- Made two tops out of brown RPL jersey. This used up about two yards. So, at the last minute...
There is no chance I would win first place, mind you; most of the entrants have sewn many more yards than I did. But there seems to be a random drawing prize, which was an incentive to write the reviews even though I'm not sure they add much. The first was from the same RTW top I'd already copied once, and the second was from Simplicity 1716, which already has dozens of reviews. - Cut Kwik-Sew 3473 from the "chiffon-crepe" plus lining from a dark gray Bemberg. The latter had been intended to line some black suiting, but I got rid of that when I decided I'd rather wear brown or gray than black. I had no trouble getting the entire pattern out of the shell fabric, BTW. I might have been able to cut the Bemberg with no problems if I'd bothered to do a single-layer layout; as it was, I had to cut the skirt hems an inch shorter (which might be reasonable for a lining anyway, though I need to see how the shell fabric will drop in comparison). Together, these used over 5.5 yards.
2014-09-30
September results
I didn't get as much sewing done this month as I would have liked. Here's what I did:
2014-09-24
WIP: Kwik-Sew 3473 in "chiffon-crepe"
Having dug myself out from a lot of work, I've started cutting this pattern. The fabric came from Alfatex back when I was in Germany:
I don't like the print as much IRL as I did in their pictures, for two main reasons. Firstly, the colors are clearer, brighter, and cooler than they looked on the site. Secondly, though it's meant to be a tossed (i.e. somewhat random-looking) design, the repeat is not very big, and it isn't offset diagonally, so you can see obvious motifs marching down the length. I'm hoping that the bias cut of the skirt in this pattern will mitigate the latter problem to some extent.
The print looks imperfectly registered, too, but since there are other white outlines in it that are clearly meant to be there, I can't tell if that's intentional or not.
Notwithstanding all that, I'm sewing this anyway because I do like the drape and fiber content (supposedly viscose, and I believe it; the selvedge fringe looks very much like viscose threads). It doesn't seem that easy to find high-quality lightweight woven rayons these days, so I might well settle for something like this in RTW, even if I wasn't completely happy with the color. The actual, structural quality of this fabric seems nice enough. Alfatex called it "chiffon-crepe"; I might call it georgette.
The pattern is odd in that the bodice, and only the bodice, is lined. Evidently it's their way of finishing the neckline without needing a facing. Because this fabric is semi-sheer, it will need a lining or a slip anyway, so I'll line either the whole body or none of it. For a lining I'd use dark gray or navy Bemberg from stash. That should complement the outer fabric, and with luck, tone down the colors slightly.
I don't have quite as much fabric as I'm supposed to for the long-sleeved version, but we'll see — I think I can get the skirt cut out more efficiently than in the given layout. If it comes to it I'll use the short sleeves and/or leave the bow off.
I don't like the print as much IRL as I did in their pictures, for two main reasons. Firstly, the colors are clearer, brighter, and cooler than they looked on the site. Secondly, though it's meant to be a tossed (i.e. somewhat random-looking) design, the repeat is not very big, and it isn't offset diagonally, so you can see obvious motifs marching down the length. I'm hoping that the bias cut of the skirt in this pattern will mitigate the latter problem to some extent.
The print looks imperfectly registered, too, but since there are other white outlines in it that are clearly meant to be there, I can't tell if that's intentional or not.
Notwithstanding all that, I'm sewing this anyway because I do like the drape and fiber content (supposedly viscose, and I believe it; the selvedge fringe looks very much like viscose threads). It doesn't seem that easy to find high-quality lightweight woven rayons these days, so I might well settle for something like this in RTW, even if I wasn't completely happy with the color. The actual, structural quality of this fabric seems nice enough. Alfatex called it "chiffon-crepe"; I might call it georgette.
The pattern is odd in that the bodice, and only the bodice, is lined. Evidently it's their way of finishing the neckline without needing a facing. Because this fabric is semi-sheer, it will need a lining or a slip anyway, so I'll line either the whole body or none of it. For a lining I'd use dark gray or navy Bemberg from stash. That should complement the outer fabric, and with luck, tone down the colors slightly.
I don't have quite as much fabric as I'm supposed to for the long-sleeved version, but we'll see — I think I can get the skirt cut out more efficiently than in the given layout. If it comes to it I'll use the short sleeves and/or leave the bow off.
2014-09-13
A couple of style advice books from the library
Recently I've been looking at this kind of book, mainly since the local library has a big selection on the subject. Two I've read recently:
Closet Confidential: Style Secrets Learned the Hard Way. It's written by a Portland blogger. To me, the influence of the author's age group and geographical location seems pretty obvious — there's at least a whole page on how to decide whether a T-shirt is sufficiently ironic, for example. Not that that means none of the advice will work outside hipster enclaves. I think this book is most helpful for suggesting what can successfully be worn together and which items might be particularly useful to have (or not).
Oh No She Didn't: The Top 100 Style Mistakes Women Make and How to Avoid Them, by one of the hosts of TLC's What Not to Wear. This one's pretty heavy on the how-not-to-look-like-part-of-an-outgroup aspect of fashion; that's almost its whole point, and it can be snarky to the point of offensiveness. If you don't want to see that, skip it. Aside from that, you can glean some useful general advice on fit and on what tends to make an outfit either extreme or boring.
On the one hand, I'm glad I was able to get these from the library, without expanding my already-excessive book collection. This particular type of book will inevitably become dated after a while, and I felt that some of the information in each of them was pretty obvious. What I did like about both, though, is that they don't necessarily lead to the sort of all-or-nothing thinking you can get into with fashion magazines: they aren't pushing trends that clearly won't work on anyone but supermodels, or luxury products that almost nobody can reasonably consider buying. The authors are each witty in their own way; I think this is suited to the genre, since it isn't generally a life-or-death subject. Both gave me some ideas to consider as I replace parts of my wardrobe.
Closet Confidential: Style Secrets Learned the Hard Way. It's written by a Portland blogger. To me, the influence of the author's age group and geographical location seems pretty obvious — there's at least a whole page on how to decide whether a T-shirt is sufficiently ironic, for example. Not that that means none of the advice will work outside hipster enclaves. I think this book is most helpful for suggesting what can successfully be worn together and which items might be particularly useful to have (or not).
Oh No She Didn't: The Top 100 Style Mistakes Women Make and How to Avoid Them, by one of the hosts of TLC's What Not to Wear. This one's pretty heavy on the how-not-to-look-like-part-of-an-outgroup aspect of fashion; that's almost its whole point, and it can be snarky to the point of offensiveness. If you don't want to see that, skip it. Aside from that, you can glean some useful general advice on fit and on what tends to make an outfit either extreme or boring.
On the one hand, I'm glad I was able to get these from the library, without expanding my already-excessive book collection. This particular type of book will inevitably become dated after a while, and I felt that some of the information in each of them was pretty obvious. What I did like about both, though, is that they don't necessarily lead to the sort of all-or-nothing thinking you can get into with fashion magazines: they aren't pushing trends that clearly won't work on anyone but supermodels, or luxury products that almost nobody can reasonably consider buying. The authors are each witty in their own way; I think this is suited to the genre, since it isn't generally a life-or-death subject. Both gave me some ideas to consider as I replace parts of my wardrobe.
2014-09-09
New(ish) Marfy
There've been new fall patterns coming out from several brands. This is just one of them, and they aren't really "new" per se; they're just newly listed on the Vogue and Marfy websites within the past couple of weeks. About Marfy
Currently, Marfy issues one catalogue per year. The 2014 catalogue has close to 200 pages of patterns; the first 70% or so is the spring/summer collection (including most of the eveningwear) and the rest is fall/winter. Much of it looks very formal compared to what I would say most Americans or Canadians wear. Part of that may be a reflection of what people want to spend their time and money sewing (or having sewn for them) but part of it may well be that Italians do tend to dress more formally in general. It did seem that way, the one chance I had to compare.
This year's catalogue includes 20 multi-sized patterns, which you can see on the Marfy website. I think this is a great idea on their part, because it provides more of a reason to buy the catalogue sight unseen, even if you never end up ordering any of the other patterns in it. It also gives people a chance to try out the sizing, which is important, as the other patterns you can order are single-size. (From the few patterns I've tried, I'd say for the same approximate body measurements, Marfy tends to use less ease than many of the American companies, and they also seem to design for a fairly tall, long-waisted, long-legged person, as I'd have expected from their size charts.)
The catalogue claims it is inspired by the 50s, 60s, and 80s, and that does come across in many of the designs. In this latest collection I also noticed a lot of interesting dart placement and diagonal seaming: what I'd call a Y-dart here and here, a related but more complex set of crisscrossing darts, an H-dart (really a French dart with a crossing horizontal seam), and some pointed insets on this long jacket.
As it stands right now, I think there are two or three options for buying Marfy patterns from the U.S. or Canada. One is Marfy itself. The second is the Vogue website (AFAIK you can only order what's listed on the site; you can't request other patterns that are shown in the catalogues but not listed.) A third is, I think, Fashion Sewing Group. The only things I've ever tried, myself, are (a) ordering patterns from Vogue and having them shipped to the U.S., (b) ordering patterns from the Marfy site and having them shipped to Germany, and (c) ordering the catalogue from Vogue and having it shipped to Canada.
Which is most cost-effective source? Check the shipping and exchange rates. I think the Vogue site is a decent way to get the catalogue in Canada, especially since there is no extra shipping charge for it — if you find it on a newsstand in Europe it's 20 EUR, and Vogue charges $35 US plus whatever tax applies at the destination. In contrast, I saw it in one Chapters branch, once, for 70 CAD plus tax.
Currently, Marfy issues one catalogue per year. The 2014 catalogue has close to 200 pages of patterns; the first 70% or so is the spring/summer collection (including most of the eveningwear) and the rest is fall/winter. Much of it looks very formal compared to what I would say most Americans or Canadians wear. Part of that may be a reflection of what people want to spend their time and money sewing (or having sewn for them) but part of it may well be that Italians do tend to dress more formally in general. It did seem that way, the one chance I had to compare.
This year's catalogue includes 20 multi-sized patterns, which you can see on the Marfy website. I think this is a great idea on their part, because it provides more of a reason to buy the catalogue sight unseen, even if you never end up ordering any of the other patterns in it. It also gives people a chance to try out the sizing, which is important, as the other patterns you can order are single-size. (From the few patterns I've tried, I'd say for the same approximate body measurements, Marfy tends to use less ease than many of the American companies, and they also seem to design for a fairly tall, long-waisted, long-legged person, as I'd have expected from their size charts.)
The catalogue claims it is inspired by the 50s, 60s, and 80s, and that does come across in many of the designs. In this latest collection I also noticed a lot of interesting dart placement and diagonal seaming: what I'd call a Y-dart here and here, a related but more complex set of crisscrossing darts, an H-dart (really a French dart with a crossing horizontal seam), and some pointed insets on this long jacket.
As it stands right now, I think there are two or three options for buying Marfy patterns from the U.S. or Canada. One is Marfy itself. The second is the Vogue website (AFAIK you can only order what's listed on the site; you can't request other patterns that are shown in the catalogues but not listed.) A third is, I think, Fashion Sewing Group. The only things I've ever tried, myself, are (a) ordering patterns from Vogue and having them shipped to the U.S., (b) ordering patterns from the Marfy site and having them shipped to Germany, and (c) ordering the catalogue from Vogue and having it shipped to Canada.
Which is most cost-effective source? Check the shipping and exchange rates. I think the Vogue site is a decent way to get the catalogue in Canada, especially since there is no extra shipping charge for it — if you find it on a newsstand in Europe it's 20 EUR, and Vogue charges $35 US plus whatever tax applies at the destination. In contrast, I saw it in one Chapters branch, once, for 70 CAD plus tax.
2014-09-02
August results
- Fabric in: 12.833 yards (4 pieces). This was a rayon batik, a slubby cotton woven, and two pieces of Tencel twill. The first two were from Fabricana and the last two from Gala Fabrics.
- Fabric out: 4.416 yards (3 pieces). This was the cotton lawn I used for a sleeveless blouse, plus two knits I used for the Patternreview TNT Tee contest. I think. Maybe I cut the lawn in July, actually.
- Projects finished: 5, namely the aforementioned sleeveless blouse, plus four knit tops.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)