Elizabeth So Sewn

A Busy Schedule

2012-02-03T13:51:00.000-08:00

Cleaning out your closet is like taking a weight off your shoulders you didn’t know was there. If you haven’t done it before, or at least not in a long time, it’ll take hours. It’s a great way to remember good times, first dates, vacations, or any other kind of memory you could have associated with clothes. For me, it was a little bit of happiness.

I didn’t get rid of many articles of clothing after spending all last year trying to improve my wardrobe. There were a few shirts that were too big, and a pair of pants that had too much wear in them to last more than a few more months, but other than that my closet stayed the same. It really made me appreciate the work I put in all last year building a custom wardrobe. I wear a lot of knit and a lot of custom fitted wovens most frequently because that’s what fits the best.

The one thing I had a very hard time cleaning out was my shoe collection… I don’t have that many pairs of shoes compared to most girls, and compared to female stereotypes. Yes, most of them are heels. Yes a few pairs I still haven’t worn more than once, but how often do you find an appropriate situation to wear gold platform strappy sandals? Only in Vegas, or somewhere equally as anti-chic (in the best way). I couldn’t bear to part with more than two pairs of shoes. I only recently started wearing flats and made the mistake of buy two pairs that don’t fit my feet properly. I have wide feet, and wearing shoes that are flat on the ground only makes it worse (thus so many heels) and after trying to wear each pair a few times outside of the store, I threw them to the back of my closet to be forgotten in the hopes that one day my feet will shrink. (btw, if you've got size 9 or 8 1/2 feet and would like to talk about taking over some shoes from me, hit me up. specially those gold heels described. they're Michael Kors and run kinda small)

All in all, I am definitely better for going through everything again. It was very easy for me because my boyfriend has gotten me in the habit of getting rid of things I don’t wear often enough, every time I bring home new clothing. Now I can again say with great confidence that my wardrobe is impeccable (to my tastes, of course).

For my many classes I have been doing a LOT of work. Lots of drawing, sewing, drafting, driving, and writing. For my bustier class I drafted a regular base for the bustier, got it fitted, sewed up a new one, got that even better fitted.

I got really lucky because I brought the second one in on a day where I have a class with a man named Grant. He makes tutus and bustiers for a living. He oversaw me getting help with mine from a different classmate and decided to make my day by offering some advice of his own. Of course, I will do everything he said and it will be so much better for it! He shortened the back at the top and bottom, (notice that weird curve on top? I didn't realize it was there at all.)and helped keep it sexy without being pornographic in front. I am that much more excited to make this! I went to Thai Silks to pick up my lining and exterior fabric. I cannot get anything prettier.

You can see it's pretty sheer, but it'll be over a couple layers of white, so its not like you'll actually be able to see anything underneath it. The outside pattern WILL be that heart bustier if I can get it to lay right. I don't think it'll be that big of a problem.

In advanced illustration we've been doing a lot of practicing to make sure everyone is ready to really delve into the new stuff. We've been drawing things from pictures up on the overhead and it's been a lot of fun! I'm fairly confident in my drawing skills, stylized as they may be, and this is just making me egotistical. Not really, but it does make me feel good. Next week we'll finally be doing some newer and more advanced techniques.

The last one is my favorite.

In my construction class we've been doing really simple things like french seams and overcast stitching, and in my historical costume pattern design class we've been doing a lot of review on historical fashion so that we can have discussions and get ideas about designs intelligently and actually know what we're talking about. If you had asked me two weeks ago what a farthingale was I would have made a stupid face and said "uhidunno.."

My intro to the Fashion Industry is so amazing. it's a lot of work, and a lot of fast paced information coming at you but otherwise It's great! The class has a really weird schedule, but I've gotten to see some business during the work day and see the true side of the underbelly of fashion.

Basically my life is amazing right now! I'm making a dress for a friend and school is great! not too much homework, not too much free time. I'll keep you guys updated as more happens!

Finals and Weddings

2012-01-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

I never got to post the pictures of my final dress for flat pattern, but that's because I never finished it! On my last day of working on it(and of class), the serger at school wasn't working and my invisible zipper broke in my last fitting. Super fun was strutting around in it with hooks and eyes every 2.5 inches instead of the intended zipper. It was a design I posted on here back in november (shorter version of it at least).You can see here and here


Me with ugly mid-speach face but Bonus hilarity of Sister's Face!

that the design is asymmetrical. I had a lot of fun designing it, but sewing it all up was a whole other matter. I wanted obvious gathers around the waist, but made the mistake of placing it on the bias which if you work with wovens you know means it just smoothed right on out. There was so much fabric being redirected over my waist from the bust that I had to convert it to a dart instead of just gathers, but even doing that left so much extra fabric underneath. I should have done some more contouring, but it was silk dupioni that I couldn't afford to replace.
Actually on that note the whole THING should have been made of silk but I just didn't the funds. All the under layers of black were random pieces of fabric i had in my stash, and the organza should have been silk organza but is polyester.

I wore it to my cousin's wedding on the 7th, and it was a truly beautiful affair! I was feeling very snooty because i made sure to dress appropriately for the formal event, and there were many women dressed in bright red mini dresses. Also Susan and I were getting endless compliments on our dresses! I had recently taken in her dress after learning so much from my techniques of fit class and boy did it pay off! She looked impeccable! I think it was a great way to start of the new year!

And it is a new year! This is the first year that I have actually held up and fulfilled my resolution and i am so proud! I cannot wait to see what 2012 provides! While this year my resolution isn't to make a dress every month, I have decided I need to sew something every 2 weeks! this should be very easy while I'm in school, but in the summer and fall I'll be significantly more pressed to sew things!

I plan on finishing up all but one of the classes I need for my certificate this semester, so I'll have no excuse to not make dresses and or skirts for sale! I already have my etsy store set up, now it's just to fill it with products! Unfortunately for me that'll have to wait until I'm quite a few weeks into school already since my sewing machine has taken a turn for the worst! I disengaged the machine to wind the bobbin, and then all of a sudden it wouldn't reengage! oh woe is me, I nearly cried. Once school starts I'll have money so I can take it to a repair shop, but until then... Time to really get acquainted with my serger!! I start school on the 18th so expect another update sometime after then! GOODBYE FOREVER

BurdaStyle

2011-12-12T23:52:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to attend the BurdaStyle Book Launch Party in San Francisco with Nicole tonight, and It was GREAT! I had so much fun! We decided that since it was a sewing community event, that we should wear dresses we made ourselves, and boy was I glad we did! We looked great in our dresses and they got us noticed! We met a lot of great people in the sewing community, and the industrial side of the fashion/sewing world!

Nicole was amazing as always and even gave me an early christmas present! She bought me a copy of the Sewing Handbook we were there to party about, and even got it signed by one of the authors! I know, she is way too good to me. We got to meet some reps from mod cloth! and see a beautiful dress they were giving away.

We picked up lots of swag including buttons, stickers, business cards, lego earrings (you read right! curtsy of Instructables!), a really well illustrated measurement chart, and a little quick made satchel! They had some food and wine (good wine too, it was yummy) and my some food I mean it rocked my little foodie world! They had The Créme Brúlée Cart (nutella and strawberry creme brûlée!? amazing!), gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches a la Here, some delicious vegetables and hummus, and a nice variety of cupcakes (not sure who by though, shame). They even had a photo area!

We. Are. HILARIOUS

This was the first real fashion event I had ever been to, and it was so much fun! I looked good, I networked successfully, and ate some DELICIOUS food. I am excited to open up this new door in my fashion life.

BTW, You can bet I totally plugged Cañada College. That school has taught me more about sewing, philosophy, body awareness, society, and myself than I could ever have imagined. Those students and teachers (and assistants!) have helped me feel confidant about my skills as a pattern designer, seamstress, and about my body. They don't make fun of me, and they offer only realistic, good-natured constructive criticism. When I was a bit younger my happy place was a hillside way up where no one would come disturb me and my thoughts, and now it's that classroom. I cannot thank anyone enough for letting me experience the greatness that they provide.

Fitting and Repurposing

2011-11-22T10:39:00.001-08:00

So I never actually took any pictures of the celery dress that I made for my sister, and I only finally have because I've done some adjusting to the dress to make it fit her so much better! My techniques of fit class is invaluable. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at ready to wear the same again. And normally you want to leave about 2 inches of ease in the skirt around the hips, but Katy and I both prefer more closely fitted clothing. So after adjustments I present to you, The Celery Dress!

Ya! very stylish, we worked together to design the dress so it's a collaborative project if anything, but I have no problem sharing credit. Katy has excellent taste in clothing, and frequently we both have a desire for something that will be in style in a year or two.

The other day, one of my classmates came in the room in an adorable skirt! long, loose but still fitted to her, and looked so comfortable! After speaking with her, the teacher heard us talking about it and told us to ask her how she made it, "You'll never guess" She said. Turns out it was an old sweater of her husbands, and all she did was cut off the sleeves, collar, and take it in on the sides a couple inches! she added some fabric where the sleeve holes and necklines were because they created an odd looking hemline, and it's so adorable! I asked if I could post about her, and she said yes! I think this is just a great idea for re-purposing something that you would otherwise be getting rid of. There are so many ways to recycle old clothing or fabric, and while I'm not a fan of those no waste patterns (too many different grain variations in the garment for me. it'd hang so strangely.), I really do love taking old clothing items and redoing them for myself. You guys may remember about five months ago when I showed you the emerald green shirt I made for myself. What a great use of a T shirt that Tony wanted to get rid of! I even have a few more I cannot wait to get at once I have more time!

I'm working right now on more things for my techniques of fit class. We're trying to create a perfectly fitting bodice and skirt pattern for ourselves, and I've got the skirt down! Right now I'm working on the bodice (the hardest of the two) and I cannot tell you how many times I've had to do a "Full Bust Adjustment". Lemme just say, all patterns, no matter what size they are, are designed to accommodate only a B cup. I am so, so far away from a B cup. My teacher even joked yesterday "Is there a bust dart that fits you?" because we just keep trying and adjusting, and trying and adjusting.

Once I get the bodice pattern to fit me (it's got to be before this time next week :\ ) I'll be drafting my lab garment and my final garment for Advanced Flat Pattern! I showed you the design for the final garment last post, and I've recently decided to make my lab garment a slightly altered version of my Peplum dress! It was so successful and flattering that I could not limit it to one dress! So I've got this beautiful double layer fabric that is the perfect chocolate brown with intermittent orange flowers. They're kind of a warm sunset orange. Not too bright. the top layer is attached to the brown under layer creating a quilted look, but instead of just lines of quilting, it's actually hearts! it's so cute, I cannot wait to show it! The plan is to have the lab garment finished in time to wear it to thanksgiving actually.. It'd be perfect! Katy wearing her Celery Dress, me wearing my Autumn Peplum dress! Such a well dressed family. ahahaha.

That heart bustier for draping class came along quite perfectly! it was awesome! Since I've made an official pattern for it, once I get my personal fit sloper worked out I can working out the pieces in my size, and then next semester when I'm in the Bustier Class, I'll be making this for myself! I'm thinking a deep red for the heart, and probably either a black, brown, or ivory color for the rest of it. not sure. Oh well! Either way it's going to look amazing, and I'll have made it myself.. there is going to be so much boning in that thing... But Believe me, once it's all finished and sewn up, you WILL see me in it! I plan on wearing that thing out!

Alright well I've got to get started on all that pattern work so I bid you Adieu!

also please forgive me if the HTML coding gets annoying this blog is basically a live broadcast of me learning HTML. yay for Internets!

Been a while!

2011-11-10T23:41:00.000-08:00

I have been SO BUSY with school. I've been doing a lot of fun stuff though and definitely a lot of sewing!I made myself a cute sundress for next summer, but I didn't get a good picture of it yet (too cold to wear it!).I took advantage of the pattern work I did on that summer dress though and made myself a wool winter dress! it's a simple strapless bodice top and flared skirt but there was barely any fabric so I had to make the bodice in pieces instead of one whole front bodice, whole back bodice, and whole skirt front. You can tell in the picture the skirt front is two pieces. It was a good move for conserving fabric and most of the time in person no one seemed to notice it until we were talking about it. That made me pretty happy. :) You'll notice i'm wearing a long sleeve shirt underneath! I haven't lined the dress yet because I haven't got enough lining material to do the dress, my jacket for my Tailoring class, and also it's been damn cold! Since it was cold and I wore the dress to a hockey game I also wore tights (and a nice red coat, not shown).

heeeeeey it's my halloween costume! I was a My Little Pony, but I didn't want to sew the "cutie mark" onto my dress so that I could maybe wear it some other time where a lot of cleavage is ok ahaha. I curled my wig, a LONG arduous process, and made my horn! I bought some "pluffy" molding clay from Michaels, baked it for too long, and then painted it white. It was a little tricky attaching the horn to the wig, but after about 45 minutes of fidgeting i got it to attach and stand upright!

It was a pretty successful costume. One kid didn't even recognize me as a unicorn! ahahahahaha. Made me laugh. We only got three trick or treaters though and it was sad.

I am definitely having fun in my draping class! Its been really easy but also very interesting as it's opened up my creativity for pattern making and design! we had to do a princess seam bodice and this is what I did. very simple, but since everyone else did the traditional middle of the shoulder seam to middle of the waist, I feel pretty good about it.

I'm also doing this! yes that IS a heart bustier, and yes I think it's adorable. I'm gonna sew it up as an outside layer of muslin for class, and then next semester I'm taking an actual class on how to make a Bustier, os since I get that one made, I'm going to ACTUALLY make myself a legit heart bustier!

I've also been working on some illustrations for ideas for more dresses to make! I knew I needed to do something awesome for my lab and my final project for my advanced flat pattern class, so I've been trying really hard to come up with something that I liked, and that would also hopefully be good enough for a wedding I get to attend in january!

I toyed around with the idea of some tea or knee length dresses

But then I decided on something floor length when the invitations came and said Formal!

forgive the melty face illustration, i'm not very good at faces still. i'm imagining it in a jewel tone or a subtle shimmery gold.

I've still got a lot of work ahead of me on the dress, Katy's dress, my tailoring jacket, my tailoring skirt, and my bodice and skirt for techniques of fit.again, I'm feeling pretty dang good, but I know there's still al lot of work ahead of me. Wish me luck!

What I've been working on

2011-09-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

So i started school!

I've made a wrap dress, but only partially. I need to finish all the edges, fix the bust darts and then finish attaching the outer wrap layer. Once it's done, i'll post a picture of it. it's great!It's in teal knit and it's a little cleavagey but the hemline is below the knees.

I've still made zero progress with Susan's dress.. :(

I'm working at making a jacket for my tailoring class! I'm making C.One of the many amazing assistants did this jacket for her tailoring class many years ago and was very excited that I decided to go do the same thing (it's the perfect Chanel jacket, hello!). I made a copy of the pattern pieces and did a tissue fitting today in class! It was pretty cool, Kathleen was rushed but it turns out I had pretty few changes to make! I (like always) need to take in the seams where my pecs would be (LOL muscles) let out the side seams over the hips a weeeee bit. like 1/4 of an inch. and I need to make a 1/2 inch Full Bust Adjustment. Story of my life AHYAKNOWWHATIMEAN?? ahahaha my boobs are too big and causes my hemline to go up in front. That should be easy, then I have to make it up in muslin! yay!

For my Advanced Flat Pattern class I had to do a Presentation board for a sample line of clothing, including at least one outfit illustration as a plan to be made for my final garment! I'm pretty confident about my illustration skills and I think it turned out ok! I based it on Mad Men (I know, I'm so creative) because I saw the Mad Men collection for Banana Republic. The mens collection was nice! classy clothing with sleek lines, simplicity, and style. I love 50s style. The women's collection on the other hand... pitiful! it's all a-line super mini skirts, the sad same silhouette shift dress, a lacy tank, and too much leopard print. it made me pretty angry.. SO I drew up some dresses and a nice pair of pants! it's only five outfits so it's four dresses (one you will recognize, ahahaha) but I had fun! it's a terrible picture but i'll get a better one when I show it in class next week!

Here you can see my loverly cat Elvis helping me. he's so helpful.

I've already got some big plans for halloween! I'm making costumes for me, Susan, and another friend! We're going to be twisted disney princesses! Susan will be Ariel, Other Friend will be Alice, and I will be Jessie! (I know she's no princess, but she's redheaded)

I stopped by Joanns today and picked up some beauuuutiful remnants today! I don't know what to with the fabric yet though! Tony wants me to make a pencil skirt, but I think it'll make a much better top. if I could I'd say i'd even prefer to make a bustier out of it (it'd be so sexy! and shiny!) but i don't really want to buy a pattern and add ANOTHER item to make on my already pretty long list. helps?

BTW the one on the right is actually double sided that's why you can see both sides!

The last Month or So

2011-07-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

I may not have been posting on here, but for once that doesn't mean I wasn't sewing! I have been taking advantage of fabric sources that I already had at my disposal, like my boyfriend's old shirts, and old bed sheets, and have been having a good time with it!

The Boyfriend shirt I did in early June. I cut off the sleeves (which I now use for headbands/bandanas in my hair) and then cut out the plain shape I wanted the shirt to achieve. Again I had some poop luck in the neckline area, and it was HUGE. it was enormous over my collarbones. I had to take it in if I didn't want it falling right off. So i did an inverted V released darts combo. I think it looks awesome. It's a little... oddly placed since I have really large breasts, but it makes it fit well and added some chic style that I didn't think of before, and really love now. I posted it onto Fashism.com and there was a general consensus that it was too tight around the chest and the darts looked funny, but I for once don't care what they said! I think it is amazing and so much fun. it really takes such a casual fabric and clothing article and makes it just that little bit more dressed up.

I then was lucky enough to find about 5 yards of a bright yellow mid-weight synthetic crinkled fabric that I fell in LOVE with. I originally wanted to make a plain, tiered skirt maxi, but I quickly realized it was the wrong fabric for that. I instead folded the yardage in half, gathered it a LOT at the half line (aka the shoulders), and then gathered it EVEN MORE in the shoulders (two different layers of elastic thread and gathering). I sliced into the shoulder to create a V-neck, and did two rows of elastic thread smocking around my waist line. From there I just cut it at the bottom and wore It out! it may be a bit heavier style fabric than typical for this style dress, but I totally love it!! It's perfect for the hot weather that has finally landed in California. I loved this dress so much I've decided to go another direction for my wedding dress (which is still far in the future but it's nice to look)! This is my Official June Dress.

And finally, and most recently I made a dress from Bedsheets! they weren't fancy sheets, just plain 200 thread count oens from Target. You know the ones, marketed at kids going away to college. Well mine were teal and my boyfriend demanded an upgrade to a less girly color and higher thread count. So instead of throwing them away I insisted we keep them so I can do something fun with them. I attacked the fitted sheet first by completely removing like elastics (which became the perfect play things for my cat, Elvis. like teal snakes, he goes insane!!) and then cut out the pattern pieces for the top. This was my first dress with a crossfront like this and I think it went really well! I was really proud because this was my first real attempt to line the top and I did it pretty successfully. You can see some puckering and pull lines, but that's because I did separate lining and not underlining. If I had done underlining I think it would been smoother. I also think I may have been better off waiting to see where the cross pieces crossed before tacking it up in the middle of the bust, but hey At least now I know. I then measured out two large pieces for the skirt and used more elastic thread to do gathering on a panel for the back. I made two huge mistakes here, though. I made the top skirt piece WAY too long, and not wide enough (originally I was going to make this a floor length skirt and realized quickly the teal was a bit too bright to do a full dress of it), and I made the back panel way too wide. I couldn't find my seam ripper, so I literally just cut straight through the middle skirt panel and brought the cut edge up the waist line (about five inches removed). But the back panel fit the skirt width properly, so when I took in the panel I had to creatively minimize the fabric in the skirt.I decided to go with a box pleat in the center back, and it turned out pretty well! it didn't get too bulky above my butt, and gave it better width around my hips. It was surprisingly easy despite all the working and reworking I had to do on the dress. To add some pizazz I sewed on some matching teal ribbon that I had lying around. Yay Official July Dress, not at the very last minute!

Now I plan on moving on to the Rayon wrap dress I want to make myself. I have insisted to my sister that I must do my own knit wrap dress before I even touch her fabric because my fabric is 8 dollars a yard rayon from Joann's, and hers is beautiful japanese print silk knit from Britex for $150 a yard. There's no way I'm not making a trial run for this. I would KILL MYSELF, before she could even kill me for wasting fabric by messing up. After doingthe cross front for the teal dress I feel pretty good about doing it in knit. It'll be so much easier since it's knit, and will barely even need any darting at the waist! I'm pretty excited now for it.

I almost forgot! Before I even get to that I have to work with my group in my Fashion Entrepreneurship class! We're writing up a business plan for a store, ours is a Vintage Reproduction Bridal Boutique, and for part of the business plan we have to create a sample, in our case a dress! I've got to work with my group mates to demolish a Jessica McClintock dress and some yards of lace into a vintage dress! It'll be fun, I'll probably post a picture of the finished dress on here.

Teen Sewing at Cañada College

2011-06-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

So my school, Cañada College, has a summer Teen Sewing class. Tuition if free to those still enrolled in high school, and it's a great opportunity for anyone who has wanted to learn to sew but doesn't have relatives or friends that know how, and even if you already know some basics about sewing there is still a lot to learn and gain from this class! It's Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:10 to 4:00 pm, June 21st through July 28th.

There are also some great classes this summer that I will be taking as well that I mentioned last post. Along with the Basic Serging, Beginning Teen Sewing, and Fashion Entrepreneurship classes, there is Beginning Clothing Construction (even experienced sewers loved this class, because they still learned a lot!), and a class called Copying Ready-To-Wear. Copying ready to wear is where you already have basic sewing skills and you are taught how to make a pattern of your favorite store bought article of clothing. The teacher, Lynda Maynard, also helps you create the pattern so it's better fitting for your specific figure if at all possible. From that pattern you can make it over and over again in whatever fabrics, colors, and weather styles you want! 100% valuable!

I hope you guys don't get tired of my talking up my school this much because honestly, it's AWESOME, and not enough people know about it.

I am a terrible Blogger

2011-06-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

I barely ever post now! I've finished with school and had about a week off now, and I have missed having free time. I did in fact sew a dress for May, but it was my sister's celery dress that was truly supposed to be finished by march... I am so lazy. I've got quite a few dresses and garments planned for this summer, I wonder which ones I'll actually get to! I've already started working on a Cape for winter. It's going to be adorable!

I've also planned to get a head start on the Halloween costumes that my friends and I will be wearing this year since they are all going to be custom drafted, made, and fitted for each one of us... and that's kind of a lot of work for such a lazy person.

we will be delighting San Jose with Disney Twisted Princesses!

I will be Ariel,
Susan will be Jessie the cowgirl,
and our third friend will be Alice.

it's going to bloody, sexy fun.

this summer at Cañada I am excited to be taking a Fashion Entrepreneurship class! This will help me learn the ways to make myself a better business woman in the fashion world! I will also be taking a basic serger class because as it turns out I don't know how to work my serger all that well. ahahahaha.

Here's to summer vacation, even if the weather says fall!
(i'll be honest, it's just like my old home town without the fog!)

Ruffles and Stuff

2011-04-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

I was stumbling around on the internet and found this adorable blog called Ruffles And Stuff. She has some great posts about design, and does some awesome tutorials on how to add pizzaz to clothing. She does a lot of refashioning, and I in particular LOVE this cardigan she modified.

It's so cute and all she did was add collar detail!

she also did a really great post about extending the life and wearability of her daughters clothes. some of those ideas I might even add to my own wardrobe.

Honestly I keep going through all of her old posts (apparently the blog doesn't get updated anymore?) and most of her style is so darling I just want to do it myself. You should check it out.

Ruffles And Stuff

Completely Unrelated to Sewing

2011-03-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

This is my review of the movie Sucker Punch.

I was really excited to see it, because the trailers had made it look so epic! The costumes looked.. standard for this kind of actiony flick. Lots of skin, not much design. Very anime like. I ended up seeing the movie twice.

Here's the summary from Buzzsugar.com:

Sucker Punch is an action-fantasy hybrid that tells the story of a young woman known only as "Baby Doll" (Emily Browning). In an engrossing prologue, we're introduced to Baby Doll's plight; when her mother dies, she and her sister become the targets of their sadistic stepfather. In a tragic twist, Baby Doll is involved in an accident that lands her in a dilapidated mental institution. Unable to accept her new reality, Baby Doll escapes into a fantasy world in which she imagines that she and the other female patients (Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, and Jamie Chung) are beautiful dancers in a burlesque theater.

Even in Baby Doll's parallel world where she and the others are gorgeous seductresses, there's still danger from the evil club owner. Fixated on escaping from the theater, Baby Doll learns from a mysterious mentor that she needs five tools to earn her freedom. The other girls are willing to help, and each time they retrieve one of the tools, they all disappear into a second fantasy world in which they're gun-toting, sword-wielding warriors tasked with defeating a variety of faceless enemies.

The story was so rushed that it felt like the whole thing was only half an hour long. the long fight scenes and strange "reality" of the "club" melt away in your brain to the point where you can only remember five or six plot points.

There was zero character development outside of the character of Baby Doll. It was a really hard story line to follow the first time through. I got really confused when the first transition into the fantasy world happened. It was pretty smooth and I didn't notice it, but that kind of plot manipulation has to be made more easily recognizable or the audience will just end up confused, like I was. Or maybe I was just distracted, but still.

Every chance Zach Snyder had to make the characters look like strong empowered women, they instead became sniveling little crying girls! Baby Doll's face every time she started to dance made her seem like she really was unsure of herself, and was going to "regret this later". Blondie is a mindless drone to Sweet Pea and has no backbone when it comes to the only significant part in the movie she had! She has no courage of conviction and therefore doesn't follow through (I also don't like Vanessa Hudgens. so it's tough luck for her lol) Amber, when confronted with anything other than dancing around and being shiny, stands there in her miniskirt and cries. Sweet Pea is a coward. Every chance she gets to make her situation better, or stand up for herself she withers away to a voiceless wonder with sad puppy-dog eyes. Madam Gorsky does the exact same thing, except with a terrible accent. When the going gets tough, The tough ..put on miniskirts?

the costumes are boring. the dance costumes for "on stage" were the same tops and skirts they were already wearing in shinier fabric, with polished pyramid studs and flat metal pieces? they didn't even get creative.
VS

Each time they go in search of one of the five tools they need for escape, the shtick is that Baby Doll will dance for them and they will be so mesmerized that the other girls can pickpocket them and none will be the wiser. You never even got to see this apparently amazing hypnotizing dance! All you ever see is the very beginning swaying back and forth of Baby Doll, then it transitions into her fantasy warfare. poop.

I give it two out of five stars

The Only March Post

2011-03-29T01:51:00.000-07:00

just kidding! I may squeeze some extra posts in tomorrow or something.

So my official march dress was the dress Rapunzel wears in Disney's Tangled.

It looked relatively easy but I ended up being a bit overwhelmed. Grecia (who the dress was for) says it was great and she loved it, but I honestly think it could have been done significantly better. It was too purple :/ and plain and poorly made. I blame myself.

She loves it. I guess that's all that matters.

I'm still riding high on my finished garment buzz though and am itching to make something else. I've considered finally making my cape, but it's getting too warm. I also want to make a skirt, but I feel the weight of Susan on my shoulders, reminding me that I promised her a dress... oohhh but what's the point of sewing if it's not for me! lol.

my month has been so busy you guys! I have an amazing costuming class on wednesdays! My class is working with The Lamplighters, a theater group based in San Francisco, and we got to go to their official Costume Shop.

Can.
I.
Just.
Say.

wall of hats.

I LOOOOOOVVVEEEE BIG HATS. They have a whole wall of hats. My boyfriend hates them. He really doesn't understand my love of big hats, but BOY do I love big hats. They have amazing hats.

Speaking of hats, I had a three week course the last three saturdays in Millinery! That's hat making! It was so much fun!!

this is my Buckram hat. it's covered in cotton, and I made it! the whole thing!
this is my fascinator! I assembled everything! So much fun.

I also did a straw hat but I don't have a good shot of it yet, so when i finally wear it out i'll make sure someone snaps a pic.

back to costuming class!

that's the panorama i took of the costume shop. it was so much fun. we used industrial machines, and got a tour of all the costumes that were being kept in the shop. So awesome. Also in that class we had a professional Tutu maker come in and show us his Ruffler. it's a specially adapted old sewing machine. It's also 400 dollars. but look how beautiful it is!?!

browsing around on stumbleupon i found a painting and I decided that the dress in the painting, while barely visible, is necessary to my existence.

I haven't been losing weight as quickly as I thought I would have since I started back at school, aaaaand its because I drink so much. I spend too much free time at Single Barrel, THE best bar i've ever been to. They make the most amazing cocktails. They cater everything to your specific tastes and its amazing.

sooo There you have it. My month. I promise i'll resume posting regularly so there's no more blog vomit like this again. :)

Yay sewing!

Progress!

2011-02-28T22:42:00.000-08:00

I'm hand stitching it to the fabric by threading the needle through the underside of the rat tail. It's really very time consuming, but is pretty therapeutic. It's a great thing to fidget with while watching TV for someone who always fidgets.

At most the length of the neckline measures 1'6". I bought 5 yards, and I don't even have a full foot left over of the rat tail!! I'm gonna have to buy at least 12 yards if I wanna do the skirt hem! Can't wait to show you guys the finished neckline. Then i'll do the hemline! and I'll probably slip in side seam pockets so the dress qualifies for my one of Three garments I need to turn in for my Designer Techniques class.

trying out a new idea.

2011-02-26T03:18:00.000-08:00

After watching some demo's from my designer techniques class I decided to try using rat tail to give my new black plain shift dress some creative edge.

it took over 40 minutes to pin it onto the dress and my foam board.
and then it even took 20 minutes to stitch up to three or four loops deep. WAY longer process than planned.

wish me luck!

Meh

2011-02-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted anything in a while because I seem to be still fighting off some illness. What ever this is, it is wreaking havoc on my nose.

In other news I went and got some makeup from Ulta yesterday with a friend and found my so-far-the-best concealer! I've been using Almay's Clear Complexion Concealer and it's taken me a while to realize that either I am too pale for life, or it's just to yellow for me now. Instead of concealing under eye darkness it draws attention to it. And after going shopping with my cousin Molly at the MAC store and seeing a concealer that she passed up work MAGIC I decided mine just was not cutting it. Unfortunately for them I was not about to go back into that crazy MAC store for a concealer that I didn't even try on myself. If the one I just bought doesn't work after a while I think I'll finally cave.

I went to Ulta, like I said, and found a great concealer by Lorac. It's the ".5" color, indicating that I am so pale, that I don't even require one whole unit of color in my makeup. I'm ok with that. I found it pretty amusing actually. But honestly the stick is the right color and as far as I could tell with make up sponges, the right consistency as well. The highlighter is pretty cool. I dunno how much I'll use it under my eyes, but I'll probably use it on my cheekbones more often than not! It looks kinda silly but that's a rollerball at the top and it did actually blend the concealer pretty well after I had applied it pretty evenly with the makeup sponge.

Oh and I got more of the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion cuz that shit is magic!

In dresses news, my next dress is officially THIS ONE.

yaaaaaah! It's gonna be awesome. And it's not for me.

The After-Construction-Success Garment!

2011-02-02T23:31:00.000-08:00

don't you love my miss-matched socks?

I made a dress this time instead of just a top!! This blue knit dress is the dry run for the dress I want to make out of my black double knit. This was also the first run making a skirt from my skirt slopers, and I made them wrong.. I needed to make the darts longer than I did. And with knits I've decided I'm just going to start the pattern pieces with an inch off the side hem.
The knit pieces are always too large because the fabric stretches so much. The left picture shows the extra long darts I put in the skirt to accommodate for my low, big, round butt. The right picture is the finished product!

For the black dress I'll be lowering the neck line just a teensy bit more, and making the straps thinner.

I think i'll wear this dress tomorrow to class! :)

I got some aweeeesooooome earrings in the mail today from Forever 21. I love big costume-y jewelry and these earrings fulfill all of my big bold earring dreams!
The pink ones are the smallest, and the black ones are obviously the largest! Cannot wait to wear them all out and about, but I've got to get my ears used to heavier earrings again. Wearing the coral ones for a couple hours made my earlobes feel a bit painful.

Tomorrow starts my Portfolio Development class which lasts all month, and shall hopefully be invaluable!

That's all that's going on in school immediately, but obviously not all that's going on in the world. Can I just say news footage of Chicago looks like friggin RUSSIA! And even my friends in Texas are experiencing negative degrees!! I have rarely been more grateful to live in California, enjoying the wintery 65 degrees. Cheers!

Please Welcome... The February Dress

2011-01-31T00:38:00.000-08:00

yes I am aware that it is not even february, but as soon as I had this fabric I was too excited to make a dress from it to wait!

I did the high neckline like planned (and again had to create tucks in the neckline because I had forgotten how to minimize the neckline for a sleeveless top, and had lent out my flat pattern book). Successfully fit the dress around my boobs, arms, waist, and hips! Hemming went smoothly after taking twenty friggin minutes to pin the skirt hem because it was so long.

There isn't much to say about it, except that I may have taken it in right above the bust dart (to help reel in the armhole) a bit too much, as it changes the shape of my chest in the dress. Otherwise I am TOTALLY happy!

also, check out my adoooorable new phone case!! I had a custom one done by Uncommon. It was kind of expensive but totally worth it!

Also also, please forgive me for terrible pictures. I have no idea why, but all of my pictures came out incredible noisy.

Both behind and ahead of schedule

2011-01-26T17:11:00.000-08:00

here's that tank top I made a week ago.
It turned out really well, and the fabric is so nicely soft and lovely.

So this week i made my personal slopers Official by cutting it out in Oaktag!
It was really easy and totally worth doing because now an exact copy of my personal sloper to modify is something I can do with little effort and in less than ten seconds! I also did my skirt front and back, but I didn't do the bodice back because the one I already had fit me, all i had to do was shorten it.

I also did the sketch for the February dress! Again, this is going to be ultra conservative for my standard wardrobe. Just below the knee, and completely covering all cleavage. Even I wont be able to see any of my cleavage. No hussies here! I have to dress really appropriately because I am going to be attending a wedding (re-commitment ceremony) and I don't want to be too crazy looking. And again because Grandma Benitez will be there.

Aaaaand I also cut out both of the pattern pieces for the front bodice and skirt (uniform skirt all the way around means I only do one! :) ). I did only now just realize though, that I completely forgot to map out the bodice back piece, and I didn't bring my standard one so I cannot draw it out right here (at nicole's place). Poop.

But I can cut out and sew together the massive skirt, and do the same for the bodice front... Oh man. I am all kinds of forgetful! I don't even have a zipper for this dress! UGH. Joann's here I come! Looks like it wont be finished in time for this weekend, but I guess that means I can work tomorrow afternoon on Susan's celery colored shift dress. She will be happy about that.

Tomorrow I have textiles class! Woo! Gotta love learning about fabric. I need to know the names of stuff. Not knowing what to call the fabric I make a dress of makes me feel like I'm such a novice.

Too tired to post tonight

2011-01-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

But tomorrow I'll be posting the pictures I have of my fabric, the design, and the pattern pieces for my February dress. Aka the Grandma Benitez dress. It's gonna be really pretty and also very appropriate. :)

You'll all love it!

My Life is Boring

2011-01-24T19:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in about a week now.. and that's beacuse my life is boring. I haven't done any sewing. I haven't done any anything really. This is just my "hey i'm not dead, guys!"

I've been going around buying fabric pretty impulsively. It was awesome :).
.....
..

also...
....
....

Oh yeah! I started school! I also accidentally drove all the way to school for a class that doesn't start until march! what the hell is up with classes that start partial way through the semester? I've got THREE of them.

I've decided my february dress will be a dress that i'm going to wear to meet my boyfriend's grandmother. This is her final trip to the United States. She had said before that she was not actually coming back after a family member here in San Jose passed away, but for tony's aunt and uncle's renewing of their vows and to meet the next generation of the family She is coming back.

She is an old woman, and is conservative, so I shall dress accordingly.
No cleavage! none! Not even any I can see of myself! Apparently it'll be seen as "showing off" because that side of the family is not very well endowed in the boob department... Don't wanna show off! Also my skirt will be going all the way down to my knees. I will be a lady. I will also be wearing either flats, or adorable short heels. Can't wait till you guys see the fabric and adorable dress I have planned! I maybe even want to consider making and wearing an underskirt!

AN UNDERSKIRT!
not a huge one. just enough to add a leetle body to the skirt.

Yay!

Wednesday

2011-01-18T21:43:00.000-08:00

Following successfully making the January dress, in my wake of slight euphoria, I decided to keep sewing! I had a dark red double knit with a black rose print. I know. It sounds very Hot Topic (according to my sister.) but I couldn't resist it! I made it into a tank top! retro style, you could say. Ruching in the center at the bust, turning a straight tank into a sweetheart neckline. Regular inch and a half or so wide straps (which I plan on switching out for super cute triangle straps. or.. wide on top, skinny where it attaches.) Fitted to the waist, and then a cute flared half till about the hip line. a little bit shorter than hipline though. Made the waist too long again this time. That's what I get for drafting and cutting "fast and loose". But hey! after less than 12 or so hours, I have a cute, fitted, soft tank top!

I'm totally sold on doubleknit. it's thick, soft, and stretchy! I want to make some awesome clothing (possibly a shift dress?!) out of the three or so yards of plain black double knit that I grabbed from Fabrics R Us.

In other news, I start school today! I have a class called Designer Techniques in Sewing, with Rhonda Chaney, the head of the whole Fashion Department. I'm excited! I'm also going to be prepped with a full mug o' coffee cause that class starts at 9 am, and Nicole is picking me up at 8. I am also excited for the following trip around SF and Berkeley to fabric stores with Nicole!

I've been thinking about halloween costumes... and I dunno if this is something i'll consider seriously but.. I'd love to be Malory, from the show Archer on FX. By the way, that show is hilarious. I'm a big fan. Even if I never really be Malory as the costume, I do plan on making a nice sheath tank dress. Maybe even with matching cardigan. ahaha. It looks like it's such a plain dress that it would be a shame to not have it in at least three colors. I'm thinking Black, Emerald, and Lavendar! I need a nice light dress,and Emerald looks so good on me yet nothing in my closet is emerald..

And now I want to go fabric shopping.
Next Time!

Happy Humpday everyone!

Introducing... the January Dress

2011-01-17T01:23:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I finished the January Peplum Dress! I am quite proud of myself here, folks. I still have the extra space up in the arm hole but other than that, the dress worked out perfectly! I followed nicole's advice and removed the zipper completely, and then detached one side of the back completely from the dress. And it worked! The back ended up practically flawless! I've hemmed all edges, the sleeve holes, neckline, peplum, and skirt hem. On the neckline and peplum I did two spaced rows of stitching. I planned to do the same thing on the skirt but got a chance to wear it out to my boyfriend's family's house to show it off. Also, after I had taken the picture I ended up taking in the sides of the skirt bottom to create a tighter pencil skirt (in the left picture I had it tucked between my knees to see if I liked it, and i did!). I never fixed the darts, but it doesn't seem like anyone has noticed and I'm not putting the dress up for a contest any time soon. I need to add some fusible fabric or interlining or something to maintain the stiffness in the skirt and peplum. I starched the fabric and ironed it, but the minute I sat down in it it was as if I had done nothing. I'll have to remember that next time I hang out with Nicole. Talk about which option is the best. I notice in the side shot that the back hem is slightly higher than the front hem! This was not on purpose, but I can't say I hate it.

It fits like a dream, I can sit and walk in it. I say "total success"
I deduct points for not double stitching the skirt hem, no lining, and because the crazy fabric is such a loose weave that it really needs to be serged.

I give myself an A- for January.

I had considered myself rather skilled until today

2011-01-14T03:45:00.000-08:00

So I was working on the dress today! The first real thing I needed to do was finish drafting all the pattern pieces. Nicole and I discussed wednesday how to go about creating the pattern piece for the peplum and decided the best way to get what I wanted was to copy how you add flounce to a skirt hem without gathering.

Basically you draw sections of your hem as a circle, so when the inner circle is straightened out to be sewn onto the skirt hem (of bodice hem in my case) it fits exactly along the hem but the outer edge ripples since it's longer. I found an appropriate looking bowl, measured out my waist in inches, and drew! It's rather hard to see in the picture, but the front piece ended up looking quite like a toilet seat, and then to get the full affect all the way around the dress, I just copied the first circle and split it in half. (totally worked on the dress!)

Now ignore the ill fitting clothes in these pics, but left is the first peplum length I tried. I originally wanted it no longer than 4 inches because I believed that any longer and it would only emphasize the widest parts of my legs, but I ended up going with roughly 6 inches (the picture on the right).

After cutting out all the pieces and sewing together everything except the back seam (zipper) I had my boyfriend help me pin myself in. Half-way through pinning though, I realized the fabric did this LOVELY v-shaped neckline that I decided to record, and would really love to put into another dress this year! Isn't it super cute?!

So I sewed on the zipper. I've never used an invisible zipper foot before but it was so nice! It was hard not to get excited. It just sewed with the zipper so easily! It would have been magnificent if I hadn't pinned the zipper down all wrong. I ended up skewing the zipper and dress so poorly that you literally could not have the dress hang properly (all facing the same direction, and not inside out) without the zipper being twisted badly. I had to unstitch the whole 22" zipper. After 30 minutes of seam ripping and trying to not cry, or scream, I re-pinned the fabric and zipper; I made sure the waistlines matched up, and the rest of the dress wasn't too lop-sided. (turns out most of the fabric I got from my grandmother never got put on the correct grain. awesome)

Overall, it could have been worse. Since the fabric was off grain the darts all came out wonky. I still haven't been able to figure out how to take the extra fabric out of the armscye without adding a tuck. I need to take in the bottom of the skirt a bit. I haven't finished any edges. I desperately need to iron it all out. I am so lazy. I shall work on it more over the weekend. Next plan of action though, is to get in the zipper... I think I may also need a little online tutorial on how to properly use my new zipper foot.

And since you read through all of that without leaving
here is a bonus shot of Pandora, Nicole's Cat,
supervising my pattern drafting on wednesday.

Elizabeth Slopers

2011-01-13T00:45:00.000-08:00

Having fun at Fabrics R Us

Sorry I didn't post the other day. I've had a bit of a sinus infection and have felt like I'm losing parts of my brain through my nose. Today I made it without Dayquil the whole day which was awesome.

I went on another fun excursion with Nicole to a bunch of fabric stores around San Jose. We went to Thai Silks over in Los Altos, Eddie's Quilting Bee in Sunnyvale, and Fabrics R Us in San Jose. It was pretty fun, and I got some great knits. Three yards of black double knit, and a brick red with black fake lace. I figure it'll be cool for something reversible, or maybe I'll send it to Megan!

When we got home, we had to leave the house again because I hadn't had lunch and was getting shakey. We went to the grocery store and I got snacks and Nicole got dinner supplies. When we got back we had lots of fun getting back to work and eating :D

I love eating.

But so I finally and slowly got to making proper slopers for me! The Bodice pieces were much easier the second time around. The bodice back was almost exactly the same size as the ones we made for Flat Pattern (a pattern size ten.) but the front I had to work some magic on. I needed a crazy curved dart for the waist dart, and then the bust dart was really easy but had to take in much more fabric than standard. I also had to raise the waist in the front and the back. Odd thing is, my waist is higher in the back than in the front. After all the fitting changes I have a perfectly fitting Bodice front and back from which I can make all other pattern alterations!

The skirt on the other hand, I have drafted and cut, but don't currently have access to the sewing machine so who knows if it'll actually work out. I'm a little afraid I moved the darts over too much, and made the waist too high and sloped.

UPDATE: skirt totally fit! even over jeans! which means good things for skirt fittings :D

Hard to see, but that's my bodice front!
such a curvy dart!

I was given a present today. Nicole gifted me with an invisible zipper foot for my sewing machine! those things are expensive, just so you know. Or maybe I'm just cheap.. I wont pay more than 10 bucks a yard for fabric most of the time.

She really didn't have to, but she did it anyways. She is too nice to me. Letting me use her sewing room, and feeding me. I'm excited to use the foot on the zipper for the January dress. It's especially important that it be truly invisible this time since I'm doing a center back zipper and not a side zipper. I decided the best place to have the zipper go was center back since I cannot have it stop at the peplum on the side. It would disrupt the flounce of the peplum.

Lazy weekend

2011-01-10T01:41:00.000-08:00

Obviously I didn't post anything over the weekend.
I decided friday night that instead of sitting at my computer typing up a post I was going to hang out with my boyfriend and do "stuff" which really meant sitting around watching tv, but hey. I wasn't on the internet.

Over the weekend I never did any of the pattern work that I was hoping to get done. I was out of town saturday (Baby shower for a friend :) ) and yesterday I got my student loan so I went grocery shopping and paid all my bills.

Since my loan finally came through, I got my friend Megan (the baby shower woman) a couple of patterns off of etsy. She has a sewing machine and for a while was really into sewing stuff together, but just like I did, she let it pass as she had other things to focus on (her son!). I think the fact that she didn't know how to make fitted clothing might have been pretty discouraging as well, so I got her two different baby clothing pattern sets (She's decided to be a stay at home mom now so she'll have the time, and the need). They both have lots of different pieces of clothing (like ADORABLE overalls, pants, shirts, and jackets.. One pattern even had a hoodie!) It was pretty awesome (specially at only 2 bucks for an uncut pattern).

I also got her some easy dress patterns (Simplicity Tank dresses and BASICS Basic dresses) that could be modified into tops or skirts really easily. As far as I know she hasn't done much of anything in the way of clothing, but it's not like I have years of experience over her. I just have that awesome flat pattern class and book, and the book can be lent to someone.

I finally cleaned off my poor sewing desk. It was piled two feet high with fabric, boxes of patterns, paper scraps and school supplies. Now it is neat and lovely, but that just makes me want to pile it up with more new sewing stuff!

I wanna go back to the Joann's in Fremont and grab some more fabric. I'd like to grab maybe a couple yards of some upholstery weight, for a jacket, or bag or something else I haven't thought of. Also more dress fabric, cuz right now I only have enough for two months, and at this rate (that would be the rate I'm going in my head, of course) I'll be making more than just one dress each month. I have some great white and teal houndstooth wool that I want to make into a winter coat. Not sure what style though, as I am horrified of cutting it up and ruining the beautiful fabric forever.

I think this blog will help me maintain a creative frame of mind, and keep sewing at the forefront of my brain. I tend to get lazy and just let everything fall by the way-side.

Happy Monday! Now to go to the Rack and get me some PANTS.

People's Choice Awards 2011

2011-01-06T15:59:00.000-08:00

I missed it on TV but i'm checking through photos and am killing myself! There were some great dresses!

Katy perry's Betsey Johnson dress was so adorable! I love the poof, and bright colors. The minute it hit my eyes, I fell in love. I love the elegant slope of the higher front hem of Selena Gomez's Irina Shabayeva dress (much like I loved Carey Mulligan's dress from the oscars last year). I haven't been following Project Runway for a while (too much dramz, not enough clothing construction) but It looks like there has been some serious talent coming through the show! Amazing.

I totally fell in love with emma roberts' nudey makeup, earrings, and shoes with her black ruffled mini. So chic, and adult. Ashley Tisdale's dress was gorgeous, but was too overwhelmed by her spray tan to really be appreciated (srsly gurrlll, you're pale. don't fight it!)

I loved the color of Annalynn McCord's shift, that bright teal is amazing, and the collar. It's an interestingly large cowl. I like Kaley Cuoco's white dress, it's hard to wear a floor length white dress without looking bridal, but I WOULD also like to just go over and hike it up a bit as it looks like it doesn't fit her properly and needs to be pulled up...

It doesn't look like there was much of a turn out this year for the People's Choice Awards, but gotta love how those who did dressed.

Some dress ideas

2011-01-06T01:36:00.000-08:00

I have decided to start uploading some of my sketches for dress ideas! this one is my favorite, but the rest can be seen here. I have wanted a wrap dress for a really long time, and I picked up THE perfect teal rayon knit at Joann's when having a play date with Nicole. If you're in the south bay area, head to the Fremont Joann's. It's the size of a large grocery store, and is spacey and clean and has a nicer variety of things compared to the Cupertino store that I more regularly frequent.

I've decided that none of these dresses, whatever the weight of the fabric, will be longer than knee length. Right at or above the knee is most flattering on my figure and honestly most comfortable. Plus that leaves more room (in my mind) for boots, socks, and fun leg accessories.

there will be more drawings posting up here when I finish drawing them, and probably friday I'll post pictures of the process of manually grading my slopers to fit me.. again! I picked up 8 yards of muslin so I can deconstruct the successful fitting and perfect the slopers. I had to use curved waist darts on the bust of the floral dress but never changed my original sloper (which I DRASTICALLY miss-graded. it was terrible. So So Wrong.) so i'm going to pretty much go backwards for the slopers. I guess I cannot really call it grading then.. Oh well. Wish me luck!

January: The Plan

2011-01-05T04:38:00.000-08:00

I'd originally thought I would just redo SBA's dress, but I crawled toward being awake this morning and remembered this drawing I did a while back. I think the fabric (above) is just the right weight to have some body, but not stiff enough to not fall nicely on my hips, otherwise I'll just look hilarious in my tutu-waisted dress!

I used a plus sized croquis that I found on google (originally from here) you'll seen soon enough though that I actually do most of my own illustrations now. I go to school at Cañada College in redwood city and they have some amazing classes including fashion illustration! One of the most engaging and fulfilling classes I've enjoyed in a very long time. They have one of the best fashion departments in the bay area (outside of SF).

2011 Dress-a-Month Challenge

2011-01-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to develop my skills as a dressmaker for quite a few years. When I graduated from high school I decided that fashion really wasn't a practical career choice, but after two years of non-career specific schooling and a year of corporate zombie-ism I have come back to fashion. I've been going to Cañada College in Redwood City for one whole term! woo! Even in so little time, I've already doubled my skills, and expanded my knowledge more than I would have thought to look up online, only making me want to learn more.

This year (2011), as a New Years resolution, I've decided to make a dress every month this year. I want to be a dressmaker for my career, so this is gonna be the kick in the pants I need to hone my skills, and build my reputation and portfolio.

I did a dress last month for my sister, Susan Beer Anthony, of old embroidered sheer white fabric that I inherited from my mother. It was for a final for my Flat Pattern class, and lucky for her, she is the same size as the dress form at the school!

After that I realized how easy it was to make a simple dress and decided to do the same for myself (a la the Selfish Seamstress)! I decided I wanted to try making a scoop neck though instead of bateau. I followed the instructions in my flat pattern book (Principles of Flat Pattern) to shorten the length of the neckline by 1/4" but it ended up not being enough. I made one 1/4" tucks on each side of the neckline to correct the gaping. It changed how the neckline looked but it also added some extra style!

You might have noticed i didn't finish the skirt hem on both dresses. I haven't figure out how i'm most comfortable doing it yet, so I'm going to be trying new ways with the first few dresses this year!

Cheers to a new, dress-filled year!