So This Is Christmas

artwork by Jana Sterbak.

And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear... 

- John Lennon

 

The Long and Winding Road -or- Indecision's Killing Me

artwork by Moki Mioke.

Check 2 more off the year end challenge. After the last fiasco, I thought I'd go for some thing real simple. So I chose a shirt that only

Get Over It

artwork by Elisabeth Lecourt

Continuing my year-end challenge, I certainly exhausted myself with this one.  A sheer blouse with attached sheer lining rehab.  No wonder it lay by the side of the road for so long.  It turned out wearable, but I'll win no prizes for it, let me tell ya.  Yikes, the sewing is Frankenstein-ian, although you can't fault me for trying...and trying...and trying.... 

Well.  The material was so fragile, it simply

End of Year Challenge?

photo by Ross Oscar Knight

Maybe...or at least a goal:  to tackle all those sewing Minima Projects I've started in the last 6 months but never quite finished.

Well, completed one of them today.  Yea, put a check on that list!  I think this was one of the first rehabs I attempted using several white cotton blouses to create a garment that works.  Sew, look and see the results.

An Ensemble, Outfit, Costume...

 from Library of Congress online catalog

Spent a day changing an old beach cover-up into a tunic top.  A white embroidered cotton fabric thingy.  I removed the collar, cuffs, pockets, belt loops, buttons and side slits.  Added pale dove gray embroidered cotton side inserts and trim at the sleeve edges.  Made the collar Mandarin and the buttons gray.  Assorted challenges came and went.


Put together an ensemble around which to wear it today.  Then noticed everything I had on was made/ refashioned by me in the last 6 months:  vest, tunic, necklace, skirt, pantaloons and boots.    la-de-dah!  And I have the pix to prove it.

Picture Perfect

painting by Joseph Whiting Stock

Pantaloons.  Made them from my Mom's old kitchen curtains.  I was gonna just make a half slip out of them, but thought, no...they look more like bloomers or pantaloons waiting-to-be.  Since I've already sewn some fancy-smancy bloomers, pantaloons won out.  What's the difference you might ask?  In my mind, the latter are longer, plainer, without elastic or gathering at the leg and made of white cotton.  And that's just how my pantaloons from mama's curtains came out!

Turning Japanese

image from Stylish Dress Book, Top G

I really think so.  I received I Am Cute Dresses by Sato Watanabe as a gift not too long ago.  It was one of the only Japanese dress pattern books translated into English.  While many other sewists say you can figure it out by the diagrams - I don't know yet...that along with the metric system and grading the patterns larger may be out of my league.  Anyway, I am just L-U-V-ing the Japanese aesthetic featured in all these sewing books.

So, great news... 

Know when to Walk Away...

Germination by Gina Litherland

"You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em..."  I kept hearing that phrase humming in my ears as I was wrestling with this piece.  And believe me, I was ready to do both on any given day.  I guess the latest is holding on.

Anyway, I was reworking an old sheath I made long ago out of

Wine/ Burgundy Transformation

painting by Salvadore Dali

Found a boring old linen-esque, wine-colored jacket with a matching long skirt in my closet the other day and thought, what's to lose?  Well...it didn't fit anyway.

So first I worked with the skirt. It had a waistband, a zipper in the back and a kick slit on one side.  hmm.  I seam-ripped both side seams thinking I'd add inserts.  Found some fabric scrap that was similar in texture but a little silkier to the touch and a shade off from wine, maybe burgundy?  The piece already had really nice frayed edges so I decided to use them, I mean, why not?  It was a bit wider than I was planning on, but wotheheck.

An Accidental Turtle Neck

photo by Cubist Literature

Actually plenty of them and just in time for winter in Chicago.

Previously, I had cut many of my old tights into stockings (hence all the garter belts) since they no longer fit.  And I saved all the top portions (because that's what I do).

Then one cold day, I suddenly realized they

Black Holes

artwork by Anselm Kiefer

Long underwear time.  But the sheer black silk kind.  And mine had a few teeny, tiny holes in the top.  So I cut out some small rosettes from a scrap of black lace I had on hand, and fabric glued them in place.

Note to self:  next time hand sew them on since the glue makes it a little stiff on such fine fabric.

But it still worked as the largest florette was only the size of a nickel...

The Golden Section

Indian Miniature, Muhammad Afzal artist,
Freer & Sackler Galleries

And now...the golden ruffled tunic re-fit.  Had to cut off the long sleeves to use the fabric for side inserts and bottom ruffle extension.  I was originally going to just use another fabric, but nothing seemed to click with it.  Turned out one of the sleeves had a water stain and I had to work around that too.  As it was, I had barely enough to make do, using seam binding for a hem and also to attach the ruffle to the tunic.

I just love those buttons.  They're really substantial, so I added more interfacing under the facing and resewed the buttons on with anchor buttons behind them.  I'm still not sure about the short sleeves though...maybe I'll do something else with it down the line.  Meanwhile I have worn it layered over a black silk long underware top and paired with those gaucho pants I re-modeled recently...

State of Project Minima II

artwork by Louise Tidd

6-month status report on Project Minima:    Approximately 65 pieces completed.  Joined Refashion Coop, contributing twice a month since October.  Starting Sewing Rebellion Chicago Chapter in January, to meet monthly.  Re-organized work space.  Received 2 sewing/ design books:  I Am Cute Dresses by Sato Watanabe and Design-It-Yourself Clothes by Cal Patch, pouring over them constantly. 

Pant Skirt

Tube Spant by Y-3 brand

Remember gauchos?  Or culottes...maybe palazzo pants?  All variations on a hybrid pant/skirtish thing.  Wonder what the au current terminology is... 

Anyway, I had some, have some, and remade them into a longer version.  Mine were very comfy and draped well  - a stretch jersey that recovers its shape instantaneously.  I added an extra 6 inches in length using a paisley lace-like suede fabric from my stash.  Now they almost look like hippy bell-bottoms, but thankfully, not quite.  I think I'll call them...skants!

Motherboarding to Kimono Flannel

design by Alexander McQueen

(Ahhhh... Motherboard is back, better than evah.  Seems she had run out of power.  Now I hear she's got double what she had before.  Speed and photoshop are back in business, among other things.  Life is good.)


Speaking of mothers, we're visiting mine over Thanksgiving weekend, so... I sewed up a new nightgown for the occasion.  And to make it all the cozier, I used my old flannel sheets from my old double bed.  Tweaking my design a bit, I used the Kimono Style Dress pattern from before.

It's so comfy, I have it on now!

Stitch n' Bitch

woodblock print by Hashiguchi Goyo.

OMG The motherboard of our home computer simply slipped into a dark and quiet place one day this past week. Life is not the same with a netbook. No no no. I know, thank goodness we had everything pretty much backed up and all my photos are in the cloud on picasa... However, the netbook is soooooo slowwwwwww. And doesn't have photoshop. I've been trying to figure out how to manage everything on this tiny thing and download photos from the camera, edit them, etc. for an entry here this afternoon and it's taken me 3 hours so far!!! So the end of blogging for awhile as this is no fun, no fun at all.  Now from bitching to some stitching action.

I was very excited to get a Japanese Pattern Book in the mail and figure out how to create my own pattern from the diagrams as well as grade the size to fit.  I made some deviations along the way which you can see in the pix.  It's called Kimono Style Dress.

Pump Up the Plaid, People!

image from Very Glossy@wordpress

It all started with a hand-me-down flannel shirt.  I love flannel shirts.  So soft and comfy and warm.  But not so fashionable, shall we say, for out and about.  I wanted to do something with them and finally thought of...pants.  Tried one on to see if it might work and yea, the sleeves fit as legs, the cuffs fit my ankles so off to the races we went.

Although I was off to a great start, I stalled soon enough when I came up with some unique engineering challenges.  Eventually (after the usual trial and error, and aha moments) my flannel shirt pants came to fruition - using every bit of fabric except the collar!  (I'll use it for something...hmmm)

Not Your Everyday Ladies Boots

Five WACs cleaning boots from archives.gov

I've been running accessories for immediate gratification whilst working on a major re-construction project (or two) that involves more brain power than I can steadily pump out.  Some might call it procrastination, but I prefer a more upbeat attitude.

Never Say Never, or A Rose Is A Rose...

painting by Salvador Dali

Mom donated a sweatshirt that I was not gonna wear - full of roses.  But, lo and behold, I did cut a couple of the flowers out and use them as appliques - for a pair of stained black suede shoes.  I spilled spaghetti sauce on one of them.  or was it salsa... 

I had been saving the shoes for a very long time wondering what to do with them, trying different stuff on them, but nothing seemed to work really.  Until, one day, the Mom sweatshirt popped up into consciousness.  Snip, snip, glue, pin.  done and done.


Cute as a button, or a pin cushion.

Paper Party!

Newspaper Fashion from Boulder and the Beautiful

Going to the Reader's 40th Anniversary Party tonight (my husband is one of the few still working there) and thought I'd make a little something to celebrate both facts. 

It's a zippered clutch bag made from the alternative newspaper's front and back pages.

Tweak! Tweak!

Photo from International Antarctic Centre 

Well, it all started with putting nail polish on my glasses.  The center piece always dyed the bridge of my nose red, so I thought some clear nail polish would do the trick on my cheap red reading glasses.  Once I got started...a whole new area of possibilities opened up.  Accessories meet my Art Supplies.   And the red glasses ended up with hot pink stripes and dots.

Which brings me to these shoes I always thought were disturbingly unattractive, but very comfy.  I gathered all my art supplies that rendered things gold and selected deep gold acrylic paint to rub on the multi-surfaced shoes with my finger (heh heh goldfinger).  Now they're still comfy and disturbingly golden!

Life is But a Dream (sh-boom)

from smocking store.com

Yeah, more undergarments:  white lace added to petit pants - I couldn't help myself.  And a super-easy transformation for a plain jane garter belt.

I had some old sport bras which I simply do not wear.  One of those what was I thinking phases I can only assume.  Mine were out of cotton with spandex and had hook & eye front closures.  Well, if you turn it upside down so the straps are dangling downward and the elastic band becomes the waist, you're half way there to making a garter belt!  Just cut the bra straps where they join at what was the top of the shoulder and you've made the garter

Ladies with an Attitude

from Lulu's Vintage

Completed a pair of petit pants last night.  Remember those?  Mine were way too tight - if that's what you call barely getting into them and then not being able to move afterwards. ahem.

Found a stash of heavy stretch lace in a matching color, cut the petit pants in half on what would have been the side seams if they had any, and sewed a strip of the stretch lace on either side (like racing stripes).

Voila, petit pants that are now grande.

Work it, work it good

Sculpture by Michele Oka Doner

These darn pants.  I've been re-working them on and off forevah, like penance, or purgatory, or is it limbo?  Whatevah, here they are done and done.

After taking the pix they don't look half bad, kinda like harem pants, don't ya think...

I'm exhausted and can't say another thing about it.

Re-modeling Drawers

Sculpture by Judson Beaumont

Decided the garter apparatus might need a cover-up of some sort.  Found some taupe color drawers I made previously and got down to work remodeling them into longer, fuller bloomers with lace.

It turned into quite the production:  piecing fabric and lace, threading through ribbon and elastic, and finishing seams due to raveling.

But look, they're so....

One Way or Another

photo by Nina Leen

...I'm gonna getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha.  And that's what I did.

I really needed some garters for all those thigh highs I made when I cut off the legs of my too small tights.  I thought they would just stay up with some elastic stitched together kinda like a rubber band, but no way.  I was walking around with baggy socks, man.  I didn't want to break my no-buying streak of 4 months for something as dumb as garters!  Yet I could not think of any other way to hold up stockings.

Garter Barter was put in motion.  I traded an amber necklace I picked up on a trip to Egypt for...wait for it...mattress garters.  yeah.  Check out my garter apparatus and the stash from whence my necklace came.

Life Laundry - White Wash

installation by Yoshikazu Yamagato

I just realized this afternoon the great metaphor I put into play a few days ago.  Let me set it up.  I decided to try some "White-Wash" laundry treatment by Rit to see what it could do for those baby clothes from my Mom.  It's some kind of non-bleach alternative whitener. 

Poetic Revival

painting by Alex Gross

Re-fashioned an old poet's shirt.  I don't remember ever wearing it, but then I've had the thing for over 30 years...why?  god only knows.  It was so heavily black, so Renaissance Faire.  Well, I got rid of the heavy black lacing, replacing it with something delightful.  Then I short hemmed the front whilst long hemming the back - like I've seen around town. Check it out.

But first, I found a sweet treasure from my latest Mom visit.  This tiny pocket case which I received as a child from my godparents, I decided to make into a necklace. It's just too precious for words.  You'll just have to see it.

It's a Sports Skirt!?

 Levitation Photo Series by Natsumi Hayashi

Took a very comfy skirt made out of sweatshirt material and opened both side seams.  Then looked around for some fabric to use for inserts from waistband to hem which was ankle length.  Eventually I came up with the idea of using old yoga or exercise pants.  I had a pair with stripes down

Embossed Suede with Silver Brocade

Ceramic by Nancy Creech

Not much rehabbing, but still took some time to figure out what to do.  This was a rather striking Asian-esque vest I had made, well fitted with an asymmetrical closure.  Well that didn't work for me anymore, so I removed all eight of the frog closures and finally ended up letting it meet in the center with just one.  Nowhere near as attractive as before, but I can wear it now and the fabric combo is still interesting - embossed black suede with silver satin brocade.  (I say, doesn't that have a nice staccato?...)

Can't Go Wrong with Choco Brown

painting by Frida Kahlo

Finished a chocolate brown bolero last night - just in time to wear to class this morning!  Kris said I looked "arty."  Pretty diplomatic, huh.

Anyway it was something I bought awhile ago and never wore even when it fit cuz it just didn't look good.  Took off the too-high-up, too-pouffy pockets, and removed the one button that clasped it together at the top.  Found the tiniest scrap of chocolate brown chiffon and made use of it for triangular side inserts so the jacket draped nicely and echoed the flow of the sleeves.  Also found a dark brown frog closure in my miscellaneous stash and sewed it right over the button hole, et al.  Perfect.

The State of Project Minima

Sculpture by Kiki Smith

It's been just about 4 months since I started Project Minima as a concentrated effort to reduce my consumption in the clothes industry to zero.  So far, so good.  I haven't even wanted to buy anything apparel-wise.  Once I switched consciousness and started to see my existing wardrobe of ill-fitting, unwanted stuff as potential supplies for reconstructing clothing I liked, I was off to the races! 

I started off slowly, spending a few minutes (15 or so) a day to gather, collect and sort

A Two-For Today

photo by Otto at Art Chicago 2008

First one up was a store-bought Asian-esque top that needed to get roomier.  After some debating I decided to go for the side insert trick.  (Rather than the labor-intensive, de-construction of the fabric button loops, the collar and side facings, removing and resewing all the buttons, etc., etc., etc. - that was done for the previous Mandarin top.)  Since this particular piece was made from a drape-y fabric and already patch-work looking, I thought an insert that also flowed would work just fine.  So, funky leopard skin meet Japanese print. 

The second piece is a redo of a redo that I wasn't satisfied with as soon as

Name That Color

photo by Amira Fritz

Skirt update.  Seam-ripped two panels of an old button-down straight skirt in a linen-esque fabric.  Hard color to describe...a cross between taupe and greenish-gold.  Needed to do something to make it fit again: thought of adding a panel of contrasting color, but wanted the same weight and texture as the original material.  Actually found it in my stash.  And who knows what

Skirting Vogue, Vaguely

Needlecraft June 1914 skirt pattern

Made a skirt today.  It had already been cut out awhile ago from a Vogue pattern and just needed to be sewn up.  Pretty simple.  I liked the fabric - an old fashioned cotton floral, and the style - a little odd while still being somewhat old school too.

When I finished it, however, the Vogue styling was a bit more subtle than I was expecting.  Perhaps I'll need to slim down the upper part so the lower skirt "bowing" is more exaggerated.  We'll see.

*Also check out Clothes Collages: All Floral All The Time

Sew Asian

image from Japan Talk

Re-constructed a cotton tie-dyed jacket I made when I was in my Asian-esque phase, oh seven years ago or so. 
It used to have a mandarin type collar and those corded loop and ball closures.  I kinda hated to take it apart because it was

Tricked Out Pony

Sarah Moon, photographer

A mini-rehab for the time being.  Especially after my time consuming flop of previous days.  More on that another time.  (It's not soooo bad really.) 

So this one went smoothly over a couple days, some ripping, some additions, some decision-making on fabric.  And it turned out well.  Looks good and fits nicely.  What more can you ask for?

It was already pretty tricked out to begin with...See for yourself.

It's a Wrap

Photo design by Mia Mala McDonald

Finished some of the "waiting in the wings" pieces I spoke about last time.  Easy-breezy.

The skirt I "made" was a piece of fabric I just wrapped around me to see how wide it was and then thought, hey! that looks kinda neat.  I fooled around with it a bit more, this way and that and then, the next thing I knew - it was complete.  I tried to see if I could find any fault with it, but no, it just looked good tied and draped like it was.  So, a no-sew skirt.

I put it on and wore it that evening with a pink silk slip, my new taupe silk and lace top, and my taupe tank top under that.  woohoo. 

Remove Stuff And Then Add Lace

Designed by Marchesa

Hmmm.  Been using my new dress form to drape on a million possibilities.  So cool.  Unbelievable how straightforward it is now to cut up and re-format old clothes, or figure out something from scraps of fabric, etc. Biggest problem is focusing on one thing at a time and sticking to it.  One thing inspires another and another - like popcorn kernals when they finally get hot enough to start poppin' --  you can't stop 'em.

I did finally focus on down to one thing, eventually, I guess... I spent all day ripping apart an old silk mandarin-style top, size S(!).  Ripped out the collar, loops, buttons, and let out the facings.

The fabric was a great taupe color with a embossed floral print.  Decided to add pale pink/salmon lace to the extended facing turned lapels.  That also took forever because I had to piece the lace and hand sew it on since I didn't want the stitching to show.  Days.  But I think my silk & lace top looks really nice and I have a whole ensemble waiting in the wings to be made/ re-created to go with it.

Ode To A Grecian Slip

Fashion by Madeleine Vionnet

I started (and finished!) a Grecian goddess-type slip yesterday.  It just sort of came into being as I was working on it.

I wanted a sheer slip to wear with that dark navy shift that I made previously - and found a scrap of black nylon/ chiffon in my bin.

I took the piece and sewed it down the side so that I ended up with one long tube shape with the selvedges at the top and bottom.

At that point it seemed easier to just make a

Hand Me Downs

My baby kimono jacket made by Mom

So.  I was at my Mom's this holiday weekend and she gave me the baby clothes she had hand-made for me when I was born.  pause.  yeah.  What can you say?

So I took them home and took pix.  Here's a kimono-type jacket (don't ya think?).  And wait 'til you see the rest.  No wonder...

Isn't She Lovely...

Singer 151G Dress Form

...this new dress form of mine!  yippee.  yippee again.

My darling dearest just bought it for me from Amazon and boy, am I grinning!  It should be here by Thursday Sept. 8th!  heeheehee.  I'm so thrilled I can barely write about it!!!!!!!

Only those who sew can know how cool this is.  No more trying on E N D L E S S L Y whatever you're working on, especially when it's re-constructing or working without a pattern.  No more getting stabbed by pins and having them fall out.  No more just sewing it anyway, having it not work out, and ripping it apart to start over - again.  And just being able to see how it looks on.  woo-hoo!  And won't it look better being photographed on her rather than a hanger?   Stay tuned.

Full Transparency Here

Image by Helen Heibert

Yep, another sheer one is up and ready to wear.  geez louise, it took a long time - that stuff is so hard to handle.

Anyway, I de-constructed an old, cool, see-thru, bohemian dress - like totally, man.  And added a middle insert to lengthen and widen it a bit.  Then embellished it with navy lace of varying widths in between the sections.  So it's basically the same idea: a big-style, funky, see-thru dress.

Next up:  another sheer sheath to wear underneath it?...

You Know You Got It, If It Makes You Feel Good

Art Dress by Cecile Belmont

Worked on a nightie, in fact, I have it on now!  So comfy.  This one was really ready for the trash-ola.  But fished it out and thought why not play around - there's nothing left to lose here.

First up, I took out all the tucks and then the button tab down the front bodiice.  Now there was room for me to actually wear it. 

I Love Calla Lilies, Rally Ah Do

Still of Katherine Hepburn from Stage Door

My oh my.  I have just completed an ensemble I do believe.  It was tres difficile pour moi since I was working from large bits of irregularly cut scraps that I had on hand and built it up into a dress from that starting point.  If you get my drift.  Plus it was a sheer, slippery, ravel-y material and I had to try it on endlessly to see where it was all going: how it was fitting

Because 2 Sheers Can Make It Right

Installation by Helen Storey

Okay there's been many days since I was here last, but it was not for lack of doing.  Heck no, I was doing like crazy.  I am happening, man.  I have so many pieces going I just can't stop.  Really.  I am having fun.  And just so you don't get worried - this is not in a bad way.  no, no, no.  A bit obsessive, yes, but that's me with my laser vision when I get onto some creative idea.

Enough about my process. Here's what I've been working on:  I completed a dark navy sheath.  I don't know what it would actually be called, but it's very simple and comfortable and lightweight.  Originally made awhile back and never worn, now I cut off the top/yoke, added some wide straps and side extensions and that's it!  But it got me going onto all these other dresses because it's somewhat sheer and I thought it would look too cool with a sheer undershift...or maybe a sheer overshift.  So I went through my closet and fabric stash for other sheer-ish stuff and, well, that'll just have to be another story.

Mending My Wares

Installation by Mary Tuma

Doing some mending and seam ripping lately.  yin and yang, ya know.  And finished my fav p.j. top while I was at it.  I had thought it was a goner with a big rip in the middle of the fabric on the top front.  But now that I'm a rehab specialist, I had another look-see.  No problem, says I, and while I'm at it, might as well adjust the fit to, well, fit better. 

So I worked my magic as you can see for yourself.  I put a pocket (you can never have enough!) over the mended rip. yada yada yada...

I found lots of extra fabric behind both the button flap and the loops (rather than button hole) flap.  So with some effort (seam ripping), I was able to

Viva Madonna

Painting by Kris Dodd

Continuing in the same mood, so to speak, I took on some old white cotton pillow cases and turned them into a lovely summer skirt.  The cotton was really worn and so soft, ahhh, and had heavy crocheted lace trim, ohhh.  It was the easiest thing.  Open them up along the seams, sew the sides

Bits and Pieces

Drawing by Kiki Smith

Rehabbed a very old, way too small camisole yesterday and this morning.  Used some left-over scraps of white cotton and a nice bit of ribbon trim, a little snip here, some seam ripping there, pinning to test for fit, and then sewing it on up.

Not too bad for turning old into wearable...

Come Sail Away with Me

Installation by Susan Stockwell

Actually started this way back when, but didn't know how to end it until a couple days ago.  Made from a couple of lightweight white cotton blouses taken apart and put back together to make one that fits nicely.
Kinda like a poet shirt...or is it a pirate shirt?  You know the type - all romantic and flow y.  That's me.