Apron Love

I bought this pattern a few years ago, thinking that some day, I'm going to make some aprons.

The fabric came from Spool, a shop in Philadelphia. It's a bit thicker fabric than the typical quilting stuff at Joann's, which makes it just perfect for use in my apron.

I like this pattern, because it's got lots of shaping seams. The apron hugs the body, unlike some other bib apron designs, which are floppy and fit only when one ties them tightly.

Barefoot & In The Kitchen

Wearing a simple-to-make apron.

I had some leftover cotton fabric (from which I made a skirt earlier), purchased from Metro Textiles in NY a few years ago. There was not enough fabric to make a second skirt, even for a child. But there was enough for half a skirt. And so, an apron was born!
The fabric was pre-hemmed, so all I had to do was add a waistband (of black cotton), bind the edges (using the same black fabric), and add ties. And there you have it. A quick, kind of cute kitchen accessory. Below, you can see how I used wide ties at the waistline, but pleated them so they'd fit into the waistband neatly. I've seen this type of thing done on vintage aprons.
Speaking of aprons, I got this book recently - "A is for Aprons". After seeing my friend Jan's copy, along with her cute apron collection, I wanted my own. My own book. And my own apron collection. The directions for this apron are not in this book (it's so simple to make, no directions are needed), but I'm finding plenty of other inspiring designs to think about.

Making The Most of a Setback - The Asterisk Shirt!

I used the T shirt pattern from Christine Jonson's new pattern, Travel Trio One, to create this deconstructed quickie. It's a great pattern, but this post is not about the Travel Trio One.

The back story -- if you read this post from last week, you know that earlier this week, I was feeling like one super highly motivated sewing dynamo. I was. I cut out and sewed a most lovely version of a certain wrap dress - a Kwik Sew that I've made twice before. I love both of those dresses and wear them a lot, even though I've had them both for over 2 years. So I thought...why not make another of this great pattern? Well, things were winding down on the project. As I finished the waist attachment to the bodice, I tried it on as an assembled garment. Although it had looked lovely in pieces on the dress form, it did not look lovely on me. Why? Well, the fabric, a polyester knit, hugged every one of my itty bitty curves (not just the top two) way too much for decency. I brought Nick (my husband) in for an opinion. He agreed. Not that it was indecent...just that I should not wear it in public and expect to be taken for a lady.

So what happened? Previously, I'd made this dress of a rayon lycra knit - not more substantial than the polyester -just draped differently. Even though I tested the fabric, even though the weight was ideal for the dress, the fabric just did not work for me. (I guess, for someone with way more willingness to show the body's dimensions pretty completely, this fabric would have been just fine in this dress.)

If you're thinking that this problem would not have happened if I'd just have stabilized the fabric at key stress points, thus negating the fabric's tendency to cling - I did that. I did it all. I stabilized at shoulder seams, neckline, and even did a waist stay. But the fabric was just not right! This kind of thing happened to me a lot when I first started sewing. It has not happened for a long time. But that reminds me that the craft of sewing is loaded with variables that must be considered and controlled. Design of garment, construction techniques, fabric, quality of ancillary materials (like interfacing), whether the moon is full...

OK, so after that, I was in the mood for a pick-me-up. It was too early in the day for a few good slugs of Kentucky Bourbon, so my pick-me-up came in the form of a deconstructed t-shirt.

I did not finish the edges. I just serged all around the neck, all around the sleeve hems and all around the hem. I lengthened the shirt 1 inch. The fabric is from Jomar. It's a very stretchy rayon, with very little recovery. The front decoration (the asterisk) was done on a whim, after I cut the shirt out, but before I started to assemble it. It's simply eight 10 by 2 inch strips of fabric. I attached each strip to the shirt with a zig zag stitch running smack down the center of each strip. The fabric curls in to hide the stitching. The whole design of the shirt and it's deconstructed nature takes advantage of the knit jersey's tendency to curl toward the right side.

This project was a quick way for me to get my motivation back after that wrap dress setback! Onward, ho!

Smokin'!

Smokin' Hot, that is. My creative brain has been punched into overdrive!

The summer is almost here, and that's why I'm in my sewing room less than usual. I'm at the shore, traveling, riding my bike, with family. Regardless, I have indeed been sewing some. So check back soon for pics of what I've been up to when it comes to fashion fabric. In the meantime, I just HAD to share with you some amazing and beautiful things. I just purchased the Christine Jonson pattern, Travel Trio One, and can not wait to try it out. It is a beautiful design, I think. Draped on the chair, above, is the most beautiful fabric, also offered by Christine. It's called "Tango". I am SO glad I bought this fabric - it's super stretchy, made of very high quality rayon/poly yarns, and has little parallel ruffles (about 3/4 inch) inserted horizontally, perpendicular to the selvedge. The ruffles and the base fabric are subtly printed with a slightly shiny abstract print. Know that, however, when I say shiny, I do mean subtly shiny. I will wear this to work (I work at a Philadelphia, PA law firm) with no reservations whatsoever. So, I guess you'd say this fabric is conservative, but interesting. Using this fabric, I'm going to do a simple t top and straight skirt and plan to mix and match the garments (no bells and whistles needed, as the fabric will do all my talking in this design).

My friend Catherine just returned from Europe, and sent me a very beautiful and generous care package! See below. These magazines are in Spanish and Italian, and include all the patterns for the designs shown. I know about 2000 words of Spanish, and zero Italian. So I can't read them. But what do I care. These designs and patterns do all the talking I need to hear. From others, I've heard raves about these magazines, Patrones, in particular, and now I know why.
Just a sample of the goodies inside these magazines. Below, check out the feature on shorts. Hot! I really like the pair shown in green in the bottom photo. It has a cute little cargo pocket on the side - sporty and still elegant. I will probably wear mine with gladiator sandals - the high heels are a little much for me. But then again...we'll see...

Catherine also sent me some great things last month, including this book and a beautiful wrist pincushion - the same kind worn by the 'petits mains' in the Paris workrooms, which she had picked up on an earlier trip to Europe. Muchas gracias, Catherine!

Too Nice To Wear on The Lawn

This cotton lawn, available from Ann at Gorgeous Fabrics, is just the ticket for an elegantly casual tunic. I used Simplicity 2584. And..Ann has suggested just this pattern to make up this fabric. Great minds and all that. I really did think of it before I saw her recommendation!

The fabric made up beautifully in this design. The fabric is so finely woven that ironing was not necessary after I pre-washed. That bodes well for care of the finished garment.

I kind of see this garment as a 'brunch at the country club' type thing. Casual, colorful, not frumpy-comfy. Just comfy.

I drafted an 'all in one' neck facing, by overlapping the seam allowances at the shoulder, then cutting a one piece facing using silk organza. Actually, I cut two facing pieces, sewed them together, at the edges, then turned them right side out, thus creating a finished facing which I applied to the garment neck edge. Neato. I first learned of this technique from the Spadea sewing book back in the mid-1990's, when I checked out a copy at my local library. I bought my own copy quickly thereafter. This is the type of book I take to bed with me. (It's either a sewing book or a cookbook. And sewing books don't make me hungry...) The Spadea book is a collection of newspaper articles from the 60s and 70s. Back when sewing at home was something a lot of people did, it was common for mainstream newspapers to print sewing articles. They were in the "living" or "entertainment" section, usually near the crossword puzzles. Anyway, this book is out of print, but well worth getting, if you can find it.

I added a split hem at both sides, for wearing ease, especially when sitting. This garment is cut close to the body. Which is good, for appearance's sake - it looks good - not voluminous and bulky. Of course, that makes fitting very important. I have a broad back, so I added a total of 1 inch in the back, easing the extra fabric in at the shoulderline.

I inserted an invisible zipper and a button and loop at the neck. (The pattern does call for a zipper - the regular kind. You might agree with me that using an invisible zip ensures that your garment does not have that sometimes undesirable 'loving hands at home' look). The zipper allows the garment to fit pretty closely and you can still get in and out of it.

The Shirt On My Back

It's been a while since I sewed a traditional shirt - at least four years. So I thought I'd take a crack at this shirt from Hot Patterns.

I made a few changes, but nothing significant. Since I was using a striped fabric, I divided the back yoke at center back, and cut the pieces on the bias, creating some interest there. As for technique, I recommend David Page Coffin's book on shirtmaking. This reference is unparalleled, and I've been using it since it came out in the late 1990s.

Before? Or After?

Here is a dress by Hot Patterns that I made last December. The last one was of knit. This one is of rayon acetate, purchased off the remnant table at Jomar.

Do you like it better "before".....


Or does it look better, with a belt, "after"...?


To my eye, in the mirror, while wearing, it looked better with the belt. But upon reviewing these photos, I think the 'before' shot, sans belt, is better.

What do you think?