Weekend Update and PenWAG Fashion Show

Thanks to each of you for your feedback on my Open Letter to Vogue. This has generated some discussion, which is a good thing. There is another blog post you might want to check out: Robin, of A Little Sewing, wrote her own Letter to the Big Four.

Last Sunday, I attended the Peninsula Wearable Art Guild's Fashion Show. This fashion show is held every two years but it was the first time I had attended. It gave me an opportunity to wear my new Shingle dress.

The best part of the fashion show is to see people I hadn't seen in awhile. In the photo above, you might recognize some very accomplished sewists who post reviews on Pattern Review. Starting from the left, Barbara V is wearing Sandra Betzina's latest dress pattern. Ann Smith is wearing an Issey Miyake jacket, that she made awhile back. (You need an account on Pattern Review to see older reviews, but a free account works.) Dorothy K is wearing her "piano dress", which I don't believe she has ever posted anywhere - I want to rectify that right now, because this deserves to be seen.

Several years ago the De Young Museum, in San Francisco, had an Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. Dorothy was so inspired that she made a series of dresses inspired by YSL. They are all fabulous and this is one of them. Each one of those black keys on the keyboard is an applique.

Dorothy is wearing the perfect earrings to accompany the dress. These earrings, by a company called Lunch at the Ritz, are black and white and feature a dancing couple, a top-hat, white gloves, and the word STORK, a reference to the Stork Club. Perfect!

The charming dolls at my table.

Also, for the fashion show, members of PenWAG make handmade dolls. The dolls are used as table centerpieces during the fashion show, and are then auctioned off via silent auction at the end. My friend Sarah Bunje took home the intricate, jointed, colorful doll featured on the right of the above photo. These dolls have so much character!

I am glad of the 3-day weekend, but not getting quite as much sewing done as I'd hoped. Last week I was working on a dress, but I had to table it. It required a lot of tricky fitting and then I realized I didn't have enough fabric. Then I made a pair of pants, in a size 4, but wasn't happy with the loose trouser-like fit through the rear. Then I decided to make another pair of pants, using another pattern. I finished those yesterday and am making a 2nd pair. Lots of sewing happening, but not a lot to show.

Happy Memorial Day, for those of you who celebrate. Happy Monday, if not.

An Open Letter to Vogue Patterns

I came soooo close to writing this blog post about a month ago. But for some reason, I held off. Largely due to sheer laziness, I imagine, because a post like this takes a lot of thought and energy to write. But there have been rumors of a recent change in the leadership at Vogue Patterns (which actually flies under the McCalls banner, and they also own Butterick and Kwik Sew, but I mostly sew Vogue) and some of my sewing friends were talking about their satisfaction (or lack thereof) with the current Vogue product line. It got me thinking about this letter, which I had largely composed in my head weeks ago, so here goes.

Dear Vogue Patterns,

First, let me say that, after having used your patterns for my sewing life of over 40 years, I have loved your products. But it feels that, in recent years, you have lost your way. So, as a longtime customer who represents one segment of your market, let me tell you why I think that is.

Not that you asked. This is my gift to you. :)

You seem to have forgotten your customer and what she (or he) wants. I apologize, in advance, for the length of this letter. I had more to say, but I ran out of steam.

• Fit is everything.

  Let me just say it again. Fit.Is.Everything. I can't tell you how many sewists I have met who tell me they have given up on sewing clothing for themselves because they can't get the clothes to fit. So they sew quilts, or purses, or baby clothes, or home dec items, with maybe the occasional pajama bottom.

  The basic block (or sloper) you use in your patterns is atrocious. When was the last time you updated this? You use far too much ease in most of your patterns (which are not consistent, by the way). Your shoulder is too wide for most of us - I often have to narrow it by 1-1/2" to 2". You have too much ease through the upper bodice area. Your bust point is ridiculously high - I usually have to lower it by 2". Your hips are too wide and your waist is too small, but I admit that these latter two are my own figure peculiarities. (But please keep in mind that some of us are not pear shaped.) Your crotch curve works for almost no one. No. one.

  When a poor, unsuspecting sewist has chosen to sew with one of your patterns, she is starting off at a huge disadvantage, fit wise. Are you familiar with the Australian pattern company, Style Arc? The success of that company is largely due to the RTW fit of the designs and the excellent pattern drafting. The same can be said of the Canadian company, Jalie.

  And before I leave the topic of fit, could you consider offering more fit options for pants? Maybe have a few designs that features your "classic" fit with the J-shaped crotch curve, so you don't alienate your existing base of satisfied pant sewists (if they exist). Then maybe offer a few designs with the European L-shaped crotch curve. I, for one, would really welcome a pant designed for women with no derriere, which happens to many of us in middle age.

  It would make pants fitting so much easier, if one could start with a pattern that had some of the fit issues worked out. I would find this feature to be much more valuable than built-in cup sizes, as you never offer a size large enough for my bust, and the bust point is always in the wrong place, so it's easier for me to start from scratch and do my own full bust alteration.

• Enough with the Very Easy patterns, already.

  We are being flooded with Very Easy patterns. You seem to judge the difficulty of a pattern largely by how many pattern pieces it uses. This is often a false equivalency. In the process of reducing the number of pattern pieces, you eliminate facings, and simplify other aspects of the design, often to the point where it's not worth the effort of making it - you've lost the essence of what made the design appealing.

  When someone from the "Very Easy" target customer base (ie. a beginning sewist) chooses one of your patterns and sews it up, what usually results is a poorly fitting, boxy, shapeless, mess of a garment and good money down the drain. How about cutting back on the number of Very Easy offerings and make sure that they are stellar designs with a good fit?

• Challenge and excite us.

  Gone are the days, at least for most of us, of sewing to save money. It has become almost impossible to sew clothing cheaper than what you can buy, thanks to the mass market globalization of clothing production. Most of us sew for two reasons (these are the reasons I sew):

  • To achieve a good fit.
  • As a way of creative expression.

  Therefore, we want to be challenged and excited by the pattern offerings available to us. While I am a member of the BMV club, and do enjoy buying Vogue patterns for $3 in those sales, I (and many of my sewing friends) are finding less and less that we want to buy.

  First, you recently dropped from offering new patterns 6 times a year to 4 times a year. This was a Bad Sign. But even worse, the patterns you offer are so repetitive. The silhouettes, the details... it reminds me of Dorothy Parker's famous quote about Katherine Hepburn: "she delivered a striking performance that ran the gamut of emotions, from A to B."

  Sewists are willing to spend money on an excellent product, as witnessed by our increased frequenting of independent pattern companies, which can't compete with your pricing, and still we buy. How about offering more variety? There is a strong niche of retro sewists, and you seem to have tapped into that market somewhat, but more of that would be welcome, I'm sure. The retro sewists are an enthusiastic bunch who really commit to their passion.

  There are many sewists interested in Lagenlook designs. You have offered some, in the past, but they were often rated "Very Easy" and didn't capture the best essence of Lagenlook in the fun details. They often were a bit "off" in the fit/style and were never shown, to advantage, on the pattern envelope. And you seem to be getting away from this look entirely, with fewer and fewer offerings. Personally, I pine for the great Lagenlook pants patterns that used to be offered by Marcy Tilton and others, but are (mostly) no longer to be found in your catalog.

  What about the plus sized sewist? She wants to be fashionable too. She doesn't want more patterns of sac dresses with ill fitting shoulders. She often has a waist and always wants to show her figure to its best advantage in stylish clothing, including career wear.

  Bring back juniors. When my daughters were in that tween stage, it was almost impossible to find stylish patterns to sew for them. I, myself, am no longer able to sew most of your pants patterns as I am now measuring into a size 4. Please bring back junior styles and sizing!

  I don't sew for a guy, but if I did, I would *hate* it. Where are the interesting patterns for men and boys?

  And why, oh WHY, do you offer endless dress patterns to the exclusion of better separates? I know we are currently in a "dress era", but really! Many of us live in separates and want fun options there, too. A wider variety of pants, please. (Did I mention I love pants?)

• Offer more designer patterns.

  Please enlist new designers and offer us new, exciting patterns. Give us a wider range of options, and do a better job representing what is available in RTW, particularly in terms of details, and in a timely way. Don't underestimate our skills, or our desire to be challenged. Surprise us.

  And, before I leave the subject of Designer patterns: I understand that you receive the garment from the designer, and then draft the pattern using your own fitting block. You then write the instructions, using your own methods of construction, rather than the methods that may have been used by the designer. OK. But then you photograph the *original garment* for the pattern envelope. This can be rather misleading. How about having someone sew the pattern up and then photograph that garment? It would be a more honest representation of the product.

• Details, details, details.

  Details are everything. (I know, I said "Fit is Everything", but it's both, really.) I really will buy a pattern just to get a great pocket, or a great collar or sleeve, or some other detail, but that happens so rarely these days because you just aren't offering much variety in these areas. I know sewists who buy patterns just to see how a technique is achieved, or how a pattern is drafted, especially if it's someone unconventional like Issey Miyake. Cooks will take a cookbook to bed to read. Sewists will take a pile of patterns. (That can't just be me.)

  We.love.this.stuff. Please respect us enough to up the ante. In return, we will flock to buy it.

P.S. If you want to talk, let me know. I'm open. :)

Weekend Miscellanea

First, I want to thank you for all of your wonderful feedback on my Marcy Tilton dress! I am very happy with it and have three events in the coming week where I could wear it.

Second, a couple people have asked if I have had surgery, specifically a boob job. If you really knew me, you'd know how funny this thought is. I am a Numero Uno medical weenie. I pretty much avoid medical procedures when at all possible.

My smaller bust (9" smaller than last fall) is due to diet and exercise. I have also been asked to talk more about my weight loss process. I do plan to do a post on the subject, but am not quite ready yet. And I plan to do just one post, because I want to keep this as a sewing blog. So stay tuned.

Oh, and I still maintain that this is a very flattering dress. I think it makes me look smaller than I really do.

Third, I finally succumbed and ordered the Bold & Beautiful Easy-Sew Clothes: 15 Unstructured Designs That Fit and Flatter Every Shape, and Are Simple to Make by Habibe Acikgoz. I was holding off on buying it until I could see a copy, but I read so many enthusiastic reviews, I finally went for it.

This is a paperback book containing a number of flowy, loosely fitted Lagenlook designs. Right now I am interested in sewing more body conscious clothing, so I don't plan to use the patterns (included on a CD), but I can see incorporating some of the very interesting details into other garments, such as the funky pockets and shaped facings.

Finally, I have been really dithering on what to sew next. This isn't that unusual for me in the last year or so, but since 98% of my wardrobe is now too big and makes me feel frumpy, you'd think I'd be raring to make new clothes, but not so much. I have started doing some closet purging, on a small scale. I hope that this will loosen up the process a bit.

I am thinking that my next project might be another dress. Two dresses in a row. Is that going to weird you guys out too much?

It weirds me out a bit. ;)

Vogue 8904 - Marcy's Shingle "Wiggle" Dress

I think I've figured out why this sort of dress is called a "wiggle dress"!
For me, at least, wiggling is involved in taking it off!

This is the closest I've gotten to making a mainstream style dress in twenty years.

And I love it!

There is lots to say about this excellent pattern, so let's get started.

This dress consists of two layers of fabric, except for the sleeves. There is a base layer, and then the "shingles" are laid on top, from the bottom up, and stitched in place. I used a St John's rayon lycra striped knit that I bought from Emma One Sock some time ago. I did not have enough of the stripe (I had maybe 2.5-3 yards) for the entire dress (I made the long view, with 3/4 length sleeves) so I cut the base layer out of a solid black rayon lycra. The sleeves are a single layer of fabric.

This pattern is described as "close fitting" and calls for either a "rayon spandex" or "cotton spandex" fabric. Vogue patterns typically have the finished measurements for bust, waist and hips marked on the pattern tissue. That is not true for this pattern. So you don't know what "close fitting" means unless you measure it yourself. I never let the pattern company decide how much ease I want. I am the boss of me. ;) I am not sure why Vogue didn't include the finished measurements, but maybe they think that negative ease will scare people.

I measured the size 14 and 16 at the bust and found that they used about 1.5" to 2" of negative ease. For example, the size 16 is designed for someone with a 38" bust and the pattern tissue measured about 36.5" at the bustline. My full bust currently measures 41". I measured my best fitting t-shirt and decided I wanted to use the size 16.

If you want a looser fit, use a larger size. If you don't wear dresses, make this as a t-shirt. :)

Alterations:

I used a few alterations on the paper pattern:

• The neckline is a boat neck. That does not work well on my narrow, rounded shoulders. So I changed the neckline to a jewel neck. This involved modifying 4 pattern pieces: the front, back, the front shingle and back shingle.

• Because I chose the size based on the finished bust measurement, I didn't want to add width for my bust. Therefore, I did a vertical only FBA. I wanted enough fabric to go up and over my bust, so I added 1.5" to length at the bustline - this excess gets eased in at the bust level as I sew the side seam. This alteration involved modifying the front and the front shingle.
  The neckline alteration and the vertical FBA.

  I shortened the sleeve to 3/4" length.

  I did NOT have to reduce the shoulder seam, which is very unusual. Therefore, this pattern has a much narrower shoulder than most Vogue designs. (I usually have to pull in the shoulder seam by 1.5" to 2" on Vogue patterns.)

Once the dress was put together, I tweaked a couple of things. I like to do this during construction rather than during pattern alterations. I narrowed the sleeve by 2" so that it would hug the arm at the bottom edge. I also had to remove the considerable pear shaping at the hip. I removed about 6" from the hip, and carried this right down to the hem.

Construction:

A few notes about the construction of the dress:

• All of the edges are raw. You could, of course, hem each shingle, as well as the sleeves, but if the shingles were hemmed, it wouldn't lay in quite the same way.
• The pattern instructs you to finish the neckline with an encased binding. I didn't do this. I used one of my favorite Marcy Tilton finishes. I've never seen her publish this anywhere, but I saw it on one of her garments several years ago and have replicated it several times. It also produces a raw edge, but it's stabilized by several thicknesses of fabric, and I think it's perfect on this dress. You can see it in detail on this blog post.
• I was a bit leery of stitching the shingles onto the base layer. Rayon lycra can be a flimsy, stretchy beast. So after I cut out the front and back layers from the solid black fabric, I used painter's tape to mark where each shingle would go. I placed the tape 5/8" above the line marked on the pattern tissue. Then I laid the shingle so that the raw edge met the edge of the painter's tape. I used lots of pins to hold the shingle in place. I stitched the seam with a long (4), narrow (2) zig zag stitch. The tape helped stabilize any wiggling. Once the shingle was secured, I removed that length of tape and proceeded to the next shingle. I don't know if these precautions were really necessary, but they worked for me.

The front with the painters tape applied The first two shingles attached

A couple more notes about the shingles.:

• Before I cut out the shingles, I used a sharpie to draw a line perpendicular to the grainline on each shingle. This makes it much easier to make sure you are cutting the shingles correctly by aligning the sharpie line with the stripe. I cut each shingle out one at a time, single thickness. And I hope it goes without saying, you want a stripe that has stretch in both directions. There should be a lot of stretch *around* the body.
One of the lower shingles. The perpendicular grainline has been drawn with a blue sharpie.
• As you attach a shingle, it overlaps the shingle below by about 3". This is good, so that the seams and the base layer of fabric aren't exposed as you move around.
• Once all of the shingles are attached, you are almost done. It's easy peasy from this point on - like sewing up a giant t-shirt. However, you now have multiple layers of fabric to deal with. What I did was to sew the shoulders, then to baste the neckline layers together and try them on to make sure there was no weird bumps or wrinkling. I finished the neckline. I then basted the armscye and, once again, made sure everything laid well. I sewed on the sleeves. I then basted each side seam separately (front left, front right, back left, back right). I *then* pinned the side seams, matching stripes as well as possible, and stitched. Since there is no hemming, this is a pretty fast dress to sew.

Look Ma, No Shapewear!

I have three events in the next month where I can wear this. I really like my funky boots, but am not sure I like them with the dress. Thoughts?

Vogue 8904

Summer Vogues 2013

While I was sitting in a Marine's Club Hotel in downtown San Francisco on Friday morning (along with 84 other sewists) listening to Sandra Betzina speak, the summer Vogue patterns were released to the BMV website. I was sneaking peeks at them on my cell phone. They are also on sale on the Vogue website, through today, Sunday.

But don't rush over to the website, as the patterns I am listing here are all sold out! I have never seen current patterns sell out before. The website was like molasses, even on Friday, but I was lucky to get all three. Either Vogue is printing fewer than normal, or have underestimated our hunger for new good patterns.

Here are the (very few) patterns that got me excited. But first, let me ask, why do the models (in all three designs) look like they should be holding a plaque with their prisoner number on it? Since I am glad to see the designs, I won't complain (too much) about the mugshot-like quality of the photos.

First up, Marcy Tilton's new dress, that she has referred to as "The Shingle Dress" on her blog. One of my sewing friends, Karla Kizer, has already quipped that she'd better be careful when sewing it so she doesn't end up with "Sh*t on a Shingle." This dress is very current and is similar to dresses that have sold well at stores like Anthropologie.

Vogue 8904

I just love both of Sandra Betzina's new patterns. The first one features some interesting pants. Sandra called these "her version of the harem pant". They have a high "normal" crotch (yay!), and some nice draping towards the hem. I am especially hungering for interesting new pants patterns and can't wait to get these. The top, however, is less than ideal for my busty/hipless shape, but could be fabulous on a less busty pear.

Vogue 1355

Finally, I just love Sandra Betzina's new duster. I don't wear a lot of dusters, but I may work on changing that. I especially like the button/snap placket on this one.

Vogue 1356

I was hoping to get some sewing done today, but DD2 just called and asked to get together, so we'll see. It has warmed up again today, after the last few chilly days in SF. I hope it's nice where you are!

Male Eggplant Make Better Eats - A Pattern Review Weekend Recap

Pattern Review Weekend, 2013, in San Francisco has concluded.

This was my first PR weekend and, since the event traveled to me, I decided to attend. I was mostly looking forward to meeting folks I know through blogs and sewing forums, and to seeing folks I'd not seen in awhile. I was quite eager to meet Claudine, of Rolling in Cloth. I have been reading her blog since I started blogging, almost 4 years ago, and I really admire her creativity. She was flying in early-ish on Thursday, so we arranged to meet beforehand.

About 30 minutes before she landed, our gloomy, overcast day turned sunny, so we decided to take a quick visit up to Twin Peaks. (Where I took the windblown picture with my cell phone.) Though it was quite windy (or maybe because of the wind), the views were good and we could see both bridges, the capitol building, Alcatraz, and other downtown landmarks.

Claudine wanted to visit Dharma Trading in person, a business she has mail ordered from many times, so we crossed the Golden Gate bridge and braved commuter traffic deep into Marin. On returning to the city, we had a nice dinner, then drove to the hotel to register for the weekend. It was nice meeting other people at registration and I ended up hanging awhile to chat, before heading home to my own bed.

The main event of the weekend is held on Friday. Sandra Betzina spoke in the morning and afternoon, ending around 5pm. She is a delightful speaker - very amusing - and she covered a lot of ground. We re-convened an hour later for a group dinner. The day was so jam-packed with activities, that it was difficult to meet and talk with people.

Saturday (today) was a shopping day but I slept in and then sequestered myself in the sewing room. Jillian did such a nice writeup of the weekend, that I refer you there for a more detailed description of the event. (I am feeling a bit lazy!) She called me this morning from Stone Mountain & Daughter, one of my favorite fabric stores, and it sounded like many of the 85 attendees of PR weekend headed right over to scoop up fabric treasures and exercise their 20% PR weekend discount.

It was all over so quickly, but it was so nice to meet and talk with everyone! To the rest of you attendees, I hope your Saturday shopping was successful and, based on Facebook updates I've been seeing, I should say so. :)

P.S. One of the topics discussed at my table last night, is the fact that male eggplant is better tasting and less bitter than female eggplant. I refer you to this article for more information. And, yes, I do check the gender of my eggplants in the grocery store and buy only males. Though I buy eggplant so rarely that I usually have to look up the "belly button" code. :)

Sewing Workshop Opal Jacket

The Sewing Workshop released the Pearl and Opal jacket pattern just days before Puyallup last month. I really liked the look of both jackets. I decided to make the Opal first, largely because it has less fabric over the bust, so I knew it was a safe bet to be flattering for me.

This is actually a very quick sew, especially if you use a fabric like this viscose/wool boucle (also from Sewing Workshop), which doesn't require seam finishes or hemming. Sewing this fabric is similar to sewing a wool felt, but with texture. It is a very forgiving fabric and is easy to sew, or un-sew, if that should be required.

The design is basically a cardigan style, with cut-on sleeves. (The front sleeve is sewn on with a dropped seam, but it's a cut-on style. There is a center back and back should princess seam, as well. Lots of fitting opportunities.) This jacket is the perfect layer for our chilly, but not freezing, San Francisco weather. (It has been very sunny lately, and, in fact, the sun on the camera caused the glare in these pics, but it is not super warm.)

The interesting twist to the design is a downward angled dart, which starts towards the side seam, near the waist. It ends before it reaches the front edge, which results in a soft, ruffling effect. This jacket works well in a fabric with some drape to it, or the released tuck might stick out stiffly.

I cut out a medium, which is where my high bust measurement (37.5") landed on the measurement chart. I then added a 4" FBA, to match my full bust measurement of 42.5". The fit was spot on. So do not assume that you should ignore the measurement charts on this one, or that there is a lot of ease, or it might be too small for you.

I had the rough muslin mostly constructed before my talk at Cañada last week, so I took it along. During lunch, Ronda and her staff evaluated the fit for me. Ronda ended up pinning out a second small dart, parallel to the primary dart. With that one little tweak, the fit was excellent.

This jacket has no pockets, and I might add an inside pocket for tissues. Because I did not have to finish the raw edges, I cut off the 3/4" from all around the outside edges, except the sleeve hems. I cut off 2" from the sleeve hems, which is normal for my short arms.

I omitted the button closure, as I plan to wear it open. The only other thing I did differently was to top-stitch the seams.

I am very happy with the Opal. It is so quick to sew, has a very nice fit, and features boutique styling. I would also like to make the Pearl, and I was able to try on Ronda's, which is *very* nice. I am sorry I don't have any pictures of it.