Thursday, September 27, 2012

Santa Fe Weaving Gallery - Margot Selby

Oh.My.Goodness - such wonderful textiles.

If you are unfamiliar with Santa Fe Weaving Gallery, you may want to sign up for their newsletter. They have divine art-to-wear. Elegant. Wearable.

Right now they have pieces from Margot Selby. I was not familiar with her but I am totally in love with her colors, her shapes, her textures.


Maybe someday, if I am very good, I will get to see these pieces in person, or some of her future pieces.

In the meantime, this is such an inspiration for creative clothing sewers like me.



Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Fiber Play

Leaving Lubbock, 11x14 (about)

Swatches of unknown fiber - plastic? poly?
A very small challenge from a small group - trying to use some swatches from the home dec store...Added some other fibers - Brussels washer linen-rayon, cotton batik, Thai silk, heavy variegated threads.

Still learning

After a half century of sewing it still happens. Often when I least expect it.

Take vogue 8793 for example. This slightly funky T is almost universally loved on PR. And with good reason:

  • Nice fit
  • Clever double collar
  • Artful opportunities
  • Simple clear instructions

Still I found it to be one of those learning opportunities. So what did I learn?

Choose compatible knits - compatible in weight but also value. My collar pieces are too heavy for the body. Even the color values are wrong I think.

I will make it again. It's cute. I like it.
Hot pink zipper detail
PJ's?

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

6PAC in progress

Artisan's Square has a challenge thread titled 6PAC - six piece autumn collection. Normally I sew whatever makes my heart sing at the moment, so I end up with a lot of this and that in my closet. I decided to try a little discipline.

The first part was the brown (yawn) column posted here. Then I moved on to something fun - Marcy Tilton's knit jacket posted here. Love, love, love that little jacket.

Then I was stumped. What next? Problem solved - I went back to Gail K and bought more of the ponte knits that I used in the jacket. Hooray for retail solutions!

From those ponte knits, I made another eDress and Ann's tank top, also from The Sewing Workshop (TSW). Wow - knits are so fast!

For this eDress, I shortened at the shorten/lengthen line about 5 inches to create what I think is a more flattering length for me. My first eDress is a maxi dress.

I used Louise Cutting's rule of thirds - measure the distance from the crease in the knee to the floor in bare feet. Best lengths are one-third up and two-thirds up. This eDress is 12 inches off the floor on me.

The tank top in TSW's Ann's Cardigan and Tank pattern was almost too easy. I followed their instructions completely, leaving all the edges raw and simply top stitching 3/8 inch from the edge. I did raise the neckline in the front a bit and I'm glad I did.

So the 6PAC is currently a 5PAC:

  • Brown cotton-Lycra mimosa pants.
  • Brown cotton-Lycra top from sheath pattern.
  • Solid gray and solid brown ponte knit Marcy Tilton jacket
  • Solid gray and solid brown ponte knit eDress
  • Solid gray Ann's tank top
'Course I am not proceeding quite so smoothly as this might indicate. I also went off in another direction, making that classic Marcy Tilton skirt, the one with all the bias bits (future post) from a yummy brown and white linen pin-stripe. 

But it doesn't go with the ponte jacket, so I'll need to make a matching Louise Cutting jeans jacket to accompany it. Eeewwww - maybe too matchy-matchy.

I'm realizing that a 6PAC or any of the sewing-with-a-plan variations require balancing statement pieces with the basics, as well as avoiding boredom and matchy-matchy. And there is a test at the end - how much will I wear these pieces? 

Another learning experience inspired by fellow sewers.