I (Heart) Pendleton

A sewer on Pattern Review last week posted a shirt that she had made from Pendleton fabric bought from the Pendleton Mill Outlet in Washougal, Washington. There is a Pendleton outlet that sells fabric??? I hate how a $500 plane ticket and 2,000 miles separate me from Washougal, Washington. What I wouldn't give to purchase yards and yards of fine Pendleton woolens and plaids at steeply discounted prices. Has anyone been to this Shangri-la?

Actually, don’t tell me - I'll be too consumed with jealousy.

I have been obsessed with Pendleton for years. In the early 80's, before online shopping, and malls, really, (at least where I grew up), my Mom used to buy Pendleton suits from an sporting goods shop that sold Pendleton clothes, in addition to gun racks and live bait. Last year she gave me a skirt suit from that time - it is of such great quality that she kept it for over 20 years.

As this was before I began sewing, I had a tailor alter the jacket to fit me, and remove the extreme A-line of the skirt so that it is now a slim, high-waist pencil skirt instead of a high-rise A-line that widened my pear-ish shape. (The alterations to the jacket and skirt cost well over $100 - further circumstantial evidence that magazines' suggestions to have garments tailored is not a viable wardrobe option for those on a budget. Why don't magazines ever suggest: "learn to sew"?!.)

My favorite Pendleton dud is this cape I purchased a few years ago:

It is perfect for dressy occasions, but, I think, is very wearable casually as well. I often pair it with jeans and flats in the fall.

I was pleased to see that Pendleton's rustic Americana appeal has been embraced by the fashion hip. Pendleton produced a capsule collection for the uber-hip Opening Ceremony boutique in NYC:

Pendleton's own collection has become a bit more stylish in the past few years. I used to troll only for outerwear, because its clothing, aside from the perennially spot-on blazers, used to consist primarily of mock turtlenecks and tapered-leg trousers. While it still has that, the offerings are much more modern:

I think Pendleton's design team did a great job in offering more modern cuts that still retain the company's classic vibe. But, I'm a Pendleton lover, so I'm biased.

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While we're on the topic of obsessions, I can't stop wearing my gold shell! 

DIY Seam Guide

I read about this tip in a few places, and finally remembered to try it out this weekend: using post-its as a seam guide. 

Wow, a seam guide is great.  I can concentrate on the stitches rather than the seam allowance.  Curves are easier: I'm usually tugging the fabric to keep it on the 5/8" line, but it was easier to anticipate the upcoming curve with the large, visible seam guide.  I'd been meaning to buy a magnetic guide, but no need with this cheap, DIY option.  I wish I had been using it since day one.

First (completed) jacket

Jackets are my uniform - even on the weekends, I love wearing a jacket with jeans.  So I've been wanting to make a jacket since I started sewing, but obviously, it's a big project to take on when one has not even sewn a dozen pieces.  And my first attempt at a boxy jacket did not go well.

Simplicity 3628 had great reviews on PR, and I liked that the jacket's shape was fitted, and could be either casual or work-appropriate (sometimes I find jackets with traditional lapels tough to wear casually).  I made view B:

So that I wouldn't be upset if this did not work out I used a wool/cotton that I picked up at JoAnn's on the cheap a while ago.  Despite going into this with low expectations, and trying to view it as more of a learning experience, I let this jacket take me for a ride emotionally: I tried it on before I made the lining, and was convinced that it was a terribly ill-fitting failure.  Seriously, I went to bed close to tears.

I plodded through, mainly to practice construction details.  It started to look a bit better once the lining was in, and after I had the buttons on I realized... it wasn't terrible.  In fact, I'll be able to wear this!  (Click the picture for a bigger view.)

I belt everything.

I think the collar is great - it stands up, but can be folded down as well:

There is a bit of wrinkling to the left of the collar.  Not sure if this is shoddy interfacing or if I attached the collar poorly.  The collar eased in quite nicely, so I think it may be interfacing.  I don't think it is terribly noticeable (wishful thinking?).

I must say, I think the back fits perfectly!:

Really, I had no fitting issues.  The shoulders could potentially be moved in a bit.  I realized when I was working on this that even if I did have fitting issues, I wouldn't know how to correct them.  It's one thing to let out the side seams slightly on a skirt, a whole other to move in the shoulders on a multi-part jacket front.  I didn't really think my lack of fitting ability through before I started this.  I'm not the most logical or analytical person.  That's why I went to law school. ;)

This jacket is very well drafted.  There did not seem to be excessive ease in the sleeves: they went in very easily (that's saying a lot for me).  The best part of this pattern is that it requires only a few inches of hand sewing at the bottom of the back lining.  The rest is inserted on the machine. 

I highly recommend this pattern as an easy fitted jacket.  I will definitely be making this again.  But first, I'm going to find a good book on fitting jackets.

Fall Maxi

So, I didn't hate this Anna Sui dress in Vogue's holiday pattern release:

Vogue 1134

I really like the gathered bodice and cut-out detailing on the sleeves. I have reservations, though, about the length. Is it dowdy? Unflattering? Unrealistic and unwearable?

Then last weekend I read an article in the October Vogue that long skirts and dresses are the "new shape" for fall. To be wearable for day, a long bottom should be paired with a casual top and flat boots.

A few years ago, Lucky instructed how to pair a long dress with a sharp blazer:

How-to (Fit) Blazers and long dresses

Many sewers made great summer maxi dresses (Eugenia, Slapdash, Erica B.). So why not a maxi dress for fall? Would I be an Edwardian muse, as Vogue touts? Or would it be too Stevie Nicks?

 Would that be a bad thing...?

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Thanks so much for all of your helpful comments about how you cut fabric.  It made me feel a bit better hearing that, for many of you, cutting is laborious and time intensive - I'm not alone, and that's just the way it is!  From now on I'm going to try a combination of scissors and rotary cutters, especially for the straight pieces.  May even head to the hardware store for some DIY pattern weights.

How do you cut?

I am really interested in learning how other sewers cut fabric, because for me fabric cutting is a very slow process.

I'm so intrigued by pattern weights because they would make the cutting process much more streamlined: no need to spend half an hour pinning the pattern pieces to the fabric. I also fear that my fabric shifts ever so slightly when I push in the pin.

I understand that weights are not appropriate for very slippery fabrics, such as satins or linings, but I'm curious: do they really work on wools or cottons? Do they hold down the fabric sufficiently? Have you used them with success?

Flexi-weights from clotilde.com

In regards to the cutting itself, I would love to have an ergonomic cutting table of proper height. Instead, I cut on my large cardboard measuring board placed on the guest bed (I would use a table, but mine isn't big enough!).

However, I attempted something new this weekend: Susan Huxley's "Sewing Secrets from the Fashion Industry" suggests that rotary cutting blades can be used to cut most pieces.  I cut the fabric on the floor with a plastic cutting mat on top of the carboard mat, under the fabric.

I felt that it worked fine, but that the fabric tended to shift, even though I pinned it and held it down.  I am begining to think that there is no quick fix to speed up the cutting process. 

How do you cut your fabric?  What methods have you found that work well for you?

Metallic Shell

I posted this pic last month, because I was loving the metallic paired with wooly fall fabrics:

Nanette Lepore, Fall 2009 RTW

Another metallic + wool combo:

Milly, Fall 2009 RTW

(All images, Style.com)

It inspired me to make a metallic shell to pair with my tweeds:

The pattern is McCall's 5661, view D, with the pleated neckline, which was shockingly easy to do:

 

 Close-up of the pleated neckline

The fabric is a textured, reptilian-looking print from WinMil Fabrics in Boston.  It must be some sort of polyester blend.  It has a slight lining on the inside that almost looks like interfacing, so it is medium-weight: not flimsy, but not really stiff, either.  Here is a close up of the texture of the material, and the vintage buttons from my button jar:

The major negative of this pattern is the button enclosure; they were easier to insert than a zipper, but help is needed to do up the back (or, I'm just not flexible enough!).  A more-experienced sewer could probably figure out how to insert a zipper.  I rather like the look of the buttons, though. 

The pattern had an all-in-one back/armscye/neckline facing, which made the pattern relatively quick to sew.

 

Interior, showing the combined back/armscye/neckline facing

I think I will get a lot of wear out of this top at the holidays.  I need to find a green lizard print to make a skirt similiar to this one: 

Topped with a neutral cardi and belt, wouldn't this be the perfect office holiday party outfit?

Woman vs. Pattern: Pattern, 2 for 2‏

In the battle for dominancy, Pattern has definitely triumphed this week. First, I had the jacket sleeve-ease debacle. Don't ask me why I decided to start Vogue 1117 after that. I suppose I just really want to make this dress.

After hours spent cutting the intricate pieces, happily, the bodice tucks went in very easily! But then I got to step 7. It looks misleadingly easy in the pictures: at first glance, it appears that you simply stitch the bodice side onto the bodice front. But then you realize that if done this way, the seams will be on the outside. I think the seam allowance should be turned back and the bodice side stitched in at the seamline. However, I could not determine where the bodice side's pivot point lies on the bodice (i.e. how far above the slash-to dot, if you are looking at the pattern instructions).

To confound matters, a stabilizing remnant on the outside is somehow supposed to be flipped to the inside during this process. And then this same step has to be done in 3 other parts of the dress. (Sorry for the lack of pictures to display this - DH is away for the weekend with the camera!).

After almost 2 hours of basting and seam ripping, and a desperate, but ultimately fruitless, call to the pattern support helpline, I gave up. Please, if anyone makes this dress, take detailed shots of steps 7, 13, 20, and 32, and report how you did it. I will be so grateful - and impressed. (BTW - this pattern is labelled "average" - what is a Vogue "advanced" pattern like?!)

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My day was made slightly better by the arrival of a new pair of shoes!:

Online shoe shopping can result in such betrayal: a shoe may look amazingly cute online, but be a  poorly-made dud in real-life.  I've never worn ECCOs before, but have heard good things, and these seem to be comfy for heels and well-made.  I had a hard time finding a fun pump with a heel under 3 inches, so I'm really glad these fit. May have to order them in black, too....

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So fall is the best time to order summer fabric! Fabric.com put a slew of Ralph Lauren chino fabric on sale for $1.95 a yard, with an additional 20% off.  I ordered chino fabric and a few other pieces - enough for 10 projects - for $34! They'll go into the bottom of my fabric bin, and will be a nice treat for spring.

I LOVE off-season shopping (which I of course won't be doing this year) - some real deals can be snagged. A few years ago I picked up an orange ikat 100% silk sundress from Banana Republic for $12. My favorite, and most random find, was a faux fur collar, again at Banana Republic, that I regretted not purchasing over the winter. I strangely found it half a year later, in the middle of summer, hanging in the clearance section for $6.97?!

Enjoy your weekend!