Swim Suit Cover Up Contest

I've spent five days working on my entry to this contest to sew a swim-suit cover-up. The deadline passed and I failed not only to finish on time, but to create a wearable cover-up as well. The winners will be awarded a singer sewing machine or a dress form. I don't need either thing, but for some reason I felt very compelled to compete.

I started with this light blue pattern trial. So far, so good. Then I cut a longer version out of the nice fabric. I added a ruffle that began at the hip and ended mid-thigh. I wanted to add a waistband. I was going to put three rows of 1/4" elastic in because it would look so much better than a single casing. I spent hours considering how to accomplish this in the most efficient way. I got the first row in and the whole thing looked stupid. There was too much fabric in the center front - something that was not apparent when I was wearing the garment with elastic pinned around my waist. Somehow having it sewn in changed it completely. I ripped the bottom section off and will at some point just finish it as a top. I went on vacation and forgot about the contest until the day before the deadline. Suddenly I had a new idea. I could make a button front dress that could just be torn off in one beautiful motion before bounding into the water.

I tried some draping - just enough to establish that I'm not ready to work that way yet. This took half a day.

And then I made this. I added the button bands to an existing pattern. At this point I missed the deadline for the contest, but still believed the cover-up was going to work really well. Then I realized that the interfacing I used for the button bands was too stiff. It was an all-purpose woven pellon fusible. I started putting on the snaps. I've only done this one other time. You have to hammer them on with these special little tools. It didn't go well and I destroyed the top sections of three of the snaps after securing their counterparts on the other band. I had purchased the snaps years ago, god knows where, and had no extras. You can't remove them once they're on. I tried to solve this by sewing two visually related buttons on where the last snaps would be and since they couldn't be functioning at this point I had to just sew the button bands together from the last snap, down. I can still step into the dress.

Once I had it on and spent a little time in it I knew it was unwearable. That button band just curves in and out in terrible ways because of the stiffness. I really need to wear a belt with it to make it flattering, and that just causes more awkwardness with the band. I was telling this whole sad story to Scott and he said, well at least it will make a good blog post. People like to hear about how you mess things up.
And speaking of that - I did the laundry yesterday and washed his ipod which was in the pocket of his shorts.

Goodwill Jacket (Simplicity 2858)

I just filled two paper grocery bags full of clothes for the Goodwill - most of them handmade. This jacket is in one of the bags. I did wear it once, and the experience only confirmed my disappointment. I made a few alterations to the pattern. My sleeves are full length (I hate this trend of 3/4 length jacket sleeves) with cuffs, a zipper substitutes the buttons, and there's a pleat in the back to add shape to the waist. It's fully lined. I spent a couple full days working on it.
Before this jacket, I got about halfway through a corduroy Simplicity trench coat. It had a goth/pimp/western vibe, so I abandoned it. I haven't lost my determination or curiosity about jackets, despite my 0 in 6 stats. Seventh one's a charm?

Spring Clothes

Scott seems very suspicious of these pants. He told me I should wear them only with a black top, and definitely not with this blouse. I don’t know. I think flowers go with flowers. I used new patterns, Built by Wendy (Simplicity) 4110 for the pants and McCall’s 5630. I made my usual alterations for fit and had no problems with either item.

Blue Turtleneck

Sock Cuffs return in this ribbed turtleneck. I’m running low on worn out socks, so I will have to start knitting my own cuffs soon, or solicit donations.

I dyed this fabric from pale blue to medium blue. I realized when I was cutting an extra piece for the hem that the fabric has faded dramatically where it was exposed to the sun. In addition to the enormous inconvenience of dyeing fabric, it also becomes high maintenance for the rest of its life, just like dyed hair.

Sweatshirt

If I were five, I would probably be really happy with this sweatshirt. It was supposed to be a zipper hoodie, but the zipper went in wrong and the hood was too heavy and uncomfortable. So I sewed up the front and then put this stupid floral ribbon on. At that point, the fabric was really stretched out and hung open unattractively, so I added a zipper. Then I realized that the zipper had a metal stop at both ends (made for a pocket) instead of just the bottom. Fortunately, the whole thing fits over my head. I vow to stop adding decoration to conceal bad sewing. This always happens when I sew while I’m in a bad mood. I’ve got to stop being such an expressionist.

Country Blouse

Another blouse joins my short list of public wearables. I really like the sleeves, as indicated by the detail image. The front is rather flat and plain, so it would work better under a jumper if I can make a decent one. A vest might also work, or a large necklace, or a thick belt. Something must be done to visually break up my torso since there’s nothing volumetric happening.

Blue Mistake

I’m looking for knit top patterns that are more interesting than t-shirts. This is definitely not what I’m after. Most of my clothes have one glaring problem that warrants them un-wearable, but this time I combined ugly color, bad style, and poor execution. And it has those same stupid star-trek “sleeves” that my first nightgown had. They looked so normal the pattern illustration.

Technical comments for sewers –
Another problem with the pattern is the neckline. It has a facing, which will never look good or stay in place on a knit. I suspect this is done because home sewers can actually accomplish it easily. This is a Simplicity pattern, after all. The whole shirt should be lined if the goal is to have a neckline without any band or collar. It also has pleats on the shoulders which fall into a messy series of wrinkles. Gathers would look a lot better in a knit.

Motivational Jeans

I was sewing away last night, working on two pairs of jeans at the same time. When I make pants I finish all of the details like the fly and the pockets before the major seams, like those that run down the leg. I had just put in these seams on one pair of the jeans, in my final moments of productivity before I caved in to exhaustion and the final episode of Deadwood. I held up the pants but did not try them on because I’ve used this pattern four times and I knew they would fit. They looked surprisingly small. I happily thought, wow, I’m thin! It would not be embarrassing at all to have these little jeans hanging out to dry if I had a yard and a clothes line.

This morning I spent another hour attaching the waistband and finally tried on the jeans. They’re obscenely tight. I then remembered that my jeans pattern has a ½” seam allowance instead of the typical 5/8” that every other pattern in the world uses. (Thanks again Wendy Mullin. Why did you do this!) You might not think that 1/8” would matter that much, but that adds up to ½” per leg circumference. I guess no woman’s wardrobe is complete without a too-small pair of jeans serving as diet motivation.

Back to School

My new strategy for decision making is to think about where I’m going to go, and what I’d like wear there. At the beginning of the summer I was just thinking about what might be interesting to make. I ended up making a lots of things I never want to wear.

School starts next week. I teach college students. My goal is to look good without looking like one of them. I’ve always struggled the most dressing for hot days when I need to look somewhat professional. I have to walk several blocks from the train, so I don’t want to wear pants because I’ll sweat too much. Besides that, I’m determined to figure out how to make dresses and skirts that I like.

I expected this dress to be more flattering than it is. I should’ve taken in the waist more because it makes me look wide and shapeless. The belt helped, but it would look better with a wider one. I embroidered the neckline to make the dress more interesting, and also more casual. I used thick variegated matte thread. I was surprised at the results. From a distance it looks like it’s beaded. The white threads appear to be shiny glass beads reflecting light. This is similar to what Ann picked up on with the embroidered blazer. It reminds me of faux-finishing.

Oldenburg Jacket

I like to wear blazers to work. This is one item that has been particularly hard to shop for because I like fitted jackets and manufactured ones are almost always too busty and short-sleeved for me. They also tend to be too expensive. I had several ill feelings while making this. The pattern has eleven pieces. Once you cut them out, you have 37 pieces of fabric, lining, and interfacing. The instructions go on for five pages, giving 90 steps with diagrams. It’s approximately as thick as a newspaper. I made this from clearance and free fabric because I wasn’t sure if it would fit. I don’t like it. Scott said it looks like an Oldenburg sculpture. It has a soft, rumpled look that is unusual for something that should look structured. Additionally, I hate the combination of yellow and blue. I didn’t think the lining would show, but you definitely catch glimpses of it up the sleeve as I move about.

Scott suggested that I embroider something on the collar to bring the eye up. I made tiny stitches in a scattered pattern in several shades of blue similar to that of the fabric. I did this because I wanted to add texture to the fabric without doing something too decorative, like distinct shapes. It gives the illusion of sweater pills.

Claes Oldenburg, Floor Cone, 1962

Little Gray Riding Hood

I have entered the realm of jackets. This one was fairly easy to make and I am pleased with it. I feel like it was accurately represented by the illustration on the pattern. It is another Built by Wendy pattern. I think the shape is cute, but it’s one of those things that will require very unusual circumstances for wearing. It isn’t very warm because of the short, open sleeves and neck. It only looks good with long sleeves under it, so it has to be a somewhat cool day, but not cold enough to need a real jacket over it. The full sleeves will prevent it from layering under a warmer coat. I guess it would fit comfortably under a cape or poncho, but I’ve never felt like the kind of person who can pull those things off.

Wrong Fabric (Again)

I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this particular disaster. I actually made an almost complete trial version of the dress in a navy fabric. I have come to despise this pattern, but the bigger problem was my choice in fabric. I have been very confused about what jersey is, and I thought this was it. This fabric is much heavier and stretchier than jersey, which made it an absolute nightmare to work with. Because the fabric is so heavy it highlights certain flaws and creates several of its own. Following the arrows starting at the left and working clockwise they are:
photo# 1
1. skirt seam that coincides with the center of the butt is not flattering
2. extreme visibility of bra strap caused by fabric weight
3. heavy draping of solid-color fabric accentuates panty line

photo # 2
4. ribs create more noticeable contour than breast
5. gathering just looks like wrinkles
6. messy hair
7. again, with the ribcage. Actual bones are showing, and while it sort of blends in with the pleating directly above, this is not a good look.

photo # 3
no arrows needed here. The fabric is so heavy that it pulls the arm hole down revealing an un-matching bra.

I have two goals for July. I will create a dress that I like and I will finish my bathing suit. The progress I’m making on that front is unphotographable, but know that I am still spending a considerable amount of time on it.

I’d just like to take a moment to complain about dresses in general before I return to the sewing room today. Previously I described the problems I have with skirts and I’m about to eat my words. Dresses are awful because the upper body and lower body look good in entirely different fabrics. I like knits and light-weight, fluid fabrics on top, and stiffer, shape-holding fabrics on the bottom. Rayon and silk are beautiful on top, but if you ever walk behind a woman wearing those on the bottom you see that her butt is jiggling all over the place unless she’s wearing pantyhose or has a rock-hard butt. Stiff fabric, even if it’s lightweight creates a lot of problems when used on the top. I had this problem with my Garden Dress. When I sit, the bodice wants to stay in a standing position, so the whole top kind of rides up and the bust darts create this wrinkly, visibly empty shell. By wearing a separate top and bottom you have all the ease of movement that your waist demands and you can pick more suitable fabrics without compromising.

A Jumper with All the Trimmings

Here’s my second try at a jumper. I used the same pattern and aimed for something more summery. Once I got this fabric home it struck me as old lady-ish. I tried to remove that sense by adding a lot of geometrically placed trim. This worked so well I could hardly believe it. I was almost finished with it, but I was ready to quit work for the day, so I hung it up and went to the living room to watch some Project Runway. I’m only on season 2, so don’t tell me what happens. I returned to the bedroom after two very satisfying episodes and an equally satisfying vodka tonic, without the tonic. This means that it’s vodka on the rocks in a tumbler with two huge wedges of lime. My family has named this the Keiler and they order it that way at our gatherings. Alright, so it’s really obnoxious to claim that any drink has your name, especially when it’s a totally unoriginal drink, but maybe that’s why the name is so fitting.

Back in the bedroom with the Project Runway/vodka buzz and my brand new jumper hanging there waiting to be admired, I had a horrible realization. The jumper was tacky. It suddenly looked like something the secretary with the atrocious make-up (Dee-Dee?) would have worn on the Drew Carey show. Once I have an unpleasant association attached to a piece of clothing, it becomes very hard to wear. It’s like eating the same meal you had immediately before a stomach flu started.

This morning I tried the jumper on and I actually like it again. The thing that’s really surprising to me is that it doesn’t make me look any bigger than I am. People always say that large prints will make you look fat. There’s something else going on here with the proportions or shape that make this work.

Save the Jumpers!

This is the jumper that I wrote that long description of in Technical Sewing Stuff. I realized today that it isn’t ruined. Since I don’t have to use the zipper to get it on and off, I can just leave it zipped all the time. The shredded fabric can be fixed if I pull the loose strands through to the back. You can see I still have to hem the bottom.

When I cut the pieces out for this blouse I accidentally placed the wrong pattern piece on the fold of the fabric, so I had to cut the back piece open and make a seam up the front center. I inserted a strip of bias tape (the blue stripe) so that the measurement of the front wouldn’t be reduced by adding the seam. I still have to put buttons on the cuffs.

The finishing touches of any of these projects is the worst for me. I love the beginning, wade through the middle, and hate the end. It seems like the end would be the best part, because right after that I have something new to wear. But at the end there’s no more potential for whatever I’m making to turn into something really fantastic. That potential probably isn’t really there in the beginning either, but the illusion of it is stronger. In this way, sewing has been exactly like painting for me.

Happiness

Scott, Crooky, and I went to see the fireworks last night in Evanston. I wore the gray shorts and top that was posted under Vacation Wrap Up. The people-watching was almost as good as the fireworks. I thought the children sported some of the best looks. I saw one little girl wearing a black one-piece bathing suit with red trim and a pair of pastel floral shorts with a little ruffle at the hem. Her suit was very sporty, like something you would get for swim team and the shorts were completely girly. The styles clashed in terms of color, style, and intended occasion. I loved it. She was totally adorable. When I see kids like that I feel like having them. I also know that this love of clashing is the thing that will prevent me from ever looking put together or it will help me become the next hot designer. It could go either way at this point.

Before we went to the fireworks I cut out a second jumper and then realized I didn't have any fabric that I could use to line it. It's a very light colored print, so I need white lining. I have so much fabric at this point that I have to devote significant amounts of time each day to keeping it organized. I spread it all over the bed by day and stack it on my chairs and table at night. I also have several boxes of it stored under my tables. I feel overwhelmed by it and I am really annoyed that I now have to go buy more because I need something so specific. It's always the most generic things that are the most expensive at the fabric store. I had to spend $10 on swim suit lining.

While the second attempt at the jumper was on hold I made this linen dress because I happened to have just what I needed. The fabric was given to me by my aunt Jackie who planned to make a lot of dresses for herself and never got around to it. Now she's working on knitting and I really hope she moves onto something else before she uses up her yarn supply.

Public Blouse

One of my primary goals for the last couple of weeks has been to make a button-down blouse that I can wear without feeling the need to explain to people why I’m dressed the way I am. It is a little Barbie-ish, but that’s probably why I like it.

Black Pants and Colorful Top

The pants were time consuming but problem free – until I wore them and watched them stretch all out of shape in the course of an evening. I bought expensive fabric for these too. Maybe they’ll be better after a few washings. I’m sick of this look anyway. I’ve been wearing black pants with a colorful top practically every day for five years. It’s not interesting, and it’s also much less flattering than I thought. It makes the torso look like a square and divides the body into two unrelated pieces.

I thought this would be the easiest top to make. It has kimono sleeves, so it’s basically just a front and back sewn together. Everything was fine until I hemmed the sleeves and stretched the edges way out of shape. I do love this fabric and I bought enough for a second top in another style, so we’ll see how that goes.

Summer Blouse

If you have trouble picking out clothes or determining what fits you, I recommend taking pictures of yourself. It is so totally different from looking in a mirror. For example, the mirror told me that this blouse fits. I can now see that there’s way too much fabric in the bust (big surprise). There’s no easy way to adjust this now. If a dart is wrong, it means the whole piece has to be changed and it will affect too many other seams on this blouse to be bothered with. I’ll just have to stuff some socks in my bra. The other problem here isn’t visible. The sleeve bands are just a bit too tight which makes it very difficult to take this blouse off. If you’ve ever trapped yourself in a too small piece of clothing, you’ll know how I learned to avoid open dressing rooms.

I’m feeling very trapped by this project right now. This is what I’ve accomplished. I’ve learned just enough about fashion to know that the chances of finding any new clothes that I like and can afford and that fit me are incredibly slim. I have discovered just how atypical my body is compared to whatever standard is used to create clothes and patterns. And I don’t even think my body is that weird, but I am taller than average which creates a problem with all garments because I need extra length in the torso, sleeves, and legs. My thighs are wider than my hips, so commercial pants and skirts don’t fit. My ribcage is enormous and my boobs are tiny, so a knit tank top off the rack will generally work, but anything structured won’t.

On the bright side, I learned how to attach buttons with my machine and I found it really fun, so I no longer need to avoid styles that incorporate many buttons.

Revised Blouse (Gorilla Arms)

I finally got around to fixing this. I shortened the sleeves, which was the best way to fix the fact that they were both left arm sleeves and had that weird shape caused by the gathering at the elbow. I also cut out the thick, brown buttonhole and finished the remaining ones on my machine. I knew the earthworm buttonholes were my fault, and not the machine’s. I just had to increase the stitch length. I’m still not happy with the neck, but I’m going to accept this and move on.

Pageant

Did you ever have to wear an angel or shepherd costume in a Nativity pageant during the 70s or 80s?