Upcoming NYC Visit

On Thursday I am leaving for NYC for a week.

I have been there only once for a day trip that included a Statute of Liberty visit, so I cannot stress enough how much I DO NOT know the city.

I am hoping that a New Yorker is reading my blog because I need some reccommendations: where to eat, what to visit, where to shop, etc.

I have already consulted Lindsay T's guide and interactive map to fabric shopping in NYC but am hoping to glean into other stuff that can be done while there, and that is off the tourist-beaten path.

As a point of reference, we will be staying very close to the United Nations building and I have a 3.5 y.o.

Thank to everyone in advance,

Adriana

Maison Martin Margiela (MMM) Oversized Clutch

I have been trying to get inspired and while it has proved difficult, I think I found something that gives me ideas.

You maybe have come across Judy Aldridge's blog http://atlantishome.typepad.com/, and if you have not, you must check it out. Its DIy section is small but she is a very stylish lady. Anyway, this is a link to a Maison Martin Margiela (MMM) clutch that she has http://atlantishome.typepad.com/.a/6a0105364db45b970c0115702278c0970c-pi.

It is bright and oversized and I like everything about this combo. I really like the yellow color but I think other brights would work too.

So, I can make this, no problem. The problem is, however, where do I find a quilted fabric like that?

If anyone has an idea, please share!

Then again, perhaps I can find faux (or genuine) leather and do the quilting myself, but I have never done leather before, much less quilted with leather. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Then, last question. Assuming I go with fabric, how do I pretreat the fabric so it is stain and water resistent? Is there any product that I can use at home?

Lastly, some eye-candy... I have been lasting over three pairs of booties that I'd likely never own:

Givency Wedge Ankle Boots

Miu Miu Textured Boots, my favourites:

Prada Boots

DIY Balmain Shoulder Pads

I have not blogged for a while. Part of it is because I have been transitioning to a new computer on account of my old one dying on me. The other part is that I have not sewn. Today, however, I came upon this blog: http://www.stylecopycat.com/. Its most current article is on DIY Balmain shoulder pads. So, I though I'd share...

Happy 4th and a Question

Happy 4th of July to Everyone!

Now, back sewing. I have a dilemma I have to solve. I love sewing clothes; home dec, accessories, handbags - not so much, unless I absolutely have to and need to. On the other hand, I have many clothes, MANY! As a matter of fact, I do not need more clothes at all! DD is pretty much the same way, besides, with her being terrified by pins, it is harder to sew for. My husband doesn't want me to sew for him. So, what do I do? Do I just continue making stuff for myself regardless that I may not need it, per se?

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend and their family!

One-Shoulder Draped Dress Or What Happens When You Play With Fabric

Last summer I was playing with a large yardage of fabric and ended up draping it around myself in different diaphonous styles. It was a fun and eye-opening experience. Then, some time in May I came upon this beautiful silk Philip Lim dress (photo from bergdorfgoodman.com):

Oh, I loved it! I loved the free-form, the play with the stripe, the cute haletr effect, everything.

So, I started playing around with some fabric again, draping it on my dress form and on me. The style of the Lim dress did not work out for me, so I gave up. Then, a few days later I decided to try again something different, and my draping attempts ended up with these two variations of the same draped muslin:

Here is how I determined what orientation the srtipe should have:

It was kind of perfect: long, drapey, grecian-goddesss style, utilized stripe in the design, and one-shoulder! I have always wanted a one-shoulder top/dress!

I needed the right fabric, though, because for this style the fabric either makes or kills the dress. Quite luckily, I had a beautiful cotton voile bought from gorgeousfabrics.com last fall. It was one of those whilsical buys when you get a rather unique looking fabric with no particular idea what you'd make from it.

Two photos of the back:

Constructions details:

• fully lined in a taupe rayon
• french seams
• narrow hem
• the dress is cut somewhat on a bias (the stripe of the fabric was vertical and I was after a slightly-off effect).
• neckline is stabilized with interfacing strips.

The sewing part was obviously very straight-forward. Marking the hem, however, was a BEAR (from the grisley variety)! It took just about forever... Even DH got involved with marking the hem of the lining, so, yeah, it was something to remember.

I love the dress. It makes me feel pretty! And here it is with a jeans jacket:

Silk Pants and Top - ohhhhhhhhhh, the luxury....!

Soooo... I became an American citizen today! Exciting! About 30 people (including one refugee) from 23 countries were sworn today during the ceremony. I liked that it was a small ceremony (as opposed to a couple hundred people). It was touching actually and the lady who presided the ceremony was charmingly nervous. She said something that I thought was really worth mentioning. She said that her grandparents who arrived from Europe never talked to her (when she was a child) about why they chose to move, how they did it, what they had to go throught, etc. Then she added she really wished they had shared that with her. She went on addressing the people who were to be sworn to please share their stories with their children because it is important to know where you come from. DD (who is the only born in the USA in my family) got a flag, although what she was really eyeing were the balloons...

So, there!

Back to sewing. Back when I made my wool pleated pants I wrote I wanted to use the same pattern for a pair of silk bottoms. I used the same Burds WOF pattern , but omitted the back welt pockets. Why? Well, frankly, the hassle of making welt pockets on twitchy silk was not worth it.

The fabric I used is from my local Textile-o-Philes store. I used the silk to make the pockets and the binding too. I purchased the silk for the pants and the top together, I think they compliment each other so nicely!

Perhaps some of you might wonder how it was to sew pants from silk. It was not a piece of cake (definitely advanced intermediate level sewing skills necessary) but it was not bad either. I have one advise and I cannot stress enough how much following it helped me: thread-trace and baste! Since silk is so slippery, thread tracing helped keeping seams straight and avoided all the second-guessing. Basting helped prevent undoing seams, which with silk cam be desastrous. Also, on all visible from the right side seams I used Sulky 100% rayon thread. Due to the shine of the thread it blends well with the silk and the stitching does not become an unwanted "design element."

Silk Tank

This is a project I finished long time ago but did not photograph untillately.

It all started by me liking the new loosely cut tops, like the ones below from Alexander Wang and Rag and Bone (courtesy of shopbop.com and nordstrom.com). The cut is sexy in a subdued way.

I posted earlier that I intended to use Burda 7661 View B but then did not and drafted it by myself, copying the armhole of a tank I have. This is the muslin I made a few months ago:

Fabric: Floral silk charmeuse from my local fabric store Textile-o-Phile http://shop.textileophile.com/main.sc;jsessionid=9ADA420BB3C7982D88C538DCF692B430.qscstrfrnt01. The lining is also silk from the same store. I love the watercolor-ish print and the muted colors.

Construction:
The top consists of essentially 2 tops, shell and lining, attacked at the armholes and neckline. That, of course, eliminated the need for facing.
The hem is finished with a narrow hem.





Somehow it took me two muslins but I ended up with something I was truly happy with.