The Facts
Fabric: Polyester crepe, $12
Pattern: Colette Peony
Year: Contemporary
Notions: Zipper, bias tape
Time to complete: 7 hours
First worn: Haven’t worn it out yet
Wear again? Yes, with some changes
Total Cost: About $12.50

To have made a Rita Moreno dress would have been awesome, don’t you think?

But also well outside the limits of my time and ability. So I stuck with West Side Story (The 1961 film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10), but went with a simpler inspiration dress.

I have been watching this movie since I was pretty young and have always liked the scene in which Tony comes to visit Maria where she works at Madam Lucia’s bridal shop. The two exchange mock wedding vows with well-dressed mannequins standing in as their family and friends. It’s one of the last really tender moments before things get intense and tragic.

I thought the Peony pattern’s modest neckline, three-quarter length sleeves and sweet waist gathers captured elements Natalie Wood’s dress from the bridal shop scene – but in a way that would be easily wearable for me.

And I’m mostly happy with how it came out. The ivory band at the bottom of the skirt seems like too much, and I’m going remove it. The ribbon at the waist will go too – I think I want to make the cummerbund belt that’s included as part of the Peony pattern. I just don’t know if it should be the same pale gold color as the dress or more of a contrast?

Fabric: plaid cotton poly blend $4

Pattern: Self Drafted

Year: modern

Notions: zipper, $1.49

Time to complete: 2 hours

First worn: February, 2012

Wear again? Yes.

Total price: $5.49

I was super excited for this challenge. I chose Bonnie and Clyde. The movie was nominated for several Oscar’s in 1968. This is a movie I watched every time it was on TCM or AMC. I was in love with the romantic side of the film. The beauty of Faye Dunaway, her chemistry with Warren Beatty. And my goodness, the costuming! I can’t watch Bonnie and Clyde enough.What an infamous true event to base a film after. If it weren’t for Bonnie, Clyde would really just be another pathetic bank robber. But Bonnie brought some sex appeal and scandal to the headlines. People were enamored over their love affair and ego-centric dangerous lifestyle.

I tried to pose similar to what Faye Dunaway did for the film. We didn’t have an old Model T but we did find this gem of a coffee shop. They serve the best breakfast and have the best prices! Jerry’s Coffee Shop, Simi Valley, CA. Stop by if you are in town. The owner told us to take as many photos as we wanted. He was great, awesome service. Awesome building! I think we will be going to Jerry’s more often, and not just for photos.

I know pencil skirts weren’t developed in the 1930′s, but I wanted to make a skirt that I could wear to work, interviews, and church. Something a little more modern. I chose an easy care cotton ploy blend with little stretch. I loved the tiny plaid print, and the hidden colors among the blues and grays. I could really wear this skirt with any color of top. Which made my day, knowing I could pair it easily for an outfit.

I made this skirt in a day. It’s nice to have something accomplished so quickly and not think about it every night before bed. That was a first for me. This skirt was really easy to make as well. When you are wanting to make a simple pencil skirt, you don’t need a pattern. My skirt is only 3 pieces, sewn at the side seems and the center back. I’ll be posting a tutorial on my blog soon.

I hope you all enjoy the Academy Awards. I honestly don’t know what’s been nominated. And I wont be watching it on my television, since we don’t have dish/cable. I suppose I could stream it on my laptop. We will see how tired I am that evening. P.S. I want to thank those of you who asked if i was feeling better. I am much better. I love being part of a community full of women that can encourage and appreciate one another. Thank you for all the wonderful support. All of you are so beautiful and talented.

Speaking of talent. I want to thank my amazing husband for his creative photography and putting up with my demands and teaching me how to mess with my pictures.

The Facts

Friends, when I found out the Oscars challenge coincided with Disney’s Princess Half Marathon this coming Sunday, I about lost my mind.  The Little Mermaid did win an Oscar for best song, and what other princess has red hair, I ask you?? (Giselle doesn’t really count since she didn’t end up marrying the Prince… she married Patrick Dempsey instead, which is ok in my book.)

I set out with the goal of making myself the most epic mermaid running outfit in the history of mermaid running outfits. I feel I have met this goal with quite a bit of success.

For the pants, this ended up being the second set I made. The first set ended up with the crotch being WAY TOO LOW and too tight – I couldn’t pull the pants past my monster calves.  When I cut out the second pair, I cut out one size larger and added two inches to the thigh length.  This made all the difference in the comfort department.  The fabric has enough stretch to give me some ability to bend my knee – I do need to be able to at least run part of this race. It also gives me room for my knee brace – ah, the joy of inheriting my father’s knees.  I hand painted scales (or my interpretation of scales) all over the front of the pants.  This took four bottles of Shamrock Iridescent Puffy Paint.  My hand was shaking so badly that I eventually decided that the back of the pants would be fine without scales. Who wants to see distorted scales on my booty?  Not I.

The top came about with the help of some cream polyester from my stash.  I cut out the top from the Kwik Sew pattern (it was not as form fitting as the pants) and WENT TO TOWN with the purple fabric paint.  That was super fun, but in hindsight, I probably should have put a protective coating on my dress form.  She’s a bit discolored now.  I had bought the sequin trim a few months ago and it worked out perfectly.  There was a ton of hand sewing and needles going through the tops of fingers, but I LOVE how it turned out.

One of my favorite things about this outfit is my Sebastian pouch.  I got the crabby pattern from BurdaStyle and cut it out of an old t-shirt I had lying around. And then I added a zipper and some elastic…

…and now it holds my GU and my cell phone while I’m running!  (PS That is the RAZZ flavor above, but it reminds me of the awesome Kazz, so it’s like I’m taking a friend with me out on the path).  The final part of my outfit is, of course, a starfish – just in case people don’t know who I am supposed to be.

Now that my costume is finished, I feel like I can focus on my upcoming race (my first since I stress fractured my femur – eep!) and all the awesomeness that comes with running in the happiest place in the world.

Have an AMAZING week, my friends!

The Facts
Fabric: Rayon challis (kimono) and silk shirting (belt) from stash
Pattern: McCall’s 4304 (kimono) and Butterick 5638
 (belt)
Year: Contemporary
Notions: Interfacing
Time to complete: 20 hours
First worn: At a local park
Wear again? Everyday if I could
Total Price: $50

Memoirs of a Geisha (based on Arthur Golden’s novel) won Oscars for Best Costume Design, Cinematography, and Art Direction in 2006. It’s a gorgeous film that tells the survival story of a Japanese woman who lived the life of a geisha before and after World War II.

Sounds nice, eh?

Well, I never saw it. The book has been in my library since it was released and I haven’t read it either.

I’m not sure why the story has eluded me all these years. Especially since I’ve probably seen Die Hard 2 about eighty seven times. I could’ve spared some of that folding-laundry-while-watching-basic-cable time to enjoy an Oscar-winning movie where Chinese actresses play Japanese geishas. But, alas…me and ‘Memoirs’ remain estranged.

Doesn’t mean I can’t be inspired by the film for this week’s Oscars challenge….

Because I HEART me some kimonos.

For Christmas last year, I put a full-length Turkish terry cloth robe from Lands End on my wishlist…and was the happiest camper when Santa put it under my tree. I love that robe. It’s the comfiest, snuggliest, warmest piece of wearable joy I own.  However….I wouldn’t want to be seen getting my mail or taking out the trash in it. I’d rather be one of those hippie-glamorous suburbanites who answers the door wearing a long silk dashiki or a sashed satin robe that innocently hangs of my shoulders. That’s how I always imagined my loungewear…a sexy, silky, mix of romance, comfort, and culture. After all…a girl can’t lounge in terry cloth alone.

I’ve had this black and white rayon print in my stash for a few years. I don’t remember where I bought it and can only guess what I paid for it, but at the time its gorgeousness was so powerful that Stevie Wonder could see going home with anything less than 5 yards would be blasphemy. The fabric needed a long garment to showcase its large print and my out-of-print McCall’s kimono pattern (once lengthened to ankle height) would be the perfect canvas. But I was kind of scared the scale of the print would overwhelm my frame. It was one of those moments where I had to trust my gut (which was telling me this thing would be the shiznit if I’d only I’d stop wigging and make it already).

I dug through my stash to find a contrast fabric to make a belt. This red and white striped silk made the only suitable pairing – the only choice was the PERFECT choice. I started to draft an obi belt, but punted and ended up using the belt featured in Butterick 5638 (I bought the pattern a few months ago just for the belt).

Some facts about the fitting and construction of the “American Geisha” Kimono:

1. Since the pattern had plenty of ease and would be made in a drapey fabric, I wasn’t sure if my usual petite and full bust alterations would be necessary. A quick muslin proved only two petite alterations were required: narrower shoulder and reduced length at the chest.
2. The original pattern has drop shoulders that connect to the square kimono sleeves. To better fit my proportions and avoid looking like I was drowning in the fabric, I narrowed the shoulder seam (using a slash and spread technique) to meet my shoulder point. This widened the waist dart, which I redrafted and sewed after lengthening the pattern over 20 inches.
3. Maneuvering those long pattern pieces was very new and mildly frustrating to me. The experience took me on a tangent involving sketches for a bigger and better cutting table.
4. Mr. Carroll became my fitting assistant and did an excellent job marking the hem of the kimono. He was such a nerd about it, too. He had me standing on a stool, while he crouched at my feet with a piece of chalk. He checked and double checked the hem — on me, then on my dress form, then on me again. At one point, he yelled, “How am I supposed to get this even if you won’t stand still!” Yep, he thinks his Tailor Nazi tantrum is gonna keep me from recruiting him. Not a chance. The hem turned out great!

Thanks for looking. As busy as my life has been lately, the awesome support and shared creativity from this community has been carrying me through these challenges. I am eternally inspired by each and every one of the Sew Weekly contributors. Thank you for joining me on this incredible adventure. 44 weeks to go!!!

I love this kimono. I never want to take it off. Can you tell?

Vogue 8633

The Facts

Fabric: Striped linen, interfacing, interlining and lining from stash, dark blue linen from Joann’s ($8.19)
Pattern: Vogue 8633
Year: l955
Notions: Zipper & self-covered buttons from stash, ribbons on hat ($21.84)
Accessories: Hat ($16.02)
Time to complete: 12 hours
First worn: February 2012
Wear again? Yes but probably as separates

Total Cost: ~$46.05 + $3 for linen shirt at Salvation Army

There are moments in movie history where an image, or a short series of images, takes your breath away. These are the moments that a Costume Designer lives for, plans for, hopes and prays for…

This was one of them : )

I have to confess when “Titanic” first came out I was loathe to see it. Not only was it HUGELY popular, especially with the teen/twenty-something set, but it was directed by James Cameron whom I…well, let’s just say his ego is a little off-putting and move on. It was probably 10 years before I saw the whole thing and on TV WITH commercials no less : ) But when Rose first arrives at the Titanic and gets out of the car is one of those moments that live in a Costume Designers soul. Stunning work by Deborah L. Scott, she was pitch perfect with this movie and I knew one day I’d have a suit like Rose’s. (Too bad the rest of the movie didn’t measure up to the costuming!)

Rose

When I first read through the list of challenges and saw the Oscar challenge, my mind went blank. Being an Historic Costume major most of the movies I love are period pieces AND I’ve made outfits from almost every era so what to do??  As I would check out the Sew Weekly page I kept scrolling past the “Last Dinner on the Titanic” event and couldn’t shake it. Titanic…Oscars.. Titanic…Oscars…and here we are : )

I had a big hunk of white linen with a navy/black pinstripe so we were half way there. I dragged my mom up to Joann’s to look for a piece of navy linen, thinking I’d have to dye it to get the right color but lo and behold, what they had was perfect! One yard later I was set. I needed a pattern that had the semi-princess seaming and found this lovely 1955 gem in my collection. I used the basic cut of the pattern, redrafted the front for the double-breasted lapels and made a muslin. I had to trek to my girlfriends house (with the horrendous cold of last week) to do a proper fitting. Back home, it took me 2 episodes of “Big Bang Theory” to get everything cut out.

A couple hours of sewing a night, a day off to fight off the worst of the cold and then back to it and I was cruising. I decided the WHOLE outfit needed to live and a random stroll through Forever 21 (can you believe it??) produced the hat! When I had met up with some of the Bay Area Sewists at Britex I had bought some ribbons on the off-chance I’d figure out the hat issue and, as my daughter pointed out, the ribbons cost more than the hat. That’s ok, they are pretty fabulous : )

The hat : )

It’s not an exact reproduction of the movie, and it’s not meant to be. I want something I can wear out into the real world and be close enough that you get what I’m going for without looking like some Faire geek who got lost in time : ) The real test will be if I can wear this on BART to work this summer.

I pulled out a men’s tie pattern from the early 80′s and made the tie on my lunch hour at work. Friday night I decided to make the skirt so another episode of “Big Bang Theory” and I was ready. Saturday I put in “Julie and Julia” and finished the jacket handwork. “The Help” and the skirt and hat were done. The shirt is a $3 find at Salvation Army and 100% linen.

Cruising....

After the unmitigated success last week with cars this week we trotted out to Jack London Square for the boats!  This whole picture taking thing is getting easier but its SO much easier when you’re not sick and cranky…

Neither sick nor cranky : )

I suppose if I had corseted myself I could have gotten a *little* closer to Rose’s look in the movie but the whole point was to make this wearable today. Here’s the irony – I made this entire outfit in LESS time this week than last weeks dress and petticoat AND I like it better! C’est la vie…

The Facts:

Fabric: cream-colored cotton embroidered eyelet from B&J fabrics; green silk from paron annex; red(dish) silk charmeuse from mood fabrics
Pattern: vogue 8409 (dress), simplicity 2412 (slip dress), simplicity 1920 (belt)
Year: modern (dress and belt), c.1930s (slip dress)
Notions: zipper, leftover stash lace
Time to Complete: 8 hours
First Worn: February 22, 2012
Wear Again: Yes.
Total Price: the eyelet was pricy, like liberty of london pricey. definitely $50-$75 in total.
Challenge Theme: Academy Awards (Titanic, winner Best Picture 1998)

admit it.  you already know where i’m going with this.

although i toyed with the idea of grace kelly’s iconic pink ensemble from the driving scene in “to catch a thief” (one of my movie top 5s), this titanic gown had been on my board much longer and, coupled with my downton abbey obsession, took precedence over princess grace. i had been collecting photos of this dress for almost a year and had the fabric at least 8 or 9 months. i’d quickly settled on a pattern (vogue 8409) for a modern update on the look and even done some of my first pattern drafting EVER to make the sleeve more of a bell shape and to add a pleat in the back (just because i like pleats).

i could be king of the world...but look at all that ironing. kings don't have to iron, do they?

as usual i spent the entire week procrastinating on this dress, especially after my “red” project from last week got more complicated than i was interested in dealing with. this sort of thing is why they invented the three-day weekend–finally, rested and restless, i was ready to tackle a new project.

the dress is cut so that the scalloped, embroidered edge of the fabric forms its own hem. the rest of the dress has french seams, although i bollixed up the midriff construction and it is not as clean as i would like. i constructed the dress in the flat, which was oddly satisfying and definitely made all of the french seams cleaner. i used the slapdash sewist’s crossover SBA method for a fit that was surprisingly on-point.

but don’t get me started on the poorly-fitted, craptastic wonder that is my slip dress. i’ll get too depressed. at least it looks ok under the cotton eyelet.

i'll never let go...of how awesome that hem looks!

The Facts
⁃ Fabric: Seal brown stretch something. (feels lovely)
⁃ Pattern: Simplicity 7142 (skirt) & 9279 (vest)
⁃ Year: 1975 (skirt) & 1994 (vest)
⁃ Notions: zip and hook & bar for the skirt, 4 buttons and vest buckle for the vest
⁃ Time to complete: longer than it should have. 5 episodes of Green Wing and one Grand Design (plus the rest)
⁃ First worn: for these photos
⁃ Wear again? yes, probably not together and definitely when it’s cooler.
⁃ Total price: ~$15

Have you seen ‘On The Town”? It’s an all-time favourite of mine and I love it when Betty Garrett sings ‘Come Up to My Place’ to Frank Sinatra. She persists and persists and finally get what she wants. And this outfit was a little like that. I am becoming expert with the seam ripper (quick unpick).

I started with the skirt and it was all going well until I sewed in the zip without first putting a little interfacing on the inside. It rippled up horribly, so out it came. Then there was a couple of hot days where the thought of turning on the iron was unthinkable. Eventually the zip went in, the band went on and then the skirt sat on Gertie for a few days to let the skirt do any dropping it felt like doing. I ended up simply over-locking and turning twice and then sewing.

Onto the vest and that went together beautifully. It’s fully lined and when I turned it and was ready to sew up the final seams, I discovered that it had ludicrously enormous armholes! Here is where the persistence comes in. I pinned it a number of different ways before finally deciding that hacking about 6.5cm off the front should work – I didn’t need to remove any from the back (go figure!). Out came the unpicker and unpicked the bottom seam, the shoulder seams and sections of the armholes and the neck edge. Snip, snip and the excess fabric was removed and I started to reassemble. Started by sewing wrong sides together at the shoulder seam. Unpick. The lining got a bit caught up and needed to be fixed. Unpick. etc. etc. Still, finally I was able to do the buttonholes and the buttons went on. I had to make a flying lunchtime visit to Spotlight on Thursday for the vest buckle and hook and bar (of course I bought more than just those things – I rarely get out of there without spending more than I had planned.

Conclusion: Very happy with the skirt, in spite of the face that it hits at the widest part of my calves, it feels lovely and comfortable. I will use this pattern again. The vest pattern is not a great pattern but I like what I have made and will probably more likely wear the vest with jeans and a t-shirt. It looks pretty good with red.

Original Inspiration

• Steal the Game Show Dress from modcloth.com

Resources

• Fabric: Montreux Chevron Pink from fabric.com ($5.98/yd)
• Pattern: Simplicity 1880

Plus…

• Aromatic Adornment Belt from modcloth.com ($14.99)
• Maritime to Study Heel from modcloth.com ($99.99)

It’s a constant work in progress and I’m still looking for artwork for the rest of the walls. Additionally, I’m going to replace the glass Crate & Barrel coffee table with something I’ll hopefully find at Alameda next Sunday. I have a terribly time decorating rooms — they’re far more overwhelming than pulling outfits together. For the living room, I had to come up with a theme and shop around it. Basically, it’s decorated for a family in the 1950s who like to travel in America, particularly the West Coast. Kind of specific.

Here’s the widest shot I could get of the room.

We bought these chairs at the Candlestick Point Antiques Show. I believe we paid $30 for both of them. The step table came from Alameda and were $100 for a pair. In the background you can see the window box which I covered with some barkcloth I bought in Arizona.

I love this tiny piece of a sectional. I bought it at Alameda for $175. Maybe one day I’ll find another piece of the sectional puzzle.

At an antique store in Fairfax, CA, I found these wooden fruit pieces and tray for $27.

The bear painting, vase, bird, arizona bottle all came from stops on our Southwestern road trip. I’ve been collecting the cameras for Gatsby events.

I’ve had these souvenir tea towels for quite some time but had yet to frame them. While Florida isn’t exactly the Southwest/West Coast, I liked it too much not to buy.

The other step table and an awesome donkey lamp I bought at Alameda for $20.

Patterns: Free pattern from Burdastyle for the top plus the hood from Burda 9860, McCall’s 6036 for the tank and Vogue 1204 for a little help with the drafting of the pants.

Fabric: 1 1/2 yds stretch cotton jersey  $7, 1 1/2 yds gauze  $6, 1 yd shimmery silver fabric  $2, elastic  $3

Time: about 6 hours

Wear again?: Not sure about the tank, the pants will probably be used as pajamas, I’ve worn the pullover twice already so it’s a keeper

I know what you’re thinking, “Where’s the million dollar outfit?”. This outfit, minus the blazer, shoes, and motorcycle jacket only cost me $20. I know it’s not much of an outfit. In fact, in my line of work you don’t go out in what looks like your sweatpants unless you’re headed to the gym.

I don’t watch a lot of movies. Maybe 1 or 2 a year. It’s hard to give up that much time out of my day when I can think of so many other things I could be doing-like sewing. After scanning the internet for photos of possible movies I decided to make an outfit (harem pants, tank top, and hooded pullover) in honor of all the boxing movies out there-and there were many.

The Quiet Man, The Fighter, Million Dollar Baby, and of course, Rocky.

I don’t normally make clothes like this. I usually buy pieces like this for $2 a pop at the thrift store. It was hard for me to complete these pieces because they were so uninspiring. This morning I decided to try my best to make them work and I surprised myself. With a little effort comfortable can be stylish though I’m afraid to say Rocky’s got me beat, he’s added a touch of color to make his outfit pop.

As for the sewing, there’s really not much to say. I did not have a pattern for the pants so I used the basic leg pattern from Vogue 1204. I widened the waist area by 3 inches on both sides for the pleats then self drafted the waistband and cuffs at the bottom. I also sewed in thin strips of elastic on either side of the leg openings for a gathered look. It took some work to get the fit right up on top. It would have been so much easier to buy a pattern for a harem pant but I didn’t want to spend the extra cash.

The tank top fabric was tricky to work with. It was very sensitive to heat and I could not use my machine to sew it because the silver dots were all glued on and the glue was sticking to my sewing needle. I was able to sew the side and shoulder seams then used heat from the iron to melt the raw edges. flat and neat.

I thought it would be fun to use gauze for the top. Boxers get bloody and gauze gets wrapped around bloody wounds. Anyway. It’s very light and will be perfect for summer.

Maybe next week I’ll try color again. And style.