Weekend Review: The Dress in the Window

The Dress in the Window / Sofia Grant
NY: William Morrow, c2017
357 p.

I picked up this book in a sale a while back, for obvious reasons! The cover is lovely, and the story follows two sisters who sew and design clothing -- the back blurb makes it sound like they do this together as a business, which I kept waiting for while reading, but it doesn't exactly turn out that way.

WWII has just ended, and Peggy Brink and her sister Jeanne are now living with Peggy's mother-in-law -- Peggy's husband Thomas and Jeanne's fiance Charles (a real rotter) were both killed in the war. Their parents are both dead as well, and they are all so short of money that they've combined forces. Peggy also has a little girl Tommie, who is a strong-willed child who Peggy finds hard to deal with.

It had the setup for a great story. But for me, it turned out to be a so-so story in the end. 

What I liked about it:

At the beginning of each section, a fabric type is described, rather as a metaphor for the upcoming action. But it was also a delight to read these paragraphs that dig into fabric itself. Also, it is clear that the author sews. She understands details and describes the action of sewing correctly, and with that joy that many sewists feel and experience with fabric in hand. Also the frustrations though! 

Jeanne sews and makes over clothing, and it's a pleasure to read those passages. Peggy designs and draws, and ends up with a job in a department store that gives her the opportunity to design her own line. The part in the department store reminded me of Madeleine St John's Women in Black, and it was a great storyline. I'd have been happy to have that element fleshed out as the entire book.

However. What I didn't like about it -- the characters, the writing style overall, the weak, weak ending. 

Most of the time when I read fiction, I'm drawn to a story because of writing and characterization. So this one didn't quite meet my readerly needs. The three characters, Jeanne, Peggy and Thelma, are well conceived, but their interactions are clumsy and unnecessarily fraught with secrets and hurt feelings to keep the story flowing. It got tiresome. 

And the drama! Oh my goodness, each chapter has some big drama - Jeanne has the kind of scare that no single woman wanted at that time; Thelma is revealed to have been having a string of lovers; Peggy doesn't like being a mother! Thelma is sick (secretly of course); the girls' uncle has been keeping their inheritance from them!

Peggy's ambition was to design clothing; she gets her wish. She's extremely successful and happy. But the other two, and society itself, guilt her into giving it all up to take care of Tommie. Who already has a grandmother and aunt who dote on her and are taking care of her, and could use the income that Peggy is making. 

After making a huge deal of Peggy's ambition and rise, the ending falls very flat indeed. Is Peggy then to become one of the women to be shortly written about in Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique? A disappointing ending never leaves a good impression of a book. 

So, there are parts that make this readable, especially for sewists. But the whole book doesn't quite hang together, for me. If you're particularly fond of post WWII American settings you may find it a little more interesting than I did.

Sunny Days with a Grey Cielo

Even though I hadn't put the Closet Case Cielo pattern on my monthly to-do list in May, I have it on my yearly list. And I decided to try it out this month when I was looking through my fabric stash and found the perfect cotton to use. Despite trying to make plans I really am mostly a mood-based sewist.

This windowpane check is woven into the fabric and the hand of it is just lovely. I cut the Cielo top in just over a metre of it (leaving plenty for another project, which I'll be sharing soon). I tried to cut the back inset panels on the diagonal but didn't get the angle quite right. Oh well, it still looks very nice!

This pattern is quite easy, though for some reason it intimidated me. I'm glad I finally went for it because it is a nicely put together top -- it sewed up well, fit as I'd expected, and it's really comfy and light for warm weather.

I'm actually surprised at how easy it was. Maybe it was partly the choice of fabric; this grey fabric was so malleable and did exactly what I told it to do. I didn't get the side stripes matched up, just not enough fabric for that, but I think it looks good anyhow, and will be a summer staple.

I used size 14 at the neckline/bust, grading out to 16 at my hips. I also added a couple of inches of length, as I am not a fan of a really cropped top on me. I prefer my tops at my low hip rather than high hip most of the time. I think that at this length the top still has the right lines and proportion to look like a Cielo should.

I also really like the cute sleeve cuff, though wish I could have fit that on the diagonal as well!

As a first try this was a big success in fit. I'd like to make another in a drapier fabric to test it out, and I'll definitely be trying a Cielo dress -- that is why I bought the pattern in the first place. This is a great design that I'm sure I'll be getting a lot of use from.

Refashioning a Favourite Frock

This weekend while going through some of my fabric stash I discovered some old clothes that I had put aside to mend or refashion someday -- and I do mean someday!

One of the dresses was a favourite of mine that I wore and wore, probably 20 years ago! I know I bought it in Montreal when I lived there in the 90s. But despite the fact that it was too small and not really in fashion anymore, I couldn't give it away. I love the crinkle stretch rayon and the print, and always thought I should do something with it. I used to wear a lot of those long full skirted dresses and they do have quite a bit of fabric in them. 

So I got it out this weekend and thought I'd probably be able to fit a top onto the skirt pieces. The sleeveless empire bodice is too small and has too many buttons and details to be able to use much of it but the skirt was perfect.

I tested out a couple of small cap sleeve top patterns to see what would fit. I finally decided on the Cap Sleeve Top from the recent book Print Pattern Sew by Jen Hewett.

While the pattern is made for a stable woven, this fabric is a bit stretchier due to the crinkle rayon it is made from. So when I cut it out, and graded out a bit at the waist to hem to give it more of a swing feel, I failed to account for the stretchiness!

It came out quite roomy. Fortunately the neckline and sleeves were fine, not very stretched out at all, but the body was quite full around the bust area. I really liked how the back fit, though, so wasn't sure I wanted to pull in the side seams in the bust area. I pinched out a couple of fish eye darts under the bust, wondering if that would work, but also wanted to be careful not to take any of the fullness out of the hip/hem area, which I really liked. As I was pinching the fabric I had a sudden idea and just brought the centres together on the front. I pinned it and then sewed one of the original dress buttons onto the join to hold it all together. I really love the effect!

And I still have 20 black buttons to use on other projects -- this dress was a motherlode of scavenged buttons -- four on the bodice front, 3 on the back, 2 spares on the inside, and a random button placket all the way down the right side seam with 12 more buttons! I am sorely in need of black buttons right now; my stash is depleted. So this was a great reuse in many ways.

I enjoyed this unexpected project and am so glad I can enjoy this pretty fabric once more. It's light and comfortable - the stretch and breathability are what I liked about it in its original shape, and the print is just so summery and lovely. I'll have to do more of this kind of thing!

Weekend Review: Creative Sewing Ideas by Singer

Creative Sewing Ideas / Singer Reference Library
Minnetonka, MN: Cy DeCosse, c1990
127 p.

This is another book in the Singer Reference Library series, published by Cy Deosse in the 80s & early 90s. I have quite a few titles in this series, thanks to my thrift store habits.

This one fits nicely into this month's look at some of the books on embellishments that I have on my shelves. However, the first third is more about fabric manipulation than strictly about embellishment. 

It shares how to twist silk for a pleated texture, how to felt wool, and dye and discharge or stamp fabric to change the surface design. Some of these ideas are quite beautiful - the silk technique in particular seems very modern again.

Then the book moves on to sharing creative details that you can adapt to add some spark to your garments. From adding shaped bound buttonholes to decorative seams to double and triple piping and unusual shaped pocket openings, there are ways to adjust and add design detail to basic elements of a garment. Fraying edges or exposed seams seems a little of the era of this book's publication, but even these ideas might be adapted to something interesting. 

From there, we start to look at real embellishment. Adding buttonholes or buttons not for use but just for design is one simple idea. Then this chapter covers ribbonwork (basically flat ribbon applied in specific shapes and stitched down), beadwork, or punched lace in faux suede.

 Most interesting to me because it was completely new to me, was how to make Slentre Braid. This is a handmade braid that is flat on one side and half-round on the other, making it ideal for application as trim. The examples show the variations available in your choice of material and how it can be used at seams or edges. 

The book then concludes with some project ideas; this section is dated and didn't appeal much to me, but overall this book has some great techniques and ideas. Like all of this series, the photos are large, clear and colourful, although somewhat 80s -- okay, they are usually pretty spectacularly 80s! (just another reason I enjoy them). 

If you are looking for some new ideas to perk up your projects, this old book is a fun look at some ways you might change up a plain project a little; you don't have to choose the colours or over the top nature of some of the examples, but you could easily modernize the techniques and create something really interesting today. 

A Marbled Men's Cravat

I took a little detour in my sewing last week and made something unusual -- a cravat! Finally some menswear ;)

I have been looking through all my cotton scraps in my stash lately, to make a few face masks, and came across a larger piece of this marbled cotton that I had used originally to make this Book Dress. But my husband really liked this fabric, and has been asking for a cravat for ages, so I decided that this was the time.

I used the pattern from The Gentleman's Wardrobe by Vanessa Mooncie. It's pretty simple -- a long tie with pointed ends and with pleats around the neck to allow it to sit smoothly. It's pretty slick and worked very well. The book has limited sizing as I noted in my original review, but the neck size works for my model so I didn't have to make any adjustments that way. It would be easy enough to adjust for a larger neck -- just add some inches in to the centre back.

Because I was working with scraps I did have to make a few adjustments. The cravat pattern is one long piece that is then doubled over, like a waist sash really. But my pieces were shorter chunks, so I added a centre back seam to fit it onto my fabric.I would add one anyhow if my print was directional since otherwise you'll have one end with an upright print and the other with an upside down one.

The other issue I had was that one piece of fabric had a triangular chunk missing, from the original use. I made sure to cut it so that the hole was nearest to the back seam. Then I used some of the smaller scraps to match the print, and just pressed a very narrow edge under on the main piece and topstitched the scrap filler in. Because it's near the back and subsequently pleated you can't notice it at all on the finished project.

The recommended fabric for this project is a drapier, silky fabric, but this light quilting cotton worked quite well anyhow. It was a fun challenge using scraps and making something that I wasn't planning on making! I really like the use of pleats to narrow the neck section; it gives this some heft and my husband states that it is comfortable to wear. He also enjoyed this project, and I hope that he will actually be able to wear this somewhere someday.

New Look 6340 in sparkling floral rayon

Another of my goals for this month's sewing was New Look 6340 in this lovely rayon I picked up last fall. I think that the white floral against the blue ground makes this fabric almost sparkle.

It was a pretty straightforward pattern. I made View D, in a fabric that almost looks like the pattern cover. It has sleeves, waist ties, and a V neck. There is a centre front and centre back seam.

The only thing I forgot to do was to take my usual 1/2" wedge out of the centre front when I cut it. I'd already put the facing on when I realized that the neck was gaping -- instead of unpicking the facing and redoing the centre front seam on both dress and facing, especially in this fiddly rayon, I just folded over a pleat and attached two buttons to remove the extra length and make it look like a button placket.

I made a few other minor adjustments while cutting out. I raised the pockets by an inch, took 1/2" out of the bodice length, and added an extra 1/2" to the hem. I cut the shoulders at 14 but graded out the sleeve to 16, and ended up cutting the sleeve side seams at 18 just to give myself a little more room in the sleeve. It works but it was a lazy shortcut, and the sleeve would fit a little better across the bicep if I'd done a proper adjustment. It fits well enough to wear comfortably though, so I guess it did what it needed to.

Not too much to say about the construction of this dress. It is fairly basic. The instructions for this pattern are clear and easy to follow, even for a beginner, and everything goes together very simply. It has a nice swing to it, and while I'm not a fan of waist ties generally I think it works here.

You can tie them in the back, as per pattern, or in the front, which I often do since I think it changes the look to a slightly more modern one.

If I wanted to make this as a trapeze dress with no ties at all, I'd shorten by an inch and let it swing. I think it would look quite nice that way as well. I think the V is a little deep for me personally -- if I make this again I'll try one of the round necklines, or raise the V and the facing by at least an inch. (and remember to narrow it!)

This fabric was lovely to work with, a heavier, smooth rayon, with a wonderful drape that really works with this pattern. I picked it up in the moving sales at our local Fabricland last fall, and am glad that I will get some wear out of it this year. It'll be a comfortable and cool summer dress even if I just wear it around the house!

Weekend Review: Fabricate

Fabricate / Susan Wasinger
Interweave Press, c2009
128 p.

This little book has been on my shelf for a long time and there are some really neat ideas in it. There are 17 projects in this book, each featuring a different kind of fabric manipulation and/or surface decoration idea. The projects are really neither here nor there, in my view -- it's the techniques that are most interesting.

Take the cover -- I won't make a clutch purse like that, but I most definitely will try felting up some floral decor for another project more likely to be used by me. Other items in the book include rugs, pillows, bags, throws, wraps, scarves etc. Lots of fun ways to make something really original here. 

Techniques range from chenille or felting to shibori and fabric etching. There is discussion of laminates, or repeat surface design via notions like ric-rac or zippers; there is pleating, puckering, applique and more. Actually for such a small book with only 17 projects, there are many ideas you can run with in your own way. 

What she calls nonstitch embroidery -- scraps fused to
a skirt under a translucent fusible interfacing as a feature!

One of the unusual ideas that caught my attention when I first had this book was the concept of ironing -- or fusing -- plastic sheets together. Using shopping bags, she irons them into heavier sheets to make bigger bags or plastic material.

I used this idea to fuse the thin blue bags that newspapers are wrapped in into largeish sheets that I am using for a series of ocean themed embroideries. The first one features coral!

French knots on blue plastic :)

There's a mix of accessory and clothing projects in the book, but many of the ideas can be adapted for garments. From the unusual to the usual and classic pleating/tucking ideas, there are so many pretty and intriguing ideas here to fancy up and personalize a project. 

The instructions for the projects are brief but clear, and the photos are all lovely and detailed. Recommended even if just for browsing through for enjoyment!

MariaDenmark's Sewing Life 00: a Four Seasons Dress

I'm getting ready for summer days with this quick cocoon style dress from MariaDenmark! 

This is a free pattern that you can get when you sign up for the Sewing Life magazine newsletter, run by MariaDenmark. It's a very useful, versatile dress, with four views - one for each season.

I decided to give this one a quick trial to see if the shape worked for me. I chose the Autumn version. And I used a sheet from my stash to give it a try. It's a lightweight cotton-poly percale sheet, and has the perfect weight and body for this pattern.

I cut it with the hem on the finished edge of the sheet, but found I didn't like the length when it was done, so I folded up the sheet edge and hemmed it. The extra bulk means that it puckers a little at each of the side seams -- it was too hard to gather in the already bulky edge of the folded sheet. A proper hem would not do this.

But since this was just a wearable muslin I went with it, and tried it and loved it! In fact, I love this print so much that I will definitely wear this dress as a dress!

How did I find the pattern? Well, it was very straightforward in shape, and nothing too difficult. The full instructions for each view are only given in the Sewing Life magazine, but you can download the mini-mag with the pattern when you sign up for the newsletter, as mentioned. In any case you shouldn't really need much instruction with this one unless you are a very new sewist. It is a basic 3 seam dress with a back walking slit (I shortened mine significantly) and bias facings on neck and armhole.

One big change -- I added side seam pockets. The fabric I'm using has the body to stand up to pockets well -- if you are making the knit Winter version it might not work out. I graded out a tiny bit over the hip area to give it a little more of a cocoon shape to fit my body shape as well.

The bias facing was the only part of this project that gave me trouble. The angle of the underarm made it quite difficult to attach the bias neatly. It took some manhandling to get it on nicely. But the shape and fit of the armscye make it worthwhile. I love the fit of this dress.

The walking slit is just turned under and stitched, and a plain hem is all that's required -- mine is a little bulky because of the layers of sheet but it does give it a nice weight at the bottom!

This is very comfortable and airy to wear, and I am sure it will be perfect for those hot days, once we get some (the day before these pictures it had snowed briefly!) This pattern has a great shape, and this is only one of the four views in this pattern, which are all different enough to make a distinct dress with each. Definitely good value here, check it out.

Another fun upcycling project and one that is both thrifty and surprisingly successful for me as a real, wearable garment. I even used the scraps of the sheet to make a couple of matching Boomerang Bags! The Stratford Boomerang Bag group was scheduled to have our first meeting/sewing bee on the day after the shutdown began, so we haven't really got going yet. But I am still making bags and looking forward to the day when we can all meet and sew together.