Silk Giveaway

I told you :)

This piece has been in my stash for a year or more; a gorgeous European silk metallic constructed of two layers.

Two layers held together with gold metallic thread

The drape is wonderful yet it is perfect for more structured garments as well. I bought this to make a Chanel style suit, something inspired by Chanel's Spring '09 couture collection.

If you have a Pantone chart, the color is close to Pantone Winter White 11-0507 TPX or Cloud Cream 12-0804 TPX.

And that's why I'm giving it away. It has a warm tone which is a no-no for me. This is a generous 3 yards, 52" wide,  plenty to make a stunning outfit cause there's no matching involved. And, you could pair it with silk chiffon as it appears the Chanel suit above has done on the sleeves. I'd even insert silk charmeuse in the front slit on skirt :)
On the other hand, if you're unfamiliar with silk, this fabric is not difficult to work with and could be a great project for a basic suit or jacket, and it won't cost you a dime :), well, almost. I'd still recommend you buy silk thread and silk lining...

The fabric can be used on both sides to create a design effect

If this is a color you can wear or you want to make something for someone special, leave me a comment on this post. I won't be back until August 22 so let's make the drawing Monday August 23.

Chanel construction

A few pictures of the process so far. It's the same as my other Chanel inspired jackets, but a very different fabric. A lot of extra steam pressing on this one due to the bulky wool boucle. I also cut off some of the taffeta strips in the SA.

Same pattern I used for my first Chanel: BWOF 01-2008-127. Well sorta... I kept the muslin from DD's recent Chanel (04-2008-120), and that was a time saver. I simply traced out her size in the shawl collar piece and added it to the muslin; length was added as well. I tested buttonholes and went with my usual bound, using the silk from the lining (crepe) and silk organza for the facing. And I also just discovered that the machine has a bound buttonhole option- DUH!!! THAT IS SOOOO EASY! I even made bound buttonholes on the sleeves, which was a little tricky due to the quilted lining. Think I took some pictures so will post them if I did.

I'm in the process of setting in the sleeves, and it's not hard because there isn't much matching to speak of. And; I used Roberta Carr's method to gather and shape the sleeve cap. That is just an awesome technique, try it! See this post on my coat.

Okay, at least I'm back to posting about sewing :)) Thank you for all congrats!

omg

We slept late (DH and I like to create at night), and woke up to a ton of faxes, emails and phone messages...

Million Dollar Quartet has received three Tony nominations!

So... you know what this means right? More fabric shopping NYC ;)

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PS; the Chanel jacket is for DD, and yes, I DESERVE another one for myself :) I might make it in black.

Metal trim could be an option (if I can find the right one).

The fabric is from Parons in NYC.

Chanel moderne

... or something like that. This fabric just screams modern to me. Actually, as it hangs on the dress form sans sleeves, the term bullet-proof vest comes to mind...

It's a loose, bulky wool boucle with black taffeta strips stitched on top. My trim choices have gone out the window at this point so back to square one. Which means; more shopping for me :) There can not be anything frilly about this jacket, the trim will be selected after I attach the sleeves and test pockets. The good news is I'm starting to get the hang of the Chanel construction technique, everything is moving along at a brisk pace. Could there be one for moi in the near future?

Chanel

Coco Chanel before 1914

Her profile as exquisite as the clothes she designed. All images are taken from the book I received for Christmas:

CHANEL, Collections and Creations

by Daniele Bott.

I love this book. The photos are gorgeous and there is so much good information. I'm also a sucker for bold quotations, which this book has in spades. One of my faves below:

Now I never need to make excuses, Coco paved the way. Brilliant!

A photo worth a thousand words

(or yards of fabric):

This is next on my list; a quilted lining in grids, isn't it magnificent!

How would you like to powder

you nose with little beauty?

Buttons. Priceless.

An illustration by Karl Lagerfeld.

Bring this one along for

your next manicure :))

The Camellia:

'There are a hundred ways

to wear a flower.'

I'm fascinated and spellbound. Chanel speaks to my soul. Next year I'm diving head first into all aspects, every detail. I want to be bold, fearless, put on my magnifiers and sew, sew, sew. I will buy fine sharp hand needles and silk thread in bulk.

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The coatdress was a success- thank you for your comments and maybe your crossed fingers that it would fit :)) DD is 16.... just cut her own hair short... and dyed it jet black... Okay then. A picture could come later. Or not. And I thought it was hard to get myself in front of a camera. I will take a picture of the gray coat very soon. Remember the Dior coat? Never worn it, still has some basting threads in it, but it's done. Even have a review ready. Maybe DH will buy me some gray boots... we like to do our personal shopping after Christmas :))

I hope you all had a peaceful Christmas/holiday.

This Is Heavy

Think I can build some muscle wearing this :)) Should have weighed the front before attaching but will do before sleeves and the rest of the trim is done so you all can get a good laugh. :)) I'm almost done with the back stay, and then it will be on to the sleeves. Marji suggested to cut them on bias and I think that can work; they will look slender that way without compromising comfort. But some form of support has to be applied at the upper sleeve where all the trim will go and at the bottom sleeve as well. I'm also pondering if I should make the facings in canvas. That's what the original jacket is made from- something I found out too late. I'm using double wool crepe and live in Los Angeles :) Very clever, Birgitte!!

I'm also thinking about the sleeve length. If I do a cropped sleeve I'll be breaking the rules of proper design: jacket and sleeve hem should not be on the same line because it will make you look boxy. Me not like boxy! Also; being wool, isn't it nice to actually have a warm arm not just a warm body? What do you all think?

Thank you for all the nice comments. DD was SO enjoying them :))

Lindsay T; she couldn't believe her eyes when you mentioned Blair Waldorf!!! She thought that was soo cool!

Gry; Yes, I know exactly what you are referring to when it comes to Casual Scandia!! Thankfully, things are quite different here in Los Angeles, and DD dresses up a lot.

Cindy Ann; your "wild applause" made her burst out laughing!!

Rachel; the jacket is 04-2008-120, skirt is 01-2008-127, and blouse is 08-2009-103 with flounce from 117 from same issue. All Burda World Of Fashion Magazine.

Trena; you would be perfect in this- make it!! You and DD have very similar shape.

Uta; Yes, she wears these glasses when she's not putting in her contacts. Can't see a thing without them :))

Ms. Wintour's Assistant

My little girl isn't so little anymore. But she's still adorable, and thankfully, as sweet she always was.

A quick photo shoot before the sunset. She loves the whole shebang and so do I. It was also fun to make and not too much work. Not that I'm promising her another suit in the near future!

I'm back to the Balmain! Finished the front trim the day before yesterday and the shell was put together today. It's getting colder so I'm eager to get it done, can probably wear it to one of the functions at the theater, maybe even the opening but I'm not sure. It will look best with a pair of bleached jeans like they showed on the runway. Jeans and opening?? Like I said, not sure.

That Was Easy :))

Especially if you actually post something instead of hitting the return key... lol.

What I meant to say was: The Cuffs and neck froth were fast and easy to make. There.

Below are a few details of the construction.

I promise promise :)) I will get pictures of DD in all this Chanel extravaganza, but between her butterfly lifestyle and my Monk-like personality, getting a photo shoot set up is, to put it mildly, a tad difficult. :)) But it will be done. The reviews are written as well, so no more excuses!

:))

Neck Froth Lift-Off

DD is well again, thank you for all your kind thoughts. It was not the flue, just a cold. She's wearing her suit and blouse to Dress Up Friday at school today :)) Yes Nancy, she's back home and is going to a school in the Valley. I think she's very happy about that; last night she went to the dress form and hugged her new suit and then me. Nothing like a few years away to make you appreciate what you have :))

Neck froth:

I figured out, after some tinkering, that the edges of the pleats need to be ironed out to create the froth- gotta have that cappuccino look :)) The picture shows the top edges ironed and is just a test to see how much needs to be gathered and chopped off. The lace is also pleated (ready made from Mood) and the black strip is duchess satin left over from my Gucci skirt.

And the brooch. Isn't it gorgeous? I found it on RubyLane.com. If you haven't already checked out that site, do it. They have so many wonderful things, the majority of which is antique or vintage.

And thank you Marji; Fortuny pleats is the correct name for these pleats. Here are a few tidbits taken from Wikipedia:

Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (1871-1949), Spanish fashion designer, famous for the Delphos gown; a gown based on the ancient Grecian style. He is also remembered for his brightly colored pleated gowns.

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I appreciate all your comments on the last post; thank you.

Inside The Suit

The suit is finally done but DD is out shopping (what else?). Here's the inside:

And a construction shot of the skirt:

The quilted lining worked great on the skirt so I'm most definitely going to do that when I make my own Chanel suit :)

Next up will be the blouse. I'm going to try to use the ruffle from BWOF 08-2009-117 with bodice from 103 from the same issue. But first I have to clean up the mess- threads and strands of boucle/ribbon everywhere!

Nice and hot here in LA, around 85 degrees. Not complaining cause this penguin actually LOVES heat :))

Neck Froth

What do you call this? A scarf, a neck muffler...?

When I saw Chanel's delicious neck ornamentation, a frothy cappuccino was what popped in my mind. And of course, I had to have it. It will be for DD to wear with her almost-finished jacket :)) After visiting all the usual suspects without any luck, I bought some off white silk chiffon and took it down to Warren and Jan at A-1 Pleating. Btw, Warren worked as head of the costume department at the Pasadena Playhouse in the sixties! Needless to say he's pretty excited about our show going there. And he and Jan will be at the opening party :))

These are tiny pleats, I forgot to ask what they're called. As you can see the fabric is sandwiched between two layers of brown paper. I didn't want to take it out until I'm ready to go to work, just a tiny peek and it looks super.

And Vicky; I'm waiting.... :)) Maybe you want a cappuccino too :))

I'm also planning on making separate cuffs. A bit a urban chic; when she takes off the jacket she'll have a sleeveless silk top with cuffs :))

And thank you for all the thoughts on the sleeve.

Nancy K, I remove most of the ease, usually by slashing and overlapping. In this case, the sleeve has the added third seam from top of shoulder straight down the grain which is where the majority of the ease got eliminated. Then I drape it on to make it fit and also match the pattern in the fabric. The armhole was changed first, scooping out in front. This must be done when you try on the muslin; test by reaching the arm forward and draw a line where the arm and body meets, then adjust to make a pleasing, yet functional, seam.

Gry, that's it; three variables in the sleeve and only two measurements from the armhole, it's bound to be tricky!

But I think I solved it - at least for this jacket. The sleeves are done and ready to be attached by hand. I think DD will look very cute in this jacket, and they have dress-up Fridays every week at school so she'll have ample opportunity to wear it :))

The Sleeve

It is always what I dread. The Sleeve. It IS the hardest thing to draft/construct well. And it IS what makes or breaks a garment. Looking at the sleeve chapter in Draping for Apparel Design, by Helen Joseph- Armstrong, I got dizzy staring at all the numbers, and then got that sinking feeling I had back in algebra class... How can I possibly wrap my head around all this, I just want a well fitted sleeve, jeez!!

I should mention that this is not the first time. In fact, the sleeve was what catapulted me into the arms of Fashion Incubator and its owner, the very smart Kathleen Fasanella (if you're reading this Kathleen; I miss you too). And this is the post I found:

Sleeve cap ease

When you study her drawing of how a sleeve cap will look if it is drafted to function with a real arm as opposed to a static dress form, it makes a lot of sense, at least it does to me. The scooping out of the front armhole and the added bulge in the sleeve cap is what makes us able to move our arms forward without all the pulling.

So that's where I'm at. Back to the draping board. I started with the original sleeve that came with the pattern and have now scooped the armhole front, added sleeve cap bulge etc. Since this is for DD, I will have to baste it in and test- at her highness convenience of course- and take it from there.

And thank you JoanneM of Miss Muslin for the link to the frilly blouses :)) As soon as I'm done with the jacket and skirt (yes it will be a full suit), a blouse will be next. I'm considering quilting the lining to the skirt- very curious how it will look and function. It's an above-the-knee, straight skirt with front side slit. Anyone tried this?

Chanel, the Speedy Way

This time I'm doing things a little faster and it's mainly because of the fabric I chose. It is so thin and lightweight and made up of mostly ribbon yarn, making it impossible to deal with without fusing it first- and I fused the entire piece before I cut. This one is for DD, who just turned 16 :)) She's not a die-hard preppy anymore, but she is so excited about this. The fabric is from Mood in Los Angeles. It's really a great store with so much to choose from, but I dislike that they never have a clue about the fiber content or where it came from.

Below is the pattern I'm using:

BWOF 04-2008-120

I obviously omitted the collar, and also the slanted front. It will have three quarter length sleeves and pockets.

I had decided not to use fringe this time around but I couldn't find the right trim. So, I bought some B & W hounds tooth, cut strips on the bias and added the only trim I could find that worked. I wanted it to be controlled (aka not my usual frilly fiesta :)) so it's pressed down and cut short-short.

The lining is quilted on as usual; Lindsay T, it isn't hard and doesn't take a lot of time AND since you got the magnifiers, threading the needle for hand stitching the lining seams in place will be a piece of cake ;)

This is my third Chanel style project and it is true that it gets easier with practice. I haven't needed too look up anything so far, it's all in the memory bank.

I'm tempted to make myself another one, but that will have to wait until the Balmain jacket is done.

DD also wants a ruffle blouse. I've been looking around for something like what Chanel is showing in their fall collection but no luck so far. If anyone has any ideas please share :))

Goodbye Laguna, Hello "Baby It's You"

Sunset at Three Arch Bay, Laguna Beach

Sisters

We're back from a wonderful- way too short- trip to Laguna Beach. We all love that place so much it's always hard to say goodbye. This time, however, we had urgent matters to attend to so no time to dwell on paradise lost:

The news broke today so I can happily announce that our musical, "Baby It's You", is going to the Pasadena Playhouse.

Here are some links to press releases from today:

Broadway World

Hollywood Reporter

LA Times blog

Theater Mania

We will have the first performance on November 6th, with the official press opening on November 13. This is just so cool :)) That theater is awesome, the most beautiful theater in Los Angeles. And the stage is HUGE; I'm so excited to be working with a Broadway set designer, possibilities are endless and my mind is swirling with ideas. Better watch out or I'll get dizzy!

Also, our costume designer is fah-bu-lous!!! Lizz Wolff did both our shows at the Coast Playhouse, and she and I clicked the moment we met. She has a perfect sense of color, texture, glamour, time period, and she's only done TV and movies before which actually was a big plus. Sometimes it's better not to know everything about theater because you can easily become entrenched in how it is "supposed" to be done versus having that freedom that comes with a bit of blissful ignorance :)) You all know what I mean right? Kinda like sewing isn't it!

And finally, thank you for all your well wishes and for your kind comments on the shirt. I will still be sewing (can't keep my sanity if I don't) and am presently working on a Chanel jacket for oldest DD. Cindy, if I don't get around to signing up for the Chanel sew-along just know that you inspired me, so thank you. I did my Chanel jacket last year, and, just like now, it got started when I returned form Laguna. It's something about that ocean air I think :))

Some Juicy Details

Just a couple of shots so I can do a review. Thanks for all your lovely comments. This was a successful project and I'm grateful for that considering the PRICE of this fabric!

I'm now making a jacket (and probably a skirt) for me-myself-I, and will post shortly. Nothing complex though it has a few tricks (welt pockets and bias contrast bands). The first one to correctly name the BWOF pattern I'm using will get a nice surprise: Fabric for a jacket from F & S of her/his? (lol) choice within reason of course- they do have some stuff way past the 500/yd mark :) And Nancy, you're not eligible cause you already know :))

I'll go by the same rule as Cidell did in her recent giveaway: You must have commented on my blog at least once, and you must promise to make this jacket within the year 2009. I will pay for the shipping as well- even to Australia :))

Okay, if you bothered to read this far, forget about the coat pictures and go check your BWOF mags. :))

Here is a link to a photo of DD doing a marvelous pose in her messy room :))

Juicy Chanel Coat

DD was watching Disney Channel, apparently too important to miss, so better pictures outside at a later time, hopefully. But notice the pose in the first one :))

I was going to take detailed pictures on the form and then I see DD walking out the door to a friend's house- in the coat... Oh well. Below you can sort of see the buttons; vintage silver with rhinestones from International Wools & Silk.

I didn't take pictures during construction, but it was pretty close to my Chanel jacket- even has a silver chain at the hem. We're both happy with the end result, and it finally looks like the weather is cooling so she can get some wear out of it. I also think older DD will approve- she is after all the one responsible for younger DD's newfound preppiness :))

There Will Be Fringe...

... and buttons and sleeves...

This has been a long process with numerous interruptions. Really don't care though, because it's such a joy returning to this lovely fabric.

Changes so far:

No pocket flap, no in-seam pockets, and no collar. Instead I added patch pockets with fringe, silk piping, and silk bound buttonholes. Bias seams, hems and vent are fuse-stabilized. The two-piece sleeve is now a three-piece, split down the grain from top of shoulder, and a vent added.

Thumbelina and O'Malley have been very supportive throughout this process, always insisting on aiding in any way they can...

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I want to welcome Berry back to the world of sewing and blogging- I truly missed you!

Cidell, You are not too old for the dress- you would look fabulistic in an outfit like that!!!

I want to thank Cindy Lou for finding me and then top it off with an award! Since I already have received this award, I will link to that post here. 

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All you wonderful people are inspiring and enrich my life on a daily basis. I thank you. And so does DH. We would like to extend an open invitation to all of you faithful readers:

If you are visiting or live in Chicago, we will get you tickets to our musical Million Dollar Quartet free of charge. We are also planning to open our musical Baby It's You in a big theater here in Los Angeles in the spring, and when that happens, the same will apply. 

Thank you for reading my blog!