Beaded Bolero

Hello friends.  I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted on this blog.  Many, many factors have conspired to prevent me from writing and also from having anything to write about.  This was a tough winter for my family.  There was a five-week period where my kids were trading germs back and forth, occasionally sharing with me or my husband.  During that period I believe there were only 4 days when both boys were in school at the same time.  Also during this time I had been bitten badly by the nesting bug, the one that causes you to clean out closets and boxes and reorganize your storage space.  Lastly, I seem to have misplaced my sewing mojo along with my camera.  I am hoping I find both soon but it's not looking good for the camera which has been MIA for more than a month.

I have been plugging along on some hand sewing projects and recently finished one that I can share with you.  This is a sleeveless bolero that I made using the pattern in Alabama Chanin's third book, Alabama Studio Sewing and Design. (This book is currently on sale on the Alabama Chanin site).  The stencil design is Angie's Fall worked in the Special Angie pattern.  The large floral designs are worked in the Relief Applique technique where the appliqued pieces are cut larger than the space where they are to appliqued.  The extra fabric creates a beautifully textured surface that I really love.  The other elements were backstitched before being filled in with black beads.  I love this bolero pattern.  It is so quick to stitch up, the surface embellishment notwithstanding. 

I realize I have yet to share my blue embroidered dress on the blog.  Now that the weather is looking conducive to wearing it I am hoping to get some real-life action shots and post them soon.  And, as soon as I find the time to clean my studio to the point where I can get some work done I am hoping to get back to my sewing machine, too.  Perhaps by then my camera will materialize.

Paisley and Houndstooth

Who knew that paisley + houndstooth is a match made in heaven?  Here’s the story of my discovery.

Photo from Alabama Studio Sewing + Design

I waited (notice that I did not say patiently) for many months for the release of Alabama Chanin’s latest studio book, Alabama Studio Sewing + Design.    When it arrived it was even more beautiful than I thought possible.  In this third book, Natalie Chanin and her staff have truly given away all of their secrets.  The book is a compendium of all of the various techniques used to create the lovely line of clothing they produce from their workshop in Florence, Alabama.  This latest in the series is meant to complement the other two books though it can easily stand on its own as the only resource you need.  Inside the cover you will find details on the materials and tools needed, eleven stencil designs, a myriad of stitches with illustrations, full-sized patterns for 4 garment pieces that can be constructed in a number of ways plus several accessory pieces, and enough embellishment ideas to keep you busy for the rest of your life.  Even if you have no intention of using the book to make garments or accessories, the photographs alone make this book worthy of the coffee table.  It is, in short, 175 pages of pure inspiration.

Photo from Alabama Studio Sewing + Design

Photo from Alabama Studio Sewing + Design

This book arrived while I was working on my blue wool crepe dress.  As sometimes happens, I start thinking about my next project while I’m still working on an unfinished one.  This time I dreamed of using more wool crepe from my stash since the current piece I was working on was such a dream to sew.  My mind was also busy mulling over all of the possibilities opened up for me from reading Sewing + Design.  What came out of that brainstorming is this skirt.

My fingers were busy with wool while I was thinking about organic cotton appliqué.  Why couldn’t I substitute wool felt for some of the appliqué designs from the book?  Wool felt has a lovely weight and doesn’t fray; it would make the perfect embellishment for my wool skirt.  I found some loosely woven black wool crepe in my stash and threw it in the washer and dryer a couple of times.  It felted up very nicely.  I also decided on the Paisley design that is include as one of the stencil patterns in the book.

Photo from Alabama Studio Sewing + Design

First I started with the skirt.  The pattern is Simplicity 2058 from the Amazing Fit series.  After fitting my muslin I cut the skirt from a loosely woven wool houndstooth check in classic black and white. 

I knew the fabric would need to be underlined if I was going to apply appliqué so I cut the underlining from charcoal gray silk organza.  I used the technique of underlining and seam finishing all in one that I’m fond of.  It makes for a beautifully finished garment interior.

Once the skirt was constructed (I left one seam unsewn, allowing for a flat panel to work on) I started the hand appliqué.  Alabama Chanin’s techniques include using stencils as the means of transferring designs to cloth.  Several ways to accomplish this are included in the book but I tried something different for this project.  First, I printed out the paisley design from the full-sized download available on the Alabama Chanin website.  I then copied it onto freezer paper and cut out the stencil with an Exacto knife.  This left me with both a positive and negative stencil. 

I used the positive stencils, shown above, to cut out the black wool felt.

Next, I took the negative stencil, centered it on one skirt panel and ironed it into place.  I removed the paper backing from the black felt appliqué pieces and positioned them in the openings of the negative stencil.  The photo below shows one of the appliqué pieces pinned in place.

After all of the pieces were placed I carefully removed the negative stencil paper and hand stitched each appliqué in place with a parallel whipstitch and black buttonhole craft thread. (I quickly discovered it was easier to work with small safety pins rather than straight pins to keep the appliqués  in place; this also led to less bloodshed while stitching).

Taking a tip I learned from Sarah Veblen, I constructed the waist facing from interfaced silk dupioni which I bound with a strip of white china silk.  This makes a really nice facing:  the silk feels more comfortable than wool and there is no bulk.

I finished the hem with some cotton lace from my stash (you can read more about the hem here).

I’m really pleased with this skirt and am sorry I finished it so late in the season that I will have to wait until next fall to wear it.  I think it will look great with black boots.  I particularly love the juxtaposition of contemporary vs. traditional in this garment.  The modern version of the paisley is a nice contrast to the more classic look of the houndstooth.  I also love that I can take an idea and tweak it to make it my own.  I think this new book in my library will offer lots of opportunity for that sort of thing in the future.

Update on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 9:36PM by Julie Bowersett

I came across some pictures I took back in January when I first started on this skirt.  These show the easiest way that I have found to add the seam allowance to the underlining fabric I used on this skirt.

After I cut out my fashion fabric I place the pattern on the underlining fabric.  I attach a Removable Rotary Guide Arm (made by Olfa) to my rotary cutter and set the distance from the blade to 5/8".

It is then a simple task to guide the arm along the edge of the pattern while the blade cuts 5/8" away from the edge.

Appliqued Heart T-Shirt

Here's the second piece in my "t-shirt series".  This shirt gave me a little trouble from the start.  I used a white cotton t-shirt that I bought at my local thrift store, but it was a little too big to give a good fit.  I tried to take it in a little, but there's not much you can do with a too-low armhole.  I ended up cutting it open at the side and underarm seams (leaving the neckline uncut), adding a bust dart in the armhole, sewing it back up again and putting in a new hem along the bottom.  It still doesn't fit as well as a shirt made from scratch but it will do.

The design is from a stencil I ordered from istencils.  They have a large selection of stencils at very reasonable prices, and you can order the stencils in a range of sizes.  I cut the heart pieces from some fabric scraps leftover from a previous skirt project and appliqued them on with buttonhole craft thread.  It was a challenge to work with the tiny little pieces.  This will be a good casual addition to my wardrobe.

I have several exciting sewing related notes to report: 

• I've finished stitching the fourth panel of my Alabama Chanin dress (2 more to go);
• I am participating in an online class with Susan Elliot (who does beautiful hand embroidery and has a wonderful blog, Plays With Needles) and we are making a needlebook inspired by the Japanese ceremony of broken needles called Hari-Kuyo (I'll be posting about this once I've finished the book).  Thanks to Daphne (who also has an adorable blog at The Imperfectionary) for introducing me to Susan's work;
• I leave on Friday for a three day class with Sarah Veblen.  It's been almost 2 years since I last worked with Sarah, and to say I'm excited would be an understatement.  Those of you who know Sarah know what a wonderful teacher she is.  And having three days away (and with my great pal Joyce, too!) is just a real treat.  Thanks to my husband for keeping the home fires burning while I'm gone.  You'll get a full report when I return.

Mindful Choices

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the choices I make in my life.  One of my long term goals is to try to incorporate as many sustainable choices as I can, be it decisions regarding food, cleaning products or clothing.  I realize this process is slow and made up of lots of little changes rather than one big lifestyle change.  Along those lines, my closet really needs a major overhaul.  It is full to capacity though I probably only wear about 20% of what’s in there.  I’ve just started the process of discarding items I will no longer wear.  More importantly, I am determined to only add items back in that really match my lifestyle and that will get worn.  To that end I’ve taken stock of the type of clothes I like to wear and have made a plan to add to my wardrobe in a mindful way.

First, I’ve made a vow for 2012 to buy no clothing from a chain store.  I’m planning to limit my purchases to the excellent local thrift stores in my area.  Anything else will have to come from my sewing room.

My lifestyle as a stay-at-home-mom doesn’t require a lot in the way of wardrobe choices.  In the winter, my “uniform” usually consists of jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt topped with another layer.  As anyone who reads my blog knows I am really in love with the hand-stitched clothing of Alabama Chanin, and I think t-shirts would be the perfect place to start my clothing plan – something that can be completed quickly and will be useful additions to my wardrobe.  I envision using appliqués, stencils and embroidery to create unique designs.  Remember all of those t-shirts I bought recently at my thrift store?  Those are my raw materials.

This past week I finished my first shirt.  It was a fantastic experience (though my finger is still a bit sore from all of the hand stitching).  It did not take nearly as long as I thought it would, and the process was so enjoyable.  I began by deconstructing two t-shirts, one long-sleeved, the other short.  Let me tell you:  if you have never cut apart a t-shirt you have been missing out on life.  There is something really gratifying about slicing into heavyweight cotton.  Once I had the shirts in pieces I cut out the "new" t-shirt from a Burda pattern I fitted a number of years ago.  I cut a double layer for the front and back but only a single layer for the sleeves.

I traced the stencil design that I chose (the Bloomers stencil from Alabama Stitch book) onto what would be the top layer of the shirt.  I layered that with the corresponding underlayer and began stitching.  I first stitched the bust darts through both layers.  I slit the dart and felled the dart legs open.  Next I used a running stitch around the larger leaves, then completed the reverse appliqué by trimming away the top layer.  For the smaller designs I cut the shapes from scraps of the green fabric and appliquéd them on with a parallel whipstitch.

The construction was all done by hand.  It went together pretty quickly, maybe 1.5 hours which included felling the shoulder and side seams.  The most time-consuming part was putting on the neck binding.  The chained feather stitch was new to me, and it took some practice before I got into the rhythm of the stitching.

All in all I spent about three days working on this shirt, not the 3 hours needed to whip one up on the serger but not a large investment of time for a really unique garment.  I know I will get a lot of wear from this shirt, and I can’t wait to start my next one.  I’m hoping to complete 3 or 4 more before the spring when I’ll start on my short-sleeved versions for the summer.  Watch for more coming soon.

Sculpted Fleece

I first learned this technique in a class I took with Lyla Messinger (L.J. Designs) many years ago.  Lyla has a wonderful book called Ordinary to Extraordinary that details this technique along with many other fun and easy ideas to add uniqueness to your garments. 

I've used this technique on several garments.  It is most effective when you use fleece that has two different face textures.  You can often find fleece with one smooth and one nubby side.  Then it's as simple as cutting shapes from the fleece and appliqueing them onto the garment.

My first attempt was a vest which I made from a blue double-faced fleece.  The designs also come from Lyla Messinger; she sells a pattern with several geometric shapes that can be used as appliques.  I added binding along the center front, neckline, hem and armholes with the contrast side of the fleece showing.

Next I made a jacket from a red heathered piece of fleece and appliqued leaf designs on the back, front and one sleeve.  The design for this jacket was based on an OOP pattern by Nancy Zieman.  I found the commercial pattern too large for me so I re-drafted it using my Pattern Master Boutique software to better fit my frame.  I made the button loop using one of my favorite notions, a FasTurn tube maker.  I love this jacket and still wear it.  I have fond memories about the time I made this.  I was at one of my first sewing retreats with the Richmond ASG Chapter in Appamattox, VA (where I first met my sewing buddy, Jane).  I finished this project (with lots of help from the other ladies there) but had no buttons that were appropriate.  On my way home after the weekend I stopped in Charlottesville and found the perfect buttons at Les Fabriques.  Good times!

More recently I revisited this technique when making some winter hats for my two boys.  I started with a Kwik Sew pattern and cut the main pieces from fleece.  I then cut lots of various sized circles and appliqued them on with the contrasting side showing.  I used invisible thread on the top and an all-purpose thread in the bobbin (one of my sons is especially particular about "pokey" things which the invisible thread can occasionally be).  I used a zig zag stitch and an open-toed embroidery foot.  Once the main part of the hat was appliqued I finished the construction.  I was hoping to post a picture of these hats in use but haven't been able to slow my two boys down enough to snap a picture yet.

Try this technique on your next fleece project.  I think you'll like the subtle, tone-on-tone quality of this detail.