Vogue 9253 & Clothes Making Mavens!

I'm under the wire for another top-secret misson, so it's a very quick one for my last post on series 1 of Re:Fashion on bluprint! 

Episode 5, The Festival Robe, dealt with refashioning a garment you've sewn from scratch. I know that many of us are loathe to remake something we've already made, but I myself am far more loathe to make something, dislike it, and decide the time spent on it was too precious to hack into it again! I wanna wear the shizz I make, man! One could say I also say I am far too stubborn to fail. One would be right. Vogue 9253 saved the day, no surprise, the pattern is glorious, and if you haven't tried it out, lemme say it again, DO. This is the second time I've sewn this in a sheer, but the first time I've done it on camera. Oooh, sounds kinky.

I am about out of time for typing, but oh, my friends, you are in SO MUCH LUCK if you're feeling cheated out of my usual nonsensical jabberings, as I can currently be found yammering with Helena and Lori on their Clothes Making Mavens podcast! The aforementioned Top Secret Mission began right before the podcast launched, so I haven't had time to holler about it yet. 

Laughter and NY Noise aplenty in our conversation--I've followed both their blogs for years, so it was like talking to old friends you've never met. I apologize in advance for the deafening, uncontrollable cackling that came out of my maw when Lori said I was a fashion icon.

Over and out, and back to the mosh pit! If you'd like to see the truly horrible "before," and complete visual steps of how I turn V9253 into a sheer open robe (and yes, almost wreck it again),check out Episode 5 of Re:Fashion, The Festival Robe! OKAYBYEIHOPEYOUGUYSARESEWING!!!!!

Vogue 9253 : In the Boudoir!

After 8 full days of hollering with family and friends, I am worded OUT! My brain is in need of the kind of recharge where you spend all day at home in a robe.

Unfortunately, I’m not one to spend all day at home in a robe. It's problematic for me, on many levels.

1: Robes in our house are historically not fancy enough. Yes, I can solve this problem. But, 

2: I don’t really sew things to chill in. And, most difficult of all, 

3: Even if I'm spending all day at home, I change clothes five to six times (to suit my mood, naturally). 

So I need like nine fancy robes to have the appropriate amount of viable options for a day spent in "a" robe. (Rob calls it my costume change. I sort of look up, perplexed, from whatever I'm doing, shake my curls, and stomp merrily off, while he calls out costume change! )

Luckily, I tricked myself into sewing one fancy robe. I'm set for coffee and/or cocktail hour, at least.

Vogue 9253 has now been made by the entirety of the sewing population. (Please dispute this fact in the comments so that we may enable you to climb on board.) I don't think I've seen it in a sheer yet, though! This silk chiffon, gauzy metallic beastie was actually made (and worn!) for the stage, accompanied by a little black tank and short shorts. Rob thought it looked like I was heading straight from the boudoir to the theater, but I was singing “Cabaret” in a cabaret (how meta), so it fit the bill. After the concert, I thought I’d wear it over jeans to document it for the Mood Sewing Network, but since its debut appearance, I’ve been swanning about in it solely behind closed doors.

At that point, I’d made the pattern several times, so I decided to whip this thing up in under 24 hours (as evidenced by that handy pictorial diary, instagram). The whole shebang is baby french seamed, so all those exposed seams look neat in a sheer fabric. At the eleventh hour (literally) I decided to add a design element to the sleeves: ties & loops made of plain 1/4 inch black twill. They're untied here. I may add some more twill to CF for a tie closure.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some recharging to do. (That probably means sewing.)

(Or maybe just twirling.)

Happy New Year, folks! May you have good reason to swan about in a robe (or seven) for a bit.

Vogue 1493 Tips!

Hello elves. I know you're out there, churning out handmade holiday gifts to beat the band and fight the consumerism power! Might I suggest, if you're in need of a pattern for someone special on your list, something more than an eye pillow, something with a little bit of WOW factor: Vogue 1493 by Koos? 

I haven't seen very many of these in the wild, and I think it's because it looks super fussy on the envelope. It's complicated, but it doesn't have to be quite so complicated. Allow me to persuade you. 

1. Let's talk bias binding. Oh hohoho! Sewist, skip aaaaaall of that extra bias binding applique! Yes, it's cool, but if you pick a wild pattern or a textured fabric, you're not going to need that all that extra. (And, even if you use a solid, it still looks super cool, especially if your "solid" has texture.)

2. Are there really 13 pattern pieces? Nope, not if you're following my previous sage advice...then you're only using pieces 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 & 12. The other six pieces are bias binding & duplicates with markings on them for all of that extra applique that you're merrily skipping. You're welcome.

3. This is a great pattern to make for others, as it's sized in ranges. Size ranges are great for gifting. Especially when the receivers, you know, don't get that we need to measure them every once in awhile. It does have quite a bit of ease-- the envelope puts me at the larger end of M, but I cut XS. I'd say go down at least one size.

4. Save some fabric! Hey, who's going to see that inside seam on the sleeve? Thaaaaat's right. Save a little fabric, especially if it's super pretty fabric that you only have so much of. Add seam allowance to the foldline of Lower Sleeve 8, and cut a contrasting bias facing for the sleeve hem. Overlock your inner sleeve seam, and you've saved a seriously good amount of fabric. Really need to scrimp? Leave off the side vents, and sew the side seams up as one long seam. MORE SCRIMPING, SCROOGE? Reduce the width of the front facing, as I did here--it's just one long rectangle of fabric, joined at center back.

5. Mark. All. Your. Notches. And. Dots. This pattern loves a good mark, and rewards you for taking the extra 3 minutes to transfer them to your yardage. Definitely mark your seamline at that triangle point on piece 6. You'll do a little dance of joy when you finish that seam perfectly at first go.

5. Think about how you want to handle those raw edges in advance! Koos calls for each seam to be bound, which is a beautiful thing, but you can also get away with other treatments. Some of my seams are overlocked, as the fabric is spongy and hides thread, some are turned under & stitched, some are bias bound. The pocket is the only section that'll throw a wrench in your timesaving plans if you're opting out of bias binding (ask me how I know), and in that case, you can always sew up the side front seam and leave the pockets out. 

6. OH STOP YELLING I KNOW YOU LOVE POCKETS. Ok, irritable elf, why don't you sew up that side front seam, and throw some patch pockets on the front? Or, you know, you can stay up till 3am drinking egg nog and muttering about why you always do this to yourself, as you bias bind each and every seam. I won't judge. I especially won't judge if that "someone special" you're sewing for is yourself ;)

(You can see the full frontal of this Koos jacket today, over at the Mood Sewing Network. Now I gotta go sew like 800 things. Probably while drinking egg nog. Happy weekend, y'all! Don't' bias bind anything I wouldn't bias bind!)

wax on, wax off

A surprising sidebar came up in a recent post, the original topic of which was surprising in itself (however, said surprises were most likely surprising specifically to me, which is unsurprising, as I am surprised by A LOT these days.)

Of course, the post was about anything but the wax print dress pictured (and after 143 comments, I'm tapped out on that discussion). However, Gillian, one of the most thoughtful members of our stitching community, brought up a sewing dilemma:

Gillian: I've never decided if it's ok for a white lady like me to use Ankara fabric. Cultural appropriation, or awesome print used with knowledge of its history? I don't know, and it's not the kind of thing any one person can decree is ok or not, so here I am, Ankara-less!

Well, my friend, my FRIENDS, as Mixed-Chick-Party-Of-One, I am here to resoundingly decree this ever so much more than "ok." In fact: GO FOR IT!

Go for it, because it is fabric, and who better to treat a beautiful fabric with the respect it deserves than a home sewist?  A commenter pointed out:

Anonymous: as a white lady who appreciates the beauty of African and many other ethnic patterns I would hope that when I employ its use in my own creations others will perceive it as a thing of beauty and my joy in presenting it as such.

Go for it, because, as several commenters were quick to add, its backstory is as mixed as the chick who runs this here blog: it is of Dutch origins, but intended as a knockoff of Indonesian Batik. The "flaws" in processing spoke not to Indonesia, but to Africa, and the colors and prints were changed to suit the audience--geometric shapes and vivid colors, rather than the more muted floral design of Batik. It's now produced in Africa & China as well, and you could call those knockoffs, or you could say the original was intended as a knockoff in the first place. Is it distinctly an African fabric now? Yes. But in my opinion, it's more of an as-tweed-is-British and denim-is-American sort of thing, not a question of racial appropriation. Don't get me wrong, I understand, and am often hindered by, the lines in the sand drawn over race. Some are real, some are manufactured, some grow by perception. Two out of three of those lines should be crossed.

Karen: I am very aware of the multi-cross-cultural journey these patterns have made from Indonesia to West Africa, while both were under Dutch colonial subjugation, and are still being made in The Netherlands! Culture and language are very complex things, continually evolving to reflect current conditions. Let's keep our minds open to other peoples' truths.

Go for it, because, as its origins prove, MIXING IT UP A WONDERFUL THING. And something we are in dire need of today. Yes, I understand the ignorance of wearing a ceremonial Lakota war bonnet to a music festival, but I don't think any sewists wanting to dip their toes in wax print waters are talking about sporting a Kente head wrap.

Leigh: It's just fabric, unless you exact copy a traditional african dress. That could look a bit odd as they're kind of distinct, but you know what? They look comfortable, and how many people have made "kimono jackets" and didn't get crucified in the press?

Go for it, because of the joy you will create around you. Another commodity we are in dire need of today. It is impossible not to smile when you see 12,000 colors walking towards you. And if you don't want to wear 12,000 colors, choose a more docile print like the one I'm sporting here! YES IT'S DOCILE I MEAN IT'S PRACTICALLY A SOLID IN COMPARISON.

CinderellaRidvan: I will say that my ambuyas (grandmothers and aunties) are delighted to see my white friends wearing it, they say the everyone looks better in beautiful prints...

If a civilian raises an eyebrow? Politely divulge the bio of this glorious mixed up cloth. (You could also ask if they're into Rock n Roll, and if so, how much Little Richard do they have in their collection.)

Erika: I am a white lady, who has lived in Zambia and Uganda, who has several garments made of US patterns with African fabrics. I figure it will upset some people, and not others, and my job is to be ready to have a conversation with people who are upset, with a humble open heart.

If a sewist chastises you for using the improper name for it? Again, go for the origin story. There are many names for this stuff, and they are all proper. However. If you've chosen to call it Dutch wax print, and a homesick lass compliments you on your fabric from Ghana? Um, do not inform her of the technicalities of the origins of wax print. Recognize, as I did not, that she's lonely, and it lifted her day to spot some fabric from her homeland. Hey, Professor Sewist: technicality isn't always paramount.

CinderellaRidvan: culture is more about nuance and belief than technicalities.

Well, if you've been on the fence, I hope I've convinced you to jump in, along with these thoughtful words from my fellow sewists! If I had my way, wax print would be everywhere... and all the buildings would be painted in technicolor, and pizza would be free, and we'd have little wine spigots on the streets that popped on every day at dusk...

(One last GO FOR IT: Because you get 6 yards in every cut! Now, if you're like me, you will dive into your bounty with wild abandon, and come very quickly to a point where you realize that while you can make 3 garments out of 1 cut, you cannot print match across seams if you didn't plan ahead. That happened here, with Vogue 9253. Patience and planning. Who knew. Now go sew some wax print.)

Vogue 9106 (ish.)

My closet was always schizophrenic. As a kid, I loved to crash bang through a riot of color, and come up with a different character every day. Given my penchant for costume and spotlight, acting was the obvious path for me. Having many roles imposed upon me by many eyes meant having many outfits! YES PLEASE.  

Long before I sewed, I turned to RTW to play the part I was after. And then Stitching Superpowers entered the mix. Armed with my new skills, I could truly make whatever "costume" I needed! 

....except the role I've really always wanted to play is Technicolor Free Spirit, so whatever pattern I usually cast myself in (Business Woman, Ballet Patron, Demure Yogi) gets hacked & colorized so much it turns out to be nothing like the original design (see; Free Spirt), and nowadays I'd diagnose my closet as Delusional Bohemian. 

Example: This is Vogue 9106, a Vintage reprint intended for crisp fabrics, not the swooshy drapey viscose you see here. Also intended: cut on sleeves & knee length skirt with side gathers and CF seam. 

But I changed the role to suit me, with a button placket extending to crotch level, and a gathered waist that attached to a curved hip yoke that attached to another curved, gathered skirt panel...

And elastic picot trim on the neckline & armsyce, when I decided to lose the sleeves! I know it's a bit hard to see the style lines for the floral bouquets (See; Technicolor), so here's the line drawing, and here's what I did:

I forgot to draw in the added back waistline gathers. Listen... I'm no Gillian, with the cute computer sketches! 

I wish I'd snapped a before/after pic, because removing those sleeves really changed the whole vibe for me. Also wishing I'd added some piping to highlight the intersection of hip yoke/gathered skirt panel, but, c'est la vie. I'll keep it in mind for another role.

This is the kind of typecasting I can get into.

Hey, wanna see another gal's take on this fabric? Unbeknownst to either of us, Sallie Oh and I cast ourselves in the same fabric, different colorway, for our June Mood Sewing Network projects. Sallie made a gorgeous knee length semi-shirt dress for a very romantic role indeed. Shorty made the maxi, Legs Diamond made the knee length! I smell a screwball buddy comedy in the making. 

Past Jacket, Present Future

Worst lead-in for a post ever: I honestly don't have much to say today. It's a dreary Monday, the fitting end to a long weekend full of figuring out what felt right, but mostly feeling wrong, and wronged.

Speaking of wrong: when I looked back on 2016 for the ubiquitous wrap-up, I was a little shocked at the number: 16. A garment a month. That number is ridiculously off. (ETA: Yes, it is. Because 16 does not equal a garment a month. 16 is visually similar to the year 2016. And now you know how math works in my head.) Not included, and not blogged, are the attempts at creating staples, staples which would keep my attention and not bore me to tears. AND AS YOU WELL KNOW, THERE IS NO CRYING IN SEWING.

This little diddy, made in 2016, walks that fine line, but it was not made for me. It was one of the few Christmas gifts I actually got a jump on; completed well enough in advance that I was able to take these photos on election day. Although my mood was positively ebullient after standing in line for two hours with my fellow New Yorkers, the shots came out strangely harsh, and very moody.

Apparently, my camera comes with prediction mode.

I have definitely figured out one thing that feels right, having nothing to do with saving the world, having everything to do with saving my sanity: create what I desire. And I desire the abnormal. We're not living in normal times, eh? Let's dress appropriately! I have no time for staples! My new abnormal involves beautiful armor that reflects whatever my heart desires. Ensembles for Saturn.

It has certainly helped in keeping me sane. I strongly believe that if we take care of ourselves, we can take care of others. And no matter where we stand, we need to take care of each other.

Sewing deets:

Koos jacket, Vogue patterns 1493

Materials: Denim from Chic Fabrics, Tapestry from Century 21 (not linking, because they are bossy. Go buy things from Chic Fabrics.)

Changes: I skipped all of the embellishments--if you do this, have a good look at the pattern pieces, it makes the layout MUCH simpler. I cut a size XS after reading Sarah's review on the enormous amount of ease in this. (Have a look at her crazy creative Instagram, by the way!) The hemline is not as drafted, I curved it up at the side seams.

Tips: Mark ALLLLLL of your notches on this one! I managed to sew the sleeves to the cuffs the wrong way the first time around. Notches are your friend. Impatient people skip notches. (Ask me how I know.)

Vogue 9053: Easy is a four letter word.

Hello, silk cotton, you shifty, drapey, aggravating beast of a fabric. Earlier in the week, over at the Mood Sewing Network, I praised your beauty. Actually...yeah, you're awesome. I'm a fickle thing. I don't know why I'm calling you names. Probably because I look at these pictures and still remember every irritating second of sewing you up.

It wasn't your fault. The blames lies (partly) with my constant need to force fabric into situations it doesn't want to be in. I imagined this yardage as a flowing, ground sweeping maxi dress. On my first crack, I went with Burdastyle's Tie neck maxi dress, which is not as simple as it sounds-- it's listed as an intermediate pattern, mainly because of the great angled yoke and skirt insets. Really cool pattern! But after the bodice turned out like this... I abandoned ship.

Yeah, that's 100% my bad. WARNING, CIVILIANS: MAJOR SEW SPEAK AHEAD. The silk cotton was far too lightweight for the drape of the top, so I lined the bodice in a fluid rayon poly, but I should have underlined it instead. Then I cut the yoke off-grain in a pre coffee haze. Here, I tried to salvage the hack job by cutting up the center line of the yoke, thinking I'd travel to Godet Town, Population: Crazy. Simply put, I took an intermediate pattern and tried to cut corners, in the end, making triple the work for myself. 

This is a rare occasion where I paused, looked at the mess I'd created, and made myself JUST. STOP.

For the second go, I decided to give myself a break: I was obviously in a simple mood, I should go with a simple pattern! And here's where the blame lies (mostly) with the pattern. Y'all. I've got a beef with patterns that introduce themselves as Very Easy. In this case, Very Easy Vogue. VEV 9053 walked up and shook my hand with a breezy smile, promising an easy, plunging V neck maxi dress. VEV, that minx, told me her suitable fabrics included both wovens and jersey, which, VEV. WHY ARE YOU PLAYING BOTH SIDES OF THE FIELD. 

No worries, I never really pay attention to suitable fabrics anyways. However, after botch job #1, I was in a mood to pay attention to the instructions. Clear? Yes. Easy? Yes. Complete? Not really.

In my mind, easy shouldn't mean quick. (And if it does, throw the word "quick" in the description, so that I can run like hell if the pattern is anything more than a tank top or A line skirt.) What makes this pattern easy is what is left out, which is also what makes this pattern quick. Ultimately, if followed as is, it's also what would make this pattern Not Fit. 

The worst omission in this pattern is the fact that the great plunging neckline is not staystitched, ever. Well, it's not staystitched as per VEV's instructions, but I staystitched that jammy the second it was cut, and then went on to add seam tape to keep that V from growing over time. Which, listen, was not quick, but it wasn't hard. 

(What is hard: managing to place cockeyed stamens in the general vicinity of both bust points. One of those used to be a perfect fleshy shade of pink, which I corrected with fabric markers. Me versus Me. Go Me. KIND OF.)

The point of the V is a CF & CB seam. The CB seam houses the invisible zip, but the CF seam, which mirrors the grainline, is a head scratcher. I guess you need it because as per instructions, you break stitching at the point of the V on the CF seam, instead of pivoting. I suppose this is to make things easier, by avoiding the extra steps of marking the seamline, shortening the stitch length at the V, pivoting at the point, clipping to that point-- but listen, that's easy too. Like the song says, you just have to take your time and do it right. 

I followed VEV's quicker path here, against my better judgement (which, listen, I was understandably dubious of, after the hackery I produced on that Burdastyle bodice). But in the end, following the quick path meant that there was no option to check the fit as-you-sew. Yes, here's an argument for making a muslin-- but are you really going to make a muslin for a "very easy" pattern? 

Though I realize this is not a resounding recommendation for this pattern, if, after reading this, you're of a mind to try 9053 out, know that I lost the bodice waist gathers in favor of a dart, and draped the skirt myself. And, I'm not knocking Vogue as a whole. I love me some Vogue Patterns! What I'm really knocking are "Easy" patterns in general. Sewing is time consuming, construction can be tricky, but if you don't cut corners, you'll be so much happier with not only the process, but the result. 

Today marks the start of National Sewing Month. If you've been wary of a garment because of its perceived difficulty, why not give it a try? Or look at that pattern next up in the queue-- what can you do to take it up a notch? 

(Notch. Ha ha. Sorry, civilians, sewist joke.)

this dress was eventually made possible by my monthly fabric allowance, as part of the mood sewing network. and it will eventually be worn, after a nice long time out.

Vogue 1482: The Apartment Dress

If you come to Kalkatroona for dinner, I will most likely greet you with a shriek, possibly a fan, and very little on. IT'S ALWAYS HOT IN KALKATROONA.

I'll be wearing something vaguely dressy, and vaguely roomy, the better to eat everything in. And I will probably be hopping around on my toes en relevé, because when I am happy, I hop around on my toes en relevé. Obviously, I'll be happy because you're coming over for dinner. And we'll all kick our shoes off and lounge on great big fuchsia pillows while Ruggy mixes cocktails and Al Green makes us boogie.

It wasn't all boogying with this jammie, though. You guys, I was on the road to failure with this silk jersey for so long, I thought the trip would never end! It started at Mood, when I turned from the cutting table and came face to face with this beauty. She was in my arms within seconds. Foot on the floor, I screamed north with my new companion, racing to Drapey Town. But I made a wrong turn at Cuttersville, and when I found myself at the junction between Maxi Skirtland and Tank Top Turnpoint, there just wasn’t enough lane for Waist Line.

The trip was bad, yo. Probably because I left no time for rest stops. ALWAYS LEAVE TIME FOR REST STOPS.

Ruggy was thrilled that my trip went awry, since he loved the print and wanted me to use it for myself anyway (I was selfless sewing with this beauty. My first wrong turn!). Sadly, the new route I chose was a man repeller pattern. My bosum buddy Suzanne just happened to drop Vogue 1482 in my lap, an artsy ditty with lots of seaming and little pieces. Her note cautioned: One of those patterns your husband will hate but all your lady friends love…

But the note ALSO said: very cool construction, fyi.

SOLD.

I needed a good road map after all that botched traveling! And she was right, the construction IS really cool… but I only followed the directions for the front left pocket. UGH FOLLOW DIRECTIONS OONA! WHY DO YOU THINK YOU GET LOST SO MUCH?! Listen, I had to veer off course, mainly because I jigsawed the center back out of the carnage from the draping, and had to cut it on the fold, losing two inches of width, and then had to account for the stretch of the jersey, and then add sleeves, and then remove sleeves, and then change the neckline, and then taper it in to make it slightly more Ruggy friendly, and then shorten it to make it even more Ruggy friendly, and then gnash my teeth certain that I'd basically botched 4 yards of silk jersey, and then throw it on for one more peek...

...and then DANCE AROUND LIKE A DOOFUS when I realized that, in taking the scenic route, I had suddenly stumbled upon THAT DRESS that you can wear out to summer dinners, or wear in to winter affairs hosted in your blazing hot NY apartment.

Sorry, I'm still shaking my booty here. BOOGIE BOOGIE! In our 15 years of living in this little slice of the sun, I have only one other handmade garment that can pull this kind of all-seasons duty. As it is mandatory that I greet my guests in handmade, more options are always a bonus.

And even more bonus, I finally have the perfect match for this beauty from Tweak! I love big bold necklaces, have oodles of them actually, but they seem to need a soul mate. This one has been waiting over a year for its perfect partner!

Hopefully my perfect partner will come around on this dress, because it's a keeper.

So listen, if you decide to partner up with this pattern, keep in mind that I did a LOT of hacking! The pocket and the diagonal front seam are as-drafted. The pattern as-is has a much longer hemline, sleeves that come in two parts, neckline facings, and a CB seam with a neck opening. Recommended fabrics include both wovens and jersey, which is fun and all, but you ought to consider the stretch factor if you go for jersey. I went down to the smallest size (even more, really, with all the fabric jigsawing and tapering), and you really won't need that back neck opening unless you like the look of it. The instructions call for french seams, which you also won't need on a jersey--I abandoned that once my brain switched on and realized what was happening. Directions are great, but sometimes the scenic route is the way to go!

this apartment dress was made with my monthly fabric allowance as part of the mood sewing network.