On My Body - Myrna

It's a gorgeous sunny day here today so I had my husband take a few pictures. It's not a go with outfit. Just my typical black t-shirt and jeans "uniform". I would have been happy enough with this shadowed, front porch shot but I'm sure you all want more details than that. I would!




A front view. I was pleased with how smoothly it fits over the shoulders, chest, and bust. Just right - not too tight or too loose.

And a back view which clearly illustrates why I have signed up for a jean making course in April. The bum of this 47 year old body has definitely dropped. I really Really REALLY want jeans without those back wrinkles which I know from the Palmer/Pletsch pant making course that I took last year is due to the angle of the back crotch curve. I can only imagine what was going on back there that I didn't know about (and maybe still wish I didn't) in life before digital cameras - LOL.

Like I said yesterday, I'm quite pleased with how this turned out. Can't wait to see more and more jackets as you get started and/or finish up.

- Myrna

Finished - Myrna

Just finished and no one is home to take my picture so here is my jacket on the dress form. I'm hoping to make some go with clothing before the closing date and get a photo of a complete outfit.

This jacket is the one of the few fashion projects I've done in twenty years and more major than any of the others. While there are some things that I'd do different now that I'm done, it was a bit like riding a bike. The how-to aspects came back to me easily and there were a lot of transferable skills from my years in textile art. Overall, a good return to fashion sewing. I'm celebrating.




The pattern was New Look 6632. I added three inches to the length, kept the seam allowance around the neckline but cut it off along center front tapering the line back an additional 1/4" at the hem. The width of the cuff (in the pattern) was added to the sleeve length and the hem was narrowed. These are 3/4 sleeves.

The bias is made from a fabric very similar to silk Dupioni. It's slubbed and permanently wrinkled. The binding was sewn on by machine with right sides together and then slip stitched by hand to the wrong side. The bias, button, and two snaps at center front are the only hand work. Everything else was done by machine.

Inside, the seams are finished with a bright pink silk using a Hong Kong seam finish that you saw in an earlier posting. In retrospect, that was not the best choice of fabrics. It was too lightweight and is already beginning to pull out. Learning. It's good.

The aspects that are Chanel-ish are the top layer of knit fabric, the quilted lining, no facings, the fitted shoulders and design lines, the over-all simplicity that is somewhat deceptive of the amount of work involved, and the "trim" of the binding. It's a very easy to wear, comfortable jacket that still looks structured and fitted.

- Myrna

Hong Kong Finish - Myrna

I was able to press the princess seam relatively flat and even without clipping which made finishing it quite easy. The bias strips are from a hand dyed silk out of my scrap box. There was just enough. I have two long strips left for the armhole seams. I'll bind them together not open.




Last night I finished seven seams or fourteen edges. It took just over two hours. I'm not sure that's any faster than hand stitching however, it's something I've never done before and I'm quite pleased with how it looks.




I do have one OOPS to work around. When I cut out the sleeves, I cut two the same and have no extra fabric to work with. When I re-cut the curve of the one sleeve, there was only a 1/4" seam allowance left in the narrowest spot. I stitched along the seam line to mark it and will stitch to tissue paper when I put in the easing and then trace the edge something like what's in this image below.




That way, when I pin the sleeve in, I can line the edges up correctly, stitch, and then trim to 1/4" and finish the seam with the bias strips. In theory - it should work just fine. After that, I'll need to figure out the edges.

- Myrna

Pin Fitting & A Question - Myrna

Did I mention that I haven't sewn much in the last twenty years? It shows however, overall I'm really happy with how my jacket is developing. The fabric is two pieces from stash. I'm not sure of the exact content as they are between ten and fifteen years old.

The top layer is a very stable knit and the bottom layer is satin. I spray basted them wrong sides together, marked a one inch grid with chalk, and zigzagged over the lines with a medium grey thread. Each piece was cut about 2" bigger all around than the pattern piece. When the stitching was done - roughly a 1/2 hour each - the pieces were washed to remove the chalk. The fabric has been through a hot washer and dryer twice.




Here's a detail. It wasn't until I went to lay out the pattern that I realized I'd created a plaid - duh - and would need to match the lines. This is where my lack of current sewing experience showed up. I matched all the across lines but didn't think about the spaces between so at the seams there is sometimes more than an inch between stitched lines. The back is the most likely to be noticed, the side seams not much, and if anyone is that close to my bust to figure it out, good for them! Center front lines up fabulously.

I knew the position of the princess and shoulder seams was correct from the muslin. They were cut and stitched at 5/8". The back and side seams were cut and pinned at 1" to allow for fitting. I'm being careful not to over fit as I want to wear this jacket over jeans. Here's the front and...

... the back.

The hand sewing technique that many of you are using for your seams is really familiar as "quilting as you go" in my (now retired from) career. I wanted to try something new and use Hong Kong seam finishes in a fun color. Does anyone have experience using these on a princess seam? Can it be clipped or not? If so, how does that work. What about around the armhole? Thanks.

- Myrna

Muslin Opinions Welcome - Myrna

I finished sewing the sloper for my dress form yesterday and can see some issues that need to be corrected - like leveling the waist - however, I'm taking a workshop with Sandra Betzina and Ron Collins in April and will get expert help then. For now, I've drawn lines to indicate what has changed and am moving on to the New Look 6632 muslin for my Chanel jacket.

Here it is on the form sewn exactly as the pattern was designed without some of my standard changes (like moving the underarm forward an inch) just to see what the differences would be. I need to move it. The form is already making a difference to how well I can see what's going on. I'm so glad I bought it.



On the form, I thought definitely not long and these two pictures convinced me. Sorry for the bad photos. My son would rather be reading than snapping pictures of Mom. It's probably time to figure out the tripod and timer. How do you take pictures?

I should have included more of my body in these photos of the short version. It needs to be slightly longer. What do you think the position of the princess seam? Should it be closer to the bust point? At the hem, I've flattened the seam close to the body from waist to hem because it was winging forward in the long version.

The back hem looks level in this picture. In the side view you can see that it goes up. I always have this correction due to a high and wide hip. I'm going to add more ease through the back hips to compensate for the flattening in the front otherwise it's too snug especially for a jacket. I pinned the CB seam in tighter from the top to mid back. It curved out and I have a flat back.

And the side view...

I'm going to stitch these changes, add some ease to the back, and sew in the sleeve just to test that before altering the pattern and starting on the fashion fabric. Opinions are welcome. Thanks for your comments about the pattern. Edited later - I thought it was new in the winter catalogue but just checked the reviews at PR and it's not.

- Myrna

I've Picked My Pattern - Myrna

New Look - 6632. It's...

... Chanel-ish and slightly different. I haven't decided on long or short yet although most likely short. I'll make the muslin long, mark the short length and cut it off, take pictures of both options, compare, and see what I think.

- Myrna

Little Black Dress - Myrna

This is the long route to making my Chanel muslin but I thought you might like to share my joy and laughter. When I closed my business last week, I bought myself a dress form to celebrate since I've been wanting one for a while and my plan is to sew fashions for a few months before looking for a job.

The information I had read said to buy the form small and pad it up. At its maximum, the form is only a half inch bigger than me (to allow for weight loss or gain) which meant that when it is dialed it up all the way "I" don't look nearly as tight and perky as "she" looked straight out of the box. How like life.

To get the bust proportions correct, I bought her - Millicent - a new bra and some Add A Size bra pads to increase the cup size from a B to a C. This picture gives me the giggles. I hope no one is offended.




It took a bit to get the shoulder to bust point and bust point to bust point measurements correct and then to adjust the circumference again now that the pads had added extra distance. The instructions say to measure side to side across the back and across the front. I already knew that I was broader (2") across the back but I don't often see that in instructions. It means that I will also need to pad the back hips because I am 22 1/2" and the form only goes to 21 1/2". Perhaps with padded panties since these bra pads worked so fabulously.

Today I made her a Little Black Dress from swimsuit material. I started out with a 40" tube and ended up taking it in six inches. Two of my friends also bought forms so I sent them an email to sew a lot smaller. Next time I have the dress off of her, I'll take in the waist darts even more and cut out the slider on the bra strap because it's sticking out. My boys are surprisingly embarrassed by a naked dress form.

The angle of the shoulders on the form is the same as mine AND it was really amazing how when I narrowed the neck and widened the bust, the shoulder width came into line. I wasn't sure the form could accommodate my narrow shoulders but it did. Next, I'm making a sloper with all the key points marked on it and after that, I can get on to "real" sewing. Thanks for letting me share.

- Myrna

Underlining - Myrna

In Great Sewn Clothes, there was an article called The Garment Within The Garment: Why Couturiers Love Underlinings And How They Use Them. It was another great article. Is it my imagination or has Threads significantly simplified over the years? These articles seem more thorough and advanced although I can't really say for sure because I rarely read the magazine anymore.

ANYWAY... since I haven't done a whole lot of fashion sewing in the past twenty years, anything more than a serged seam will be a "step up" for me. My goal is to create a jacket that I'd wear so it needs to be soft and comfy and I want to finish it relatively quickly so it needs to be less labour intensive without a lot of handwork. I've decided to layer the fashion and underlining fabrics paying careful attention to aligning the grainlines and stitch them together by machine first. After that, my goal will be to make the inside as neat and interesting as the outside.

I've done samples of Hong Kong seam finishes but have never used them on a garment. I think that's the direction I'll go in. The majority of the work can be done by machine and I will get an opportunity to try new things and to take my work just a little bit further. And later, when I take the jacket off or it flips open, it'll be a flash of fun.

- Myrna

Misconception - Myrna

I just finished reading the article The Comfortable Side of Couture: Practical Techniques of Coco Chanel in the out of print book Great Sewn Clothes from Threads Magazine. Great article. I'm looking forward to the rest of the book.

Was I ever under a misconception. For some reason, because Chanel's garments were different than the norm at her time I guess, I had imagined them as less labour intensive and quite possibly they were compared to other garments at that time. However, I must have been comparing to the present. After reading this article, the 100-200+ hours that some of you have mentioned is starting to make sense - a LOT of handwork.

I'm enjoying learning more about Chanel. Now, along with contemplating my pattern and fabric choices and how I want to be inspired by Chanel, I'm also debating how to get the look I want without quite that much work. I wonder how Chanel would construct a garment in today's sewing world? Intriguing question.

- Myrna

What Is Jersey?

Edited August 27/09 - thanks for your comment Jenny. Stretchy and drapey seem to be the key points. I looked up jersey at FabricMart.com to see if that understanding matched up and it did. I ordered some black Vera Wang - not sure if it's for this project or the cozy but it's now on the way - LOL - Myrna

- - - - - - - - - -

This may be a stupid question - and it could be that I already know the answer - but what is the difference between a jersey knit and a knit fabric as I would understand it today such as a two way or a four way stretch? Is jersey an old fashioned term or does it refer to some characteristic?

Wickipedia (which makes me think that jersey is simply a knit fabric) says - Jersey is a knit fabric used predominately for clothing manufacture. It was originally made of wool but is now made of wool, cotton, and synthetic fibers. The fabric can be very stretchy single knitted, usually light-weight, jersey with one flat side and one piled side. When made with a light weight yarn, this is the fabric most often used to make t-shirts. Or, it can be a double knitted jersey, with less stretch, that creates a heavier fabric of two single jerseys knitted together to leave the two flat sides on the outsides of the fabric with the piles to the middle.

One of the aspects that I enjoyed about Chanel's personality when reading Chanel and Her World was how she went against the norm of the time creating comfortable garments using menswear and non-traditional fabrics. So far, I plan to use a "jersey" fabric.

Thanks - Myrna

A Closer View - Myrna

Antoinette - Here's a closer shot of that first inspiration. Is this the one you meant? Sorry the pictures is still not too clear. The book is quite old. I thought that...



... this Vogue 8567 jacket had possibilities.

I know what you mean about the look of her jackets. Many of her dresses (at least the ones shown in this book) are very soft, flowing, and feminine. That's the "inspired by" aspect I'm paying attention to.

- Myrna

Inspiration - Myrna

A friend lent me this old and fragile book about Chanel. It was intriguing how many of the style lines that I'm drawn to are attributable to her.




While developing my jacket, I'm keeping in mind what I learned about my fashion personality (not body type) from the book Nothing to Wear by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo. I'm a Chic Avant-Garde. The picture below cinched it for me. I have an outfit almost exactly like that. I enjoy soft, feminine, and slightly different styles that are not way out there.




My third category would have been classic. Two years ago, I started knitting again. At Knit Night they tease me about the simple sweaters knit with stockinette and ribbing stitch that I tend toward. They're not complicated to knit which is a bit frustrating but I enjoy the clean lines and details, which means I'll wear them. That's what I want with the jacket too - to actually wear it.

This outfit was described as a somewhat frumpy look from the period after the wars when Chanel was in self-imposed exile. That made me laugh because I like the simplicity and contrast. The comment reminded me of a conversation with a friend not too long ago about ways to continue to sew the styles we enjoy and that we know suit our body types while lowering the frump factor. Both of us were feeling like re-runs.

There were two images that I found the most inspiring for my project. The first is a V-neck cardigan style with a horizontal seam at the bust point that includes the dart for shaping and a bow closure. It's less structured than what I had in mind although waist darts could be added. More likely, I'll choose princess seams as they work great on triangle body types like mine.

What I liked about this image was the turned back collar in a contrasting color, something I'd already been thinking about. This idea could be combined with the bust tie above. I have a linen jacket much like that upstairs in my closet. Luckily - LOL - there's plenty of time for more thinking since I can't start until October.

- Myrna

Introduction - Myrna

The three hundred and fifty meters of fashion fabric in my stash seems to speak to a yearning of some kind - LOL. In my twenties, I sewed everything from lingerie to outerwear and had an up-to-date, stylish wardrobe. Then, I started a home-based business and had three kids and ever since, I’ve been living in jeans and a black t-shirt. It’s getting REALLY old.

This sew-a-long comes at a great time. Twenty years later, I’m in the process of closing down my business. Although I have a few commitments to finish up between now and mid January, I’m planning to take some transition time to wind down and – finally – sew fashions again. Some me time.

Every fall, I attend a retreat with sixty female artists. We work on our own project at our own pace. This year, I’m starting a mini-swap wardrobe. Ideally, I’ll have the muslins fit before I leave. The Chanel-inspired jacket will be one of the four pieces along with a pair of jeans, a dressy t-shirt, and a blouse. Planning for the retreat means that even if I’m late getting going, I’ll definitely start the first week in October. I’ve signed up for a few contests at PR and never made it past the starting line. I’m highly hopeful that this time will be different.

One of the things I learned while reading The Triumph of Individual Style by is why I lean toward sweaters and softer lines as opposed to more structured clothing. I’m glad to see the rules are not rigid. My jacket will be a softer version of something. I have no idea of what yet as I need to research what exactly makes a jacket a Chanel jacket and what would disqualify another idea and then look through my fabric and patterns for something that works. I’ll let you know.

- Myrna

http://blog.myrnagiesbrecht.com