Transparency in Sewing & Art

artwork by Matthew Cox.

Practiced french seams and making my own bias tape (!) with this number - a black nylon shell, I guess you'd call it.  I plan to wear it as a layering device, you know, over or under things, especially since it's transparent.

I used the Happy Homemade Vol. 1 Japanese pattern book as a basis for it, but strayed so far from it, I doubt you could tell it's from blouse S originally.  I thought I graded the pattern to my measurements, but it came out far, far too big.  Thus the cute plackets at the neckline center front and back, not to mention the 4 inches taken in at the armhole sides.  But hey, it's a learning experience and causes me to do things I wouldn't have thought of otherwise...

Cut the Shift!

drawing by kt small.

Just finished a linen vest that I converted from an old mini dress/ jumper.  The kind of jumper that you wear a blouse or sweater under - not the English version jumper.  It had a deep V-neck and over-large armholes, straight and short...remember that style?  It practically looked like a vest already.  It's a very light weight linen, light in color too.  I cut in straight down the middle, smothered it with laces and textures, and put gigantic pockets on it.  Just luv it now.  Like a smock I can work and play in.  oooo.  And then in the middle of it all, I made a detachable feather boa collar for it.  Well, for anything really.  Check. it. out.

My Madeline Dress

"Madeline" by Ludwig Bemelmans.

I've reworked an old hand-made little black dress that no longer had what it takes (ahem...it didn't fit).  It was made from black cotton embroidered eyelet.  woo-hoo!  First I looked for some black fabric for the side inserts, but nothing struck my fancy.  Then up jumped this remaining scrap of dove gray cotton embroidered eyelet.  Perfecto.

I basically ended up seam ripping the heck out of this dress.  Turns out I had originally put a fake button placket down the front of the dress to take up extra fabric - and added a center seam down the back for the same reason.  rip, rip, rip, and remove all those 9 white plastic heart buttons (yuck).

In Need of Pantaloons

artwork by Marilyn Murphy

Dug through my stash of "does not fit clothing" and found 3 pair of yoga capri-length pants that actually do fit - well let's say I can get them on easily enough, but in certain areas they fit more like leggings.  But as ever, I saw potential!  Pantaloons, says I.  And just in time for the dip in winter temperatures - I could use something warming under all those skirts I've been making.

I recently saw instructions for making ruffles that was brilliant (unfortunately I can't remember where).  The kind where you don't gather them, they just gently ruffle as if cut on the bias.  The technique was to just cut a spiral out of a small section of cloth, I mean

I Am Kimono Cut ReDo

artwork by Kyung Oak Lee.

Went back to work on my Kimono Dress from my first Japanese Sewing Book, I Am Cute Dresses.  This is the one that, while translated into English, you still have to create your own pattern based on your measurements and the diagrams.

I've since learned that I had enlarged the scale incorrectly and that's why it never really fit well.  Now that I know more about grading and the slash-and-spread method, I decided it was time to adjust my kimono dress as best I could from where it's at.

While it seemed counter-intuitive (& practically sacrilegious), I went with taking in an inch at both the back and front center (thereby creating a center seam in the middle of the front and back panel!)