Practice Pattern Continued Butterick 5924

A couple of posts ago, I told you that I had decided to do a blouse with some inexpensive fabric as a practice pattern before I start the wedding dress. The pattern came in the mail on Saturday along with all of the patterns that will make the base of my Dear Daughter's dress. Of course, what always happens is you wait, wait, wait for the pattern (or any other long awaited object) to arrive and then when it does, you have other plans, have to work late, or have meetings to attend. This meant that I only just got to start cutting out the pattern tonight.

Following the couture method that I learned in my Craftsy class, I began by finding all of the pieces that I needed to use for view C of the pattern. This is the elbow length, in plaid in the sketch above. Because patterns come in multiple sizes now in order to minimize the confusion, the pattern makers only give you the cutting line and assume that you know to sew with a 5/8" seam. Couture requires a much wider seam line for the fitting and alterations. So it is necessary to draw in the sewing line on the pattern. I used my Sliding Marking Gauge to find and mark this line on each pattern piece.


When this was completed, I pinned the pattern pieces to the muslin fabric that I had prepared on Saturday. One of the things to which I paid careful attention was the grain of the fabric. I measured the distance between the salvage and the grain line on the pattern on both ends. I have to admit, in years past I have mostly just "eyeballed" it, but I need to have better habits if I am to make DD's wedding dress.


I did end up unpinning and unfolding the muslin because the pattern pieces were too wide for the folded 34 inch width muslin that I bought. I had to lay out most of the pieces single thickness and cut 2 pieces individually. Then I used another of the new toys -- er um, tools -- that I got at my local craft and fabric store -- the tracing wheel. With the waxed tracing paper beneath the muslin and the pattern still pinned to the muslin, I used the wheel to trace across each of the seam lines, grain lines and other identifying marks on the pattern. After assuring that all the marks were appropriately transferred to the fabric, I removed the pattern piece, flipped the fabric over and used the my wheel to trace those marks to transfer the same marks to the other side of the fabric.


In addition to cutting out and marking each piece, I took a marker and wrote the pattern number, size, and pattern piece (collar, upper front, lower front, etc) on each piece so that it would be easier to know what each piece is.

Sound tedious? Yes, it was a little tedious, but having the marks on both sides will make the fitting easier in the long run and the ultimate goal is to do a wedding dress with few (visible) errors! After a day working at the office, I only had the energy to cut out and mark a little more than half of the pattern pieces. I still have the sleeves and the 2 upper back pieces to cut out and mark. Hopefully, I can get all these pieces finished tomorrow and begin the next step. . .and no, that is not sewing them together -- yet!

Happy tracing with a wheel!!!

Ruffles and Horse Hair Braid

Layers of fluffy chiffon are one thing that is often found on a wedding gown. Dear Daughter wants lots of fluffy ruffles that roll beautifully and don't collapse on themselves.

In my on-line couture class, one of the things that I learned about was a horse hair braid in a hem. Horse hair isn't made from actual horse hair as it was years ago, it is now made from nylon mesh and is used to stiffen the edge of a hem or ruffle, stopping it from collapsing on itself and becoming flat. It acts similar to the metal in a hoop skirt but still allows for draping and curling of the ruffle.

Horse hair braid comes in many widths and is a common addition to the hemline of many couture creations. Think swing coats, crinoline petticoats and of course wedding dresses. This will be a must for DD's bridal dress. I am looking forward to what can be done with this product--it will be a "new toy" for me.

Below are some pictures I found on the internet that represented uses of horse hair braid:

 

Oops! how did this one get in?

Happy hemming!

Practice Pattern

I have read a couple of books and watched an on-line couture class, but that doesn't make me ready to make a wedding dress. So I thought I would try a pattern for a blouse for myself as practice. This is Butterick 5924. It is a collared casual shirt that can be made sleeveless, cap sleeved, elbow length or long-sleeved. The shirt has a high waistline and is designed with a bias lower half.

The classic puckering of  seersucker

I have decided to go with the elbow length sleeve and have selected a blue and white cotton/polyester blend seersucker stripe for my fashion fabric and a white cotton/polyester blend batiste for the underlining.

Washing the fabric was the first task to remove the sizing from the fabrics. I even washed the muslin that will be used for the initial fitting and final pattern. You really don't need to wash the muslin, but I don't particularly like the smell and feel of some fabrics that have sizing in them. Chemicals are put onto the fabric to protect and strengthen them during the weaving process and then again to add shine and protection to the fabric before marketing. This fabric is a cotton and polyester blend. But when I get the fabric for the wedding dress, I won't be able to wash it. I have heard that some people do wash silk dupioni but it will lose its crispness, so dry cleaning is probably the only option, bridal wear is supposed to be crisp.

After washing all the fabric, I ripped off a 3 yard piece of muslin and started preparing it to become the pattern. It is necessary to line up the selvages of so that the warp and weave threads of the fabric are square. The online class that I took recommended pinning the two salvages together to keep them from shifting and ironing in a new center crease. So that is what I did using my new glass headed pins.

The next step will be to read the pattern notes, separate the purchased pattern tissue paper pieces, and begin marking the pattern on to the muslin with the waxed tracing paper and tracing wheel.

But that will be in another blog.

Happy sewing!

A Gem from a Used Book Store

My dear husband has a deep love of books. His very favorite thing to do is go to book stores -- this is often our date night activities. Either we spend hours and no money or we spend hours and come home with some lovely prizes. But it is best when we find a used book store and can dive into shelves of books that we may have never seen before. Recently, we went to a local used bookstore and I went straight to the sewing/knitting area. The gem I brought home was Every Sewer's Guide to the Perfect Fit by Mary Morris & Sally McCann. This book, published in Australia in 1997, gives detailed instructions on how to take measurements exactly and then adjust a store bought pattern to accommodate those measurements.

Morris and McCann state that: "Good fit is characterized by a garment that follows the shape of the body with no indication of stress or wrinkling; the shoulder; the curves at the neckline, armholes, hips, and waistline following the natural contures of the body without either binding or gapping; and the length of the sleeves and hems being smooth and consistent around the entire width and falling at the most flattering point." The wonderful thing about the book is that is shows you how to achieve that "good fit" step by step.

Good measurements are the basis of a good fit and this book gives great pictorial instructions on how to get exact measurements. In fact, before reading this book, I didn't know that you took all of these measurements! But the best part was the instructions on how to make adjustments to off-the-shelf patterns. In the past, I have made adjustments, but they have not always worked out and I often did not like the results. But the adjustments suggested in this book look logical and easy. I cant wait to make adjustments to my own patterns!

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to go to the next level in their own sewing. Making an outfit from a ready-made pattern will be so much more satisfying when the results are great!

Happy sewing!

The Right Tools for the Job

From top to bottom: flexible 16" ruler; tracing wheel; glass headed, ultra-fine pins; and sliding marking gauge.

Although I have been sewing off and on for years, I have never done what is considered couture sewing and therefore have nave never had some of the tools which are necessary to do an adequate job. So, I will have to begin accumulating them. Above and below are some of the toys -- er, um, "tools" -- that I purchased at my local craft and fabric store today. Some of these tools may be familiar to you and some of them may not, so lets jump right in and find out what makes these useful for the couture sewer.

Fashion ruler a.k.a French Curve

Fashion ruler or French Curve -- This is a design tool used by pattern makers to act as a template for drawing curved seams such as necklines, hip curves and armholes. Since couture sewing assumes that you will not use a store bought pattern "as is", this is also used to alter pattern pieces to fit to eventual wearer of the garment.

Flexible 16" Ruler -- This ruler is made of a flexible material that can be curved into any shape, and once there, stay in that shape. First off, this means that you can use it to create a curve that is not available on a French Curve. Secondly, you can easily mold it to a seam line in order to check the length of any curved section of a pattern.

Tracing Wheel -- This is a tool that is used to transfer markings from a pattern to fabric. Carbon or wax tracing paper is placed below the fabric and the pattern above the fabric and with a firm easy movement, the tool is wheeled along the sewing lines, grain lines and other necessary markings. The pressure transfers a colored wax or carbon from marking paper to the fabric. Tracing wheels come with various length "teeth". The thicker the fabric, the longer the teeth need to be.

Glass Headed, Ultra-Fine Pins -- These pins are useful for precise pinning with delicate fabric. The head is made of glass which means that it won't melt and ruin either the fabric or iron when ironing. Some fabrics in couture are so fine that regular pins leave big holes. I have other pins that I use for quilting that are much longer and thicker so that you can pin multiple layers of fabric together.

Sliding Marking Gauge -- This is a great way of keeping your sewing accurate. With it, you can measure and hark hems for sewing, add seam allowances to pattern pieces on patterns (European pattern companies give you only the sewing line -- you add the seam allowance),spacing buttonholes, tucks and pleats.

These are just a few of the things that I need to get, but I can only afford so much at a time, so as I accumulate more items, I will show you the ones you might find interesting.

Happy sewing!

A Sketch of the Bridal Dress

"A picture is worth a thousand words." I googled who said that and came up with a list of people including Napoleon Bonaparte, Frederick R. Barnard and Albert Einstein. But regardless who said it, it is true to a certain degree. Case in point, my dear daughter (DD) and I have been sending ideas for her wedding dress back and forth for a month or so now. I send her a picture; she sends me a picture. I comment on her picture; she comments on mine and then we start all over again. I finally looked at all the pictures and dress patterns of which she said she liked parts and I sketched out her vision. Above is the result.

The bustier will be a plain, tightly fit corset with boning in channels. I have purchased a plain dress pattern Butterick 5419 (shown on left) which has a boned corset top. From this pattern, I will use the top as the base for a draped top based on Vogue 8150 (shown at right). Vogue 8150 does not have a corset and is supported by the straps. Since DD wants a strapless gown, I will have to do some patchwork to give her what she wants. (And what my baby wants, my baby gets!) The main dress -- bustier, draping and train (underskirt) will be made of white silk dupioni. The over-skirt will be made of a silk chiffon. As I posted last time, I am using another pattern for the long trained skirt, but I will have to wing the whole chiffon ruffly over-skirt. I may have to do a few mock-ups doll-sized to see how the ruffles will hang best. I have seen them both vertical and horizontal ruffles and I like both, so I will need to experiment a little. Thankfully. I have a year -- but since the last 21 have flown by. . .

DD has approved of my idea of using ivory silk chiffon cut into bias strips and sewn onto the edge of the white silk chiffon ruffles as a finishing technique. It will be the same as applying binding to a quilt edge. I am thinking about 3/8" wide, but we will experiment with that, too. DD has found a pretty, slightly beaded lace in ivory for trim along the top of the bust and at the waist of the corset which you will be able to see where the drape crosses in the middle. The underskirt (the one with the train) will be lined in ivory dupioni. Depending upon looks, we may trim the bottom of the underskirt with the lace trim as well.

Looks like we have a plan!

Happy dress making!

Busy, Busy. Busy!

I know! It has been three weeks since I posted! In the 2 1/2 years that I have been blogging, that is about the longest I have ever gone without posting. I know I could list a bunch of excuses, company in town, my anniversary party, quarter end business at work -- but if you really want to know, it is because I am being lazy.

I have, however, been dabbling in a little quilting and a little knitting and a little gardening. But the big news is that my daughter has asked me to make her wedding dress! I have been busy researching and reading up on couture -- remember one of the last posts that I wrote? It was a hint of something that I could not talk about until she and the FSIL (that is "future-son-in-law" for the abbreviation-challenged) announced the event officially. And now that she has announced the big event, I need to get started as I have one year to go.

We have already talked about design ideas which have morphed from very plain to more ornate. She wants a mainly white white dress with ivory trim. We are thinking about a four piece outfit: A strapless or halter-top bodice (it is a July wedding in Tampa, Florida), a hi-low skirt white with an ivory lining, a chiffon over-skirt and a pencil skirt to put on at the reception so she can dance easily!


If you don't know what a hi-low skirt is, the picture at the left is what I am McCall's 6701 going to use for the bridal skirt.. The pencil skirt may end up being Vogue 8672 as my dear daughter wants a ruched top and this pencil skirt has a gathered front. Her over-skirt will be similar to the ruffled chiffon skirt above but not quite so angular.

Lots of things to work out and lots of sewing over the next year. . . happy couture!