Close But No Cigar...Yet!

 

I have had a pile of fabrics with accompanying patterns queued up on my cutting table all summer.  They are all ready for me to make into a new Key West-ish wardrobe.  I have decided that my 'mud colored' closet just won't cut it in Florida so I have been collecting some other colors to try out.  I'm not sure I have moved significantly away from the mud, but I have added some hints of turquoise and coral and a dash or two of pink and yellow.  OK, baby steps!  I am really liking them but the problem is they just sit there.  I think I am so worried that with the virus hanging about we won't actually get to go to KW this fall.  If I make a bunch of new things to wear it will be even more disappointing if we end up in Michigan.  So I keep shying away from the pile.  Maybe next week....

In the meantime, in another part of the sewing room...I actually have made a few things!  These are definitely going to stay in the muddy Michigan closet!

There is a wearable art artist in Oakland who makes lovely, elegant garments using salvaged kimono fabrics and other Japanese textiles.  I have lusted after her work for literally years!  They are simple T-shaped tops made by patchworking the kimono scraps together.  To look at them you would think they wouldn't be that difficult to make.  But they have been deceivingly elusive.  I'm not sure if it's the fabric, the pattern shapes, the proportions....but some how I have not gotten there in my attempts.

Here are some of the pieces that have been inspiring my forays...

(You can see more of Susan Eastman's work HERE)

 As I said, deceptively simple!  

Here is a top that I made when Rhonda from "Rhonda's Creative Life" and I did several posts together last summer.  Rhonda had sent me several kimono pieces to work with and I immediately thought of the Susan Eastman tops that I had been wanting to try.

I knew it was going to be for Rhonda and she is lovely in blues.  I can definitely say that it was "inspired" by the Eastman tops, but it isn't quite there.

More attempts...

A few years ago I had a funky brown linen tunic that I wasn't wearing anymore, but still loved the soft, worn fabric.  I decided it might work as a skirt and a top...

I don't have a picture of the original tunic, but it looked something like this...

It had a high waist seam and a "breast pocket," which hung rather low even for me.😉 I cut through the seam and ended up with a "skirt" and a very short "top."

I finished the skirt with a simple drawstring and I have worn it often.  The top was a conundrum.  Too short on its own, big wide sleeves, I did like the V-neckline...I collected some scraps to add to it and ended up shoving them all into a "project bag" for another day.

When I came across them last week I again thought about the Eastman tops.  Another go...

The top is still a bit short, but when I put a band around the hem to add some length, it only made it stick out like I was in a hula hoop!  For now it will just be a bit short.  If I wear it with the skirt it blends enough to make it OK.  

Still not quite...

Round 3!

I had a small pile of Japanese scraps that my husband had brought back with him from a business trip eons ago.  I also had a pile of men's suiting sample swatches that my sister-in-law had sent even more eons ago.  I thought they would have the right Eastman 'vibe.'  I also had a few scrap of a bark cloth that I thought would work...the suiting samples ended up determining the size of the patches since they were all cut to the same size.   I mixed them all together...and...it started to look like a top.

I kept fussing and piecing and finally called it 'done.'  I had to scratch my head a bit on the neckline.  The suiting piece that ended up at the center front had a very definite windowpane check.  Because of the way it was cut, the center of the top did not match up with the windowpane pattern.  I just couldn't ignore.  A scooped or V-neckline would really point out the 'almost but no cigar' placement of the design.  I ended up creating an asymmetrical scoop, which I think works OK.

 

I feel like I am almost there...

I think my next go should probably be with some Key West colors!  We'll see.  Maybe it's time to dig into the KW pile?!

Note:  The stenciled leaf pieces in the brown linen top were done when I went to a Diane Ericson, Design Outside the Lines workshop several years ago.  It is a bit eerie and I didn't know it at the time, but as I was working on this project, Ashland, OR, where Diane lives, was being engulfed in a wildfire.  Diane actually lost her home and workshop in the fire.  It makes me incredibly sad that Diane has lost everything.  She has been such a huge inspiration for me and so many others in the sewing community.  She has always been unbelievably generous with her talent and her spirit.  I am holding a gentle space in my heart for Diane right now and wearing my "leaf" shirt makes me feel closer.  There is a GoFundMe effort underway to help Diane through this tragedy.  It is amazing to see the sewing community rally.  

https://gf.me/u/yxm4mm

Simply Cool

It has finally cooled off a bit this week and feels delightful for porch dining and afternoon biking.  But, the end of June was HOT!  and I was in Taos, which was VERY HOT!  In fact, it actually burst into flames while I was there!  (kind of scary.) 

I attended my third DOL (Design Outside the Lines) retreat with Diane Ericson and guest mentor Carol Lee Shanks.  I really love Carol's approach to clothing design and her commitment to no-waste patterns.  She uses every thread of her fabrics.  She makes simple, utilitarian garments that layer and work in combination to create interesting and elegant silhouettes.  I started working with her ideas last year when I attended the DOL retreat and am continuing to enjoy studying her aesthetic and design philosophy. 

This week I spent some time with cool fabrics and simple shapes (a la Carol Lee).  Summer is all about linen for me....and linen on the bias.....ahhhhhhh! 

There are a few things that I've learned the hard way about working with bias.  They add steps and time to making a garment, but the results are totally worth the extra effort.  I chose a rustic natural linen to make my simple A shaped, bias skirt. 

Lesson 1:  Get the grain right!  Spend the time to cut the pieces on the true bias.  It makes everything easier.  For this project I (of course) didn't have quite enough fabric to cut a single front and back, so I cut 4 panels, one of which I had to piece to get it on the bias. 

Lesson 2:  Hang it!  Once you cut fabric on the bias it wants to stretch........sometimes a lot!!!!  My fabric was loosely woven so it started to stretch before I took it off the table!  I always pin baste my pieces together, usually right sides together, so the seams can be sewn without re-pinning once it is hung out and adjusted.  This usually happens in about 24 hours, but sometimes it takes a bit longer.

Lesson 3:  Extra seam allowance!  I didn't have much seam allowance at the center front or back, but I left about an inch at the side seams to make adjustments.  As the fabric relaxes and molds over the dress form, sometimes it gets too narrow and the extra wiggle room in the seam allowances saves the project from the scrap pile.

Lesson 4:  Straighten, then sew!  The straight grain and the cross grain will stretch differently, big surprise!  You can usually see this when a seam, that you cut straight and pinned straight takes a crazy turn between the waist and the hem.  Take the time to re-pin and let the grain do it's thing, 'cuz you will never force it to be straight if it doesn't want to.

If you spend the time up front to work with the grain, you won't be struggling against it as you put the piece together.  No short cuts...just do it!

Because my fabric was soooo stretchy, I decided to go with an elastic waist instead of facings and a zipper.  It's a bit fussy because you have to get the elastic and the waist of the skirt to stretch together, in this case I knew there was plenty to work with.

Elastic trick....to keep an elastic waistband smooth I butt the ends together and sew them to a piece of scrap fabric.  No bulk from overlapping elastic.



I serged the elastic to the waist and turned it to the inside making a self faced band.  It pulls on easily and lies flat over my hips. 

Smooth, bubble-free, straight seams.   Like I said....a little extra effort, but totally worth it! 

To top off my 'simple' bias skirt I made a straight forward white T.  Keeping it cool, I chose a textured woven rayon.  I love the simple lines and naturally cool fabrics.  Ahhhhh!

Sewing Lessons

As I sit outside enjoying the warm breeze and gorgeous sunshine of Key West, I am thinking about next week when I will be plunged back into the reality of Michigan winter😫....the saving grace is that I will have plenty of studio time!  

One of the things that I have enjoyed about keeping my blog is that I have a record of my sewing projects and can look back over the year and evaluate what has been successful and what was...well...not all that great.  As I have been wanting to be more intentional about sewing things that I actually enjoy wearing, I have found this review to be very helpful.  So what have I learned in 2017....

My fascination with bags continues...







I really enjoy figuring out all the pockets and the straps and hunting down the notions that go into making bags.  The broken needles and pins imbedded into my fingers are not so much fun, but part of the process working with heavier fabrics and sewing over 8 layers at a time!!!  Even with all of the different bags I have played around with, what do I take when I go traveling?  Yep, the ratty ol' nylon, fold up backpack!!  Hmmmm...a lesson?

Knitting has also been more part of my creating in the past few years.  I think as I have been traveling more often and spending weeks at a time away from my sewing studio, I have found the portability of knitting a great asset.  I do have to spend time 'finishing' when I am at home.  As projects near completion it is more difficult to take them along, so I seem to end up with several almost finished projects at some point in the year.

I am getting better at figuring out how to read a pattern and actually alter it to fit me...but I think my most successful (measured by how often they come out of the closet) knitted garments are those that I make with my own patterns.  And often the ones that start in one direction and take several twists and turns along the way...like my current project, which has morphed at least twice since I started it. 


I think the biggest "wake up call" this year was realizing that, just because I can doesn't mean I should!  Working with Carol Lee Shanks in Ashland this past spring I found myself working on a project that felt comfortable and familiar to me and ended up being exactly what I didn't want to be doing!  Carol's intriguingly simple shapes out of luscious fabrics really captured my imagination and sent me in a new direction...I am still trying to figure out where Carol ends and Becky begins and how to blend the ideas into an authentic voice.  I am planning another DOL adventure in Taos this summer and will have another chance to work with Carol.  Hmmmm....more lessons?

One of my favorite garments this past summer was the simple striped cotton dress that I made using Carol's ideas.  I wear it often and always feel just right when I have it on.  I think there will be more exploration in this neighborhood in 2018.

When I look at travel photos I realize that what I am most often wearing is a Smartwool 1/4 zip, long sleeved shirt, or some version of a "T" shaped garment!  These are my 'go-to' garments.  So it's no surprise that two of my favorite garments of 2017 are the boiled wool vest and the 1/4 zip dress.  

Hmmmm....more lessons?



As I bid goodbye to lovely Key West and make the transition back to winter I am looking forward to incorporating some of the lessons from 2017...

- More bags...maybe in nylon!
- Keep on knitting!
- K.I.S.S.  (keep it simple, stupid!)

Thanks for indulging my habit and sending your thoughts.  Let's see what we can create in 2018!!!

Between the Lines

My sewing has been in fits and starts since I returned from Ashland and my Design Outside the Lines retreat.  I guess the same is true for writing about my sewing as well...so this will be a quick post 'between the lines.'

I did finish the dress that I cut out in Ashland.  I used Carol Lee Shank's 'unpattern.'  Carol uses a series of measurements based on the garment shape and the dimensions of the fabric she is working with.  The designs are very economical and use as much of the fabric as possible.  

On the advise of several of my fellow DOL's I cut the shapes on the bias of my fabric.  When I started to work with it I realized that the weave of the linen I was using was going to really release once I cut it.  I wasn't going to have time to hang out the bias and I also wanted to secure the cut edges with my serger.  So I packed it up for finishing when I got home.

Unlike several workshop projects that get lost in the depths of the 'unfinished object' cupboard, I actually completed this one!  Yeah!

The fabric really is beautiful on the bias so I am glad I went in that direction.  And once it had a chance to hang for a bit, it was surprisingly easy to work with.  

Keeping with Carol's 'no waste' program, I used the pieces that were cut out to make the armholes as the collar.  I left edges raw and let the shape of the pieces dictate the organic form of the finished collar.

When I tried it on it was a wee bit short for an 'old lady' (let me qualify that, for my old lady legs!!), so I added a bias hem, again leaving the edges raw.  It breaks up the length, which works well for the 'vertically enhanced,' and is kind of a non-ruffle ruffle.  

Our theme for the workshop was "Three Easy Pieces."  The idea was to make pieces that would layer and work together in different ways.  I think this little dress hits the mark and will be a great layer...but for now it will have to work on it's own, until I get a few more spurts of time to make some other layers to keep it company!

The piece of fabric hanging behind the dress form is a fabulous piece of silk jersey that was 'eco-dyed' by one of our fellow DOL's.  She uses different leaves wrapped in the fabric to transfer the color and shapes.  She has been experimenting with all kinds of foliage and has some amazingly gorgeous pieces.  I am torn between simply wearing it as a scarf (it is a tube and looks great just bunched up around my neck) or actually making something else out of it.  For now it hangs around my studio inspiring me and reminding me of my new friend in Oregon.

Shifting Geers

Ashland 2.0!

That's right...I went back to Ashland,OR to spend another week with Diane Ericson, Carol Lee Shanks and 20 other eager DOL'ers (Design Outside the Lines).  It really is like 'camp for grown ups.'  Several of the women (yes, it was all women), including me, have been to a DOL retreat before.  I was excited to attend the workshop this time because I really like Carol Lee Shanks work and philosophy about making.  

I also fell in love with Ashland last spring and was really geeked to be there again this spring.  Lithia Park in downtown Ashland is worth the whole trip for me!  It is amazingly gorgeous.

I am not exactly sure if I can adequately describe my experience this time around....it was not the week that I was expecting.

The first day we all got introduced to Diane and Carol's work and design approaches.  I love Diane's work and it is incredibly inspiring, as is Carol's.  For me, the pared down simplicity of Carol's work was especially attractive.  She creates her garments with simple shapes that take full advantage of the fabric.  Her 'zero waste' philosophy is admirable and I love the ways that she incorporates even the selvedges into her final pieces.  I wanted to try working with her ideas.

I cut out two different garments...one shift type dress and a t-shaped shrug...I realized very quickly that the equipment I was using was going to make either project a frustrating experience.  Not wanting to go there I put them back in the suitcase to finish at home.

The next day was "Pants Day."  Most of us tried and liked!!! Diane's Capitola Pants pattern. It is a one seam design and the fitting is done from the waist.  The final waist line does not follow a straight line like most patterns, but it really is a slick way to adjust for all different body types.  I am definitely going to make some more of them.

The next day I decided to take another whack at the shift dress, this time with fabric that was better suited to the basic sewing machine that I was using.  I found a really cute cotton dish towel at the local department store with bicycles on it and some fabrics at the quilt shop that were really great with it.  I started cutting and draping and piecing and painting and sewing and....

the more I worked, the more I realized... 

that the piece I was creating... 

was everything that I DON'T want to be!  

I left it on the dress form and almost ran out of the room.  I didn't know what to think or do.  I felt lost and scared...like I was losing a long time friend.  It sounds kind of 'drama queen' when I write about it now, but it was a real whack on the side of my emotional head.  My sewing and creating has always been the place I go when I need to feel centered and competent and confident.  All of a sudden it felt like that was gone.

After a good cry and some fresh Oregon air, I realized that this past year (since retiring) I have been 'hiding out' in my sewing room.  I have been making safe things.  Things that are well designed, beautifully executed, technically superb...and completely soul-less!  AND most of them I have never worn!  My sewing room has turned into a place to hide instead of a place to grow.  OK, whack in the head number two!

I was pretty shaken and thinking about just going home (the problem with that plan was that my husband was joining me for a trip to wine country and Portland later in the week.  I had to stay!)  On the way to dinner one of my fellow retreaters asked about my dress.  When I said that I hated it she asked what I wanted to do.  I said, "I want to make a rectangle!"  

I am so grateful to the "Rectangle Gang."  After dinner, and a lot of wine, they hauled me back to the sewing room and we all made rectangles!!!  It was just what I needed.  Like getting back on the horse.  I finally made the simple shift dress that I had been trying to make all week.  We laughed and sewed and made rectangles.

I know it doesn't look like that big a deal, but this little dress is exactly what I needed to make.  I am not sure what the next step in my sewing life is going to look like, but I know I want it to "feel" more like my little shift dress.  

As I said before...

I'm not sure this was the retreat that I was expecting, but I think it was the one that I needed.