Missing in Action: My Sense of Style

File this blouse under What Was I Thinking.

It's been almost 12 months since I returned to sewing on a regular basis, and I'm going to do a "look back at my year" post very soon. I think I'll illustrate this post with a photo that shows two piles of clothing I've made: Keepers and Duds. This georgette blouse (above) is definitely going in the Duds pile.

In the excitement of actually sewing again, I lost sight of my personal "style" vision, such that it is. I got all caught up in patterns and fabrics and techniques, and I used sewing as a time to try some new looks. Big mistake. I ended up making things like this "Palm Beach Matron" top. This is so not me.

What is "so me," then? Good question. At age 50, I'm no longer so sure of what my style is. Not looking like I'm 50—that's definitely a style goal—but I don't want to look 25 either.

Watch this blog for more ruminations on finding my style mojo again. In the meantime, if you want more details on this wrap blouse I made (Kwik Sew 3179), check out my review on PatternReview.com.

Notions Shopping in the Garment District: Greenberg & Hammer

One complaint I have about shopping in the garment district is that so many of the stores have bad lighting. Not so at Greenberg & Hammer, where notions shopping is an almost zen-like experience.

I don't know about you, but my craving for sewing notions is almost as strong as it is for fabric. Fortunately there's a store in the garment district that totally satisfies my addiction. It's called Greenberg & Hammer, and it's located on Eighth Avenue between 36th and 37th. Here you'll find everything from belting to zipper parts in a light and airy retail space that makes notions shopping a very pleasant experience.

And the staff is knowledgeable, friendly and helpful, which is important when there's so much to choose from. I was looking for coat shoulder pads on the day I stopped by. You'd think that would be easy but G&H had so many different kinds of shoulder pads I was momentarily flummoxed. Fortunately a salesperson was able to show me which shoulder pads were suitable for coat construction.

You'll find all kinds of interfacing here, something we always need more of. The only negative I have about G&H is that they aren't open on the weekends. (G&H, can you reconsider your store hours, pretty please?) But if you are visiting the garment district during the week and are in need of notions, this is your store.

One of the walls of notions at G&H.

Tons o' thread here....

Oooh, look at all these pressing tools! I really want a ham holder.

Bust pads with nipples? Didn't know such a thing existed. I had to throw this wacky photo in here just to give you an idea of the wide array of notions G&H carries. They also have an extensive online site.

6/10 Update: I'm downgrading my review of G&H after several visits over the last nine months. No matter what I'm looking for, G&H always seems to be out of it. Plus getting someone to pay attention to you is extremely hard; most of the staff is on the phone with customers, leaving just one poor person to handle all the walk-ins. Did I mention their prices are on the high side too? Try SIL Thread, Steinlauf & Stoller, or the store across from the FIT bookstore.

Greenberg & Hammer, Inc.
535 Eighth Avenue - 6th Floor North
New York, New York 10018-2446
Phone: 212-246-2835,2836,2467
Toll Free: 1-800-955-5135
Monday - Friday 9.00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Follow-up: An Alternative to the Chanel Ballet Flats I Coveted

These mock-Chanel, cap-toe ballet flats by French Sole satisfied my craving for the real thing. (photo courtesy Jildor Shoes)

About a month ago I blogged about my shameless lust for a pair of cap-toe Chanel ballets flats, which retail for around $600USD. Many of you told me about your own shameless obsessions—Chanel's 2.55 bag, Manolos, a yellow Corvette, etc.—and a number of you said I should go ahead and buy the damn shoes.

I almost succumbed, but then I found this perfect alternative by French Sole. The price was a little easier to digest. Best of all is the rubber sole, though. It's admittedly not as chic as the Chanel leather sole but these shoes are soooo comfortable. The true test of a wearable shoe for me is if I can spend a day walking around the city without pain, and these passed with flying colors. (Heels I'll take discomfort but my flats have to be feet-friendly.) And all the fashion editors who raved about this style of shoe are right—they go perfectly with so many things.

One shameless obsession eliminated, now on to the next!

Easy Swimsuit Skirt Coverup

Buy or make?: swimsuit skirt coverup

I feel kind of embarrassed posting about this simple little swimsuit coverup skirt that was kindergarten-easy to make. My family and I spend a lot of time at the beach on summer weekends, but I'd just as soon keep my cellulite to myself when I'm walking across the sand to the ladies' room or our beach club's cafeteria. I saw skirt coverups in the Lands End catalog and decided to whip one up myself rather than spend $50 for something that's basically a yard of lycra and a little elastic.

I found this piece of lycra in the $4-for-a-pound bin at Spandex House, and really liked the foulard print against the black background. I could tell it would go well with my black polka-dot tankini. And it turns out this fabric was created for Lands End!

So simple a 10-year-old could make it

All I did was add 5 inches to my hip measurement for the width, add enough for an elastic waistband and an above-the-knee hem to the length measurement, then cut and sew.

I'm loving this skirt coverup. I've even worn it just as a plain old skirt with a white tee, and it's nice and cool on hot days. And I love that it cost me about $1 to make. Take that, Lands End!

Are You a Sewing Perfectionist?

I am definitely not a sewing perfectionist. On the back neck of this dress is a small center pleat I made to combat the gaposis I created inadvertently. And I could have done a better job of spacing the nailheads more evenly.

If you ever get a chance to take a class with Peggy Sagers, don't hesitate. She was one of my favorite instructors at the American Sewing Guild annual conference. She had great tips but I mostly worshiped her for reminding us that sewing is supposed to be pleasurable. "Stop beating yourselves up over mistakes no one is ever going to see," Peggy admonished. "Get over it because sewing can be way fun if you just relax a little." Even better RTW contains mistakes, she pointed out.

So I'm taking her advice to heart. Last night when I saw that the binding I had attached to a knit neckline was about 1/4" wider in one small area, I said no, I am not sewing this seam again. The wonky neck binding stays as is because no one but me can tell it's slightly off.

What about you? Would you have resewn the neck binding so it was exactly 1/2" all the way around? Or would you have said to hell with it, I'm the only one who'll ever notice? Take this week's Fun Friday poll to let us know what kind of sewing perfectionist you are. (Please click through if you are reading this in an RSS reader.)

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Sewing: For Old Folks Only? Poll Results

Last week I asked readers how confident they were that younger generations would continue to adopt sewing as their hobby of choice. Sixty percent of you are optimistic sewing won't become a lost art. Here are the results of the poll:

33% are very optimistic future generations will embrace sewing

27% are mildly optimistic future generations will embrace sewing

19% are very concerned that future generations may fail to embrace sewing

16% are mildly concerned that future generations may fail to embrace sewing

5% are neutral on this topic


Some of your comments on this topic:

AllisonC: "I went for mildly optimistic, but I also think in addition to time, one of the factors stopping teens making their own clothes as a hobby is money. For that market you can get great cheap designer clothes at target, H&M, Zara etc. Why bother spending more and making something which as a beginner may not be as good?"

Elaray: "I am mildly concerned. Judging by my 18-year-old daughter and her friends, NO ONE is interested in sewing. But then, few of the teens I know have any hobbies, whatsoever (other than FaceBook). I hope that trend changes."

Gorgeous Things: "I am hopeful that more and more young people will take up sewing, either as a way to express their creativity or as a relaxing hobby. When I hear from editors at national magazines that their average reader is 58 years old, it makes me wonder what the future holds. But then I see sites like Etsy and ThreadBanger and my hope increases."

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Flanthrower is winner of Kwik Sew pattern giveaway

Congratulations, Flanthrower! You won this in my random drawing. Please email me at lindsaytdesigns AT gmail dot com with your address and I'll drop this pattern in the mail to you.

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Whew, I'm tired, how 'bout you?

Too much work, too much sewing, not enough downtime this week. I even forgot to watch "Project Runway." At least the steady rain we've been having here on the east coast has finally stopped, though my hair is still frizzy. Anybody else bemoaning the fact that summer is officially half-way over?

On that happy note, enjoy your weekend!

A Little Black Day Dress for Travel and Hot Summer Days

I made Vogue 8486 specifically for travel and to keep cool during the hot summer days. Just like the ones the east coast has been suffering through recently.

Pattern Description, Vogue 8486: "Dresses A, B are slim-fitting with or without sleeves, front stitched pleats, back neck opening and back slit. Length is mid-knee." I made the sleeveless version.


Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, definitely. An advanced beginner could tackle this pattern with ease. The pleats are simple to assemble.

Why did I gravitate toward this particular pattern? I chose a shift style because I think there's nothing like a simple shift dress in the summer for easy wearability. Seriously, who needs fabric binding you at the waist on a steamy, sweaty day?

Fabric Used: Black lycra jersey from Spandex House in NYC. You have to love a fabric that doesn't wrinkle and feels like nothing against your skin.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes I made: I omitted the center-back seam, because why do you need one in a jersey dress that just pops over your head? It required some extra fabric to accomplish this, I think maybe 3/4 yard? (Wish I could remember....)

I finished the neckline and armscye edges with a self-bias binding.

Neckline embellishment: When I was done with the dress I thought it was a little blah around the neckline. So I made a long bias tube, draped it around the neckline, and loosely anchored it with teeny silver nailheads that I bought at M&J Trimmings in NYC. I tied the tube into a bow at the center neck and then knotted the tube ends.

Here's a closeup of the neckline. You can see how nicely the pleats fall.

Would I sew it again? Would I recommend it to others? Yes, I will be making this again as I love wearing it. This dress has a high coworker compliment factor—even colleagues who normally don't say anything about my clothes have told me they really liked this dress. And this dress has been a great way to take the summer heat wave we're having here on the east coast, because it's so lightweight and flow-y. The large center pleats fall in such a way that it creates a nice inverted V shape that's very slimming.

FREE Kwik Sew Pattern! Act Now!

You could win this lovely Kwik Sew 3582 pattern! Blouses with bows at the neck are hot for fall, according to the fashion magazines. Think of how stylish you'll look wearing this blouse with a pencil skirt or wide-leg trousers. Hurry, act today! *See details below.

I thought I wanted to make this pattern. Then the Style Sages spoke (well, they left me comments on my previous post), and I heard their wise advice.

"Bow blouses are not for you, Lindsay," they cautioned, albeit indirectly. "You may have looked cute wearing this style in the 80s but you can't pull it off today. Step away from this pattern."

Oh Style Sages, I cannot tell you how grateful I am for helping me see the light. You are so right—I would have looked ridiculous in a bow blouse of this style, especially now that my hair is shorter. (When I wore bow blouses in the 80s I usually pulled my hair back in a low ponytail.) Simpler styles do work better on me. To think, I made this style mistake only recently and I was about to do it again. Thank you for saving me from myself, Style Sages!

Seriously, I genuinely appreciated Ann, Birgitte, Kat and Marji's forthright comments about this style. Constructive criticism is a good thing, and they helped me avoid wasting time and decent fabric on something I probably would have been unhappy with anyway.

So, who wants a FREE Kwik Sew pattern?! I am giving this pattern away because I don't want to be tempted by it in a weak moment, and I have to go to the post office anyway to mail some stuff to my son at camp. *Here are the rules:

• You must live in the contiguous 48 states (apologies to my friends in Alaska and abroad)
• You must have left me a comment on this blog prior to July 19, 2008
• To enter leave me a comment on this blog or send me an email at lindsaytdesigns AT gmail dot com. All comments or emails must be posted or received by 12 PM EDT on July 22, 2008.
• In the event that more than one person wants this pattern, a random drawing will be held to determine the winner.
• The winner will be notified here on this blog by Friday, 7/25/08.
• Can you tell I work for a company that sponsors contests and sweepstakes?
  

Death By Unflattering Fabric: A Blouse That Couldn't Be Saved

This blouse began life seven months ago as some silk charmeuse (navy print on an off-white background) from Kashi at Metro Textile and a now out-of-print Hot Pattern. Props to me for getting a jump on the whole bows-on-blouses resurgence. I thought I'd look au courant wearing this top with flattering jeans and high heels. Don't know why, but I was never comfortable or confident in it. So it sat in my closet.

Then I took it out a couple of months ago, determined to have another go at it. Thinking it was the neck (too much bow! quel drama!) and the sleeves (too long!), I went at them both with my scissors. Around the neck went a bias binding, which I did a fabulous job on if I do say so myself, and a more petite bow. The sleeves were shortened to just above the elbow and I put a jazzy little pleat in the center at the cuff to give them a little definition. And for better or worse I altered the bottom bodice hem by shortening it and adding a wide elastic band.


I wore the new iteration to work only once. A coworker complimented it, but she's a good friend who likes to encourage my sewing efforts. It's heading to a local church consignment shop any day now.

Here's my cute little pleat technique.

If you've been reading my blog for any time, you know I like to have my 15-year-old daughter model the clothes I've made. There are two reasons for this: One, I'm vain and hate seeing my middle-aged body in photos; and two, I know I've made a winner when it looks good on me but even better on DD with her perfect figure (I pin the extra fabric behind her back). So when she put this blouse on I went "blecchh," because it looked awful on her. All pale and frumpy. It's hard to make a slim 15-year-old look bad, but this blouse did it.

What went wrong? Probably a lot of things, but mainly I think it was the fabric. This print just doesn't look good on anyone, the colors aren't flattering. Silk charmeuse is like chocolate for me—I can't stay away from it even though eating it/wearing it is not always flattering to me. Must. Learn. Lesson!

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Bow-tie blouses are everywhere this fall. I just picked up Kwik Sew 3582 and plan to make it in black silk charmeuse. I know, I know, but this charmeuse is from my stash so it's okay to try again.

Sewing: Younger Generations Need Not Apply?

Let's hope these two young women can make teens and twenty-somethings want to sew. Allyce King, left, and Melissa Watson are the hosts of DIYStyle.net, a "biweekly vodcast (video podcast), an online community, and sew much more." They're both college students with sewing in their blood: Melissa is Pati Palmer's daughter, and Allyce is the daughter of Cindy Cummins, the former education director for the Sewing Dealers Trade Association. I stopped by their booth at the ASG convention and was impressed with their enthusiasm. Allyce recommended trying to get my non-sewing DD interested in sewing with DIYStyle's "Low-Sew, High-Style Halter" pattern.

I'm still thinking about how young I was compared to most of the American Sewing Guild's annual convention attendees (see Wednesday's post), and now I'm wondering: Is the home sewing industry doing enough to attract and retain teenagers and people in their twenties?

DIYStyle.net seems to be off to a good start positioning itself as a watering hole for young craftsters, and I like the creative energy I see over at Burdastyle and Etsy. "Project Runway" has been phenomenal at encouraging would-be designers, and one of the characters on the hit TV show "Gossip Girl" has a sewing machine.

But I personally think the teen sewing market may be a lost cause, especially in metropolitan and suburban areas. The reality is teens today are way more over-scheduled and under far greater pressures to get into good colleges than we ever were. Sadly, there just might not be enough time for teens to indulge in a hobby like sewing, and Meggie LuLu on PatternReview could be an anomaly. (My own 15-year-old daughter has no interest in sewing nor do any of her friends, though they all think it's cool that I sew.)

Which brings us to this week's Fun Friday poll: What's your degree of optimism that enough new and younger sewing enthusiasts will continue to take up sewing—giving the home sewing industry a reason to both stay in business and to keep serving the older generation? Do we need to see more efforts like Simplicity's Project Runway line? Should a sewing machine manufacturer sponsor traveling roadshows that teach and encourage younger wannabe sewists? (Just tossing ideas out there.) Or are we indulging in a hobby that future generations will know only as something their grandmothers used to do long ago? Tell us what you think by taking the poll at right (please click through if you're reading this in an RSS feed).

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Welcome to all the new visitors of Lindsay T Sews who stopped by as a result of my posts about the ASG convention. I enjoyed reading your comments and hope you'll keep visiting. I'll leave you all with a few shots from the fashion show sponsored by DIYStyle.net and Project Design that showcased Chicago indie fashion designers. Have a great weekend!

P.S. I'm mildly optimistic that future generations will continue to love sewing as much as we do. And for a glass-half-empty person like me, that's saying a lot!

I Wasn't Expecting To Be One of the Younger People There

I don't care how old I am, if you ever see me wearing something like this, just shoot me. Or take pity on me because I've obviously lost my marbles—could you wipe the drool off my face while you're at it?

Sorry, today's post is not devoted to exploring why U.S. women over 65 are (generally) among the worst-dressed on the planet. We'll save that topic for another day. Instead, I'd like to find out why I felt like one of the youngest people around at the American Sewing Guild's annual convention last week in Chicago—and I'm no spring chicken. I chose the photo above because it seemed vests like this and sweatshirts converted into patchwork jackets were the convention uniform of the 65+ set, who had to easily represent 70 percent of the attendees. (I heard there were some 1,000 attendees daily.)

Why so few of the younger crowd here? The instructors were top-notch; the class subjects were varied enough to please anyone's tastes. I do understand retirees have more time to travel and possibly more available funds for discretionary spending on events like this. So I'd expect women 65 and older to come out in strong numbers for this convention. But I just can't figure out why so few women younger than 45 were there.

I am a brand-new member of ASG, having joined it as part of this conference. I don't know anything about the organization other than what I read on its web site, and I've yet to attend a local meeting. So I'm asking you, dear readers, to fill me in if you can: Is the ASG really as gray as it looked at the convention? Do you belong to—and participate—in a local ASG chapter? Why not? Have we reached the point where we're satisfied to network through our blogs, Stitcher's Guild and PatternReview, and face-to-face contact with other sewing enthusiasts is nice—but not really necessary in this busy world of ours? I'd love to read your comments.

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If you'd like to learn more about this year's ASG conference, Lori just posted a Sew Forth Now podcast about it, where she shares some of the tips she learned and urges younger sewers to join ASG.

More ASG: Meeting Lori, Answers to Your Questions About Interfacing

What was one of my highlights of the American Sewing Guild annual convention? Meeting Lori, of course!

I was thrilled to meet fellow sewing blogger Lori in person at the ASG convention. I love everything she makes; in fact, I frequently beg her to just please make duplicate versions of her clothes for me, though in a bigger size 'cause Lori's much skinnier than I am. She wowed pattern designer Christine Jonson with her BWOF poet's blouse in white cotton, and I loved the BWOF top she has on in this photo.

Lori and I had a great time talking. We bonded over the fact that we were among the youngest attendees there, even at our advanced ages. (I'll go into that more in another post this week.)

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Interfacing: A number of you asked about alternatives to Pellon interfacing, which my instructors absolutely lambasted. Pellon keeps making icky, stiff interfacing because that is what the home sewing market has been conditioned to think it wants, according to industry expert Connie Crawford. Uh-uh. We don't want this stuff. Look at your better RTW: You won't find stiff interfacing.

In fact, it's often hard to tell where the interfacing is or if there is any interfacing at all in good RTW. Peggy Sagers says we use interfacing more than we need to; when in doubt she likes fusible knit interfacing. But there are times when our garments could use a little more body. Quality interfacing is very soft to the touch. In her class on interfacing, Connie Crawford gave us all samples of different interfacing and explained their usage. She recommends (and sells) four types of interfacing:

• Fusible tricot for knits
• Polyester fusible tricot for sheers, georgettes and very lightweight fabric
• Weft interfacing in a nylon/rayon blend for jackets and dress-weight fabrics
• All purpose polyester/nylon that works with almost any fabric and has a special glue designed for rayon and other hard-to-fuse fabrics
  

Sources for quality interfacing

• Sew Exciting
  
• Peggy Sagers
  
• Connie Crawford
• Mood Fabrics in NYC
  
• Greenberg & Hammer

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Here I am with designer Christine Jonson. I bought the pattern I have in my hands, and Christine is holding up a new dress pattern of hers that will be out in about a month. Check it out, because I think this is a dress that's going to be very flattering on a lot of us, regardless of age and body type.

The ASG Conference: My Takeaway

The ASG conference offered workstations like these where attendees could try new things, like making panties.

Stop sewing like a home sewer/sewist.

That's the key message I took away from two days of classes at the annual American Sewing Guild conference in Chicago. The home sewing industry has trained people to sew in a fussy, antiquated way that is vastly different from the efficient sewing done on the factory floor. Granted, most of us aren't sewing on speedy industrial machines and we assemble an entire garment at a time rather than sew one piece over and over again on the factory line. But, my teachers urged, if we adopt a factory style of sewing we will produce garments faster and will be more relaxed at the sewing machine.

Some factory sewing tips

• No pins! Use weights while cutting patterns, and learn to hold the fabric correctly while you let your machine's feed dogs do the easing work.
• No more 5/8" seam allowances. Use 3/8" SAs, or 1/4" if you're comfortable with that. If you're concerned about fit use 1" SAs in the vertical seams.
• If you're worried about perfect seams, sew your matchpoints first and then come back and sew the entire seam
• Sew with a longer stitch length, 3.0 or greater. Peggy Sagers of Silhouette Patterns uses a 3.5 stitch length.
• Pellon interfacing is the worst stuff you can use. I had a couple of instructors go on and on about how awful it is. One told a story about meeting the CEO of a major men's pants manufacturer; this particular brand has a lower price point. She asked him what interfacing he used and was surprised when he said Pellon. Turns out Pellon was a strategic choice for this company because, according to the executive, it only lasts for 60 washings and then their customers have to buy new pants.
• Two of my instructors advocated using fusible interfacing as an underlining to provide more body to fabrics, and more as the rule rather than an exception. Both of them sell interfacing, so I wonder how much of this theory is gospel or a way for them to sell more product.
• Edgestitch instead of taking the time to staystitch followed by topstitching.
• We need to stop torturing ourselves trying to achieve perfection when no one is ever going to notice the teeny imperfections we think are so glaringly obvious.
  

I hadn't taken classes with a live instructor since high school, so attending this conference was just what I needed. Thursday I took an all-day workshop called "Industrial Shortcuts" with Rosebud (yes, that really is her name). Rosebud is an informative, patient and relaxed instructor and my classmates and I all felt her class was well worth the trip.

Rosebud demonstrates the way to hold your hands when you're guiding fabric through your machine.

On Friday I took three classes: "The Perfect Sizing Worksheet" with Christine Jonson of Christine Jonson Patterns, "A Dozen Favorite Construction Techniques" with Peggy Sagers, and "Choosing Interfacing" with industry guru Connie Crawford. Christine Jonson's class involved way too much math for most attendees, which was unfortunate because Lori and I (yes, we met up and had such a great time together! I'll post a photo of us tomorrow) met Christine the night before in the exhibit hall and really liked her. I absolutely loved Peggy's class and if she is ever anywhere close to my area to teach a class, I'm there. She was funny, straightforward and empowering with her message that there's no need for perfection (Peggy: "I've never produced anything that's perfect, including my kids"), so "get over it" because sewing can be "way fun." And Connie is incredibly knowledgeable. I only wish I could have stayed longer to take her class "Sew Like a Pro."

Peggy Sagers (left) with a student. This photo doesn't do her justice: She's a very attractive woman who exudes that Dallas sense of style.

I had to take a photo of the back of Peggy's jacket, which the whole class oohed and ahhed over. She made the jacket and then an embroidery expert (I'm sorry I've forgotten her name) did the embellishing.

The exhibit hall was disappointing, Lori and I both agreed. The fabric prices were expensive and many of the booths featured crafty stuff aimed at the convert-a-sweatshirt-into-a-jacket crowd. I did pick up two patterns from Peggy's 2008 line and a Christine Jonson top pattern, plus some twin stretch needles that I desperately needed.

Bottom line: I'm glad I went to this conference. I learned a lot in just two days and I feel like I'm ready to take my sewing to the next level. Next year's conference will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, one of my favorite places in the United States. It's a bit far for me so I doubt I'll make it, but if you like the idea of taking classes taught by industry experts, I highly recommend you go.

Heading Off to the ASG Conference in Chicago!

Chi-Town here I come!

Can I just mention how excited I am to be going to the American Sewing Guild's annual conference in Chicago? I'll be taking two days' worth of classes, checking out the exhibit hall, and meeting fellow sewing enthusiasts in the flesh. In fact, Lori and I are going to try to meet up while there. I have no idea what to expect of the conference but my hopes are high. I'm taking my camera and notebook so I can share the experience here after I return.

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Thanks to the miserable weather in the NYC area this past holiday weekend, I got a lot of sewing done—all pieces on a travelwear theme, just stuff-it-into-your-suitcase kind of clothes. I finished up a Vogue dress in a black lycra jersey that turned out really well, and I made three skirts and one top. I hope to get photos up next week.


Be back soon....

Gray Skies on a Summer Day? Flea Market Time!

See the gray skies in this photo? That's what the entire Fourth of July weekend looked like here in the metro NYC area. My daughter and I went to the Brooklyn Flea Market on Sunday to shop and be inspired by the craftspeople exhibiting there.

Lavaimaria of Brazil adds creative embellishments to vintage clothes, like this Liberty top here, and to clothes she makes. DD bought one of her pale blue tank dresses featuring a crazy bow appliqué.

Repro Depot was here with their wacky vintage prints.

The remnants pile at the Repro Depot booth. I wanted to buy the Gay Cowboys print remnant but decided I might get more use of the dressform print (white images on black cotton).

Alma Stoller creates "an assortment of one-of-a-kind fabric oddities, collages and zines." I thought her idea of packaging yarns, threads, needles, fabrics and other stuff into little kits was very clever.

Here's an idea for those of us who've accumulated too much stuff: Package it in a cute little presentation like this, give it a clever name and sell it!

Not Just Another T-Shirt From the Gap

This Kwik-Sew knit top I made recently is one of the few things that actually looks better on me than it does 0n my daughter, who is modeling it here.

Would you believe the inspiration for this top was a photo of Rachel Bilson wearing a Chanel dress on the cover of DD's Seventeen magazine? The photo only showed the neckline and shoulders but I could tell it was knit and had striped contrasting neckband and sleeves. Kwik-Sew 2874 looked like it would do the trick, and many PR members have liked this pattern.

I made View C, but constructed the bodice as one piece rather than three as shown here. My fabric is incredibly soft pink cotton lycra and contrasting stripe knit, both from Spandex House. I had planned to make the sleeves long, with the flared part out of the contrasting striped fabric, but when I tried it on I could tell that was too much stripes and threw the whole thing out of balance. So I cut the striped part of the sleeve off to the elbow, played around with different cuff options, and then decided what the hell and left it unhemmed. Lots of RTW shows unhemmed jersey, right? (I'm trying to convince myself I wasn't just being lazy.)

This shirt represents the first time I attached a knit neckline binding since I took a Stretch & Sew class in 1974 as a teen. For a refresher course I relied on Sarah Veblen's video tip on the Threads site, and it was a big help. My neckband lies perfectly flat on me.

I love this new top! It is such a contrast to all the boring Gap Ts I typically live in during the summer. My take on this pattern: Another one of those Kwik-Sew gems hidden behind a dated pattern illustration. With the right mix of knit fabrics you can make a really fashionable top that doesn't look like just another t-shirt.

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Did you see that cute maxi dress Renee Cidell made for a Fourth of July party? The last time I wore a maxi dress I was a sophomore in high school and I think it looked something like this. Egads! (Image from vintage pattern site Scissorhappy.)

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Day Two of our Fourth of July long weekend and the weather is again unbelievably dreary here in the metro NYC area. Rain rain go away. No beach for us today. Good thing I have several sewing projects to keep me busy....

Long Summer Weekends: Love 'Em!

There's nothing I like more than watching a spectacular fireworks display. This is a photo from Fireworks by Grucci, "America's first family of fireworks." Even the small shows they put on are jaw-dropping. I'd like to see the Macy fireworks display on the East River in NYC this Fourth, but I think the other members of my family will veto it as too much effort. Those wienies.

My Fourth of July holiday officially began today at 1 pm when my office closed for the long weekend. I love the Fourth July and it has long been my favorite holiday. What's not to love?: picnics, parades, fireworks, dressing in red-white-and-blue (okay, for me it will be my ubiquitous white jeans and a navy top), and no pressures about giving the perfect gift. With DS off at camp we decided not to travel to northern Maine to see my dad this Fourth, so we will hang here at home, participating in the annual holiday festivities at our beach club instead.

And I plan on lovin' the lycra this weekend, as I finish up Vogue 8486, a dress in black swishy lycra jersey (perfect for travel); make a bikini muslin for DD; sew a swimsuit coverup skirt for me (two seams and an elastic waistband); and hopefully at least get a top and a skirt cut out of more lycra. I'm heading to Chicago next week (Wednesday) for the ASG conference, so I need to make sure I have my ducks in a row for that too.

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Fun Friday polls closed temporarily. I'm suspending my usual weekly polls for two weeks due to the Fourth of July holiday and because I'll be away later next week at ASG. But dear readers, I need your help! You've told me how much you like my polls but I am running out of ideas. Any and all suggestions for poll topics are welcome. Just send me an email at lindsaytdesigns AT gmail dot com. Thanks!

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Results of last week's poll about reading sewing blogs: This was one of my more popular polls and reinforced my suspicion that reading sewing blogs is one of our favorite Internet time-wasting activities. Here's how people responded when asked how many sewing blogs they read regularly:

• 1-25 blogs: 26%
• 26-50 blogs: 30%
• 51-75 blogs: 22%
• 76-100 blogs: 10%
• 100+ blogs: 12%

Comments:

Cidell: " I feel like there are 20 I read consistently (and are consistently updated.)"

Cennetta: "It sad to say, I send a huge amount of time reading blogs these days. Initially I only read a few. But shortly after created my own blog the number has steadily increased to appropriately 50."

Sigrid: "I think there must be about 20-30 blogs that I really read and comment on regularly. But not always. When I concluded that reading and commenting was about to get more time than actual sewing, I stopped making comments as a regular thing."

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Seen in today's New York Times: "Polygamy chic." It appears the Texas polygamist sect that was the center of controversy when children were seized in a raid there in April is now selling its prairie style, ultra conservative clothing online. “We have to make a living the same as everyone does,” sect member Maggie Jessop told The Salt Lake Tribune. The Times article goes on to speculate, albeit tongue-in-cheek, how quickly the fashion industry will adapt this look:
"The venture may have come not a moment too soon. There has not been a soul in the fashion world who has not queasily wondered which designers will cite the women of the Yearning for Zion ranch as an inspiration for their next collections. Designers have been tempted to mine cultures with an insensitive and not entirely comprehending eye in the past. For example, Donna Karan and Yves Saint Laurent have borrowed liberally from peoples Aboriginal to Maasai, and Jean Paul Gaultier once based a men’s wear collection on traditional Hasidic attire."
Horrors. If "polygamy chic" takes off, all the Big 4 American pattern companies need to do to meet demand is go to their vaults and rework their 1980s Laura Ashley-style patterns!

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One last hug before DS gets on the bus for sleepaway camp.

So my DS is off at sleepaway camp for the first time. The camp posts daily photos that I can look at online, and I see from his smiling face that he's having a good time. But it's an unfamiliar feeling for me to know that right now I have nothing to do with his happiness and that he's functioning just fine without me. DH and I were counting the days until he left for camp (at age 13, DS can be a real energy-zapper when he wants to be) but surprise—we miss him! The house is eerily quiet and I think DD even feels a little awkward being our only baby again. We'll get to see DS in about a month for Parents' Day.

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That's all for now. Check back later as I'll try to post again this weekend with photos of an easy Kwik-Sew knit top I made. For all my U.S. sewing friends, enjoy the holiday and I hope you get to see some spectacular fireworks and eat yummy barbecue.

It Only Looked Like a Journey to Hell

This way to the dead bodies...

Yeah, I descended these stairs today and lived to tell the tale. Here's the backstory: I need to fuse underlining to the bouclé that's going to turn into a coat one of these days. An especially helpful and chatty FIT grad student who helped me at Mood a while back told me about a place in the garment district that fuses fabrics for design houses and others. Unfortunately she couldn't remember the name of the place. I turned to the Answer Lady, aka Ann Steeves, who said I wanted Quick Fuse & Cut (212-967-0311), though I would have to "journey through the bowels of hell to get there." It's in the basement of 260 W. 36th (between 7th and 8th) and you have to go down these stairs and past the door that says Beware of Dog.

Quick Fuse & Cut is where designers and clothing manufacturers go to get their fabrics professionally fused.

So I dropped my three yards of fabric off, did a little shopping in the garment district (I took the morning off from work because we had to take DS into the city to meet the bus that would take him and the other campers off to sleepaway camp), and came back three hours later. It was fused beautifully and, wait for it, I paid $10. Ten dollars! That's it! It would have taken me hours to fuse this fabric with my trusty Rowenta Professional. It must have been 300 degrees inside Quick Fuse & Cut, but I'll sweat for this kind of convenience any day.

Note: If you need to get some fabric fused, I strongly recommend you call Quick Fuse & Cut first and find out what their turnaround time is likely to be on the day of your visit. Get the name of whomever you are speaking to and be specific about when you will be there. They were very busy on the day I went and I had to beg, plead and cross my fingers that they could get to my fabric before I had to head home. They will not ship fabric either.