Q is for Quilting

A friend introduced me to this quilting book and I knew immediately that I wanted to make one for myself despite having no quilting experience whatsoever. Heck, I’ve even made it a point to avoid going into the quilting section of Jo-Anns because I thought printed broadcloth and calicos were the Crayola of clothing fabrics.

Brain:  I sew evening dresses, for crying out loud. How hard can a quilt be? Every single seam is a straight line! I’ll have this thing cut and sewn in twelve hours.

I bought the fabric from a quilt shop in Mooresville, NC. This is when I learned that quilt fabric is anything but cheap. There are designers who make the patterns that go on quilt fabric and they have names as recognizable amongst quilters as John Grisham is to the book industry.

Me: Yay! I have my fabric now I can start cutting this tonight!

Friend: Do you have a rotary cutter and mat?

Lesson #2:  A 60 mm Olfa-brand (pizza cutter) is 45 dollars. Add in the self-healing mat and the special yellow grid ruler and kiss 100 dollars good-bye.

I think I cut out all the triangles to do the hexagons in a night and had them sewn together in another day. I arranged the hexagons by color and then I went to sew the strips together.

Lesson #3: Bias is the natural stretch in a fabric that makes curved seams fit together nicely. In a quilt, it is your enemy.

I finished the top with several lumps and not so perfectly straight seams. I moved to Florida and did nothing on it for a year since I had no idea what to do next. Luckily, I found out that the local library is a meeting place for a group of quilters and I was able to talk to someone there who told me how to finish my quilt.

I ended up taking the top and bottom fabrics to a store and paid them to have it machine quilted (those loopy designs all over the top). I was so worried it would be too lumpy and there would be all these ugly puckers in the backside. However, the woman at the store said it looked fine.

Lesson #4. Bias is your friend. It’s that little bit of give that let’s the fabric lie flat while it’s being quilted.

My quilt was a bit noisy when the machine was working on it but the woman at the shop said she didn’t have to sit there and babysit it. Her recommendation was that next time I can take a hammer and pound all the lumps flat.

So medieval… I love it.

It ended up  being 22 months since I started, but at least it's finally done.

Dress Success!

For those of you who don’t know, I have a side job as a custom seamstress and I recently did a project for Jessie Gilmor, who is a high school senior and aspiring future fashion designer.

Jessie has recently received some amazing news which she was so kind to share with me. With her permission, today I’m doing a blog post on her dress.

My initial contact call from Jessie was a conversation as to the extent of my capability to do a custom dress for a scholarship contest she wanted to enter for the Art Institute at Ft. Lauderdale, FL. In the official rules it states that the garment must be Jessie’s original design, but that the finished product could be manufactured by an outside source (this is where I come in.)

This is the pitch from Art Institute:

 Passion for Fashion Competition

Graduating high school students interested in either fashion design or fashion merchandising are eligible to compete for scholarships ranging from $3,000 to full tuition. Winners are selected on the basis of a garment design, product or plan, as well as an essay. One local winner from each Art Institutes location offering fashion programs advances to the national competition. 

Working closely with Jessie, I took her original sketch and sent her various sketches of my own until we were on the same page of what she actually wanted the final dress to look like. (It’s not always easy to draw what you mean, especially if you’re not an artist.) 

Just last week, Jessie emailed me with the results:  Her dress won the local scholarship and is moving onto the National Competition! 

 

I asked Jessie if she would mind answering a few questions that will reveal a little bit about her as a designer. My questions are in bold:

When did you realize you wanted to become a designer? And what other careers have you considered?

        - I have always loved clothing but it wasn't until 9th grade when I started mixing Halloween stuff into my everyday style. I have also considered going into Graphic Design before I got into Fashion Design.

 

What are the three staples of your wardrobe?

        - Accessories, neon, and boots

 What is the one fashion trend you wish would just go away?

        - wearing your pants around your ankles or wearing denim jeans with a denim jacket or even worse.... with a denim shirt too X.X

 Is there a fashion trend you wish would come back in style?

        - 80's neon, or 90's-00's pop fashion like the spice girls or A*teens etc, etc.

 Tell me a little about the creative process that goes into your designs. Where do you get your inspiration? And how did you settle on this particular design?

        - I don't really have a "process". I just draw my inspiration from anything and everything that interests me. I got the idea for the layers of fabric from a skirt I have. My mom bought it for me years ago and I never wore it until I decided to wear a hot pink petticoat between the outer lace and the lining. I liked it and got allot of complements in school and in public. I was originally going to use lace on the outer layer but then around Halloween I found the rainbow foil material and fell in love with it, lol.

 Is there a celebrity whose style you admire?

            -I am deeply inpired by Lady GaGa and Nicki Minaj.

 If you had to be buried in an outfit from your closet today, which outfit would it be and why?

        - Oh geez...... Please don't make me choose! I would want to be buried with my ENTIRE wardrobe if I could, lol.

Jessie Gilmor

Congrats Jessie and good luck at nationals!

Flirty Apron

For the sexy chef in your life.

All seam allowances ½ inch

Self- B/W Leaves  5/6 of a yard

Lining- Buttercup Yellow 5/6 of a yard  

Contrast #1- B/W/Y Butterflies 1/3 yard  

Contrast #2- B/W/Y striped/dots 1 2/3 yard

  Please note, the above drawings are not perfectly to scale and are just to give an idea of what the pattern pieces should look like and grain direction. I tried to include measurements to give an idea of how big to make each piece. The tool over the apron is called a "hip curve ruler" and every serious pattern maker should have one. I use mine to draw waist seams, hip seams, princess seams, hems, armholes, necklines...

General Instructions:

1. Fold Contrast #2 fabric length wise and cut an 4 x 60 in strip (actual piece 8 x 60).
2. With right sides together, cut 45 degree corners and sew ends closed. Trim corners. Turn right side out, press.
3. Make pleats in ruffle every 1.75 inches with a pleat depth of 1 inch. I alternated pleats from both ends toward the center. Pleats are knife pleats and should go in the same direction. Makes about 20 pleats. If there is extra fabric, hide in center pleat.

Tip: I pin the top of the pleat and the bottom of the pleat to prevent the pleats from flaring. When I am done I have a 4 inch wide strip of pleats just under 40 inches.

4. Baste pleats across top edge. Leave in lower set of pins.
5. Cut pocket out of Contrast #1 fabric. (Note: top edge is on fold.) With right sides together, sew around edges, leaving one side edge open. Turn right-side-out. Press, folding SA for open side in. Edge stitch onto front of apron sewing small triangles at corners for stabilization. Top stitch a dividing line down center of pocket. Placement for the top of the pocket is about 11 inches up from the bottom of the apron (without ruffles.)
6. Fold Contrast #1 fabric crosswise and cut two,  2 x 20 inch strips (actual pieces 4 x 20)
7. With right sides together, cut 45 degree corners and sew ends closed, and length of neck tie. Trim corners. Turn right side out, press.
8. Place on top edge of apron, ½ from side edges, flush with top of apron. Baste in place.
9. For waist ties, Fold Contrast #2 fabric lengthwise and cut two, 3 x 60 inch strips (actual pieces 6 x 60)
10. With right sides together, cut 45 degree corners and sew ends closed, and length of waist. Trim corners. Turn right side out, press.  
11. Place on side edge of apron, flush with side edge and ½ down from armhole edge. Baste in place. 
12. Pin ruffle to lower apron edge over waist ties, starting at center and curving around toward armhole edges. Should reach just to waist ties. Okay if it overlaps. Baste in place.
13. Tuck all ties into front pockets. Keep pleats away from lower apron edge.

 14. Sandwich lining over self, right sides together. Sew around all edges, leaving 6 inch gap open at neck.

15. Turn inside out.
16. Fold in neck SA. Edgestitch close.
17. Remove lower pins from ruffle. Flare/fan pleats. Press or starch pleats.

Yeah, my sewing room is usually a mess.

Death by Murder

Piano Skirt

I recently got to participate as a suspect in a "Clue" type murder mystery game. My character was an accomplished musician with a conductor wand for her weapon. 

In real life I've played the cello and tuba--neither of them very well. I've never been good at counting anything faster than eighth notes. I lucked out that the band conductor was more concerned that I could march a mile with the 30 lb instrument than if I could hit all the notes.

I am thoroughly convinced you don't need to have musical talent to play the tuba, just a good chiropractor. My brother confirmed my theory his freshman year by following in my footsteps.

26" Bell Diameter

 

 

So, even though I didn't really fit the part of the "accomplished" musician suspect, I had a blast sewing this pleated skirt for my costume.

The yoke is pleated bridal satin.  The ruffle fabric is just something I picked up in the quilting section at Jo-Ann's. The sharp keys, flat keys, and box pleats on the bottom are moiré .

If anyone lives in Florida or is thinking about visiting Orlando on vacation, there's a Sleuth Mystery Dinner Show that's worth checking out:  www.sleuths.com 

The comedy is pretty funny and the jokes are subtle/clean enough that it's safe for young kids too. 

Knock-Offs

In the fashion industry, for something to be technically considered original and  not another knock-off (since all fashion recycles itself ) the new design must have changed at least 20%. 

On the left is the original. On the right is my creation. I've changed the fabric, length, and removed the rosettes.  I also did not include a petticoat.

The inspiration for my design: I was given a request for a casual "beach" wedding dress with vintage inspirations. And since the dress would be for a second marriage, "standard white" was not a prerequisite.

I bought this fabric at a Wal-Mart several years ago for $2/yard. 3 yards of the swirling hibiscuses, and 1 & 1/2 of the interlocking hibiscuses.

I usually use unbleached muslin to sew the samples rather than printed fabric. However, I realized muslin costs about  $2.49/yard and I've got  6 plastic crates full of  uncut fabric I've accumulated over the years.  Definitely a win-win situation.