LULUSHION

"Sew in Love" - Wedding Dress Competition

2012-04-16T13:55:00.008-07:00

I am really sorry for my absence as of late. March has been a crazy month for me. But I am pretty sure I am back now.

Last Wednesday I participated in the inaugural "Sew in Love" wedding dress competition. And while I didn't win, I did take second place out of 18 designers. But what's even better is I met a ton of people, made connections, and got lots of compliments from people I have never met. People asked if they could touch the dress--that surprised me! I realized then that the pictures really don't do it justice, and this dress needs to be seen and touched in person. Many if not all of the other dresses were so typical, within the comfort zone of the masses. And perhaps that's why I didn't take first place, but I am all right with that.

My model Irena looked absolutely lovely! Ethereal, and just like an angel. It was a good, good evening! :)

Some pix :)

P.S. The woman from "More Cowbell" has been kissing up to me like it's going out off style. That should be a lesson to always treat everyone with respect, no matter who they are at the moment. You never know, you just never know...

Fabric Manipulation 9 of 9

2012-02-28T05:04:00.000-08:00

This is the final version of fabric manipulation with gathering. I hope you Have enjoyed following them as much as I.

Pattern:

Outcome:

Recycle Your Old Sweaters

2012-02-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

I am sure everyone has a sweater they will never wear again, but somehow it's so hard to part with. I for one have a whole drawer of them. They are mostly from my college years, and I think I went broke every time I bought one of them. So there is just no way I am going to just give them away. But the worst part is that they don't even fit me. I'd like to think that I'm still the same size--so I got some extra muscles and don't look like I'm twelve anymore--but some of these sweaters don't go past my belly button. I am not really sure how I even wore them then. But anyhow, take your sweaters out and get to it.

What you will need:

Old sweater [I used one of my cashmere raglan sleeved ones, in cream]
1 yard of jersey knit fabric [I used silk/wool blend heather gray 60" wide]
An overclock machine [life is much easier with it]
8" of organza [I used white silk organza, but any other thin fabric that can hold its shape will do]
Pattern [in small] [there is no pattern for the peplum. all you need is 8" high and 60" wide fabric]

Bodice:

Cut the sleeves off the sweater on the opposite side of where it's stitched. [Trust me it's much easier than trying to find the thread that holds it together, and cutting on the opposite side of the stitching will ensure it won't start running.]

Stitch together the front and the back on the sides and 1/2" where the neck meets.

Pin the sleeves to the shirt. Offset the sleeve a little, so you can cut it away the thick edge as it serges.

Finish the neck with pearl stitch for a nice clean edge.

Baste stitch together organza and knit. So it's one fabric.

Make 6 pleats on the front. 1 at each side seam and 2 on each princes line. Repeat exactly the same on the back. You will have a total of 12 pleats. Baste stitch the pleats. Pin the bodice to the peplum, making sure to align the center of the side pleats with side seam. Serge it together. Perl stitch the edge of the peplum for a clean finish [just like the neck].

ALL DONE! I'll be enjoying my shirt out this weekend :)

I'll let you know what can be done with the remainder of the sweater, once I figure it out.

Dress Form - OH How Awesome It Is!

2012-01-29T10:35:00.000-08:00

I wanted to show a quick example of how awesome it is to have a copy of yourself in a dress from. I drafted a pattern, but somehow it came out way bigger than I calculated. When I put it on, it was all over the place, and since it's extremely difficult to do a fitting on yourself, my fitting partner came up clutch. I threw it on, pinned it [since it is a tiny bit larger than your actual size [inevitable, as when cast, you still breathe and the cast will expand], when pinned snugly, it actually gives ease on the body], marked it up and the pattern was ready to go.

More Cowbell!

2012-01-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

As I wrote in one of my previous entries, my wedding dress was selected to be in the Sew in Love competition. However, the selectors felt that it needed something more [we love your dress, but we want you to completely change it..HA!]. As they made comments, in my head I kept thinking "No, no, no, next, no." But to appease them I added cap sleeves and a fuller skirt, which I felt would do the trick. At the follow-up meeting, a new selector came in [without any previous knowledge of the original look] and said that "Is that it? It needs more drama." To which I replied, "This dress is an understated luxury, it's light and moves beautifully when worn by a person, not a stiff form." It's not about all the bells, whistles and bows; all that would detract from what this dress is meant to portray. But boy was she relentless: "More drama, more drama, really explore the drama." I feel that I can take criticism well, when it's constructive and helpful, but this...I left annoyed.

I am sure this woman thinks of herself as an expert. And of course there are expert opinions that carry more weight than an average Joe's...think "The Devil Wears Prada," but she is definitely not one of them. How do you determine if she is? If you are in the business of fashion (even if you are a professor at a university), you should dress in such a way as to inspire others to want to stand next to you, even if they don't know you. Being a good seamstress doesn't make you an expert in fashion. And fashion, after all, is subjective--it's really in the eye of the beholder.

So this brings me to the funny part of the frustration. As I sat staring at my dress for two hours, trying to come up with something to add to it, I remembered this SNL skit that just made it all better.

More Cowbell! - watch more funny videos

It said it all :)

Fabric Manipulation 8 of 9

2012-01-11T07:38:00.000-08:00

A new version of fabric manipulation.

Pattern:

Outcome:

How well the circular patterns appear is dependent on how tightly and evenly the thread is pulled.

Silk Tank

2012-01-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

I've been working on several sewing projects, so I wanted to share one of many [to be posted] with you. Hopefully it will inspire you to design your own fun stuff to wear.

Silk Tank: light, fashionable and versatile. The back is much longer than the front, in case you like to wear leggings, or leather pants, it covers the bum and makes it look sophisticated. Can also be layered with short sweaters.

Very easy to make, especially if you have a serger. I just got one for Festivus [for the rest of us] and I must say it's the best thing ever.

You will need 1 yard of fabric. I made the red one out of Crepe de Chine, and the blue one out of thicker silk chiffon [you would want something that drapes nicely]. Here are the patterns for the shirt front and back [all you need to do is print it and then tape together at corresponding numbers]. Size small, but it's pretty easy to grade up or down.

Enjoy! :)

Please Take the Wedding dress poll!

2011-12-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

Fabric Manipulation 7 of 9

2011-12-12T06:53:00.000-08:00

A new version of fabric manipulation.

Pattern:

Outcome:

Fabric Manipulation 6 of 9

2011-11-30T07:30:00.000-08:00

A new version of fabric manipulation.

Pattern:

Outcome:

Dresses : Wedding

2011-11-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

Several weeks of hard work and the wedding dress is complete [no I am not getting married, it's for a competition]. I didn't utilize any of the fabric manipulation techniques that I have been trying out, but embroidering the bodice with fabric was something new for me [if I may say so myself, it was quite successfu]. 100% silk, except the middle section is linen covered with raw edged silk. Bodice: embroidered and hand stitched with crinkle chiffon fabric. Internal bodice corseted and has a grossgrain belt, so everything stays where it should :) Lining and bodice of silk broad cloth, skirt: 2 layers of crinkle chiffon, beneath 3 layers of silk organza. A detachable train, also two layers. Fingers: bleeding!

Fabric Manipulation - 5 of 9

2011-11-21T06:18:00.000-08:00

A new version of fabric manipulation.

Pattern:

Outcome:

Fabric Manipulation - 4 of 9

2011-11-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

If you have been following my fabric manipulation entries, at this point you'll know the drill.

Pattern:

Outcome:

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

Fabric Manipulation - 3 of 9

2011-10-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

This is yet another fabric manipulation entry. Similar to my other entries: 1st and 2nd.

Pattern:

Outcome:

Halloween Costumes 2011

2011-10-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

Every year I am faced with the inevitable challenge of coming up with the perfect Halloween costume, ideally something unique and creative that sets me apart from the pack of zombies and sexy witches. I don’t buy costumes, I make my own. Sometimes I know a year in advance what I want to be, sometimes I dilly dally until it hits me. So what's a girl to do? My favorite place to look for inspiration is the runway. Shows always have tons of costume ideas. So I thought I’d put together an entry that will hopefully inspire others to also create their own, unique costumes.

"Who What Where" thought these were the top costume-ish looks from the FW 11 shows, I couldn't agree more.

What has inspired me in the past...

Anna Sui's - Pirate, I even made the hat!

Sofia Coppola's - Marie Antoinette.

What will I do this year? Stay tuned to find out!

Sketching

2011-10-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

I've been practicing my sketching - a lot. I have a long way to go, but I really enjoyed working on these, and wanted to share them. Done in water color and pencils, having fun with wedding dresses.

Fabric Manipulation - 2 of 9

2011-10-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

My second entry for experimenting with fabric manipulations. The instructions are pretty much the same as the 1st one. However, the pattern is a little different.

Pattern:

Outcome:

Washing Instructions

2011-09-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Clever :)

Big Girl Dress Form

2011-09-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

I don't know what decade this mannequin is from, but I found it interesting how sample size forms have changed over the years. Currently it is size 8, which really translates into size 2* in the store. However, this was size 40 [today size 40 is maybe a large 4]! She was busty, hippsy [if that's a word - to have large hips] and beautiful in the eyes of the beholders. Sadly this form is battered and falling apart....Some TLC could really spruce her up :)

*USA sizes

Fabric Manipulation - 1 of 9

2011-09-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

I have been experimenting with fabric manipulation. Specifically, gathering to create volume. In the next couple of posts I plan to show the patterns and their outcomes.

Pattern:

Mark the the guidelines on your fabric, then use gathering stitch. When all finished pull the ends of the threads.

Outcome:

Alexander McQueen Spray Paint Dress vs My Dress

2011-09-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

I figured, why not try it? Made the dress out of muslin. It's basically a really long circle skirt. The difference is that my belts are not leather, and of course I didn't have an auto painting robot or the huge petticoat to lift it all up...ok I didn't have a lot [I made this dress in 2 hours]. But it was still fun, and I think it came out pretty...but you can be the judge.

Note...I do wish this had a running/drippy look, but unfortunately spray paint doesn't run as well as as i hoped. So instead it came out as an amateur spray paint hour. But still fun...

Corset and Petticoat

2011-08-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Last week I visited the Mütter Museum. I know for sure I was not meant for any part of the medical field--I gagged several times and within five minutes of walking in I really wanted to get the visit over with. Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience (one I hope not to repeat), and there was a fashion-related takeaway. In one of the displays there were two skeletons, and between them there was a dress form that displayed a corset. The two skeletons: one was shaped in a form of how your organs shift when wearing a corset, and one when you are not. Interesting, and pretty gross all at the same time.

What this illustration does not show is that while wearing a corset, your liver shifts down and your heart shift up. Your lungs can never expand fully, in turn creating shortness of breath and frequent fainting [one of the prevailing side effects on women during Victorian era].

Then of course there are the petticoats [unrelated to the museum adventure]. Corsets and petticoats work together, often giving the impression of a smaller waist while accentuating the bust and hips. The corset is a customized garment, made of separate pieces which are stitched together to mold the torso into a desired shape. Early corsets were made of two layers of linen, and held together with a stiff paste. The resulting rigid material held and formed the wearer's figure. From the sixteenth century on, corset makers began using thin pieces of whalebone, shaped like quills or knitting needles which were sleeved between two layers of fabric. The whalebone was shaped with steam and then inserted into tailored pockets in the corset to provide structure. Whalebone was also used in some corsets in a front piece called the busk. The busk gave a smooth line to the front of the corset. Alternatively, boning was made of wood, horn, or steel.

The whalebone corset was much more confining than the paste-stiffened one and was often worn in conjunction with other undergarments that further exaggerated the female figure. In Elizabeth’s time, courtly fashion dictated corsets paired with large, whale bone-stiffened petticoats.

The petticoat is a skirt-like undergarment worn to give a skirt or dress a desired shape. The petticoat, if sufficiently full or stiff, holds the overskirt in a desired shape. Petticoats have appeared in many forms since their arrival at the end of the 15th century including the structured variety.

Elaborate petticoats were worn under silk dresses in the eighteenth century in much of Europe and America, often supported by whalebone frames which were slipped into pockets in the garment and detailed with bustle-like structures made of down-filled pads. As fashion dictated larger volumes, stiffened petticoats helped give added support. The most popular type of stiffened petticoat was the crinoline which was made out of horsehair and woven with linen threads.

*all information was collection from various sources.

Alexander McQueen Silk Chiffon Dress - Flounce

2011-08-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

Continuing on the deconstruction of Alexander McQueen’s fabric manipulations, flounce played a big part of a lot of his designs.

This McQueen dress has a darted, bias-cut bodice with spiral semi-transparent chiffon flounces. It appears that they might be attached intermittently along the irregular diagonal seams of the bodice. The flounce also has an appearance of “glowing out of the seams”.

The skirt continues this method of construction, but with a greater intensity of voluminous fabric. What interests me about this garment is how the flounces are attached to the seams and how the bodice has both the structure and volume. Of course, this dress in person was absolutely incredible.

Here’s a sample of how the flounce was made. To achieve the effect of a flowing wave, it had to be cut on bias.

Alexander McQueen Bosch silk-jacquard dress - Inflecting Pleating

2011-08-11T05:49:00.000-07:00

Last week I stood in a three-hour line to see the Alexander McQueen “Savage Beauty” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. There is a lot that can be said about it, but I am pretty sure that what I could say would never really encompass him and his work in words eloquent enough to do them justice. In short it was well worth the wait in the heat with the crowd. The real reason I mention this is because I’d like more to address the details of his work than the generalities of the exhibit. Two words: Fabric Manipulation. It was endless, beautiful, and hard to deconstruct, but I’d like to attempt to do so anyway [in several posts].

The craftsmanship of this McQueen silk-jacquard dress is incredible. According to the Alexander McQueen website, the dress is inspired by 14th century Hieronymus Bosch paintings and was cut on the stand by McQueen. Black silk dress with hand-loomed jacquard. Internal boning at bodice with a concealed zip and hook fastenings at back and is fully lined. 100% silk; lining: 74% acetate, 26% silk.

Complemented the elaborately pleated skirt. This is the exterior inflecting pleating pattern. With enough fabric and patience, it can be manipulated so that it articulates the circumference of the body and still keeps its form.

The autumn winter 2010 dress is part of the last collection designed by McQueen before his death.

This dress retailed for £12,420 at Net-A-Porter.