Sunday, February 28, 2010

Show and Tell

Update on the over blouse. I took it the Fashion Focus group meeting last week for Show and Tell and got teased quite a bit about making my own buttons.

But what should I get in my email a few days later? A newsletter from SewStylish magazine with a link to a story on …. Make your own buttons from polymer clay . It is good to know I am not alone in some of the things I do.

Thanks to Joy for pointing me to Karen's Blog. Karen made the blouse for her daughter and moved the gathers on the blouse up to the bust area. I went back and did the same. The wearablity issues went away. However, I really think the pattern was drafted as a tunic front with very little shaping and the gathers in the waist area are a style detail, not a bust dart rotation.

The center front placket is 2” wide. When the gathers are moved up to the same level as the bust point, the side view is a little strange. I don’t have any cleavage so the placket lays flat against my chest bone between the “girls”. I don’t know if this would work for a person whose bust is fuller in the center front. Most blouses with center front gathers have them on either side of a very narrow front band.



The Show and Tell part of the sewing guild meeting was wonderful this month. Since we were snowed in for two weekends, many attendees had been "sewing up a storm” to use a corny phrase, and had lots of garments to share. Show and tells are fun and inspiring. I always come away from them with a list of more patterns I "need” to buy or techniques I “need” to try. I took 2 other items to Show and Tell. One was a skirt. This fall, I purchased some thigh length sweaters to wear with skirts and pants, a la this inspiration photo. But I needed some help styling them. Many of the magazine photos showed a belt around the waist either over the sweater or on a skirt under the sweater; I suppose to make the eye read the silhouette as if it had a waist. Belts over sweaters look horrible on me, so I looked for a skirt pattern that could be worn with a belt under the sweater. Skirt #110 from the Aug 09 issue of Burda Style fit the criteria and was quick to make, The brown poly wool blend fabric with a cream and black metallic grids went perfectly with a long beige sweater.


My second item was a jacket. Made using OOP Vogue 2896, this Anne Klein (AK) jacket has notched collar, three-quarter length sleeves with turn back cuffs and inset carriers for a belt.


The inspiration for this was another fall purchase, a Tahari wool jacket with similar styling. I liked the fit and style so much I decided to make the pattern.



I thought a brown tweed jacket would be quite versatile given the many brown + color print blouses I have, or worn with solid brown bottoms and solid blue, green, cream or red tops. I found this brown/cream wool tweed at Hancock’s. It actually has some threads in blue and green.


This jacket is shown with a belt and really does require one to look good. There is no front overlap or fastening so the belt holds the jacket closed. There are faced slits in the dart legs and side seams so that the belt can pass underneath the jacket fabric there. The belt only shows at the center front and back. I didn’t like the self fabric belt tied casually, as in the pattern picture, so I used a store bought belt. While the AK jacket is OK, it did not come as close to the Tahari jacket as I would have liked because of 1. the non overlap front which shifts up and down even with a hook to hold the front edges together, 2.the fit in the torso is much looser, and 3. I like the look of the belt showing on the side waist of Tahari jacket (done with double princes seams with slits). But it does go with the skirt and the over blouse so I have a little mini wardrobe developing.




19 comments:

  1. Wow, I love all of your new creations, especially that jacket!

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  2. I bought a couple of those sweaters too and I wear them over my sheath dresses...haven't tried them with a skirt yet!

    I love the brown plaid skirt...I'm wondering now if I have a piece of fabric like that in the collection! *LOL*

    And I like how the jacket is working with other pieces in your wardrobe...I'm sure you will make it work even if you are having issues with how it closes!

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  3. I love finding blogs where the sewer is making very well made, stylish and tasteful garments. You are certainly on my favorites list.

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  4. Two stunning outfits there. Those sweaters just don't work for me but they sure look good on you. You've styled your outfits very nicely.

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  5. Lovely mini wardrobe. Love the look of the longer cardi with the skirt. And the inspiration jacket is just so gorgeous. I pinched a copy of that for my file....

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  6. I really enjoyed all your showing and telling. What a lovely bunch of new garments!

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  7. That mini-wardrobe that you are developing is looking most elegant. Superb work.

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  8. Wow! Love the skirt and the jacket - yummy!
    I am looking at getting one of those sweaters - I think you have helped me with my decision!

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  9. Your mini wardrobe looks terrific, like your winning SWAP last year.
    I agree that the tunic blouse pattern doesn't have much shaping - my daughter does not really need a bust dart, being slender rather than curvy, and the extra fabric is flattering on her.

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  10. Your skirt and jacket are amazing! Nice top and slacks too. Wow. Great sewing!

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  11. what a lot of goodies, all in one post! Interesting about the gathers on the blouse. I would have moved them up, too; they just look a little funny otherwise. I bet it looks great on you, though.
    And the skirt looks fabulous (love the long sweaters, too!)
    And the jacket is WOW.
    Superb with the belt!

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  12. Great new garments, I like how you have styled them.

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  13. Thanks for the "show and tell". Your mini wardrobe looks terrific!

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  14. They are all beautiful pieces. Your outfits always look so tastefully put together and they fit you to perfection.

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  15. You did a wonderful job on the jacket. Love the belt solution!

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  16. The teasing was done with love! : ) We didn't think anyone but Martha Stewart would take the time to make buttons, but we were wrong!

    You did a great job on the mini-wardrobe - and I saw that skirt fabric at Hancock's after our lunch that Saturday. Very cool, Audrey!

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  17. Love your new garments. Very stylish.

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