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.)

A Tree Skirt.

Suddenly, and without warning, the city tore itself out of hibernation mode. There was a furious need to do something before 2017 rolled in. 

In "the business," the space between Thanksgiving and New Years gets progressively more chill, winding down to a dead stop by December 15. So, although this flurry was a welcome change, we suddenly found ourselves racing everywhere, and I suddenly found myself racing to get ALL OF THE THINGS SEWN, having previously decided to sew a gift for pretty much everyone in my life. Over a dozen items in under two weeks--and I'm talking lined jackets. I finished. I do not know how. As I wrangled wrapping four evening jackets in the car ride to our NYE celebrations, Rob cautiously inquired, so, what will you be sewing next in the new year?

I pulled myself out of a tornado of tissue paper and ribbon. WHY DO YOU ASK.

What will I sew? Well, I think it's going to be a mohair coat fashioned from a vintage blanket, featuring a horse head with a glass eye. I'm not joking. I know I'm going to take my time and enjoy it, because the moral of that car conversation was one I already know: NO MORE RUSHING ALLOWED. Rushing helps nothing. Take, for example, the skirt pictured above. This was my December MSN project, and I raced through it, desperate to have a Diane Keaton-esque ensemble to swan about in on Christmas Eve. It suffered for the pace: the pleats don't quite match, forget about print placement across the side seams-- and although I faced the hem, and gave the waistband a petersham treatment, I am 99% sure I'll be pulling this apart and putting it back together again. 

A lot of seam ripping? Yes, but I actually don't mind. It's wonderful to create better things from botched projects.

Hope you're easing yourself into this new year...may we create better things from botched! 

Silk Holidaze

Things have turned crazyface around here! Alongside the ramp up to the holidays, the business side of life suddenly woke back up and I'm a little (happily) swamped. So, I'm just going to dive right in. On my last Mood Sewing Network post, I talked about the fabric, now I'll tell you about the pattern...

This is McCalls 7387, which I've sewn up twice, and failed at twice, if you consider the fact that I lost a good foot and a half of fabric on each make a fail. I DO. Cuz I did it twice. Twice, people. That's three feet of fabric. THAT'S LIKE A SHIRT'S WORTH OF FABRIC.

I lost said footage from the hemline. That damn hemline is supposed to be far more dramatic, but each time it came out looking like a Beta Fish tail. Which actually sounds much cooler than it looked. Don't let the description fool you. After a time-out to mull over the fact that I had repeated my error, I lopped it off. (It originally hit just below my calves, the side seam hitting right about where it is now.)

I omitted the front fly facings after reading several pattern reviews about how wonky those directions were. Maybe I had been influenced by the general opinion, but after one glance at the fly instructions, I decided to bail on it. Instead, I cut an extra 5/8ths, using the selvage as the edge of the shirt. I then interfaced & folded it under once to the back, and once to the front, accordion style, to create a placket. The selvage is the front edge of the shirt. (There's also plenty of triple-stitched fuchsia rayon topstitching, but did I get a shot of that? I did not. Here, squint at this next shot, mebbe you can spy it...)

As for those sleeves. HEY. Can someone tell me why a dropped sleeve would have so much ease? You don't need the extra movement, since the seam isn't on your shoulder, right? Also: why do we press the seam towards the sleeves on a woman's shirt, but towards the bodice on a man's? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. 

After inserting the sleeves, I pressed the seams this way and that, trying to figure out which draped best (man's way did), but still, they hung a bit...poofily. That extra ease at the "cap" on my bicep just wouldn't lie flat. I hacked the sleeves off, losing about 5/8ths from the armsyce, and added the fold over band option instead. Those little interfaced suckers stick out like I'm a silk crepe de chine'd line backer. Football and silk. I'm down.

They really do wing out! I love them. Finally, I went haywire on the neckline (which does indeed hang straight) and encased it in bias, rather than adding the collar. I didn't see the need for buttons on this go, it feels more artsy this way. 

Oh yeah! One last thing, I did a center back pleat, rather than the diagonal, swooshy, très artsy pleat in the pattern. Because there's only so much art I can take.

Well y'all, hopefully some of this sew-speak makes sense to you. I'm mainly sharing the details in case you want the same outcome! Although I love my new topper, I'm still looking for that perfect, open shirt-dress pattern, with no waist seam. Got any suggestions?

this silk crepe de chine topper was made with my fabric "allowance" as part of the mood sewing network.