UglyCute Designs

And the worst blogger award goes to...

2012-01-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

This girl!

Sorry folks for being MIA. Last quarter was rough. It wasn't all that difficult. Actually, I had relatively little work and very little to show.

I've been avoiding blogging because I've been too P.O.'ed about the Red Dress experience and have nothing to show except my sketch and some pictures of the half finished dress. I was so angry the last day that I didn't even bring a camera to take pictures. We were told there would be pictures taken of the dress though so I'll have to follow up on that.

I'll talk about my other classes briefly, then the Red Dress class. I only took 3 classes:

The Red Dress Special Project Class

Creative Design Analysis and Collection Development (CDACD)

Computer Pattern I

I enjoyed Computer Pattern making. We use the Gerber Technology AccuMark pattern making software, and I think it is kind of fun. The system is a little wonky and not intuitive at all. Nothing like Photoshop of Illustrator. I enjoy it though because to me it's like solving a puzzle.

CDACD was a fun class because we designed 2 bigger collections with little to no restrictions. My teacher was very nice and informative if you asked the right questions. I really wish there had been more structured and organized lectures. The syllabus was not followed at all and I feel we lost a lot of valuable information.

Oh the Red Dress class.....I think I had a hard time this quarter blogging because the only thing I could really show you was my progress on the dress and I was not in love with my design, the fabrics, and most of all, the instructors. I absolutely regret this class and wish I could get my money back and take Industry Pattern instead. I can honestly say that I only learned 3 new things this entire quarter and all were explained to me in hindsight...after my dress was done.

1) DRAPE AND FIT IN A FABRIC SIMILAR TO THE FINAL GARMENT! Yes, I know I've read this before and even fit my own garments this way, but my instructor insisted that draping, patterning, and fitting my bias skirt in muslin would not be a problem. Only on week 10, the last week of the class, did she mention doing test fits in a similar fabric. My dress didn't fit the form even though it fit in muslin.

2) When cutting out bias pieces, hang the bias pieces unassembled overnight in the direction they will hang on the body. Then place the pattern pieces over the "stretched" pieces and adjust the hem that undoubtedly became distorted.

3) Sometimes, on a bias garment, the CB needs to be raised a bit to adjust and balance the side seams from swinging backward.

I should have dropped the class in week 4 like I intended, but I was assured the class would get better, and I would learn something. All the demos were haphazardly planned it seemed, unorganized and usually postponed to following week...and the following week....and the following week until there was not enough time. There were too many students and not enough working machines and work space was limited. All the special feet were only available to us when the sewing machine repair man? was available to come in to class and bring them to us. The first week he came, we hadn't even made our patterns yet. He didn't come to every class so there was no way of knowing what equipment would be available to us.

I truly believe every student in the class felt the same way I did about the instruction and the way the class was run. I know some students enjoyed the class because they believed in their design and liked making their dress, regardless of the lack of organization, space and instruction. I am really glad that some people were able to make the best of the class.

Okay, and now for some pictures, and what you've all been waiting for:

The first 3 sketches:

I chose sketch #1 because I thought it would be fun to flat pattern. I ended up draping almost the entire dress...oh, well. One day I will make sketch # 2. I love this dress and would love to see it made up in silk velvet.

I first drafted a pattern and made a muslin (but don't have any pictures). The skirt was way too Sleeping Beauty and the insets were so-so. My instructors suggested I change the triangle insets to flaps. I had to redraft the entire skirt portion, change it to princess seams, and I also changed the godets to inserted, inverted pleats. (Say that 5x fast!)
Here is my second muslin with some fabric pinched out where it needs it:

And delerious me "piecing" together my 3rd muslin. I'm so glad I took a quilting class a few years ago because it saved my sanity making this dress:

Muslin # 3 on me. Unfortunately, the dress was way too big for me:

The final sketch:

And some images of the almost final dress:

I actually really liked the fabric in the end. It was a heavy silk charmeuse. The dress looks awful IMO though....

Back close-up:

I love the beading. I ended up ripping out these beads and replacing them with darker narrow bugle beads. They were much better. I beaded the back collar and the triangle front flaps with scallops and evenly spaced the beads about 1/2" apart along the front of the neckline (not pictured).

Bodice close up:

Maybe one day I'll have better pictures....

Thanks to the followers that were concerned about my absence. I'll try to keep up the blogging.

1940 Vintage Illustrations

2011-10-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

In my Creative Design Analysis and Collection Development class, my instructor brought in a couple of vintage books to share with the class to give us some inspiration and a look at vintage pattern drafting. One of the books she had was falling apart, but had the most beautiful illustrations in it. Luckily, I was allowed to scan a few images. I went down to the Annex, where students have access to a ton of computers, crappy printers, and a couple scanners to scan the images real quick in the middle of class. No scanners were available and I had to wait. I got annoyed and nicely told some girl, who was looking at her facebook, NOT SCANNING, to move and that the scanner stations were 15min only. Facebook, I mean, come on! She was pissed, but moved anyways, and I got my beautiful illustrations. I think I can scan more next week.

In other news, I'm working on my Red Dress and not loving it or my class. I expected more instruction and feedback on my design, but it seems like the class is more of a free for all. I regret not taking Industry Pattern instead. I think I would have learned more. I haven't learned a thing yet in class, just using what I learned from other classes. And the class is a waste of time too. For the first 3 hours, nothing happens. It shouldn't take 3 hours to talk about individual designs. It didn't in my other pattern classes! It's ridiculous. We spend most of our time wandering around, looking at other people's designs, chatting, or waiting for feedback. To add insult to injury, there is absolutely no room to work on patterns. Oh, and we don't get to keep the dresses. We are paying for fabric with our tuition, but the dresses get donated to the American Heart Association. Thats all fine and dandy. I'm all for charity, but the dresses should be auctioned off, not kept crammed in the directors office for YEARS. I'm not happy about that.
The longer I attend FIDM, the more I would not recommend the school.

On to new Followers!

Thank you:

Ms Hepburn I think this vintage blog is great! I was referred here because Ms. Hepburn featured the hat pattern I was inquiring about a few posts back. It was so weird because I designed my red dress before school started and then found this blog. My dress is very similar to one of the 1930's patterns displayed on the blog! Her post was almost 2 weeks after I designed my dress, and I swear I had never seen that pattern before! I should have been a designer in the 30's.

Kimberly, who's been blogging about corsetry and boxers.

Kelsey. She has a sewing blog, and a tea blog! I heart tea!

I can't believe I have almost 150 followers. Thanks everyone for following!

Vintage Hat Pattern Vogue 6121

2011-10-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

My mom and I found this cute 1960's head scarf pattern at the flea market today. It was such a good deal that we didn't even bother to open it up to check for all the pieces and instructions. Well, we should have because the instructions are missing :( Views A and B seam pretty self explanatory from the pattern pieces, but Views C and D confuse me. I think I could figure it out, but my mom could not and she was hoping to make a hat/scarf today :) Bummer, huh?

Does anyone have a copy of this pattern and could scan the instructions for me? I'd be forever grateful and the good karma fairies will make a visit I'm sure :) The wonderful pattern site Blue Gardenia has a copy of the pattern in mint condition, but it is too pricey for me.

I also got this sweet children's book "Love is a Special Way of Feeling"

I love the illustrations in it

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. It's back to sketching for me..... :(

Textbook Recap

2011-10-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

I figured out a different way to link to them with a picture. I would recommend pretty much all of them. If you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me :)

Thanks to everyone who voted for Fritz the Leopard. He got 3rd place. Next year, we'll try harder.

The FIDM adventure begins...again...

2011-10-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the coat comments. The weather heated up and I haven't even had a chance to wear it. It's too darn hot! Tomorrow it is supposed to be almost 100 degrees. All my new Fall/Winter clothes are sitting lonely in my closet.

School started again last week and I'm already pooped. This is my second to last quarter, but I wish it was my last. Most of the other Professional Designation students are done this quarter, but I chose to take it easy and take 4 classes/quarter instead of 5. Oh well, at least I get to use the Trend forecasts and the free printing a little longer.

This quarter I'm taking Creative Design Analysis and Collection Development. This class is basically the same as my other class Creative Design Applications last quarter, but with fewer projects, more tech packs, line sheets, and cost sheets. I also get to use the computer instead of hand draw all my technical flats. We only have 2 assignments all quarter, a 12 piece group for a brand, and a 36 piece collection for our own hypothetical line. This week we broke into groups and decided on a brand that we would design for. My group chose Kate Spade (Hooray! It was my first choice). We each have to design a 12 piece group for Kate Spade based on a common theme. I'm kind of excited about this one, but the work won't be all that much fun. The teacher seems nice and informative, but she is very, very repetitive. I've already had 2 classes and she has told the same story about 6 times. Its going to be a very long quarter.

I'm also taking Computer Pattern Drafting I. In that class we use the Gerber software to draft patterns. So far it is too easy. I really want to be challenged, but when I finished the cuff in about 5 minutes (the first time) I asked my instructor what to do next and he said do it again. The next time it took 1 minute. Yes, it is a rectangle, but still some students couldn't figure out the program. The great thing about class is that there is NO HOMEWORK! Just minor studying for quizzes and midterms.

My last class is the Red Dress Special Project. I applied and found out about my acceptance at the end of last quarter. I get to design, pattern, and construct a dress from exquisite (hopefully) fabrics and then the dress gets donated to the American Heart Association. I was unaware about the donation part. I understand it is for charity, but so far in the last 5-7 years (I'm not sure) the dresses from the class have been sitting in an awful storage facility or the office of the head of the Fashion Dept. It is one thing to auction them off, its another thing to hoard them. If they aren't going to do anything with the dress, I'm going to want it back. I'm paying for it. Rant ended....
So far the class is going well. I'm not loving my group. We all have different design aesthetics. They obviously don't like my aesthetic, and I really don't like some of theirs. I was nice though, unlike some people in my group. Ugg, another 9 weeks. I'm going to make what I want, even if my group doesn't like my designs.

This quarter, I received very few new supplies. No new textbooks. It makes me leery about how they calculated the $5000 supply fee....I'm going to ask about that this quarter for sure.

Once my Amazon Widget starts working again, I 'm going to post my previous textbooks that I like and highly recommend.

And Finally thanks to my newest followers!

Mellacita, Scared Stitchless, Carol, Sunitha, and Doobee64.

Baby Pearl almost 4 yrs ago in a crocheted dress I made for her.

Purple Coat Pictures and a Review!

2011-10-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

I found a cord to transfer photos from my camera! It's not my cord, but it works!

I made a few mistakes. but I'm not telling. Let me know if you notice the glaring one. I was so upset I almost cried.

So things I would do differently if and when I make another coat/jacket:

Interface the collar better and maybe even tailor it. It wrinkles badly, and it makes me sad.
Interface the hemline of the coat
Interface the tie. It did not call for it, but it would be nice if it had more body.
Use Polar fleece instead of hair canvas to set in the sleeves. I used a method I found online and it worked well, but left the wrinkly marks of the curling hair canvas inside the sleeve. Because the self-fabric is not very thick or lofty, I can see the canvas rippling at the sleeve cap.

Things I'm happy with:

I'm pretty happy with the fit. It fits as well as other coats I own, so yay!
I love the color. I feel very unique.
The retro look. Peter pan collars are in for Fall (I just spent 3 hrs. photocopying international magazines at my new internship and I saw a whole lot of peter pan collars)
The covered buttons! These are my favorite (and the sleeve bands). Making the buttons was so easy. I used 1 1/8" buttons because that is all I had. I barely had enough and used two different vintage brands. I have a huge stash of buttons to cover I got for $3 at a flea market.
My top-stitching is pretty amazing! Not gonna lie...

The front. Oh I love the buttons!

The side, with the belt tied in back.

The back.

The 3/4 view. I love the pockets too!

Speaking of pockets....

So exciting.....

Sleeve bands, and buttons!

The lining! It wasn't difficult to figure out at all!

Pattern Description:

McCall's Misses coat/jacket pattern with various lengths, collars, and sleeves. I made view A but with added sleeve bands.

Pattern Sizing:

8-14 I made a size 8 with some modifications.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yup, pretty much.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Very, very easy. I did mess up the collar though. I think I interfaced the wrong piece and then put it on backwards so it folds left over right instead of right over left. Oops.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

It was very easy to fit. My first muslin of M6246 was AWFUL! I switched patterns as a result.

Fabric Used:

A wool woven coating or suiting. It is kind of in between weights. I got it at the LA Garment District. The poly lining is from Jo-Anns.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I added the sleeve bands. The coat folds over left over right like a man's jacket. Oops. I took the CB in an extra 1/2" total from the notch and then blended back to zero. I needed the ease in the upper back, but the lower back needed some fitting. Also placed the buttons where I wanted them, not quite according to the pattern.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yup. One day I will make the the other collar version. I have some RTW trenches that I love, so I probably won't need a new coat any time soon.

I highly recommend this pattern.

Conclusion:

In the future, I would interface the collar better. It is wrinkling annoyingly, but everyone I've asked says it looks fine. I'm just being critical. Also, I would interface the bottom 4 inches of the hem. It needs some more stability.

More pics...The Boyfriend, who is A-ma-zing, took so many!

My First Fall Project: M5525 Purple Pea Coat

2011-10-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I finished my coat yesterday, a day before school started! Yes, FIDM classes have started again. Boo hoo.

I didn't take pictures as I went along because there are so many great step-by-step pictures on the web on how to make a coat and I am no expert. This was my first, and I'm pretty proud of it. There were a few minor hiccups along the way.

I really wanted to make a ton of things on my break, but only managed to make my sister a knit t-shirt for her birthday last June ( forgot to take pictures of her in it) and hemmed a pair of The Boyfriend's jeans. And the coat of course. I still owe my sister a dress and have to hem more pants.

Including the 2 muslins, the coat took about a week. I didn't work on it every day and I took FOR-E-VER cutting out the coat. That took a couple of days. Then I sewed the lining in a night. It took 2 more days to put together the coat. Last night I finished the coat by making self-fabric covered buttons using vintage button kits, buttonholes and sewing on the buttons.

The Boyfriend took pictures today, but I CAN'T FIND THE CORD THAT TRANSFERS PICTURES FROM MY CAMERA TO MY COMPUTER. It disappeared like yesterday! UGG. So I can't show you pictures just yet!

I'm really bummed out, but when I find the cord I'll post ASAP.

Sorry for the picture-less post.

Thanks to Nicole A for becoming my newest Blogger Follower. Her blog is here. :)

Pearl in Pants!

Pattern Review Costume Contest!

2011-10-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! I entered Fritzy in the PR costume contest this year! He's the little leopard dog! Vote for him if you are a member of PR! You can vote here!

Thanks!

Coat Update:

My purple coat (M5525) is almost done! I'm hand sewing in the should pads right now and then I have to insert the lining (which is already sewn). Once the lining is in, its hand sewing the hem, making buttonholes and sewing on buttons. I still haven't found the right buttons. I hope I do soon!

Quick Sewing Machine Cleaning Tip

2011-09-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I learned this little tip during my serger class a couple years ago and thought I would share since I was cleaning the dust bunnies from my sewing machine.

The best thing to clean out the uglies is an old, fluffy make-up brush.

For some reason, make-up brushes attract the lint better than anything else I've tried.

So go buy yourself a new powder brush and clean out your machine with the old!

Not so Fugly Muslin : M5525

2011-09-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

I ditched the first jacket/coat pattern I was attempting. I'm sure if I cut a smaller size it would not have looked so bad, but the sleeves were awful. Such a weird 80's style that was totally unflattering. Last night I cut out M5525. I cut view A with the overlapping peter pan collar. I decided to cut a size 8 at the bust and graded to a 12 at the hips because in my first muslin of the other pattern, the 12 at the hips fit fine. I definitely needed the ease there. Here are the results:

I think the front fits pretty darn good. The apex points are where they should be and so is the waist.

I'm concerned a little about how the front is rising up in this picture. The two front pieces are shorter as per the instructions, but I may need a FBA. What do you all think? The sleeves are set in rather quickly and poorly so I know they will look better in the final.

And the back...Its better than the first time around, but I wasn't happy. I need the ease over my shoulder blades but not from the mid back down. Also I think shoulder pads would help. I took in the CB seam 1/4" (for a 1/2" total from the mid back and then I blended back out to zero in the picture below this one.

Unfortunately, I didn't press if before my photographer took the picture. A few minutes later she left and I had to attempt taking pictures of myself.

Here's one...It's not all that bad! I think I might just go with it!

I also noticed that the left side is frumpier than the right. I think it has to do with how I set in the sleeves. I set in the left first by pin-easing very, very quickly. Lots of puckers, but it went in...The right was done by crimping. Much better and even quicker!

If you have any advice, please let me know :) I'm thinking of just going for it and cutting into my purple wool! Aww, so scary! My first attempt at a jacket! I figure, the coat will be belted and be crumply (I made this word up) anyways.

I'll keep you all posted on my next step.

Thanks to my newest followers Temporary Cat and Tifia Gabrielle!

Welcome to the Jungle...

2011-09-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Remember the Halloween costume I made for Pearl last year?

Well, this year for the Pattern Review Costume Contest, I made little Fritz a LEOPARD OUTFIT!

In "captivity."

In the "wild."

On the prowl.

Scavenging for food?

Lions and Leopards and...

Roxy...oh my!...

Pearl got second place last year, this year Fritz should take 1st! Vote for our cute little leopard dog cat thing.

The pattern Review:

Pattern Description:

Dog costumes in 3 sizes: Elvis, Bumblebee, Cow, Lion
Pattern Sizing:

S - M- L . I started with a small and shrunk it down to 60% on a xerox. Because I made the pattern before, I increased the size of the pattern by slashing and spreading (which worked, to an extent).
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

More or less. After I shrunk it down, and the graded the pattern up a bit, it ended up still being too small. I made this version a shirt as well and did not include the tail. I decided the problem with the fit was in the back legs. Maybe it was in reducing the pattern on the copier that did it, but the back legs are drafted poorly. There needed to be even more ease between the my dog's rear and his leg.
Were the instructions easy to follow?

I did not use them, but they seemed okay.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I think the pattern is cute, but not drafted well. I thought it was me the first time around, but I am more experienced now and I think it is the pattern. I wish the pattern companies made patterns for tiny dogs :)
Fabric Used:

Leopard print polar fleece from the swapmeet.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I shrunk the pattern down to 60% of the original and added back 1/2" seam allowances. I then slashed and spread and added an inch to the circumference about an inch to the length and split the legs open a bit for some more room. It still didn't fit in the back so I made it a shirt instead of a jumper.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Nope! I think I'll just use my self drafted dog pj pattern the next time I make a doggie onesie. I'll probably use the hood pattern piece and the ears again though.
Conclusion:

Try something else if you have little dogs. It may work for larger breeds.

A Fugly Muslin M6246

2011-09-24T23:01:00.000-07:00

I started working on a muslin for this jacket. I'm making view B, the pink jacket in the corner.

For the muslin I used a winter white wool I bought at a Goodwill for $3.00. I think there was about 5 yards and I used 1.5 for the muslin. :)

I measured a jacket that fits me well and flat pattern measured. I decided a size 12 would be a good starting point, but I think its huge, especially in the back. I also HATE the sleeves. The darts are just weird. I have very sloping shoulders and did not do an adjustment because the princess seam to the armhole was making things extra complicated. I did put in a temporary 1/4" should pad, which didn't do much. Since I've been drafting my own patterns for school, I discovered I hate seam allowance. I think I'll start making Burda patterns. It is so much easier to manipulate the pattern before the seam allowance is added.

I need help! The princess seams are in the wrong place, the body is huge, the sleeves are huge, the back looks awful... How should I adjust this muslin? I'm thinking I should start again with a 10, but I'm not even liking the sleeves. I'd also need to shorten the pattern. I might just switch to this pattern:

M5525

At least this jacket/coat has reviews on PR. Well, everyone and their mother has made it so I assume its a good pattern. What do you think?

The Fabric Haul (Picture Heavy)

2011-09-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who commented here and on Sew Retro about the stinky fabric. We washed the last few batches of fabric with vinegar, but the smell didn't come out completely. I think I'm going to have to wash it again and try laying out small batches in the sun. I do not have a clothesline, but maybe I'll have to rig one up in the backyard. We are too lazy to wash the fabric again and lay in the sun, so I think we are going to make a "stinky bin" and put all the fabric in there. When it is time to use it, I'll just wash it again.

Now to the fabric! I did burn tests for almost every piece of fabric and we did really well! Cottons, SILKS, and a wool! I think some of the cottons could be rayon, but there is no real way to tell unless I put them under a microscope. Too much work!

I love the little birdies embroidered on the yellow cotton. I want a little house so I can make curtains out of fabric. My mom likes the border print floral. I think it would make a great little vintage sundress or better yet, a pretty skirt!

The rose print is adorable, but I LOVE the silk and the sheer embroidered cotton. I think they were meant to be used together. The blue fabric pictured is interesting, but I can't figure out what to do with it. Probably a muslin.

A really pretty, soft wool plaid and a cotton olive green corduroy. There is just enough plaid for a skirt and tons of the cord. I think I want a cord skirt as well.

BEAUTIFUL SILKS from China. They were in a paper package with Chinese written on it. The inhabitants of the estate were big travelers.

A gorgeous, funky polished cotton! I love the sheen. Weird, but cool! I don't know if I would ever wear it, but its nice to have.

LOVE the cotton plaid!

A fun stripe and a red silk my mom has claimed. I'm not a huge fan, so I'm cool with it :)

Another bundle I just didn't want to photograph. The yellow dotted swiss is best piece of fabric in the bundle! Oh, and there were two rather hefty tricots in nude. I'll definitely use them to line knit!

Super fun fish print! I'm going to use this one day. Even though it is crazy.

Cutest fabric from the lot! I hope I get the diamond fabric before my mom does :) hehe. We think the printed gingham would make a great apron.

The patterns were $5 each which is usually a lot for me, but I didn't have anything like them and they were in my size.

I had to post this too. My mom got this travel kit for $3. It has never been used, and I think it's just adorable.

We also bought some cute trims, 2 pairs of funky shoes, interesting costume jewelry, and a beautiful necklace gold and amethyst from the turn of the century 1900 (not 2000). I get it at Christmas. :) Oh, and a gorgeous custom sheath dress and coat made for lady of the house. It is white and beautifully embroidered in black. The embroidery is also cut out. I'll have to take pictures and share some of the details. My favorite part is the quilted coat lining and the hidden pocket. I get the dress and my mom gets the coat :)

My mom paid for everything, so thanks Mom!

Ugg, the "Motif" Dress

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

My last draping assignment was something called a "motif dress." We had to pick a shape and drape around and into it. The shape had to be inspired by a picture of a place that we've been to or would like to go to. I was inspired by this picture:

I didn't take this picture, but this is how I remember Big Ben from my study abroad trip to London. I saw it at night the first time and it was so pretty. I think there was even some sort of crew working just like in the picture.

I wanted my dress to have a circle as its motif and I wanted to keep the dress kind of columnar, but have some flare. By the way, I hate it, and polyester georgette is EVIL! Sewing wasn't all that bad, but cutting was a nightmare. Especially with humongous circle skirt panels! Sewing pleats into a circle was no picnic either.

Here's the dress.

It had to be hand hemmed. I didn't do it and didn't get knocked down because my teacher didn't even check! I did a chiffon hem instead and it worked out pretty well. I merrow hemmed the lining. There is an invisible zipper too. I wish the back straps were made out of the gold fabric, but I didn't have time to make pattern pieces for them. I used this awful, flimsy vintage ribbon I found in my stash. It kept shredding as I worked with it.

I was up all night working on this and then had to do more homework for my Creative Design Applications class. I was also sick, so I'm not really proud of the dress. I hope to be able to make things that I want. I'm tired of making crappy garments that I am not proud of.

Excuses, excuses, excuses. ^

Vintage Fabric Question

2011-09-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

Pictures are coming, but does anyone know how to get the smell of old people out of vintage fabric? You know, that musty smell in everyone's grandmother's house. My mom and I just bought LOADS of fabric at an estate sale today and even after washing, it still smells funky.

Any suggestions????

Thanks!

A Wrinkled Hot (Pink) Mess

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

My last project in my Pattern Drafting class was a pair of shorts. The requirements were:

1) Must be shortened (ie. not full length pants)
2) Must have rolled up cuffs
3) Must have mock-fly zipper
4) Must have patch pocket

I decided I wanted to make a retro-inspired high-waisted short. I also wanted to try to get rid of side seams and create a side panel instead. I saw similar pockets on BurdaStyle and wanted to try something like it.

The fabric is this cheap-o hot pink linen I found at the FIDM Scholarship store for $2/yd. If you breathe on it, it wrinkles. A lot! Don't worry, this is not how I presented them for the critique. They were pressed very nicely. I took the pictures after they were folded in the bag.

This is what I came up with:

The pictures suck. The cuffs ARE even in real life and the back waistline does not tilt like that. I forgot that I hadn't taken pictures so I threw them back on a mannequin and snapped real quick photos with my phone in a cramped little sewing room full of students trying to finish final projects. I didn't bother getting them on correctly. I was so afraid they wouldn't fit, and they didn't, but thank God for linen and its stretchiness. I stretched the fabric so the zipper would close!

I didn't know how they would turn out when I drafted/designed them. I wish the inseam would have been shorter and the high waistline not so high, but overall it was a good project and I got 100%. I think they are ugly, but who cares! They are done! Sometimes I think FIDM teachers grade really easy....oh well.

Liebster Blog Award

2011-09-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy that I haven't had time to thank Andrea for this great award! Andrea lives in Houston (I hope the weather is better!) and blogs at Invisible Flower.

I copied this from her blog:

This award is for "those who have less than 300 Google followers but deserves a lot more recognition and following than what they currently get. They are the unsung heroes of the blogsphere, plugging away in their little corner, churning out fantastic work and we need to do something to help them get some publicity." I'm truly honored and thrilled that Andrea thinks my blog deserves more recognition (even though I haven't posted anything in a while). Sorry, this quarter was EVIL!

So now I'll pass it on to a couple more people :)

"Adonising" Dressing for Dinner

I don't know how many followers she has by looking at her blog actually, but this is a great blog! I don't know the bloggers name even. I stumbled upon the blog a few months ago I think and am in awe of the garments! They are so well made and I can't believe she sews so fast! Its amazing!

Gwen of All My Seams

Gwen has around 230 followers and she deserves every one! Check out her blog!

Michelle of Cheap and Picky

Cheap and Picky was one of the first blogs I found when I started to sew. Michelle hasn't blogged for a few months and I miss her posts. I hope she starts back up again!

Now, for my follower appreciation:

Thanks to Jamie, Julia of Get Going...Sewing, Pearls and Lace (I looove the knitted bunny!), and Donna P!

Thanks ladies! Hope you like the blog!

Pearl is blown away by your Awesomeness!

Oh, and for everyone who was wondering or commented, I got into the FIDM Special Projects class. The Red Dress project with the American Heart Association. Anndddd, I got an internship with a children's clothing company/manufacturer in the L. A. area. Woohoo!

I'm going to be a very busy girl next quarter.

Crafty Cakes

2011-09-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for cute cakes. Found these on a blog I read and thought I would share.

Aren't they awesome?

Anticipating my Quarter Break...

2011-09-05T00:28:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a little break from drafting the pattern for my draped "motif" dress design. I've been working on it for about 8-9 hours now, and I have one piece to go. I ran out of dot paper and I have to go to my car (which has a flat tire! :( ) to get more. I think I'll wait until the morning.

Basically the assignment is to find an inspirational travel image and design from it. I chose a picture of Big Ben in London at night because I have fond memories of walking around the city with a complete stranger, a fellow traveler, my second night in London before my study abroad program started in 2005. From the image, I have to select a motif or shape. I chose the clock circle and designed my dress around that. We have to drape into that motif and it is a pain in the butt. Oh, I forgot to tell you that we are draping polyester georgette, the most God awful fabric in the world. Silk is too expensive, so I didn't upgrade, which we were allowed to do. The dress must have an invisible zipper and be fully lined. I'll take pictures when I have something worthwhile to show.

Anyways, I have a week and a half until my quarter is over (woohoo!) and until then I have two big 'ole projects to finish for my Creative Design Applications class, a pair of shorts to draft cut and sew, this motif dress, and a few random things like sketches, fixing my resume, and putting together a quick portfolio to email to a potential boss. The 12 piece sportswear design group and the dress is due Wed. and the shorts are due Thursday. I'm going to cry. I promise I didn't procrastinate either!

I'm taking this little break to plan out my 3 week sewing for myself and family plan!

1) I'm hopefully entering in the Pattern Review Costume Contest! I'm going to make doggie outfits again because both dogs need new clothes. I'll post pictures for sure. I love dog photo-shoots and I haven't done one in forever.

2) I owe my sister a bday present or two...I'm going to make her knockoff Michael Starr shirts. I made a quick pattern from one of her shirts a looong time ago and its time to fix it a bit and make some clothes. They should be very quick and I already have the fabric selections picked out.

3) I want to make myself a coat from this pattern and fabric. I blogged about it months and months ago and never had the time to start it.

M6246

4) Make my slopers! I'm going to make an appt. with Sew L.A. to get my measurements taken because I can't do it accurately myself and my two attempts with family and friends have failed miserably.

5) I would love to make a vintage shirt dress. I muslined out a first attempt at one, but it fit horribly. I have to try, try again.

6) A white skirt (screw not wearing white after Labor Day!) to go with my navy and white charmeuse top.

I have about 20 more things to add to this list and its getting depressing because I'll probably only finish the tops for my sister and the dog outfits.

I can dream though, right?

Up-All-Night Madras Shirt

2011-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

My last Pattern Drafting class project was a shirt. We drafted a casual shirt sloper and sleeve then designed a shirt with:

collar and stand
detached front button placket (not a facing)
sleeve placket
french cuffs
shirt tail hem

Not much room for design, but that was okay with me. :) I originally came up with a cute scallop placket and short puff sleeves, but I didn't have time to execute it. My design was simplified drastically and I played with fabrics instead.

I started my draft in class two Thursdays ago. I ended up not using any of it really except the shirt tail hem shape. The following Tuesday, I redrafted the front and back, made a collar and stand pattern, drafted the front placket and the yoke. That day I also finished up the patterns for the bustier and finished up my Creative Design Applications Activewear 12 piece group (I finished at 3am).

So Wednesday night comes along (I got home at 4:30pm) and I haven't even gotten my pattern on manila (oak tag)!!! I finished up my patterns, cut them out of manila, then cut my fabric. I didn't start sewing until midnight!

Sewed, sewed, sewed all night and by 6am I had the hem left. My machine broke and I was panicking. I left for school (The Boyfriend has been AMAZING and driving me to school when I don't get enough or any sleep the night before). In the car I drew my flat sketch and worked on my Pattern Card (a list of pattern pieces). At school I sewed the sh*ttiest hem ever and put the shirt on the dressform. The shirt did not need to have buttons and buttonholes (thank God!)

Compared to others, it was really well sewn, and I got a 98% on the sewing. Don't know what I got on the pattern, but I'm sure I did fine.

Here's my madras shirt with contrast placket, cuffs, and collar stand!

Again, I apologize for the crappy photos. I need a better phone.

Even matched plaids...

The placket is pretty crappy, but it was sewn at 5am!

I heart my collar.

The fabric is vintage madras. I paid (well my mom did :) ) $5 for 3 yards. The contrast is a cotton/poly blend I got a the swapmeet for $1/yd.

Thanks to Jaime, my newest follower! Enjoy the blog!

About 30 hrs of pleating and sewing and pleating and sewing and...

2011-08-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

My bustier is done and I'm pretty happy with it. So much hand sewing went into it! So you saw what I started with:

I decided it would be easier to pre-pleat the fabric, then cut out the pattern pieces using the same foundation pattern pieces. So I made a muslin of pleated fabric and was like,

"What the hell am I doing? I need to get started on the shantung!" So I went to pleating the shantung, only after one muslin panel. And I pleated and pleated and pleated the rest of the day. I went home and hand sewed and hand sewed and hand sewed those pleats down. (just tacked them down using the blind slip stitch). Then I realized,

"What the hell am I doing? I need to cut out the pieces and then tack down the pleats. I'm wasting my time!" So I traced the pattern onto the pleats, took the fabric to my sewing machine and basted down the pleats around the sew line perimeter to hold them in place. I then cut out the pieces and hand sewed and hand sewed and hand sewed some more. Once again I started to hyperventilate and thought,

"What the hell and I doing? I need to get this thing put together. It's only the first drape I need to turn in, not the final!" I sewed the panels together, basted it to foundation and was done! I turned it in, got a good review and used the rest of the week to finish tacking down the pleats, adding a pleated trim along the neckline, and inserting the lining. I didn't want to add anything else, because I was tired, didn't want to make a separate pattern piece, and I like things simple. I added a Judith Lieber pin I was trying to sell on Ebay. Perfect! If Valentino can add a pin and call it "done," then so can I.

Here it is in all its glory, ie. pleating and hand sewing:

The front

The back and the lining..

Close-up of the pleats!

Another close-up. a little blurry.

Don't worry about the fit in the back. It is supposed to fit like this. The dressform has no "squish" like a real body...On a size 8 person, this would fit properly.

I'm applying for FIDM special project class and turned this in as an example of my work. I hope I get in!

Gingham dress Lining

2011-08-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

Just a couple requested pictures of the lining. Sorry Branka that it took so long! I also apologize for the wrinkles. Just pretend they aren't there. The dress has been crammed in a ball for a while now. Still want to insert a zipper, but I haven't gotten around to it. It's completely lined and enclosed. I used a burrito method at the waistband. I squished the entire bodice and the entire skirt into the waistband and sewed the waistband together, then pulled the bodice and skirt out through one of sides. Here are the pictures:

Don't Sew at 2am...unless you have to...

2011-08-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

My second project in my pattern drafting class was to create a torso block (a combined bodice and skirt block that goes down to the hip level with fisheye darts for shaping and no waist seam) and then use the torso block for a design of my own. I decided to create a fitted multi-seamed little black dress. Here's my technical sketch:

Imagine this dress with contrasting piping, cute huh? Or contrasting topstitching.... My original idea, which I backed off on because of time constraints was ruched side panels. I decided that since I didn't have time to make a muslin, it wasn't worth trying...and possibly failing.

So now for the dress. The pictures were taken with my horrible phone camera.. Very blurry, but you get the idea. I'm so NOT Happy with my sewing. Sewing all those curved seams in a very very very stretch cotton sateen was a pain in the ass. I thought it would be easier. Next time, I'll use a wool crepe. My corner seams (I used my tutorial!) were beauteous! My first invisible zipper in a year and a half (inserted at 2am) was pretty damn good. My facing was great....the hem awesome! BUT THOSE CURVED SEAMS RUINED THE DRESS! And it wouldn't press well...And I think in my haste I cut a panel off grain. Ugg, so much to hate....When I finally make my own sloper, I'm making myself this dress.

So yea, not too happy, but elements of it were good. And I got an A on both the pattern and the dress. I thought I deserved a B, but I'll take an A.

Next up, the plaid dress lining pictures, and the Valentino Bustier....

Fun with Denim

2011-08-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

I participated in the Cotton Inc. Competitions at FIDM, but the submissions for the contests are due on Monday and I doubt there is anything I can make in time. Oh well.... I learned how to embellish fabrics, dye them in cool ways, discharge fabrics, macrame techniques, and some felting techniques. I particularly liked the dying techniques. Last week, for the denim competition workshops I did some distressing on denim and some color discharging. Here are some of my samples:

This was done by crunching up a piece of denim tightly in a tiny cup of bleach.

I used a diagonal folding technique. I folded accordion-style on the bias and clamped the fabric between 2
pieces of wood and dunked in bleach. After I discharged one side, I folded diagonally again, clamped and dunked in bleach.

Arashi technique. One of my favorites...Wrap fabric around PVC piping, wrap with rope, string etc,
Squish fabric to bottom of pole and dunk in bleach.

Still have to show the inside of the Portrait Dress, I forgot, but I'll take pictures tomorrow. Also have to show off my icky little black dress I designed. I love the design, not the execution. So sad, but I might redo it, definitely for myself when I get a working personal sloper. Finally, my bustier is almost done, and its looking pretty damn good. Have to insert hook and eye tape and sew up the rest of the lining.

And design a 12 piece golf line.....So much to do this weekend!!!!!!

Thanks to my two newest followers, Lori and Sarah!

Pearl on a poodle! I won this pillow at the fair last week!

Valentino-Inspired Bustier

2011-08-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

For the next draping project, I have to create a Valentino-inspired bustier. I learned that the difference between a bustier and a corset is the amt. of shaping that occurs. A bustier shapes slightly and goes with the curves of the body. A corset completely transforms the shape of the body and molds it into another shape completely.

I have to be inspired by Valentino, so I chose his simple, pleated details:

interesting pleated? textile on bodice

love the pleats, hate everything else :)

two above from 2001.

This is what I've got pictures of so far. Just draping in muslin. I actually didn't end up using this drape. I have pleated the heck out of my fabric and have attached it to the foundation, but I forgot to take pictures today. I spent all day Monday pleating, and all day Tuesday hand sewing the pleats and making the outer layer of the bustier.

Sorry for the poor quality of photos again. My phone is not smart, nor does it take good photos. I need an upgrade.

Here are the fabrics I am using for the design:

A gorgeous purple dupioni silk shantung. A generous gift from another student who acquired it from a friend. He said a relative? of his friend willed the fabric to a fashion design student and he got a whole lot of beautiful fabrics.

And, gasp! a polyester charmeuse lining. This is a $1.50/yd purchase. The colors go so well together and it will be perfect lining fabric. Floral, feminine, and sort of Valentino. Mixing silk and poly is just wrong, but I refuse to spend a lot of money on a school project that I can't even wear!

And while I'm at it, here are other recent fabric acquisitions:

Grey Silk Gabardine from the FIDM scholarship store of all places. $2.00/yd.

Brown/purple-y Wool/spandex blend suiting from FIDM scholarship store. $2.00/yd.

shiny black Cotton/Spandex sateen from FIDM scholarship store. $2.00/yd. It looks grey in the pictures because its so shiny. I'm using this for a dress (that I have to sew tonight!) for my pattern drafting class.

Unknown cotton like plain-weave prints from swapmeet $1.50/yd.

Livebird, winner of the "name the dress" giveaway, please email me your info so I can send you the pattern! You have until Friday!

More to come this weekend when I have more time to blog. I have to get back to drafting a shirt sloper and then sew that dress!