Sewing for weight loss

What do you sew when you have a plan to lose weight?   A caftan pattern?  A nightie?  There are a few patterns to be considered.

This Chado Ralph Rucci pattern is a good fit for this project.  With the right fabric selection we may even come up with something chic and easy to wear around the house (and scare the cat).  A friend of mine also suggested wrap dresses, and this pattern would be a good match, if pockets are left out an alteration would be relatively easy.

  

Then there's the tent dress, I've always wanted to make one of these after seeing them in Vogue in the 90's.  They can be worn loose or belted.

Shorts for summer...

Summer officially starts Wednesday June 20th, and ends September 20th, what is apparent down here is that it has already begun.  It is a glorious day today the sun is shining and it wasn't too hot, but after 20 minutes when I realized I had forgotten my to apply sunscreen, and the sand started getting hot under my feet, I thought a mall visit was in order.   A stroll through Banana Republic had me heading straight to their "summer whites" section, with embroidered eyelet tops and slightly crushed linen pants, I forgot all about the heat.  You should see their Trina Turk Collection, I have decided I need a little white denim jacket now.  

Now that I'm home, I headed over to Net-a-Porter to see what they had in shorts.  I have one pair of shorts, and need some inspiration.  The trend on Net-a-Porter seemed to be short shorts, full long shorts and high waisted shorts. 

Sonia Rykiel - Full short

These look more like a skirt than a short but I like the idea, and how comfortable would these be.  I also like the wide fabric belt.

Versus - Sweatsuit drawstring waist

So how comfortable are sweat pants? These shorts have the same gathered waistband with a drawstring detail, but they are made in silk crepe de chine, nice and light for summer.

YSL - High waisted

Mid length short, in a very classic style, and I liked them so much I posted two color ways.

Chalayan - High waisted

These would be perfect under a boyfriend jacket, very simple and streamlined.

Since they are all made of silk crepe de chine, they aren't really low maintenance.  You would probably have to dry clean to keep the colors fresh.  Alternatively you could wash your silks first for a "washed silk" effect and have a sensuous wardrobe for summer.

Oh and happy Father's day!!

Thrifting - Variegated Embroidery

I know thrift store shopping is not for everyone, but every once in awhile you can find some diamonds in the rough.  This little shirt is 100% silk with rayon embroidery, a little wrinkled but other than that perfectly wearable.

They used a variegated embroidery floss for the design on the placket and motifs.

 There is some of this in the stash that I haven't wanted to use until I found some inspiration. The embroidery detail on the center front placket is achieved with a very small stitch giving it a hand made quality.  The front panels are accented with three sets of pin tucks on each side.

 The center front placket has two tiny pearl buttons matched with two tiny thread chain loops to keep the neckline closed.

The center front placket has 6 mother of pearl buttons.

The sleeve cuff  has a coordinated version of the embroidery on the cuff, and is closed with fabric loops and self covered buttons.

The inside seams are finished with a french seam at the side seam and under sleeve seam.

The neckline is finished with a bias strip, that is under stitched and top stitched.

And all of this for $4.00, the pearl buttons alone would be worth that.  This is also a good example of how lightweight silks can be finished and for those of you who entertain the " One pattern many looks " philosophy the details here are good ones to keep in mind for dressing up that one silhouette.

Vintage - Castleberry knits

Another thrift store find, I don't know why I had to have this except that I immediately envisioned white linen palazzo pants, a thin lizard belt, gold bangles and big black sunglasses.  There's more, there was a cocktail in one hand, chaise lounge, a pool in the background and a cabana boy somewhere in there.

My mother was very talented, and one of her talents was knitting these classic dresses for herself and clients.

She had a Pfaff double bed knitting machine which produced rib knits and intricate textured patterns, later she would buy a Brother single bed knitting machine to make intarsia and lace knits.  I still have this knitting machine and a few cones of yarn, so the purchase was more of a study of the cuffs and joining knit to woven.

The top itself has potential, it is 100% polyester, and while I normally stay away from polys this is a high end polyester, it is silky and very lightweight.  In addition to the knit hem and cuffs, there is a strip of knit trim around the collar and yoke (front and back).  I imagine this would be an easy travel item, wrinkle resistant and easy to wash and hang to air dry.  It can be worn as a jacket, with a cami underneath as the front opens all the way to the waist. A departure from what many travel pieces look like (we don't always want to wear tank tops and tank dresses).  An interesting style with some interesting design details.

Hidden button placket

Shoulder pads - inside out view

Rib knit joined to woven fabric - just a note, this knit has tremendous recovery, from a flat 30" it stretches to 42" without distorting, so finding the right knit is key for this project.

Bottom Hem

Stretched out

Relaxed

Cuffs

Knit trim collar edge

Isn't it nice to know that even manufacturers have problems finding matching sets of buttons?

This is not a Chanel jacket - Tweed jacket finish alternatives

What if you want to make a Chanel jacket but didn't want to bother with all of that hand quilting and didn't want to get involved with an epic project.  There are alternatives to the interior finishes that are acceptable.  This jacket originally retailed for $2,250, it is a fancy tweed, very soft and luxurious, much like the tweeds used for Chanel jackets.

Honk Kong bound seam allowances

Silk crepe de chine facings 

Pocket detail 3 layers of crepe de chine cut on the bias and fringed.

Silk crepe de chine hem facing with scalloped lace.

Seam finish hidden under a strip of crepe de chine

And if you look closely to the left, you can see under the facing an area that reveals a serged edge.

If you've been sitting on the sidelines thinking you could never have a jacket that resembles that Chanel cardi, because you didn't want to commit to quilting, here's your alternative.  The idea of these finishes appeals to me for a summer version of the cardi, something that doesn't have an extra layer to make it even warmer.

This construction would highlight the soft drape of the tweed, with no interference from lining or quilted backing.  It looks "finished" on the inside.  I would have concerns over time that it would be stretched out, and would not store the jacket on a hanger just to be sure.  The other thing I would add to this are removable underarm shields to protect the garment from waxy deodorant.  As a relatively quick project (if you already have a TNT), there's nothing wrong with this approach.

Back in time the swallows of 2010 - Erdem chiffon

Do you remember this Erdem dress from Spring 2010?  I loved this dress (for a much younger thinner person), it is very romantic, and I also loved the birds and the texture they achieved with the chiffon.



I had the opportunity to take a closer look.
Here we have the main motif, since the print does not have sharp edges, they have solved it by running a chain stitch to outline the bird, and some essential details, along with a satin stitch around the neck.


The other motifs, some of which are easy to identify and others less so.






The dress itself is pretty amazing when you consider that all of the texture is simply bias chiffon layers that have been sewn on a chiffon background.


It is lined in silk charmeuse, in a coordinating print.


Of course this goes back to my textile envy post, these fabrics are manufactured for the designer.  I couldn't begin to imagine how much yardage went into this dress, or how it was manufactured.  So this is one of those fabrics, while not impossible to make would be cost and time prohibitive.

It's towel madness !!!!... bathroom org continued

A little disappointed that I couldn't use the binder attachment, I turned to an old trusty friend for inspiration.  My vintage Pfaff Automatic 360, with embroidery stitches.  I have not used these stitches for any project, so this was a first for me.  It was pretty exciting to see that the cams still worked, and produced some pretty cute embroidery stitches for a machine that's over 50 years old.

I pulled out the instruction manual and started playing on scraps.  I used a thick silk Gutterman thread for the needle and regular thread for the bobbin.

So far so good....

Now onto the clean up towels.....

I was going to turn under and stitch but that would have made the edges very thick.  Instead I decided on three passes with the serger, the first pass with the knife engaged, and the next two passes with the knife disengaged. This gave me a sturdy edge that is finished.  It also left me with tails which can't stay that way.

So the solution is to thread a large eyed tapestry needle and bury the thread in the stitching.  To secure the thread further, you can take a back stitch and run it through the stitching again.

No more tails!!

Now I have piles and piles of towels.

Lest we forget that issue I have with the oral B, and the mess it leaves after brushing my teeth. No amount of rinsing cures it.

Looks pretty good but not good enough.

How about a little sleeve?

How cute a little furry shelf!

This works and I can toss it in the wash.

Last but not least, the flying shower curtain, which leaves puddles on the floor.  This issue has been solved with clips.  I placed the bottom clip high enough so that I can still reach the knobs to turn the water on before I get in the shower.