In The Sketchbook- February 2018

Welcome to In the Sketchbook, a monthly look at fashion design sketches that we are working on for ourselves. Sketching garments on a personal croquis is a great way for the individual couture enthusiast to move beyond the use of commercial patterns and into a world of personalized design! It can be intimidating at first, but with a little bit of practice it becomes something you look forward to. Join us for a look of what we have going on In the Sketchbook! Brought to you by Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor and Steph King from Siouxzeegirl Designs.



This month, I am playing with sleeve designs.

I drew some of my inspiration from photos that I have taken and have in an 'Inspiration' folder on my computer. Sleeves are a great place to add in detail. I have spent much time in perfecting the fit of my basic sleeve and now that I have fit down, I feel like it is time to really play with design.

Each of my sketches are done in half. Meaning I sketched one design on the right and another on the left. 

These first two are of different set in sleeve types.
On the left we have a gathered sleeve head with a button vent at the wrist and on the right we have a very traditional smooth inset 2 piece sleeve with a split vent at the wrist. 
I did not draw these from any photos, just from my head as they are 2 variations on a simple design.

these are sleeves from the bodice of different contemporary dresses.
On the left is a raglan sleeve with trim at the short sleeve hem. The photo is with a geometric lace, I just drew it as a solid.  On the right is an off the shoulder sleeve that comes from bands across the bodice. A strange looking top, I cant tell if it is purposely asymmetric or if the left side is just falling off the models shoulder... Maybe a little of both!

Both of these sleeves were taken from paintings in museums. Both of them incorporate a large amount of lace.
On the left you have a double tiered lace flounce with the upper sleeve and bodice overlay in a sheer material, the band on the off the shoulder neckline matches the band attaching the lace flounce to the sleeve.
On the right you have a more modest design with a very structured bodice and large lace flounces around the neckline and forming the bottom half of the sleeve.

These were photos taken at the V&A in London.
On the left is a type of Juliet or Leg-of-Mutton sleeve and the right is a sort of Bishop sleeve with a lot of fabric manipulation going on.

These are both taken from more contemporary designs as you can see in the photo below.
The left photo is an updated and clean looking version of a bishop, especially when compared to the bishop sleeve in the previous sketch/photo above. The Sleeve on the right looks well enough while the arm is straight and hanging softly by the body. I'm not sure how good it would look say while in a business meeting and taking notes on an iPad. It is interesting enough to maybe make a mock up of.

More photos from the V&A.
The left is a sort of  layered Kimono which is very, very pretty! Although I'm certain that unless you had on some super corset you could not attain that shape! On the right is a very cool play with stripes using a mild puff sleeve.

These were photos taken at the V&A as part of the Balenciaga exhibit. (they are NOT Balenciaga)
Both of these are what I would call extreme sleeves. Very cool, very runway and not practical at all!
However, they were fun to adapt to my shape using my croquis!

More from the V&A!
The design on the left really had me itching to get into the case and see what was really going on with that sleeve! From my view and the photo it looks like it is an organza that has been gathered and only attached at the sleeve head. It looks cool but I cant quite figure out what is happening in the lower part....
The sketch and photo on the right are of a cut on sleeve. I really like the look of this. I keep thinking it would be fun to develop one for myself. However, it would need to be impeccable like this one and i'm just not sure how that would look in motion. Fine as it is standing perfectly motionless on a mannequin where a curator finessed the drape and folds to be perfect! in real life would it just look like a baggy mess???

The sleeve on the left is really just made up of bodice with a cut on sleeve and then wide bands of fabric joining the front and back together. An interesting concept.
The short sleeve on the right is a trickier one. Hard to tell from the photo if it is clever pattern work with origami like folds to create the look or if it is separate pieces. Would love to get my hands on this to give it a good look over!

These last 2 are mens clothing from the l700's.
I mostly decided to sketch these because I am fascinated with where the heck the shoulder are! This silhouette is so different from what is current. the sleeve is very narrow and shaped to the arm, the sleeve is set in very far out with the cut of the upper chest being very wide. I am very curious to know if they stuffed or wore some special shoulder pads to make the shoulders so sloped. These sleeves are 2 or piece sleeves and the under sleeves are cut on the bias.the one on the left has a separate cuff sewn on that was cut on the cross grain. the on eon the Right has no discernible separate cuff. Just a vent.

My idea in using photo's to sketch from was that I would play with ideas that I would not normally gravitate to and this would help increase my sketching and rendering skills. It has and it has been fun, I've been diligently checking out sleeve designs every where I look! It has also seemed to let some of these alternative shapes seep into my imagination and have shown in up in other designs that I have been working on. 

Make sure to stop by Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor to see what lovely sketches and ideas she is working on. Please feel free to share your sketches and ideas with us.

Happy Sketching!

In the Sketchbook- December 2017

Welcome to In the Sketchbook, a monthly look at fashion design sketches that we are working on for ourselves. Sketching garments on a personal croquis is a great way for the individual couture enthusiast to move beyond the use of commercial patterns and into a world of personalized design! It can be intimidating at first, but with a little bit of practice it becomes something you look forward to. Join us for a look of what we have going on In the Sketchbook! Brought to you by Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor and Steph King from Siouxzeegirl Designs.



I can't believe that another year has gone by! So many changes have happened this year and I am really looking forward to just enjoying 2018 :)

Last month I posted some sketches of ideas for Opera ensembles. There was one that I just wasn't feeling the best about. It was like the idea was only partly formed in my head. This was the design.

I had a very thoughtful comment from Carolyn:

 Carolyn F.December 8, 2017 at 9:59 PMI really enjoy seeing your monthly sketches and saw this group the other day. I may be going out on a limb here but I've been thinking about the third one - the "flowering bud". You mentioned in the post that it feels a little disconnected between the upper and lower halves. It seems to me that the sleeves, bodice, and top layer of the skirt (or possibly this is all a jacket?) are symmetrical and mostly angular whereas the bottom layers (a skirt?) are asymmetrical and curved. Could that be what makes it feel a little disconnected? What if you placed the button up higher - more towards the left shoulder, rather than at the waist or under bust - carrying that upper line out more in a curve and making it asymmetrical. Then make the lines of all the layers, top part and skirt part, parallel for each layer. Maybe use a small funnel type or raised neckline in the back or use the neckline of the fourth drawing with the soft folded collar. It would continue your flowering bud theme. The cuffs on the sleeves seem a little heavy feeling also. These are just my thoughts since it has kind of stuck in my head after seeing your designs and reading your commentary. The fabrics sound wonderful and I look forward to seeing your finished garments.

The new design that I drew is somewhat tortured... I drew and erased and drew and erased and rinse and repeat several more times! the lines just kept getting away from me. I decided to stop at the point where I was wanting to take the entire thing in a totally different direction! You can clearly see all the graphite smudges. his idea is still in my head and I will have to work on it again after I let it all settle down and my brain can work on it subconsciously.

In my last post I mentioned that I was headed off to Europe for the week and a half prior to Christmas. I had such a wonderful time!! It was relaxing and fun and educational and just nice to see where my days took me. I was hoping to spend some time sketching but I did not get to it as much as I wanted. Mainly because I spent a lot of time outdoors and everyone in London and the Netherlands were wearing coats. I was able to capture the looks of 2 very different ladies at afternoon tea in the posh hotel I was at. 

The first was very simple, lovely and elegant dress and was very similar to a Balenciaga dress that I had seen at the V&A museum earlier that day. This is the only one that I added color to as well!

The Balenciaga version is silk Gazar with cut on sleeves. It also has a bit more of a dropped waist and overall was longer.

The second was a bit of a mash up of all the latest trends all in one! Right down to the giant hairy boots. Pants with articulated knees and 'holes' (which I left out of my sketch) and skirt over it and then a double tee. It was all just a bit much.

These last 2 go back to my theme of Opera. I saw the Opera Passion, Power and Politics exhibit at the V&A and it was quite an experience! I really enjoyed it. 

The first of these 2 is inspired by both the Balenciaga exhibit and the Opera exhibit. And I have actually draped a loose form of this on my dressform.

You can see the general idea of the shape on my dressform. 

The second one is also inspired by the V&A museum. I was playing with some gender bending and taking what would have been a purely masculine dress ensemble and changed it to be for a more modern woman. Somehow it is a little punk-ish. and could totally go that way with the right textiles! Maybe a little cross between David Bowie and Prince??? Could be a fun theme to explore someday.

Make sure to stop by Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor to see what lovely sketches and ideas she is working on. Please feel free to share your sketches and ideas!

Sending many Happy wishes for a wonderful New Year!

In The Sketchbook- November 2016

Welcome to In the Sketchbook, a monthly look at fashion design sketches that we are working on for ourselves. Sketching garments on a personal croquis is a great way for the individual couture enthusiast to move beyond the use of commercial patterns and into a world of personalized design! It can be intimidating at first, but with a little bit of practice it becomes something you look forward to. Join us for a look of what we have going on In the Sketchbook! Brought to you by Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor and Steph King from Siouxzeegirl Designs.

This month my sketches were directed at the preparation for a draping workshop that I took with Sarah Veblen. In the preparation directions she asked us to bring both pictures of garments that interest us as well as sketches that we have done of garment designs.

I was inspired by this to move into sketches of garments that I think would benefit from either being fully or partially draped on my dressform.
Some of these were  directly inspired by garment pictures and some were inspired by my fabric collection and dreamt up in my head!

I have been wanting to make a shawl collar light coat/jacket for a while. Something that will show off both sides of the fabric, the collar and the cuffs can show odd the reverse side. I really like this shape with the fitting darts at the bottom to draw the fabric in and waist fitting darts so it doesn't look too big all over. I really like the silhouette, especially how the big collar balances out the fullness at the hips.

This is a very simple summer top that I imagined constructed on the bias. This is a silhouette that I have never worn because the ready to wear types have never fit me correctly. I'm hoping that I can overcome those issues if  I custom design this for me! I will need to try this out in a muslin first and then decide.

I have a wedding to attend next year and was playing with different ideas. These 2 sketches are different fabric and different construction techniques for the same basic shape. The one on the left is all done out of a sheer fabric with lots of gathering and ruching and would require an understructure. The one on the right is the same shape but the main part of the dress would be pieced and from a more structured woven. The skirt part would then be sheer and of several layers. Many possibilities with this idea!

This outfit was inspired from the jacket in the center top photo. I believe it is a Chanel garment. Initially I was intrigued about how it was constructed and this led me to try sketching it out. You can see my front and back sketches on either side of the photo. I liked the idea of using curved lines in the upper yoke (where I believe the overlap is attached and then left to hang free) I then used these same curved lines in the back yoke of the jacket. I also played around with an interestingly seamed sheath dress. 

This final set of sketches pairs a pencil skirt with a curved yoke and princess seams with the above jacket. I love playing with ideas and seeing how I can change things up and play with mini-wardrobe or collection ideas.

Don't forget to hop on over to see what amazing designs Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor has come up with this month! We would love to see what you are working on, leave a comment with a link to your designs.

In The Sketchbook- October 2016

Welcome to In the Sketchbook, a monthly look at fashion design sketches that we are working on for ourselves. Sketching garments on a personal croquis is a great way for the individual couture enthusiast to move beyond the use of commercial patterns and into a world of personalized design! It can be intimidating at first, but with a little bit of practice it becomes something you look forward to. Join us for a look of what we have going on In the Sketchbook! Brought to you by Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor and Steph King from Siouxzeegirl Designs.

I worked on adding in details to my sketching this month. I took my base pencil skirt pattern and modified it for a knit pencil skirt. This got me thinking of all the ideas that I could make off of that plain knit pencil skirt.

I started by pulling fabrics from my collection. I often times let my fabrics speak to me and tell me what they want to be! This worked like a charm and I came up with 4 great designs. In these sketches you will also see a side view. This is new for me, I really wanted to capture the idea from my imagination and sketching a side view really helped that in several of these. I also find that jotting down notes also help to jog the memory on what idea


Idea #1: Knit pencil skirt with contrasting side panels. Fairly simple design and a take off of the color blocking that is very popular right now. The 2 fabrics I choose are a floral scuba knit for the main front and back and then a deep maroon rayon ponte for the side panels. I could also go with black bit I like the maroon better. Both of these fabrics have been in my collection for a while. The ponte was from an online source and I think the floral scuba is from JoAnn's from when scuba first came out and I just wanted to try it out.

Idea # 2: Knit pencil skirt with a single side front panel with an integrated pocket. The integrated pocket panel would be done with just folds in the fabric to prevent having any lumpiness from seaming. The side and side front seams above the pocket would need to be stabilized a bit to prevent any stretching out from carrying an I-phone in that pocket.

The fabric for this is a lovely scuba knit from Mood fabrics.

Idea # 3: This knit pencil skirt has an overlapping front panel ending in points and has a V like cutout at center front hemline. From the side view you can see that the hemline at the points dip down lower than the straight back. The front pieces are also asymmetrical with the right overlap going deeper than the left underlap. I will need to make sure that I have this asymmetry different enough so that it looks deliberate and not like a mistake in garment construction!
I have 2 different fabric choices pulled for this skirt. The black and white plaid is more of ponte like fabric. The plaid is actually woven in not printed on. This was from my collection and maybe from fabricmart.com. The second fabric is from Emmaonesock and is a rayon poly mix very similar to a scuba knit.

Idea #4: This knit skirt has no side view sketch since nothing special to show from the side. It has a single back piece and the front is split with a diagonal seam that finishes at the hemline with a split. I also really like the idea of using top stitching to highlight the lines of the seams. This fabric is a delicious double knit from Smugglers Fabrics. One side is a silvery grey and the other is black. I think I would use the silvery grey facing out and topstitch with black thread. I will have to do a bunch of topstitch testing to come up with a good combination that wont make the fabric ripple.

Don't forget to hop on over to see what amazing designs Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor has come up with this month!

In the Sketchbook- September 2016

Welcome to In the Sketchbook, a monthly look at fashion design sketches that we are working on for ourselves. Sketching garments on a personal croquis is a great way for the individual couture enthusiast to move beyond the use of commercial patterns and into a world of personalized design! It can be intimidating at first, but with a little bit of practice it becomes something you look forward to. Join us for a look of what we have going on In the Sketchbook! Brought to you by Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor and Steph King from Siouxzeegirl Designs.

Hello everyone! Please don't forget to leave a comment or email if you would like us to link up to your blog or photos of sketches.

This month I have really concentrated on wardrobe building and using fabrics and swatches that I own to design around. Fall has finally arrived in Chicagoland and I am wanting to sew up so many cozy clothes and warm colors and textures have me so excited!

I also need to get sewing since I have lost almost 55lbs since last fall. I really have no wardrobe to speak of and I can only stand wearing pajama pants for a limited time. For me, it is important to look and feel nice in my clothes. This doesn't mean that everything has to be super fancy or fitted. Rather fitted and comfortable and things that make me happy to put on! 

To start off with I have designed a pattern hack to one of Sandra Betzina Vogue patterns #1336. I made this up twice last fall in ponte and now I have this super soft knit tweed and and am going to add a hood and other green accents. The green is a very soft and light knit that feels like a dream. A perfect fall/winter cozy dress or rather athleisurewear.

Next up is 2 new versions of the Cashmerette Appleton Dress. I have 3 versions of this dress and due to weight loss they are a little too big on top. Great thing about this dress is that I can wear a tank top underneath and just pull it closed a little tighter! For the 2 dresses I have planned I will go down a size or just take out a closed wedge diagonally across the bodice to account for the loss of weight.

Both of these are a slight hack on the original pattern. The first is a dress for the holidays out of a beautiful burnout knit velvet that I will make into a midi length. On me that means extending the length by 8 inches. The second dress in the black/white print is the original length but I want to slash and spread the skirt to make a fuller, more playful skirt and use a solid black knit for the band and ties.

This fun black and white dress is a winter version of my 'Corner dress' design. One of the segments in the Haute Couture Club of Chicago 2017 fashion show is 'black and white'.

The dress in the center is sketched with 4 fabrics. I ordered about 20 swatches from Mood and Emmaonesock and these were the four combinations that spoke to me. I am going to go with the version on the right. It is a black and white cotton/lycra woven  checkish print and the smaller check print is a silk with applied silver dots. I love the contrast of the print sizes. I'll order the fabric from mood and put this on my to-do list later in the fall!

The next 2 are mood boards of wardrobe ideas. Some I have already made, some are in progress and some are just fun ideas! Both mood boards revolve around the same blouse, Cynthia Guffey T-2025, made up in different fabrics. There will be full blog post coming about these shirts soon!

The completed shirt is in the phtot with the skirt.You can see the swatch of fabrics. It is made up of this lovely silk floral with a base of green. The long skirt has been muslined and hopefully started on soon. It is a beautiful blue/green wool that will have a long zipper detail at the front. I started thinking what else could I make with this? Like a mini-wardrobe... I cam up with 2 pairs of grey denim jeans. One plain and one with embroidery on it. Also another shirt, modified version wwith no ruching on the sleeves, slightly longer and a different collar.

Here is the completed shirt with the ribbon neckline.

This mood board also started with a completed Cynthia Guffey T 2025 shirt. That will be entered at the ASG Chicagoland fashion show fabric challenge. From the shirt I designed and sewed the maroon ponte skirt with orange topstitching. Next I thought what other shirts/tops could I make to go with this skirt. I came up with a knit surplus type shirt from this orange and white knit. From there it went into a winter corduroy skirt also in a shade of maroon. This one a-line, button down with pockets built into the panels.

Here is the other completed shirt with the ponte maroon skirt. Please excuse the tightness of the clothes on my dress form! Making my shirt look a little funky!  She has a good 15lbs on me and needs to be adjusted.

Don't forget to hop on over to see what amazing designs Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor has come up with this month!

In the Sketchbook- August 2016

Welcome to In the Sketchbook, a monthly look at fashion design sketches that we are working on for ourselves. Sketching garments on a personal croquis is a great way for the individual couture enthusiast to move beyond the use of commercial patterns and into a world of personalized design! It can be intimidating at first, but with a little bit of practice it becomes something you look forward to. Join us for a look of what we have going on In the Sketchbook! Brought to you by Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor and Steph King from Siouxzeegirl Designs.

My inspiration for this month's sketching and designs came from politics and a visit to Washington DC. I was in DC for a full week at the very end of July and beginning of August. While I was there I decided to use another 'What if' scenario to jump start my creative juices.

So this time it was a two-fold what if:
What if I was attending the presidential inauguration and followed up with a what if I was invited to the inaugural ball?

For the inauguration itself I imagined myself in some sort of a smart day dress ensemble and since this event happens in January and is outside I would most likely have on a coat. I decided to ignore the coat for now and just go for the idea that it would be unseasonably warm outside!

Similar silhouettes, one as a dress and one a 2 piece ensemble. The dress on the left, in blue, is meant to be worn with knee high boots. The 2 piece ensemble is one that I really like and is representative of fabrics in my collection. Although I really like these two looks I would not likely wear them to the inauguration, not serious enough to my eye. 

These 3 options represent a more fitted look. All 3 have very different vibes! I think the first one in grey with brown lacy accents is my favorite for the occasion, it is the most serious. The one in the middle is my second choice, the colors give a feeling of hope, something that I feel is really needed in this political climate! The Blue dress with pleating detail is quite interesting and unique but probably not the best choice for the inauguration.

These 2 were my rejects... I included them just to show how I work through different ideas. I was thinking a midi length skirt would work on me but clearly this style looks frumpy. A more fitted silhouette as in the center skirt in the photo above is a much better look on my body. The second look was just playing with angles, I saw this skirt on a work acquaintance and loved the look on her, she is very tall and slim and the a-line with the broken lines gave her some shape. On me this just looks blah. the Jacket has some potential but would need quite a bit of work! Obviously I did not even like it enough to color it in!

Now onto the Inaugural Ball! There are so many red-carpet looks out there on the internet and in fashion magazines that are just so abhorrent to me. Many of them really seem to be all about the hey look at me factor and how much attention can they draw and not necessarily what was beautiful and flattering to the wearer. That was not my goal! My goal was to play with different dress ideas to come up with something that would work on my body, be beautiful as well as respectable!

This first set of dresses is an interesting study. I had in mind yards of beautiful silk chiffon and how would I make that work along with some structure. As soon as I finished the first drawing all I could think of was how OLD FASHIONED and matronly it looked! So I immediately worked on a second design that would give this same dress a much updated look! I think I achieved that but then also made this more into a cocktail dress versus a ball gown.

These three dresses were playing with different ideas.I did not want to just sketch multiple of the same dresses or same silhouettes. The first is representative of a more traditional gown with large inverted pleats on the skirt and lace detail scattered throughout. This would be quite beautiful but maybe a trifle expected. The middle is an interesting draped gown with a bubble hem. It is interesting... not sure I would ever wear that. The hem would have to be very exaggerated and the bodice very fitted to make sure the silhouette came out properly and not just looking like a giant potato sack! The third dress is an all ruched bodycon dress. It has possibilities but there are much better designs for me. As you can see none of these interested me enough to even bother adding color to them!

These two are my favorite! The purple gown was sketched very quickly to try to capture the fluidity and the softness of all the draping. Both gowns are draped and both have elements of asymmetry. I envision the purple in yards of chiffon and the green in more of a crepe de chine or a lovely charmeuse. 

Wendy and I would love to linkup with other bloggers! If you are interested in joining in this creative adventure or just want to share what you have been designing, please leave a comment to this post with a link to your blog post or online photos and we will add the links  to the blog post for everyone to enjoy!

Don't forget to hop on over to see what amazing designs Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor has come up with this month!

In the Sketchbook- July 2016

Welcome to In the Sketchbook, a monthly look at fashion design sketches that we are working on for ourselves. Sketching garments on a personal croquis is a great way for the individual couture enthusiast to move beyond the use of commercial patterns and into a world of personalized design! It can be intimidating at first, but with a little bit of practice it becomes something you look forward to. Join us for a look of what we have going on In the Sketchbook! Brought to you by Wendy Grossman of Couture Counsellor and Steph King from Siouxzeegirl Designs.

My Sketching this much was much more targeted to working out a specific design. I focused on using my fabrics that I have in my collection to come up with a perfect design.

My process for this started with me having the idea of wanting a garment using a specific combination of 3 fabrics. I then sketched out several designs (these were seen last month). The next part of the process was sketching the fabrics into the designs. This really brought my sketches to life and fairly quickly ruled out one of the 3 designs. In a mentoring session with Sarah Veblen we discussed the merits of each design as well as how I really felt about each one. I had no idea that designing could be so emotion based!

This first design was fun and I enjoyed playing with different fabrics for the collar and waist tabs. In the end this design did not make the cut. I just was not feeling it, possibly too many details along with too complicated of fabrics. It is also quite fancy! Like a very special opera performance fancy. 

This design failed as soon as I started sketching in the fabrics. The turned back peplum just caused too many changes in fabric. It also doesn't really help that I drew an exaggerated stripe on the pants. The entire ensemble immediately screamd circus to me!! So not the look I'm going after!

This last design made me go 'ohh' and 'ahh' and I believe I clapped my hands in glee. Perfection for me!

Once I decided on the final design I also sketched up the back of the garment and started thinking about the construction details. The next step in the process will move out of the sketching phase and into flat pattern and muslin stages. This is a very fun process!

Here is the back sketch with coloration. 

Here is the back with the intended fabrics. 

The princess line pencil skirt is to be made out of the dark grey wool with red pinstripes.

The jacket is to be made out of the red/black circle jacquard with the laser cut scuba over the top.

I had a couple of other sketches, not quite so many this month! The two I really like was one based off of a swatch of acid green wool that I love and was daydreaming about what it could be. I went with a sleeveless princess line sheath dress with a pouf along the bottom and  an elbow length swing jacket with poufs at the hem and a jewel neck closure. The wool is amazingly gorgeous but at $88 a yard (on sale!) this one may just end up being a daydream! 

The second was conceived when I was sitting and having sketchers block , I gave myself a question along with a 5 min time limit.  The question was 'what I would wear to a ball?' I found this to be very helpful in getting myself out of my head and just sketching!

Wendy and I would love to have this feature grow into a link-up with other sewing bloggers. If you are interested in joining in this creative adventure or just want to share what you have been designing  please leave a comment to this post.