Can You Believe This?

Just when I think I'm the foremost modern-era champion of home-sewn culottes, turns out that I've got company. Moreover, Lauriana, great sewist and blogger, is also pattern drafter who has designed her own culottes - a pattern which she has graciously shared with her readers.

I'm happy to know that culottes can look chic as anything on some of us! It gives me hope.

And while we're on the topic of bloggers who design patterns, my girl Suzy (the inspiration for my mad impulse to knit - which will return soon, I assure you) has embarked on a new career path:

Right now she's looking for some pattern testers but soon she'll be showing us her new designs.

Never a dull moment.

More Bra Stories

So, the Curvy Kate Criss Cross (Lord, that alliteration is irritating) arrived in the bigger size and it fits fabulously. It's amazing what a difference a cup size makes. Note: The cup size up feels much looser in the back as well, strangely. Like too loose. I actually put it on the second hook first wear. So not my preference. Oh well. Not sending it back again or all of the sale savings will have been lost in return shipping charges. (I wonder if the first bra I tried was anomalously small in the back cuz this one is so much looser.)

I must be on a kick because I couldn't stop myself from ordering the Freya Nieve Long Line Bra:

It matches these cute undies:


I've been wanting this thing for a long while but I've held off because the cups are lightly padded. I don't do padding. I don't know what voluptuous woman does, frankly, but there must be a bunch of them out there, since there are so many padded large-cup bras, it's crazy.

Here's why I finally took the plunge:

• The vertical cup construction intrigues me. I want to study it.
• The padding is apparently almost inconsequential, according to various reviews I've read - all of which were remarkably positive.
  
• It's long line. You know of my obsession.
• It's comes in 30 and 32 back sizes so those of us who don't have 34 inch plus rib cages can still get in on the action.
• It's pretty!
• I am obvious need of more lingerie in my wardrobe.

10 points if you can tell me which one of the previous bullets is not true :-)

In truth, I'm concerned it's going to be too small a) cuz I read it fits small after buying it (Note: I did look high and low for evidence of this before purchase but couldn't find any then, natch) b) cuz the last bra I bought was so I'm a bit flippy and c) padded bras tend to fit small. I wonder if the vertical seams in the cup will make things tighter or looser than a regular 3-piece cup construction (having diagonal seams). Could I have ordered 2 of this bra in different sizes when I was buying? Yes, but I decided to live on the edge. Again.

I'm also a bit concerned that the bra is not going to flatter if it's too long in the line and it meets up with my flabodmen (ha! I just made that up!). It looks to stop before the waist curve on the model, but hell she's a model - with a very long waist as you can see.

I somehow managed to score this for 20% off - simply because I looked for a promo code online and it worked. I ALWAYS look for promo codes when online shopping. It's amazing how often they pay off.

The full set, including shipping, was $66.00 CDN. Incredibly reasonable, IMO. I only hope it fits and looks good. I've been playing fast and loose with the online lingerie choices lately - trying new brands or entirely new styles with unusual (to me) construction methods. It's a worthy adventure - but I have to remember not be irritable if the items don't fit when they arrive. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Culottes Then and Now: Knee Deep

Oh, my friends, there's a fine line between culottes and clown pants - which I suppose is one of the reasons they've been a bit out of phase these last couple of decades.

Where to begin?

Well, they're not finished and I've been working on them steadily for 2 days (upwards of 12 hrs of actual sewing now). That's to say nothing of the hours I've spent tracing and altering and muslining and blogging. Which ones have I thrown my lot in with? The modern ones - with back crotch curve and darts altered like the McCalls vintage ones.

Fucking pleats! They're like sartorial instruments of torture. Between the spatial reasoning I had to develop to fold them and the fussiness of getting the seams aligned and being careful not to sew the wrong bits (or leave holes in the right bits) - not to mention that this fabric, for its many pluses, does not want to hold a crease - I am spent. I can scarcely care about bringing back the trend.

But we haven't begun to discuss how they actually look, oh no. They're a bit like something that would no doubt have me unceremoniously thrown off Project Runway - or seriously humiliated by Michael Kors.

I should have shortened the crotch length by an additional half an inch, at least. The crotch hangs halfway to my knees. Did I say that I have now taken 5 inches off the bottom (and they're still too long) and 2.5 inches out of each side seam (that's 5 inches of width, over all) and the things just continue to grow? WTF, people. How do these pants keep getting bigger?

OK, note to self: Do not accidentally cut a size up and then say it's ok cuz you're having a fat week. I should have made these in a size 12 - down from my usual size 14 - not a freakin' 16. There is SO MUCH FABRIC. The pleats add, like, a yard of it somehow.

In an effort to smallen them up, I increasingly hacked away at the internal construction, making it look like something out of a freak show. (There are internal side pockets which is why I didn't just easily serge a whack of the side seams and call it a day. Trust me, though, I did consider just serging off the pockets.)

Then there's the fact that, inasmuch as culottes are just like a skirt mixed with pants, culottes are NOT like a skirt, nor are they like pants. Instead of bringing the best of both, in this instance they appear to be a mash up of the worst elements culminating in a kind of sack-like effect. Note: It's not flattering.

Lest you wonder if wearing things large is slimming, I assure you it's not. It's absolutely as volume-adding as garments that are too small.

I've done the best I can with these so I'm going to hem them, add a hook and eye and see if all of my franken-efforts will yield a wearable piece.

OK, let's take 2 minutes to focus on the good, yes?

• If I were to make them again in a size 14, with a shorter crotch and with a creasable fabric minus the pleats, I imagine they would work well.

• As it is, the colour and drape of my fabric is awesome. And it somehow works perfectly with the spring palette colours I chose. It's not too brown - more mulberryish - and I love it.

• I don't have to worry that they're not adequately "retro". Trust me, they're like nothing out of this century or half of the last one.
  

• It's good to have to work one's brain in a new, painful way every once in a while. It's been a long time since I've been so frustrated and confused during a sewing project. I guess it's about time. Really, there's no learning in an easy project - just fun.
  

• Given how many challenges I have encountered with this project, I have persisted. Every time the bobbin ran out in the middle of an important seam, every time I had to find some way to alter things half-sewn, each frustrating moment that, initially and arrogantly, I felt insulated from on account of my having made a muslin - I worked through. There's something to be said for that.

Yes, I'm going to show them to you - probably on me, if they are wearable in the end. I just can't do it today. I need to regroup.

Do shower me with your consolation and head pats. Please.

Just Like Magic

I've been obsessed by the vintage magic blouse since I saw Casey's post and read a comment advising that there is a similar version to be found online.

So today I made it. Not as fast or intuitive as I thought it would be, but it wasn't hard to do:

I used the cotton jersey I bought to make a t shirt for the Spring Basics Palette. Not a t shirt, exactly, but it counts as part of the palette, as far as I'm concerned.

It looks much richer than I thought it would in this fabric. The drape is lovely and the little flower appliques are from NYC. I bought them when I was notions shopping with Mardel last year.

The back is weird:

That shawl shoulder thing is what gives the front its elegant lines, but I'm not sure about the back view. On me, it hangs better cuz I'm not covered in fabric for skin.

The thing is held together with three little snaps. You could easily use a pin or just let it hang open like a cardigan.


I didn't use my serger because I wanted a more vintage effect. I used applique scissors to trim the fabric close to the stitching and it worked fine. However, I was not looking for a fussy top with lots of slip stitching (that's what it calls for). I used my machine to top stitch everything. That means I can easily throw this in the washer and dryer on delicate.

Updated: Remind Me Not To Do This Again...

OK, my fabric from Fabric Mart has arrived, and I have to say, the whole experience was a huge pain in the ass. The company has just changed its international shipping policy (yes, Canada is considered to be international, although Pennsylvania - shipping hub - is closer to Toronto than, say, half of the continental US) and, new courier firm, FedEx won't actually leave parcels at a receiver's door - even if a) the vendor and then b) the receiver indicate this preference.

I spent a good, stressful, 30 minutes on the phone with both Fabric Mart and FedEx to try to resolve this. Fabric Mart, apparently, lobbied unsuccessfully with FedEx on my behalf. In the end, I convinced the shipping dept. to leave the parcel on my porch "as long as the courier felt comfortable with the security of the environment". The alternative would have been to return the fabric as I'm not hauling ass for an hour by public transit to pick up a parcel. Fabric Mart agreed that this wouldn't be reasonable and agreed to refund my money for returned fabric - though not for the $30.00 of shipping (half of the total charge for 4.5 yards of fabric).

Every fucking time I order fabric online (twice now) or other stuff that arrives from America via courier (too many times to count), I have such a dicey experience. Somehow things never implode when I order from the UK.

Yes, I've got an axe to grind. I shouldn't have to order things to my American parents for re-post to me (USPS creates fewer difficulties). I shouldn't have to pay $30.00 for the privilege of crappy service. I blame Fabric Mart as much as FedEx. If they cared about my regular business, they wouldn't be charging me almost 400% more in shipping than they do someone who lives 2 hours drive away from me (on the other side of the Canada-US border). And they wouldn't expect me to manage the stupidity of bad courier service. Indeed, they wouldn't be using bad courier service.

In brief defense of Fabric Mart, they have recently changed their shipping method because the post office in the region is closing. And they were assured, so they told me, that FedEx wouldn't erect barriers to simple delivery. Of course, they should have beta tested that on someone other than me, no? They did say, were I to order from them again, that I could indicate a preference for USPS shipping and they'd find a way to make it happen. I wonder if they're advertising that to others, or if they'll change their newly minted FedEx arrangement in light of what they've just discovered about FedEx.

The sad thing about this situation is that the fabric I received is good. The modal is actually of excellent quality and the colour is great. It came with matched thread (for extra $). And the lavender sweater knit, while synthetic to the touch, does not look it. It's got lovely drape and hand.

But you know what they say: Challenging fabric-buying experience, good sewing experience. Or is that something I made up?

Update to respond to Kay's comment about shopping local: Trust me, I shop local more often than I order online re: every kind of item except for RTW lingerie. If I can buy a) Canadian-made products and/or b) anything from local shops I will every time - unless the prices are sincerely out of control (as is the case with RTW lingerie). When the costs are outrageous, I have to decide how to spend my money and, sometimes I will buy online. Note: Vis a vis local lingerie - I bought at bricks and mortar shops for 10 years before I got sick of the mark up. So I did my time supporting that local import, IMO.

Now, on the topic of buying fabric locally - except for 2 occasions (the latest from Fabric Mart, documented yesterday) - I have done this every time. I am frequently dismayed by the lack of good knits, specifically sweater options, in luxe textiles. I've been known to spend 30 bucks a yard on fabric at a local shop, simply to support my continued ability to purchase locally in the future.

This summer, the last large-scale Canadian fabric store (FabricLand) closed shop at the only central location they had remaining (at Yonge and Bloor), despite the fact that I spent hundreds of dollars a year there while it was around. Now there are no full-service options left that I can get to with any convenience - I don't have a car and I don't hoof it to the middle of nowhere - I live downtown for a reason.

I support King Textiles, World Sew and numerous other small shops in the garment district on a regular basis. Sometimes, I want something that I can't find in TO so I go off-road. I'm not apologizing for it. I very strongly believe in shopping locally. I also believe in getting what I want.

PS: I have routinely spoken with shop-keepers of all ilks about stocking my preferred items. Sometimes they're game - and I keep on with them. Other times they decline for a variety of economic or logistical reasons, in which case I look elsewhere. Thanks for raising this question, Kay.

Culottes, Then and Now: Two Muslins Equals Twice the Confusion

Is it possible to be more confused than ever, as I dissect the muslins for the modern (B5681) and vintage (M9805) versions of the culottes?

Let me start with the requisite provisos:

• The photos you are about to see are not lovely, they're functional. I'm wearing fabric in a dicey colour. The lengths of fronts and backs of these franken-muslins are not equal (I approximated when I cut the leg openings). I'm rather impressed by my "sewing documentarian" drive. I could not feel more wretched about how I looked at the moment they were taken - no doubt, aided by a hideous hormonal situation.

• I thought taking photos would clearly tell the story - and indicate which pattern works best on me. I'm not sure if the exercise has yielded that effect.

• In this instance, crotch curve is almost meaningless, from what I can tell. The crotch, on each pair, hangs far enough away from my own body that it is - and need be - simply an approximation of the human crotch curve.

• I used 5/8" seam allowances, as both patterns instruct. Neither muslin fits small. Remember, I probably could have stood to go down a size (based on the size of my sloper), esp. if I diminished seam allowances to 3/8" or 1/4".
  

• At first, I actually wore the McCalls pattern backwards?! Something seemed off, but I couldn't quite figure out what was wrong. Um, it's weird when that can happen.

• Remember, I closed the pleats so what you're going to see is not actually an accurate representation of the final fit in the leg - just in the crotch. This is particularly germane as pertains to the vintage McCalls, which extends the pleat to the waistband. That means, should I choose to make the vintage culottes, there will be a big ole pleat right at the thickest part of my body. Not so appealing, on reconsideration. Mind you, maybe it would be chic in its authenticity and in light of its overall curvier dimensions? Not surprisingly, the modern pattern curtails the pleat at the base of the crotch on each leg. Modern designers seem to recognize that women of this era don't tend to want to emphasize abdominal girth.

OK, get out your critical sewing faculties...

As you can see, the modern pattern, on the left, has 2 darts in the front and a much narrower profile. The McCalls, on the right, is so wide at the leg opening that I question whether I like it (at least when it's lying flat).

And here you can see the Butterick muslin on me. I think the hips and legs fit well. The waist could use a little narrowing.

Here's a close up of the crotch curve. Note: You think I'd have taken more care with the sewing given that y'all are going to be looking at the minutiae, but I was really just trying to get from point A to point B. Sloppy sewing is very evident in the next photo, the shot of the culottes derriere:

I realize that I look rather asymmetrical here. That's as much cuz the pants legs are totally uneven as because I pinned the back. I did press the seams but not until after I sewed everything up (so lazy!) so the wrinkly bit below the arrow is about bad ironing.

Having said that, I wonder if the drag lines on the left buttock may be an issue. What's that about?? You'd get a better sense of things if I had put in an actual zipper but that SO wasn't going to happen. For example, the V shaped drag lines centred within the back darts is a function of the lack of zipper, IMO.

Something tells me I should make the darts less wide but I could just be grasping at alteration straws.

Now, let's move on to the McCalls vintage culottes:

OMG, I do not like what they're doing to my stomach - or what they're not doing, as the case may be. Can you imagine how dire this might be if I add in a pleat that extends to the waistband? Do you see the excess of fabric (IMO, of course it might be design) below the darts? On the plus side, the waist fits alright. Note: That's the waist I straightened slightly to the hip on the back piece. I might remove that adjustment, or diminish it slightly.

Above is a photo of the drape at the crotch. It looks quite like that of the Buttericks, as far as I can tell. Of course, the pattern pieces are practically the same at the crotch so that shouldn't come as a surprise. Note that the vintage pattern has a higher rise. It actually covers my navel, even in the absence of a waistband. I estimate this is a 10.5 inch rise. (I should measure it.)

Now, gotta say, I don't know if it's cuz I pressed this garment better, or if it's because the darts are a different width (they are definitely longer) than the Butterick ones, but the back side here looks better than the Buttericks. It doesn't hurt that the back legs are practically the same length in this photo... Or that this pair has a side opening, not a back opening, so the integrity of the back piece isn't being impacted by the lack of a proper closure.

I find myself in this terrible dilemma: I much prefer the Butterick fronts and I think I prefer the McCalls from the back. Is there any way to solve this??

For starters, please do let me know:

• Do you agree with my fit assessments?
• Do you have any solutions for improving the fit on the Butterick backs?
• Do you think that the McCalls are a lost cause, given the front pleat situation?
• Which pair would you make? Which pair looks better-suited to my shape, in your opinion?

I have a sense of how I'm going to proceed, but it's by no means a done deal. I'm curious to know if you are thinking along the same lines?

That Other Purchase I Neglected In the Last Post

Y'all know I field a quite a few lingerie questions from readers. I do love talking about that topic and it seems my enthusiasm is infectious! Oftentimes, I'm asked about good brands for relatively large breasts on relatively small frames and I espouse my faves: Freya, Panache, Charnos, Fantasie, Miss Mandalay, Fauve. But there's another brand I do refer - with the proviso I've never had the chance to try it for myself. That's Curvy Kate. I have to tell you, I don't appreciate the marketing. It's tacky, in my opinion. But the bras are reputed to be very well-fitting with uplift, support and in numerous styles - many of them "sexy".

Recently, Brastop.com was having a mega sale on various styles. How mega? Well, I was able to buy a set, all in, with shipping and tax, for $40.00 CDN. (Note: Brastop, also fairly tacky, while we're telling it like it is, has the best prices on bras evah. I suggest you check it out before buying on Figleaves. Cuz when the styles are there, the prices can't be beat.)

Anyway, the style is not new - it's the Criss Cross, of which the company stocks variations regularly. I wanted a new "basic" black bra, good under most outfits, and this one fit the bill:


You can see the matching thong undies here, but only in red, for some reason... I was able to buy them in black.

This thing took 2 weeks to arrive at which point I was seriously intrigued to rip open the parcel and to try on the bra which was - wait for it - too small.

Yes, my friends, much as I have told you all again and again, the likelihood of buying a new brand of bra, sight unseen, that fits - even when you know your own shape incredibly well - is, well, slim.

It's super irritating. It makes me question the universe and my place within it. I would have been smarter to buy 2 or 3 sizes in the one order. But I didn't, so I had to return the bra I did buy for the next size up. Thankfully that size was in stock. And now I'm waiting for it.

Let me tell you: The Criss Cross fits small in the back and in the cup - at least compared with Freya and most of the other brands listed above (but not Panache, which also fits small in the cup). If you're on the cusp of either, go up a size. You know how I extol the virtues of the snug back. Well, this one was almost too tight for me to deal with. Almost - but I hate it when bands loosen after 10 wears - so I'm going to stick with the norm and give it a go. The cup, alas, the one I bought was too small. How do I know? Well, the gores didn't sit flat against my chest. Breast tissue smushed toward the side cups. Sure, the under wire was flat against my rib cage. No, there wasn't any top-cup pillowing. But this thing was too small.

All this is to say, it's all in a day's work of online bra shopping. Until you know a brand - and maybe even the individual styles within it - it's guessing. Doesn't matter how much time you spend thinking about bras and fit and the like.

What's my sense of Curvy Kate, at this point? The quality is quite good from a fit and support perspective. The materials are not luxe but they are wearable. (In truth, I prefer a higher quality fabric.) I suspect this line provides a great way to get good fit without spending a fortune. So, for all of you out there who have told me that you need support, like to wear "sexy" and youthful looks and are either unwilling or unable to spend $150 - $200 on a set, this may be for you. Seriously, you couldn't walk into a department store and find a matching set for less than $40. And while that price is on super sale, those deals are available on a semi-regular basis online.