a lovely weekend everyone and stay tuned for pictures of me in the dress!

The Sleeves: Taking the Show on the Road

2011-09-27T14:22:00.001-04:00

By "the show" I mean the Project Dress, of course. Here are the two sleeves, which I stitched up while traveling.

It's hard to believe that this and this, turned into something that looks so beautiful. I need to amend my earlier complaint about bias cut georgette. It definitely is difficult to work with on a sewing machine. BUT for sewing by hand, it was fine. And I'm thrilled with how it looks and how it handled.

That said, it took many hours of stitching away diligently. I spent most of both flights (12 hours or so of actual sewing) plus 2 hours a night, 3-4 nights while I was in London, usually between midnight and 2am when insomnia struck. So, these sleeves represent about 20 hours of sewing.

For sewing on the airplane, I was nervous that even if I had scissors that were TSA approved (ie: less than 4 inches), they might be confiscated anyway. This happened to me flying home from Canada once since I hadn't considered that their standard might be different (in the UK it is 6cm or 2.36 inches). So, I bought this:

A yarn cutter pendant

Inside those notches are razor blades which you can't get out or cut yourself on. I just put it on a chain and into my jewelry bag in my carry on. It worked beautifully.

My other tools were silk thread (LOVE it for hand sewing), John James sharps (the best needles for hand sewing IMHO), and Thread Heaven.

Heaven for your thread

We have to have a little talk about Thread Heaven. For quite some time, it's been my dirty little sewing secret. You see, I've done other projects which have required rather extensive hand sewing. And other sewists who have done the same have touted the benefit of using beeswax to coat the thread. This would mean running individual strands through beeswax, then pressing the threads with an iron between paper towels or paper and then getting to the sewing. I think that you'll agree when I say that I'm not the kind of sewista who shies away from labor intensive sewing projects. But pressing beeswax into thread is not something that I ever forsee myself doing. Honestly, I think it would be just one thing too many - the straw that breaks the camel's back for me. And Thread Heaven does the same job, but I've never heard it mentioned in the sewing blogosphere as a suitable substitute. So, my question is: have you heard of or used Thread Heaven or is it, like I suspect, my dirty little cheat? Will I now be branded a heretic? I hope not, but c'est la vie!

Fianlly, there was zero direction in the pattern instructions on what kind of stitch to use to attach the strips of bias to the sleeves. I experimented with a few stitches and then settled on the pickstitch. The decorative side (the picks side) is on the underside, so lost. But because it's a mini backstitch, it's a strong stitch and allowed me to keep the stitching completely invisible. So, I think it was a good call on my part.

Anyway, I'm in full-on crunch mode. Tomorrow I hope to have nothing left to do but hemming. Ladies and gents, cross your fingers and toes for me, please!

Give Away!

2011-09-25T21:38:00.001-04:00

Well, it's chaos here. It's Sunday and I've arrived home from London. Phin is in Jamaica for a funeral and won't be home until tomorrow. I'm jet lagged and can't find the camera.

So, to start off the week, instead of talking about the hand sewn sleeves of my dress - which are fully done - but not showing any pictures, let's just do a giveaway. M'kay?

A few books have come my way recently, and I don't think I'll get to use them in the near future - Sew What! Fleece by Carol Jessup and Kata Gold's Hand Stitched Felt (updates 9/26: apologies - I had the name of this book wrong at first! I hope you realized I meant "Hand Stitched FELT" and not fleece! It's the jet lag - that's my story and I'm sticking to it!). And even thought it's only September, I can't help but thinking that the holidays are coming and these have some excellent crafty gift ideas. (Or some cute things for you, too!) Both would be great for a beginner (a sewist-to-be!) or for someone more experienced who's interested in some fun and easy projects.

Anyway, leave a comment saying whether you are interested in both books or just one of them before Wednesday at noon (EDT). I'll do the drawing that night.

More on the sleeves and the dress to come. With the wedding on Friday, we're in the final countdown and it's crunch time!

One Sleeve Down, One to Go

2011-09-22T11:50:00.000-04:00

Greetings from London! Apologies for the shoddy picture quality - my phone is not so smart or good at taking photographs. Oh well.

Jet lag is thoroughly fueling my sewing. I am done with sleeve #1 and have made good progress on sleeve #2. Let me tell you, there is nothing quick about sewing these sleeves.

I hope you are all having productive and sew-y weeks! Cheers!

Honeymoon Cake: 1 Part Lace, 2 Parts Silk

2011-09-19T09:00:00.002-04:00

The project dress is basted together and the sleeve pieces are packed and heading with me to London this morning. So, this weekend I took a momentary break from sewing for a side project related to Magenta's wedding: A Lingerie Cake.

Dr Kiang did a MUCH better job than me at making panties into flowers!

Magenta didn't want a bachelorette party, per se. We're kinda past the age where a crazy all-night do is appealing. So, I organized a dinner in her honor, just for the close circle of long-time friends, as a last hurrah for her single years. The centerpiece was an all grown up version of the ubiquitous baby shower diaper cake created by me and Dr Kiang. We covered and filled hat boxes with lingerie, small bottles of liquor and other honeymoon-appropriate, um, accessories. Sheila inspired the project (thanks, Sheila!). It was a big hit.

Anyway, I'm off but have a few posts and giveaways planned. Sadly - very very! - I'll be working from almost the moment I get off the plane until I head back to Heathrow. And I'll have both day and evening commitments. It will not be an easy week. Next time I go to London, I am definitely going to add a few days on to the end of my trip and see if I can meet with some other sewistas.

Pickstitched Zipper and Re-Give Away Winner!

2011-09-17T00:38:00.001-04:00

Well, I am just about where I want to be with the dress. And here is my beautiful hand picked zipper.

Isn't it lovely? I used Susan Khalje's tutorial from Threads. Really it was not hard to do and seems very secure. In fact, I may have saved time by hand sewing, since I normally end up wrestling with a zipper before getting it right. One really great tip that I picked up from Kenneth King was to use masking or painters tape to help you make your stitches even - cut the tape however wide you want the stitches away from CB and then mark every 1/4" to 3/8" on the tape so you know where to make each stitch. My stitches are 1/4" apart, and 1/4" away from CB. I used painters tape after carefully testing that it would not leave any mark or residue on the fabric.

And now for the Re-Give Away!
Since the lovely Dr Kiang is in town visiting me, I let her pull a name from my new purple aligator clutch.

Allie Mae, Threads #135 is yours. Congrats! Just let me know where to send it and I'll get it in the mail asap. Email me at Clio[dot]Phineas[at]gmail[dot]com.

Have a great weekend everyone! On Sunday, I'll be sewing my up the dress. More then!

More Progress and Re-Give Away

2011-09-14T08:30:00.009-04:00

A few more tidbits of progress!

Here are all the many bias strips which will be the sleeves and neck ruffle of the dress.

Sleeve Flower Ruffles

Neck/Collar ruffles -pleats basted in

Last, I know this is a bizarre little thing to be thrilled about, but I'm tickled with my piping.


Piping!

It's a layer of the crepe back satin underlined in organza with a piece of cording. I used my narrow zipper foot to sew it. I've never made piping before, and this was a cinch and came out looking just perfect. And now my beady little brain is thinking about all the projects I could add piping to! Does that happen to you? Also, although this is only one line of stitching, this is the first piece of the satin that I've sewn by machine; I'm considerably relieved that it sewed up so beautifully and without any problems.

On to the Re-Giveaway
So, it's been more than two weeks since I announced the Threads Magazine Issue #135 give away winner, and I haven't heard a peep from her, either via email or on the blog. So, I'm going to draw a new winner on Friday. If you signed up the first time, I'll just re-enter you. If you'd like to be in it this time, just leave a comment by midnight (EDT) on Thursday.

Here are the deets, as previously posted:

One of the things I did to prepare for this dress sewing marathon is buy Threads issue 135 (Feb/Mar 2008) which has an article by Susan Khalje on sewing the perfect Little Black Dress. It arrived on Friday. Um, twice. Somehow, I must have clicked two times or something, but it appears that I ordered two copies. So, my unexpected gain is your gain, too. Just let me know in a comment ~~(by Wednesday - midnight EDT)~~ (Now by Thursday midnight EDT) if you'd like the magazine and I will do a drawing for it. It has some terrific articles in addition to the LBD one including articles on 5 essential hand stitches (I'm already practicing my pickstitch), Creating Couture Lingerie, Underlinings vs Interlining, Bias cut sleeves, and an interview with Charles Kleibacker. It's a really good issue. (And now that I am using it, I can doubly endorse it: it's great!)

Oh, and don't fear, there are other, new giveaways coming...

Progress on the Project Dress

2011-09-12T12:24:00.000-04:00

Well, it had to be done. With Magenta's wedding approaching and a business trip to London looming, I cancelled my weekend plans in order to sequester myself for a sewing blitz. I spent both mornings cutting, both afternoons at the sewing machine, and both evenings hand sewing.

I made the decision to underline the dress in silk organza. Even though this meant more cutting, I think it was smart for a number of reasons. First, the crepe back satin is very soft, drapey and stretches a little; the organza will support and stabilize it. Also, I've transferred all of the pattern markings to the organza, which has spared me the need to use tailors tacks to transfer the markings. I'm completely inept with tailors tacks. Finally, the underlining will give me a way to sew the hem invisibly (I'll sew it to the underlining and not thru to the satin).

Here's the progress report, in pictures.

The dress pieces are cut in both satin and in the organza underlining and basted together by hand with silk thread.

I also basted in the pleats on the front bodice. (Side note: I'm in love with this fabric. It looks so very luxe in person. And the draping - even underlined - is gorgeous!)

LOVE!

The sleeves, which will be coming with me to London, are basted and all the markings are transferred to the organza side.

This is what I will be hand stitching in London.

I spent a large chunk of yesterday cutting and then sewing bias strips of all shapes and sizes in silk georgette. I do not recommend this. The bias cut georgette stretches to an unbelievable extent, getting very long and narrow, which distorts all the markings. What a pain!

Finally, I sewed up the lining, which is ready to be dropped into the dress whenever it's done. The lining front has two fisheye darts, which run from the underside of the bust to the waist. I had never sewn a fish eye dart before - what great shape they give!

And that is where I am! This week's tasks include hand picking the zipper, basting all the pleats on the neckline ruffles, and basting the dress together.

I hope my blog doesn't get too boring over the next 2 1/2 weeks. It's mostly going to be progress reports on the dress. So, I plan to also throw in a few giveaways for those of you who do stop by to check on my progress.

Labor (on Sleeves) Day

2011-09-07T12:33:00.000-04:00

Well, vacation couldn't last forever. So, on Monday, it was back to the Craft Lounge to work on the Project dress.

Before I left for vacation, I set in the sleeves and realized they'd need some work. I didn't realize quite how much until I tried the muslin on again. I must have set the sleeves in 50 times on Monday; it took all day to get right. Initially, I had some pulling in the front (both on the dress/armskye and on the sleeve itself) and a lot of bagging in the back.

I'm not all that experienced with fitting sleeves, and diagnosing the problem(s) was challenging. I'm pretty sure I tried every sleeve alteration out there - rotating, making larger, making smaller, raising the cap, lowering the cap, changing the armskye... Honestly, it was a struggle, but I think the sleeves are now looking pretty good.

Hurray!! A vertical grain line!

This dress is pretty much all about the sleeves, and there were a few unhappy moments when I was thinking that I should give up. Ultimately, I added 1/2 inch to the front of the sleeve, tapering to nothing at the cap/shoulder seam, I made the matching part of the armskye smaller/tighter so there was less pulling across the bust/arm pit area, and, last, I made the back of the sleeve about 3/8 inch smaller tapering to nothing at the cap to get rid of the bagging. After I took this picture I took a teeny tiny tuck on each side of the bodice neckline to tighten it up and stop it from doing that little dip in the front.

Since I added/subtracted nearly the same amount to the front and back of the sleeve, I shouldn't have problems sewing the flower and ruffles on to it. I'll just shift the design to the front a tiny bit.

So, it's on to cutting and sewing the dress, which I am a bit nervous about. I plan to underline the sleeve in organza so that I have a very stable base for the hand stitching and something to transfer the flower pattern to that will not risk marking the outside fabric. Wish me luck!

Yarn Bombing in Paradise

2011-09-06T12:56:00.003-04:00

Well, my vacation came, was wonderful and is now over. Big sigh.

For those of you who knit, I thought you would appreciate this yarn bombed (yarn stormed if you are on the other side of the pond) palm on the beach in Sint Maarten.

Phin and the Yarn Bombed Palm

A fun time was had by all, but especially my 5 year old nephew, Linus. He can be a bit mischievous. So when I told him I wanted to take him on a lunchtime pizza date - just the two of us - he somehow finagled a "pizza and waterslide" date out of it. This is us after about seven trips down the 3 story on-board waterslide. The kid has no fear.

This is his sneaky smile - when he knows he's getting away with something.

Other highlights for me included scuba diving with Phin in St Thomas - I saw some huge sting rays and 2 turtles - followed by some beers and conch fritters at a local joint overlooking the bay. I also loved a catamaran snorkel trip with my parents and nephews in Sint Maarten, and celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversary on board the ship.

Here's a little slide show of the trip. Honestly, I wore LOTS of things that I made - the jumpsuit, the seersucker dress, my flowered pants, some tops, a beach cover up... And NONE of them seemed to get photographed. Sigh.

"Cruising"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

Bon Voyage! And Jumpsuit Reveal!

2011-08-26T10:24:00.005-04:00

Knock on wood: it looks like my cruise is going to happen. We are departing Orlando tomorrow and sailing to the Bahamas, St Thomas and St Maarten. Wish me luck that my flight gets out this afternoon. We leave for the airport in about an hour.

To get me in the mood for some R&R, here is the final reveal of my jumpsuit!

With white accessories - cruise chic.

And disco fabulous with gold accessories.

I have to tell you, I'm rather happy with the results. Don't I look ready for a mojito and not for prison? In my mind, I'm already sipping a drink with a little umbrella in it while the sun sets over the Caribbean. Ahhhh... Plus, I've already got about 3 occasions that I plan to wear the jumpsuit to.

A few details:

I initially had trouble with the invisible zipper being invisible and laying flat. Once I added interfacing in the zipper area and focused on rolling the zipper coil open as I fed it through my invisible zipper foot, it was a cinch.

The only other problem I had with the pattern was dealing with the bulk at the top neckline - there are many layers of fabric there. Strategic trimming and understitching was key. Even so, I ended up topstitching to make sure that the lining wouldn't peek out the top.

Boning is not scary at all! It was easy to use so long as I didn't accidentally sew over it (broken needle for sure). And steel spiral boning is very comfy to wear.

I am officially a big fan of the waist stay. The matte jersey I used is pretty heavy, and without the stay (made of 1" petersham and bra hook tape) it would pull the garment downward (ie: tug tug tug to keep it up). With a waist stay, the jumpsuit is tug free. Everything stays where it should be and I didn't have to make the top ridiculously tight in order to keep it up. I have no idea why all strapless, boned dresses don't have waist stays; it's a marvelous and easy solution to any insecurities about the dress staying put.

Because I was unsure about using boning and constructing a waist stay, I bought the Craftsy on line class, The Perfect Fit Bombshell Dress with Gretchen Hirsch of Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing fame. She covers both in this class, as well as a number of other good techniques for muslining, fitting, etc. It was worth it IMHO. But if taking the slow and hand-stitched approach is not your speed, it probably isn't for you.

Not so pretty on the inside, but very functional!

Finally, a few fellow bloggers deserve credit for the small, invisible stuff that helped make this project come together. Peter (the Bold One) suggested stitching the boning casing closed at the top and bottom so the bones stay where they should be. This was very good advice. Sherry wrote an excellent tutorial on sewing a handworked thread loop and button instead of using a hook and eye at the top of a zipper. My results are a bit less perfect than hers to say the least, but this was a great skill for me to add. (Plus I really hate those stupid sew-on hooks and eyes.) And finally, I picked up a great tip for adding hanging loops that will lay flat and not hang out when you wear the garment from Lindsay T 's blog. Thanks, everyone!

So, I'm off! I've decided not to take any sewing with me - I just wasn't happy enough with how the project dress sleeves are fitting to cut fabric yet. So this will be a real vacation. Happy sewing everyone! I hope you all have a great week while I'm away and those of you in the path of Hurricane Irene stay high and dry.

And the Winner is...

2011-08-25T17:48:00.001-04:00

We do things a bit analog here at Clio & Phineas. Since it was out on the bed waiting to be packed, I had Phin draw a name from my beach hat. Drum roll please, Phin....

The winner of the Threads Magazine issue #135 is

Sophie (Sophiemiri)

Sophie, just send me your address and I'll get this out asap -if not before I head to the airport tomorrow, then as soon as I get back (Labor Day).Shoot me an email at Clio[dot]Phineas[at]gmail[dot]com

Speaking of travel, things are looking a bit more optimistic for my flight. We should be able to get out before Hurricane Irene arrives in the NY area. And if we do, I will be flying first class thanks to a free upgrade! (It really pays to be a frequent flier.) Wish us luck.

The Project: Muslin 2.0 and a Giveaway

2011-08-23T13:04:00.002-04:00

So, thanks to a 4 day weekend, I've finished my jumpsuit (haven't photographed yet) and worked my way thru 2 muslins for Vogue 1162 - the project dress.

Muslin 2.0

The weekend was not without mishaps. Muslin 1.0 was a hot mess. I had initially cut the muslin in a size 14 on top, graded out to an 18 on the bottom. Once basted, it was gigantic...everywhere. The top was so large that I didn't even know where and how to start fitting it. After several moments of utter panic, I came up with a new plan: cut a size 12, but with larger seam allowances on the vertical seams so that I could let out the hip and thigh. I'm sure there's a lesson somewhere in here about starting with the right size and thinking in terms of letting things out/doing an FBA rather than cutting a garment too large and then struggling with taking it in, which I seem to do again and again. Lesson learned, I hope.

So, the only flaw in this "cutting a smaller size" strategy was that size 12 is in one envelope (sizes 6-12) and 14 is in another (sizes 14-18). So, I had to call some local fabric stores to see if anyone had V1162 in stock in the smaller size. Lucky for me, Fabricland did. However, this meant paying full price ($30) rather than ordering it for $3.99 on sale at Vogue right now. Oh well. I'm on a deadline.

So, I think for a first shot in the 12, which I did ease out at the hips, muslin 2.0 is looking very not bad. It needs to be let out a scooch at the bust, and the bum (not pictured). But other than that, I think it just needs some minor finessing here and there. What do you think?

I cut the sleeves in muslin also. I plan to baste them in tonight just to make sure that they will work in a size 12. That way I can cut them in the garment fabric and take the hand sewing away with me. Speaking of which, cross your fingers that my flight on Friday and cruise on Saturday are not cancelled by Hurricane Irene. (Thank goodness I bought trip insurance!) At least I have a project to keep me busy if my trip is a bust.

Give Away

One of the things I did to prepare for this dress sewing marathon is buy Threads issue 135 (Feb/Mar 2008) which has an article by Susan Khalje on sewing the perfect Little Black Dress. It arrived on Friday. Um, twice. Somehow, I must have clicked two times or something, but it appears that I ordered two copies. So, my unexpected gain is your gain, too. Just let me know in a comment (by Wednesday - midnight EDT) if you'd like the magazine and I will do a drawing for it. It has some terrific articles in addition to the LBD one including articles on 5 essential hand stitches (I'm already practicing my pickstitch), Creating Couture Lingerie, Underlinings vs Interlining, Bias cut sleeves, and an interview with Charles Kleibacker. It's a really good issue.

In the Mood for another Groupon?? and Further Thoughts

2011-08-16T15:22:00.000-04:00

FYI - Groupon is offering another "$30 of fabric for $15" at Mood right now. This one is for on-line shopping only. So, get em here. Again, I have no affiliation other than a burgeoning fabric addiction (Mood) and love of a good deal (Groupons).

On to today's thoughts! Most important, thank you all for the advice and encouragement that was offered on Friday's post about my big dress project. I am bowled over by the thoughtfulness of the responses - thank you, thank you! This really helped me organize my thoughts.

First, it may not have come across, but let me just say it: I'm terrifically excited about this project!!! I know there will be moments when I want to pull my hair out, but I've got hair to spare and a purple wig for when I run out. I'm nervous, but it's in a mostly good way. And I'm feeling much more confident since posting. Does that happen to you? Once you say a fear or hope out loud, suddenly it seems much more manageable. Or is that just me?

Next, here's where your advice has already helped:

Tailor tacks/thread tracing in silk thread for the markings - Yes! Why didn't I think of that?

A few classes with a teacher - Brilliant! I hadn't thought of that, but am looking into it now.

Hand sewing - Honestly, I've never made one of my big mistakes while hand sewing. You can see mistakes coming from far off, unlike with a sewing machine. And it's easy for me to commit to doing shorter bursts of hand sewing each night than it is to get behind the sewing machine. So, I'm adding this to the "plus" column.

Needles, thread, etc. - I will not be skimping on whatever tool or notion is right for the job.

The hem - the dress is lined, not underlined. But I was definitely thinking that the hem, which is self faced, would be sewn to the lining so it's invisible.

The floral sleeves - It comes down to whether I want the flowers to be crisp (organza) or soft (georgette). I've ordered fabric for either scenario and will test. Feel free to weigh in.

Bra cups - Funny, but " just tack 'em in at the end" was pretty much the only instructions that Vogue gave for them, too. Seriously, it's the very last step (#71 of 71 steps) and it's all of 10 words long... like the technical writer ran out of steam and gave up at the end. ha ha ha

So much of this project hinges on the fabric. I'm just going to have to test test test everything - interfacing, stay stitching, different pins and needles, bias cut silk for the piping (shudder)... I over-ordered fabric by about half a yard so, in addition to scraps, I should have plenty of fabric to test on and a little wiggle room.

Really, there were so many good nuggets of advice in your comments! And now, I'm amassing supplies. Today I actually bought myself a thimble. Can you believe I didn't have one? Anyway, stay tuned.

PS - Thanks to commenter Sherry, who suggested that since crepe back satin may stretch, I may want to stabilize the zipper area. I think this must be why I'm having issues with the zipper on the jumpsuit. It's matte jersey, and I didn't stabilize the pants portion, and it's coming out all wonky and non-invisible there. Fingers crossed that this will solve the problem.

Bit off More than I can Sew?

2011-08-12T13:04:00.000-04:00

We're not going to talk about my jumpsuit again today since I'm having a little bit of trouble with the invisible properties of my invisible zipper. Instead, lets talk about my next project, which is going to be a project.

Back in May, I started thinking about what I wanted to wear to my dear friend Magenta's wedding at the end of September. Magenta is a photographer, has a great sense of style, and is enormously creative. So, it seems only right that I make a dress to wear on her special day. Here's the pattern I picked.

Vogue Bellville Sassoon (V1162)

I bought this pattern quite a while ago, knowing it was well above my skill level at the time. My skills have come a long way since then, and I'm sewing with a lot of confidence these days. But I'm still not entirely convinced that I'm equal to the challenge. Or the fabric I picked, for that matter. After lots of swatching, I ordered a beautiful red crepe back satin (100% silk) for the dress, matching silk georgette for the sleeves and ruffle around the neck, and organza facings. We are not going to discuss how much I spent on fabric; it was a real splurge.

Here's a preview of the things I'm already thinking about:

the front of the dress, with all it's tucks, could present some challenges if I need to add length above the waist
the elaborate sleeves - they are almost entirely hand stitched
the neckline is piped; something I've never done before
the hem is faced; again, a new to me step
the pattern calls for bra cups to be inserted between dress and lining, but gives NO further instructions or guidance and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do/look for in a bra cup and hoping I can skip it entirely (that's bad, right? already planning on skipping a structural element before I've even begun?)
silk crepe back satin is going to be damaged by pins, water, needles, basting stitches.... there is going to be little room for error with this fabric. I have no idea how to mark dots, pleats, etc since anything that would leave a mark will ruin the fabric, I think. Suggestions?
I still haven't decided what to line it with - bemberger? organza? (if washed, the hand would be softer) Again, suggestions?
Oh, oh yeah. And there's a deadline: Friday, September 29 is the day I need to be wearing this dress. And I already know that I am losing 2 weeks of valuable sewing time to a vacation and a business trip.

So, um, what do you do for fun? Apparently, I like to torture myself with complicated sewing projects. Actually, the two things that are most worrying me about this dress are the time constraints and working with the fabric. I'm going to have to be slow and careful at every step and test, test, test on scraps. I plan to bring the hand sewing away with me on vacation the last week of August. So, I hope to be at a point where I am ready to sew the elaborate flowered sleeves by then.

Anyway, I will be muslin-ing this pattern, so stay tuned. I'm secretly hoping that if I leave out the bra cups, which I think are only there for padding/filling out the bust, that my actual bust may fit into this dress without alterations. (I know, I know, but a girl's gotta dream.) At any rate, I hope fitting won't be too challenging. I'm telling myself that the princess seams on the back should help.

I hope you have a great weekend - I'm headed out of town so there won't be much sewing.

Doh!!! Self-fulfilling Prophesy

2011-08-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

Friday's post about the jumpsuit turned into a self-fulfilling prophesy. Things are back on track now, but had you been standing outside the Craft Lounge door on Saturday, here's what you would have heard:

So, instead of telling you about the dart sewn on the wrong side of the fabric, the leaking iron that left a watermark on the bodice, and the 2 broken needles in under 3 minutes, I'm going to talk about my fabric stash... a happy place full of hopes and dreams where nothing has gone wrong. At least not yet.

I think that having easy access to the Garment District prevents me from having too large a stash. Why buy basics? Most of what's in my stash is either fabric I bought for a specific project, but haven't quite gotten to sewing yet, OR fabrics that I just loved because they are a bit more unique - things that I don't see every day even in the Garment District. Anyway, within those parameters, I generally allow myself to buy at will.

It's been a while since I treated myself to any new fabric that wasn't specifically for what I was sewing. So, I decided to take advantage of that 75% off sale at FabricMart and simultaneously use my $30 Mood Groupon - a virtually guilt-free fabric splurge!

Here's my haul. From Mood...

Mini-haul from Mood

What's really cool about the black and white striped fabric is that it's actually a normal, neatly striped jersey. All those irregular waves and variations in the stripes are made by gathers that are stitching in place. I've really liked all the one seam skirts and tube dresses that I've seen on other blogs this summer, and I think I'll make a knee length version for the fall to be worn with tights and boots.

The red orange fabric is also really neat. When you look closely at it there are two different color threads - a bright watermelon and soft tangerine, but it reads as a solid. I think it may become this dress from the cover of Burda last September:

And then from Fabric Mart...

Cotton sateen rose print and Orange shimmer jacquard

I think the rose print will become a skirt or sheath dress - the flower is at least 18 inches tall. The orange fabric on the right is a Maggie London stretch jacquard that didn't photograph very well - it has polka dots and the background has some shimmer. Not sure what I'll do with it yet.

Light blue shetland wool and black wool & camel hair blend

And finally, I bought both of these with this Karl Lagerfeld skirt pattern that was on the cover of the October 2010 Burda in mind:

So, this is also a bit of a mini-preview of some of my fall to winter sewing projects. Are you starting to feel back-to-school-ish or is it just me?

Boning (Insert Crude Joke Here)

2011-08-05T20:28:00.003-04:00

It's just about 7pm on Friday and I'm sitting on the back porch feeling, well, rather smug and self satisfied. This is not a good thing.

I had the day off and I spent the better part of it working on my jumpsuit. It went well. I think. I hope. You see, whenever I've had this smug kind of "look-at-me-I-am-a-sewing-genius!" feeling, a big sewing disaster, invariably of my own making, inevitably follows. Usually, it's one of those moments where all you can do is smack your head and yell "Doh!!" Like cutting out three back pants pieces but only one front. Or sewing the two fronts legs together at the in- and out seams and then the two backs together and then wondering why the crotch isn't working out. That kind of mistake.

Now, I've checked that I haven't done any of those things wrong. But that doesn't mean there isn't a disaster happening as I write. However, I'm willing to say that ignorance is bliss this evening and show you my progress.

I cut into my beautiful rayon matte jersey this morning. It was pretty slow going since I generally cut knits in a single layer, instead of folded.

Underbodice with boning.

This afternoon was devoted to the underbodice. I decided to do it in the same fabric as the rest of the jumpsuit. Once interfaced, it was basted, tried on and finally sewn. Then I sewed on the casings and inserted the boning (Ok, just stop it now. That's what it's called). Why was I nervous about this? It really was very easy. (Sigh. So juvenile...)

Then it was time for a try on.

Yes!

And this is why I am having my very smug moment. Not only am I very happy with how the fabric looks and is sewing up, as well as how this is fitting, but it's also incredibly comfy! I bought steel spiral boning from Steinlauf & Stoller in the Garment District. And it is SO much better than anything you would find in most RTW. It flexes in all directions, so it bends wherever your body does. In other words, you don't get jabbed in the ribs when you sit or bend, and the recovery is supposedly good, too.

Anyway, tomorrow should go much faster. I plan to sew the outer bodice and pants, and put in the zipper. I'm off on Monday, too, and with any luck I'll be dropping in the lining and hemming by then.

Have a great weekend everyone! I hope you sew up something fun.

Happy Birthday, Phineas: Behind Every Good Woman...

2011-08-02T13:36:00.000-04:00

V-Day 2011

You may wonder at times why this blog is "Clio & Phineas", since I do the vast majority of the posts. But, since it's his birthday today, I'd like to highlight the major behind-the-scenes role Phin plays.

Phin photographs me over and over again in my latest sewn creations for this blog. He works from home, so is constantly emailing me photos at work since I generally blog while eating lunch, but rarely ever remember to upload photographs when I'm at home.

He's always been the one to do our laundry (in all seriousness, I have not done laundry this century). So, without my asking, he washes and dries all my fabric, being careful to check with me about how each should be treated. And he has even learned how to mark a hem and help me pin fit muslins.

When I bake, he can often be found in the kitchen next to me chopping an ingredient, doing dishes as I use them, or lifting my heavy stand mixer. He knows my preferred brand of chocolate chip - there's always a supply in the pantry. And if he knows I'm planning to make something, the ingredients often "magically" appear for me.

And he runs with me, never complaining that I go at a slower pace than him, holding him back. When I said I wanted to start training for a half marathon, he helped me plan my training and then found two races that we could build vacations around (Las Vegas or Bermuda - we haven't decided which yet). He is a genius at finding great travel deals.

Last night, I planned to make ice cream in two flavors (strawberry and peach) for his birthday, since he doesn't love cake. By the time I arrived home, he had already unearthed my ice cream maker and put the core in the freezer. The strawberries and peaches were already prepped, too.

I sometimes think there must be more hours in the day where the rest of you sewing/baking/knitting/crafting/blogging people live. I don't understand how you all get so much done without a Phineas of your own. In ways both big and small, he is the best friend and partner in crime that a person could wish for.

Happy Birthday, Phineas! You are too wonderful for words!

Jumpsuit Muslin

2011-08-01T12:51:00.000-04:00

I spent this weekend working up the muslin for my jumpsuit. Maybe when I've really mastered my fitting issues I'll be able to just cut into fabric, but for now I'm a devout muslin-ist. The jumpsuit would have been a hot mess if I had cut into fabric.

I've seen a lot of ill-fitting jumpsuits this season. Few of us that wear the same RTW size on top and bottom AND are RTW height AND are proportioned like RTW is made. I've seen jumpsuits that are either to big or small on either the top or bottom of the wearer. And I've seen lots of too long or short crotches. Really, it's amazing that RTW jumpsuits fit anyone. Thank goodness I sew!

I originally cut a 14 on top and an 18 on the bottom, rounded up just a bit from my measurements. What I ended up with was more like a 12 on top with an FBA (easy-peasy because of the princess seams), and between a 14 and 16 on the bottom, after taking in the excess ease.

One of the fitting problems that I encountered was that the crotch was initially too long. But thanks to a very handy shorten/lengthen line included on the pattern (thank you, Vogue!), taking it up by 1 1/4" was easy. You can see the tuck across the abdomen in the photo.

I had to make some additional length adjustments, too. As you can see in the photo, the top and bottom are NOT meeting at the waist. So, despite adding an inch to the bodice pattern pieces and 2" to the leg pieces before cutting the muslin, I had to add an additional inch to each.

At this point, I've transferred all the changes back to my pattern pieces. My orange matte jersey is at the dry cleaner at the moment, since I'll dry clean the finished jumpsuit. But once it's back on Tuesday, I'll really get down to work. In the interim, I can cut the lining and, now that I've worked out the fitting issues, I'll go ahead and buy the right length boning. More later!

Elements of Style

2011-07-29T14:56:00.002-04:00

Do you think about your style? I'd never really given mine much thought before I sewed. There were clothes that appealed to me, styles that I thought were flattering on, and colors that I liked or disliked, but that was about as far as I got with following fashion or trends. And I always had to contend with what RTW fit me and, early in my career, shopping on a limited budget.

However, I've been putting a lot more thought into what I wear in the few years since I began sewing and, recently, even giving more thought to exploring and cultivating my own style. This all started when I realized that orange was secretly my favorite color, and had been for years. It was a very liberating revelation!

I like bold colors...

I think I've done pretty well sewing garments that suit me and that are realistic for my lifestyle. I've tackled some projects that address some needs and built my skills - like trousers for work. But these haven't necessarily helped me explore or cultivate my style. And lately I'm evolving and experimental. Not that I want to be outlandish, but I haven't exactly wanted to blend in either. I find a little bit of fashion risk taking to be exhilarating and rewarding. At heart, I see this all as part of an ongoing exploration of my personality.

... I like pushing my boundaries...

I've also decided that I like being a little over-dressed. After I finished high school and ended 12 years of wearing a navy or grey pleated skirt 5 days a week (aka Catholic school girl fashion purgatory), it was wonderful to live in jeans. But now I'm swinging the other way. I always find myself admiring women who wear dresses, particularly sheath dresses. I've had sheath dress envy for years! But since my top and bottom are different sizes, separates have always been more practical, and sheath dresses have never been a look I could achieve in RTW. I also want to wear more skirts.

...And I always feel chic in a dress

Anyway, I feel like I'm at a point with sewing where I can make the things that I want. I'm nowhere near being able to sew all of it, but sewing the cornerstone pieces that I can build a wardrobe around and really define my style seems within reach.

So, because I do well when I define goals for myself, here are three goals:
First, I will continue to explore and experiment with my style. I will take some risks and do it with confidence.

Next, I will wear/sew more dresses. And skirts.

Finally, and most important, I will be thoughtful about what I sew, taking into account how each project helps cultivate my style or not, and how it relates to my wardrobe.

I feel like I'm just scratching the surface here. There are a number of topics I'm mulling over including personal vs. professional style, how body type relates to style, and others. I hope you will stay tuned.Have a great weekend! I plan on muslining the top of my jumpsuit, so look out for it next week.

Tipsy Fruits

2011-07-26T16:28:00.000-04:00

First, thanks to everyone who commented on my border print pants. I've decided they deserve a "yea" - or really a "Yaaay!!!!" I may have to buy a dramatic black hat and take a vacation on the Riviera just to make the outfit complete. And thanks, too, for the endorsement of the jumpsuit. Clearly, I've got some sort of experimental phase going on fashion-wise at the moment, and I'm really thrilled to be indulged.

Speaking of experiments, I embarked on a kitchen experiment over the weekend. At this time of year, I literally have to walk through a farmers market to make my way home on Thursdays. One of the stalls - Vacchiano Farms - is run by a family that Phineas grew up with, and they always point us to what is freshest, ripest, etc. It's good to know your farmer!

So, I've been overindulging in fruit for the last month, and last week it escalated into a crisis of my stomach not being able to keep up with my purchasing (I gave myself a tummy ache long before the fruit ran out). To preserve my hoard of lovely ripe beauties, I decided to give in to vice, buy some mason jars and "can" my fruit. It crossed my mind to make some jam, but traditional canning is sweaty work involving sterilization and such. So, I decided it would be cooler and easier to use a high-octane canning solution: vodka! I also used rum and brandy.

Here's the very simple "recipe":

Load your cut up fruit with some sugar (a few tbsp) and lemon peel (optional) into clean mason jars.

Cover with the liquor of your choice. Thump the jar a few times to get any air bubbles out and let the fruit settle.

Screw on caps and store in a cool, dim pantry. Done!

Since the alcohol kills any bacteria, this is pretty foolproof as far as preservation methods go. The hardest part is cutting up all the fruit. Oh, and the waiting. Your tipsy fruit will be best in about 3-6 months, but really they'll be pretty tasty in 6 weeks.

I made a bunch of combinations - peach + brandy, strawberry + vodka, sugar plum + rum, cherries + brandy, and mixed berry + vodka. Really, just about any fruit or combination of fruits with any alcohol of choice will work.

Serving options are endless: dribbled over ice cream or pound cake, as the fruit in sangria (white or red), baked into muffins, cakes or tarts (the alcohol will cook off in the oven, but leave a nice flavor behind), in a trifle or fool, flambeed as cherries jubilee, churned into frozen yogurt - or cherry-vanilla ice cream!, as the garnish for a mixed drink, or use the liquor in an aperitif or spritzer.... see, there is no end of good ways to use up your drunken fruit.

Burda Flowered Border Print Pants: Yea or Nay?

2011-07-24T23:37:00.003-04:00

Well, here they are: my Burda elastic waist pull-on pants (Burda 6/2011 - 114) in a very fun border print. I knew there was risk involved in making flowered pants. So, I'm interested for your thoughts on how they came out. Would you wear these out of the house?

Here I am feeling all jazzed

I did. I wore them today to a small family get together to celebrate my mom's birthday. I felt pretty jazzed about them when I left home, but midway through the day I started wondering if that was a symptom of the extreme heat we've been having in the northeast. Are they too much?

On the plus side, I really love the border print - it's just so fun! It's a nice cool cotton underlined in a very light batiste - cool and crisp. And I felt fun and cool on such a humid hot day. Also, this Burda pattern is a real winner. I've made pull-on pants/pj's before (both KwikSew and Amy Butler patterns) and the fit in them was terrible - really baggy legs and a ridiculously long crotch. But not these ones! They fit exactly like I would want. The only changes I made are that I belled out from knee to hem to show off more of the border and I took the hip-to-waist in just a tiny bit.

I can't help but feel that these are really kind of fun, carefree and perfect for hot days, the beach and my upcoming cruise vacation. But maybe I like them because of the great fit and the cool comfort they allow. Phin gave them a thumbs up, but part of me is a little nervous that I look like an extra in a disco-era movie or that I look like I should be hosting a children's television show. What do you think?

Update: Apologies! I got so caught up in mulling over the fabric that I forgot to mention a few key points!

I also omitted the pockets from this pattern since I can't stand pocket show-thru on white pants and also didn't want any extra bulk at the hips.
I underlined using the Hong Kong seam method where you underline and finish the seams all in one swoop. It was easy and worked beautifully! The inside of these pants look so very nicely finished!
I plan to make these pants again, although I may return the leg width back to normal. I think these would be great in a cosy knit as loungewear or in a silk as a dressy pant.

Next Two Projects: Part 2 or How Fashion Decisions are Made at Casa Clio

2011-07-21T13:27:00.000-04:00

My Burda border print pants are underway. I'm really not willing to spend much time muslin-ing an elastic waist pants that are meant to have a loose, relaxed fit. But I love the fabric, which is semi-sheer. So, rather than just cutting into it blind, I'm using the cotton batiste underlining as a muslin. If I don't like the fit or it needs significant alterations, I'll scrap the project before cutting into the fashion fabric.

After these pants, my next project will be another possibly controversial garment: a jumpsuit.

V1249: Mark & James (Badgley Mischka) Jumpsuit

Jumpsuits are polarizing. Before deciding on this project, I sought guidance from the Muse fashion committee. Here's the 5-way email exchange - a little slice of how important fashion decisions are made here at the Five Muses blog.

Ladies, important question:
This Badgley Mischka jumpsuit pattern - have I lost my mind or might this be cute? On me? I'm thinking this would be perfect for the cruise or another dressy but relaxed occasion - worn with espadrilles and a huge necklace perhaps. NOT in white. But it's entirely possible that the whole Badgley Mischka-ness of it is clouding my judgement. Thoughts please: yea or nay?

Love, Clio

And here are the responses from the Muses (unedited; emphasis theirs not mine):

Terp: I'm not a fan of jumpsuits but I think it would look cute on you!

Magenta: I am uncertain. Not helpful I understand. I'd like to say no immediately upon reading jumpsuit - because 'they' say, if you were there for the trend the first time, sit it out the second time. I wore many a jumpsuit in the early 90s. Still, I can't quite bring myself to say no. I kind of like it. And it could go well. I think. Maybe. I am very interested to hear what you ladies have to say to this one.

Dr K: Really. I'm unsure too... But my first impression when I saw it was - that could be really cute. I also try to do the thing 'they' say about being around the first time. But, that would also include leggings and tunics, and clearly we're all okay with that. I think a modern take is perfectly acceptable.

Poly: I like it! And I think you would look good in it because it would show off your shoulders, neck and collar bones nicely. Plus, the pants look like they have just the right amount of fullness. Nice drape - not baggy or clingy. But you'd definitely need a nice belt. I envision a cool leather obi or other wide band belt. And bangle bracelets! Although I couldn't wear one (I couldn't pull it off), I think you would look great in it. I say yes! A great option for the cruise!

Magenta: You know what? I'm totally on board too!

Dr K: Yeah. I'm on board too. I think I got stuck on 'jumpsuit'. I should have just gone with my first instinct which was 'thats really cute.' we overthink sometimes!

So, although the committee is not going to be donning jumpsuits themselves any time soon, they reached a consensus and are willing to let me grab crazy by the horns and just go with it. LOL. What is it about jumpsuits? I definitely turned my nose up at them the last time this trend came around. But now, I'm thinking that this could be fun. And it will be my first project involving boning. So, another skill to master.

I've started assembling notions and scoped out some beautiful rayon matte jersey at Mood in that bold orange shade that I just love. Then I had an awful revelation...

Gwen Stefani in No Doubt's video for "It's My Life"

It could seriously end up looking like a prison jumpsuit. Yikes. But I really love the orange. And I'm feeling inspired by the Norma Kamali parachute dress posted on the Colette Patterns blog the other day (fierce, no?). I think if you're going to wear a jumpsuit, you really have to own it. So, wish me luck with this one. Ha!

What are your thoughts on jumpsuits in general and on whether mine, in orange, will be advisable or not? Will I end up looking fierce and fabulous, or will this end up being a Lindsay Lohan Halloween costume?

Instant Gratification Sewing: Yoga Mat Bag

2011-07-19T16:27:00.000-04:00

From cut to done in an afternoon. Just what the ~~doctor~~ yogi ordered!

The pattern is from Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter. I made the bag a bit larger than her version to accommodate my thicker-than-standard, knee-friendly mat. The new bag isn't as rugged as the first one I made a few years ago with a home dec fabric, but I think it will get me from home to ohm in style.

Namaste, everyone!

Vogue 1042 Seersucker Garden Party Dress: Final Reveal!

2011-07-17T13:04:00.002-04:00

Well, here I am heading off to my good friend Magenta's shower. It was a champagne tasting in the Maid of Honor's back yard - a fun summer garden party. It was a fantastic day.

There are only a few things that I would do differently next time. Cidell's comment about using a bra pattern to help adjust the bodice was a great suggestion, and one I will surely use with any future bustier style tops. This dress was not difficult to sew, but it was challenging to fit. That said, I'm pretty pleased with the final outcome. Thanks to all of you who made suggestions and comments along the way. Really, this dress became much more of a project than I anticipated, and it would not have come together without all your help and comments.

Pattern Review here!

A Little Break From Fitting

2011-07-14T17:07:00.000-04:00

How do you rate the success of a sewing project? If you are of the mindset that a project is most successful when it becomes a go-to item that lasts over time, then one of my most successful projects of all time is the bag I made for my yoga mat, 3 1/2 years ago. Not only was it one of my very early sewing projects, but I've been using this bag several times a week since then, and it's still in great shape.

Summer is a more relaxed time for me at work, and I've been finding the time, once or twice a week, to make it to a yoga class at lunchtime. So, now I have two mats - one for the office and one for home/gym - but only one bag. And after the marathon that was my seersucker dress (hemming WILL be finished tonight!), I think I need a little break from fitting. In fact, it would be excellent to have a project that I could start and finish in one day, more or less.

So, before I tackle my border print Burda pants, I'm sewing a very easy yoga mat bag - the exact same pattern as last time - in this fabric, which is a remnant from an early project:

I swear I am going to avoid doing any alterations or enhancements that will add to the length or difficulty of this project, as seems to be my habit.

All but the hem...

2011-07-12T16:07:00.000-04:00

How many times in life - and sewing - can you say, "Wow, that was easier than I thought"?

Not too often, but lining my dress turned out to be one of those things. Easy!

That proved to be a very very good thing since, immediately after lining the dress, I tried it on and the bust gaped horribly. I have no explanation for how this happened after all my careful fitting.So, I had to un-sew the lining (thank goodness I hadn't understitched yet!) take in a few seams, and re-sew the lining. The second time was even easier than the first.

Also, I liked the topstitching around the cups/bust area so much that I even decided that rather than understitch the lining, I would just topstitch around the neckline and arms. I think it looks really good.

So, now all that is left to do is hem, which I will do by hand during the week. I plan to wear the dress to a good friend's shower on Saturday, so final reveal - all accessorized and whatnot - then.

Q: How long does it take to serge all 8 seams of a skirt and it's lining?

2011-07-05T15:23:00.000-04:00

A: Longer than you'd think, at least if you are me.

But it was very good practice with my serger. Slow and careful was my mantra, and I think I'm finally getting the hang of chaining off the ends.

I'm really coming down the home stretch on this dress. And I think it looks great in seersucker. Honestly, this was a bigger project than I thought it would be. But that's ok. I'm enjoying the process nonetheless.

The big tasks left are dropping in the lining and adding the invisible zipper. I've never lined a dress before, so it may be a bit of an adventure.

I hope you had a fun and productive weekend, and enjoyed some fireworks!

Elements of Style: Does Beauty Matter?

2011-07-01T15:46:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week, I was drafting a post on exploring/cultivating my style, when I came across this articl e on how to talk to little girls.

The gist of the article is that, in general, our first impulse when meeting a little girl is to tell her how very cute/pretty/princessy/adorable/etc she is, and that this teaches girls that how they look is more important in society than any other aspect of who they are - their intelligence, talents or personality. The author connects the dots between this early focus on appearance and our cultural fixation on and pursuit of unrealistic beauty ideals and all of the self esteem issues and other problems associated with it.

Even Dora the Explorer caved to Disney Princess Mania

This got me thinking about looks - whether they matter, why they matter and where to draw a line between vanity, cultural expectations/societal pressures, and good self esteem. I'm not 100% in agreement with the author. I think that strong parenting can do a lot to counter-balance cultural pressures and develop healthy self esteem in both girls and boys. But I do get her point. When Dora the Explorer adds "Princess" to her name and Bratz Dolls are popular for young girls, well, that's a lot of pressures to contend with.

Bratz Dolls: At least Barbie's lip liner matched her lip stick.

Case in point: I have a niece who I am close with - Miss J - who just turned 13. Miss J is an A student who has a nice group of friends (all "good girls") and a range of activities including chorus and lacrosse. She is currently fighting with her mom over getting a push-up bra. Despite being a normal, healthy weight, she's also shown an increased concern with dieting and her weight lately.

All of this got me thinking about women and beauty and whether looks are important. I care about my appearance and, generally speaking, I'm happy with the reflection in the mirror. I can't deny it: I do own a push up bra or two, along with many others. For me, taking care of my appearance is part of caring about my person, which is part of how I maintain good self-esteem. And at the end of the day, how we present ourselves to the world affects not only how we are perceived in both social and professional spheres, but often indicates how we feel about ourselves.What kind of role model does this make me?

For little girls, playing with makeup is fun, but where is the line between little girls playing grown up and little girls actually wearing makeup and believing this is something that they need to do to look pretty? Or, that they need push up bras? How do we protect girls from thinking that their looks are the most important thing about them, while at the same time helping them to embrace the reflection in the mirror and care for themselves? How do you teach a girl that the definition of beauty is far too narrow and too artificial? Where is the healthy balance?

Harmless, girly fun?

Perhaps I was sheltered from much of this because of my own mother. She could have been an "Ivory Girl". During my childhood she didn't wear any cosmetics, jewelry or high heels. She always told me and my sisters how pretty we were, but she did not allow us to grow up fast. I remember the year long campaign my sister, Calliope, and I had to wage before we were allowed to get our ears pierced.

There were times when I had wished that my mom was a better role model and teacher for how to dress or put together an outfit, how to do my makeup and hair, and so on. But, in retrospect, I think perhaps she may have been an even better role model for not teaching me these things; for not placing an outsized importance on appearance. Even as an awkward and chubby teen, in most regards my self esteem was pretty good. I was smart, I had great friends, I excelled academically and I had lots of activities that I was good at.

It wasn't until my early 20's that I began to have a sneaking suspicion that I might perhaps actually be pretty. To be perfectly honest, I think I went away to college an ugly duckling and came home a bit more swan-like. I was a late bloomer that way. And now I feel like I've really hit my stride beauty-wise in my 30's. It would be a lie for me to say that I don't like the skin I'm in. However, feeling like I am an accomplished person with interesting hobbies (sewing! baking!) and that I am strong and fit (running! yoga!) probably has more to do with feeling beautiful, than how I actually look does. I think I project what's inside.

So, this brings me back to where I stared this post - personal style and the image I want to project. There is no question that I think more about my appearance since I began sewing. But I didn't come to sewing because of any insecurity with my looks. If anything, I am more comfortable and confident in my looks, and I think I deserve clothing that fits me beautifully and reflects how I feel about myself. Only it seems more complicated now. How do I be beautiful and be a good role model for loving oneself as is?

Readers, I'm not sure where I'm going with this. But I welcome your own thoughts on it - beauty, little girls, sewing and how this all affects us. (And you are free to disagree with me and tell me I'm a hag. My self esteem can take it. Ha!)

Who let the air out of my cookies?

2011-06-29T16:00:00.000-04:00

So today is my day to blog about my non-sewing hobbies.

I'm a far more proficient baker than sewista. It's something I've been doing for years and to a degree where I'm confident enough to tinker pretty extensively with my TNT recipes. But even experiences bakers have flops. And last weekend I learned a valuable and somewhat scientific lesson on the difference between baking soda and baking powder. Before you jump to any conclusions, I didn't mistakenly substitute one for the other.

I've gotten into the (very tasty) habit of resting my cookie dough for a day or more before baking. The results are unarguably better, IMHO. So, on Saturday, I whipped up a new-to-me recipe for Cherry Double-Chocolate Cookies that a colleague has been raving about. The dough (I do not fear raw eggs and tried some) was delicious, so I had high hopes. Into the fridge went the dough until Sunday night, when I baked the cookies up. That's when disaster struck.

Even flatter in person than photo if you can believe it.

Instead of cookie-looking cookies, what emerged from my oven looked more like "manhole covers" as Phin put it. The cookies were completely flat and thin with just a few bumps where a nut or cherry stuck up. He later added that they were indeed "tasty manhole covers". Giggle, giggle. It really amuses me to blog about my cooking disasters, which of all varieties of disaster are usually the funniest.

Anyway, after some on-line research and a read through some of my baking books, I learned that while Baking Powder (which was not called for in this recipe, but is in most of my other cookies) is heat activated, Baking Soda (which provides the leavening for these cookies) is activated by moisture and acid rather rapidly, instead of heat. Therfore, it will fizzle out if left uncooked for too long, like 24 hours in the fridge. DOH! So, essentially, the lesson of the day is that any recipe calling for baking soda needs to be baked right away. Period.

So, lesson learned. Next batch to follow...

Frantic Fun! Or the Victory I Needed

2011-06-29T15:26:00.002-04:00

I had to post about the Frantic Fun Run simply because, well, who doesn't love a cow wearing sneakers? Also, it was a small victory after my miserable wadder of a 10k the other week.

I managed to finish this 5k run last night which supports a working historic farm (hence, the cow). It was a cross country trail - meaning that I was running over grass, gravel and woodland, past fields, ponds and event a few bovine observers. I've never run cross country before (city girl used to pavement and asphalt), and it is challenging in a very different way. You can't really zone out to your ipod because you're never running on even ground and have to be constantly on alert for roots, rocks and little divots and undulations lest you wind up wiping out. It was only 5k and, although I was beginning to feel overheated by the end, I pushed through and finished. It was a challenge - frantic and fun! - and I'm glad to have done it.

Two Stitches Forward, One Stitch Back

2011-06-27T15:33:00.001-04:00

I made big progress on my dress this weekend, right up until I reached an impasse - actually three impasses simultaneously. On the progress side, I finished tinkering with the fit, the lining (formerly the muslin) is basically sewn and the dress fabric is cut.

Lining

I'm rather happy with how I fit the back. My wildcat alteration of sewing a dart into the muslin to deal with my narrow shoulders, and then using the muslin (with dart sewn and pressed/starched flat) as the pattern piece worked beautifully, at least on the lining. The back is now fitting very well - there's no gaping at the nape/upper back, but when I raise my arms or reach forward there is also no pulling or binding. Perfect, hooray! I can't really take credit for this "eliminate the dart" method. I first saw it applied to a small-ish bust dart in Fit for Real People. It worked well.

Muslin with dart = pattern piece without dart

Where I got hung up is these three things:

Topstitching thread - My seersucker is the classic blue and white variety, so I bought both blue and white topstitching thread last week with plans to test them this weekend. Both have mysteriously vanished into the vortex where stray socks and pen caps go. I'm convinced that I'll someday find the thread in the same Bermuda-triangle corner where my missing hair canvas went.

"Nylon Fusible Interfacing" - This is what Vogue prescribes to interface the bodice. The problem is that I haven't been able to find it anywhere...in the NY Garment District... or online. So, last week I finally emailed Pam at Fashion Sewing Supply. Within 24 hours I received a very helpful reply saying that nylon fusible has fallen out of favor (sheesh, Vogue needs to get with the times) and suggesting some alternatives. On a side note, not only does FSS have the best interfacings IMHO, but their customer service is top notch, and Phin just let me know that my interfacing arrived this afternoon. Thanks, Pam!

Finally - and this is the one that kind of surprises me - I couldn't find Maxi-Lock serger thread in my usual notions stores last week. Maxi-Lock is what both Brother and the retailer where I bought my serger recommend. And since my serger is new, I haven't really bought any color thread beyond black. So, I had to order white serger thread on line, and it too has not yet arrived. Anyone have a source in NYC for Maxi-Lock? It seems odd that it eluded me.

Anyway, lest you think I am stewing over any of this, I am not. I recently received an invitation to a shower for my very excellent friend, Magenta. It's on the 16th. So, despite not making this dress in time for one friend's wedding, I'll wear it for the first time to another friend's shower.

So, tonight I will be interfacing and getting started sewing the dress bodice. Hopefully my thread will arrive in the next day or two so seams can get finished!

In the Mood For On-line Shopping??

2011-06-24T09:55:00.002-04:00

If you've been thinking about a fabric splurge but aren't near NY's Garment District, you are in luck. Mood Fabric is having an on-line sale to celebrate summer. Deets below. Enjoy!

(Oh, I should probably add that I am not affiliated with Mood other than spending way too much of my paycheck there too often. Just thought that those of you who can't get there in person may want to indulge in some virtual Mood-iness.)

***********

25% off Orders Over $100.00 at MoodFabrics.com*

To celebrate the start of Summer 2011 Mood Designer Fabrics would like to offer our clients 25% off their next purchase of $100.00 or more, this weekend June 24, 25 & 26!

To receive the discount enter Coupon Code
Summer2011
at checkout.

*Offer not valid on item beginning with Product Number PV.

Weekend Report: Muslin Progress and DNF: Baked Noodle!

2011-06-20T17:06:00.000-04:00

Muslin Progress at last!
So the front of my dress is looking pretty good. The bust is now fitting just about right.

For the front of the bodice I enlarged the cups and the negative space they should fit into. Again, thank you Elmo for the helpful pictur e of what the bra cup alteration should look like. It took a bit of playing around with how much to add, but it worked like a charm. I also made the cups a bit wider and the bottom piece slightly deeper.

I'm still tweaking the back a little bit. I tried two different methods for narrowing the shoulders. A pivot and slide method made the back and front shoulder seams different lengths and caused me to have to alter the odd shaped shoulder strap pieces. And that got messy. The other method- taking a tuck that ran the whole length of the piece didn't work because I need the extra room at the lower back (easing out the side and princess seams to compensate only worked to a point).

See, still some pulling in the tuck method

So I've made the excess fabric into a dart on the muslin. I'm going to then use the muslin piece (with the dart still sewn) to cut the seersucker, eliminating the extra fabric (in theory). I think this should preserve the grainline, which would look all wonky in seersucker if it was off or there was random darts in places. Um, wish me luck with this bit of creative fitting.

DNF: Baked Noodle Wadder
That is not a typo for DVF, who is fabulous. And it is not a cooking notation. DNF is what appears next to your name, instead of a finishing time, when you run a race and Do Not Finish. This is the running equivalent of a wadder.

On Saturday, I was signed up to run a 10k race, practically in my back yard. The race did not begin until 11am when the real-feel temp was 90 degrees. I don't do so well in the heat and there was no shade - not even a shadow. Despite being well hydrated, by the 1.5 mile water station I was overheated. I dumped several cups of water over my head to cool down. After a few minutes, my hands were still shaking. So I walked home feeling defeated, although I think it was a good decision. In all seriousness, I thoroughly baked my noodle. I was vapid and had a headache for the next six or seven hours - an utter waste of valuable sewing time!

Anyway, it was a defeat. But I've already bought some lighter weight running clothes and I'm going to do shorter but regular runs in the heat (to acclimate myself), stopping whenever I need to. Phin is trying to coax me into running in just a jog bra and shorts/capris. I'm not sure how I feel about this purely for vanity reasons. Although, if I just go for it, perhaps it will spur me to do something about the blob of ricotta that currently resides above my bellybutton? Hmmm... what motivates you?

Drive By

2011-06-13T16:44:00.000-04:00

Just a quick howdy on this Monday. There was zero sewing going on over the weekend because I was in Chicagoland for a wedding, and a business trip mid-week will probably keep me out of the Craft Lounge even longer. The closest I got to anything sewing oriented was driving by the flagship store of Vogue Fabrics in Evanston, IL on the way to the wedding. It had a big SALE sign in the window. What an incredible tease that was.

The only good sewing news is that the Summer Dress Challenge has been extended until Sunday. So, there is a chance - albeit a slim one - that I'll finish or mostly finish my dress on time. I hope you all had a more productive weekend than me!

Broken Record: More Talk about my Bust

2011-06-09T12:57:00.001-04:00

Sheesh! It seems like all I've done recently is blog about my bust. And here I go again.

I'm hoping that you can point me in the right direction with the FBA on my seersucker dress. I've searched high and low for an FBA tutorial specifically dealing with bustier style tops or for bras. No luck. So, I'm winging it. Here's where things stand:

I took a tuck down the center front to make the space between the cups closer together. And I enlarged the space that the cups fit into by basically tracing where the underwire of my bra hits and using that as the new seam line. (Compare left cup to unaltered right space-for-the-cup to see how much larger I needed it to be). As I had hoped, now that the bodice front seems to be the right shape and isn't pulling away from my body, the creases along the lower back have disappeared. Hooray!

The remaining problem is that I need to make the cups larger. In the picture above, what I did was let out the center seam on the cup and use a smaller seam allowance attaching it to the bodice. My problem is that the cups are too flat now - not rounded enough. I'm not really sure in which direction to add to the cup pieces - along the center seam? Along the seamline where it attaches to the bodice? Should I start by just cutting a larger size? Here is what the pattern pieces look like - any thoughts on how to make a cup size larger?

The pattern pieces - upper and lower cup.

My traced pieces

Anyway, your thoughts on this are most appreciated!

Worst. Monday. Ever.

2011-06-06T15:17:00.000-04:00

All kidding aside, I am having an epically bad Monday. On top of it being my first day back in the office after my blissful staycation, I left my jacket on the train, started the workday with a phone call from a notoriously difficult person, and had to deal with a medical emergency which required an ambulance (everyone is ok). And while I'm a very cool customer in a crisis, now that the situation is over I'm thoroughly freaked out.

SO, to get my mind off my disaster of a day, I'm going to share one nice sewing-related thing that happened last week. The vintage sewing pattern I won on Ebay arrived, along with a lovely note from the seller.

Greetings from Kansas
Hello-

Thank you for your purchase of the slip pattern. I hope you like it, and it serves you well.

These old fashions always remind me of the old black and white movies, where someone is riding on a train. Intrigue always follows!

Sewing has become a lost art. I'm glad this pattern is now in capable, deserving hands so it will have a chance at a second useful life.

Hope this finds you well. All the best.

This really got my imagination fired up. And receiving such a nice note from a stranger who appreciates sewing, as I do, makes me stop and think about how very glad I am to be a part of the sewing community at large. When I started sewing, I thought of it as a solo pursuit. I didn't realize that it would connect me to a whole community of people who share my excitement and enthusiasm. I'm always so grateful at the amount of encouragement, advice and kudos that I get from others. We're like that big quirky family from your hometown, with an endless number of aunts and uncles and cousins - too many to keep track of - that always seemed to be coming and going, and up to something fun that no one else seemed to really get. I always wanted to be a part of that odd group. And now I am! Ha ha!

So, a big thank you to all of you who stop by my blog - I am truly appreciative. And I appreciate each and every comment left. Oh, and if you haven't checked out the Stay Cool - Stitch up a Dress summer dress challenge blog, there's a whole bunch of other sewists at work there. I'm still working on my seersucker dress muslin - it's better, but still needs a bit more work before I show you the next version.

Next Two Projects: Part One

2011-06-03T14:10:00.000-04:00

I confess: there isn't much sewing happening on Staycation. But I have gone running, gotten a mani/pedi, toured MOMA, walked the High Line, gone on a tapas crawl, been to a Mets game and seen the new X-Men movie. So, it isn't like I'm doing nothing, although right now I'm sitting on the back porch while Phin is grilling some kebabs - a very nice kind of doing nothing. Any second he's about to walk through the back door with a glass of wine for me.

Despite a lack of progress on my dress (um, I don't think I'll be done for my friend's wedding at this rate), I'm positively giddy about my next two sewing projects. Not only are they summery and fun, but they both might be controversial. I'm starting with the less controversial one.

I've been meaning to sew more from my growing collection of Burda-Whatever-We're-Calling-It magazine, and there was a lot to like in the most recent issue. I seem to really be drawn to their warm weather patterns. So, my next project is those easy elastic waist pants that they showed in both woven and knit fabrics.

Burda 6/2011 - 114

The exciting and possibly controversial part is that I plan to sew view A of these pants up with my very fun floral border print fabric that I bought on a whim at MetroTextiles. Now, I know that most people would look at this fabric and think "maxi dress", but for some reason I think "pants!" I'll probably make the legs a bit wider to show off the fabric more.

The one in the front, with the turquoise flowers.

Now, I'm not entirely sure that flower print pants are completely...um... advisable. And I'm certain that they're different from anything I've ever worn. But I'm hoping they'll be crazy good rather than just crazy. And I trust that you'll tell me if I shouldn't wear them out of the house. Do we have a deal? Thanks.

Have a great weekend!

Blue Top Photo Shoot

2011-06-01T12:00:00.028-04:00

Ahem: Here is the top that I stitched up with my granny's circa 1970 Kenmore "zigzag" sewing machine. Honestly, it was a dream to sew on. Now I understand the sewistas (and one very bold sewister) who thrive on these beautiful old machines. The only thing I did on my fancy modern machine was use a double needle for the hem.

This top is BurdaStyle 2/2011 -102. I'm sure this will become a staple in my work wardrobe. It's a great pattern, with a few adjustments and notes. The top is meant to be close fitting, possibly even styled with negative ease (I didn't measure, but it seemed that way). I was glad to have left 1" seam allowances on the side seams; I used them. Also, I'm fairly tall at 5'9", and normally add 1' to the top half of a pattern. I added nearly 3" to this top and still had a few photos that have been relegated to the "outtakes" file because of tummy peek. See...

Tug, tug. Really, the skirt is riding a bit low, too.

The other thing to note is that this top is about as low cut as I would ever wear to work, and it has pretty wide set straps/sleeve-lets. I love this neckline, but will have to be more careful with the bra I choose. The racerback I was wearing in these photos is a no-go.

Tuck in those straps, Clio!

At the end of the day, I'm very happy with this top in particular and all the recent additions I've made to my professional wardrobe. But I think I'm done sewing for work, at least for now. Next up is my seersucker dress. Then I have two incredibly fun summer projects which I just can't wait to tell you about and begin sewing... just as soon as I organize myself and my thoughts. More on this all in a few days! Happy sewing!