considering sleeves and shoulders

This is not a post about fitting shoulders. I've been telling myself to write that one for months now because it's such an under-exposed issue in the general debate about fitting. But it will have to wait a bit longer.

I'd like to thank everyone who commented on yesterday's post (and if you didn't but have an opinion to share, please add the comment there anyway. I always read new comments to old posts, and I'm definately still interested). My boyfriend had a look at the muslin as well and he decided he liked those sleeves on me. 'Crazy, but you' was his comment. Or at least, something along those lines. Usually, I can trust his opinion.

I also had another look at those A/W 09/10 Balmain shoulders I mentioned yesterday. This is what those looked like.

Although in construction they are likely to be quite similar to my sleeve, the effect is rather different. Where I have narrowed the shoulder where the sleeve band is wider, these seem to built up and out from the 'usual' armscye. Their effect is purely power-woman, mine is (if I may say so) an odd blend between that and vaguely neo-victorian.

With that remark, I wanted to add a picture of a historical leg-o-mutton sleeve, but I won't because most of those were also 'built out' over the side of the shoulder to a serious extent.

I have to say I'm less worried now about having my jacket look too much like last year's runway fashion. I will still do some fine-tuning, but I'm definately leaning towards going with the crazy sleeve.

PS. In other news: It seems that Carolyn couldn't curb her enthousiasm ;-) and made a muslin-version of her gloves already... I'm looking forward to seeing her pictures of it tomorrow. If I'm no longer up for the finer points of pattern manipulation tonight, I may just try and catch up with her. And, as promissed, I will take pictures as I go along and tell you about it.

Darci, it's great you want to join in, I really hope you're not feeling put off by this chaotic start.

Back in the game: another jacket muslin

Well... What to say about this one? I would really like your opinion this time. I think the jacket body is about right by now. But, this is a muslin with the styling in place. And that's where I need your opinion: completely mental or kind of cool?

There is some strange pulling of the sleeve at the front. I know why and I will fix it, so please ignore that. I'm not so sure what to think about this look. Before, I liked the banded sleeve, but I felt it could be pushed a bit further. So I did.

This result does look a bit like those Balmain sleeves from winter 2009, which makes me wonder whether it looks too much like some fashionable one-day fly.

I also went with a peaked lapel because it's the sharper look, which I thought would go better with the crazy shoulder than it's tamer cousin. I did take out a little dart on the fold line before drafting the collar and that seems to have worked. And I added back vents.

The pocket flaps are just pinned-on bits of fabric now but I plan to make bound pockets with flaps, using the usual jacket trick of cutting the bit below the pocket on the center front (hard to explain that properly, I'll record the process for you later).

Is it a dress? Is it a robe? It's...

I made a new dress. It's not the velvet one for which I wanted your imput. I'm still thinking about that one. Thank you very much for thinking along though, I will get back to that.

I made the first 'design sketch' for this dress ages ago, but I didn't have suitable fabric. I thought it would need something like a silk (or immitation of that) crepe: drapy, soft but with a bit of weight and preferably with a matching shiny and matte side.

My stash contains mostly cottons and wools, so I knew there was nothing there for this dress. I didn't go to the fabric store to buy it. Instead, I just made other things and let this one weight. There were some doubts on my mind about this design on me and I didn't feel like wasting an expensive length of fabric on it.

Over the past months, I got more adventurous with regard to colour. To wearing colour at all and to colour combinations.

When I bought this mystery fibre turquoise-ish fabric at the market on sale (1 euro a meter) two weeks ago, it didn't take me long to see it as a possible match with the deep red fannel (also used for my side-buttoned trousers and bought in an even more crazily cheap sale at the market).

Last weekend, I drafted the pattern. Sort of winged it, actually.

The dress is now finished except for some sort of fastener on the waistband. I put snaps on the inside edge. I could also put them on the outside edge but wearing a dress held in place only by snaps seems like living on the wild side a bit too much...

I guess I'll have to try and find some buttons in one of these colours.

I kind of like the result. I was going for kimono-inspired with a sort of fifties silhouet, and I guess that's just what it is.

I decided to make it a wrap dress because that seemed to suit the design, but I'm afraid the skirt could open up way too far, too easily to make it suitable to be worn outdoors. There is also a slight issue with the midriff band having too much ease at the top. With this design, it's impossible too try and fit it properly before the whole dress is finished. So, after, finishing all edges and facing the midriff band.

I didn't feel like redoing most of the construction, so I kept it like this. It's sort of a wearable muslin anyway.

Now, what to make of this dress? As mentioned above, it would be a bit risky outside. It's also very soft and comfortable. And there's a major tradition (mostly in the 19th century) of kimono's as homewear. And it is definately too glamorous to be relegated to nighty or bath robe duty.

I guess some 1950's cataloge would advertise a style like this as a 'hostess gown' (although I know most of those were full length). The older term of 'robe deshabile' (used for unstructured gowns, originally only worn as homewear, from the 18th century onwards) also comes to mind...

I don't know yet. However, making this dress did teach me I can wear full kimono sleeves and midriff band dresses.

Oh, and, for amusement value only: here's what happens if I play around, trying to get a picture in an interesting pose, for too long.

Another dress to consider

With the colder weather (we had the first stray flakes of wet snow today! I know it's nothing compared to the weather in other parts of the world, but it is definate proof of the arrival of winter) I wear mostly separates. In summer, I loved my dresses but in winter I find it harder to wear them well. Don't get me wrong, I have and love a few but generally speaking... A lot of styles just don't look very nice with a long sleeve. Three quarter sleeves can solve that problem but they can also be cold.

Then there's the issue of fabric. I love wool but they can easily be too thick, look too 'buttoned-up' and require lining. Of course, thicker knits work fine but I don't like my skirts sticking to tights.And if you're going to do lining: should you line the entire dress? And with what? Standard lining fabrics prevent 'sticking' but aren't very nice to wear on one's skin and for the likes of thin cotton, the opposite is true (don't mention more expensive lining fabrics, like Bemberg, I know that might work but I can't afford to spend that kind of money on lining a possibly experimental dress).

So, I largely stick with seperates and occasionally try out one option, or another. It's one of those I have on my mind right now, but I'll really need your help.

This fabric has been in my stash for at least two years. It's a cotton velvet knit in a deep gray. I love the look and feel of it, but find it very hard to envision it in my wardrobe (completely apart from the fact that it may just be an inadmissable transgression of my A/W colour scheme...)

I have thought about using it in a vaguely 30's shape (sleek, longish skirt, higher waistline and drapey, wider top bit) and I really like this dress.

Lanvin, winter 2009/2010. It's perfect, and would be very easy to knock off, but I want a more practical dress. Sleeves, people. Normal winter dresses need sleeves, don't they?

Of course, this is an evening dress but in this country, formal dressing is hardly ever required. Or even welcomed.

And despite long skirts getting more fashionable now, a full length skirt AND long sleeves, all of it in dark velvet is a bit too 'Ms. Morticia' for my taste.

So, I've been making some sketches. I'm not really happy with any of them but I feel like I'm stuck. Your imput might give me an opportunity to look at fabric differently...

All these are rough pencil sketches. I'm not going to put in a lot of time making no-good sketches in Illustrator, I'm not that good at it.

First up: Sleek skirt just past the knee, long fitted sleeves, big cowl neck with pleats on one side. I sort of like it, but fear it might be too frumpy.

Secondly, the same skirt and belt but a fuller top with a V-neck and a pleat at center front. Full-ish three quarter length raglan sleeves with pleat. I figured showing a bit more skin might do the trick but this doesn't feel like me and might just be more frumpy in that velvet.

Number three. Basics never fail. A simple fitted T-shirt dress with long sleeves and a fairly big cowl. It would work. But be boring.

Four. I have, so far, avoided gathers because they would get very bulky in this fabric. But how about tiny gathers or pleats? I didn't really have a clear picture of this in my head, hence the un-clear drawing. It has a fuller skirt than the other ones, and long fitted sleeves. I don't see myself in this dress...

Five is based on a wedding dress in "Revue". It has a gored skirt which flares out a bit at the knee and extends to a point above the waist, kimono sleeves and a surplice bodice with a wide, slightly draped neckline. It is pretty but there is another skirt on my to-do list with the same kind of skirt. And I'm not so sure a wide-open, has-to-be-filled-up-a-bit neckline is a thing for me.

So, this is where I am now. I guess I'll go and work on something else first... But seriously, I would love your imput on this. What do you think of my ideas so far? Did I miss any obvious hits? Do you have any suggestions or know anything I should look at (it doesn't need to be a pattern, I'm going to draft this myself anyway. It inspiration I'm after)?

The tale of nine little dresses... recap

Remember this post? I made a line-up of dress ideas which I wanted to make in reality. Among other projects, I have been working on these especially on those I had fabric for (I try to buy less fabric than I sew up, to stop my stash from expanding even further, don't ask whether it works...). So I thought it was about time for a little recap: what has been made and what has changed?

Also, it's a very hot day today, and according to the paper it will get worse before it gets better. I had told myself to start cutting and sewing on my Burdastyle book coat today, but I'm procrastinating. It's too hot to even think about an autumn/winter jacket.

And I kind of wanted to show off some of my recent Illustrator practice.

This is the newline-up. As you can see, I've made quite a few of these already. Numbers 2, 3, 6, 7 and 9 to be precise. Five out of nine! That's better than I hoped for when I first blogged about this!

Eagle-eyed readers may have spotted my bits of cheating already.

I've got a very good excuse for changing dress number 4: I made that design especially for a specific length of fabric which has been languishing in my stash for too long. And then, after a while, I came up with a new, better design for it. And now, I'm actually quite excited about making it (after the BS coat, this dress doesn't look like a very quick project).

Number 5 is no cheating. It's the same dress, minus the yoke. It didn't seem right for the fabric I have in mind. Those darts from the center front seam may not be great for it either, but I've wanted to do those for ages so I think I just will.

It's in the bottom row that I'm really cheating. I may still make the original dress number 7, but it's more for autumn. Number 9 was dreamt up as a way to make a particular, rather boring fabric, look interesting, but in the end I don't think it needs this treatment. I thought it wouldn't hurt to replace it in the line-up with a different strapless design (Ok, 9 had straps, but the pattern would have had to be as if for a strapless dress)

First up now will probably be number 5. I've got a fabric for it which was sold as silk, but very likely has a bit of viscose/rayon in it. Between black and navy and not that glossy. If wonder if it needs to be lined. I hope not. I'm not such a fan of lining summer dresses unless it's absolutely necessary. Maybe I need a couple of slips...

I'd love to make the new and improved number 4, which, in my mind, has a bit of 1930's flair. The fabric I've got for it is a bit sheer, so I'm mentally crunching lining/underlining arrangements. To be made after the BS coat.

Number 1 won't be made until September or something like that. I've got a fabric for it but it's a warm one.

Last but not least: number 8 is still a design I love but I don't have fabric for this one so I think I'll just hold on until I find one that's perfect for it.

Meanwhile, I still love those big-skirted retro dresses and may make even more of those. I've also been thinking a lot about all sorts of things I could make from those pinstriped linens. Can you believe I've had to restrain myself not to buy more of it...

But what I could really use in my wardrobe would be one or two hot weather-proof tops. Simple ones. So maybe I should do that first.

Developing trouser ideas

I've had some very nice and very helpful comment here lately, thank you all!

For those of you who are thinking about trying the sleeve from my previous post: I added a comment in response to the questions raised about it, trying to clarify matters about both the pattern and the construction.

Now, in another post this week, I asked for your suggestions for my pin-stripe fabric... It is nice to learn that I'm not the only one thinking it causes all kind of tasteless associations, but that still doesn't allow me to give up on almost two meters of fabric which I bought, which has a nice hand and is made (largely) from natural fibres...

The Selfish Seamstress suggested I'd try something like this:

a Vivienne Westwood suit as worn in Sex and the City (the series, not the new movie). I have to say I really like the shape of it, but I don't like it in pin stripe. She, selflessly, added a link to a full-length picture of the same suit in black and that was truly great... I think the pin stripe version kind of makes SJP look like a wannabe mob-girl in my opinion.

I have, by now, sort of narrowed down what I consider to be the danger zones with this fabric. They are: tight, clinging, short-hem, deep cleavage = cheap and not very cheerful take on secretary chic / power suit, stripe used all over, enlarged classic suit details = maffia look.

How do I make this insight work to my advantage? I'm not so sure yet, this fabric may have the ability to let otherwise good plans go wrong. What strikes me when looking at pin stripe garments online and in magazines, is how often the fabric is used as if it were a plain, solid colour. So, the answer will probably include things like: no overall tight fitted things, casual styling, use the stripes and maybe include some more free-form elements (I've got 2 meters of the fabric, I can usually cut quite economically, and I'm small. So it is likely to become more than one item)

I did some sketching for the trousers earlier this week, using my newly developing Illustrator skills (I bought this book a short while ago and am learning ever since). They may look fairly basic, but hey, I want trousers I can actually wear. Here they are, in chronolical order, so starting with the most boring:

basic straight legged trousers, close to my 'standard shape', but not as fitted at the hip and probably with a slightly lower waistline. Turn-ups, curved front pocket and pockets with flaps at the back. A bit too basic, I think

Same shape but without the waistband. For its shape, the waistband pieces would have to be curved, which is not ideal with stripes. Fabric for pocket area may be cut on the cross grain.

Same basic idea but with a different curve to the pocket, to allow it to match the angle of the back yoke. It would be great to be able to cut this without side seams, using a the stripe in a different direction for those yoke/pocket pieces, but I'm not sure that's possible.

The tale of nine little dresses...

Which, for the time being, exist only in my head and on this sheet of paper. Which I've scanned for your benefit.

These are the spring/summer dresses I would love to make. All of them, right now. The is even a tenth dress, but it didn't fit on the scan and it's a bit of an oddball anyway, I'm not so sure it would work. So for now, nine it is. I even have 'possible' fabrics in my stash for most of them. Although, of course, it's the one for which I certainly don't have any fabric which I want most...

I already know I probably won't even make half of these dresses this summer. After all, I can't be sewing all the time and there are other garment which need/want to be made as well. And that's not even including assignments... However after the succes of the twist-dress, I thought it might be a good plan to share some more of my resolutions for sewing. Especially because I've been thinking about these little lovelies rather a lot lately...

If look you at these sketches (and I'm not at all good at drawing, I know. I used a wire croqui and even with that help, this is the best I can do), you can sort of see I my design/technical mind works. There's a twist-dress variation in there, and a dress with bra-style cups (guess who just adjusted her bra-pattern for better fit?) and although strapless dresses are used by some to avoid setting sleeves, they are kind of new, and therefore a bit of a challenge to me.

I bet I'm not the only one dreaming of way more clothes than I could ever make or even need...

Of plans and resolutions

Ok, I admit, I should REALLY stop promising to write another post 'tomorrow'. Because it seems that whenever I do, something gets in the way. I couldn't even really tell what got in the way this time. The week just went by pretty fast, and loads of different things are going on over here.

One thing I worked on this week was this dress for a friend.

This is my sketch of what I am going to make, based on a sketch she gave me several months ago. I made a first muslin a while back but had a lot of trouble finding the right fabric. I found it two weeks ago: a very nice, not too heavy, black stretch twill and lycra netting for the sleeves. So this week, I made a more serious muslin in a fairly similar fabric for a final fitting.

I wouldn't be so fussy about muslins and fittings when making something for myself but this is nice fabric, she will pay for the dress, I know she has been trying to loose weight since the last fitting and I just want her to be happy with it.

She came over yesterday, so I now know what bits of the pattern need to be

tweaked. Overall, she was happy with it though.

I also promised to post some of my spring sewing plans. Well, I have scanned some sketches, but these won't be the first things I'll make. I'm not great at sketching so some things, I just can't put on paper and I usually don't plan ahead very rigidly. These things however, I've been wanting to make for about a year now, and this time I WILL make them.

First up: my bathing suit!

I've got some good double knit lycra which has a dull and a glossy side. I plan on using both sides for the suit's panels. It is supposed to be inspired by 50's pin-up style bathing suits but made up from modern materials with modern day comfort kept in mind.

I know it's got a lot of coverage for a bathing suit, but I really, really don't mind. Tanning and me never go well together anyway.

By the way, for anyone else who considers trying to make swimwear, this website has loads of useful information (although I think the lady behind it wouldn't rate my bathing suit design at all... she and I seem to go to very different beaches)

Second: a twist dress!

I loved the dress in this picture (from a 1930's Sears catalog), and realised it used the same twist detail as the (in)famous Burda twist-top. Interestingly, the catalog calls it a 'Vionnet drape'.

I made a muslin of the Burda twist top last year, just to try and understand the twist, and found more information about it online. I know how it works now and I should be able to make the pattern (the twist on the dress is not in the same place as the one in the Burda top, so lengthening that is just not an option). I will try it out in a grey jersey with a blue spiralling print.

I am really looking forward to making these, however, first I will finish another shirt for E, maybe make something for my sister as birthday gift and make one or two t-shirts and a pair of belt pleated trousers...

Please tell me I'm not the only chaotic planner in the sewing places of the wide wild internet...

Weekly outfit is back! Eh, nr. 18 right?

I actually planned to do several outfit-pictures today, showing off various recent creations. However, I managed to have my eyes closed on all but one picture, and by the time I noticed, it was too dark for new once.

So, just one for now, and I'll try again on Friday.

Here I'm wearing (they just go with everything) my lightly flared charcoal grey trousers with my latest creation, a top with a draped neckline. What makes this one quite different in my wardrobe is, of course, the colour. I found this fabric on sale and it was just so woolly and soft and drapey that I just had to buy it. I figured I could always dye it if the colour was really no good. But it's kind of a burnt orange which actually goes surprisingly well with my hair colour and skin tone (at least, I think so...).

I bought all the fabric left on the bolt (about 3m, the sellers at the market always start making offers you can't refuse when they get to the last 4m on a bolt), so there will be one or two more pieces made from it.

trying a new shape

I would like to ask you to give your honest opinion about this.

I've been looking at belt pleated trousers in high fashion magazines for a while now, and the idea slowly warmed to me. So I decided to try and make a pair for myself. As usual, I drafted my own pattern (some of the belt pleated trousers I liked in magazines had lower waistbands, but I kind of liked the high waist in the muslin). I'm reasonably satisfied with it, if I wanted to make this again my only change would be to make the pocket entry a little deeper than it is now.

For fabric, I used the same thin wool as for the flared trousers.

What I'm not so sure about, is the look. It doesn't help that it seems like it just doesn't go with just about anything in my wardrobe (proportion-wise, that is) but that isn't even the whole point. I've been trying it on while I was working on it and afterwards and my own reaction varied from: "Wow, this is cool" to "this is just weird".

My boyfriend, who is usually quite helpful at a point like this because he is utterly unbiased by any knowledge of the latest fashion, only had to offer one very helpful (not) comment: "it's 80's". Now, normally, that makes something just wrong in my book. I did the 80's first time around. In this case, I'm not so sure. I was a child in the 80's so although I did wear leggings by the end of the decade (meaning that I 'did' that 80's staple first time around), I'm pretty sure I didn't have trousers like these at any point. And even if I did, would it really matter? What comes around, goes around, and in fashion, the weels only seem to turn faster and faster...

I hope you can see my point. I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on this and I should really give these the wear-out-of-the-house test this week.

The tulip skirt dress - a short geneology

In yesterday's post about my designs from last winter and new ones by Burda that look like them, I hope I didn't suggest these things I made were groundbreakingly unique stuff. I know they were not. In fact, I never really regarded the dress as a real original design by me. I made it after seeing these pictures in fashion magazines (the one on the left is from Brittish Vogue, the one on the right from Dutch l'Officiel). The dress shown there is by Dior and apparently came in at least two different checks.

I liked the lines but didn't think the bow-thingy would work in real life. So, for my dress, I did this (never before seen online: the technical drawing of my dress ;))

Even when I made it, I knew there were patterns available for similar designs. I just prefer drafting my own because they always fit and I can get just the detail I want. Actually, this Vogue pattern may, as far as I know, pre-date the Dior design.

And then there was the Marie skirt on Burda

style (which I had made before). Combined with the bodice sloper, uploaded by member JJ, it could become a sleeveless version of the same dress.

And now, there's the Burda WOF pattern. If anything, it's surprising they've come to the party so late. Tweed dress? Tulip skirt? That's so winter 2008...

All the dresses I mentioned above look pretty much the same at the front. You often need the tech drawings to see the difference in shaping of the bodice. At the back, some of them are more different (for example, the Burda WOF one doesn't have a waist seam), but still...

Are they all essentially the same dress? Is any one of them the 'original design' and are all the others rip-offs? Are they all originals, because none of them is quite the same as the others?

It's hard to say anything about it, especially because I don't know whether I'm looking at nearly all of them here, or just at one small branch on the sprawling family tree of tulip skirt dresses. They look a bit vintage-y, so they might all be based on a certain range of dresses back in the 50's.

And what is true for the line of tulip skirt dresses, is true for almost every piece of clothing you'll see anywhere. Fashion has kept such a fast pace for the past decade, it's forever recycling and reinventing and no one wants to be left out. There's a fair bit of copying going on out there, but also a lot of cases of 'same ideas because the time was right'.

Am I paranoid?

Over on Burdastyle, there's a lot of confusion on the upcoming, so far unanounced, merger between Burdastyle and Burdafashion. Like a lot of people, I'm not really happy with that. I've chosen to be active on Burdastyle because I liked the people and notion of having a fairly open platform on which the users have a lot of influence. I have to say Burdastyle has become less likable to me recently, for various reasons, but that aside.

Even though the news has only just been announced on Burdastyle in a post by the forum moderator, there's already a Burda WOF magazine in the shops with 'burdastyle.com' on the cover with the title.

Going through it I got a bit of a shock. The pictures you see with this post are my creations from last winter. I posted these pictures as 'creations' on Burdastyle back then. The technical drawings are from the current issue of Burda WOF.

Now, I know originality is a very difficult concept in fashion and I know the designs are quite classic. I actually based the dress on a Dior W 08 dress which I had seen in a magazine. That dress however, had a very eye catching detail (like a square bow, if that tells you anything) at the front waist, which I didn't add. So Burda's dress, which doesn't have the slanted waist darts of those two, looks more like mine than like the Dior.

I don't know what to make of this. It's very likely that it's all just a coincidence. There are several details which are different. That makes it more likely these patterns aren't copies but it also means that, as rights to fashion design go, I couldn't even claim these designs were mine even if I would be absolutely certain about it.

The sad thing is, I'd be delighted if Burda wanted to use any of my designs. As a struggling starter in design, pattern- and sample making and made to measure, what would be better for me? I wouldn't expect to get a lot of money for it either, just getting my name out would be great already (and if they'd have a job for me, well...;)

I'll stop whining now, I guess it's not worth it. I'm of to make a shirt for my boyfriend!