My Winter Uniform

Sometimes when I'm feeling a bit adrift, it helps to adopt a uniform so I can feel more like myself. I've decided this winter's uniform will be short skirts, tights, and layers on top. To that end, I just made 3 short skirts from the same pattern. It's really fast to sew identical garments. I stacked-and-whacked the linings, then assembled all the linings out of silk twill first. Then I assembled the blue and black skirts using black thread, then the tan one using tan thread. They came out really nicely, and I have worn 2 out of the 3. Actually, I had to take the blue one off my body to photograph it, which is why it is wrinkled. The fabrics were all from a Michael's bundle.

The pattern I used was from BWOF 7/08. I like it for a couple of reasons. I like the yoke, which is comfortable to wear. The pockets are very handy. The slight pegged shape feels current. Also, the pattern is drafted with a wide hem allowance and the instructions call for several layers of topstitching at the hem. One problem with short skirts worn with tights is that they tend to ride up. I think the wide hem and the topstitching will add some weight at the hem, which, combined with the slippery lining, will prevent this from happening.

Reversible Coats

The Christmas card photo. It's enough to strike fear in the heart of every suburban mom. So, of course, I have to make my kids matching clothes so they will look properly coordinated for the annual Christmas card photo competition. Thankfully, my kids like nothing better than dressing alike. I wonder how many more years that will last?

The pattern for this coat came from the latest Ottobre. The recommend that you use a reversible fleece, but I made it a bit more challenging for myself and used 2 home dec fabrics. The pink is, I believe, a cotton-rayon blend. The purple is a very plush purple velvet. I bought both fabrics in London and have been waiting for the right pattern to come along.

It was actually fairly complicated to make the coat reversible. I put together the body of the coat first, then attached the 2 sides together, then put the sleeves on. Perhaps there's an easier way. I did the whole thing by machine, because machine stitching is more durable and I actually want these coats to get worn.



button detail

Digital Photo Question

katherine h said...
. I wanted to ask a question on an older post of yours, where you showed the negative of your black denim jacket. Do you take your photos digitally? If so, can you tell us how you get a "negative" of a digital photograph. Many thanks, Katherine

I think I am quite clever for doing this, so I'm happy to share my methods. I use Photoshop, because I got accustomed to it many years ago when I worked, and the once you go through the steep learning curve with Photoshop, it's hard to think about learning another image editing program. I'm sure you can do this with other, less expensive, software, as well.

Open the photo
Choose Image - Mode - Greyscale
Choose Image - Adjustments - Invert

OK, now that I look at the steps involved, I realize that I'm not really all that clever for figuring this out, but there you have it.

Flower Headdress

I love making Halloween costumes! DD wanted to be a flower this year, so I found some fuchsia cotton and some pink silk to surround her head with petals. I put buckram in the petals for interfacing, and zigzagged florist wire into the seam allowances to hold the petals up. Still, they could stay up a bit better. I think if I do something like this again, I'll make sure to use very lightweight materials. The petals are just too heavy. DD likes it, though, which is the important thing. The headdress buttons onto the hood of the sweatshirt.

Breaking the Rules

A while back, I saw a photo of someone in the news wearing a skirt that was similar to this one. My first reaction was utter horror that anyone would wear something so obviously off-grain. Then, on closer inspection, I realised that it was meant to be that way. Then it began to haunt me. I wish I could remember where I saw the photo so I could show you the inspiration for this skirt.

The fabric is a home dec silk that I bought as a remnant. If you are looking for a fabric with a wide pattern repeat, home dec is the way to go. I purposely placed the single red stripe near the hem to catch the eye. This fabric is gorgeous. It's a jacquard weave, with the stripes woven in a satin weave and the background woven in a flat weave. When I become tremendously wealthy, all of my curtains will be silk.

The pattern I used was an A-line skirt from September Burda. I cut the skirt in one piece, replacing the right side seam with a dart. That way, I would not need to worry about matching the stripes on two side seams. I used an invisible zipper and added some belt carriers.

Back

Side Seam

Cape for Winter

Every year, I tell myself that the coat closet has filled to overflowing, so no more freaking coats. And every year, I have to make another one. We are currently planning some rather major home renovations, so I'm angling for a larger coat closet to accommodate my coat making habit.

Here is this year's addition to the coat stable. When I saw this cape in the September Burda, I was powerless to resist. I've wanted a cape for ages. I made it with camel melton from B&J. I actually bought the last 3 yards of camel melton in the whole store. I really wanted melton because it's warm and has a nice soft nap for a warm fuzzy effect. I did not take into account that melton weighs an absolute ton. Wearing this cape around town will resemble walking around with exercise weights.

cape back. I did not underline it with a canvas, so you can see my stitches a bit.


I lined the cape portion in a fairly boring cotton canvas


Bound Buttonholes


I lined the vest portion in a red necktie silk. The vest on this pattern has no shaping whatsoever. All the shape comes from the belt. This may be good, since it allows for a bulky sweater to be worn underneath to keep the arms warm.

More Pics and Responses

Many people asked me for more pics of my white linen ensemble, so here they are. I actually took quite a few, but did not initially post them because I don't like them much. I feel like I learned something from trying to take the photos, so it was not a waste of time, but they did not come out the way I envisioned them. I'm planning on spending more time with the camera and with photoshop to learn how to take better photos.


Carolyn asked:
I have a question, though, are you sewing more now that you're home?!
It's hard to tell. I always sew as much as I possible can. I keep thinking that things will settle down and I'll have more time to sew, but that does not seem to be happening. Maybe things are as settled down as they will ever be. Since my house is bigger here, I now have a sewing room that is big enough to unfold out my entire cutting table, which is nice! However, since my house is bigger here, housework is more time consuming, leaving less time for sewing.


McVal said:
I've tagged you with an award on my blog!
Thank you! I appreciate it.