Presenting...the Marie Skirt!

The Marie Skirt that I did with the One Pearl Button sew along is complete! Hooray!

To be honest, I’ve been a bit of a deadbeat in the sewing department and I needed to finish something to justify all the pattern and fabric buying I’ve been doing. As the skirt began to come together, I started to worry about the fit and the style on my body. More than anything, I worried that this tulip style, though beautifully pleated, would drown me and make me look frumpy. It does give my rear end sufficient space but it’s baggy, which doesn’t help my petite frame and there’s nothing on top (read: boobs) to balance out the bottom heaviness.

But all in all, it was a wonderful sewing experience. Alli’s instructions and accompanying photos were way more helpful than the sometime-elusive nature of BurdaStyle pattern directions. I even took it out for a spin yesterday and it was so comfortable to walk around town. I heart the high waist and the pleats. And it even survived the wash! I’m always a bit worried that it’ll come out of the dryer in a million pieces, a testament to my stitching abilities.

Admittedly, I had a helluva time trying to get the zipper in, mostly because I hadn’t quite figured out to use my zipper foot until I saw this tutorial. I did it so many times that I damaged the very lightweight denim. I did realize that’s one sewing-related thing I’m wicked good at: Seam ripping.

I’m trying to be patient with myself with this sewing-stuff. The speed of the machine is deceiving. This is not fast at all. But here are my lessons:

-Loose weave fabric (if that’s the correct term) frays easily, not only at the edges but amid my seam-ripping skills. I need to sew with more durable fabric or figure out how to handle this fabric: needle? stitch length? interfacing?
-I can sew *zippers*. Finally.
-I have officially overcome my hem fears thanks to the facing in this skirt pattern. It made it so much easier and I even blindstitched by hand. I think I’ll use hem tape for all my future hems thanks to my experience here.
-Even though the skirt survived the wash, I've belatedly learned I should interface the zipper-seam for stability (given the lightweight fabric). It's a wee bit wonky.

I'm off to Gold Country and Marie's coming with me!

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

Just as I was getting cocky about how I had no desire to purchase new and fantasized about being a Wardrobe Refashion Lifer (moderation is not always part of my personality), I caved in the first month of my Wardrobe Refashion pledge. Head hung in shame, here it is, folks:



I'm out of town and we had to go to the mall because my partner’s glasses broke after a box flew into his face (blue collar work is always so much more interesting than cubicle work!). And then the Banana Republic outlet was having a sale, and … well, you know the rest. This might be the first time I’ve bought any new Banana Republic in a decade. But I’ve been desperate for a Perfect Black Cardigan and this had honeycomb smocking.



Before you say that this cardy is Too Grandma, know that my honeycomb smocking love comes from Faye Dunaway's depiction of Bonnie in Bonnie and Clyde. Note there's a neat tutorial here.



Girl crush. Sigh. My beret’s coming out to play, too.

I went all Imelda (again)

Someone please tell me that hoarding is a natural byproduct of thrifting and/or sewing. I can't seem to stay away and I can't seem to come home without bags o' stuff.

The problem with thrifting is that Better Judgment tends to give way to the way more powerful Insanely Good Deal. Many would say this is not a problem at all; it's a few bucks here and a few bucks there and besides, it goes to nonprofit foundations. You could justify it as a donation to your community.

But at home, I remember that I have no storage space, I'll be moving soon, and frankly, my goal is to have less (but better quality) in my closet than more. But who could resist this colorful array of shoes in exactly my size? As a die-hard flats girl, I justified the $2/per pair purchases since my going-out wardrobe is near zero.

How about the detail on these darling white pumps? They fit perfectly with my little minimalist black/white wardrobe phase I'm going through. And they're soooo comfortable.



I love this detail as well from these Brazilian pumps. It also has a beautiful wooden, stacked heel.



The pleating on this is so elegant. Navy heels may help me mix it up, particularly since I'm still searching for the Perfect Black Pump.



And if there's ever been any question about my inner-bukness, purple shoes!



I sometimes wonder whether buying vintage shoes is a solid investment. Yes, you'll be wearing something unique (and, in my case, in many colors!) but the heels wear easily. I literally wore a pair (a contestant for the Perfect Black Pump) in the rain and the leather sole disintegrated while I was teaching. Ack! So now I'll take a few of these to the cobbler and my $1-2 shoes will cost me anywhere from $8-$23 per pair to preserve. Wasn't the point of thrifting to do things on the cheap? I feel like I may be doing this ass-backwards.

I also did come home with a number of sewing goodies: purple corduroy, cream twill, and red linen. Bias tape and buttons galore, a few zippers, patterns. A vintage skirt. A roller sewing foot. Lace. And ribbon I'm tempted to use with Colette Patterns' free Madeleine Mini Bloomers.

Pattern Frenzy

It's been the week of (really) hard knocks, but what better time to lapse into fabric fantasies? Maybe I can sew my way out of the mess I've found myself in.

Exit DRAMA QUEEN. Enter OVERAMBITIOUS SEWIST.

So, I've been trying to keep my pattern lusting under control because my sewing skills aren't quite up to snuff and whenever I do some major indulgence purchases, I end up neglecting half of them because my taste and interests have shifted before I get to enjoy them all. That Asian-inspired wrap-dress pattern I absolutely had to have in 2004? Totally still in its envelope.

But then I saw Jessica over at Green Apples had sewn up one of the very patterns I'd been coveting: A Vogue Paris Original pattern designed by Christian Dior in the early 1970s. In a word: Envy. Since then, she's also made some beautiful wide-leg pants (another weakness of mine) here. This woman kills me.

Self-discipline crumbled.

So I bought a number of patterns from two etsy shops, All Fairy's Vintage and Historically Patterns, and bought a number at thrift stores nearby. I've never thought of myself as era-oriented, but I've realized after looking over many, many vintage patterns that I'm really drawn to the late 1960s and the early 1970s.

The matronly (albeit sexy) looks of the 1950s had given way to a more youthful and easygoing style in the late 60s and early 70s, but the flowy-romantic nature of the 70s had yet to set in. Part of this is body type—I'm petite and have zero boobage. The youthful styles look better on me. In fact, whenever I flip through style books I'm immediately drawn to the gamine look, a la Audrey Hepburn. But who doesn't love Audrey? I want pedal pushers and boatneck tees and flats. I want mini-dresses.

So here's some of the catches. A junior pattern from 1968. I'd like to make all versions: the tank, the mini-dress and the dress, and those straight leg pants (with an elastic waist!)



I also got a 5-pattern pack in my size from the 60s, which included these adorable skirts.



And these blouses! Bordering on a little too formal/romantic for me, but they'd be wonderful practice, and I love that scalloped neckline.



And, of course, in my envy, I picked up a Vogue Paris Original Pattern. This one's by Molyneux, and I've got another Nina Ricci one coming in the mail. This doesn't have the same simple elegance as the Dior pattern, but I like the shape, what it does with contrast at the neckline, and the use of tabs (right term?). I'd like to do this in white with black contrast and navy with white (ahoy sailor!).



I also got this men's shirt. The theory is that the men's styles were slimmer in the 1960s versus today. We'll see. This is meant to be a gift.



And, in actual sewing news, the Marie skirt is coming along!



Happy sewing!

The Tale of Two Bow Ties

As soon as I started to show interest in sewing apparel again, my partner recruited me to up his bow tie stash. We used the BurdaStyle David bow tie pattern. Now I've made him two, reversible bow ties using scrap fabric and one brown bow tie from remnant fabric.

Above, he's sporting the reversible bow tie on New Year's, with a thrifted Saks Fifth Avenue tuxedo shirt (which set him back a whopping $1.99). The reversible tie had been his idea and it gives it an interesting look and texture. We realized, later, that Brooklyn Circus sports similar ties, though one side of theirs is in velvet. This was our prototype, so it's a bit droopy in the woven cotton, but I'd like to do it with solids and a stripe in something more silk-ish.

A note on the pattern: I can't find those damn sliders for the life of me (at least not in this size). So on the first batch, I stitched the two sides together and my partner managed to finish the ends. On the second one, I made it one long piece by measuring the neck (ours was 18 1/2 inches, though it turned out a wee big) and cutting two pieces on the fold.



When I sewed it, I left a 4-inch gap in the middle to turn the tie right side out. This gap can then be pressed and hand-stitched closed.

Marking the gap:


This was a polyester, satin-like fabric. It handled easily and is a lot perkier than the last.



I was a little dubious on the bow-tie coolness argument, but I think I've been converted. I even like it dangling open at the end of the night. So much more interesting than a regular tie loosened at the collar. It's something I typically only get to see on screen.



I also take comfort in knowing that it took him just as much time to learn to tie them as it took me to sew them (interfacing battles and all!). Thank goodness for YouTube videos!

My first refashion project: Pink vintage skirt, reimagined

I’m elated with my first refashion project. Perhaps I should rephrase, this is my first wearable refashion project. When I first started sewing, seven years ago, I’d take garments and try to re-fashion them. It was embarrassingly awful. But after years of sewing curtains and tote bags and learning patience, I’m finally up for apparel again.

This is the original skirt that I thrifted for $1. It was several sizes too big, but I liked the heavy fabric (a polyester) as well as the pattern. I’d originally considered making it into a pencil skirt a la BurdaStyle Jenny, but once my Colette Beignet pattern came in the mail, I was a goner for the buttons. In fact, I'm trying to use every sewing project to teach me something and I have major button-phobia. Here's the pattern illustration, in case you're not yet on the Colette train.

Refashioning—while not only an excellent venue to re-imagine new ways to use existing items—allows me a low-investment method to amp up my sewing skills. It’s my way of making a muslin, since I don’t want to buy the muslin and can’t bear to make something I’m not actually going to wear. If I screw up, I’m sad but I’ll get over it. But if I actually succeed, then I’ve got something *fabulous* to add to my collection.

This project came with it’s own frustrations. Because I was working with an existing piece, I had to adapt the pattern, combing the front panels and back panels. There was no facing. I improvised the lining (also thrifted). While I once recounted my lessons in the light of defeat, here are my lessons in the light of success:

-I can now sew buttonholes! And use my button foot. It’s amazing.
-I can also sew in-seam pockets. Watch out, closet! All you dresses are getting pockets.
-I learned the hard way that if the lining’s too tight, it can totally change the fit of the garment. Yeah. The inside of the skirt isn’t too pretty.
-Facing’s probably essential
-Belt loops are a pain in the okole. Anything that requires a 1/8-inch fold (especially since the fabric was so thick) is painful for me.
-Thanks to my partner’s mother, I’ve now begun to understand how I can ease the fullness when doing a hem. By no means is my hem perfect but it’s not bunchy or warped and all the other bad adjectives I’d use to describe pre-lesson hems. The aforementioned phenomenal seamstress told me that the bobbin moves faster than the needle and that changes how I deal with fullness and finishing edges.

This is not perfect, but it’s not awful. In fact, I got two compliments when I took it out for a virgin spin yesterday. And in typical-me behavior, I’m now going to point out one of the key things that make it look homemade: the lines on the side don’t match up, see?

But hey, I figure that’s part of refashioning—I’m working with what I’ve got. I also have all these wonderful lessons for when I make the real Beignet skirt from scratch. Even though my current skirt is a departure from the original vision, I'm already in love with this pattern—I love the shape, the ease, and just the downright classy-hip thing it's got going on.

Also, this is my first project on the Wardrobe Refashion blog. Check it out here.

Projects Page

I just spent way too long putting together a Projects page (tabbed on the top of the page), full of ideas and plans for refashion and sewing projects, tutorials, inspiration, etc. It's much longer than expected! But see? This is why I can't sleep at night thinking of all the things I could make. :)

Week Two: The Marie Skirt

My Marie Skirt is coming along! Now I’ve got two skirt pieces (front and back), waistband and facing pieces. Next week: Sewing.

I enjoyed Alli of One Pearl Button’s discussion on cutting, because it’s my hands-down least favorite sewing activity. I’m definitely going to upgrade, either to get better shears or, if I can actually make something wearable, I’ll get a rotary cutter. The cutters themselves don’t seem that expensive, it’s the mats. I’d like to get one large enough to accommodate most of the apparel cutting I intend to do.

Part of the reason I hate cutting is I feel the pieces don’t come out perfectly (which can be so frustrating during the sewing) and I think that’s largely due to my lesser-tools issue, but I love the introduction of pattern weights into my know-how. I first read about it in a Colette pattern and Alli encourages their use, “Using weights is much faster than pinning, plus weights won't distort your pattern the way pins do, allowing you to cut more accurately.”

At first I used these lovely vintage, typesetting sorts given to me by a friend years ago.



But they proved to be too light, so I got out the canned goods.



Look at those Goya cans. Can you tell I’m in love with a Boricua?

And since I find it impossible to cut around a pattern, I trace it and then cut along my marks. The “weights” are such an improvement from pins, as the fabric doesn’t move at all.



For all my frustration, this is one of the things I love about sewing. There are always new tricks to make the going easier (though I usually have to find them the hard way, ha!). I also would've never thought to trim the interfacing to reduce bulk. This week's sew along pointed to these DIY pattern weights at Five Green Acres. I'm totally going to make them!

Refashionista

I, Ali, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!

Yes, folks, I’ve taken the Wardrobe Refashion pledge. I feel a bit like I’m cheating as I hardly buy new anyway, but there’s something about pledging not to that not only feels significant but inspiring. I’m still articulating my thoughts on the matter (which I’ll post), but I’m hoping that this will inspire me to finish my first refashion project this weekend: a thrifted, vintage pink skirt refashioned with inspiration from the Colette Beignet pattern. Hooray!