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.

It Takes a Village

I don't know about you, but I definitely think that this:

is a significant improvement on this:


It may not be enough to render this thing wearable (I haven't yet had the nerve to try it on), but it's a step in the right direction.

I have to thank all of you who have spent the time and effort to give me your feedback. I took the advice - posed by many of you - to steam out the pleats to the best of my ability. I may still go a step further and take Debbie's advice about using a ham to reshape the pleats like darts...

This exercise would have been extremely difficult without the dress form, fyi. Yet another useful feature makes itself known!

I should also mention that this fabric looks much worse in photos than up close. The pulling you see in the shot is in no way observable to the naked eye. I know, I'm scrutinizing it all to hell. I do wonder why this is. Have any of you noticed a similar phenomenon with any of the fabrics you've photographed?

Shout Out to the Experts: Gather Dress No. 3

Dear Fabulous Sewist Blog Friends:

You know this dress? I'm trying to figure out how to customize it to my curvy frame. It occurs that - especially if I choose to make it in a woven (which it's designed for) - I should probably give the chest a little bit more room.

If this were a regular bodice - or one with a regular sort of sleeve - I'd simply remove the sleeve and do an FBA. Of course, since it's got that crazy sleeve (see pattern below) (non-sewists who haven't run screaming from this post: the sleeve is the bulbous protrusion at the top left) I'm a little bit concerned:

Nonetheless, I think I'm still going to cut the sleeve off where that black vertical line is (below).

Then I'll do the FBA (which shouldn't affect the armhole, right?) and then I'll reattach the sleeve back on. Note: I don't intend to lengthen the sleeve because the part that the FBA impacts, as I understand it, is BELOW armhole. As such, it need not change dimension - or go through alterations along with the bodice - as part of the FBA. Experts, can you corroborate or tell me otherwise?

Also, will the extension of length on the bodice - produced by the FBA - have unforeseeable, which is to say "bad", implications for where the bodice attaches to the skirt part (the bottom section of pattern)?

Can I merely keep the curve and make the bodice only slightly longer? What will that mean for the part of the skirt that doesn't attach to the bodice (the part that will gather)? I don't think it will have implications (except to drop the waistline slightly) but maybe I'm wrong.

Any thoughts you can provide, any advice, would be so appreciated.

I'd prefer not to make this up entirely :-)

Love, K

Request for Feedback: Sergers / Coverstitch Machines

Hey Peeps:

I'm seriously considering investing in a serger or a coverstitch machine this fall. While my sewing machine is rather nouveau-cheap, I do feel that the place to spend is on a machine I'll use most often, to improve my knits sewing and to shave time off the process. Apparently I can cut my sewing time in half.

I've heard about 2 sergers: Baby Lock Imagine and Baby Lock Coverstitch, that get great reviews, but they ain't cheap ($1300 ish). They are Canadian-made, which I appreciate, and they make use of a jet-air threading. Please let me know what you think of them, or of your fave serger, so that I can make an informed decision.

(Note: Easy threading is a priority, as I hear this is the most unpleasant element about working with a serger or an overlocker. That's where, I understand, the Baby Lock excels.)

Also, as I'm new to the world of serging, can anyone confirm for me that the difference between a coverstitch machine and regular serger is that the coverstitch does an extra step i.e. After serging, on a coverstitch machine, one lifts the blades, folds over the hem, and completes the job with a double stitch, affixing the outer edge of the seam allowance, as well as the inner edge, to the right side of the fabric, preventing roll-up of the serged seam.

Thanks so much for any feedback!

It's Darling!

One of my favourite, new(ish) bloggers is Stacy of Taffeta Darlings. Ms. B convinced her to start blogging, which S. took to with aplomb and now she's getting even more fabulous.

Stacy is a designer with muchos experience in the NY fashion scene. She just started her own label Stacy Lomman: New York. It's like DKNY but with an SL - and it's edgier. Check out Wendy in that amazing dress:

Just like Wendy, the dress manages to be all lady with a kick in the ass! See:

I LOVE me an exposed zipper.

You should totally check out Stacy's new site - and her blog (for your daily fashion-oriented fun).

The Gift of ReGifting

You know that cashmere sweater I bought at Laws of General Economy? You know how I mentioned it wasn't quite right on me, what with its emphasis on the stomach zone? Well look at this gorgeous woman wearing it:

Her name is Caley and she has her own great blog. And, the most fun part, she's a friend and colleague of my girl Sal! Let me tell you those Minnesota ladies are fashionable and fine!

The simple story is that I offered the sweater to Sally, on the proviso that I'd found it "challenging". Happily she was game to give it a go. I suggested that, if it didn't work on her, she might regift it to someone else on whom it might be just the thing. And 5 minutes after discovering it wasn't right on her, Sally knew it would be excellent on her work pal Caley (a woman who needed a sartorial pick-me-up that day), and the rest is history!

Don't you love this happy system??

Here's my suggestion: Why not find something in your closet that just doesn't quite work - but is nonetheless fabulous - and offer it to one of your blogger pals. If it's not perfect on her, she can pass it along, and you may just get the chance (in a very small way) to enrich the life of someone you don't even know!

Late Breaking News

WendyB has hit $1000.00 on her gorgeous piece of jewelry for the NieNie auction. Deja Pseu has won jewel immortality in addition to all the other goodies. Now we've gotta see if Enc is going to up the bid...

Fighting the Good Fight

Hey Everyone: You have to check out WendyB today for an inspiring example of how bloggers are using the network to help people in need.

Short story: Stephanie Nielson, who writes a blog called NieNie (about modern motherhood and family life) has been very seriously injured with her husband in a plane crash. There's a story about in in the New York Times Saturday edition. They have 4 children under the age of 7. Stephanie has been given a 60 - 70% chance of survival and a fund has been started to assist the family with the daunting expenses they will no doubt incur in the rehabilitation process.

WendyB - whom, I'm sure you know, designs gorgeous fine jewelry in New York City - has started an auction of one of her beautiful pieces, all proceeds of which will go to the NieNie fund:

The WendyB Diana necklace

Here's an opportunity to help a family while, potentially, winning a beautiful piece of handmade jewelry. At very least, you'll hike up the bidding. And, even if you don't win, now you know how to buy yourself a gorgeous bauble or two online. (I'm partial to the owl pendant...)

Special Update: Generous bidders have exceeded the retail value of the piece ($250.00) so Wendy is throwing in some gorgeous earrings and - get this - when the bids get to $500, that lucky person gets all the perks plus a fab engraving on the sterling silver pendant.

It gets better. If the bids go higher than $1000 - you get a piece of jewelry named after you (or someone of your choice) that will live on always! And that's in addition to all the other perks. Richie Riches who may be reading this, vote with your heart by bidding on this thing of beauty.

Another Special Update: Enc is racking up the good karma, having bid $550.00 as of this evening. C'mon generous peeps, make her work for that engraved, one-of-a-kind necklace with matching topaz earrings. At very least, let's get her to the stage where she gets a piece named after her for all eternity. Cuz that means the Nielson family will have $1000-odd extra dollars in the rehabilitation fund. Technically, you have more 4 days to get there. But I can't take the suspense. So please bid now.