My Old Friend, the SWAP

SWAP = Sewing with a Plan

Many of you are familiar with this concept, having either read about it or participated in the contests.  Back in the day, Julie of Timmel Fabrics (Julie, if you're reading, I sure do miss you and your fabric!) ran the SWAP contest.  These days, the lovely folks over at Stitcher's Guild Forum have taken over the reins.

The SWAP concept (and subsequent Timmel Fabrics contest) was based on an idea presented in Australian Stitches magazine about a decade or so ago.  The idea was to create a wardrobe that is cohesive, both in colour and style.  The different garments (one jacket, two pairs of pants, two skirts and six tops were required in the original SWAP contest) in a grouping should work together to provide the wearer with several mix and match outfits.

I used to do almost all of my sewing in SWAPs.   However, over the last while I had gotten away from sewing this way.  Well, earlier this week I was perusing back issues of Australian Stitches magazine.  Lynn Cook (one of the editors) had put together a lovely wardrobe (see issues Vol. 15, No. 9 to Vol. 16 No. 4 if they are available to you).  In the first issue, she sewed up a jacket, two skirts, a pair of pants and two tops in black, white and red fabrics.  In each consecutive issue, she added to the mix with further garments.  Along the way, she added in other colours (orange, teal, bone, lavender, etc).  In the end, she created a beautifully coordinated wardrobe. 

This was very inspiring to read, so based on her plans, I put together my own version:

SWAP Phase 1 - based on Vol. 15 No. 9:

SWAP Phase 2 - based on Vol. 15 No. 10:

SWAP Phase 3 - based on Vol. 15 No. 11: 

SWAP Phase 4 - based on Vol. 15 No. 12:

SWAP Phase 5 - based on Vol. 16 No. 1:

SWAP Phase 6 - based on Vol. 16 No. 2:

SWAP Phase 7 - based on Vol. 16 No. 3:

SWAP Phase 8 - based on Vol. 16 No. 4:

The vast majority of fabrics were in my stash.  However, I do have three fabrics that are still alluding me at this point (ETA: I found three fabrics that finished off my SWAP, so the storyboards have been updated).  The patterns are a mix of recent and older ones that I had in my possession.  I may add or modify as I go along if I find it necessary.

I have already started on the plans above - one garment is finished and several more are cut out.  So, stay tuned...

The Wazoodle Coat

Next up is a winter coat.  I will be using the coat pattern from Butterick 2457, a vintage pattern from the 1960s.  I'm smitten with the raglan sleeves and the fabulous roll collar that stands slightly away from the neck.  Unfortunately, the pattern was not designed with pockets, so I will be adding some to make the coat more useful - I need a place for keys and the like.  I haven't yet decided whether I will place the pockets in the side seams or go for some cute patch pockets on the front.  Right now, I am leaning toward the latter.

I will be using a mid-weight wool/cashmere/acetate blend melton in balsam.  I purchased this fabric in several colourways from Wazoodle many years ago (back when they actually carried fabrics that were desirable - lately, their selection has been less than stellar).  Since I want this coat to be reasonably warm in the colder weather, I will be underlining the entire garment in a thick ivory coloured cotton flannel, also purchased from Wazoodle.

As this coat is to be a quick(ish) wearable muslin to test fit, I won't be going crazy with the tailoring techniques.  I have plans to use this pattern for a bigger project if this garment turns out well.

In the Navy

I am a huge proponent of the "Don't Sew an Orphan, Sew an Outfit" approach, so I sewed up a couple of other pieces to go with my new jacket.  I absolutely hate when I make a fab piece of clothing and then have nothing to wear with it.  So, a few years back, I started sewing outfits - entire looks from head to toe.  That way, I will never have one sad little garment, sitting forlornly in my closet, being overlooked.

I have paired up my navy tropical wool Butterick 5567 (view D) jacket with a pair of navy medium weight cotton twill pants (McCall's 2101 - an elastic waist pant, now sadly out of print).  Like Carolyn, I am a big fan of elastic waist pants.  Not only does my waist change size over the course of the month, but also over the course of the day.  With my job as a teacher, I can't afford to be restricted by my clothing, so elastic waists are heaven sent to keep me comfortable. Besides, most people don't even realize that I'm wearing elastic waist pants since I rarely tuck in my tops.

The top is Vogue 8597 (view A with the long sleeves of view B), a fabulous cowl neck top with raglan sleeves.  This top is interesting as the front of the top and the cowl neck are all cut in one piece.  This makes for some quick and easy sewing.  I used a rust coloured bamboo knit from Fabric Mart that picks up the rust striations in the jacket fabric.  This top is so soft and luxurious.  I love the bamboo knits!

I have styled this outfit with navy socks and a pair of rust leather Mary Janes by Clarks.  I opted to forgo any costume jewellery, but I am wearing a sapphire and diamond channel set band on my right hand - I like how the blue sapphires play off the navy fabrics.

12-4-12 *Jacket Numero Uno*

Pattern:  Butterick 5567 - view D

 Size:  size 8 - no alterations

Fabric:  navy blue (very subtly striated with dark plum) tropical weight worsted wool gabardine from Fabric Mart

Project Photo:

Comments:  Since joining the Jacket a Month (12-4-12) sewalong on Stitcher's Guild, I have been seeing amazing jackets and coats everywhere.  Whether in pattern form or on retail shopping sites, I am bombarded by inspiration.  Oddly enough though, this first jacket sprang forth without any outside influence.  I picked up the pattern at the last BMV sale and while going through my stash, this wool seemed like the perfect match. 

This jacket sewed up very quickly and easily.  The pattern is drafted well, the instructions are good and all the pattern pieces fit together perfectly.  This would be an ideal project for a beginning sewist looking for a simple intro jacket project.  There is essentially no fitting due to the dropped shoulders and the large amount of ease built into the design.  Also, the jacket closes with a single snap at the neck, so there are no finicky closures (like buttons or zippers) to fret about.

I'm not sure this would be the best design for the busty gals in the crowd - due to the limited fitting options.  However, the rest of us boobically impaired ladies don't need much fitting.  Flat pattern, flat chest - it's all good.

Conclusion:  Nice little jacket.  I won't likely be making it again, as I prefer jackets with some more waist shaping, but this one will be a nice addition to my professional wardrobe.

Butterick 5523

Pattern:  Butterick 5523

Size:  size 8, with modifications discussed below

Fabric:  coral wool blend knit from Fabric Mart

Project Photo:

Comments:  I love this dress.  It's such a wonderful addition to my work wardrobe for the winter months.  The combination of the long sleeves and the heavy knit fabric allows me to wear a dress in the dead of winter and still keep all my important bits warm and cozy.  Also, this dress is so comfortable and easy to wear.  And the best part?  People kept complimenting me all day long (even the clueless men in my department that never notice anything!).

The dress is sewed up straight out of the package, with only minor alterations.   The instructions would have you construct the bodice (complete with sleeves), followed by the skirt and then attach the two parts together.

Instead, I sewed in a different order.  I completed the  entire front, followed by the entire back.  Then, I set the sleeves in flat.  Finally, I sewed the side seams for the entire length of the dress (from sleeve cuff to armpit to hem).  Since my fabric was a very stable knit, with only minor stretchiness, I wanted to have the ability to sew smaller side seams if I needed the extra room.  In the end, I used 1/4" seams, instead of the typical 5/8" seams and this helped me avoid the stuffed sausage look.

My only qualm is with the depth of the neckline.  It's a wee bit too low for my taste.  I will be raising it by 1/2" to 1" in the next version.  I like to be able to bend over at school and not have all my wares on display (however, paltry those wares may be). 

I styled the dress with an enamel bee pin (Joan Rivers, similar here), worn at the waistline, a pair of opaque black tights and my fabulous new black leather boots (Clarks Wyld Polka).

Before I sign off, let me take a minute to gush about my boots.  I always have problems finding boots that will fit my monster calves (they are 15" in circumference in case you're wondering), but these babies zip right up, no problemo.  They are nicely cushioned in the sole, they have rounded toes and a lower heel, which is so important for a gal on her feet all day long.  I wore them for eight hours with nary a pinch, twinge or ouchie.  Also, the leather is soft and they are well made.  An extra added bonus was that I got them for an excellent price ($90 CDN, regular $160 CDN).  I will most certainly be looking for these bad boys in brown as well.  So ladies, if you have problem feet, combined with the calves of a Russian weight lifter like I do, then give these awesome boots a whirl.  You might be glad you did.

Conclusion:  This cutie pie of a cowl neck dress is a definite winner!  I can see myself making up several more versions of this little number.

12-4-12 *Vintage Pattern Picks*

Yesterday, I showed a bunch of modern jacket/coat patterns that are on my short list to be made during the 12-4-12 Jacket Sew-a-long.  Today, I want to send out some vintage pattern love.

Aren't they all just delicious?

12-4-12 *Modern Pattern Picks*

In my last post, I mentioned the "Jacket a Month for 2011" (which I have been calling "12-4-12" in my head each time I see the name) sew-a-long at Stitcher's Guild.  At this point, I have already completed two unlined jackets from Butterick 5567; view B in a yellow wool/polyester blend gabardine and view D in a navy tropical wool that looks like fancy denim. 

I have also cut out the jacket from Buttterick 5247 using a nifty brown wool that has burnt orange and off-white threads running through it. 

I may seem like I'm really getting ahead of myself (considering it's not actually 2011 yet) on this 12-4-12 challenge, but I know I will be inordinately busy in the spring and summer with the building of the new house.  So, I want to build in a buffer of a few jackets already finished for when my time is limited.

Lastly, here are a few more jackets/coats that have captured my imagination lately:

Making Progress

I am forging forward with my B5523 project.  I found a gorgeous coral wool knit in my stash that I purchased from Fabric Mart a while back and I have cut out all my pattern pieces.  Today, I will be sitting in front on my machines to put it all together.  If all goes well, I can see making up this dress in a few different fabrics, as I really need to flesh out my professional winter wardrobe.  Things are looking a bit sad in the HZC closet these days.

Also, from the "I-didn't-want-to-tell-you-all-because-I'd-rather-increase-my-odds-of-winning-but-that-would-be-wrong-so-I-guess-I'll-tell-you-all-anyhow" file, Denise, of The Blue Gardenia blog fame, is having an amazing giveaway.  So, I suppose you could go check it out.  I'll be right here, trying to work some voodoo magic to ensure that I win.  And not you.          :)

Finally, Some Inspiration...

...or at least I hope so.

It will come as no surprise to those of you desperately hoping for some new sewing porn to grace the pages of HZC that my mojo has gone missing for quite a while.  When Simon died in July, it was as if all my desire to create beautiful garments vapourized into the ether.  I guess grief can do that - it wrings you out and leaves an empty husk.  Even with the introduction of joy back into our family through the adoption of dear sweet Hartley, I haven't felt the pull of my sewing room in months.  I have done a few things here and there - a couple pairs of pants and some skirts - but, the need to get involved in big projects has escaped me.

So, I have decided to try making a knit dress.  A simple knit dress.  A simple knit dress, that won't require much fitting and that I should be able to complete in a couple of days.  I'm hoping that this simple knit dress will be the impetus to get my arse back in gear.

I have settled upon Butterick 5523, a fab looking double knit dress, with a cool cowl collar (alliteration, anyone?) and an empire waistline.  This dress will be a nice addition to my cold weather professional wardrobe.

Now, I just need to rifle through the stash and see what I have in the way of double knit.  I know there is some chocolate brown in there that I scored from Fabric Mart a couple of years back. I guess I'll see what's what when I look.

Emma Goes to Prom

Just recently on the blog, What Would Emma Pilsbury Wear?, there was a challenge posted.  The readers were asked to provide a Prom look for Emma - either what she would have worn to her Prom or what she would wear to chaperone a Prom.  Well, I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this all important question:

 

Gathering - The Magic

The "Better Late than Never" Dress calls for a fair bit of gathering in the bodice and the skirt.  There are all sorts of techniques out there for gathering fabric, but I thought I'd document my favourite method in the pictorial tutorial.  I am showing how the gathered midriff overlay piece is attached to a stay, but this technique can be used in any situation requiring the attachment of a large piece of fabric to a smaller piece of fabric, via gathering.

Run a line of basting stitches along the seamline on the larger piece of fabric (you can see the larger lime green fabric will be gathered onto the smaller avocado green stay in the picture below).  You can do this by machine by cranking up your stitch length as high as it will go - on my machine, it is 5 mm.

 Pin the two ends in place and pin the middles of the two fabrics together.

Continue to pin at equidistant intervals.

Add as many pins as is necessary to evenly distribute the fabric.

Pull up the basting stitches to gather the larger piece of fabric as tightly as possible.

Pull the ends of the smaller piece of fabric back into shape.  The gathers on the larger piece of fabric should now be evenly distributed amongst the pins.  Sit back and revel in your awesomeness.

 

P.S.  The dress is done and not a moment too soon.  I will be heading out in a couple of hours.  Hopefully tomorrow I will have all sorts of fab photos of me rockin' out at Prom.

French Seams - Magnifique!

The "Better Late than Never" Dress is coming along nicely.  Looks like I won't be naked at Prom.  Hey wait, I'm pretty sure I had a dream like that once.  Scary.

I like my formal wear to have a flawless inside finish, but I am pressed for time on this project, so I will be doing some serged finishes on the silk charmeuse lining.  However, I refuse to have a messy looking seams on the exterior silk chiffon fabric.  Nothing is tackier than a fraying or serged seam showing through a sheer formal wear fabric.  So, I took the extra bit of time required to employ some beautiful French seams.

Although I have done a tutorial in the past on how to create a French seam, I thought I would show some real live action shots of a French seam in progress.  Be prepared to be dazzled:

Place fabric wrong sides together and sew a 1/4" seam.  Trim the seam to an 1/8". This removes any loose fibres and cleans up the edge nicely.

Press the stitches flat to meld the thread into the fabric.  Then, press the seam to one side (it is pressed upward in the picture below).  Alternatively, press the seam open if the fabric allows.  On this silk chiffon, pressing the seam open was tantamount to herding cats, so I took the path of least resistance and pressed to one side.

Turn the fabric so it is right sides together.  Pin along the edge. Stitch a 3/8" seam.  This will encase the first line of stitching, creating a strong, neat seam, in which all raw edges are encased (you can see the encased raw edge if you look closely at the picture below). 

Press the seam to one side or the other (the seam is pressed downward in the picture below).

Admire your handiwork from the right side.  Beautiful!