MeMadeMay: week 2

Day 4: One of the challenges of Me Made May is taking some of those less successful me-made items out of your bottom drawer and letting them see the light of day. And so, this week you’ll see me trying to make it work with a couple of my me-mades! Exhibit one, the Drape Drape no. 1 Loose Drape Top. This is actually the first time I wore this poor little top out in the light of day! It turned out all right, though I had to add some makeshift strap carriers (safety pins) to ensure the shirt would actually stay on!This extremely blurry pic (sorry!) shows just how low the drape goes. And since the pattern is essentially identical at the front and back, there is really no way to wear the top without some sort of layer underneath it. I’m also not very happy with the fabric I chose. It’s some funky synthetic that so distracted me with it’s earthy color palette and cool print that I failed to note it was not, in fact, good fabric. It appears to be a semi-sheer chiffon, but the drape is too crisp to really do this pattern justice. I wore it with the same Zara tank from last week layered underneath, an F21 blazer on top (had to make it classroom appropriate!), H&M khaki slacks, and heels by Pour la Victoire. Day 5: This is the sort of outfit that, while at first it may seem strange (boots + wool sweater + shorts?), is actually perfect for springtime. I made the shorts using McCall’s 6515 pants pattern, altered to try for some of the finishing details I saw on a pair of Steven Allen shorts I once lusted after. Many, many yards of this fabric were thrifted for around $5. It looks like silk noil, but I can’t say that it wears as well as all that. I suppose these are really just a wearable muslin, but I sure do wear them a lot! Though the fit needs some work, they’re really comfy!I wore them with Loefller Randall boots, a Zara men’s wool cardigan, and an F21 rayon tank that, while it makes the whole thing look like a jumper in the pics, creates a nice contrast to the slubby texture of the shorts in person.Day 6: During the many years I worked as a wardrobe stylist I learned a lot of sneaky tricks for making clothes look better in pics than they ever could in real life. If this had been a professional shoot (and I wasn’t playing photog, model, art director, and stylist in one), I might have fixed that collar. But other than that little curiosity, my version of the blouse from The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook looks like a decent little top, right?Well, behold me made making it work, exhibit two! When we get up close and personal with this blouse we see that, once again, Ebony made a less than optimal fabric choice. This wretched synthetic (yeah, you seeing an unfortunate pattern forming here?) was picked up at the thrift store for a song, and I remember being really excited about the cocoa brown pin stripes and silky, flowing drape. But man oh man, this fabric was awful to work with, and as I’m sure you can see, it wears worse.

I think I probably reset those sleeves at least half a dozen times before giving in to the reality that I was never gonna get the shoulder ruffles even and un-lumpy. And much as I’ve pressed, steamed, and pleaded with that collar, it insists on hanging out, one side high. Last but worst of all, I’ve never worn a less breathable fabric! I know it’s gross to admit, but I had major armpit wetness all day. Friends, it was not pretty. The pattern itself I will absolutely sew up again in a better fabric with a few minor fit adjustments, but after a day in this version I think I would burn it if only it weren’t made of plastic trying to front as fabric!I wore it with a Target blazer, H&M jeans, and a pair of sandals—purchased years ago at Urban Outfitters—that have held up surprisingly well for a $7 pair of shoes! (I may look a little sweaty and overheated in this pic… Ugh. I was!) Day 7: Thursday was one of those blessed “work from home” days writers and graduate students like me live for. I spent the day in my nightgown (and was reminded, for the umpteenth time, that I should really consider sewing up some quality PJs), and I only put this outfit on to meet up for dinner, drinks, and live music. (If you’re interested, check out my talented friend, Leo London, who recently released his new album on Itunes!)

Here I tried to get a closeup of the shorts, but to no avail. Trying to get a decent photo of black fabric is quite tricky business.Day 8: Friday was an incredibly hot day; it was also my birthday! So, I’m not gonna lie to you, I didn’t wear any me mades that day. As I was walking to go see the Dali Lama speak (you heard right, that’s one of a few rad things I did to celebrate my day!) I realized I should have grabbed my Charlie bag in order to keep up with the challenge. Alas. Instead I tried to make up for it by wearing a me made on Saturday; the result is pictured here. These are a denim version of Grainline’s Maritime shorts. If you’re curious to learn a bit more about how these came into being, check out my earlier post.I wore it with a JCrew hat, an H&M oxford shirt, a leather jacket I got several years ago at Anthropologie,  a gold belt from JCrew, and shoes from Aldo.

Here’s one from the back. Next time I make these I plan to place the pockets a little closer to the center seam, and maybe I’ll make them a tad smaller too. As it is, these pockets seem to be widening my rear a bit. (That’s right, I blame the pockets.)

That’s it for week 2! I hope you’ll check in again next week to see what there is to see of week 3. I’ve got a few more never-been-blogged pieces to share, and I’ll debut the new item I was working on last week!

 

 

 

what’s on my table

When I set out to participate in Me Made May this year I realized that I’d either A: need to show up re-wearing some of the same me made articles more than would truly be ideal, or B: need to sew up a few new pieces during the month. In favor of the latter, I’m working on something new this week! I’m using a pattern from Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing,  a book which is quickly shaping up to be my favorite project book of all time. I’m excited to share the finished item with you in a future Me Made round-up, and today I’ve got a couple images of the work in progress.

I’m using fabric and a zip that I thrifted for about $5 and 25¢ respectively. My thrifted fabrics have turned out some mixed project results, but I’m pretty excited about this one. 

The fabric has a bit of stretch in both directions and is thick and plushy, almost like a sweatshirt knit when squished between the fingers. However, it looks like a mid-weight woven, with a smooth back and slightly nubby face. Nevertheless, it took those pleats like a champ! I’m sure I don’t need to pink the edges for functionality, but I did because I like the look of it. So, I think this might be ponte? I’ve been seeing so much about that fabric of late, and if this is ponte, well I can completely understand why folks love the stuff! I think this may turn out to be one of those rare garments that allows a girl to be both outrageously comfortable yet still look pulled together and, dare I say it, chic! We shall see… 

Don’t you want to take a closer look at the cute packaging of this vintage zip? I thought you might. Adorable, non? Oui!

MeMadeMay: week one

“I, ebony h. of the SewStylist blog sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’13. I endeavor to wear one sewn, refashioned, tailored, or upcycled item at least 5 days a week during the month of May 2013. I will take pictures of my outfits and post them all at the end of each week.”

I’m so excited to use this opportunity to share some of what I’ve created! And so, without any further ado…

Day 1: I like to call this one my Chakra Tank because the round orbs in the center of the print happen to line right up with my heart, navel, and sacral centers. It’s a Tiny Pocket Tank with the tiny pocket omitted.

I altered the arc of the neckline at front and back, and I slashed and spread open the back pattern piece, which resulted in a pretty a-line silhouette.

I wore it with an H&M cardigan, MiH jeans, and No.6 clogs.

Day 2: This cotton ikat dress is probably the make I’m most proud of, mostly because it looks just as good on the inside as it does right side out. Nothing but french seams here, even around the pocket edges! (Can you tell I’m chuffed with myself? I am.)

It’s the Tiny Pocket Tank again. It’s got the same alterations around the neckline as the Chakra Tank, and of course I lengthened it and added pockets!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, these aren’t the greatest pics of me and the dress, but check out my cat Fig photo bombing! What a card! (Yep, he’s in both shots. Keep looking…)

I wore it with an H&M coat and Loeffler Randall boots.

Day 3: I made up this top using the Portrait Blouse pattern from Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing. It has the most perfect little capped sleeves. Don’t you love how the classic shape looks in this funky print?

Here you can see that I didn’t sew the darts all the way down to the bottom hem because I didn’t want the top too clingy around my middle. Also on display is my hand-picked lapped zipper. Well, you probably can’t quite make out the hand-picked part, but trust, it’s there. I did a bunch of hand finishing on this top and in that way learned how much I absolutely love hand sewing. Love! It’s so relaxing, and the perfectly imperfect look of hand stitches is lovely.

I wore it with a Zara tank layered underneath, a leopard print scarf from Target, a peacoat from F21, MiH jeans, and Chinese Laundry flats.

Okay, that’s all for this week! I hope you’ll check back again in seven days for more MMM madness!

music for: weekend lounging

While this blog aims to focus on the sartorial, it feels really appropriate to share music here from time to time. I don’t know if this is true for you, but music is vital to my life. It can inspire, motivate, and be the perfect compliment to round out an otherwise almost aces moment. Plus, I love to dance. Who doesn’t?

This week I’ve put together a little mix to click on when it’s wintery out and all you care to do is linger in bed with a good book or blog, a hot mug of something, and a warm, cuddly (human or furry) companion.

Wouldn’t it be nice to curl up some place like this?

image via foxontherun.tumbler.com

I’d love a lacy set like this to keep the whole experience feeling indulgent…

Adore the little lacy detail that goes over the bust & up the straps of the Noisette Bralette + Tap Pants via Lille Boutique

Plus, some wooly bundling for coziness…

Light Grey Batwing Long Sleeve V-neck Tassel Hem Cardigan              via sheinside.com

Cottage Slipper Socks via postscript love’s flickr photostream  + there’s a free pattern for these @ lionbrand.com

If you’re wondering, the answer is yes, I absolutely do find thick wooly socks sexy!

Hope you enjoy the music & that you’re able to take some time for the important work of lazing about this weekend.

it’s business time: intentions for the new year

With less than one week of January 2013 remaining, I thought it might be high time to make some, er, New Year’s resolutions. But I’m not a fan of resolutions. I’m not an advocate of making plans. I do, however, support the idea of thinking about what I want for myself and how I’m going to get at it. I like to think of this as setting intentions, and I find this differs from planning and goal setting in one simple way: Anything one does in support of intentions is a success. Say, for instance, you intend to put more work into your blog. So you whip up some new content and get it posted. Boom. Success. Now, if you intend to maintain this success, you’ll need to continue. A nice thing about the word intention is that it suggests not just an end result but also ongoing action. I like the idea of becoming far more than I care for the notion of deciding on some sort of necessary change and holding it out as something to arrive at somewhere in the distant future. Call me impatient (you might be right), but I want it now.

All right, okay. So what all do I want? For one thing, I want to feel less beholden to my fear of failure. I can be a bit of a perfectionist. I’m cool with that. It feels great to do good work, but I’m realizing that I worry too much about doing poorly. It holds me back. So I intend to worry less about the possibility of failure. I mean, it’s just paper and thread we’re talking about here! Even if I were working with more valuable materials, the fact would remain: The only way to develop my skills is to maintain and develop my willingness to try more and do more and make some mistakes along the way. It’ll be okay.

Much as I’ll be glad to make some new mistakes, I’d also like to develop some techniques for sewing more successful garments with ease. When dreaming up a new sewing project the main thing I fret over is whether this new garment will fit well enough to be wearable. As I see it, the obvious solution to this problem is to work toward developing a small assortment of fitted patterns I can return to again and again. To this end, I intent to experiment with rubbing off a few well-loved garments, to re-sew more patterns that resulted in successful garments, and try to develop some well-fitted block patterns.

With my fear of failure diminishing and my likelihood of success increasing, it seems logical to try sewing with some higher quality fabrics. To date, I’ve mostly been sewing with synthetics from the JoAnn’s sale bin and random bits and pieces I’ve picked up at the thrift store. All said, things have turned out all right… Though there were a couple garments last year that, soon as I tucked in that last finishing stitch, I realized I’d never wear because the fabric was a little icky. I’ve heard the rumors about the benefits of high quality natural fiber fabrics, and after these few fails I’m a believer.

Not only do I want to start using better fabrics, I also intent to develop my finishing skills and get better at making garments that are beautiful inside and out. In particular, I’d like to experiment with sewing a lined garment. I’d like to try adding some embroidered details to some of my garments. And I’d really like to get myself a serger one of these days, but 1. I’m a brokeity-broke grad student 2. I’m on the fence about whether it really makes sense to buy an inexpensive machine off Amazon if I’m just gonna be a little annoyed with how chintzy it is all the time. Yet the options seem to be inexpensive or expensive, which brings us back to 1.

The greater intention behind developing my finishing skills and upping the quality of my fabric selections is to really focus on creating garments that give RTW a run for its money. Look, we all know sewing will never be the least expensive way to build a wardrobe, but it’s clearly the least expensive way to build a high quality wardrobe. That’s what I want, a high quality, wearable wardrobe that actively reflects the kind of woman I am. And I’m a woman who likes dresses, who would be glad to own and wear more of them, but this woman also happens to live in the Pacific Northwest, where it’s cold and rainy and life is fairly casual. Not that I generally let that last one keep me from doing what I like, dressing wise. Still, what this woman really needs is pants. It would be such a coup to have a couple patterns I could use to churn out pair after pair of perfectly fitted pants. I know I’m not alone in wanting this! I also know I’m not alone in having an unreasonable fear of the amount of effort that it seems will need to go in to crafting such pants. But I intend to sew myself some pants, friends!

Well, well. Lots of intentions and plenty of time… Thanks for reading & I’ll be back soon with an update on what strides I’ve made toward these (lofty?) aspirations.

 

what I did on my Thanksgiving vacation

Two and a half years ago I moved from San Francisco to Eugene, Oregon when I got into the MFA program here at UO. It’s beautiful here, and, contrary to popular belief, there is actually a lot to love about living in the Euge. That said, the shopping scene leaves much to be desired. That said, so many people wear pajamas, leggings, thermals, and UGG boots that a girl doesn’t have to work very hard to feel like she’s pretty damn well-put-together. But I’m getting off the point. The first point is, because there is no place to shop I got into sewing. The second point is, there isn’t really any where to shop for apparel fabric either. And so, over Thanksgiving break I drove back to the Bay Area to see friends and family and buy myself some fabric!

One of my best friends just bought a jaw-droppingly gorgeous condo in Berkeley. I stayed with her two nights and, as luck would have it, her place was about five minutes away from the fabulous fiber shop: A Verb For Keeping Warm. I’d never visited Verb when I was an SF resident, and actually discovered them via the Colette patterns launch party post. Since I do much of my fabric shopping online, it was cool to have the chance to see and feel some of my favorite fabrics in person. Fabrics like the Nani Iro double gauze, and Liberty of London Tana Lawn, which does, in fact, feel just like silk! I have long range visions of sewing up Gertie’s Shirtwaist dress in some LofL Lawn, just like she does in the book, but for now I only allowed myself to fondle the gorgeous bolts and sigh wistfully.

The Verb Storefront

Fortunately, the folks at Verb were not at all weirded out by my fondling the fabrics. In fact the owner, Kristine, was super sweet and friendly. When she found out I lived in Eugene she told me all about the yearly Black Sheep Gathering up here . For two years I’ve lived in Eugene and that awesomeness has been happening right around the corner from my very own house, yet I’ve never been! I think I should be around for one last Eugene June and will be sure I make it over there to meet all those sheep and their owners! But for anyone in the Bay Area, I highly recommend stopping by Verb when you have a chance. The fabric selection is small but impeccably curated. And, unlike many smaller fabric shops, which tend to focus on quilting cottons, Verb actually has a decent selection of apparel appropriate fabrics. I ended up buying up the last of a burgundy silk cotton blend that I intend to make up into a tank top, something like this one:

 

from J. Crew

Later, I made it into the city and stopped by Discount Fabrics on Mission Street, which is probably the best damn fabric store ever. Their prices are always pretty great, but they were having a huge sale, which included 50% off all the silks!!! The highest priced silks they’ve got are $19.99 a yard so, yeah, that’s right, I only paid $10 a yard for some pretty darn gorgeous fabric! I almost lost it when I found this lovely, sueded, mid-weight (crepe de chine? china silk? no idea…) in the most perfect grayish-mauve. It is a fabric I’ve seen, and lusted after, in several ready to wear garments. Seriously, I’ve had my eye out for a fabric like this for years, people. I’m not even joking. I said, “No way!” out loud to no one and did a little happy dance when I pulled that bolt from the pile. I also found some rad printed silk chiffon that I will boldly use to try and re-craft a dress like this one I found on Pinterest and have been obsessing over ever since:

And I bought some super soft cotton gauze with the plan to try out everyone’s favorite shirt pattern, Vogue 1247. Working toward something like this:

found on Pinterest, via shop uncovet

Finally, here’s a pic of all my lovelies, plus one piece I scored at the thrift store here in town, which, incidentally, turns out to have the best apparel fabric shopping in town!

Hmmm, anyone see a color palette emerging? Guess that’s not a bad thing, though it was not exactly intentional, just following my taste and my whims! Anyway, on the left is a (most likely synthetic) crepe from the thrift store. Then there’s the cotton gauze, the burgundy cotton-silk from Verb, that’s the gorgeous grayish-mauve in the middle and the patterned chiffon on the far right. The other, gray chiffon is intended as a slip or lining for the patterned chiffon. Whew! I’ve got my work cut out for me, eh? How exciting.

it used to be summer

Here in Oregon, summer has long since given way to fall, and I don’t mind it at all. As someone who loves reading by the fire, working on handcrafts, and cooking comfort foods, I love this time of year. Autumn is full of enough colors, scents, and genuine sensual pleasure to delight my artistic heart; still, I do miss the warmer, sunnier summer days.

round, ripe gold, flung about a sidewalk

Back when it was summer, I made myself this pair of soft taupe shorts. I found the fabric at the thrift store for cheap, and it has this really pleasing, brushed denim finish. Even though I suspect it may be a bit stiffer than is ideal for this pattern, I love the color and feel of this fabric.

I used Grainline’s Maritime Shorts to experiment with a few new-to-me techniques: belt loops, fly front, curved front pockets, and denim finishing. (I’ve got not one, not two, but three different fabric selections in my sewing closet waiting to become pants, soon as I feel brave enough to tackle such a project! These shorts were a great warm-up.)

Once I’d assembled the downloadable pattern I looked at the shape and thought, “Do these shorts look a little boxy?” I forged ahead (yeah, without doing any measurements beyond comparing my body measurements to the pattern’s stated measurements). Sure enough, these guys were way too big around the waist, but the hip was right on. This is a pretty standard issue for me in ready-to-wear, and the two other times I’ve attempted to make something for my lower half this is what happened. So yes, the first lesson I got out of this project was one about my body: I’m pretty sure I have swayback, and I’m certain that my waist runs a size or two smaller than my hips. Good to know, and going forward I can be on the lookout for the fit in these areas, rather than trying to ignore the problem and hope it will disappear!

I ended up taking in the center back seam about 3 inches. I did it this way because I’d already constructed most of the short by the time I was able to try them on for fit. I’d even put the pockets on. Something else I learned with this project: Don’t put those back patch pockets on until your shorts/pants are basically done. I know this goes against standard sewing procedure, which suggests you should do details like buttonholes and pockets on individual pattern pieces before sewing any major construction seams. Here’s the thing about that, not only did having the patch pockets sewn on complicate my options when it came to adjusting the fit, I also wasn’t able to determine the perfect angle and placement for these pockets on my bum. When it comes to bum flattery, one of the major differences between an awesome looking pair of jeans and a dowdy looking pair is the size, placement, and angle of those back pockets. When I finally buck-up and put together a pair of jeans (which really should to be soon…) I’ll try to photograph a little mock up that demonstrates this.

I’d aimed at wearing these shorts on the loose and casual side, so the fitting issue wasn’t a total train wreck. Neither was the fly front, though it didn’t go as smoothly as I might have hoped. I really messed up the waistband (as a result of the aforementioned fitting issue) and so the zipper backing and the waistband don’t meet up like they should. I also have this odd tendency to sew things on to the wrong side, or inside out, or otherwise do the opposite of what I should be doing there. As a result, I now have this tag on my machine:

Part of the trouble with the fly was my own sewing screw-up, but I’d also like to do a bit of research on fly front construction and try a couple practice runs in muslin before I dig into my precious full-length denim project.

As you can see, I learned a lot from making these! And, best of all, I got a totally wearable pair of shorts out of the project. I used Jen’s tutorial to make curved edges and, because of the weight of the fabric, I decided to leave the hems unfinished. These photos show the pre-washed result, but after a couple trips through the washer & dryer, the edges have softened up and frayed nicely creating a casual, summer worthy pair of shorts. I also added belt loops using the pattern and instructions in Sew U. The addition of loops helped me get the jean shorts look I was going for, and I can also mange any remaining fit issues with a belt. I got a lot of wear out of these before the weather turned, and I’m sure I’ll revisit this pattern again next year!

what’s on my table

Yesterday I made a quick stop by JoAnn’s (which is, fortunately or unfortunately, my local store for apparel fabrics) to pick up some extra thread for the project I’m working on: A denim version of Grainline’s Maritime Shorts. Well, I’ve called it denim though it is really a sort of mystery fabric. It’s a heavy denim or almost canvas weight, but the surface is slightly fuzzy and pretty soft, with tiny little whales like you might find in corduroy. At any rate, I got it for $1.99 at the thrift store and was just able to squeeze all the pattern pieces out of it, save for the pocket linings and fly shield. Those I cut out of a pretty floral fabric. Another thrift store acquisition, this floral fabric is perhaps a rayon? I really don’t know what, but it’s so soft!

I tried these on the other night to check the fit and was so into the soft, silky feel of these pockets! Despite the fabric’s softness it’s actually a heavier weight than most of the pocket linings in my ready to wear jeans, so I think it should hold up well with the wearing. Yay! I’m way less thrilled with my seam finishings, all hanging out in these photos. I keep eyeing the fairly inexpensive and well reviewed Brother 1034D serger, because I’m fairly well convinced that I won’t be able to do much neater finishings without one. However, since I’m still fairly new at sewing I’m challenging myself to experiment with various finishing options to try and get adept at these, investing in my sewing skills before a serger, I guess.

This is the second time in the last few weeks that I’ve had to stop sewing (which I typically do at night) and put the project on hold until I have the time to run out to the fabric store for something I’ll need to continue. I can’t say I haven’t been warned against this by nearly every sewing book or blog I’ve ever read, so what can I say? Suppose I like to live and learn. I’ve also been working with a double needle for the first time to do some topstitching (so easy! such awesome results!), and this does use up a lot more thread than I anticipated. Nevertheless, I think I’d like to work on developing more of a planning strategy for my projects. Right now I’ve got more of a grab and go approach, which is fun, until it’s frustrating!  Well, now I’m pretty sure I’ve got all I need to finish these up, and I’ll be back soon with the results!

and so it begins…

Welcome to the SewStylist blog, where I write about clothing, style, and my attempts to reconfigure my (at times unhealthy) obsession with both through sewing. I hope you might find something here to enjoy!