Next Project: DIY Cloche

This has been in the back of my brain for a while, because I'm madly in love with cloches but I don't see a lot of them that are really getting the right shape as DIY.  So, my next challenge: figuring out a formula for flat patterning a really good cloche shape, that won't require more than intermediate math and sewing skills.  Of course, the real challenge in this will be remembering to take pictures of the process so I can post a tutorial!

This right here, this is the best shape:

But of course, this is in wool felt, and fabric just won't do exactly this.

This is a decent fabric version:

Except, yanno, with proper finishing.  

Wish me luck!

Sunday Inspiration

Dare to be bad at something today.

Things I'm Loving Today

Unfussy lace.  Cozy sweaters.  Vintage pins.

It's 40 degrees out, I'm seeking comfort wherever I can find it.  I hope you're finding you comfy zone too.

My Latest Project

Another thing I've been wanting to do-- show some of my own work.  And today, in the spirit of weekend projects, I'd like to share the last thing I finished.

The fabric was so totally inspiring.  I found it as a very rough scarf on my last thrift store outing.  It was a large enough piece that I know I could make some sort of garment out of it.  It's a Tanzanian cotton, but the motif reminded me so much of traditional Japanese fabrics that I decided this would be my first pass for the season at a kimono style garment.

Now: kimonos need a lot of yardage, and I really didn't have it in this piece.  So I went way, way, way back in the history of clothing and decided to do a very primitive T shaped jacket.  To accomplish this, I folded my fabric in half the long way, and then cut a slit up the fold that ran half the length of the fabric, creating a front opening.  After this, I cut away the corners of fabric to create the T shape.

The corners were then pieced together to form a kimono style collar, which I interfaced to encourage it to lay crisply.  The stitching of the body of the jacket was remarkably simple.  If you do this yourself, you will have to make sure to clip your corners where the body turns to move into the sleeve.  The sleeve will never lay right without this.  I attached my lining through the hem first.  This picture will help you understand why, I think.

I was lucky enough to spend about a year training under a tailor, and I just love the way tailored hems look.  With this garment, hemming first was the easy method to accomplish what I wanted, and it provided the most efficient and durable construction.  I was able to machine stitch all of the finishing on this.

The next step was to baste the center fronts and neckline together with the wrong sides facing each other.  I applied the collar to the inside of the garment first, and the pinned the front side of the collar in face and stitched in the ditch to finish it off.  I also ended up doing a topstitch around the collar, because even with the interfacing, it was not behaving as I wanted.  The cotton was a looser weave and had a mind of its own.  I'm a firm believer in beating such fabrics into submission by whatever means necessary.  Back on track though-- after that, it was a simple matter of pinning up the sleeve hems and topstitching them, with the lining set back a bit from the cotton.  If I were to do this project again, I would probably break down and handstitch the sleeve hems.  The machine stitching gave the hems just a titch more body than I really wanted.

Next time I will try to be patient enough to take pictures of my process!  I do plan to do a few more T shaped garments, and hope to post a tutorial about how to cut one in the next couple months.

Feature: Green Line by K

This is something I've been wanting to do since I started the blog, and today is the first time I shall finally do it!  I'm very excited to share with you a clothing designer who uses natural, sustainable, organic fibers to make ecofriendly yoga and modern bohemian fashion for women.  Kathryn was kind enough to share some of her thoughts on design and hand made with me, but I'll start this off by letting one of her favorite pieces do the talking.

The ultra feminine backless linen dress.

Gorgeous, isn't it?  Kathryn began her career with an apprenticeship to an Italian tailor at sixteen years of age.  Her first love was design, which she was later able to study.  Kathryn describes her style as having a "very clean line and feminine drape".

Kathryn at work.

Kathryn begins her work with a "feeling for a garment or collection".  From this comes the sketches, which her assistant may help with, and then she begins the hunt for swatches and fabric.  She creates her patterns through draping or flat patterning techniques, depending on the complexity of the garment, and then goes on to the cutting, sewing, and fitting.

The gorgeous drape of the wrap maxi dress.

I asked Kathryn why handmade was important to her.  This was her response.  "Handmade products are important to me on many different levels.  Handmade means love and thought.  Handmade means a job for someone.  Handmade means unique and original.  Handmade, to me, means an expression of my art."  To me, this is a perfect way to describe the special value of handmade objects.

Yoga wrap pants in organic cotton.

A final word from Kathryn: "The most important thing I'd like to convey is that I am passionate about making environmentally responsible decisions, and about making socially conscious decisions.  I am partnered with my local Habitat for Humanity Chapter and give back through the sale of my Participate Eco Tees.  I source from local distributors whose business practices I admire.  I hope to be able to make a difference in this great, big world of ours.  Even if it's only a small one.  Every little bit adds up."

If you want to find Kathryn and Green Line by K to learn more about her work, here is a list of places to find her online.
www.custommade.com/by/greenlinebyk 
www.greenlinebyk.55g.stanfordrow.com 
www.zibbet.com/GreenLinebyK
www.etsy.com/shop/GreenLinebyK 
Also, Facebook--  www.facebook.com/GreenLinebyK
And Twitter-- twitter.com/grenlinbyk

Hump Day Eye Candy

This Wednesday, I offer you a handful of reasons to try shopping Zibbet.

My Work Space

In response to the changes at Etsy, I've been updating my About page to show more about how I make things.  I only get five pictures there, but I'm trying to choose those pictures to really reflect the fact that I am a one woman operation.  Here are some of the shots of my work space that I took today, a few of which made it to my About page.

Yep, it's my dining room.  And yes, I'm lucky enough to have a wall full of windows.

This is my poor little Pfaff.  I got it while I was in college, nearly 20 years ago now.  Hard to believe, especially when you consider how much abuse this machine has taken since then.  I still lust after an older model Bernina, but at this point, I don't think I could stand to fully retire my Pfaff.  

And here is my serger sitting in the windowsill next to the table, waiting to be called into action.  It's a four thread with differential feed, so though it's not an especially fancy or expensive machine, it does everything I'm likely to ever need.  And it's a New Home, bless their hearts, so it should last forever.

Jewelry making supplies, since I can't seem to stay away from it.

Pile of projects and fabric desperately needing to be finished.  As you can see, I'm not terribly organized.

Another view of my work space, with another pile in the background on the radiator.  The weather is turning cool and autumnal here, so I'll have to find a new home for that stack of fabric.

And last but not least,  a shelf overlooking my space with a selection of useful and sentimental items.  From here, my grandparents watch over me, accompanied by my poor dead kitty.  The little stone bobbers on the right are my fetish collection, along with an old Indian stone tool (possibly a hide scraper?) found on the river bed where I grew up during a heavy drought.

What is your work space like?  Do you manage to stay more organized than me?  I tend to have multiple projects in the works at one time, so my dining room pretty much looks perpetually like a craft explosion.

Sunday Inspiration

Coming up in the next couple of weeks: why Etsy is no longer the best handmade venue online, a feature of a rather fabulous designer of ecofriendly clothing, and my latest project.

For today, I leave you with this and the hope that everyone is enjoying a peaceful, joyous day.

Weekend Project: DIY Braided Belt

Check out this fabulously simple project from Delia Creates.

I'm in love with these, and I've been meaning to make one for myself for weeks now.  I wish this weekend would be the weekend it happens, but I have a terrible feeling I won't be able to squeeze out even the half hour I'd need.  I love that these would have a little stretch to them, so they'd give and move with you much better than a leather belt.

I would suggest a couple of small changes though.  First, when you are preparing your knit strips, I would attach them to the D rings before starting to braid.  You'll get a smoother attachment that way, without such a thick lump.  Then you can just park the D rings with fabric attached under your weighted object and braid away.  The second thing I would adjust would be to add a small piece of the same fabric to finish the end, by just wrapping it around the stitched bits where the braiding is all secured.  It'll make a more professional finish, I think.

Can't wait to try this out for myself!  Wish me luck that I can get to it this weekend.

Things I'm loving today

Today is a school day for this "adult student".  (I'm not sure if it's stranger to me that I'm supposed to be an adult or that I'm a student at this age.)  I love being on campus though.  I love the Muslim girls wearing hijabs and skinny jeans.  I loooove the adjunct I saw wearing a black velveteen jacket and owning it, making it totally masculine and a little boho.  And I'm kinda in love with these shoes I got last season on amazon for like 20 bucks.

Milan Fashion Week Part Three: Dolce and Gabbana

Whenever I talk about Dolce and Gabbana I have an urge to say "ohmygodohmygodohmygod" about a zillion times, like I'm sixteen all over again.  I can't help it, I'm a fan girl.  Let's get down to it though, cause this latest collection is everything I've come to expect from them.

This collection is what finally sold me on the return of the pencil skirt.  Burberry did it half to death in London, but Burberry bores me to tears.  All it made me do was dig in my heels and resist.  When D&G tackles the same cut, they manage to do it eclectically, with a sense of fun.  And check the way the hem flares just enough to create some great movement on this one.  I suppose that technically makes this a tulip skirt, but I'm not in the mood to be technical.

This sleeve shape appeared in a lot of collections so far, beyond Milan too.  I really love the way D&G has done it in lace here, to soften it and make it more easily wearable for those of us who are not a size 0.  Also, the lace version of this sleeve would be totally do-able as an addition to a thrifted blouse or t-shirt.  

Even fuller version of the same sleeve, growing to be a full fledged angel wing style.  On this dress, with the careful mix of pattern and lace, it totally works.  And this mix of the fabric and lace is killing me with how great it is.

Y'all knew I wouldn't be able to resist this one, I'm sure.  Hi, favorite things.  I love you, wide colorful embroidery.  I love you, contrast of white with color.  I love you, heavy lace.

I've been saving what is the most inspiring for last, but if you review the other pictures I've selected, you'll see it repeated throughout the collection.  Hand painted motifs.  Sweet baby Jebus, Dolce and Gabbana, I was convinced I would never hand paint fabric again.  So much time involved to do it well, and it's so fussy to clean then.  But just look at how divine the prints and fabrics in this collection are.  Imagine how well some hand painting could dress up a bland thrift store find.  The big ole belt on this is kind of fun too, and D&G have definitely inspired me to rediscover my love of funky vintage belts.

Sunday Inspiration

H&M Discount Code

This weekend H&M is offering a discount code for 25% off any one item on the website.  While I love to drool over some of their higher end pieces, even with a nice discount those things are out of my range as far as budget goes.  H&M, of course, excels at offering affordable though.  Here are a few of my picks for how I might choose to put that discount to work.

Cause let's face it, this is cute.  And no way I'm gonna be making something like it for myself.

Now these I could make, but it would cost more than these pants at their regular price.  I've been lusting over faux leather stretch pants for the fall, but the fabric for them is $17/yard.  Ouch.

Knee high boots.  Oh yes, pretty please.  These are probably the thing that has the best chance of winning my affections for using that discount code.  After all, I'm no shoe maker, and I hate to admit it, but I have no tall boots in my closet currently.  I just don't really care for how H&M shoes feel on my feet.  My feet are old and cantankerous, and a lot of the H&M shoes-- most of them-- are made for young feet that just want to look good no matter what.

Another item I've been lusting over, since spring actually:  a great, floppy hat.  I keep toying with the idea of crocheting something, but it just wouldn't be quite right.  I really think it needs to be wool felt.  This, however, I could probably do up on my own.  I can get a capeline here on Etsy for a grand total (with shipping) of $16, after which it's just a matter of doing some shaping, trimming, and popping in a hat band.  Without a hat block, the shaping might be a bit difficult, but not impossible.  The biggest reason I'm tempted by this hat is that I just don't really like trying to do wool millinery.  I really, really want a floppy felt hat though.

Another winner for a floppy hat.  Love the shaping and trim on this one, with just the slightest hint of fedora going on.  If it wasn't available in black only, I probably would have squealed and ordered it without looking any further.  Pretty sure the hat I'm dreaming of is charcoal or a nice, rich brown.

By the way, that discount code is 0747, usable at checkout.  Now go shopping!

Milan Fashion Week Part Two

There's just so much to love about Milan fashion week.  I'm going to try really hard to keep this to two parts, but it may grow into three.  Prepare to cheer for my self restraint if I can stop talking about Milan with this post.

The draping on this dress is just pure flippin' gorgeous.  Missoni must have been looking at saris lately, because this draping is repeated throughout the collection.  I adore it and feel sure I will be compelled to copy it sometime soon.  I think this is arguably the best take on the pencil skirt this season.  By combining a very safe, traditional choice with something distinctly out of the ordinary for western fashion, Missoni has reinvented two garments that are worthy on their own and elevated them to a new state.

Speaking of gorgeous draping, check this skirt from Etro.  I'm not sure I could pull this off since I'm not as thin as I used to be, but I love the easy elegance of this.  The mixed prints aren't killing me either.  This one is a potential restyle project as well-- you could piece a couple of dupattas or large scarves to get this effect.

The Etro collection had the most luscious color, as exemplified by this dress.  Gorgeous, light, flowing fabrics with just the right amount of color dissonance and the sort of wild pattern I adore.  Plus the scarf they used to style this look is a dream, and I love how it works with the dress and how modestly feminine the entire look is.  

This look from Blumarine made me remember a style I'd forgotten I love: rock and roll.  They have me inspired to explore it again though.  Plus I'm loving the pants and may be compelled to copy them.

Another little piece of rock and roll inspiration from Emilio Pucci here, with another great pair of pants.  Check that jacket.  Isn't she calling out to you to be a thrift store restyle?  Just be careful if you haven't worked sequins before.  They're usually chainstitched on in rows, so you'll have to secure each row individually anywhere that you cut the sequinned fabric.

And here is where all my favorite things come together, thanks to Roberto Cavalli.  Bohemian rocker chic, with lots of fringe, a little metallic, and easy, drapey fabrics and shapes.  This and a vintage shawl I own have me about 75% convinced that I'm going to have to make something for myself with a whack load of hand tied fringe.

Believe it or not, this is what self restraint looks like in my world, but I'm still going to have to do one more post on Milan to talk about Dolce and Gabbana.  They're awesome.  Geniuses.  I can't possibly pick just one look and say only a few sentences about all the glorious things that are right with their latest collection.

Sunday Inspiration

Milan Fashion Week Part One: Alberta Ferretti

Sometimes, it seems like a designer is channeling all my loves and desires for fashion.  Totally the case with Alberta Ferretti's spring/summer collection in Milan.  I'll just toss out a few photos to demonstrate why everyone should view her entire collection.

Take a minute to grab a hanky to wipe your drool if you need to here.  

I don't even know where to start with what's right in this collection.  Loving the ethnic vibe, of course, but there's soooo much more here.  Check out the construction of these garments.  So delicate, and so pristine, for what I know was fussy work on these light as air fabrics.  That alone is worthy of admiration, even if you don't care for this sort of style in general.  Fabric choices here are also eminently admirable.  They have me totally inspired to be searching the thrift stores for gorgeous vintage yardage disguised as curtains and sheers and bedspreads and scarves.  Embroidery?  Check.  Lush, colorful, feminine embroidery.  And that leads me into the next thing I'm loving in this collection.  The decor of these pieces is nearly always placed to perfectly emphasize a woman's assets, just as most pieces are cut to be flattering to almost anyone.  I love it when designers don't just design for models!

Fashion Week: London

Perhaps it's because I don't really like traditional styles.  Maybe I've just never been an Anglophile.  But British fashion is usually a bit of a yawn to me, and this year's London fashion week was no exception.  I only found a few things worth mentioning, so this will be a quicky and then in my next posts we'll be on to Milan.  (Which I lovelovelove their fashion week, by the way, so it will have to be another multi part series.  At this rate I'll be blogging about fashion week until it starts up again for next season.)

So one thing I usually love from British designers is the tailoring, and this suit from L'Wren Scott is no exception.  Beautiful lines, really flattering, and perhaps best of all for someone like me, it immediately gives me ideas for restyles.  Opening up a sleeve to mimic this is no sweat.  Recutting and shaping the collar could be doable with the right jacket to start from.  Unfortunately, I'm not able to see a way to get that elegant, minimalist draping across the bust from a restyle.  I suppose you could start from a jacket that is about 2-3 sizes too large and just recut the entire thing, but at that point it's easier to just make a new jacket probably.

The discreet mix of prints and conservative use of sheers in this look from Temperley London is pretty fantastic, and definitely inspirational to me.    The lines of this outfit are a bit dull, but the other elements make up for it.  Wearable?  Probably not for me, because I think it would make me look too old.  For someone younger and thinner, sure.  And this could serve as a starting place for dreaming up a look for myself that wouldn't age me 10 years.

I don't love every Vivienne Westwood collection, but this woman is a modern genius of couture as far as I'm concerned.  Most of this collection wasn't so much for me, but I did like the idea of this piece.  Great option for a refashion, right?

Last one, I promise.  This is a fun skirt, right?  And it would be relatively easy to make, though not probably doable as a restyle.  Just think pencil skirt + two triangles in one side seam.  I'd probably use a drapier fabric though.  This one is a bit too stiff to me.