Friends, do you remember this panel print fabric I purchased last summer at Elliot Berman Textiles? (I was with Laura Mae, who was emptying out the store so I had to buy something.)
Well, I'll be attending a Pattern Review event there (for PR Day and PR's 13th birthday) this Friday evening and I thought, wouldn't it be great if I could wear something I'd made from my most recent purchase there?
The theme is "Dress for the Era -- Past/Present/Future" (basically, wear ANYTHING) and initially I envisioned sending Cathy done up as a Mack Sennett Bathing Beauty, but she wasn't hearing it. So I'm going alone.
I'm trying to decide how to lay out my panel print fabric for a long sleeve shirt. Initially I thought I'd have the fabric light on top and darkening at the bottom, like so:
Then I thought, well, that's too predictable; instead, I'll have the fabric darkest on top (which eliminates my chronic fear of ring-around-the-collar) and lighten toward the bottom, like this:
But now I'm thinking it would be even more interesting to have the fabric darken from one side to the other (and which would be mirrored on the back), either left to right....
Or right to left.
(So one sleeve/cuff would be very light -- on the light side -- and one sleeve would be very dark.)
If you have an opinion about this, please let me know. I won't be cutting my fabric till tomorrow (Thursday) morning. I think I have enough fabric (two complete panels) to carry out any of these ideas, but only one.
In other news, did I tell you I'd ordered a new Olfa cutting mat? My old one lasted me five years solid -- not forever, as I'd hoped, but still a long time. And I know I'm responsible for at least one of the deep cracks, since I once sat on a chair that was sitting on the mat and, well, you can imagine.
I feel kind of bad about dumping the old mat, which will no doubt exist for eternity, but what am I going to do with it? It's a mess -- so deeply cracked in so many places that it couldn't do its job effectively. My mat is something I use for every single sewing project and I do try to take care of it.
I found my new mat on Overstock.com. I usually avoid that site but the price couldn't be beat (mine is 24" x 36").
I also treated myself to a teflon foot. I found that sticking scotch tape to the bottom of my presser foot wasn't quite as effective as I'd originally thought: the tape gets rubbed off over time. This should help me to complete my vinyl python jacket which I do hope to have finished by decade's end.
And that's it. I'm pretty sure I can pull this shirt together by Friday evening -- here's hoping....
Have a great day, everybody!
If there's anyone who can whip out a full fledged dress shirt in 36 hours, it's you!
ReplyDeleteTeflon feet are great--I use them with knits sometimes too.
Will you be there on Friday, Kyle?
DeleteI will!
DeleteDef. have the fabric darken from one side to the other. One sleeve dark, the other light. The Bomb!
ReplyDeleteYes, have the fabric darken from one side to the other. That would be so cool!
ReplyDeleteHow about having the darker part go down the center of your body along the button placket with it fading out to white on the side seam area. Then do solid white sleeves, with the speckles on the cuffs and collar. Might be interesting? Can't wait to see how you do it!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy that teflon foot! They sure come in handy!
*I meant to add to do the dark down the center on both sides of the front...Not sure what I'd do with the back...maybe see how the front looks and my gut says have the darker at the top getting lighter as it goes down your back on the back of the shirt...No one sees your front and back at the same time. ;-)
DeleteI like the dark on top to light on bottom but I think the dark on the left and light on the right might work even better.
ReplyDeleteDark to light, left to right. Just because I want to see how that looks. I wouldn't have even THOUGHT of that.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking dark on the right shoulder and light on the left wrist - diagonal! It would mean you'd be cutting on the bias, dramatic drape and flattering folds, but how better to feature a "homage in absentia" to Cathy and all things Cathy-esque?
ReplyDelete"an homage"
ReplyDeleteDark at the sides, lighter down the packet. Slimming, not that you need it.
ReplyDeletetina
i love the idea of the side to side gradient (is that the right word? i've been drinking wine....)
ReplyDeleteDefiantly side to side. See you Friday.
ReplyDeleteWhat great ideas. My first thought was, well, it is either an up-down or a down-up question. I am thoroughly embarrassed by the limits of my non-creative thinking.
ReplyDeleteYou can use utility scissors to cut that mat into smaller, still useable pieces- I have a 7 inch piece I keep at the machine for quickly trimming seams while sewing. If you get a big enough piece it can be butted against your new one for a longer cutting surface.
ReplyDeleteI use old pieces of mat for purse bottoms.
DeleteMaybe I will cut it up and save it....
DeleteYou can also just flip the mat over and use the other side. It doesn't deal with the all the way through cuts but certainly extends the usability.
DeleteSideways, sideways! More unusual, more interesting... Diagonal would be good, but that's probably too fabric-consuming.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ronnie. Side to side with the gradient. Or as Testosterone sugests on bias and going diagonal.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy sewing!
Side ways! That would be cool!
ReplyDeleteloving the idea of side to side, like others, would never had thought of that
ReplyDeleteSide to side! I love garments with border prints going side to side.
ReplyDeleteDark-to-light pocket, collar, and cuffs with dark-to-light from the side seams both front and back!
ReplyDeletewhat about one side light at top, the other side dark at top? Although I do like the side-to-side or center-to-side ideas as well.
ReplyDeleteSmall mats are very handy for small cutting jobs. or as work surfaces you don't need to worry about damaging with glue, paint, etc.
Sideways, but with the dark panels either in the centre or at the sides. But I'm a Libran so it has to be symmetrical :)
ReplyDeleteSpud.