she sews, she knits, she sews knits

After wearing this dress twice without any decent pictures, today I finally snatched it off my bedroom floor (where else would it be while waiting to be washed?), put it on the dress form, and snapped away. Please excuse the lint and wrinkles.

This is my first time working with a knit fabric, something I've been meaning to do for some time. As is my tendency, I did a fair bit of research before starting. Some of it was helpful, but most of it only succeeded in intimidating me. Instead I ended up working from my observations of ready-to-wear garments, with healthy dose of instinct thrown in.

I still need to work on my finishing techniques (is there a way to finish crosswise seams without rippling?), but for a first try I'm really, really, happy with the results. And in love with my twin needle. And stabilizing elastic.

Also, this was my first Built by Wendy pattern (lengthened and altered for knit, of course). There's a lot of good stuff I could say here, but I think I'll save it for another post. Let's just say I'm eagerly looking forward to her next book.

I love, love, love this dress! The fabric is a very fine black cotton rib, heavier than a jersey but not quite a sweater knit. It's so comfortable, and it's the perfect dress up/dress down piece. Now I just have to come up with a name for it. Did I mention that I love it?

Okay, so these pictures are decent, just my hair isn't! Thanks, Dad!

lady susan

Phew! It's been forever since I posted! My sister has been on break from college, and we've really enjoyed just kicking back, seeing the city, and watching old movies. Before I go into any of that these dress pictures are long overdue! Here at last is the Jane Austen bridesmaid dress, a private commission I took on during December, using red velvet and Jenny Chancey's Simplicity 4055.

My client has almost the same measurements as me, so I took the liberty of taking some pictures before I handed it off. Thanks so much to Tracey for helping with the photography! Incidentally, all of the pictures were taken at my sister's dorm - pretty fly for college housing, no? Anyway, the lighting/camera weren't the best, so a majority of the indoor pics didn't turn out. It's just as well, I suppose, as we did tend to get carried away . . .

A lot of my interest in sewing stems from the costume world. As a young literary-minded girl I swooned over the romantic fashions of costume dramas, and for some years in junior high, I wanted to be Kate Beckinsale's Emma. Besides, all of us like to play dress-up every once and a while, no? So it was really fun to revisit that fascination with this dress.

Overall, it came together nicely, but the dress certainly has left its mark - literally. Not only is the studio filled with red velvet fuzzies, but my poor machine bed is now stained pink! I tried using rubbing alchohol which helped, but the plastic seems to have absorbed some color. Moo.

(Btw, kudos to anyone who recognizes the novel this post is named after! I thought the dress's crimson color was well suited to the brazen lady.)

the Limberlost dress

Have you ever read the novel A Girl of the Limberlost? Written by Gene Stratton Porter at the turn of the century, it tells the tale of Elnora Comstock, a girl who lives and collects moths at the edge of Indiana's Limberlost Swamp. Longing to educate herself and yet emotionally estranged from her mother, Elnora portrays with a more mature range of emotions than other heroines she might be compared to, giving her tale a haunting and bittersweet tone.

I don't know what it is about it - the old-fashioned drama of the long bishop sleeves, the pale green color reminiscent of the Luna moths that Elnora collects, or merely the nature-lust that this time of year so easily excites in me - but I've named my latest dress the Limberlost dress in honor of the book.

Actually, the pattern is one of 4 vintage maternity patterns which I've inherited from my mother. I'd already been eying this pattern when Jenny posted about being inspired by her mom's maternity patterns. And after seeing the Lyell fall '07 collection, I knew it had to be made. Although the pattern is 3 sizes too small for me, the extra fullness in the body meant it required only a little altering through the sleeve and bust area. All the seams are finished with either French seams or bias trim. I don't care if volume is going out, I absolutely love this dress! (More photos here.)

In other news, I find myself with very little time to enjoy the beautiful fall that is emerging around me. I made up my mind some time ago to settle with temporary employment for the next year, while I try to make my way into the world of theatre and costuming. So in the meantime I've been giving private sewing lessons, and I have just finally been approved to substitute teach. I've also been coming up with some new designs of my cabled bags, toying with the idea of offering them for sale. Whatever comes of it, you'll be sure to hear of it here!

This last shot embodies the best of autumn for me - dappled sunlight, brilliant color, and a good book. What does your perfect autumn day look like?

one stitch at a time

Note to self (and all who would profit by it - the lesson transfers to other skills): If you're using fusible interfacing on a neckband and it looks like this, do not pass go, do not collect $200. But most importantly, DO NOT SEW THE BAND TO THE GARMENT. Do not think that it doesn't matter, you can work around it, you won't notice it. Doing such will only lead to wasted work and eventual frustration. On the other hand, do not start cutting out a new neckabnd or interfacing immediately once you have realized your error. Doing such will result in slipshod, anxty work and eventual self-destruction.

What to do in such a situation: Stop. Do only enough tidying up of the workspace to make it neat when you return to it. Leave the workspace. Savor your favorite movie. A good night's rest is highly recommended.

The next morning, DO NOT avoid or ignore the project, thinking it will go away. If you do, it will, and you'll never finish. Re-assess the situation and, in a calm and deliberate manner, do what it takes to fix it. If this means using up all your back-up material on a new collar, do so. Take the problem (and the decisions) one stitch at a time. Trust me, it's worth it.

Sigh. What I have to go through to remind myself of this. In happier news, just look at what I found at the library's used book sale last week! The best part about it? I already own vol. 1!

P.S. I don't know if anyone who reads this is from S. Cal, but I'm sure many have friends and family (myself included) that have been affected by the fires. Drop a line here if you do: you're in my prayers!

let's fly, let's fly away

Weather-wise it's such a lovely day
You just say the words and we'll beat the birds
Down to Acapulco Bay

Sorry it took me a while to post this project, I didn't want to spoil the surprise and had to wait for delivery to its recipient. ;) Meet the "Come Fly with Me" tote.

The whole project was inspired by and designed the green feathered fabric, a scrap that was found during a purging session at the theatre. Immediately I knew I wanted to make something from it, and for whom: my dearest friend H, who graduated with me and started grad school this fall (in arts administration). H was an incredible support to me, encouraging me to pursue costuming, and I wanted to give her something that not only represented but manifested some of that.

Some details on construction: For the bird I used this reverse applique technique, with slight modifications (basically, adding several layers of interfacing to accommodate the differences between tote bag and t-shirt!). Before this, the brown fabric was free motion machine embroidered (the "cloud" texture) and then interfaced, so that neither the fabric nor the stitching would fray when the applique was cut. Did I mention adding interfacing? :D

The bag also includes a zippered pocket in the lining, which I love! And using Lisa's tutorial, it was super easy to make. I should have gotten better pictures of it; it adds so much to the finished bag. (The lining is also made from recycled sheets - lightweight but sturdy!)

It seems cliche sometimes even to feel it, but saying goodbye is a difficult thing. I knew I would miss a lot, leaving college and the friends I had made, but one of the hardest things I anticipated was the shift of creative atmosphere. Friendships like H's built up a fertile and supportive environment for creativity. We cannot, however, dwell on stolen moments. The much better alternative is to take those memories and friendships with us, giving flight to even greater creative journeys.

Come fly with me, let's take off in the blue . . .

playing catch up: the Neponset jacket

Remember the photoshoot I did late in the summer at and around my family farm? And how I talked about it influencing my work?

Nope, didn't think so. Obviously, I have some catching up to do.

Meet the Neponset jacket. It's named after Neponset, IL: a half-way village, half-way between Kewanee and Sheffield.

I drafted the pattern myself on graph paper, then made a muslin, then tweaked and drafted some more. I think if I were to make more of these, I would want to tweak it just a tad more - the bodice shape still doesn't seem quite right to me.

Actually, the pattern was one I had been working on prior to my visit to Kewanee, influenced by other cropped jackets I'd seen this summer. After that trip, however, I was thinking more and more about parallel lines, contouring and vanishing points. Thus, as the project continued, it came to be less about the shape than about the texture and finishing - the parallel weave of twill, the neck binding, the flat-felled seams. (Which is also, most likely, why the shape still needs to be tweaked!)

The fabric is, long story short, from a scrap stash given me by a librarian. I love everything about this twill - its color, its drape, its strong grain and its flannel-like softness - and I've searched endlessly and in vain in attempts to match it (begone from my sight, ye bolts of stiff polyester khaki!). If anyone has any leads, let me know!

You may have noticed I've fastened it with safety pins. Which doesn't work so well. Finding the Perfect Finishing (TM) seems always to be an issue with me, yet so critical to design! The devil's in the details. I'll have to marry a button-maker, I suppose - or design from existing notions!

A parting shot to show off the neck binding and the super-cool labels made from Amanda's tutorial. Felicitous, you ask? Oh, it's just a dream . . .

my life is a work in progress

I expect to be AWOL this weekend. Besides having friends expected in town, I have some family unexpectedly in town. I'm advancing on the productivity side of things, however, and hope to have more to share soon! (really)

In the meantime, on with the links!

• beautifully preserving the sketches of childhood
• subverting expectations: join the paint-by-numbers revolt
• now I want to reread some Madeline L'Engle
• at last, a use for these beautiful antiques for those of us who don't smoke: a cigarette case needle holder
• the old-fashioned touch of the graceful lady Anna
• artwork that puts me in mind of Doris Lessing's "An Old Woman and her Cat"
• This last one isn't actually a link, but Princess Grace is once again gracing the cover of Life! Check your newsstands for a commemorative photo issue published for the 25th anniversary of her death.