Good morning, friends! (And to my beloved Kiwis, why are you still up? Lights out!)
As you can see from the photo above, I've been pattern drafting again -- this time a top -- and if you're wondering where you've seen that outfit before, I believe Ann-Margret wore it in "The Pleasure Seekers." Or was it Carol Lynley?
So much to tell today, friends.
First the good news. Please help me welcome three yards of striped poly chiffon to my fabric family!
This will become my McCall's 1929 dress very shortly. For you burnout and paisley fans, well, I'll make it up to you somehow.
And now on a more somber note, today we must also say good-bye.
I bought nearly five (!) yards of this glittery poly chiffon (the end of a bolt) back in my pre-Male Pattern Boldness days with the intention of making Cathy something slinky and chic with it. Unfortunately no sooner did I get it home than I realized that this heat-transfer glitter fabric will shed glitter on EVERYTHING, ALWAYS. Pinhead-sized sparkles will show up in your carpeting, on your pets, under your fingernails, and in your stool. Today it becomes somebody else's headache. (If you're interested in it, it should be for sale at the Salvation Army in Chelsea by noon.) I can't be bothered with it.
I worked on my self-drafted top yesterday and there's still much work to be done.
I want to shift the side dart on the front piece (right) to the bottom so I can adapt this for a men's shirt, among other things. I'll probably stitch up another muslin today with a deeper armhole too.
Paired with those cigarette pants, it makes quite a statement though I'm loathe to consider just what that statement is; I'm sure you can think of something witty but please be kind.
That's it, kids! Much to do. I hope you're happily stitching away wherever you are. Everybody seems to be suffering from either too much heat or too much cold. Anybody out there happy with their weather?
Oh and regarding my stripes: Should I cut the yoke on the bias? I don't think I'll underline the yoke, but if I do, do I cut the yoke underlining on the bias too or cut it parallel to the selvage? Nancy? Debbie?
Happy Thursday everyone!
That little outfit, with that hat. All I see is A Clockwork Orange. With flowers, but still!
ReplyDelete-Eleanor
unfamiliarceiling.com
I'm supposed to be writing a prompt for my students at 6:19 am pacific time. You know what I'm doing instead? Laughing about the flowers on your butt! You should have traded the Salvation Army that glittery chiffon for some butch sheets to add to your collection. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the stripes. For a moment I though it was zebra print and I was excited. I vote vertical yoking, even though I have no idea what that means.
Oh, and I finally started my muslins yesterday--the ones I listed as goals two weeks ago. Yep. I'm fast that way.
If you line the yoke with a skin colored lining it will match the unlined part of the dress. If you line with a self fabric cut on the bias but on the opposite angle, you'll get an interesting shadow check effect.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mae. But should you always underline a fabric cut on the bias with another fabric also cut on the bias? Or just the opposite?
ReplyDeleteI do like that shadow effect idea...
Glitter is the Herpes of the craft world, you know. Once you have it, you'll never really be rid of it. Just warning you - you will find trace evidence of that stuff weeks from now even though you thought it was long gone.
ReplyDeleteI have to confess that something that sprinkles glitter everywhere is my idea of heaven. I would feel like a cross between Liz Taylor and Tinkerbell. Thank goodness I am now a long way away from that thrift store or I would be there in a flash.
ReplyDeleteRE bias underlining, my thoughts are that, if you don't want something to ACT like it is on the bias, then line it with something cut straight, to make it keep its shape.
I am looking forward to this one Peter!
Once you get Cathy to wear it, warn her: DON'T LOOK DOWN! Especially while twirling! Heh heh, you will see what I mean when you get there.
I like the idea of stripes on the bias going into vertical stripes so very much! It seems elegant and whimsical.
ReplyDeleteLove the fabric you've been making your muslins out of - flowers on cheeks, flower on fly, ha ha. From what the internet is telling me, underlining your bias cut fabric with bias-cut lining will make the yoke stretchy (which makes sense, and is probably not what you are going for...). Perhaps cut your yoke so that the lines run horizontal while everything else is vertical?
ReplyDeleteHEY! Sandi stole my comment! Demetri Martin was the first to declare glitter to be the herpes of the craft world.
ReplyDeleteI wish I even knew what everyone was talking about with all this bias on the yoke stuff.
ReplyDeleteBut I can't get over the fact of how freaking adorable you look in that flower suit.
I love, love, love chiffon...so I'm sure I will be completely envious of Cathy's new outfit. Have you ever thought of auctioning some of her outfits? Oh gosh, I hope I don't piss her off with that statement...But I do think we may wear the same size.
I am finishing up sewing a cute gingham dress made from a 1940's patten. One or two more days and I should have it done. Don't know how you get so much sewing done.
You could also move the front side dart up to the armscye to create a princess-seamed men's shirt (I think you've made those before though...). It's looking good (and makes me want to draft patterns for my hard-to-fit hubby whose measurements are way more "feminine" than mine)
ReplyDeleteI still love the paisley chiffon (non-repeating pattern and all!) but the stripes are nice, too.
Sorry, Sal! It is so true, though, is it not?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Heyday. How you cut a lining and/or interlining (bias vs. straight) depends on why the outer layer is bias to begin with. For a bias yoke for this dress and this fabric, I'd cut an interlining on the straight grain because (1) your fabric is very flimsy (in a good way) and it's going to squiggle all over the place so you will want a stabilizer, (2) a bias yoke in this instance is for visual effect, not fit or drape and (3) the rest of the dress is going to hang from the shoulder seams/yoke and you do NOT want it stretching out and getting wonky (I know how you love that word!) which will affect the hang of the rest of the dress.
ReplyDeleteIf you do decide on a bias yoke, I think you should add CF and CB seams so the stripes chevron in the middle. But ... it will be tricky getting your stripes to match with that slippery fabric. I suggest a (washable) glue stick.
No comment on the flower muslin outfit except to note that it looks like you were having (almost) entirely too much fun with it. :-)
Hating weather here too, but it's not unexpected weather so I can't really complain. Much.
(Did I use enough parentheses in this comment?)
Oh yes! The stripes will be wonderful! And yes, cut it on the bias. I agree with Debbie, the interlining or even the facing should be cut on the straight grain to prevent weird hanging on the body. I love the bodice draft. I'm so impressed with your drafting skills!
ReplyDeleteWhat Debbie Cook said.
ReplyDeleteGeez, Peter. You sure know how to scare a person with that headline. There you were at the top of my blog list this morning with something about saying Goodbye??? Eeeek! Whew, glad to find out it was just a piece of yucky fabric you were saying goodbye to. ;-)
@ Stash: you weren't alone on that. I kept waiting for some really sad news! But sparkly chiffon. pshw!
ReplyDeleteI love your hat with your flower power suit, Peter! Verrrrrry dapper!
Can't wait to see the yoke on that dress. It's going to be FAB.
Go for cutting the yoke on the bias but split it so that it is mitred in the middle, like a chevron. That would be a nice contrast to the otherwise strong vertical. If the yoke were to be perpendicular that would look strange. bias is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteThe cigarette pants say nice butt!
Jotham - "Sew, he knits too!"
No one ever looked so good in flowers. lol
ReplyDeleteThe Fedora is my fav.
Trudy
www.sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com
Peter, you are a brave man to wear flowers on your ass!
ReplyDeleteWould you believe those are my tattoos showing through?
ReplyDeleteSorry if I upset anyone, re post title. They'll have to get the vaudeville cane and drag me away; that's the only way I'm going!
I agree exactly with Debbie's yolk suggestion. The chevron is exactly what I would've suggested.
ReplyDeleteI personally feel that the stripes are way too modern for a 1920's dress, I still think the blue paisley was a great choice, but not as good as the burnout.
I store my glitter fabrics separate from everything else, and the scraps go back into a large ziplock bag along with the full yardage. While I can deal with glitter cleanup, what I hate most is getting glitter stuck on light color fabrics. I have a white knit with silver glitter and a red knit with red glitter. Those two have rubbed and there is no getting the wrong color glitter off. Ziplocks save a lot of headaches.
I made a glitter dress maybe 10 years ago. It shed like crazy in the sewing process and I was worried of it balding before the client could get good use of it. It's still very full of glitter so no worries there. My previous car had glitter speck imbedded into the steering wheel because obviously it got stuck to my hands and pressed into the hot wheel while driving.
I agree with Debbie too re bias and interlining
ReplyDeleteAlthough bias stripes will look cool, because of their width you won't be able to get them to match the vertical stripes and it could look a bit odd - little things like that bug me!
You could try them placed horizontally, I presume the sash will be horizontal too so it could look less busy.
It's going to look very Deauville in navy stripes! (Or is it black - I can't tell, my eyes are wonky after watching late-night football!)
I just love the old sheet you've used to toile your pants and top! Really, it's the bee's knees.
ReplyDeleteI too panicked when I read the title of this post, and I've only been reading for about three weeks; that's how quickly you've reined me in, Peter, what with your quick wit and speedy sewing.
My thoughts are for the yoke to be on the bias, I think the directional change will be nicely dramatic.
And, the weather - it's pretty fantastic. About 20.c at the moment (winter)...lovely days and snuggly nights.
Sam