[Photo borrowed stolen from Marcy Tilton’s fabric store.

I wrote recently questioning the definition of design. This morning I reviewed my blog posts since early February of this year (the date I traveled to Santa Barbara and got kick-started by my friends/teachers/mentors Diane Ericson and Marcy Tilton and inspired by all my stylish sisters of the cloth on the West Coast). I have made a staggering 27 garments since returning from Design Outside the Lines. Twenty-seven!

(Oh, and that’s in addition to a bunch of knitting, two sewn bags, and helping DGD make her first T-shirt.)

Honestly, that seems a bit obscene.

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I discovered and began following Sarah Gunn’s Goodbye Valentino blog last fall and admired her Ready-to-Wear (RTW) Fast, but never thought I could do something like that. After attending Design Outside the Lines in February, I was pumped and decided to begin my own RTW Fast.
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Now let’s be very, very clear: I am not a shopper. I haven’t been inside a mall since about two months ago when my family doctor told me I had to ditch the underwires and buy new bras. 🙁 I would never, ever, under any circumstances short of the house burning down and all my clothes going up in smoke (knock wood) have bought that many clothes in THREE years, much less eight months!

So how did this happen? The Internet. I’ve been sewing for 50 years. When I was a teenager, I would go to the Singer store or to Belk-Lindsey in Colonial Plaza to buy my fabric. There were lots of decent fabrics in those days–wools, cottons, things one wasn’t ashamed to put on one’s body. (Do I sound like an Old Fart or what?!) Then came Cloth World and things started going downhill. I had my boys and sewed exclusively with Stretch & Sew, making all their cute little t-shirts and coordinating shorts. I made their father’s suits and outfits for myself.

The boys outgrew my sewing, their dad and I divorced, and I moved to Washington. I was working full-time and pursuing my Bachelor’s degree, and sewing time wasn’t readily available.

Ten years later I had finished my B.S. and J.D. and finally had the luxury of discretionary time. I learned to quilt and G Street Fabrics became my home away from home. Choosing quilting fabrics was relatively easy. But choosing a garment pattern and fabrics? Not so easy. I would pore over the Vogue pattern catalog for 20 minutes (aghast at the cost of a single pattern) and choose something I wanted to make. Then I’d wander the aisles for an hour. An hour! There were new-fangled fibers I’d never heard of, alongside my beloved and familiar natural fibers. I was in total sensory overload.

I’d try to choose fabrics and buttons to go along with the garment pattern I’d chosen. After an hour that I’d never see again, I’d put the pattern back in the drawer and walk out of the store, frustrated and sad that I was too [some perjorative adjective] to be able to choose a simple pattern and fabrics. I would make, maybe, one garment a year.

Fast forward to online fabric stores coupled with easy and flattering patterns for knit tops. Now I’m having the time of my life. I’m enjoying the sewing. I’m learning what I like and what I don’t like. I’m learning about my body. I’m learning new sewing techniques. I’m developing the confidence to ignore or override pattern instructions. I’m able to decide that something will only be worn under a jacket to the grocery store. I’m able to determine something is awful in its current incarnation and will be cut apart for a reincarnation. I’m amazed when I look inside my own head.

How is an online store different—for me—from a bricks-and-mortar fabric store? Let me tell you how I shop. I was a Nordstrom pianist for nine years in the Washington, DC, region. (Remember when Nordstrom had pianos and live pianists in every store? Wasn’t that heavenly? I always said I made “beautiful music to shop by.”) I would sit on the piano bench for five hours, amusing myself and all the shoppers in the store. I was always watching the sales associates as they whizzed by me, gathering garments for their customers to try on. On each ten-minute break at the top of the hour, I would stroll through my favorite departments, noting items I thought would be good on me. Then when I needed an outfit for an event or to supplement my wardrobe, I would go in to Nordy’s on my day off, try on several of the garments I had noted, and—within half an hour—be in and out of the store with what I needed. I don’t dawdle. I don’t try on things to try them on. I don’t waste my time.

How is that analogous to an online fabric store? Most every day, I pick up my iPad and spend five or so minutes at MarcyTilton.com or GorgeousFabrics.com or EmmaOneSock.com or VogueFabricsStore.com or MoodFabrics.com or [okay, that’s enough to give you an idea of what I mean]. If there’s something I really love and want to remember, I might pin it to a Pinterest board. Then when one of these stores notifies me via email newsletter or on their Facebook page feed that they’re having a sale, and there’s a new Vogue or Butterick pattern I want to make or I’ve decided I need just-one-more-knit-top for my upcoming trip to Europe, I’ll jump to that fabric (or a similar one if it’s already sold out) and buy it.

I no longer feel overwhelmed, as the clock isn’t ticking while I walk around the store. My finger is clicking around the stores for days, and I don’t feel pressured to buy anything on any one visit. And those twenty-seven garments? There are more than a handful that—sewn and tried-on—I love.love.love! This, which I’ll finish today; this; this; this; and the top I turn to whenever I need to smile, THIS! Oh, and my Marcy Tilton pants – Love ’em!

So what does this have to do with Thinking About Design? Some would say that design (in fashion) is imagining and creating the pattern for the garment or the outfit. I’m proposing that designing also includes taking that pattern and partnering it with fabric and notions to create the finished garment.

And, for me, online fabric stores make that so much easier. Even if I can’t pet the fabrics before purchasing them.

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I want to tell you how I have personally defined “RTW Fast.” In the months since I began my fast, I have purchased two pair of pants, two sweaters, and two pair of shoes (and a few replacement bras, on doctor’s orders). The pants were replacements for existing Eileen Fisher stretch crepe pants that I wore frequently and had worn out or had snagged beyond repair. I couldn’t make replacements—to my knowledge, the fabric is just not available, nor is the pattern. I totally love those pants and don’t want to live without them. While they’re still available, I’m going to buy them. That’s my rebellious nature popping out. A new black sweater was to replace a thirteen-year-old black sweater that was embarrassingly old and worn. The other sweater was something I just couldn’t make and needed for the cold of northern Europe in mid-November. The shoes—I can’t make shoes. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Why, oh why, do I keep trying patterns no one has made before?! (Or at least no one has written a review or a blog post.) I must be a glutton for punishment, or else I’m emotionally bonded to my seam ripper!

Today’s newbie pattern is Vogue 1363 in Sandra Betzina’s “Today’s Fit” line.

I liked the layered look of View A. This has been my year of mixing prints, so I thought I would have some remnants that would work together with the Missoni-esque ITY fabric that I picked up at Vogue Fabrics’ booth at the Pittburgh Original Sewing & Quilt Expo.

Soooo, let me tell you about this pattern:

Pattern Description: MISSES’ TOP: Loose-fitting, pullover top has narrow hem. A: neck band, sleeve bands and insets.

Pattern Sizing: “Today’s Fit” by Sandra Betzina. Combinations: (A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J) All sizes in one envelope. I cut an E, cutting the shirt hem at the G line (basically adding an inch to the shirt length).

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? No, because of all my modifications.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Fairly easy, but I disagree with some of the methods used (with all due respect to Sandra Betzina, with whom I have studied and whom I admire).

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

Likes

1. I’m busty. FBAs intimidate me. Sandra’s explanation was clear and easy and—for once—the bust fit exquisitely. (If you aren’t familiar with FBAs, and you make this pattern, pay more attention to the illustration than the text of the FBA instructions. Put your logical-thinking cap on, and you’ll be fine.)
2. Edited on 2014/1/11: Linda C. in Phoenix called me out on this – see her thoughtful post below. (I deem it thoughtful because she was very kind in pointing out my ignorance!!) What Sandra does is a dart adjustment, not an FBA. For excellent discussions of various types of FBAs see Shams’s Busty Info section on her brilliant Communing With Fabric blog. Note, especially, her FBAs in Knits post. Thanks, Linda, for pointing out my misstatement.
3. Another like that I haven’t tried yet: Sandra includes instructions for converting the shirt to a sleeveless version. Will definitely try this next spring.
4. I liked the layered-look design. Had I chosen a different fabric for the inset, the design might have worked for me.

Dislikes

1. Curved seam application of neck inset and neck band. No, no, no. DO NOT staystitch and clip. This is why we work with knits–they’re flexible. And especially if you’re working with a stable knit. The stay stitching is an unnecessary step, IMO. The clipping just weakens the seam. And if you’re using a mesh fabric, all those clips just give you a hot mess, both in the infrastructure and visually. But, most importantly, it weakens the seam.
2. Several small pieces had ⅝” seams. I think it would have been easier to work with ¼” seams. Just my opinion. I think a neck binding, seamed at ¼”, or even a folded binding—stitched, wrapped, and top-stitched—would have worked much better.

Fabric Used: Missoni-esque ITY knit from Vogue Fabrics for the body, the yummiest “über-soft rayon jersey” from GorgeousFabrics.com for the sleeves, and a black “soft nylon mesh”, also from Gorgeous Fabrics, for the inset, but not used.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

The picture shows the neck with inset. The mesh was used for the inset. The pattern says seam, then serge or finish and trim off ⅜”, pressing the seam allowance toward the inset. But if you’re using a sheer, you can see that seam allowance. To my eye, this was not pretty. What if the body were solid and the inset was done out of any of these mesh knits Marcy offers or this or this from Ann Steeves’ Gorgeous Fabrics? With a mesh like that instead of what I used, you wouldn’t see the seam allowance. The issues I had with this neck and sleeve would have gone away. (But look what a beautiful job I did with the insertion!)

On the neck band, I didn’t want a super black ring around my neck, so didn’t think that wonderful black rayon that I used on the sleeves would work on the band. I tried making the band out of the mesh. #fail. I tried recutting the band to be deeper and cutting the existing inset shorter, so I would have about ½” of mesh showing and about 1½” of rayon knit for the band. #fail. Too much visible seam allowance. (VSA?) Too much messymessymess.

Finally, after thinking and cogitating and scratching my head, I cut off the sleeve inset and band, and cut off the neck inset and band. I hemmed the sleeve with ½” turned hem, and left the neckline raw. There are so many topstitch lines and pseudoserger lines, you’ll never know it’s raw!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I do like the layered look, and will probably try it again, rethinking the neck finish, and absolutely choosing fabrics that are more appropriate. Will make View B for 10yo DGD, who should fit the size A perfectly.

Conclusion: I’ve been hearing about ITY for nine months and have been curious to try some. Now I have, and highly recommend it. Lovely to sew with.

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And what to wear it with? I think I’ll try scrunching up the hem and putting it on top of black jeans and flats. Is it going in the suitcase to Europe in a month? Probably not. I think it will be going to the grocery store. (That is to say: I like it but I don’t love it.”)

Why the title “Guinea Pig Shirt”? Because I was the guinea pig to try making this shirt without having any one else’s experience to draw upon.

I’ve been feeling like I look o*l*d lately, and I don’t like it. This aging process—for me, anyway—is a depressing exercise in futility. My hair includes lots of salt’n’pepper around my face, and I don’t think it’s flattering. So I thought maybe if I make some brighter clothes, instead of all the muted colors and black, maybe I’d feel/look younger.

I saw this piece of Nanette Lepore cotton bouclé knit on Emma One Sock’s ever-tempting and wonderfully organized site and thought it would be a fun color with which to test out my new anti-aging theory.

My goal was to make another Hemlock Tee, cutting the bottoms a little longer, and the back longer than the front, and curve the hems at the side seams. I wanted to try a technique I’d dreamed about on Katherine Tilton’s long slim skirt. I recently purchased some Soft Stretch Fusible Tricot from Sarah Veblen’s online store. I [rotary] cut some ½” strips going the width of the interfacing, so they were 20″ wide—manageable for fusing.

I fused these in the seam allowance on the back shoulder seam allowance (of course—de rigeur!), and then all along the side seams and hems (but not the curve). On the curves, I carefully fused several small pieces (1″ or so) inside the seam allowance. My goal was to have a stable base for double-needle stitching. (So the seam allowance on the curve would have several layers when folded up and pressed, but the fused interfacing would keep the stitching smooth.) After fusing, I pressed the hems and curves up the ½” for the top-stitching.

After all the fusing was done, I seamed the shoulders and top-stitched at ⅜” (note that the seam allowances on this pattern are ½”, not ⅝”). Then I sewed the sleeve to the shoulder—double stitched seam, no top-stitching and not yet sewing the underarm sleeve seam. Then I sewed just the side seams, starting about 1″ below the point at which the sleeve seam would begin, and stopping about ½” above the curves. This was a single-stitched seam, pressed open. Then I put in my double needle and, from the right side, stitched all the way around the front and then the back (two separate passes: 1. front; 2. back), beginning and ending just under the sleeve at the point I started the stitching for the side seam and including the curves and hems.

Look at that smooth seam. Look how the fabric opens cleanly for the stitching on the curves. To me, that’s the way to finish a hem such as this. (I want to go back and add a bar tack on each side to give that seam opening a little more stability, but other than that, I’m thrilled with the result.)

This exercise, while the rotary cutting and fusing took time, gave me a beautiful, stable hem. In my humble opinion.

The other process I did differently for this version of the Hemlock Tee was the neckline. Instead of doing a neck binding, I did a facing. I sewed the back and front pattern pieces together for a couple of inches at the shoulder seam. (Fortunately, I had traced the pattern PDF onto good pattern paper that I purchased from Vogue Fabrics when I saw them at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Pittsburgh (sorry, no link – can’t find it on their site).) Then using another piece of the tracing paper, I traced a pattern piece copying that neckline, 2″ wide. I seamed it at the back and applied it to the inside of the neckline, wrong sides together. I double-stitched the seam, then trimmed it, pressed it flat, then turned the facing to the outside and pressed the life out of it. Then, again using the double needle, I topstitched all the way around about ⅛” from the edge. The knit fabric wants to roll anyway, so this gave me a little roll-up edging on the exterior neck facing. (☺ Oooh, feeling smart!)

Sewed the sleeve seams in a double-stitched seam, trimmed, pressed seam allowance to the back, pressed up a ½” hem on the sleeve and top-stitched. Voila! All done!

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Well, that’s the end of the construction part of this top. The Jazzman was working at his workbench in the basement, around the corner from my sewing room. I slipped the top on and walked out to show him. He said, “It’s bright.” I told him that was what I wanted. I thought I looked old and drained lately with all my gray hair, and that maybe the brighter colors would help me look nicer, brighter, younger, less drained. His response? “Well, you could just color your hair and save all that money on new clothes.”

Hmmm. He’s such a guy!!!

(And if you know me well and have much experience reading the posts on my other blog, you know that I took that to mean that he hates the color of my hair and thinks all my sewing for the past 6+ months has been for naught. Oh, the angst of the Little Adoptee! So annoying!)

So what do you think? A) Would you wear this color in the fall? (Note that when I work, it’s from home, so I hardly ever go out of the house.) And B) Do you think colors such as this unseasonal hot pink make one look brighter? (Well, it’s not unseasonal in the Southern Hemisphere. Maybe I should just go down there for a couple of months.)

A note re the Nanette Lepore fabric. I’m a fan of Nanette, who is a native of Youngstown. The Jazzman is sorta distantly related to her, as everyone in Youngstown is related to everyone else. His closest cousin’s wife, Michelle, is Nanette’s sister. I frequently moan to Michelle about Nanette’s limiting her range of sizes at 12. Grabbing this fabric from EOS was my own little way of having a piece of Nanette Lepore’s line in my closet.

I’d love to hear what you think about the color.

Every year the Jazzman and I spend the week of the Fourth of July in a cottage at Madison Shores in Madison-on-the-Lake, along the southern shore of Lake Erie. Many of the families who summer there come from the Youngstown area, and have been staying in the same cottages in this development for 20 years. The sense of community is strong.

On the Fourth of July, there are organized games for the kids. It’s a big deal! And I’m patriotic, so I want to wear something appropriate to the day while I watch my grandkids get their game on.

This year, in the midst of my knit top sewing frenzy, I found this cute red, white, and blue rayon/lycra super-stretchy knit at Emma One Sock. I don’t know what I was thinking when I chose it, but I expected larger dots. Duh! Linda puts the ruler in the photo; it’s not hard to see the exact size of the dots.

I decided to make it up in Katherine Tilton’s Vogue 8793, with a single overlapped collar. I didn’t want a self collar, and was short on time before leaving for the Lake (When will I ever learn?!), so ran to Jo-Ann’s and picked up a bit of white 95% rayon/5% spandex for the collar.

I made this top once before, and it goes together quickly. It’s a quite basic pattern with Katherine’s artistic flair polishing it off. But when I slipped this top on after finishing it, I looked in the mirror and shuddered. Inside my head, I screamed, “I look like I’m eighty!!!”

I ripped it off, grabbed stencils and paints and tried to give it a little pizzazz to take the viewer’s eye off all.those.dots. Nope. No joy. I folded it and set it on my “what next” table.

Last week I was able to pick up Marcy Tilton’s out-of-print modern twinset, Vogue 8559, for half price on eBay, so decided to remake this t-shirt into a cute little tank.

[Sidebar: I need to rethink this t-shirt. I wore it the last time I went to Asheville to visit my mother. She looked at me and said, “That’s a funny shirt,” in that way she has that you know means, “What a butt-ugly shirt. What were you thinking when you bought that?!” Every time I’ve worn the shirt since that visit, I haven’t liked it. I’m past 60 and I still crave my mother’s approval. At what age will I quit caring about the thoughtless, critical words that come out of my her mouth?!]

After taking the t-shirt apart, I laid out the tank pattern. I had to piece the neck and armhole bands from the sleeves of the shirt. When the tank was complete except for the hem, I threw it on, with a jean jacket over, to run to the grocery store. After wearing it for half an hour, I noticed that the armholes have a little gaposis.

The solution would be to remove the armhole bands, cut them shorter, and reapply, stretching more to eliminate the gaps.

Am I going to do that? Probably not. I have five items on my sewing room to-do list, and not enough hours in the day.

What I learned: I like this little modern twinset, and will make it again. And I know what to do about the armholes.