Gemstones and Jewels

So I have finally managed to cull through the photos from my most recent trip to the De Young Museum with Mom.

This time around it was all about The Art of Bulgari: La Dolce Vita & Beyond, 1950–1990.  The exhibition should really be labeled “conspicuous consumption.” It is mind boggling to imagine anyone really owning one of these incredible pieces.  These jewels may escape the confines of their velvet prisons for a day or two on the neck of some Hollywood star, but most of their lives are probably spent inside a cold, dark vault.  Which is sad, right?  

I have the same problem with incredible vintage fashion.  It is meant to be worn, but its life will be shortened by daily wear and tear.  So it is better to preserve it in the pristine setting of a museum or vault, or should it be out in the world?  I am not sure which answer makes me more comfortable.  What I do know is  . . . I have never seen such gorgeous emeralds in person, and probably never will ever again!  Photos really cannot do justice to these pieces, and I am so pleased that I had a chance to see them with my own eyes.

A trip to the museum always gets me into a heated discussion with my boss about what deserves the title of “art” and what truly belongs in a museum.  He would never be caught dead in the Bvlgari exhibit (even though he visits this museum frequently).  He insists that these things are a sell out and that fashion exhibitions and the like do not belong in an art museum.

I did manage to get him into the Gaultier exhibit last year (but that probably had more to do with the fact that I happened to mention there were quite a few photos of attractive young models showing quite a bit of flesh).

How can something (even if it is made of fabric or mineral) with exquisite attention to composition, color, form, line, etc., not be considered art?  And is the creator of these "fashion" pieces not considered an artist?

I do not always want to see the suffering of the world on display – sometimes escapism is needed, even on the walls of a museum.  Can’t something be just about beauty for beauty’s sake?  Does it have to make some political impact to be important?

In my world, it certainly does not.  That may be naive, but it is how I get through the day.

Dress:  Made by me, Vogue 883

Bolero:  Made by me, Butterick 4927

Hat:  Vintage

Shoes:  Colin Stuart

Necklace:  Banana Republic

Earrings:  Shadows

Fabric Flaws

Without fail, flawed portions of fabric manage to end up front and center on finished garments, but are not so easy to find on yardage lengths.  Why?!?  

Over the years, I have found a way to avoid this issue . . . most of the time.

Before cutting, I always press my yardage which gives me the opportunity to look at the fibers up close and personal.  Even minor snags or imperfections get "stitched" with a contrasting thread – if I can avoid those spots altogether, I will!  At worst, they will work for a facing or the underside of a collar, etc. if there is a fabric shortage.  This takes very little time (seconds, really) and makes the flaws easily visible from the right and wrong side of the fabric.    

I am embarrassed to admit that when I started garment sewing, I used the selvedge as the center back zipper opening because I knew it would not fray.  This would often come at a cost – most pieces are not cut with an edge exactly on grain.  It seemed a piddling thing to worry about at the time . . . but I do not do that any more! 

Tightly woven selvedge edges must be clipped so that the fabric will lay flat and on grain.  Not all selvedges will create a huge amount of distortion (laundering will often exacerbate the problem), but it is good to get in the habit of clipping when the pattern layout gets close to a selvedge edge.  Linear prints and designs make the issue quite obvious, but most woven fabrics will benefit by tending to the selvedge.

There is no earth shattering information here, but I thought someone might find it useful!

Happy sewing, everyone!

Knitting Away

This is my second Knit for Victory project, although I doubt it will make the deadline.

A sweater that looks stylish in any decade.

Is it 40s, 50s, or 60s appropriate?  Take your pick!

The design is not actually a cardigan, although it has that look (and I have to admit that was my initial impression until I started reading the directions - whoops!).  The back is now complete, and I am starting to like the look of it.  The sparkly wool is from KnitPicks and, once again, they have outdone themselves with the color name:  "Fiesta"!

A big thank you to Subversive Femme for sharing this vintage treasure!

Butterick, Spring 2014

Butterick 6022

More new patterns have appeared in the Butterick Catalog!  I heard rumors of new retro designs, but never remember to check the pattern section at JoAnn Fabrics - I actually just got back from an emergency Bemberg rayon run and forgot, once again.  But there was the email about the new Buttericks when I checked my email.

Butterick 6022

Regarding the vintage reproductions:  are they the most amazing things I have ever beheld?  Not even remotely.  But I do like the off-the-shoulder-collar on the bridal design.

Butterick 6018

The other is very familiar to any lover of vintage patterns, although the empire bodice with the princess seamed skirt is something I do not have in my stash.

Butterick 6018

Love the cuffs!

Butterick 6019

This lovely design is classic Alfred Shaheen, and I am positive that Gertie was inspired by some of his vintage pieces.  It looks a bit like her bombshell dress.  

Butterick 6019

This slip is fabulous, but I would never want a knit slip - too much cling factor to deal with.  Perhaps a few alterations and some bias would make it possible to use a woven?  And it really drives me crazy when lace embellishments are only placed on the front (but that would be easy enough to fix!).

Butterick 6031

I am going to study the line drawing a bit more before making any decisions.

Butterick 6031

And speaking of line drawings . . . the mock up and pictures of the dress are nothing special, but the french dart design is very classic (and flattering!) and a welcome change from the standard sheath.

Butterick 6016

Not that I have children to sew for, but would it not be more interesting to have a children’s pattern for this fabulous coat, not just a doll?  I would actually love a version for myself.  Then again, I look nothing like a six year old Shirley Temple, so perhaps I should let it go . . .

Butterick 6000

And this is either completely charming, or really very scary.  Anyway, I think I need a fruit novelty outfit, complete with matching sunhat and rick-rack!  

Butterick 6001

Are any designs tempting you this season?

Hashtag "Repurposed"

This dress has been living in my closet for a long time.  The label is Eileen West, and the style screams 1980s.  I believe my Mom purchased this at a garage sale years ago and it ended up in my closet.

I sometimes feel guilty about altering clothing (in twenty years will vintage enthusiasts curse me for destroying originals?), but the shoulders of the dress had considerable sun damage – I would not have felt comfortable wearing the dress as it was.  Also, the gray color was not doing me any favors.  The silky cotton twill, however, was just too lovely to ignore.

My original intent was to dye the fabric, seam rip the dress, and use the yardage to make myself a new dress (because the design is rather voluminous, there is plenty to work with).

But it only seemed fair to wear the dress out and take a few pictures to memorialize the original before cutting into anything.

Part of the reason the dress looked so frumpy on the hanger was the waist closure.  There was one button, two buttonholes, and a bent hook & eye.  My best guess is someone needed more room in the waist, so they moved one button, eliminated the second altogether, and added a small hook & eye that was sewn on for dear life (it took me five minutes to remove the darn thing).

Since Tulip Liquid Dye worked so well on the gloves for my gala gown, I purchased a bottle of navy blue for this project.  It is always hard to tell exactly how a dye job is going to come out, especially when working with a colored fabric.  And it was not clear if the hashtag/pound symbol/number sign print would be lost in the darker dye, but it seemed worth a try.  And it worked!

Then I had to find two buttons that fit the existing buttonholes.  As you might imagine, I have quite a few lying about.  But the size needed was absent from my collection of orphaned buttons.  I finally found the two remaining buttons from this project - perfect!  The sleeves are a very awkward length, but if I am going to harvest the piece for fabric in the future, I do not want to cut anything off, so I just rolled them up for the day (pegged pants were popular in the 80s, so why not pegged sleeves?!).

The dress is so easy to wear that I am having second thoughts about its destruction.  So for the moment, I am not sure what will become of this dress.  But it feels good to rework a piece that, for me, was unwearable in its original condition – all thanks to a bottle of fabric dye.

Dress:  Eileen West, repurposed by me

Shoes:  Hinge

Coat:  Banana Republic

Earrings:  1928

Bracelet:  Borrowed from mom

“Resolutions”

I am not big on Resolutions for the New Year, but I came across this sentiment on Pinterest and felt like I needed to write this down so I am accountable (to myself, at least!).  No new fabric, unless it is so very exceptional I cannot live without it!

Since I have drawers full of fabric, it should be easy to reign in new fabric purchases, right?  There was that online purchase in December that I feel guilty about, but I am going to get over it.

So I am going to do my best to refrain from buying new sewing supplies this year, other than absolute essentials, such as linings and zippers, etc.  My Britex projects should quench the thirst for new, new, new.  At least it should . . .

The Return of the Vintage Vogue Pattern

Vogue 8973

I am relieved to see that Vogue has not given up on the Vintage Vogue line - two new patterns have been released in the new Spring 2014 Collection!  They are not the most fabulous vintage designs I have come across, but they have some lovely features.  But why do they continue to hide those plus difficile designs from us?!

The color on this one is yummy, but it seems an odd choice for Spring.  And the pleated bodice and box pleated skirt is jarring to me (although my opinion may change after I stare at it for a bit).  That straw hat is brilliant, though!

The Vogue 8974 neckline is quite interesting, but reminds me of Butterick 5214.  

The design elements are not exact, but the cut-in neckline and overall look is too similar for me to be super excited about the dress.  The jacket, at least, is new.

Vogue 8974

Perhaps I am just getting desensitized by all of the uber modern looks Vogue has been producing, but I really like Vogue 1384.  I do not know if I would ever choose to sew this up, but Donna Karan sure does know how to design a dress!

Vogue 1384

I also find myself very drawn to Vogue 1379, by Tracy Reese.  I am not sure about those tab things at the neckline, but the overall fluid look is just lovely.

Vogue 1379

There are even two new stylish menswear designs!  Vogue 8988 makes me want to work on a double-breasted suit - why does a man's jacket always have that great back vent while none of my jacket patterns include that detail?!

Will you be purchasing any designs from the new offerings?