Party skirt in silk gazar with drapey wool top

Back in Paris, I had the opportunity to visit a special Balenciaga exhibit at musée Bourdelle.  The theme was black: the garments were primarily black, usually displayed in black boxes, and some were even behind black curtains that you had to lift to view the dresses.  The pieces were stunning, naturally, but what was particularly intriguing to me was that many of them were made of silk gazar (a fabric invented by Balenciaga).  Despite taking two Fabric analysis course and have decades of sewing and touching fabric experience, I had never even heard of silk gazar.  The instructor in Paris described the fabric as being "silent".  Whether that was a translational issue or truly the fabric made no noise when the wearer moved, I didn't know at the time, but I felt compelled to find out.

A quick search at Mood revealed some options and I chose this deep navy blue silk gazar.  The fabric reminds me entirely of fine linen with it's crispness and hand, though it doesn't wrinkle quite as badly.  It was slightly translucent, but the structure and body of the fabric was lovely.  Apparently, it softens considerably when washed, but I wanted to keep the stiffness for my garment.

Originally, I had planned this outfit for Christmas, but when that didn't happen, I hoped to sew it for my husband and my anniversary on the 28th of December, which also didn't pan out.  I ended up sewing the skirt the day before New Year's Eve (and the top on NYE) for that night out and then for my brother's wedding a few days later.

I went with this simple box-pleated middy-length skirt from Just Patterns.  I sewed a size 36, but I should have cut a size 34 (or maybe smaller).  I ended up omitting the pockets when I had to resew the side seams (poor decision, especially when I had to carry tissues at the wedding!).  Since the fabric was a bit see-through and lightweight for the winter,  I made a simple straight lining (with some tucks at the waistband)  with what I had around that matched, which was a 4-ply silk I've had for a while.  Kind of a decadent lining, but it worked perfectly well.   The pattern was well-drafted and for only $3 for the digital copy, it's a complete steal.

For the blouse, I've recently become a bit obsessed with the color emerald (you know, 5 years after it was the "Pantone color of the year" :) and found the lovely stretch wool jersey.  The fabric was ideal for a drapey top, so I used the draped bodice of the Bronx dress pattern by SBCC, extending the length to hip-level.  I should have made the top a bit more form-fitting, but it works well enough.

I'm pretty much ecstatic about this outfit.  It feels fun and fancy (especially the length of the skirt with some kitten-heel booties), but not too frilly, and the colors are so festive.  One issue though, I can't do a whole lot of eating while wearing the skirt--that waistband is *quite* fitted.  

Oh!  In case you've read all this way to find out if silk gazar is silent....well, it's definitely quieter than you'd expect for a fabric this crisp, but I'm not sure I'd call it silent.  It's still pretty rad, though, and I'd happily work with it again!

Draped silk blouse

I'm about halfway through my last semester at WVC and I am loving my draping class!  I've taken two flat pattern drafting courses, which were amazing too, but draping to create garment designs is just a whole different skill.   So much fun!

Since I work on a dress form that has a similar bust size as me, I can use certain class drapes as designs for myself.  Here's the original drape from our exercise in class (photographed on my personal form at home, though I did the actual draping on on the good Wolf forms at school).  

This is my first go at using a drape to make a garment out of fashion fabric and I'm so excited at the result (and the prospects for future garment designing!).    I didn't even bother copying it onto paper--I just used my muslin as the pattern.

Obviously, the huge benefit of draping directly on a form is that the result should fit perfectly. The dress forms at school are not exactly shaped like my body (or ANY body, for that matter), so that only works in theory (or for standard sizes).  My own form at home, however, has been padded and altered to be a better representation of the my shape, so I look forward to doing more designing on that.

The original draping exercise in class didn't offer a suggestion for closing the neckline.  I opted to go for a big ol' side bow as my closure, with long ties hanging down in the front and back.  I am in LOVE with this feature!

The fabric is some leftover silk crepe de chine (from this dress) from the 2nd floor (sale items!) of Stonemountain and Daughter in Berkeley.  It's perfect for this design!

We're starting our mid-term project next week and I've chosen something that I hope can be translated into a garment for myself (naturally!).  I suspect there is going to be lots of draping in my future!

  

Dress rain jacket with silk lining

My favorite "dress" rain jacket is now about 12 years old.  Despite its age, the lovely aqua color is still in style and fit is still so good...however, there are stains and discolorations that dry cleaning can't fix.  As sad as it is, I think it's time to pitch it.  Well, this is one of those times when I'm so, so grateful to be able to sew.  While my new version doesn't replicate that exact jacket, it's definitely a reasonable replacement.

I am a huge fan of this Burda Style pattern (B6747), especially after seeing the final product.  First off, it's actually designed for petites!  I didn't make a single petite adjustment (though the sleeves could be taken up by 1/2"...)   I sewed a straight size 10 and it fits well, with enough room for a sweater underneath.  The silhouette is obviously not fitted, but has a slight a-line shape.

The pattern has some thoughtful details, such as side seams moved forward to allow for a more ergonomic placement of the pockets, a different pattern piece for the upper and under collar (important for a good roll), and a collar "stand" that also contributes to the pleasant shape.

  

The original instructions call for a faux button over snaps.  I hadn't planned ahead for bound buttonholes, and I don't have the skills or gimp to hand finish a button hole, so I went along with the written directions.  However, I wanted to cover the male side of the snap, to make it slightly less obvious when worn open.  If you didn't see it the other day, I posted a little tutorial for covering snaps when working with thick fabric.

Horn buttons from Britex!

Yep, the green color is a bit bold.  Online it looked more "spring green" but in person it looks more "shamrock green".  Regardless, the color is definitely growing on me.  It's from Mood and listed as a water-resistant cotton canvas, intended for outdoor cushions and whatnot, but it is a great weight for this type of jacket. 

The jacket has a full lining and to up the luxury, I went with another bold choice--apricot gingham silk taffeta (also from Mood)!   I know the colors aren't a perfect match, but it was so beautiful and spring-y, I couldn't resist! 

Here are the jacket innards.  The sleeve hems are sewing on the machine (using a bag-type method) but I hand sewed the hem, with a pleat for the lining.

Action pleat in the lining! 

Overall, I am thrilled with my new jacket.  I love color, the vaguely vintage style and the lining just makes me happy.  I would be happy to make this pattern over and over again, as my jackets get worn out. Bring on the rain (but just for like, a day, please :)  

Astoria top + swishy skirt (take 2)

After sewing this version of the Astoria top with a swishy skirt, I knew I had to make more.  MORE! Alas, I only made this one more (despite my dreams of a closet full of them).  

The overall style works well--cropped 50s inspired top with a voluminous skirt--and I like how it works with my shape (hiding the bottom of the pear nicely!).  

There are so many fabric options for each piece!  For this version of the Astoria, I went with a navy rayon French terry.  The fabric weight is nice for this top and is warmer than a regular knit for the fall.  

I used my double-needle coverstitch machine to finish the neckline.  Yes that's a beetle.  I have a thing for biology-related brooches.

For the skirt, I splurged and bought some silk/cotton Liberty voile.  It's lovely and Fall-like, but very sheer, so I added a lining of cream colored silk/cotton voile.

The pattern is the Brumby skirt (Megan Nielsen), cut down in length a bit.  The waistband is curved, but it sits like it's a straight band, which is fine for this overall look, but isn't very comfortable for me. 

I'm still kicking myself that I didn't add pockets.  Seriously.  Why have I not learned my lesson to just put pockets in everything?  And I would go back to add them after the fact, except that I sewed the entire thing (lining and all!) with French seams.  

I hoped this style (cute cropped top with dirndl skirt) would have been more of a "uniform" this Fall, but I didn't quite get around to making any more versions.  Regardless, I love this look and I can see it transitioning into a Spring uniform :)

Leini, the birthday dress

This past week marked the beginning of my last year as a thirty-something.  Eek!  There were several celebratory events (dinners here, here, and here--clearly I enjoy eating!), and for the latter two, I wore this lovely silk dress.

The pattern is from Named, the Leini Dress.  I chose it for the simple design (to blend in better in San Francisco) and elastic waist (see above comment about loving to eat).  

The fabric came from Stonemountain and Daughter at a recent trek to Berkeley.  It was in the 50% off rack, so I snapped up about 3.5 yards of the silk for about $12/ yard.  Such a steal!  The fabric is a bit sheer, so it might be a chiffon.  It was fairly easy to work with, and I hemmed it (successfully!) with a rolled hem foot on my machine.

For this pattern, I went with a straight size 36 based on the measurements.  This was definitely the correct size, however, I did make a few pattern alterations after making a partial muslin and reading other reviews/ seeing photos.  First, I lengthened the bodice by about 2".  As a short person, I have never done this! However, I wanted the waistline to sit a little lower (at the top of my hips), and the elastic on most other versions seemed to be hitting at high waist.   I also chopped off many inches from the length (maybe 5-6"?) to make it a bit more youthful looking (see comment about being 39 this year).   The last alteration to the pattern was to line the skirt; since the fabric was fairly sheer and light, another layer made it a bit more modest (and swishy!).

  

The bodice pleating is a subtle design feature (at least when paired with this fairly wild print).

Overall, a great pattern and dress--perfect for date night at fancy (and not-so-fancy) places and very comfy, too!  I'd definitely like to make another in a solid navy or berry colored silk crepe.