What the Fabric: In Defense of Sean

During the recent Project Runway American Girl challenge, Sean was called out for using the wrong sort of symbol for the Peace Sign:

Sean's unfortunate applique.

But then, when I was recently shopping in the LA fashion district I saw this: 

Hippie dippie, Sean-sign spandex.

So, yes, Sean got it wrong.  But, then again, if we are seeing it pop up in other places, then who can really blame him?

I Have A Stash Problem

Yes, yes, I know.  I should sew fabric instead of buying it.  But silly Fabric Mart sucked me in with more awesome sales.  And I need to stop looking at the New Arrivals section.  Seriously.  The fact that Jo-Ann Fabrics strategically had a 50% off Red Tag at the same time as a major pattern sale didn't help much either.  I also found some cool things while traveling.  And then the $2.50/lb pricing at the Loft always does me in.  Granted, this is several months of fabric accusation at work here.  And, well, if I am being totally honest with myself, my fabric intake always seems to be pretty proportional to my stress level.  Clearly, I have been quite stressed.  (Well, still am, really.)  A post about said stress may be forthcoming, but I am simultaneously young enough and old enough to realize the folly of posting rambling rants on the internet in this day and age.  On the other hand, this blog was always intended as a way for me to keep track of my sewing journey, and I feel it would be disingenuous to leave off certain recent developments.  So I will allow for some time and distance before waving about my dirty laundry, but I am pretty certain that a rather introspective and slightly emo post will find its way to this blog sooner rather than later.  You have been warned.

In any case, in the interest of full sewing disclosure, here are my most "recent" fabric buys:

From Fabric Mart:

Lots of knits!  Ponte and glitter slinky on the left.  ITYs on the right.

A bunch more ITYs - lots of prints, and one blue solid.

They had some great sales on ponte!
I am excited to try color blocking with the leopard print.

And some wovens.  Cotton sateen on the left and some twill blends on the right. 

Dark blue rayon challis, and some cotton prints.

Water-proof green cotton and faux leather on the left.
Purple and green stretch denim on the right.

From Fashion Fabric Club:

Dark blue and grey denims, and metallic brocade.
LOVE the stretch/texture of the dark blue denim.
The brocade looked way cooler in the photograph than it is in real life.

From Spandex House:

Blue pleather on the left and ITY prints on the right.

From Jo-Ann Fabrics and Fabric.com:

Tricot lining from fabric.com and snake-print stretch denim from Jo-Ann.

Cotton velveteen/denim (back), rayon jersey (left), cotton knit (center), and ITY knit (right).

Marble brocade (from the 50% off Red Tag section!).

From Hancock Fabrics:

Poly print for lining (left), black taffeta (back), glitter slinky (right), and teal poly/cotton twill.

Stretch denim print (left) and fun poly chiffon print (right).

From LA Garment District and Other:

Black ponte (80% rayon, 20% spandex - it is LOVELY) and teal ITY (back).
Texture poly knits (front) from assorted LA stores.

Textured ponte-weight knits.  The red is from Angel's and the rest are from the Loft.

Ponte and sweater knits from the Loft.

T-shirt sequin knits (left) and ponte and jersey prints (right) from the Loft.

Textured knit fabrics from the Loft.

Knit linings (left) and pants-weight stretch suiting (right) from Michael Levine.

Metallic and slinky knits from the Loft.

ITY knit prints from the Loft.

Leopard print slinky and jersey prints (from $1 piles and the Loft).

Jersey stripes (from Michael Levine and the Loft).

Navy stretch satin, white ribbed knit, and ITY prints (from the Loft).

Olive green cotton (from M&L Fabrics in Orange County).

And, the piece de resistance, a lovely metallic guipure lace from Fancy Fabrics:

It was a bit difficult to capture in photographs...

This lace has a teal metallic coating - fantastic!  So pretty in person...

I also found some amazing sewing books at A Book Barn in Clovis, CA:

Used sewing books, aw, yeah!  (The title on the third book down - All About Sleeves.
A whole book dedicated to sleeves!  Crazy, no?)

Shortcut books from Betzina and Shaeffer.  Yes please!
And, no, I didn't buy all the books they had.
Just the ones that weren't already in my library.

Why did a used book store have a pleating device?
I don't know, but I bought it to try anyway...

Yeah, that is... a lot of fabric.  And a lot of books.  My stash is starting to hit that point where it is becoming more than just a little bit overwhelming.  Storage space is becoming problematic.  And, despite the fact that I feel like I have been sewing quite a bit lately, I don't seem to actually be reducing my stash at all.  Or, at least, not much.  But I have only a few weeks until the end of the skating season.  Which means only a few more weeks of sequins, rhinestones, and spandex.  I still have a lot to get done, but the end is in sight.  And until I get there I am just going to have to occasionally glance at all my pretty stash fabrics and perhaps pet my lovely black ponte on an occasion to calm my nerves.  For some reason I find soft fabric to be rather soothing.

Stash Confession of Epic Proportions

Ok, so I was being really good about limiting my fabric intake.  But, well, then I happened to come across some really great pieces that just had to come live in my stash.  And this seemed to happen a every time I went to a fabric store to pick up some thread, or at every amazing online sale I got an add for recently.  A few trips to the LA garment district didn't help much.  Add to that the fact that I haven't been very good about taking pictures of late, so now the backlog of fabric buys really looks like a lot.  This is several months of fabric collecting at work here....  I have so many things I want to make!  I expect an explosion of projects once skating sewing is finished.

From Fabric Mart:

Fabric Mart had so many good sales!  I kept finding good stuff I want to sew.
Left (top to bottom): Teal poly jacquard, black wool weather-proof coating, orchid wool suiting.
Right: ITY knit prints and coral cotton sateen.

Top: Silver foil dot knit, green/black ponte knit print.
Bottom: Blue/black ponte knit print, teal ponte knit.

Textured, multicolored linen.

From Fabric.com:

Ribbed knit in black and white, and ponte in blue, teal, and black.
(Also,  I got a jackpot end of bolt notice - sweet!  Usually I am the next person in line after it is gone.)

Fused leather.  This stuff is lovely!  It is actually more of a grey/steel/blue-ish color in person.

Some white Bemberg for lining.

From Fashion Fabrics Club:

Left: Teal textured cotton jacquard.
Right: Snake print poly brocade.
Bottom: Brown/teal houndstooth silk suiting.

From Jo-Ann and Hancock Fabrics:

Left (top to bottom): Black ponte, blue/green striped poly, purple stripe ponte, lilac lace.
Right (top to bottom): Tan cotton twill, ombre nylon coating, black linen-like coated poly.
To be fair, my mom did buy me some of this as a gift...

Left: Bright lace from Jo-Ann.
Right: Knit lining & rayon suiting from Hancock.

From Yardage Town in San Diego:

This poly chiffon print was too pretty to leave behind.

From Michael Levine Loft:

Purple sweater knit, grey striped ponte, aqua/white striped jersey, teal poly suiting.

Jersey knits in lots of colors.  Love the teal stripes!
Going to have to pick a good pattern for that one.

Tribal ITY prints.  Going to make some wrap dresses I think.

Grey suiting, navy textured ponte, and some Green Lantern.

From LA Fashion District:

Sequin fabric! Silk jacquard (60" wide too!), and teal and black poly/wool blend coatings.
Also, fancy buttons (just $0.50 each!) and buckles.  

Blue spandex, and some sequin stretch fabrics.  For skating/leggings/fancy stuff.

Ponte knit print and more black.  The print was only $3/yard!  Score!
It is the perfect weight and texture, and washed like a dream.

To be entirely fair, some of this had already been sewn up, and some of it at least has patterns traced, ready to go.  Others are for projects I have been thinking about for a while.  I had no ponte in the stash (none - can you believe it?), so I was filling a hole too.  And nearly all of this was bought with a specific project in mind.  Of course, I don't exactly have a ton of time to work on any of my planed projects for these fabrics right at the moment, but I am hoping I can sneak in at least a little bit of selfish sewing sometime in the next few months...  At least an easy knit top or something.  Until then I can think and plan ahead for my inevitable end-of-summer sewing frenzy.

Not a Pattern Review: Vogue 8626 - Black Wool Coat Remake

More tales from my backlog of sewing projects...

My sister was quite determined to participate in a study abroad program during her time at the university level.  So it wasn't really a surprise when she told us she was going to spend a year in England, and had plans to travel and visit friends in many other European countries, including Norway.  Me, being the practical one, told her she was going to freeze.  And, me being the wonderful sibling that I am, decided I was going to make her a wool coat worthy to stand up to the test of a cold Norwegian winter.  The result, you may recall, from several years ago, was described in this pattern review, and looked a bit like this:

V8626 - Sadly, now OOP.

The original coat.

I was quite proud of the pleating in the back.

My favorite part was the silk lining.

Those photos were hastily snapped the morning of her departure for the airport, before starting her European adventure.  Since then, that coat has traveled throughout Europe, and been to many fantastic historical sights and landmarks.  And it did its job well - she returned to us free from the damages of frostbite.

She recently had the occasion to make another trip to Europe (Norway and England), again in the dead of winter.  So much winter, in fact, that the Norwegians were complaining it was cold.  My sister, apparently, thought it was quite pleasant outside. Yeah, that's how warm this coat is.  Which caused her to complain, upon her return, that she wished she had a similar coat that wasn't as warm, so she could wear it on a regular basis.  I was supposed to make her a tan coat for Christmas last year, but, well, that just didn't happen (muslin fittings are increasingly difficult with work and life schedules).  But making a coat from a pattern we already knew would work?  Easy.  So I found some awesome materials on my last trip to the LA garment district, and got to work.

My sister, who has the travel bug, recently made a trip to San Francisco.  Now, having been to San Francisco, I know it can get miserably cold in the city.  Not Norway in winter cold, but cold.  So I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try and get this done for her.  Only I had very limited time.  So I made the coat in the span of about two days - pulling a near all-nighter on one of them.  Completion of the coat may also have included some hemming in the car on the way to see my sister before her trip...  It was a bit of a last minute thing.  And yet, I think it turned out beautifully.  Definitely one of my prouder makes.  It ended up looking very much like the original, though much less heavy.  The changes I made from the first time around:

(1) I used a wool/poly blend for the shell, and a silk jacquard for the lining, both obtained from the LA Garment District.

(2) I used fusible interfacing instead of all the pad stitching and hair canvas I used the first time around.

(3) No underlining/interlining.

(4) I made actual buttonholes (by machine) instead of using snaps since the fabric was more firmly woven and there were fewer layers.

(5) Having made several coats at this point, I mostly ignored the silly Vogue instructions about inserting the sleeves and did it the "normal" way - making the shell and lining separate, then putting them together and hemming.

So, this is the much less labor intensive version compared to coat #1.  But it still looks fantastic, so I am pleased with the results anyway.  And my sister is happy too, I think.  She says this version looks classier than the first (due to fabric choices).  She also says it looks like it should be worn when it is extra-cold outside, but is actually pretty comfortable to wear in only the slightly cold weather.  Of course, since I sewed a nice winter coat, it is now officially pre-summer here.  Which of course makes sense because the output of my sewing machine controls the weather.  Especially in that if I make something for sun it rains, and if I make something for cold it is 95 outside.  Anyway, here are some pictures of the new coat:

View C - The high button up collar.

I don't know why it looks so wrinkly in the photos -
it's totally gorgeous, smooth, and soft in real life.

The back.  My sister is pulling on the pockets, so it looks a bit wrinkly.
Otherwise it lies really smoothly in the back.
I am pretty happy with my top-stitching too.

Sha-bam!  The lining is my favorite part.
Yeah, I finished it in the car on a ride up to LA.
I seem to do a lot of hemming in cars...

Buttonholes and buttons.
Love these buttons!  Super cute, and only $0.50 each in LA.

So, yes, sewing.  This definitely kicked the mojo into high gear after the miserable flu season.  Nothing like a big project to jump start the motivation!