Trial by Fire (and Error)

Reposting - (originally posted 7/17/11 - still relevant!)

Sometimes, despite your best intentions, things can go horribly wrong. Failed relationships, disappointments... make you wanna "make lemonade". That lemonade isn't always as sweet as you'd hoped.

On that particularly dismal trip to Hot-As-Heck, NC in the summer when I was 16, my mom distracted "my grandmother" (my own awkward name for her, since it never rolled off my tongue to call her "Grandma", or anything like that.) outside for a bit, my Dad pushed aside a large dresser to reveal a door in the front room that lead deeper into the house. Behind the dresser, in neatly appointed rooms covered by a thick layer of dust, lay the year 1965 or so. Furniture in conversational positions, and a lovely baby grand piano, showing signs that a real life had been lived here. Organized and bright, these lonely rooms had been untouched for at least a decade, I suspected. And the "kid's" rooms (my Dad and his brother) were just as they left them even longer ago. At times, my grandmother talked about her "kids" as if they were still boys, and her husband (my grandfather) who had died before I was born, as if he were still alive. My Dad showed me the rooms, whispering quietly, unemotionally, and factually about what each room represented for him. We tiptoed out, put the dresser back as it was, and pretended to be sitting quietly when she came back in.

Back to the present:

Wiped out after a dressmaking project that went wrong, I decided to work out my dissapointment with a personal project. Because I had used an expensive fabric from my personal stash (a luscious, black double silk organdy) as a lining to help "save" a dress that ultimately didn't work for a client, I decided to reclaim some of that fabric for a new dress, which I would name "Things we lost in the fire". My obsession with flame motifs led me to buy a lovely cotton emblazoned with a firey mix of reds and oranges, and apply it to a summer dress. Set against a smooth, jet-black cotton, I sketched and imagined until a creative frenzy sent me to the dress form to messily drape the design.



These approximate shapes gave me rough templates for cutting my pattern pieces...




I adjusted the pattern to my shape, cut the dress pieces, assembled the dress, and was pleased.



That is, until I put it on. Somehow, I had created what looked like a grandma's nightgown with flames. Hot flashes? Ode to menopause? Not what I was going for. Knowing I would never wear it, I resolved to find the version of this idea that I would/could wear. Okay, the silk organdy has no place on this dress, either. I wanted to place it as a bottom border, sorta giving the illusion that the fabric had been singed as the flames traveled up the dress. Okay, so I could see it in my head... but on the body? Just Terrible.



All of that to get to this. Black skirt, to be worn with a black tank and my favorite red wedge sandals.




Now, if only I had a tattoo...





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Draping or "...Before You Sew" (part 6)

This entry is about draping garments. This is the sixth in the Things to know series...

My additional information includes: a good form, draping principles, tools and techniques, and why you would/would not want to drape.

Whether sewing for men, women, or children, this information will help you find the help you need to get started draping garments. I emphasize the "getting started" part here, because draping is the most artistic and advanced way to develop a design. If your skills are sculptural, but you are also scientific, and have a reasonable understanding of anatomy, draping can be a satisfying pursuit. Draping will take you from "sewer" to "designer". I warn you, however, that if you start to learn today, you probably won't actually be good at draping for at least another five years. After reading this, you will understand why a good commercial pattern saves you a fortune in time, money, and potential heartache.

Now, I don't say this to discourage you... I say it because it is true. After all, assuming you are still alive and sewing in five years, you will not have wasted your time.

Why you would/would not want to drape...

As an alternative to commercial sewing patterns, and computerized patternmaking programs, draping allows you the freedom to develop your own designs, and determine what pleases your eye as you go. If you love asymmetry, fabric manipulations like twists and knots, bias and other grain line variations, and other unconventional shapes, draping will help you get to what your mind's eye has envisioned much more accurately than any other method.

On the flip side, though... if you aren't really looking to reinvent the wheel, or design for any particularly unusual body type, there are so many pattern companies out there, that what you are imagining has probably already been done, by someone, somewhere...

What draping does require, is a great deal of study, skill, patience, appropriate tools and materials, and... sorry to say... a bit of an investment.

Why study?

When you drape a garment, you will need to understand how grain line affects the drape of the garment, and how to "balance" your seams, and when it may or may not be appropriate to join bias to straight grain. You will need to be able to choose muslin or a muslin substitute that mimics the performance of your fashion fabric. You will need to learn how to account for linings and facings, and construct them in such a way that they do not adversely affect the drape of the garment. You will also need to know some flat patternmaking techniques, for creating things like collars, cuffs, sleeves, linings and facings.

You will need to learn to block your muslin, making sure that you are using an appropriate quality muslin for your project. You will need to learn how to account for stretch, and use the appropriate test fabric for stretch garments as well. You will have to learn about ease and "reach", so that the garment you make can actually accommodate body movement.

On top of all that, your dress form is not likely to match the dimensions of your own body (or the intended wearer), so you will then need to use your fitting knowledge to adjust the pattern for that body.

Why investment?

First off, I strongly recommend that you take a class or get a very high quality book, preferably written by a professor, who can tell you more than just the basics. In addition to just laying fabric prettily over a dress form, you will need to understand the science of what makes a garment work.

You will need a good form, purchased from a reputable vendor, like Ronis Bros, where I purchased my form some ten years ago. They are pricey, yes. They are available in men, children, misses and junior figures (among others). Pads are sold to simulate pregnancy or other figure variations, and there are specialty forms for plus size, petites, etc. Sure, there are cheaper forms, but you need a form that is smooth with no gaps, that you can sink your pins into. Some forms have legs, (for making pants and shorts) and some do not (for dresses, tops, jackets, coats). You will need at least one arm (sold separately). I can't imagine buying a form to sew for men or children, unless I had aspirations of becoming a professional clothing designer, or had professional performers to sew for on a regular basis.

What are the other tools?

Muslin, patternmaking paper (dot or sample paper and possibly oak tag sheets or something fairly sturdy for finished patterns), marking pencils, tracing wheel, notcher, style tape, french curve, hip curve, see-through ruler, fabric scissors, paper scissors, pattern weights (optional) and space to keep all of this!

This post needs no video... mainly because the information is available online for free (see window below). If you can learn this way, great. I would think most people who need a hands-on, in-person experience, though.




Now, of course a person can always try draping experimentally, enjoying the process, and welcoming all happy accidents along the way. It is an artistic experience... lots of fun, possibly frustrating, and certainly not fast!

An different "twist" on the Japanese shirt idea.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

-Marianne Williamson, President of the board of The Peace Alliance

Last night, I dreamed the first two sentences of this quote were written on a wall. I also dreamed I was 40 and couldn't figure out where the last few years went. It wasn't a problem in the dream, just a weird amnesiac feeling. Last week, we watched Akeela and the Bee with our daughter, and the above quote was a big part of the story. My six-year-old loved it!

Round and round we go with my double helix theory.... I once admitted on this blog that I was addicted to the Scott Baio reality show. Apparently, there will be a second season. Not sure why.. seems like the main problem has largely been solved. Anyway, on the show, his relationship coach tells him he's "playing small" (see above quote). I know I am often guilty of the same. Placing limits on myself, on our son, on my time, on my abilities... whose voice is that? It is mine.

Last week, our family went to church, and managed to get our son to sit still for a whole 20 minutes before a full-on tantrum began. People were not understanding. We keep trying, but church is just an exercise in frustration right now. When we have to go somewhere that requires quiet AND dressing up (a deadly combination) I unusually finish the event with ripped hose, twisted clothing, mussed hair... looking like I've just finished a wresting match. Even last week, I never heard a word of the service. Hmmm... twisted clothes...

Thanks to Madhatter's inspiring post, I'm doing my own version of this. It is a great asymmetrical, twisted top, that looks casual, artsy, and wonderfully cozy for the winter months.

So, again I thought "I'd love to make it, but I don't really leave the house often enough to make use of the clothing I have." This shirt is a REASON to leave the house. We are going to stop playing small, and start doing the things we can do, go the places we can go, and look good doing them. This shirt marks the new year, and the opportunities it brings...

And, well... it only cost me $4... ha!

I'm draping mine on the form, without a pattern.

For the way my mind works, draping is a better way to achieve the fit and look I want. Madhatter's version was great, and I love the humor of making myself a "straitjacket" style top!

So here's what the process looked like...

Mine has 5 pieces (front, back, left shoulder inset with part of collar, left and right sleeve) The right sleeve I designed as twisted, but the left will not be. My collar overlaps, and I have a left shoulder overlap that will close with a covered button, so I can get in and out of the top without stretching it out. My sleeves are slightly raglan at the underarm, with a gusset-like extension that goes down to the bustline. This fabric is lighter weight than it appears in these photos, and I need the stretch of it to make the design look the way it is supposed to, so I am adding a side zipper opening on the left. A bit of boning on each side seam will stabilize the top, keeping it from twisting out of place.



I started with the bias at the shoulder, and started wrapping and pinning in place.



I matched the grainlines, and made the shoulder inset.



I added the twisted sleeve, and am semi-flat patterning the other. Should be finished today. Quick project.