Tulip Skirt and a Knit Tank

No tulips outside yet, but I finished the "like Malene Birger" tulip skirt!

Unbenownst to me, according to the last issue of Lucky, tulip skirts with drape details are very much in. I personally do not care that much if they are in or not, I just love the way it creates curves for me without making me look unproportional.

Some time ago I posted about the muslin making process for this skirt and my fabric choice dilema (you can scroll down the blog if you are interested).

Initially, I intended to make the lower partfrom a loud print. Well, I did not because 1) did not find the right weight printed fabric and 2) decided I wil wear it more in a solid nude color. I think that the fact this cotton has a satin finish makes a big difference. It would have been rather dull otherwise.

The main fabric used is satin cotton from Emmaonesock.com. The bottom part is underlined with quilting cotton. The underlining was aimed at creating a "POOF."

It is lined and has side inseam pockets.

This is a very distinctive style, however, I rarely, very very rarely fall for a skirt, and I absolutely love the style of this one. Therefore, I may make it again and will make sure to choose a beefy, yet quite drapey fabric for the bottom (a tall choice that will require a lot of searching).

The fabric for this skirt could have been drapier, and it would have been useful mostly in the lower front part, but I could not find anything drapey, yet with substance, at this time.

Here are some close-up photos of some construction details:

The top I am wearing is inspired by the tees from T by Alexander Wang collection: soft, loose, unpretencious, subtly sexy.

My version is made of super soft rayon jersey from Emmaonesock.com (I believe it is sold out, or I would have gotton more...)

The top is self-drafted throught the trial and error method.

I really like that it is like a plain canvass, and I can wear all my self-designed oversized jewelry with it!

Applying grommets to garments

This is another embelished tank I have been working on:


The fabric is rayon jersey in salmon color from gotgeoudfabrics.com. I have much more from it and plan to make a maxi dress from it.
Two more photos:

This is a quick tutorial on applying grommets to garments:

Below are the materials you will need. You can get everything from Joann. The grommets are in the Home Dec dection. They vary in size and color. My local store had 5 different colors. BTW, the grommets are intended for shower curtains.

First, you must mark where you want your grommet.
Place the template (comes with the grommets) on top of your mark and mark in the cutout with water/air-soluble pen.

Cut out a hair within the marks.

From here now on it was hard to photograph, and I'll try to explain.

• Turn the garment with the wrong side facing you.
  The grommet has a male and femal part.


• Take the male part and place it behind the hole. Make sure the fabric is in the ditch (indented part) of the male grommet.


• Take the female part and snap it on top.


• At the end the female part will be on the wrong side and the male part will be on the right side of your project.

You can easily remove the grommets. The female part has a small opening where you can insert a small screw-driver and it will unsnap.

And voila!

The Boyfriend Blazer

I am really feeling the "boyfriend" silluette this spring. Below are two blazers that I have been interested in(from left to right: blazer by Smythe at shopbop.com and William Rast at revolveclothing.com). I tried a Literature Noir blazer at Nordstrom and the style looked awesome, or at least I thought so.

Since I have not attempted a tailored garment in a long time, I thought I should try it and here is my muslin:

I don't have fabric but am looking for one!

My husband saw it and said, "Well, it is big, but it';s the style." "Yeah," I said, "it's a boyfriend blazer." "Wow, it's one small boyfriend you have," he concluded.

Embelished Racerback Tank

I have been very busy with life, in general; however, I managed to do some sewing.

Remember I posted about this embelished tank by Haute Hippie (photo from Nordstrom.com)?

Well, I drew from it and did something similar. The fabric is gray (cobalt) rayon jersey from gorgeousfabrics.com. The tank is bound with strips from the same fabric. The fabric flowers are sewn on a bib-like piece that I hand pick-stitched. Ribbon is inserted in the ends of the bib piece and is then threaded through the grommets, and tied behind the neck.

Racerback:

And here is how i wore it today - with a hoodie and a rabbit fur vest:

BTW, I got this ring from a thrift store. It is huge! I love it!

I made another one in salmon color rayon jersey but have not put grommets yet. Will post about it later!

Inspired by a Butterfly Jewelry

I am not experienced in the field of jewelry making, but was, however, very inspired by a vintage piece I found (the butterfly you'll see below) and that is how it started.

2 out of the 4 pieces are scarf necklaces, which is a shape I am obssessed with now. It can be wrapped around (or not) couple of times and goes perfectly with bare shoulders or with plain white button-down or simple tee.

BUTTERLY necklace:

AUTUMN necklace:

CHIFFON WRAP necklace:

BOLD CHAIN necklace:

Racerback Tank, Inspirations, and Other Works in Progress

It is cold here and is still snowing now and then. DD doesn’t seem to mind, unless it is really windy. I mind! So, in protest, I am working on my SS’09 plan and bravely shiver when trying stuff on.

The pattern for the top I worked on this Sunday is modeled after the “T Alexander Wang” and Haute Hippie lines, i.e. loose and fluid (photos courtesy of Nordstrom and Shopbop).

I have always had technical issues when binding knits and try to avoid having to bind whenever possible. Additionally, it is even harder for me to bind when the fabric is slippery or almost tissue weight. The fabric I used (butter jersey from http://www.gorgeousfabrics.com/) is not slippery; it is, however, very lightweight. So, I came up with finishing the edges using bias strips of lining fabric. It is rather simple, actually. 1st: Cut 1.25” wide bias strips. I used lining fabric, but any lightweight woven would work. 2nd: Steam the strips after the curve they are going to be applied to. 3rd. Baste the strips under the main fabric leaving anywhere from 0.25” to 0.5” to be seen. 4th: Using a narrow coverstitch, permanently stitch the strips to the fabric. 5th: Take off the basting and trim the strips from the wrong side close to the coverstitch. 6th: This is an optional step – using your fingernails, fray the outer edge of the bias strips. I used a trick to stabilize the lightweight jersey during construction: sprayed it with starch and let it dry. Later, I washed away the starch, of course, but the starching was very helpful. Here are some details:

What else have I been doing: Well, I finalized the muslin for my loose fitting pants (see the photos below). I have been working on this pant for awhile now (went through 3+ muslins). I used Burda WOF 2008-02-121, s. 36 and will review the pattern separately. I am pleased with the way the way the muslin turned out. I’m making them from dark gray silk, so it is definitely a summer pant. I want to find some tropical wool and make them for spring too.

Lastly, following Lindsay T’s (from http://www.lindsaytsews.com)recent post, I spent *too* much time browsing new to me blogs. One of the blogs I arrived at was The Glamorai (http://theglamourai.blogspot.com/). OMG, what an inspiration this blog is. The young lady who writes it had such an eclectic, maximalist style, such a keen eye for textures, prints, and mixing them, I was exasperated. BTW, she also sews (one of the items she features is a vintage coat which she overhauled by changing the lining, among other things) and designs jewelry. The second blog I absolutely fell in love with is Atlantis Home (http://atlantishome.typepad.com/my_weblog/). It is a fashion blog about a mom with 2 daughters, and this is the most stylish mom you've ever seen! She also sews and creates clothing herself. this link: http://atlantishome.typepad.com/my_weblog/diy-projects/ is to her DIY projects. I am so inspired by her!

Tiered Camisole - SS'09 plan: The Muslin

I worked some on another muslin from my SS'09 plan. I started off by tracing off Burda 7643 View C. This was the closest pattern I could find. I had to do a few insignificant adjustments, but there was a notable one: I made the front neckline higher and the back neckline slightly lower.
Next, I decided on the length of the first and second layer of ruffles and drafted them by cutting the front and back pattern to that length.

Due to the layers of fabric, this project required a very lightweight material. I have the options of cotton voile, silk, georgette, etc. I'm still looking for fabric but feel pretty confident I'll find something!

Also, on a side note, since we are talking about tanks, have a look at this Haute Hippie Tank. It is for sale at Nordstrom for $495! I would never pay that amount of moner, however, the idea of incorporating jewelry into the front neckline is unique and appeals to me. If I find a necklace that would work, I might try it. You can even buy a RTW tank and start from there! The only thing I don't know how to go about is how to make the big eyelets in the front straps. Does anyone know of a tool/technique they can be done with?