In the Navy

Meet my New Year's eve outfit:

Oooh, navy on navy. How do they look so different? These are the Clover pants and V8323.

This completely poseur-y shot was actually taken while I was adjusting my hair (all 1 inch of it). But it shows the lines of the outfit well, I think.

This equally poseur-y shot is for y'all cuz I think you all deserve a kiss!

This nice-girl photo is for my mother, cuz she loves shots like this...

I can't tell you how it thrills me to wear an outfit entirely of my own construction!

Now, you may know that I was taking some big time chances on the centre back (my alteration) invisible zipper holding up. I figured, in a worst case scenario it could be a fun "OMG, 2011 totally sucked" story: There I was, raising a glass of bubbly and my freakin' pants fell apart. At a party?!? I am SO ready for 2012...

I definitely need to slender out a smidge before wearing them again. But I do think they're going to be go-to pants when I lose a bit of volume in my derriere, post-Xmas.

The Good:

• I'm super pleased by the pants crotch length and depth, which I altered to suit my shape.
• I did really nice work on the facing at the back zip by morphing up the instructions for the Clovers and the Ginger skirt (which has a back zipper). I'm starting to get with that insertion technique Sarai espouses, which I didn't like at first. It really is freakin' clean, if you can get it to work.
• I finally realized that, when you alter the waistline of your pants, you will absolutely need to alter the waistband and facing: where they sit, where they seam, maybe even how they're curved (slightly). It's not rocket science but it is finicky and time-consuming.
• And let's give me a pat on the back for moving the zipper in the first place. Of course, it was probably harder than just figuring out how to get the zipper to insert nicely at the curved side seam, but you live, you learn.
  
• I think that the adjustments I made on the second version of V8323 really do improve the proportions on me. The neck is notably less chokey.
• I also like the peplum bestowed on the design by virtue of the drape of the fabric. It's nice and flowy.
• I LOVE both fabrics - colour (obvs, if I had to choose 1 colour to wear for the rest of my life it would easily be navy) and hand/drape of each. Both sewed very evenly.

The Less Good:

• I really don't love invisible zippers on stress points. I can see how they're a smarter zip for a side opening, than a centre-back opening.
• The pants are too tight right now, but it's not a critical issue. I can tell that they're tight where I've gained a bit of mass over the hols.
  

What I have observed about my wardrobe is that I wear my own handiwork most days - sometimes one piece, sometimes an entire outfit including scarf and coat?! Also, can we chat about the hand-made coat for a second? I cannot believe I made it. I must have been high on drugs to undertake hand tailoring when sewing for less than a year. And, sadly, I can't wrap my brain around ever wanting to do something so complex again. But look, it's NAVY!

What's your default sewing colour?

Slippery

OK, Sherry would like you to know that she loves cutting out lace as it inspires her to sew things up right afterwards. For my money, this activity was a seriously brain-hurting and tedious couple of hours. And I still don't know if things are going to line up. But somehow, at this point, I find it hard to care.

For starters, I did use up a yard of lace, scalloped on both sides. I bought a yard and a half, so all is well, but I had a couple of cutting mishaps on the (scallop lace-intensive) back piece. I feel terrible that I'll have no use for the scallop-free 60" width of this. Anyone have any ideas about what one can do with it after the fact??

Ooh, pink and pretty! (I seem to be on a "pretty" kick lately.) Remember, I did my own version of the FBA on this fabric.

Here's a shot of the creative process in action :-) It took me longer than I'd like to admit to piece the bodice together.

And here's a shot of the front skirt on the bias! I don't think I've ever cut on the bias before. It was seriously fussy. Kind of like the lace!

Here's my theory about this project: The bulk of the travail is in the cutting. (BTW, I really hope that theory is right because I want the hard part to be over!)

What I mean is, yes, the bias sewing might take some tweaking i.e. basting first and hanging for a couple of days to see what curls, and how. But, in truth, it's sewing a couple of seams and finishing them. The lace may be fussy to work with, but let's remember I've made many bras (no, none that actually fit, whatever), but their construction has taught me some skills I hope will be useful in the sewing phase of this project.

Pretty well every project I undertake is aspirational. At some point, I become sucked in by the potential that the finished garment might just be the most gorgeous, well-fitted, perfectly constructed thing that's ever been sewn. Often, my hopes are dashed when the final stitch is sewn. Sometimes, I am very happy with the finished result. I generally have to choose between excellent construction, perfect fit and gorgeousness. For some reason, that trifecta seems to elude me. :-)

But man, I can't tell you how I hope that this thing will work well. It borders on the lingerie that I haven't yet perfected. How awesome would it be to figure out an FBA the likes of which means that an actual undergarment (albeit not a bra) will fit? I wear slips. I love slips. I want to make my own excellent slip!

Give me your good vibes, ok? (No pressure.)

Ringing in the New Year

Alors, Twitter is down and I can't express my every mundane brilliant thought in that universe. Micro-blogging is SO not over.

In lieu of being able to share there, you will be treated (or should I say, tweeted) to a few of my deepest, end-of-year thoughts:

• I haven't left the house since Dec. 23. Does that make me seem agoraphobic?
• I'm seriously considering taking 3 weeks off every winter (this presumes I have a whack of vacation, but let's dream, shall we?) to get through the worst of the winter misery.
• The more I sleep, the more I want to sleep. This is simply unproductive.
  
• I have got to get a grip on food consumption. Fortunately, so does everyone else on the planet. Nothing like being in good company.
• Y'all know I don't believe in resolutions. They're so resolute. (What's the fun in that?)
• Having said that, I intend to take up a new "craft" today: figure sketching.
• Note to self: See if you can convince FIT graduate and fashion designer extraordinaire Stacy Lomman to write a post on this.
  
• I must have the ability to draw cute pics of myself wearing the adorable outfits I see on others or the things I come up with from my own imagination.
• How bad can it be? You don't have to cut anything or rip anything out.
• Famous first words.

At the risk of getting sentimental at the seasonally appropriate moment, I wish you all a better year in 2012 - regardless of how wonderful 2011 may (or may not) have been. Your readership is inexpressibly meaningful to me and forms a good part of my drive to document my crazy craft and life experiences.

To those of you who also blog - I learn practically everything I know of technique and knitting and sewing from you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. The act of blogging is part vocation, part exhibitionism and part public service. If I have been able to give even the smallest part of what I have received, then I am doing good work.

Love, K

Croquis, Anyone?

I'm either enlightened or fucking crazy to be sharing this sketch of myself with the world:

Welcome to the ultimate vanity project.

I'm in the process of creating a more complete version of this with all of my horizontal and vertical measurements, but I thought I'd save you from it. :-)

I can scarcely report the 8 zillion steps involved in creating this. How I wish I could make fab digital sketches of myself wearing different items, like this. As it is, I don't know what use this will be to me in terms of adding clothing electronically, though I can print it out and sketch clothing ideas on top of the croquis.

Let's review this for a few moments, shall we?

I think it's time for a rousing chorus of "Fuck Barbie". Seriously, this is an accurate outline of me, apparently and, while at first I was shocked, now that I've spent 12 hours staring at it intently, it seems just fine.

What stands out most? My arms are freakin' long. I've always known this, but it's really writ large, huh? Obvs, my breasts are large and my shoulders narrow, but I'm a bit surprised that my waist isn't narrower. In my view of myself, it's very waspy :-)

Let me also say that I don't think it matters what this picture shows. When I'm walking around in the world, my essential self shines through. And it is hot, thank you very much.

So, what do you say. If you could twitch your nose and have your own croquis, would you do it? Do you find it reductionist? Let's discuss.

Easy Does It

I'm about 3/4 through the latest iteration of the Clover pants and, of course, I have some feelings.

• Why did I decide to turn the side zip into a back zip??
• Oh yeah, the last insertion of the side zip was so horrifying, it seemed prudent when I started this.
• Alas, there are all kinds of things one must consider when moving a zipper i.e. cutting 2 back facing and waistband pieces, not one and when, exactly, does one insert the invisible zipper?
• I made a waist adjustment to this version - essentially I cut an inch off the previous version at the waist.
• Then I discovered that the ease in the fabric I'm currently using is rather different than that of the previously-used denim.
• Of course, having already finished the inner leg seams, my only recourse was to seriously diminish the seam allowances on the outer legs.
• Which means there's practically no way I can faux fell the seams.
• BTW, is there a secret to faux felling when one has already sewn up the tubes of the legs? Seam allowance issue aside, I don't know how I might be able to sew to the bottom of the leg with my machine, given bunching. Maybe I need a free-arm?
• Next machine I get is going to have a) a free-arm and b) it will be mechanical.
• This fabric has so much drape (I suspected this might be the case) that there will be pulling at the crotch.
• It's not that the garment doesn't fit (though it sure as hell isn't loose in that area) but the fabric falls and extends so readily, that the confluence of the 3 tubes (waist, leg one and leg two) invites drag.
• I'm so sick and tired of all the "OMG, there's pulling at the crotch" talk out there. We're human beings. When we move, the fabric reserves the right to drag.
• Nonetheless, it makes me feel bad.
  
• I'm not going to judge the process right now. This could all come back from the edge.
• But if it doesn't, I don't know that I will give this pattern another go around.
• Maybe that's the post-sewing haze talking.
• Where's my wine?
  

Holiday Sewing: Ginger Skirt

Off to start another day of crafting soon (c'mon it's practically half over already), but I'll share with you a delightful finished project, the Ginger skirt, made yesterday:

Winter lighting and dark denim just don't mix... You have to trust me, it's adorable.

The inside is as lovely as the outside! I used mock flat-felled seams and they worked really well. Got to use my serger, to which I am very attached, but with a different finished effect. Isn't the contrast facing at the inner waistband lovely. It also helps to diminish bulk, which is an issue when sewing with denim.

I used some seam binding on top of the serged hem, just cuz. I wanted to do pretty-sewing techniques in support of the prettiest skirt in the land.

This is the most unapologetically, almost-teeth-hurtingly, pretty thing I have ever made. Hell, it's practically the prettiest design I've ever seen.

A few thoughts:

• I love this skirt. I will, no doubt make all 3 versions. The drape of the A-line is lovely.
• As always, Colette patterns are a joy to sew. Even if I hated the finished outcome, I would have enjoyed the process.
  
• While a boob-reminiscent filigree waistband is probably not the best thing to put adjacent to my not-insubstantial chest, whatevs. I'll wear a slim top, tucked in. You can't go with boring-old "suits your figure" all the time.
• The seam binding at the hem gives a bit of body to complement that of the denim's drape. Really like the heightened A-line effect.
• This denim is not particularly soft. It's got a lot of innate structure.
  
• The great thing about making a simple pattern is that it gives you mental space to do pretty finishing. I don't consider this often enough.
• I made the size 8 with 1/2 inch seam allowances on side seams. It's not an overly long skirt. I wanted mine to be approx. knee-length and I didn't have to shorten it at all. Also, only turned up the hem by 1/2 inch. If you're tall, you'll want to add length.
• The only bad thing I can say about this - and take note here! - is that one should NOT use invisible zips with denim. How many times do I have to do this before I finally learn?? I have concerns about the longevity of the zipper given the bulk of the fabric. Shhhh. Let's be really careful with it and hope for the best.
• I must be a slow-sewist because it took me a good 5 hours to put this together - probably more. Who are all of these ladies who manage to make gorgeous "simple skirts" in 2 hours??
• I stitched in the ditch around the waistband. Don't know why I haven't done that before. It gets rid of the riding up facing issue beautifully. Just make sure your facing is a smidge longer than the waistband itself.

What do you think?? If you've made this skirt, share your experience. If you haven't, is it in your pattern stash?

PS: The never-ending computer-generated croquis project continues apace. I'm making headway but, egad, what a labour-intensive activity. I've probably put 10 hrs into it so far... Stay tuned for more on this as I have more to say.

FBA Continued...

Today has been an interesting day. I was derailed by all the things I meant to do by lots of things I imagined I might do someday - namely the construction of a croquis.

This sketch of oneself is becoming quite popular, all of a sudden, it would seem. In the last couple of weeks I've read no fewer than 5 accounts of how to, and why and what. In truth, my husband has been doing the heavy lifting on the project. He's already spent a few hours trying to create a vector diagram from a photo of me, using Inkscape. The reason our aim is to do this, rather than hand sketching a close-cropped picture, is that the end result will be scalable. (Also, it's kind of cool to create an image the likes of which one sees assembled on high-tech computers in action films; you know, like when they're trying to create a composite of the bad guy.)

Why spend the time and effort? Really, why not? At the end, I'll have a customized me-shaped sketch onto which I can draw fun designs that will suit my particular shape. Why should I consider my next outfit in relation to a figure that's 5'8", long-waisted and boob-free? I hope that this will be the next step on my journey of self-taught fashion design.

If the dress form fiasco hadn't already cured me of vanity, lord knows, this little project would achieve that objective in a flash. I have become so comfortable with body as an object, it's bizarre. More and more, I am pointedly aware of my every asymmetry, of convexity and concavity as it applies to me. Now I just find it all technically interesting. Sort of like doing an FBA...

Apropos of that, I've completed the Sherry-prescribed version of the Ruby Slip FBA and compared it to the one I attempted last week. Both versions add 1.5 inches to the original pattern bust dimensions. The one I "developed", for whatever reason, feels like the right one to cut first. (Fortunately I have enough fabric to try both versions, if required.)

Both FBA-altered paper pattern pieces are very similar in the side back piece. However, my version of the front piece is, intriguingly, wider all over, and specifically by 1 inch at the under bust vs. Sherry's. I didn't realize that till I compared the two of them today. So glad that Sherry reminds sew-alongers to increase the under bust dimensions an equivalent amount to any increase in bust width.

As such, I added 1 inch to either side of the front skirt and tapered to the waist notches. (I didn't defray the total 2-inch amount over the entire size of the skirt i.e. front and back, because I really do want the increase at the front.) The front bust piece is longer in Sherry's FBA version, and overall it is quite a bit slimmer. I have a full upper bust so I sense I need more width at the top of the piece. It just doesn't look like the Sherry-version, as it stands currently, is going to provide the volume I need, despite the addition of width at the side of the front piece where it meets the side back piece.

Man, if you don't sew - hell, if you don't adjust for a full bust - that paragraph must have been totally painful.

I really have no idea of how this is all going to play out. That's the fun and anxiety of sewing. This may be the best thing I've ever figured out on my own, or it might be a mere stepping stone to the next version. Potentially a frustrating one.

Nonetheless, I will keep on.

Today I've also cut the Ginger skirt, version 2 and pulled out the pattern and fabric to make another pair of Clovers. I'm so tempted to alter them into culottes, I just don't know if I'll be able to stop myself.

Any thoughts on croquis? Have you done one? Has anyone done an FBA on the Ruby Slip yet? Thoughts about Clovers or Gingers you haven't had a chance to chat about yet? Please let's talk!