The One Piece Mini Wardrobe (Vogue 8263)

Some time ago, way back in August, I had Grand Plans.  Yes indeed, I was going to sew me another mini-wardrobe!  I had been so inspired by the Pattern Review mini wardrobe contest last year, and found that it really helped me plan out projects so that I didn't (continue to) end up with a closet full of orphans who simply do not play well together.  So when the contest came up again, along with an accompanying mini wardrobe sewalong for those of us who weren't quite up to the rules and regs of the official contest, I was in!

Or so I thought.

Fast forward, several weeks later, and I am happy to announce that, at last, one (1) of the planned pieces is finished!

I needed a layered top for my "basklecloth" skirt, and had the perfect blue shade of silk noil in stash, but after one failed attempt at a match (the shirt was OK, just not paired with the skirt - wrong style totally), I decided a simpler pattern was in order, using the same fabric.

Enter Vogue 8263.   A simple jacket with clean lines, and although it's a bit conservative for my usual style, I thought that a touch of silk screening and the right button could make it all work for me.

I made up a quick muslin, did a few adjustments (my usual sloping, forward, narrow shoulders, created a bit more room in the upper arms, waist and hips.....  all was fine, so I cut it out in the silk.

Nope.   Didn't like it.   At all.   And yet.....once I removed the sleeves, I thought it would work very well indeed as a vest layered over a long sleeved shirt.

Yes, some definite possibilities here.  I added some patch pockets, and started thinking about embellishments to personalize it and make it a bit more "me"... I ordered some Marcy T silk screens that I thought would pair well with the skirt.   (Can you tell yet that this is already turning into one of my classic change-directions-seventeen-times-in-the-process-of-making-it projects?)

While waiting for the silk screens, life busy-ness arrived, sewing mojo departed, and the vest just sat, threatening to turn into a UFO.

Until one day last week, when I was welcoming some energy and "spare" time, and used it to clean up the sewing space.  One of my vintage ties had managed to plop itself on top of this vest, and little light bulbs started turning on.....  I went through the tie stash, looking for something that would help marry the vest with the skirt, found one, draped it over the neckline, and ended up with this:

I've now started to get a bit excited, and I've begun to welcome the sew-jo back. :)   I sewed down the tie, then decided to add a few buttons.   At this point I was liking the results, but the bottom hemline was looking a bit wimpy.  I had fully lined the vest, but I STILL have not mastered this whole lining thing, and this, couple with wimpy fabric, was causing the hemline to look a bit wonky.   Did I mention recently that I've never taken a sewing class?  It's time, it's so time.....

Anyway, I solved the wimpy hemline by adding a bias strip (ready-made, vintage from stash) along the edge, giving it some weight and a touch of interest with the strip of color.   I meant to take more in-progress photos, but late-night sewing combined with forgetful mornings and, well, photos didn't happen.

The vest was almost there....just needed a little something else...... I did end up adding a few touches of silk screen after all, and here's the result:

Some silk screening notes:
1.  I discovered, quite by accident, that you can squeeze the paint through from either side of the screen!  It makes sense, but for some reason I had thought it wouldn't work.   This is nice, because you can match reverse images if you want - yay!
2.  Thick blobby paints are not so easy to work with.  This also makes sense, but who has paint extender on hand when you need it?  Oh, everyone but me?   Well, it's on my shopping list now....

Back View.
I'm starting to learn the concept that less is more, at least sometimes....

Closeup of the tie and vintage button

This pattern has an in-seam buttonhole at the yoke.  I just wrapped and folded the tie around the buttonhole and stitched it down.  The button here is a vintage fabric covered button from stash.  Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my vintage button stash?

I removed the interfacing from both ends of the tie.   The extra oomph was fine at the upper collar edge, but it was too bulky for all of the folds and twists at the ends.

The tie, by the way,  is a Jerry Garcia design from the "Paris in the Rain" collection.  I scored a batch of his ties at a thrift store, and love the fabric designs on them!

The finished vest being worn:  :::Aside:  Doing the happy dance because I FINALLY found my camera remote, after delaying this post for a week because it was lost:::

Going for the "Yeah I'm short and I'm admitting it" look:

Fully lined - self fabric on yoke, silk from stash on back & sides:

A shout out to one of my favorite RTW manufacturers, Nomadic Traders Co.   The blouse and pants above are theirs, and their fabric is beautiful quality, as is the construction.  Sorry you can't see the detail, especially on the pants, but trust me, these clothes will last a very long time! Although I haven't bought any RTW since I started sewing (yay!), I used to never miss their twice-a-year sales at the Berkeley warehouse.   If you're local, and you like natural fiber, trendy-but-classic looks, be sure to check them out and get on their mailing list!  Note:  It looks like they do not have a website for the warehouse sales, nor do they advertise them; here's a link to the Yelp reviews: Nomadic Traders Warehouse

I still have a lot of ties (and I'm looking for more) and a lot of ideas about how to use them.   There are SO many upcycling possibilities out there....please please PLEASE keep me AWAY from the new fabric stores - I have enough!!!!

Oh, and btw, there are some rather fabulous entries in the PR Mini-Wardrobe contest - check them out!   (and if you've been a member for over 90 days, you can vote for your faves)

Here's to wardrobes, clothes that match, orphans that find families, and upcycling!   I welcome comments about any of the above - or anything else you feel like saying, for that matter... :)

Still Obsessed With Neckties...

I'm happy to report that I am continuing to find uses for my extensive necktie collection, while also expanding my meager belt collection.   

This tie, in all of its gaudy glory, was the unlikely perfect combo of colors and swirls to tie together an outift (to be revealed in the near future)

I'll start with the finish, so you don't need to wonder what the heck I'm doing with all of my silly little folds & buttons & stuff:

Yes, it's a belt!

I started by making a few folds,
and tacking them in place with a button, using heavy-duty thread

Close-up of button and folds

I tacked down the folds on the back side....

added some velcro
(for the variable waistline & layers of clothing, you know....)
The velcro under the button area is hand sewn;
the strip of velcro on the flat end is sewn by machine

And that's all there is to it!

Next up:  one of sham's famous tablecloth skirts and a report on another blogger meetup scheduled for tomorrow (two in less than a week, how lucky am I?)

Yes indeed, I do believe I'm back :D

The Evolution of an Accidental Vest (K Tilton V8777)

AKA - Sewing Without A Plan
AKA - Starting With A Plan, but Changing Your Mind (A Sewist's Prerogative)
AKA - Why Take the Safe and Easy Route, When the Scenic Route is So Much More Interesting?

I had a plan.  I dove into the Stitcher's Guild Winter 6PAC with every intention of finishing it, but item #1 was the infamous Koos Coat, which ate up almost all of the time allotted for the 6PAC.   Item #2 was the LaFred Thalia pants, but they ended up being made in a different fabric (and different color scheme) than the 6PAC plan.   On to the new item #2 - a super simple, neutral vest, Katharine Tilton's Vogue 8777, which I whipped out in no time:

Super simple and neutral it is!   Too simple.  Too neutral.  Must fuss & futz & do something else to it....

BTW, there isn't much to say about the construction of the vest.  3 pattern pieces, stitch up the seams, & finish them with a topstitched faux flat fell.  I used a narrow zig-zag for the seams, and the "triple stitch" for the topstitching.  The instructions are very clear - it's one of those patterns that takes twice as long to trace & cut the fabric as it does to sew up.

That is, if you leave it alone at this point....

This vest (View C) calls for unfinished edges.  I'm really not a fan of unfinished edges, (unless they're frayed, or done with a fabulous selvedge, or have something fun & special going on), so I wanted to do something...but what?   My M.O. these days is to go to bed & let the questions stew, & as I'm drifting off, that's when the answer usually comes.  This time the answer was TIES!   Ah yes, all those neckties....

I selected some ties that worked well with the vest color, draped one around the neck & front, & decided that was a good place to start.  (Note that I still don't have a plan, exactly...I'm just kind of stumbling along & seeing where the path will lead....)

I dug out the Steam-a-Seam (which still feels sort of like cheating to me...why IS that?   The stuff is GREAT!)  I placed the tie so that half of it extended beyond the center front edges of the vest, Steam-a-Seamed & stitched it in place along the edge of the vest, and step 1 was done:

I decided that the armholes needed a bit more tie action, so I selected 2 more ties, & stitched the narrow end of a tie around each armhole.  For these, I placed the edge of the tie even with the armhole seam.   And used more Steam-a-Seam.   I stitched the armscye edge, then stitched down the other edge of the ties.   The added fabric of the ties on top of the ponte caused the arm edges to stand out a bit.   I did take a dart in the tie "binding" under the arm to lessen this effect, but it's still there.  I'm OK with that:

I'm having fun with the vest so far, and liking it, but now the bottom edge clearly needs.....something.   Time to sleep on it again.   This time, piping was the answer.   But,  a) how to make it, and b) how to attach it so that it looks finished on both sides?

I wanted to make a continuous bias strip out of what I had left of the two armhole ties:

I stitched them together along the long edge, RS together.  

This made for a semi-rectangle, a bit wobbly on the edges, 

with the narrow end of each tie attached to the wider end of the other tie.

I then marked 1.5" wide lines all along the pieced together ties.

Note:   I ended up with TWICE the length of bias strip that I needed!  

I could have (should have) made my marks 2" wide - 

it would have made sewing up the piping MUCH easier.  20/20 hindsight & all that....

(Biggify the pic to see the lines more clearly):

I then attached the other long edges of the ties, by matching the end of line #1 on one tie to the beginning of line #2 on the other tie, forming a tube.

If you've matched up your lines, you will have one continuous line going round the tube.

This is a classic way of creating a continuous bias strip, except for the rather wonky edges,

creating lines that aren't really on the true bias.  

But hey, I figured if it didn't work, 

I was just out two cheap vintage neckties & a bit of time.....worth it!

Start cutting along the marked lines, being very careful to only cut through one piece of fabric at a time.

You'll end up with one long strip of bias.
The result of my mad method of wonky grainlines was that the strip had some narrow spots,
and some wider areas,  but this wasn't like a binding that needed to be even, so it worked out all right *whew*

Next step was sewing up the piping, using a zipper foot.

This is where a wider strip would have been MUCH easier!
It also would have been easier using a straight stitch Singer,
but I was being lazy (late night sewing syndrome) & didn't want to fill a new bobbin & switch threads.

I placed the strip on the wrong side of the vest fabric (once again, Steam-a-seam to the rescue!),

with the piping just below the hemline edge, & stitched it in place, again using the zipper foot.

I then cut a 1/2" wide strip of the ponte & covered up the raw edge of the piping by using.....you guessed it....Steam-a-Seam!   I stitched a bit of the strip in place, but the stitching looked horrid, so I just used the Steam-a-Seam alone.....we'll see how well it holds up.... [gulp]

I wasn't content with the look yet, and being something of a pocket fanatic 

(I loves me my pockets)

I created two little pockets from the remaining ends of the ties:

Just one more little step:

Finally....Done!!!!

The midnight photo session:

Annie Hall's got nothing on me..... 

And yes, I WILL wear this outfit out & about....just like this :)

It's a little bit....Grampa Vest

a little bit Annie Hall

a little bit....odd

But still, I kinda love it :)

Note the "Obi Sash" at the waist in this pic, made from two more ties.

Materials Tally:

Fabric:  Rayon Ponte: - 1 yd.
Vintage Neckties:  3
Steam-a-Seam Lite:  8 yds.  (approx.)

Note:  Add to Shopping List - More Steam-a-Seam Lite.  I'm officially out.

I wonder if I'm even capable of seeing a completed garment in my head and actually following that vision through to completion.   I honestly have great admiration for those who can do it!   I'm the same with room design/decor.   It happens over time, by trial and error.   It's wrong, it's wrong, it's wrong, and then suddenly I place something just so, and it's right!

How about you?   Are you one of those talented people who can visualize a plan and carry it through?  Or do you muddle along and figure it out as you go, enjoying the process but not really knowing where it will take you?   Or do you have another way that works for you?

All Tied Up with a New Obsession! (or two....)

The Stuff of Life has, once again, locked the door to my sewing room, but I will be getting back to the Koos Coat soon....very soon....promise!

Meanwhile, here's a taste of my latest little obsession....ties!   Ties!  And more Ties!

Ages ago I thought a vintage men's tie would have been the perfect item for some project or other (long since finished using something else), but alas, I had none.   So I've been slowly allowing them to follow me home whenever I ran into a stray, with vague ideas floating around the brain as to what I might actually do with them....

Then I ran into this delightful post over at Rhonda's Creative Life, and quickly whipped up one of her super easy obi belts:

This was perfectly timely, since I've also been obsessing over how to make some belts I would like (and NEED!)   A few minutes of hand stitching is all it takes, and it's truly a one-size-fits-all item, depending on how you tie it together.   I wore it the day after making it, and can't wait to make more!

This really kicked the slow collecting into obsession mode, and I now brake for thrift stores - and I know which ones charge as little as $.50 and which charge as much as $19.99 (for a used tie?  Don't THINK so.....).

I have numerous sketches and ideas for other belts, necklines, handles, facings....and I might even do a variation on the old necktie skirt....we'll see.....

On another note....I need to make some clothes to wear with.....here she is.....allow me to introduce....

Matilda Joplin!

I'll have much more to say about her as I come up with appropriate girly-biker clothes.  I'm picturing skirts -or skorts- a scarf flowing in the breeze, a cloche or some creative ways to disguise a helmet...   Of course, there are always the usual, 'appropriate', biker type clothes, but this is a girly bike, and I'll definitely be getting a wicker basket for the front, and I plan on dressing to the nines for certain biking occasions!  Like, you know, going to the Farmer's Market.....

I leave you with blessings and best wishes for the release of those dark bits of the soul that might be holding you back, and as the days get longer again, here's to bringing more light and joy into all of our lives....Happy Solstice Everyone!