Equipment Love: Matilda the Dress Form

Original ad for my Acme Dress Form, circa 1959 - 1961

I admit it, I'm a vintage sewing equipment geek. Three of my four sewing machines were manufactured prior to 1965, and I just recently replaced my very warped 1930's all-wood ironing board. By now it's a choice and a habit, but in the beginning the vintage equipment was simply what I had on hand. I inherited my grandmother's 1949 Singer sewing machine, got the old family ironing board for free from my parents' garage, and from then on I was hooked: Old was affordable, old was awesome, old ran better and was easy to fix. 

In a similar vein, my late 50's / early 60's Acme Adjustable Dress Form came to me free or cheap, and she's still a sewing superstar in my studio to this day.  Originally the "plus size" dress form in a friend's alteration shop, she was sold or given to my mom when that friend moved.  From there, she was shipped to me in a large coffin-sized box and now presides over my work area like the Grand Dame that she is.  

A few years ago, I was gifted an entire stack of vintage craft magazines and this original ad for my very dress form was inside one of the issues.  I'm not sure how much truth there is in this advertisement, though.  I'm sure when this dress form was new, the adjustable sliders inside moved a bit easier.  You can still adjust her, but she's pretty squeaky and a little rusty inside.  It's not a problem; she's just about my size, and for further accuracy I've applied a duct tape duplicate of my torso over her.  She's helped me re-draft many a pattern and pin many a dress, and at this point I don't know how I would sew clothes for myself without her.  So yes, there is truth to the "see in advance how finished dress will look"claim. I only wish that the "make beautiful clothes easily in half the usual time!" were really true.  Well, you can't have everything, especially vintage and for free!

Japanese Green for the Most Irish of Holidays

It's great to pull out an unfinished project and finish it just in time for an appropriate occasion.  Such is the case with this cute green sleeveless top, which is getting its arm hole facings just in time for St. Patrick's Day!

Why has it been sitting unfinished in my studio for a couple of years? Well, it was one of those projects that was started spur-of-the-moment and on the cusp of some deadline or other.  More important or seasonally-appropriate projects came and went, and this poor darling was on hiatus until I rediscovered it a few weeks ago.

Despite its tardiness, it does have an interesting pedigree.  The fabric is an imported Japanese cotton jacquard that I bought as a remnant.  The trim and baby buttons on the front yoke were also scraps and leftovers from various other projects.  The pattern, New Look 6871, is something that I happened to have on hand and trimmed at the time.  Lucky me!

In a way I'm glad this cute little tunic blouse waited to make its debut.  I get to cross something off of my formidable to-do list and it'll be coming out on the biggest green clothing day of the year!  

On Surviving the Halloween Rat Race

I recently visited the fabric store where I spent 6 years helping customers.  Halloween is, hands-down, their busiest season of the year.  Being almost exactly a week before the big black-and-orange day, I was feeling the pressure and I wasn't even making costumes or helping customers!  The tension in the air was palpable, and my mind turned to those countless interesting and harrowing hours that I spent lovingly helping people with their costume ideas. As a result, here are some of my top tips for surviving the Halloween Rat Race:

1.  KNOW YOUR SKILL LEVEL! I cannot possibly count the number of times I've helped desperate parents and party-goers who had never sewn and were attempting an expert-level costume four days (or the night before) Halloween.  It's okay to have great ideas, but be realistic about the amount of work involved and the price tag for the materials needed.  Most of the time, simple solutions to creative costume ideas are the best.  Martha Stewart's Halloween magazine special issues (and their online archives) contain excellent and easy ways to achieve very successful costumes with minimal sewing skills and commonly available items.  Even if the specific costumes they feature aren't exactly what you are looking for, quite often the techniques have multi-purpose applications.  What about the tutorial for these adorable Royal Couple costumes?  Will and Kate Middleton, anyone?

A royal costume tutorial from MarthaStewart.com

2.  BE FLEXIBLE!  More than a few people that I've helped became solidly devoted to a very particular costume idea and sallied forth with no willingness to switch things up when the going got tough.  I've heard tales of quests for raw materials sent people miles away from home at odd hours of the night for just the right this-or-that.  Unless you enjoy the chase,  it's good to keep an open mind about what might complete your costume.  If you've involved your child in the design of his or her costume, encourage them to be flexible when it comes to color choices, accessories, and other details.  This is easier said than done, I know, but most kids welcome the chance to take their ideas further and sometimes a trip to Goodwill or garage sales can spark ideas (and savings!) that you might never have considered initially.  Sometimes it's good to have a couple of costume ideas in mind - you might strike out on one and hit a home run finding items for another...  My own famous Carmen Miranda costume from 4th grade happened thanks to an incredibly grody pile of plastic fruit my mom found at a garage sale!

3.  SET A BUDGET.  This might seem obvious, especially during today's economic climate, but you'd be surprised how many occasional costumers end up spending big bucks without intending to.  Even if you are working at the last minute, take at least half an hour (or a full hour) to sit down and sketch or write out what it is you want to make, and see what you have on hand, what you can borrow, and what might get you to your goal cheaply.  Craft felt, hot glue, glitter, cardboard and paint can boost a costume without a lot of money.  Take into consideration that most costumes are only worn for a few hours at most and don't need to last for eternity; glue is okay, paper's okay, just relax! 

4.  MAKEUP IS MAGIC!  Sometimes all you need to turn clothes into a costume is makeup!  For just a few dollars plus what you might have in your own makeup stash,  the power to transform is yours.  One year I donned a sparkly vintage 1960's top and skirt that I had on hand and did elaborate cat makeup with a $4 fantasy makeup kit from Wal-Mart.  The result was the glitziest Party Animal costume ever!  Loads of compliments couldn't be wrong.  If you're strapped for cash, dress you (or your little goblin) in all black and get creative with makeup and a few strategically-place accessories. 

Monster makeup tutorial at MarthaStewart.com

5.  DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE BASIC, CLASSIC, OR OLD-FASHIONED.  So many times adults and kids go out of their way to attempt elaborate, obscure or character costumes.  I don't blame you for doing what you love...  However, if time and money matter, don't be afraid to try something time-tested and easy.  Who doesn't love a classic Vampire or Mummy?  Frankenstein is still scary and awesome, too.  Ballerinas, Red Riding Hood and Cowgirls and Cowboys are fabulous... and might be easier and cheaper than a 100% accurate Strawberry Shortcake or Cinderella costume!

6.  ADVICE FOR NEXT YEAR:  Suggestions 1-5 will get you to the pumpkin patch on time for this year.  For next year I offer the following advice, courtesy of my mother, who lovingly made exquisite (and often inexpensive) Halloween costumes for me from age 2 through about 6th grade.  Start planning your costume the last week of September and take no more than a week to decide on a couple of ideas to follow.  Start looking for best bargains on raw materials or things to repurpose as soon as you can.  If you find something (like makeup or shoes) that are perfect and about the right price, buy them immediately (no matter what time of year it is).  Pace your work so that you're not finishing things at the last possible minute - that often means doing any sewing first and pacing the finishing touches so that you are only making minor adjustments that week of Halloween.  And lastly, make time to enjoy Halloween and the days leading up to it.  Planning ahead with a relaxed and fun attitude leaves more time for fun things like making bat cookies, hayrides, and other haunting wonders. 

Work smart, be safe and I wish everyone a very HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Blooper Reel: If Anything Can Go Wrong, It Will!

Murphy's Law, "If anything can go wrong, it will," can apply to the sewing room, even when there's an expert at the helm of the sewing machine.  No amount of sewing experience can protect you from those times when the seam ripper comes out and you smack yourself in the forehead repeatedly!  I had one of those days last week. 

Don't let this happen to you!

I've been a busy lady as of late, finalizing my first cotton fabric collection with my company in New York and finishing up my sewing pattern re-releases.  After weeks sitting at my computer fussing over graphics files, I found myself in need of a sewing day where I would attend to some samples and a new dress for myself.  Ah, they're all easy projects... smooth sailing!  I told myself.  No, that was the first clue that everything was about to go awry...

First of all, that simple dress I was going to make for myself had been cut out weeks earlier.  The pieces were stacked up, marked and ready to sew... or so I thought!  When I sewed up the bodice yoke pieces and unfurled them to give them a press for the next step, I found (to my horror!) that the flower motifs in the print made for some... floral pasties!  Ohhhh dear.  Thank goodness the yoke is lined with the same fabric and I can swap out one of the halves for a flower with a different placement!  Note to self and others:  When working with large prints that are to be placed in the bust area of a garment, check your print placement to avoid embarassment!  I set the dress aside and told myself I'd work on something else.

I had a backup dress to work on!  A nice, easy-to-alter 1940s housedress with princess seams (Decades of Style #4002).  Pieces were cut and marked, and I zipped through the front and back princess seams, only to find that the side pieces didn't match up!  Foiled again!  I called my friend for desperate help and, after some talk therapy I realized that I had forgotten to sew the side darts... once that was done, the side pieces matched up perfectly.  Note to self and others:  Always check off your sewing steps on the pattern instructions so you don't forget important details!

Well!  After two frustrating starts and getting nowhere fast, I decided I needed to finish something up to feel that I had accomplished something!  I turned to one of my quick zippered bags, which I was testing for an upcoming pattern re-release.  This would be easy... the front assembly was already sewn, all I had to do was position the strap and sew the back up to complete it.  I positioned, pinned and got it under the needle.  I sewed down one side, pivoted perfectly and sewed down the other and.... SNAP!  POP!  CRUNCH!  My needle shattered (good thing I wear big glasses when I sew) and as I grumbled and pulled the bag out of the machine, I realized that I had run out of bobbin at EXACTLY THE SAME TIME.  Note to self and others:  NEVER sew over a metal zipper stop and ALWAYS check your bobbin before you begin to sew.

That was IT.  I quit for the day. 

When multiple errors are happening in the sewing room, retreat is usually the better part of valor.  It may seem like you're giving up, but we all have days when we're not paying attention or we're tired or maybe you just don't feel like sewing. It is far better to recognize when things aren't working and come back to your work when you're fresh and ready to give sewing your full effort (barring deadlines, of course).   I'm back in the sewing room today, ready to sew and I know it'll all go well!  There will be no broken needles today... I hope!

Book Review: Successful Scrap Quilts

Quilting was something that I vehemently resisted as a youngster, teen and young adult. Being far more interested in sewing fashions for my own wardrobe (and later fashions for other people), I just couldn't get into the idea of piecework or quilting... even though some of my favorite vintage fabrics appeared on random old crazy quilts around my parents' house. 

My quilting epiphany didn't come until many, many years later during my second year working at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley, California.  Word got around among the staff that my graphic design background gave me an edge with color and composition, and I frequently found myself helping quilters solve a multitude of design problems with their projects.  Shift after shift of helping others got me thinking that I should at least throw together a couple of quilt tops for the sake of my own expertise.  Not wanting to go the traditional route, I chose the book Successful Scrap Quilts from Simple Rectangles by Judy Turner and Margaret Rolfe as a place to begin. By now it's a few years old (2002) but I still find myself pulling it off of my bookshelf time and again.

Successful Scrap Quilts is a great book for any beginner for several reasons.  Not only are all 15 of the quilt patterns executed with easy-to-cut rectangles (which is a plus), but the first several chapters cover many fundamental quilting concepts.  From color and composition to block assembly and general quilt construction, you almost don't need another book to complete your quilt top!  This book does not, however, adequately cover finishing the quilt; those are topics best covered in detail by other reference volumes or classes from your local quilt shop.

My first quilt top from this book was a Bento Box (page 84), a small 30" x 36" lap quilt.  Instead of using the suggested traditional Japanese indigo fabrics to frame the colorful central blocks, I pulled several black-and-white Japanese themed prints out of my stash to frame selections of my brighter Asian conversational prints.

A few years later I made a more traditionally colored Bento Box with Japanese indigos and other muted Asian prints.  Here are the blocks laid out to test the composition.  My father-in-law was the lucky recipient of this quilt.  I did make a small modification to the pattern in this version; instead of piecing the center of each block, I carefully cut single square vignettes from Japanese conversational cottons.  The indigo and neutral tones make nice frames, no?

As I love working with themes, I couldn't resist piecing this brightly-colored starry quilt top based on 1-2-3 What Can You See? (page 81).  I reduced the size and number of blocks to make a 32" x 45" child's lap quilt, as this quilt was made for a little girl.  It was fun and a real challenge to find star-themed and celestial fabrics in purple, turquoise, and yellow!  The psychedelic border brought the disparate colors together in a fun, slightly girly way.

Given that a previous non-quilter like myself was inspired enough by the cute examples in this book to make three quilt tops, I'll give this book a rating of excellent, especially as a book for first quilting projects.  The patterns are easy if you want to make them just like the samples, and they're easily customizable if you're just looking for a place to start your own creative project.  It would also be a great book to have around for you experienced quilters who need simple projects for gift quilt making.  As advertised, the patterns are good for scraps and collections of fabrics from your stash.

Plus, what higher rating can I give a quilting book than to say "It turned me into a quilter?"  I can think of no higher compliment or endorsement.

Next Steps In The Hawaiian Quilting Saga

The easy part of my first Hawaiian quilt block is now over; the applique process went very quickly, and as such I have started second and third pieces.  I'm now quite sure that needle-turning is one of my favorite sewing techniques - something I certainly didn't expect during my first two hours of this project! 

Next comes the more challenging part of the work - quilting the block by hand.  As this 22" block was intended for use as a throw pillow cover, I went ahead and made a sandwich of the applique piece, organic cotton quilt batting, and the backing broadcloth.

To secure the "quilt sandwich," I basted 1/2 inch from the edge all around the block.  To keep the piece from shifting or bunching during hand quilting, I also basted diagonally and in quarters across the entire square.  It was then ready to be put into my new 14" hand quilting hoop.

I started hand quilting in the center of the motif, and I'll be working my way outward to keep the work even as I go.  This is by far the most difficult part of the process for me, as I rarely sew with a thimble and as such I'm not yet used to having a chunk of metal on my fingertip.  The rocking motion of the quilt stitch is also taking some getting used to, as well as trying to focus on stabbing through all of the layers of the sandwich.  My stitches are uneven, but I'm sticking with it!  I can only get better at hand quilting the more I stitch!

Pattern Review: Decades of Style 1930s Stardust Skirt

These days I don't get to sew clothes for myself as much as I'd like to, but I can usually wedge a skirt into my busy sewing schedule.  Such is the case with a quick sew like my new favorite, the 1930's Stardust Skirt (Pattern #3011) by Decades of Style.  It's earned its place as a stand-out for several reasons.

First of all, it takes very little fabric to make.  At just under 2 yards for my size, it's quite easy to pull a piece of fabric out of my stash for a delicious skirt.  The project pictured here is made with a black, cream and red Japanese dobby cotton that had been living in my stash for quite awhile.  Dobby cotton has a woven texture and a nice drape to it, making it ideally suited for clothing.  This particular print had a spirited geometric rhythm that screamed "30s Art Deco" so it was a match made in heaven!

But what about those great godet seams on the side front, you ask?  Wouldn't those get lost in that busy print?  Sure, but this was easily remedied using 3 yards of flat geometric crocheted lace.  I simply inserted and sewed the lace into the seams as I went.  The lace detail gave the skirt just enough definition and interest to enhance the overall look and quality of the finished garment.
 

The stardust skirt is also a very quick sew.  Between cutting and sewing, 1 or 2 days is all you need!  Fitting is easy - the back and side front are all one piece, shaped by darts.  The darts are easily movable and adjustable to fit your unique shape.  As with any custom sewing project, I always recommend sewing your garment in muslin first (as I did with this one) and have a friend help you mark, pin and alter as needed.   Even being the unique shape that I am, alterations to this pattern were minimal and easy.

Here you can see the finished result:  A sleek yet flowy skirt with a simple yet sophisticated front detail.  I debuted this beautiful new garment at an Alice In Wonderland-themed birthday party, where the playing card colors were very appropriate.  Even though I'll admit that I made this skirt specifically to wear to the party, it's a skirt that I am sure to wear and enjoy for years to come.

I also love that this skirt is an instant outfit, in much the same way that dresses are instant outfits.  With bold lines and a unique fabric choice, all I need is lipstick, a puff-sleeve black tee shirt and a pair of flats or heels.  Voila - instant glamour!  Who doesn't love a little instant glamour? 

My First Adventures In Hawaiian Quilting

You know that you're addicted to sewing when you take your quilting with you on vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii.  ...and what better project to take than a Hawaiian appliqued quilt block?  In case you aren't familiar with Hawaiian quilting, there is a great history and a lot of resources for you over at Poakalani.net (they also publish a wonderful series of pattern books that include instructions).  Simply stated, the Hawaiian quilting tradition that is practiced today arose from the teaching of traditional western applique quilting techniques to the islanders of Hawaii, who then combined this western technique with traditional Polynesian tapa cloth motifs.

My first project is a 22" sampler, which will be used as a throw pillow sham when complete.  The artwork starts with a 1/8th pie segment template that is used to cut the folded cotton, much as you would a tissue paper snowflake.  The design of this block is the Guava pattern by Apapane Quilting; you can see my work in the first stages, with the light yellow applique aligned on the creased backing fabric:

The next step in the applique process is to thoroughly hand-baste the applique fabric onto the backing.  I've basted loosely in the middle, just enough to keep things in place while I stitch:

No hoops are used while sewing the applique to the backing.  Here I am using a hand-sewing needle to needle-turn the edges of the applique under 1/8" and stitch by hand with a tiny pick stitch all the way around the motif.  Initially the turning was difficult and not as smooth as I'd like, but my stitches and turns are looking better as I near completion of the applique process!

Here you can see some of the finished applique work - mostly tidy, but the parts that are a little rough won't look as obvious after the next step of hand-quilting.  I'm loving the summery colors of citron and pale yellow here - bright reminders of breezy, sunny days stitching on the lanai!