Paprika Bites the Dust

Do you remember my beautiful Paprika dress, which was coming together so perfectly? Well, unless I lose about seven pounds, it’s going to have to stay a thought. After all that hard work, I closed up the back seam to find the dress is way too tight in some areas, and way too long in others – and I can’t go back to fix them without undoing hours and hours of work. I simply don’t have the heart for that right now, so I’m putting Paprika in the failure pile for now, and moving on to other things.

But it’s okay! Failure and mistakes are part of sewing. And since I know how much you loooove my modeling photos, here’s a consolation prize: a really funny video that I made one lovely unemployed day in my youth.

On Deck

Remember this?

Even though it’s the middle of winter, this is the perfect time to begin thinking about warm weather wardrobes. (Ooh, alliteration!) For sewers and non-sewers alike, it takes time to pull out and review last year’s summer clothes, and decide what needs to be added to the collection for this year.

And that’s where the similarity ends, because sewers can do something non-sewers cannot: make our own clothes! Once we decide what we need and want, we can make it happen.

I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have never owned summer clothes. I’ve had t-shirts, of course, but they are the kind you get from volunteering, or the merch table at concerts, or the men’s section of your local discount clothing store. I’ve never had shorts, skirts, tanks, or anything that said ‘summer’. Or ‘spring’. Or even ‘cute’. So this year, I’ve got a lot of sewing to do.

Me, every summer ... minus the hat.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a frilly tank top and a simple t-shirt in the works, as well as a maxi dress. I also whipped up a pair of shorts. But what I don’t have is a vision … yet. For that, I’m going to look both to high end designers and the world around me. In a series of posts, I’ll share my finds with you, and maybe we'll both find some inspiration for our wardrobes this year!

Last Seen in Paris

It’s that time of year for fashion weeks in the major fashion cities, but only one of those cities hosts the haute couture designers: Paris!

And just a few days ago, those designers sent their Spring/Summer 2013 collections down the runway. Thanks to FashionTV on Youtube, the rest of us can see some of the highest expressions of art in the fashion world.

Compactelated

That’s ‘compacted’ plus ‘elated’, because I’m super pumped to show you one of my main Frugal Sewing™ techniques!

Frugal Sewing™ goes above and beyond paying the lowest price. It’s really about getting the most out of the things you buy, find, receive, and have around the house – basically, being maximally resourceful. Using cans, jars, and dishes as pattern weights; drawing patterns on old newspapers; keeping your fabric and notions organized so you know exactly what you have (and exactly what you may need); and so on. I’m very passionate about Frugal Sewing™, and about being resourceful in general, because I believe that there is so much value in the world that is not being tapped!

Also, fun factoid: did you know the word frugal comes from the Latin word frux, meaning fruit? Try thinking of fruit and fruitfulness the next time you hear the word frugal!

La Robe Paprique

I’ve got a new dress in the works!

It’s based on McCall’s pattern 5971, a pretty and simple dress with details that make it the perfect dress block for every body type to wear in every situation. I’ve made this dress twice before, making little tweaks each time. This time, I was inspired by Gertie’s version of this dress, to make the whole thing a little more fitted than my previous versions, especially in the waist and derriere.

Change up the fabric from a mid-weight woven to a sheer knit, and now you have something casual and slightly alluring; use a mid-weight knit in a bold color and wear leggings underneath, and now you have something funky and youthful. Make it in black wool and line it with silk (as I plan to, eventually) and you have the ultimate little black dress. The darts in back allow for shape over the derriere, and the box pleats in front easily cover a full belly or abdomen. The princess seams in the bodice make for a snug yet comfortable fit around the upper torso, and the sweetheart neckline is just defined enough to be sweet without being saccharine. Can you tell that I love this dress?

To finish the sleeves, I turned the edge under twice and laid ribbon on the right side of the hem as I sewed through the folds. I didn’t even cut the ribbon off the spool! I find that sewing ribbon from the spool minimizes waste. Anyway, I love the effect so much that I’m going to do the neckline and the waistband seams the same way.

The box pleat on this pattern is quite deep, as you can see in this picture. Isn’t this fabric fabulous? If I’d looked more closely at it when I bought it, I would have purchased more. I bought it almost five and a half years ago from Fabric.com, my absolute favorite online source for fabric. Now that I am sewing daily, I get to finally use the fabrics I spent years accumulating. New clothes and stash reduction! It’s exciting.

The Other Half

A growing trend in womenswear lately has been the masculine look – borrowing garments, lines, and styles from traditional menswear, especially their cold weather offerings. I’m not sure how the gents feel about this borrowing, but that does make menswear fashion shows that much more important to us ladies!

And conveniently, menswear designers just wrapped up their Paris shows, premiering their Fall/Winter 2013/2014 looks. Check out the new looks for next season, courtesy of FashionTV’s Menswear channel on Youtube.

The Fabric in the Stone

“In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.” – Michelangelo

This quote from Michelangelo has inspired me for many years, as I derive a great deal of my artistic inspiration from the materials I use to create. Below are some fabrics which I’ll be working with over the next few months, and the projects which I see in them.

Office pants:


Dress pants, perhaps cuffed and pegged:


Maxi dress:


Cocktail blouse:


Simple tee (or something like that):


Frilly, girly, tank top: