What I'm Working On: Copy your Clothes - Try Try Again

I took the Copy Your Clothes class at Bits of Thread DC a while back (a year?).  And I started pants, but never finished them (feeling fat keeps me from shopping & also from finishing sewing projects!).  

Anyway, I'm copying a Coldwater Creek skirt, linen, which I wear a lot.  This is not the greatest photo, but it gets its fullness from eight panels, all cut on the bias, and then all those vertical seams are finished w/ flat-felled seams, so they really stand out and, I think, are slimming.  I like the fullness, too, because a) it's more fun to wear and b) it gives the illusion I have a waist!  

The neutral color is great because I have lots of tops that are bright colors and many many jackets made from West African fabric.  I wear it year round, with woolen tights & boots in the winter & with bare legs & sandals in the summer.  The only thing I don't like is the lining is polyester, so on some of these extra humid & hot DC summer days it's not as cool as I'd like.  

So I decided to copy it because I have got so much use out of it and I think it fits great.  Plus I wear lots of skirts and summer is coming and one that is about 5 years old, also made from a West African print, is wearing out and I'm afraid it won't make it to Labor Day.  So I need another skirt, or 2 or 3.  

I bought two 1-yard pieces of this wonderful batik at a quilt show last month.  The fabric was really cheap ($5/yard) and though it would have been easier to have one big piece, I managed to get the pieces out of the two 1-yard rectangles.  I've finished flat-felling the seams, but didn't have a zipper.  I have lots of zippers, but they never seem to be the right size or the right color, so off to G Street & Joann tomorrow to top up my supplies.  (I need more 1" elastic for another  pair of knickers for the Roommate, too.)  

So hopefully it will be finished soon.  Oh, but I have to get some lining fabric...and line it, so maybe not finished real soon!  

Batik always makes me think of Bali & the Kecak dance.  So watch the video & you can think of it too!

BTW, If you're looking for some behind-the-scenes info regarding Project Runway, read a bit of Mondo's blog and find out about the basement!  

One Yard Wonder Project #2: Cozy Fuzzy Slipper Socks!

These would be great to use up some fabric, if you have any leftover fleece.  Of course I bought the fleece, but you can use up your stash!  They are great & really comfortable.  I had to play with the seam allowances a bit because the pattern seemed to be a bit tight.  But they came out great and I really like them.  

I used Plasti-Dip, recommended on Ravelry, to spray on the soles so I don't break a hip on our slick hardwood floors.  It's spray-on rubber that really stinks, but after a few hours the smell goes away & you've got slip-free slippers.  

One Yard Wonder Project #1: Roommate Knickers!

First up from the One Yard Wonders book I mentioned in the last post...knickers for the Roommate!  They were extremely easy and I used flat-felled seams inside & out.  The pattern doesn't need a separate waistband, so that makes it easy.  I have fabric for a second pair, but I'm out of 1" elastic.  

Do As I Say: Stash-Busting Preacher Tells Others What to Do!

I found two books at the local library which I think you may find helpful if you want to bust your stash.  

Patricia Hoskins & Rebecca Yaker have written 2 books called One-Yard Wonders: 101 Projects You Can Make with 1 Yard of Fabric, and Fabric by Fabric One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Projects Using Cottons, Knits, Voiles, Corduroy, Fleece, Flannel, Home Dec, Oilcloth, Wool, and Beyond. I found them so wonderful that I've now purchased both.  

Each book comes with a huge packet of patterns for all the different projects.  So far I've traced the patterns for some fleece booties & a pair of knickers for the roommate.  

So you're probably wondering what's up with the "Do as I say, not as I do" quotation...well, let's just say that I didn't have any fleece for the booties, so I had to buy some.  And I found such a good deal on 1 yard pieces at the quilt show last weekend...so I bought 4 for the Roommate's new knickers! 

Kuchis Wedding Dress

I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what this is.  I suspect it's a wedding dress worn by women of the Kuchis people of Afghanistan.  

The Kuchis are Pashtun-speaking nomads, who heavily embroider their wedding dresses.  And we've got one.  The Roommate gave it to me for xmas a few years back.  It was easy to get Afghan goods when we lived in Abu Dhabi.  Unfortunately we never got to Afghanistan, so the souq in Abu Dhabi was the best we could do.

I have been scouring the web for information about this type of garment, and would love to show you a photo of a bride wearing one.  Though I have found plenty of dresses, modern & vintage that look similar, I'm finding very little about who would have worn these dresses, why and where.  That they're worn by Kuchis women is about the closest I've gotten, and because weddings are a big deal the world over, I'm making an educated guess about the purpose of this garment.  I feel sure that though this is a longer dress, it would probably be worn over a pair of loose pants.  

Waistband detail + 3 medallions

The top is heavily embroidered with glass beads and metallic thread.  Round medallions of varying diameter are at the waist, the shoulders and on the sleeves.  The sleeves have the finger loop (also beaded) that would go over the middle finger to keep the sleeves down.  Although the dress itself doesn't seem that big (for an average sized woman), the sleeves are very long (and we had to fold them a bit to get them to fit on this 5' wide rod).  

Sleeve detail: mirrorwork &
metallic thread embroidery

This dress is heavy...the bodice is so thoroughly embroidered that it is stiff and the glass beads, mirror-work (shisha), and metallic thread bring it in at just over 9 lbs!  These are all common textile-decoration techniques from the NW of India, Pakistan & Afghanistan. Remember by common I don't mean simple!  Just that they're from a time period where most women had amazing hand-work skills and plenty of hours to learn these skills & to show them off. 

Skirt embroidery detail

If you're interested in a great book about textile techniques around the world (including many "how-to" instructions, such as adorning your latest creation with some mirrorwork), check out A Visual Guide to World Textiles by John Gillow & Bryan Sentance from Thames & Hudson.  And one online store, Tribal Bazaar, has all sorts of amazing photos; I've never purchased from them, so don't know if they are reputable; but it's fun to look at their photos!  

The Roommate & I took many photos trying to get all the details showing to share with you.  Enjoy!  (Remember, clicking on a photo will take you to the full-size version of that photo.)  Thanks for visiting & I'd love some comments if you know a bit more about this type of dress!  

3.5" medallion detail; one at each cuff

Surf's Up! Simplicity 2847 (again)

I really love this pattern (you may remember it from my first post, as my Route 66 dress). 

You may also remember that the Roommate has a large collection of what we call "fun shirts."  Which he had made by his tailor when we lived in Abu Dhabi.  The fabric was so cheap & tailoring was so cheap that he has about 30 of them now.  Well, I bought myself some fun fabric, while we were there & finally decided to turn it into a fun dress.  When he saw the fabric in my sewing room, the Roommate said, "Oh, am I getting another shirt?"  No, dear, this one is for me!  I'm lucky he doesn't hold a grudge!
And I decided this is the time to learn about lining, too (I usually wear silk slips--also from my tailor, but they don't work so well for underarms).  So last Friday I took another open studio class at Bits of Thread so that Allison could help me put in an off-white cotton-poly lining.  

Cannot wait to wear it!  Summer is definitely headed our way here inside the Beltway...

Oh, regarding Zac Posen vs. Michael Kors as judges on Project Runway?  Zac is great, but I miss Michael!

What Do You Do While Sewing? Oh, and I'm Back!

Exhibition changed today in the house;
indigo tie-dye (adire) from Burkina Faso.

Thanks to my follower in France for noticing I haven't been posting much (over a month according to her!). I haven't felt very inspired, family health issues have arisen and the Roommate & I are taking country swing dancing classes 2 nites/week...so it just seems like I don't have much time for blogging. Never fear: I do continue to have time for sewing!

I thought I'd post about what I do while sewing and I'd be curious to know what you do, too!

I am a huge Firefly & Serenity fan (SERENITY NOW!), so I have seen the series & the movies many times. I started watching them with Spanish dubbing to improve my listening, so I've seen them many more times that way.

I also listen to podcasts.  Slate's Gabfest and Double X podcast, along with the Audio Book Club, the Culturefest and Lexicon Valley, all available on Slate's Podcast page.  I also enjoy the Friday News Roundup (domestic & international) from Diane Rehm.  

I have a few TV shows I watch, rather irregularly, too:  The Mindy Project and Parks & Rec. But the one I'm hooked on now is Project Runway; certainly appropriate. And PR is now in Season 11...and I've only seen a bit of Season 10 & 11, so I have plenty to catch up on.  Which is good because I'm definitely not a speedy sewer & can't even begin to imagine how they complete some of those challenges in less than a day.  

So what about you?  Are you completely focused while sewing and sound & video distract?  Or do you have even more going on?