Leather belts

Alright, I admit I'm spending my rainy Saturday internet surfing. I just found these leather belts made by Jasmin Shokrian, and they're amazing, despite the fact the the pictures are a little hard to make out. Might have to copy them if I can get my hands on some lovely leather.



Lately I've been attracted to plain things that seem really well-made and sturdy, and these belts embody that.

Gianfranco Ferre

I haven't ever paid a lot of attention to Gianfranco Ferre, but I stumbled onto his Spring/Summer 09 collection the other day, and am in love -- it's exactly what I'm in the mood for: Womanly and flattering but a little tough, futuristic/architectural with really new interesting shapes, and not a print in sight. Here are a few of my favorites:

This one above is kind of the perfect party dress.

I love the way that the pockets stand away from the body on the skirt. Also I think the fact that the belt is dark only in the middle section of the bodice is really flattering and makes the waist look tiny.

I love how in these last 2 pieces there are so many hard lines and edges as well flowing lines that maintain a balance between a feeling of strength and grace.

Shirt problems

Awhile ago, when we were discussing balancing patterns, Dana had mentioned something about the possibility of balancing shoulder seams as a way to keep from having to pull shirts down in front while wearing them. At the time I didn't know what she was talking about, but just this week I started having that exact problem. I've started wearing button-up shirts that fit a little looser, and I noticed that they tend to ride back and I'm constantly pulling then forward so that the collar sits against my neck. The shirts fit me in every other way, and I'm wondering if this is a common problem and if so, how it might be solved -- it seems to me that the shirts don't follow the curve of the back of the neck well and that's why they slide back, but I want to hear other people's input.

More jean talk.

Well, I finally made myself a pair of jeans. Aside from a few very minor errors, I am very happy with how they came out! I have been wearing them everyday since I finished them. I'd been imagining this large back yoke, which pushed the pockets down onto the leg. It's a design I'm incorporating into my senior collection, and thought I would try it out on myself first to see how it makes me feel. I have yet to apply belt loops, but plan to do so soon.

Eating my (snarky) words

As a few of you know, I've never been much a fan of Leanimal, Portlander Leanne Marshall's line. I have to retract that sentiment though, having just taken a look at her capsule collection shown in NYC as one of the Project Runway finalists. I like this look below more than most things I saw on the runways this season. Although, as a blogger mentioned on ultrapdx.com, her work has become "decidedly un-portland." Maybe that's the change that took it from kitchy-not-quite-interesting to classy-completely-interesting. From now on I'll be paying more attention.

Addendum:
A few days ago I flew to Portland OR for a visit, and on the plane ended up watching 5 or 6 episodes of the current Project Runway. Not only are Leanne's final pieces interesting and beautifully made, but she is by far the most likeable person to have ever appeared on a reality TV show. I won't be watching the finale, but I hope she wins, because I'd love to see how she furthers her line with the prize money.

portland fashion week

So my dears, it looks like I accidentally scheduled my trip to portland right over portland fashion week -- I don't know that I want to go to the official shows, but on Saturday the 10th there's a multi designer show at Someday Lounge, featuring the indie designers I always think are more interesting...how about it, can I count on going with you all?

It's Fall!

I just got back from China, and discovered that hot sweaty NY summer had turned into beautiful breezy fall. Hurray! To celebrate I am posting all the things I've been dying to wear/find lately (but it's been too hot for).

I found a pair of Wranglers similar to these, but in much better condition on ebay a couple weeks ago, I can't wait to wear them with thick tights and short poufy skirts, or straight jeans tucked into the tops...

I love the idea of rainboots but I'm pretty tired of imitation wellies everywhere I look. I really like how woodsy these are - I think I'd wear them the same as the wrangler boots.

I just found a black cotton jacket similar to this one, and am thinking about remaking it in waxed canvas (see post below) because I love it so much.

I really love the idea of harem pants like these, although I haven't seen them anywhere except the runway (here, Proenza Schouler resort 2009) I think they'd be pretty easy to sew up though.
Also on my list for the thrift stores: Large men's dress and plaid shirts and smallish blazers (to be worn over the shirts).

Waxed Canvas

I'm looking for info on waxed canvas -- I had hoped to find some at the fabric markets in China -- I'd heard that they had EVERYTHING, but that wasn't the case. (Also, how do you say waxed canvas in Mandrin? It's hard to mime.) As I'm in NYC, I figure there has to be some somewhere, I just don't know where that is, and everyone I ask looks at me blankly. I've looked online, and can't find any either. Complicating the problem is that I only want a little bit for personal use, not production quantity.
Also, I was wondering if anyone had experience working with waxed canvas, and if there was ever a problem with the wax gumming up the sewing machine. I'e only used it once, and it didn't seem to be a problem, but it made me nervous. Any information would be great, thanks!

Needles and thread

Here are two sites that have taught me more about trouble shooting needle and thread issues than anywhere else. Its amazing how important having the right set up is.

Pendelton Round Up

Last week end I got to go to the Pendelton round up in Pendelton OR. It sure was fun. I went with my uncle Ted and his friend Spencer who works for Telemundo Portland and got us press passes. We also got to tour the Pendelton woolen mills. They do all the jacquard weaving at this location but all the plaids are done in Washington. Here are some pic of the giant looms. It takes six people two and half days to tie warp threads on.




This is all wool.


From left to right, My uncle Ted, Me, and Spencer. With our press passes.


Check out this guy's shirt.




My uncle got me a signed photo of this guy.

OhPauleez

This guy (below :) anonymously purchased a hat from me about a year ago. I had forgotten about it until he dropped me an email and let me know that he wears it in many of his Etsy pictures. This makes me very happy since I've only made like twelve of these total and sold only half. I made a doozie of a pattern when I designed this hat. I don't even make them anymore because they are such a pain! It's good to know that the few who do own them, love them! I designed it for my fiance, and he looks super cute in it, and that's all that matters.  But still, a little encouragement never hurts.

I feel an impulsive tattoo coming on.

Now that is a passion for fabric that I simply had to share. No, those are not my arms, but I sure do like them.

Proenza Schouler

A commentator on style.com described the Proenza show as Grace Jones meets Jerry Hall -- a little before my time but it seems pretty on the mark -- I'm only posting a couple pictures, but our studio patterned the vast majority of the pieces in the collection, and it's worth a look on style.com. Pretty fantastic, I'd love to meet the woman who can pull all the looks off.
Below are two jumpsuits I worked on. You may be thinking these are what I'm referring to when I mention being able to pull the looks off, but really, they're some of the less challenging pieces.


And below is one from the studio--not sure who worked on it, but it was quite a production, and it's one of my favorites. The detail at the chest is actually patent leather that is slit from the breastbone, and then twisted before being sewn into the armscye.

Sketch Experiment #2

The color on this one got a little out of control pretty quickly. There's a lot I would do differently on my final sketch, so it made for a good learning experience.

Sketch experiment #1

I am spending the day trying out various sketching techniques in order to establish a style for my senior  collection.  I will be posting them as I finish them, and would love feedback!

Mirror/Dash

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see what Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth will be contributing to the fashion world.  She is preparing to release her new line of clothing, Mirror/Dash. 

Yes Hannah, I once again fail to repress my love for all that is Sonic Youth. 

Jeanstuff.

With apparent time on my hands, I have dived in head first to Fashion-Incubator, and for the first time.  I had always heard that it was here where the secret to conquering camel toe lied. Anyhow, just wanted to concur on the subject, it is full of amazingly wonderful tips and insights!  Here is what I sought tonight, but did not find, or perhaps overlooked:

I am currently venturing into jean-land, and with full confidence.  I have a wonderfully fitting denim short that I've been wearing all summer, and now plan to step the pattern up a notch with more details. I have entire confidence in the pattern itself, but am now struggling with my inability to find an impressive denim.  With such little selection in Portland, I am forced to look elsewhere, and am hoping I will simply know it when I see it.  All I can find around here looks like it has a layer of paint on top of it.  Oftentimes this paint is a bright blue.  Or when I find a color that doesn't offend me, I am plagued by a ridiculous amount of stretch.  I personally am offended by stretch in fabrics that are not knits.  I understand it serves ready-to-wear well, but don't see where it has a place in fabric stores.  Well, I guess it could be used to make tight 80's miniskirts. Anyhow, my options range from $6 to $10 a yard.  This is so cheap, which leads me to believe that there are much higher quality denims out there for a still reasonable price, $25 would be fine with me.  Does such a denim exist, and if so, how do I track it down.  And what is it exactly?  I know what I don't want, but am not sure what it is that I DO want? If anyone has any thoughts, I would love to hear them.  Ultimately, I want to find something durable without being clunky.

Rain in Beijing

I woke up to thunder and lightning and torrential downpours today. I didn't particularily want to go out, but the citizens of Beijing were out on the their bicycles and mopeds as usual, protected from the rain by nifty ponchos just like this one. They come in different colors, from kelly green to fushia to bright yellow, and I can apparently find them at any large supermarket. I went on a wild goose chase to find them this afternoon after the weather cleared, which involved renting a much too small bike from a street stand, biking all over the city in search of a bike shop, drawing a picture of a bicyclist in a poncho for the bike shop workers, who then conveyed that I needed to find a supermarket....by which point it was time to go have dinner. The search continues tomorrow.
Carly, if you want one to replace your oh so adorable rain miniskirt, let me know.

A. Wang

We didn't end up working with Alexander Wang much this season, (long story, the details of which I don't know...), in the end I think we only made this piece below, which Isabel draped. I liked it a whole lot when she was working on it, it looked a lot more curvy and flattering - here the look is a little boxy, which may or may not be due to the model....it's so interesting to see a piece go from a dressmaker's form to a fit model to the runway model, because sometimes the feel of the garment changes surprisingly.

I briefly worked on the get-up below - I had to quit after only an hour or so because Alexander Wang decided to have it patterned elsewhere (I can confidently say this was not due to any lack of ability on my, or N.C.'s part). I was really disappointed because I had been excited to put my underwear making experience to use. Don't worry though Carly, the hours you logged figuring out the best way to sew a crotch panel will make it onto the runway yet!
(Backstory: Carly and I first became friends when, just after I started working with her as a seamstress at Beckel Canvas Products, she invited me over to her studio and taught me her tried and true method for underwear making.)
The original sketch had all-in-one t-shirt sleeves, which gave it a less swimsuit, more bodysuit feel, and instead of being pulled together at the belly-button with what looks like a band, it was twisted. I'm curious it the twist was eliminated for aesthetic reasons or because the twist made it difficult to get the bottom to sit right -- a problem I encountered right away.

Boy by Band of Ousiders

Fresh off the runway! Here is one of the pieces I made this season, although I have to say that I'm not entirely pleased with the way it fits Ms. Dunst (yes, that is Kirsten D. modeling it). I distinctly remember not being given measurements for this piece -- I have a feeling that they hadn't chosen Ms. D to model yet, and the piece was fit on one of the design assistants. I wish there was a little more room in the hips to allow the skirt to really drape gracefully.

I didn't drape this dress below, I don't remember who did, but I like it -- Band of Outsiders had a few dresses that riffed on the traditional button-up shirt, with a skewed front like this, or another dress that was completely flipped around with the button placket in the back, or the one above, which was supposed to look like a button up shirt that had been cut off at the shoulders and then slipped down.

Living the high life

I am enjoying the forth day of my luxury tour of China, compliments of my incredibly generous great uncle....
I arrived at my hotel in Beijing just now, and was directed to the elevator - "Just to your right, between the Chanel store and Harry Winston's."
Also present are Louis Vuitton and Hermes. Designer beauty prodocts in the bathroom and Evian and champagne in the mini-fridge. I spent my first morning in Hong Kong in a plush bathrobe moving from the pool to the hot tub, then a hot bath, and after slathering myself in every cream, lotion, toner, herbal mist, etc, available; drinking tea and eating asian pears and exploring the vast complimentary contents of my hotel room while looking out over hong kong bay and it's incredible skyline. I have the distinct feeling I will never live quite like this again, and I am indulging as much as possible.
As far as tutorials go, I am afraid that a very necessary cord has been left at home ---so no pictures can be downloaded into my computer. I have a lot of sketches drawn up but they will have to wait. On a happy note, fashion week is a mere 3 days away (but I am in China, which is a day ahead) and I am so excited to see our pieces in the flesh. I'll post them as they are put up on style.com. I'm hoping that most of them made it throught the rigorous pre-show editing process.

Interesting Links

In the comments for why balance patterns helen left a
link about removing a fish eye dart from the rear of pants that I thought was a good, clean, demo on a rather complicated pattern alteration. On this same web site there are a lot of other little demos. I didn't find any that were quite so well explained but there were some interesting ones anyway, many of which explain a "Full Bust Alteration" . Regrettably this is not something I have trouble with but its good info for doing other people's clothes.

The next one I want to mention is IPCA which I found through FI's links. This web site which sells patterns made by independent seamstresses is mostly patterns for the older, home sewing, crowd but it is an interesting idea. It is a collection of small pattern companies with reasonably regulated pattern standards. One of the pattern makers is Coni Crowford. I once went to one of her seminars here in Portland. I was quite fun. I must say I didn't wind up learning much I didn't already know but it would be a great expose on pattern drafting for anybody wanting a leg up on their hobby.

There is good book on how to make dress shirts by David Coffin. It is also the only book on dress shirts that I can find. It contains a lot of good info but is terribly organized. If you happen to want to sit down and try making a shirt you will find your self flipping back and forth through the index and a variety of book marks trying to get from step to step. But I also found a video that how to copy a finished shirt pattern which I think is a good intro to copying garments but I don't agree with all of it. I am much more thorough about truing my patterns. I also use my front pattern to make my back pattern and then compare it to the shirt. On cheap shirts there is no guarantee that the pattern was accurate to begin with and copying can make things very distorted. I think the best shirts to copy are expensive checked shirts. The checks give you a built in grid for checking your seams. For another good intro to copying clothing check out this book which also has its own issues. I would recommend checking it out at the library because once you see how its done you will probably never need to crack the cover again.

Balancing Patterns

There seems to be a lot of interest on the subject of balancing patterns, and I wanted to just leave a quick note saying that I'm really enjoying everyone's input and I am planning on writing a couple more posts (complete with slightly skewed sketches to illustrate and confuse everyone...) about balancing patterns with darts, princess seams, and more complicated shapes, as well as a tutorial on draping balanced sleeves.
Unfortunately I am extremely busy getting ready for a VERY exciting trip to China in a couple of days - yes, I will be visiting the fabric market in Shanghai - but I plan to use hotel and airport downtime to complete those posts. Thanks for the interest!

In God We Trust

I went in to the boutique In God We Trust last night on my way home, I've been wanting to check it out because they're carrying a bunch of bags from Beckel Canvas -- the canvas and tent company that Carly and I used to work at together -- one of which is the bag that Carly designed that I've never seen. Our Thursday night drinking and discussing sessions (after which this blog is named) partially grew out of a need for feedback and ideas while Carly was designing and testing this bag.
Carly's bag is really cute, much more feminine than the classic Beckel bags, and I really liked the thin rolled straps. Carly I'm curious if you tested it out with a leather bottom, or had decided that a dark canvas bottom was the way you wanted to go? I do like the canvas, I just hadn't realized that was the fabrication based ont he photos.
The bags were featured prominently in the window - and it turns out that they're displayed in the window of the other downtown Soho store as well. The girl working, Brooke, told me that everyone LOVES the beckel bags, and comments on them often, which warmed my heart. Congrats Carly! The Williamsburg hipsters love your work!

This picture has been posted before, but here it is again - the one being dicussed is on the right.

Why Balance Patterns

There have been two comments that I want to address. The first was left by Chrispy commenting on Hannah's balance sketch she said...
"Ok I understand the principle but why balance them. Is it so they lay better on the body?"

This is a complicated question to answer because there are different reasons for different aspects of balance. I want to preface all of with the fact that this is just my understanding and could be wrong. In this case we have lumped together a few different ideas so I'll try to address all of them.
Balance is:
1: Keeping your side seams parallel.
2: Making the front larger than the back.
3: Keeping your shoulder seams parallel.
4: Aligning grain along the side seam or any seam for that matter.


I'm going to start with 2 because its easier. The front needs to be bigger so you can breath. There is also an element of "Looking right". Even though the side seam is not exactly 1/4th of the way around your body it looks like it is. The greeks were really into this idea and made whole buildings that looked "right" but weren't. The columns got bigger at the top to make them look straight for example.

As for 3, this is a way to keep your shoulder seam straight. The length of the neck line and armsye shouldn't change just the orientation of where that shoulder seam connects to the neck and armsye. When that seam is straight the shoulders are parallel as in Hannah's balance sketch. In this diagram the black would be correct where as the blue and orange would not give you parallel shoulder seams. Hopefully from this you can imagine how you could move the orientation of your shoulder seam in order to make them parallel.


Now for the biggy #1
Why keep your sides seams parallel?

This is a diagram of "how a dart is born" from one of my favorite pattern manipulation books "Basic Pattern Skills For Fashion Design" by Zamkoff and Price. I think that it does a good job of explaining how taking a dart out of the front changes the grain line on the side seam. The green line comes from when you keep your cross grain parallel to the floor across the bust and around the back. This is only possible where the darts are taken out along the princess line. The other line is how the grain gets distorted when you take a dart out on just the bottom.

This is where my question to hannah came in. It is easy to fold up the dart and keep the side seams parallel but the way that it distorts the grain lines at the side seam is a choice that you have to make as a designer. For me it will depend on the design on the fabric for instance you could match the stripes at the side seam if there were no darts. It might also depend on how I might want to distribute the ease. If you have bias grain going across an area where you might need more room you could use the bias to reduce bulk.

4: I also like to think about the side seam being not so much a break where two pattern pieces come together but as a large dart that just isn't connected anywhere. If you imagine a standard fish eye dart where it goes from skinny to wider to skinny again, it would seem weird to not have it be symmetric. But if it was symmetric you could slice it down it center line and lay the two pieces on top of each other and they would be not just parallel but identical. This is what you are aiming for when you balance your patterns.


The other comment I wanted to respond to is about the gaping at the back of Taylor's dress. liron said...


"Great dress.
might I ask why you were worried about the side seam? I mean, why would there be a problem if you pinch the extra fabric from the center back and taper it to nothing on the side? (I am really asking as I am new to pattern making). You could also do it in more than one place-it just might give it some more balance (I think)."

I'm going to respond to this in the same post because it takes exactly the same sort of thought process to understand this issue as the balance stuff. This is not to say that its the same issue it just feels similar. so this is a sketch of the general shape of the back pattern piece of that dress.

If I just pinch out the part that's gaping I worry about the distortion it causes. This sketch is the same as the first with a dart removed at the place where its gaping. Its a little exagerated but I wanted you to be able to see it.
The issues that come up are the angle in the back line, the angle it put in the side seam, as well as general shifting of the grain along the whole top part of the pattern. My thought was to do it anyway because the amount I have to take out is so small (unlike this picture) and then just true up the pattern. It always bothers me though to feel like I'm letting things slide that could be understood so if anyone has any suggestions or knows why I should or shouldn't do it like this feel free to speak up.

This is pretty big for us

I just wanted to say thanks to Kathleen for linking us to Fashion Incubator she has made it possible for our poor little blog to take it's first steps into the big world. I also want to thank her for her kind words about our work and our blog. We have been avid FI readers for quite some time and we are excited to be accepted as part of her web of awesome sewing information. It is also wonderful for us to make connections to other FI readers. We welcome comments of any sort and from anybody. I am happy to try to answer any questions asked and will try to get to things in a timely manner although life is always crazy. Also we are not the most computer savvy bunch and I apologize for any way that our blog might be difficult to navigate. It had worked for us until now but that might need to change. So if you have tips or advice about anything feel free to comment (although I can't promise I follow it). So welcome. Browse, peruse, and enjoy.
-Carly

Up date on Taylor's dress

This version of the dress is made with an old sheet and lined with Hannah's fuchsia leopard print. It was made to double check the final fit of the dress and see if Taylor could ride her mini bike in it. Also the open back was an experiment to see if it would be over the top but I think it suits Taylor and the dress. As a "Wear around town" dress I really like it. The color combo of the green and the fuchsia is really fun. It also makes me excited about doing it in the final fabric which is going to be a sea foam green dupioni. As you can see from the pictures I'm going to deal with the gaping in the back opening and tension lines on the waist band. (This is why we make mock ups).
Its too bad about the purse strap because you can't get a good feel for the cowl, but trust me it looks really nice on her.