Raincoat

Raincoat, 2010
It has been raining lightly. Was working on this when the sky turned moss green then black as a tornado touched down in Brooklyn last week. It was eerie (the night-dark sky, trees careening in gales of wind and almost militant rain).

Detail: Collar

Detail: Lining



Towels.

Towels: Cotton, 2010
Simply made.
There is an old-friend appeal to much-used towels, to their thinness and slightly scratchy texture. It is a rare event that towels are replaced around here. These (photo) can be given to guest who might find less charm in threadbare towels.

Wrap-around Skirt

(Skirt: cotton with metal hardware, 2010)
The skirt has multiple panels sewn together then gathered. The adjustable wide band at the waist (like a weightlifter's belt) feels wonderful. It is strengthening! The pattern was drafted with a large hem allowance. Seeing the photograph it is evident that shortening the skirt would be better given the fullness of the design (and my height)!  Back to the machine.
(Waistband detail)

Sketches

Design Sketches for Camisole Blouse, 2010
There are many steps to making a garment, and it might be worth detailing them rather than waiting to post the final outcome. Initially there is a sketch, working out design ideas. Here is a sketch for the gingham blouse. Lace was going to be part of the design, but where to place it? Debated: the straps, above the bodice, at the hem and under the yoke. Ultimately the third version from the left was made.

Flamenco Skirt, the Flannel Version


Flamenco Skirt: Cotton, Tulle, 2010
The first attempt to draft a pattern for this skirt was a couple months ago. It was wearable, yet the resulting skirt was less flow-y than intended. Last week got down to business, drafting another pattern, sewing a muslin, making corrections to the pattern and crafting a summer-weight version of the skirt. Additional fine turning of the pattern meant lots of pencil sharpening and taping this week before cutting and sewing the flannel version. 
The pattern has three panels (a back, front and side) with six pattern pieces total for three layers of tiers. The lowest tier is flannel (cut separately from the upper panels). The next tier in this version is cut from knit fabric with a layer of black tulle is overlaying it.  (In the photograph the tulle looks almost like a blur.) The design has essentially three different views--the side view with cascading flounces, the front with a diagonal flounce and a longer panel in back giving the illusion of an ankle length skirt.
The blouse is a repurposed linen sheet. Am embracing the wrinkled aesthetic!
front view

Summer Gingham

(detail: Lace)
(Camisole: Cotton with cotton lace, 2010)


How does one describe the strength of wearing what one has made? It must be the same confidence-building sensation a child feels knowing "I did it myself"!

Begun last summer, the homemade wardrobe consisted fundamentally of three dresses, essentially the same design re-worked in different fabrics with variations (longer/shorter, with pockets, etc.). This hot summer, a camisole blouse. An initial sample used a worn white cotton sheet. The latest version (above) is gingham with cotton lace trim.

(On feet: shoes made by tracing the foot and figuring out how shoes are built. It took several attempts and there remains an issue of getting a solid sole on these. For now they are strictly indoor a footwear. According to a local cobbler, soles require glue that can adhere foot-bed fabric to the [leather or rubber] sole. This might be the next step to making everything, although it is a little daunting.





Rain Hat for Summer Storms

(Rain hat: cotton with satin lining, 2010)
A commercial in the 1980's for Gorton's fish sticks featured a fisherman at sea wearing a large yellow rain hat. The image became iconic. This could be the modern urban equivalent in sleek cotton duck. To keep the rain off the brim is wider in the back and slopes gracefully. 



(Lining) 
Fuchsia satin lining will lift spirits on grey, stormy days at high sea or on subway rides.

(Gorton's fisherman)

The Modern Garter

Garter: cotton/lycra, nylon, elastic
Why did garters go out of fashion? Tights, which replace a garter and stockings, are aptly named.

The solution: modernize! Plush garters are sewn to a band of gentle lace and soft jersey with an adjustable hook & eye closure. Here is a modern garter belt. The little bow in the front was a last minute consideration. It is a small detail yet it seemed to balance the design.


Blue Batiste Skirt

Amy and I went to Prospect Park yesterday where the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. There were wedding parties posing for photographs,  parents photographing their children and of course flowers and trees were photographed with abandon. The ground was dappled with sunlight. It was joyous.

I photographed Amy by a lavish sea of tulips--yellow, red, crimson all bright and seemingly happy. As I stood on the petal strewn lawn Amy took this photograph.

I had finished the cotton batiste skirt that afternoon. It has a zipper closure in the back, sewn  in place by hand because machine stitches lay too heavily on the breeze-like batiste. A discarded linen sheet was made into this blouse, a left-over piece of cloth became a sash. (How comfortable it is to wear a sash. The quasi-weightlifter's belt has merit outside of the gym.) The hat, made with a deep crown, initially seemed too big. Having discovered it is possible to put my hair up under the hat it has now become a favorite. Hats were the first step in making a completely homemade wardrobe.  

Light Calico Blouse


Cutting on the bias requires extra yardage. Too little fabric remained after cutting the bodice and cap sleeves for the bottom portion of the sleeves. Nylon mesh was on hand, ideal for a form fitting sleeve--soft and stretchy. I made the sleeves ultra long, widening at the wrist.  
A boutique has requested these and I am in production mode. Each blouse thus far is made with a different fabric. Unconventional for commerce, acceptable for art?
The wool plaid cummerbund was made about a year ago. (Matching stripes on a six-piece corset belt/cummerbund was nutty.) Wearing it is surprisingly solidifying.  It's the designer's workout belt!

(Blouse, cotton with nylon sleeves, 2010)

Bears


David O. wanted a bear. It was slightly intimidating--maybe because a teddy bear is the Holy Grail of childhood toys. I put it off until one day it was Bear Day. 

As it turned out, it more or less became Bear Week. There are now three bears, two blue and one pink. The fabric is the sort one might scoff at because of its Dr. Suessian hues--and secretly long for because it is preternaturally soft. It is perfect for a bear.  


(Teddy Bears; chenille with polyfil, buttons and suede, 2010)

Copper Dress


Dress with Ruffle Hem
This copper dress is the fourth made in the same style. The pattern has been modified a bit by adding in-seam pockets and here, a gentle chiffon ruffle floating underneath. From flannel to shimmering fabric the dress has evolved.

Detail: Chiffon Ruffle












Have ordered a sample of light reflective fabric made by 3M. I am eager to make reflective clothing. (The fabric is really more industrial. Waiting for the sample to test its possibilities!)

I've Got to Make

Tucking leggings into boots before stepping out in the cold, first trying to stuff them into wool knee socks unsuccessfully then attempting to compress them tightly enough over socks to zip up the boots was mildly frustrating. "I've got to make shorter leggings," I murmured.
Hearing myself I realized how instinctive it has become to make any garment or household item I want. A duvet cover for the bed, allergen protective covers for pillows? Homemade. Leggings to be worn with boots? I can make them. Determining months ago to construct anything I am able to sew, the practice has become habit.
A retro-revolution. Sometimes turning backward is moving forward.

Making Socks


Continuing with the goal of making everything I wear.

In winter socks are necessary. These can be knitted, but I wondered whether they could be sewn?

Made socks consisting of three pieces: a sole (which can be traced from one's foot), a piece covering the top of the foot which curves around the front of the leg, and the back which begins at the heel and curves to meet the front piece. Rather than create a band at the top, it was quick work to sew along the top with an overlock stitch. They stay up, benefiting from wool's inherent elasticity.

(Socks in merino wool, 2009)

Louisa May Alcott

"But if work-baskets were gifted with powers of speech, they could tell stories more true and tender than any we read. For women often sew the tragedy or comedy of life into their work as they sit apparently safe and serene at home, yet are thinking deeply, living whole heart-histories, and praying fervent prayers while they embroider pretty trifles or do the weekly mending."

From An Old-Fashioned Girl. Louisa May Alcott (1870)

Much more than pinning and stitching happens as I sew. There is time to reflect. A handmade garment has a lot of thought sewn into the seams.