Kilt and Sporran?

Pouch: wool with cotton lining, 2011

(Skirt: cotton; Belt: leather, metal buckle)
Small pieces of fabric, too tiny for garments are gathered in a cardboard shoebox. Treasured pieces, some hardly more than an inch wide.

A square of black, white and maroon wool plaid had a destiny! Sewed it into pouch/coin purse and lined it with maroon cotton batiste (from the shoebox).

Carried the pouch in a shoulder bag, filled with a little cash, a metrocard and a bank card. Then an idea: belt loops. Slid the pouch onto a belt, et voilà, a quasi kilt and sporran!



   Pouch: cotton, 2011





Also sewn from the stash of fabrics: white stars on navy with cornflower blue pinstripe lining. 

Laundry Gets Done

The Soak: lingerie
There is the adage about public/laundry. Forgive me.

The local laundry is a few blocks away. The routine: fill a sack and walk with arms wrapped around the bundle. After the wash cycle, bring (lug!) the damp collection home and drape it over drying racks. It has a satisfying appearance, like a table set with a meal one has made.


Some lingerie gets washed by hand.



...and a Sash!

Vintage Remake: cotton seersucker, 2011
Hardly a fabric more evocative of summer: Seersucker. The nubbly rutted road texture brings summer scenes to mind.

May this dress have kernels from corn on the cob fall into its lap. And if that be during a dinner on a porch...all the better.

Made a belt with length enough to wrap twice around then tie = a sash.


After Drafting a Pattern, the Muslin

Detail: Curved Side Gusset with Sleeve, 2011
A seersucker version of the vintage linen gown is complete. (Wearing it now!) An arrow in the upper right of the photograph illustrates the point where the front panel, the side panel and sleeve meet. (See the previous post analyzing the construction of the vintage gown upon which this pattern is based.)

The seersucker is in place of a muslin trial.  Made a few changes: added a shoulder seam rather than drape the fabric from hem to hem; sewed a front placket, making a v-neck rather than a completely round neckline. Otherwise the design echos the original. Am continuing to alter the pattern a bit, and considering how the sleeves might be enhanced while remaining faithful to the original.
Detail: Neckline 

Design Sketch in Process

Sketches for  Loose Fitting  Dress
A design inspired by a hand sewn vintage linen nightgown. It is simple and remarkable.

Design of the original gown:
• A rectangular panel of cloth, which drapes over the shoulders, runs from the hem of the front to the hem of the back.
• A space for the head is made by eliminating an oval shape at the center. The oval is flatter in back, curved in front, reflecting the shape of the skull.
• The front and back are joined at the sides by a triangular gusset. It is divided at the top into a U-shape. The sleeve nestles  inside the U.

    The stitches are the size of tiny seeds. And like a planted row, spaced evenly. Am full of respect.

    Sleeve Insertion
    Gusset at Side

    Reassembly

    Working with the machine on a thin jersey fabric the unreliable tension setting became untenable. Had previously diagnosed the issue. Last week I took apart the entire tension assembly. That's a nice thing about simple machines--it's easy to disassemble them! 

    Dial, washers, springs, the groove wheel and screws were set aside in the order they were removed to streamline re-assembly. Replacing the lever that clicks into the grooves on the ratchet wheel (which compresses the springs as it moves along the tension axle) was baffling. (It's the wide white disk, photo right).



    Left the machine overnight and today approached it anew. Figured it out! The tension is perfect now. I've been jury rigging it for ages. This is great!

    Meta Sewing

    Wide Brim Sunhat: Topstitching, 2011
    ...a little behind in photographing projects.

    Meanwhile, a meta-seamster moment: Mending a dress I made a few years ago there's a second layer of intimacy with what I've sewn, deepening the endeavor.

    Winter hats are put aside. Making a wide brim hat to provide shade. Rows of topstitching around the circumference of the brim will make it more rigid. Guiding the fabric in a slowly curving arc under the needle, spiraling the brim as it is to be sewn, a mechanical rhythm develops. Dusk. The room gradually darkens. The yellow incandescent light of the machine becomes the only source of illumination. "Stop. Turn on the room light," dictates logic. But I keep sewing a little longer without interrupting the rhythm.

    How Long to Make a Dress?

    (Dress: cotton/lycra, elastic, 2011) 
    Dropped waist dress with butterfly sleeves and soft gathers at the neckline. Experimented with a sleeveless version. Then added a sample sleeve. Refined the sleeve pattern. The second iteration became the final version. 

    Beneath the hem a border--the extended underskirt. In lieu of a belt a length of cloth wrapped at the hip, and a draped handmade necklace with rose and green ersatz pearls.


    Making dish towels. Simple and wonderful. These are linen and when wet smell like grass.
    (Necklace, butterfly sleeves, gathered neckline)

    Rose, Rose, Rose

    (Velvet Camisole with Satin Straps, 2011)
    Rose velvet. Satin shoulder straps. The hem borrows from recent designs [here is an example], shaped with curves rather than sewn on a straight horizontal. This might become the verysweetlife hem standard! 

    Am in the habit of dreaming about projects on the subway. Am working on designs that undulate with the animated body. Add material that glistens like sunlight on water and mmmmmm.

    Underneath It All


    (Warmth in Winter, 2011)

    This winter was a cold one! Have been reading pioneer era literature (children's, young adult and adult) with descriptions of winter and the layers worn to preserve warmth. Winter has been inspiring me to make undergarments. 

    Left to right: boy shorts, camisole, bloomers, long underwear, slip, bra.





    Velvet and Denim: Sounds Like a Country Song

    (Velvet Blouse, Denim Skirt: 
    Cotton/Rayon, 2011)

    Velvet is delicious--but oh, what a diva to sew. Every stitch shows.

    The pin tucks on the yoke reflect light. (In the photograph even the crest of the fold at the waist is illuminated.) Gathering the sleeves at the wrist worked well in the lace version, however, the velvet drapes differently and here a minimal hem works better.

    Snow has been a constant presence for two months, melting partially on warmer days, becoming ice encrusted as the freeze returns. A just-above-the-knee length skirt manages to avoid the inevitable splattering slush. Ah, winter! (Layers worn underneath: homemade long johns, knickers, silk slip!) 

    It's such a pleasure to wear everything made by my own hands.

    Machine Fix

    Green Arrow: Tension Dial; Blue Arrows: Screws
    For awhile the tension on this machine has been out of commission. Winding the thread around the bobbin screw is an imperfect fix. Figured the spring that puts pressure on the tension disks might be the culprit. Today took the machine apart to find out.

    After unscrewing four screws, removed the tension assembly. It looked fine. The tension is as faulty as ever, but now I know what is wrong I think. Will take it apart once more and see...

    Setting Tension: By turning the tension dial on a sewing machine the coils of the spring are compressed. (Ignore the number facing the camera; in actuality the highest tension corresponds to the highest number on the dial and the loosest tension is zero.)
    Tension Assembly: Highest Tension
    Tension Assembly: Lowest Tension,

    Chilly Night! Layers Upon Layers

    (Kilt & Lace Blouse: Cotton, 2011)
    Went to a lecture at the Museum of Art & Design with Robyn and Sven. It was a chilly night. Wore kilt-style skirt (previously made in a lighter weight fabric this summer). The lace blouse makes its appearance! (Underneath: two homemade camisoles and homemade long underwear.) Was the most official blog photo session ever--Robyn coached, Sven took the photo. Was lovely!

    Tend to draft a pattern then make a couple versions of the same garment. It helps with tweaking the pattern and solidifying the design.

    Lace, Pintucks, Bishop Sleeves--The Upcycle

    (Lace Blouse: Cotton, 2011)
    A blouse of cotton lace, a curtain transformed. The hem, rather than being straight is curved, sloping down in the front and back. Four linear pintucks on the front panel are juxtaposed with the meandering motif of the lace. The lace served as a curtain for the past year but does well here!

    Bishop sleeves are wider at the wrist than in the bicep. Considered leaving the sleeves with their full volume at the wrist. Long open sleeves tend to brush surfaces as one reaches, however. Decided against  a plate-cleaning sleeve and gathered it at the wrist. (It's wider than it appears in the photo.)

    (Detail)
    Ooooooo. Pretty.

    Project: Age 13

    Visiting parents in hometown of Pittsburgh. Came across embroidered jeans (made at age 13).

    Had to sew. Worked on the dining room table, with space to spread out and a large windowed scene of winter-- snow and sky, sun brightened bare branched trees. Such a luxury for a big city girl, the space and the view!

    Knickers

    detail: Merino wool/cotton lace, 2010
    Pioneer theme continues. A chill wind is here. Made knickers, a design fitting the climate. I put them on as soon as the threads were clipped.

    Making a garment involves engineering. Even the simplest aspects go awry when making haste. Working with fabric and thread involves a relationship of respect. They are alive. Purple prose to say. Nevertheless, it's true.


    Knickers: Cotton w/ crochet trim, 2010
    Some projects involve weeks of wondering, planning, experimenting and solving. Have come to understand for balance, working on simpler garments is satisfying.

    Millinery Aroma


      (Hat; Wool, grosgrain ribbon trim, 2010) 
    There's a heady farm scent emitted from dampened wool during the blocking process. Wet sheep. It's appealingly earthy. The wool becomes pliable, prickly and silky with natural lanolin oil. Molding it is phenomenal.

    Dressed in a self-designed blouse, skirt, unmentionables, bundled in a homemade hat and scarf. This is my Superman cape, a hidden self-reliance.

    Flannel Tunic (1920's)

    (Tunic 1920's. Cotton flannel, 2010) 
    How to combine a penchant for sleeveless tops and the arrival of cool weather? Flannel! 

    One benefit to sewing a personal wardrobe is finding a style that feels completely authentic. 

    In the background: rolls of paper used for pattern-making. Oaktag for permanent patterns (durable), newsprint for drafting ideas (recycled) and mid-weight paper (with gridlines and a smooth, erasable surface).

    Liberating to photograph garments on a dressform!