Falling for Foulard

I haven't posted anything for well over a month, but it doesn't mean there hasn't been any sewing going on in my world. These two projects, a foulard shirt and a pair of velvet Jeds have been finished for well over two weeks now. The weather just hasn't cooperated for an outdoor photo shoot. Finally, we had a partly sunny day, so I quickly set up the camera and shot these pics in my deer ravaged yard.

 

First up, the shirt.

 

 

This is a French viscose foulard from Elliot Berman, my favorite NYC fabric stop. I believe it was almost 60" wide, so I was easily able to get a shirt out of just two yards with plenty to spare. It's a soft olive green with little teal bits, both colors I love and that work well with my expanding "me made" wardrobe. But the real attraction is the positively delicious drape of this fabric. I wish you could feel how hefty, luxurious and fluid it is.

 

That fluidity, however, made for a challenging shirtmaking project. Not that it was difficult to sew.... The challenge was in the matching required for the fronts. There's an underlying grid to the pattern that really requires careful matching both horizontally and vertically. My "cutting table" is a glass topped Ikea desk, and the fabric was slip sliding all over the place. I really couldn't tell what was happening under the pattern pieces.

 

 

My solution was to illuminate the fabric from behind with a small desk lamp. This way I could accurately pin on the pattern and maintain the grid in both directions. Time consuming, yes, but ultimately worth the effort in the end.

 

The pay off!

 

This shirt has a spread collar interfaced with Shirt Crisp fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply.

 

A shirt is a shirt, is a shirt.... So I decided to make a little matching bow tie with the leftover scraps. I own some real bow ties, so I used them as a guide for the overall size. One of my favorites has pointed ends, so I tried to replicate that look. Essentially, I just made it up as I worked along. No rocket science required!

 

 

It just attaches with a snap at the back. Simple.

 

 

 

I've also banged out a pair of velvet Jeds. Sadly, the fabric here isn't really anything to write home about. It's been in my stash for a long time. It was a bargain fabric purchased online from Denver Fabrics. I might have paid $6 a yard for it, and, to tell the truth, it looks it. There's no way to sugar coat it, it's cheap fabric. Certainly nothing like the velvet I picked up at Britex last year. But, then again, that fabric was originally something like $75 a yard!

If there's one positive thing I can say about cheap stretch velvet, it's easy to work with. No velvet pin boards required for this stuff. I was able to press this stuff with reckless abandon!

So these may not be the velvet pants of my dreams, but they're serviceable and easy to care for. So I plan to just wear the hell out of them this fall and winter.

 

 

I think the pocketing fabric might be nicer than the pants fabric! This is the fourth pair of Jeds that I've made. I never tire of the way they finish up.

 

 

Using the tutorial on the Thread Theory website, I redrafted the back and made welt pockets instead of patch pockets. It's surprisingly easy to do, and makes for a slightly dressier look.

 

My next project will be a little more complex and involve uncharted territory for me..... Namely, knits!

Wishing you all happy sewing!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Losing my velvet virginity

I must confess that the boat project has been taking precedence over sewing lately, but a glitch with a piece of machinery has caused my progress to come to a grinding halt. Just for the heck of it, here's where I left off. I'm not even going to try to explain what's going on here.

Back on the sewing homefront...

It was nice to finally start the velvet jacket. I haven't sewn for a long time. Was it in May?? I've had the pieces cut out for awhile, and now that I have the coordinating fabric there really isn't an excuse not to jump in.

I've had so many suggestions and tips from my readers regarding working with velvet. It's been a huge help and I'm so greatful. The consensus has been that I cut with the nap down. I stood in front of a mirror flipping my fabric back and forth trying to determine the difference. It's a subtle one that's for sure. In the end I decided to take your advice and cut with the nap down. The effect was somehow just a bit softer visually. At times there's almost a silvery sheen which I find very attractive. Plus, as some of you mentioned, it just feels divine.

What's this mess? I experimented with a few seams and pressing before lauching into the real deal. I just didn't know what to expect. So here's what this velvet virgin has learned so far.

1. I had no difficulty sewing a seam that had been basted. Any of you that have followed my sewing adventures know that I'm a baste-a-holic anyway. I haven't had to adjust my methods much. I usually use a white cotton basting thread, but because of the delicate nature of my fabric I'm using silk thread for the first time. They say it doesn't leave any marks, which is completely true. What they don't tell you is that it's a dream to work with. You can toss the beeswax. I haven't had a tangle yet!

2. I'm able to "press" the seams by just hovering my steam iron over them. I started on the silk setting but have been able to dial it back to synthetic on medium steam. I'm working from the back and not applying any pressure at all. The iron never touches the fabric.

3. Don't even think about pressing from the front. Hey, I had to at least try! :)

4. You don't have to run out and invest in a velvet pin board. I took the advice of one of my readers and covered my pressing surface with a scrap of velvet. So far it's working just fine.

So this my set up. Just a scrap draped over my tailor's ham. Then steam from the backside.

The back of this jacket has princess seams. Are they prince seams on a man's jacket? I can't say that I'm a huge fan, and I find them challenging to do well. Normally I would ease the curve of the side piece with machine basting, but I'm sure that would spell disaster with velvet. Using my silk thread I eased the back with a line of small basting stitches just inside the seam line. After taking up the thread just a touch, I had no difficulty basting the side to the middle back and sewing it on the machine. BTW I'm taking a reader's suggestion and sewing all my seams in the direction of the nap, top down.

To prevent stretching of the shoulder seams, I use a technique from Roberto Cabrera's tailoring book. A semi-bias strip of lining material is basted to the forward shoulder seam so that it will be caught in the seam when it's sewn on the machine. Easy and effective.

I will be tackling the sleeves next, and I expect them to be a challenge.

The Shopping Spree

Is a trip to San Francisco complete without a visit to Britex? I think for most sewists the answer is a resounding "NO"!

For those of you who have never been and are curious, here's my country bumpkin impression. It's a four story "townhouse" of luxury fabrics in the posh Union Square district of the city. It's surrounded by every luxury brand emporium that you can name. Every floor is well staffed with sales associates that are eager to help you. The selection and the prices can be totally mind blowing.

Photography is not allowed in the store, so here's a little rundown (with images from the internet). The first floor is primarily solid fabrics all arranged chromatically from floor to ceiling and from the front of the store to the back. Think ... walking into a fabric rainbow. If you're looking for a specific shade of a specific color, this is your nirvana. The prices are all discretely hidden on tags tucked into the ends of the bolts. Pull the tag if you dare.

The second floor, as I recall, is mostly prints. Keep in mind that I'm shopping from a menswear perspective, so I tend to "glaze over" when there are lots of colorful prints around. Amidst the prints there's a large selection of traditional cotton shirting,including Liberty of London. Drool worthy.

Notions are on level 3. What does it say about you when you get excited about thread? Buttons? Milliner's needles?

Last stop, level 4 is the bargain "basement". Yes! This is where I belong. Everything is well organized here. All the remnants are arranged by fiber type, and everything is as neat as a pin. The staff are also wonderfully helpful, even for those of us who are "dumpster diving" looking for a deal. I saw some beautiful things up here.

So what did I splurge on ???

I picked up this almost 2 yard remnant of velvet on Level 4. (Sorry, but the first two floors of Britex are totally out of my league.) It's not quite enough for a jacket, which I would have loved, but more than enough for another Victorian vest, or two. It's really hard to capture the iridescent quality of this fabric, which alternates between purple and a loden green.

Here it shows a little better, falling over the edge of my work table. It all depends on the light and which way the nap is running. Funny story, I took the fabric to the button counter and couldn't understand why the sales associate kept pulling green buttons while I was looking at the purple ones. From her vantage point the fabric looked totally green! In the end I went with her green choice.

I also picked up an assortment of silk buttonhole twist. I really want to make some handworked buttonholes this year. They look so amazing, so Jermyn Street, and I'm in total awe of the guys I see doing them. I just need to get up the courage. Of course having the right materials to work with is key, and I'm not going to find this at JoAnn's. So... this little splurge was a no-brainer.

Lastly, I couldn't resist these felt toggles!

Each one is made with a roll of felt. Love!!!! I don't really have a plan for them yet, but I just couldn't resist. I also knew that I would kick myself forever if I passed on them.

Oh, and after you shoot your wad on expensive fabric you'll be needing cheap eats. I'd suggest Curry Up Now on Valencia in the Mission.

Happy sewing and shopping to you all!