Matrix Top

This top started with a sample of a pleated pocket that Diane Ericson shared at DOL. I loved it. In her version, the background fabric was "built up" around the pocket, similar to the center of a log cabin quilt block, except framed with background fabric.

I wanted to use the same idea of a pleated pocket, but to attach it to the background fabric like a regular patch pocket. I made three sample pockets before I was happy with the result. I experimented to figure out how to minimize bulk while retaining the pleats - a challenge in this substantial fabric. I used a single thickness of the fabric - the top edge of the pocket is the fabric selvege.

The futuristic "matrix" print is a 100% woven rayon twill from Emma One Sock. It is amazingly soft, drapey and has a "brushed" surface. The companion fabric is a solid black 100% rayon faille that I acquired from my friend Heather N, who recently did some destashing.

This pattern is quickly becoming my favorite TNT for woven fabrics - it's an OOP Adri pattern from Vogue, used most recently for my artist smock. (And, yes, I did use my smock at DOL!) For this version, I made these changes:

• Lengthened to fingertip length and created side slits.
• Used the same v-neck I had used for the "casually elegant" jacket, but this time I drafted facings, since I used bias binding for that jacket.
• The top has an asymmetric closing. I used black snap tape with white snaps for the closure. The snap tape is inserted into the right front edge between the outside and the facing, similar to a piping. (An idea from Diane E.)
• I rolled the solid black facing to the outside far enough to create the effect of a tiny, 1/16" piping. (Another idea from Diane.)
• I bought less yardage than usual, which is something Diane suggests to encourage a more creative approach. Because of this, I had to piece the sleeves. I decided to create a vertical insert in the sleeves. I put pleats in the sleeve inserts to echo the pleats on the pocket.
• The sleeves 3/4 length and are edged with more of the snap tape.
• I found two tiny holes in the fabric. I patched them with pieces of the fabric and frayed the edges.

There is a lot going on in this top, and it's a bit hard to see the detail because of the dark print, but I enjoy the subtle effect.

Constructing the pocket. Creating the pleated sleeve insert. One of the completed sleeves. The snap tape is inserted into the right front between the garment edge and the facing. One of the tiny holes that I covered with a self patch. Completed patch. The completed pocket with the other tiny patch above.

Too quiet at Chez Shams...

It feels like ages since I've sewn or blogged. I have been busy at work - I'm already behind on deadlines for Sept 2013... how is that possible? It's going to be a very intense year at work. I have written a blog post or two in my head - I know, not helpful.

I've also been suffering from mojo blockage. I think it's due to a variety of reasons. But what I have been doing:

• Watched my new stenciling DVD from Diane Ericson.
• I needed 1/2" foam for stenciling, so early one morning, I headed to Cushion Works in the Mission district of San Francisco. I bought a sheet of foam and several widths of cotton cording. I love places like this, that work with pros, but also sell supplies to regular people. If a business opens at 8am on a weekday, I know they are serious and I'm a happy camper.
  Two guys cut my cording. They also make custom cushions and can school you about different kinds and qualities of foam. Check out their blog.
• During a night of extreme insomnia, I set up a stenciling and silk screening station on my kitchen table. I've been playing - creating samples and filling up my design board. No pics yet. I plan to keep playing until I'm ready to embellish some larger pieces. It might take awhile.
• I've been stroking my stash and playing with my scraps. I have several pieces thrown on my dressform in the top pic.
• I've made some pocket samples, inspired by one that Diane showed us at DOL. I hope to use it on my current project.

And, finally, I settled on a project. I have it largely cut out and have started sewing. (I almost emailed some friends, "I've sewn a seam!!!", but I resisted.) I'm not sure if I can finish it by tomorrow, but hopefully I can find the energy during weekday evenings.

Forgiven, though it took awhile. This rascal never wants to lie on me, but he often lies nearby and reaches out to lightly touch me.
I'm not sure which one of us is the bigger curmudgeon.
It's me. Probably.
DD2 contacted me last week. She needed a baby picture immediately.
She was already late - this may not make it into the yearbook. I didn't have time to pull boxes from the garage and dig through them, so I took a picture of this photo, which is framed and hangs on the wall.
They are heart meltingly cute at this age, partly so you will still love them when they become teenagers.
It's just nature's funny little way.

Report - Artistry in Fashion 2012

While I was off at Design Outside the Lines a week ago, I had to miss one of my favorite annual events, Artistry in Fashion. I love Artistry in Fashion, so this was a sacrifice. But thanks to minions volunteers with cameras, I can share a bit of the event with you. (You can see more pictures on the Canada College Fashion Department Facebook page.)

Registration Booth

One of the primary events of AIF is, of course, the shopping.

Vendor booth - Susan Krimmer Designs
Vendor booth - B Sharp Accessories
Vendor booth
Shopping
Vendor pieces
Vendor pieces

There are a couple stylist shows throughout the day. For these shows, two stylists choose items from various vendors and style them into outfits which are displayed on live models. It's very interesting to see how the stylists combine pieces to create an outfit.

From the stylist show

There is an opportunity to visit the classrooms and to see student work.

Student work

And, of course, one of the highlights of the day is the guest speaker who talks and presents a trunk show. This year the guest speaker was Marsha McClintock of Saf-T-Pockets.

From the Saf-T-Pocket Trunk Show
Another Saf-T-Pocket garment

The following list includes blog posts from people who were able to attend this year. In their posts, they share their purchases, which is always fun to see. Jane (from Lucky Sew and Sew) managed to arrange a trip from the east coast to coincide with AIF!

• Jilly Be Joyful
• Lucky Sew and Sew

Next year I plan to attend AIF in person! (It is scheduled for September 28th, 2013.)

P.S. Not shown, but one of the vendors this year was Kayla Kennington. Today Kayla was the guest speaker at PenWag. I attended and enjoyed seeing some of her award winning projects and learning a bit about her process.

Which means not much sewing has been happening at Chez Shams. Maybe tomorrow!

New Tools for the Creative Process

I wasn't sure what my first project would be after returning from DOL. I spent much of Sunday relaxing and sleeping. Then, Sunday evening, it came to me.

I knew my first task.

At the retreat, Diane had mentioned how useful it is to have a design board. Back when I was quilting I had a flannel wall, but that was long gone.

I googled how to make a giant design board and found this tutorial.

The search for foam core insulation involved three hardware stores (my local hardware store and the first Home Depot didn't carry it). Luckily, the further-away Home Depot is open on Sunday night until 9pm, so I wasted no time jumping into the van.

I had no idea just how big a 4'x8' piece of foam core insulation is.

It's big.

Here was my process:

• Search the endless aisles for sheets of foam core insulation. Employee #1 helped me find it and told me they would cut it if I needed it.
• Purchase the foam core insulation. Sales person told me they would cut it if I needed, "just bring it back to the saw."
• Hoping it fits, carry foam core insulation to van, trying not to take flight in the process.
• Attempt to force unwieldy object into van.
• Fail.
• Go back to store. Someone (I can't remember who) had told me they would help me tie it to the top of my van. But when I went back, customer service told me they would give me twine but, for liability reasons, would not tie it.
• Find the hidden bucket and help oneself to yards and yards of free twine.
• Tie to top of van. Tied too tight, causing the twine to cut deeply (12" or so) into the insulation. No problem, it will be covered by fabric.
• Passerby gives suggestions on how to tie it. Suggestions taken.


• Get into van and drive about 30 feet. Board snaps in half and the front half is now "skiing" behind van.
• Re-park. Smile at the passersby who find this scene highly amusing.


• One half will now fit into van. The other half is still too big and both halves now have a very raggedy edge.
• Take both halves back into store and head back to the saw.
• Meet up with Employees #2 and #3, who vociferously tell me they will not cut it. I vociferously insist. It turns out that there was a basic miscommunication. They thought I wanted them to cut it with the saw, which could damage the saw. I did not care how it was cut.
• Employee #2, with attitude, uses a box cutter to trim the too-big half and "even up" the edge of the smaller half. Both raw edges are now fairly uneven, but no matter.
• Return to van (it is now dark), place two halves inside, and return home.

I covered the two halves with an old set of cream-colored flannel sheets and lots of white duct tape. I hung both halves from the picture rail in my sewing room, using the free twine.

Voila.
I didn't notice, at first, that the printing on the foam core insulation (which is only on one side) shows through the flannel.
Oh well.

From watching Diane and Marcy work, it became apparent to me that I could use a dress form. I've been resisting a dress form for several reasons. And, to be honest, I had a dress form buried in my garage.

I dug it out (no small feat) and cleaned off the cobwebs.

Well, mostly.

I used this Athena form when I sewed 20 years ago. At one time, it wore bra that was stuffed, and I was thinner back then, though I never had a waist like that.

The dress form is now back in circulation.

Diane suggested that you make your form the same height as you. Luckily I am not too tall. Even though it doesn't reflect my shape, it will be useful for shaping a collar and taking photos.

And I couldn't beat the price.

Australian Stitches Magazine

On another note, a couple readers told me some months ago that my blog was featured in Australian Stitches Magazine, volume 20 no. 9. Sandra V, who lives in Australia, managed to snag me a copy from the publisher.

The very cool thing is that they also featured two blogs I like very much, Margy's and Jane's.

Thanks so much, Sandra!!

P.S. If you aren't familiar with Sandra's work, you should be. She posts her reviews on Pattern Review. You may need a PR account to see her reviews, but a free account works. I am a huge fan of her work.

Design Outside the Lines, Wrapup and What I Bought

How dare you place your creativity above the daily routine of my chewy treats.
You. will. pay.

"What did you buy at DOL, Shams?" I've been asked this more than once and I understand. Who doesn't love a good show and tell?

I didn't think I really bought that much. I mean, shopping opportunities were somewhat limited given the fact that I traveled to DOL on the first day of the retreat and returned home on the last day and we were pretty busy in between. But when I packed for the return trip, I had to unzip the "extra room" zipper on my suitcase - the traveling equivalent of "Thanksgiving pants" - so I guess I did more damage than I thought.

I am very glad to be back home with a free day before I go back to work. I need it. It's hard to believe that 24 hours ago I was enjoying breakfast in the Mabel Dodge Luhan dining room, laughing at something Diane said that involves an alternative use of a seam ripper.

Here are the goodies that came home with me. I might be missing one or two little things. I couldn't find the silver raffia ribbon, for example.

The pincushion on the left was made by Narra. She had several handmade beauties but this one has been featured in a book. Diane is selling handmade cords, which you can see next to the pincushion. Each one is quite different. (I could not find them on her website.) Each one comes with an information page, which I, apparently, left behind, so I can't correctly recall what they are called. (Nomad cords, maybe?) The three cards on the right, by Diane, feature collaged clothing.
An assortment of patterns, silk screens and stencils.
The main office of the lodge has a shelf of Diane's cards (see next pic). I bought the card that features the birdhouses and one that features the gatehouse. While wandering around taking pictures, a young man offered to take my picture. We got to chatting and I learned that he's a photographer. He gave me several postcards (in the center) and I went back to the office to buy two of his panoramic cards. His name is GaKStonn and you can see some of his beautiful Taos imagery on his website. On the far right is Marcy's favorite seam ripper.
A brown/black plaid ikat from the Taos quilting store. From Uncommon Thread: A Guatemalan Corte, which is an ikat skirt that is sewn as a large tube. Pendleton wool/rayon strips in red and slate blue. Red and black hemp twine.
A scarf from Zepnyr in Santa Fe. Diane's stenciling DVD. A better view of the Nomad cord from Diane.
Two cotton ikat border pieces from India in black/red/gray. These are different fabrics but complement each other and I plan to use them together. A black/white polka dot cotton batik. Black knitted wool gauze.
One of my favorite things I bought I don't have a picture of, so this is to give you the idea. Diane has designed a fabric for an apron panel featuring a bicycle and is selling it as a kit. I actually first saw this in her studio in Ashland a couple weeks ago. (It's not on her website.) She used the fabric to make this shirt. See that dotted curved line on the left shoulder? That is the curve of the apron. She sold out of the kit at the retreat and is mailing it to me.

Not shown: four pieces of organic cotton canvas in solid colors from Santa Fe Fabrics. Also, the still-missing silver raffia cord.

Let me talk for a minute about our final morning. After our last delicious breakfast from chef Melodie (she has written a cookbook that many purchased in the Lodge office) we gathered for the closing circle. Marcy and Diane each spoke briefly and then asked us to share some comments. This was very insightful, particularly from people who have attended the retreat before. More than one said that attending the retreat in past years (even 10+ years in some cases) changed their lives in profound, non-sewing, ways. I can completely understand this because Diane and Marcy both talk about mindset, and about changing your life and environment to increase your creativity and to be more true to who you are. Heady stuff and it makes you think.

After closing circle I headed to the hardware store for duct tape for some suitcase repairs. On the 3-hour drive back to Albuquerque, I stopped again in Santa Fe for an hour. I really like Santa Fe. Another run to Santa Fe Dry Goods, where some Trippens may or may not have been purchased and shipped home. Another quick and spicy lunch at The Shed. I would love to come back and spend more time in this town.

Driving in New Mexico is such a pleasure. Not only do you enjoy the wide open skies, with the dramatic cloud formations and the views of the mesas, but there is so little traffic, compared to the bay area, and on the open freeways the speed limit is 70 mph. It makes for a very pleasant journey.

I am happy to report that on the last morning, I got pictures of the rest of the participants.

Sherry
Jane
Lorianne
Anne
Colleen and Anne
Laura
Joan

A few more people pics...

Narra and Linda
Diana cracks me up.
Thank you, Diane!
Thank you, Marcy!

A few final pictures from the lodge and grounds.

I want this to be the pressing room.
Dining room ceiling.

The 3.5 hour flight home, which included a beautiful sunset and then a full moon, stopped briefly in Las Vegas. I put these pics at the end of the post, so they are easy to skip over. :)

And that's all she wrote!

P.S. I just noticed that Marcy has blogged about the retreat. Check it out.