Category Archives: future projects

Sewing/Style Inspiration: Stevie Nicks

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I’ve been listening to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours non-stop lately, and though late 1970s is barely considered vintage, I’ve always been inspired to dress like my rock star idols.

Stevie Nicks is the frontwoman of Fleetwood Mac. She pioneered a unique gypsy-luxe bohemian look: long fluid chiffon skirts, airy capes, shawls, platform boots and lots of black.

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Stevie Nicks performing on stage, late 1970s. Note the beaded black lace shawl with a classic cotton tank top.

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Stevie Nicks in the early 1980s, wearing a white fringed shawl, low-cut dress with a ruffle, and high-heeled boots.

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Fleetwood Mac in the late 1970s. Stevie in the center wearing a black chiffon dress and a top hat.

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Stevie is on the bottom right wearing a lace blouse and an ethnic print handkerchief skirt (or dress?).

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Wearing a white lace shawl and a black dress.

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This photograph isn’t really a good example of her personal style since you can barely see what she’s wearing, but I love the rock and roll vibe of this shot.

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“I was very influenced by Janis Joplin,” Stevie said during a recent interview*, “the one time I saw Janis in person, and all the times I saw her on television with her feathers and her bell-bottomed pants and her beautiful silky blouse tops.” Stevie travelled to San Francisco to the Velvet Underground in at attempt to re-create her look. “It was a tiny little store, but it had the most beautiful things,” Nicks recalls. “Tunic tops that came down to your mid-thigh, and evening gown, old-lady nightgown material bell-bottoms that weren’t really wide, but instead fell straight over a really high boot.It was in that room where I thought ‘Wow! These are the kind of clothes I’m going to wear forever.’”

My new sewing motto from now on is: sew clothes that I’m going to wear forever.

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This leads me to my next sewing project, Butterick 6287 from the late 1970s:

b6287 ‘

I don’t have any fabric for this yet, but I’ll probably modify the hem so it has an asymmetrical hem or a handkerchief skirt.

* (interview source: LA Times, 10/23/97, Airy Godmother)

Spring 2011 Storyboard: Navy and Pink

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spring-2011

The best thing about sewing your own clothes is that you decide the trends, palette, and what you will want to make for yourself based on styles that flatter you (as opposed to flatting the masses).

I made a quick storyboard for possible projects for Spring 2011. Since I plan to sew a season ahead, this would be in progress right now. I picked the items of clothing that most closely matched fabric type, cut, or color, and thus the details in the storyboard aren’t entirely accurate.

Items I already own:

  • navy cotton poplin skirt (sewn last year)
  • pink cotton floral blouse (represented by polka-dot blouse, sewn last year)
  • white cotton floral blouse (already owned)
  • brown cardigan (already owned)
  • brown oxfords (already owned)

    • Items to make:

  • Anne Adams scalloped dress (in progress)
  • violet or pink skirt suit
  • navy gabardine pants
  • white cotton blouse

    • Items to buy:

  • camel trench coat

    • Future Projects: January 2011

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    I’ve also decided to organize my sewing time by pairing up my stash with projects for the next month or so, in batches of four. Fortunately I don’t have much of a stash, since I’ve broken out of the habit of going to the fabric store and haphazardly buying cloth just because the fabric is beautiful. I plan to streamline the fabric I have in the future even further, partly my planning projects out of fabrics that I already have.

    I plan to sew a season ahead, and these are garments for the Spring/Summer. Here are some future projects I have in mind for the next month or so:

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    S3668-a

    Simplicity 3668, in blue gabardine with white small rick-rack as trim.

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    H1412-a

    Hollywood 1412, with three-quarter sleeves. I’m pairing it with a lightweight textured fabric of unknown fiber content that looks like plum (grey and pink together.)

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    AA4571-a

    Anne Adams 4571, in striped black and pink cotton. I’ve made this once before in yellow seersucker in a color I wasn’t too comfortable with, and in a fit that was a little baggy. I’ve worn that version once since making it, and have salvaged the buttons and have since sadly donated it. This time I’m using a color combination that isn’t as foreign to me or off-putting.
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    Eva-S4536

    Eva Dress reproduction overalls, in black denim with red contrast stitching and buttons.

    Sewing Goals for 2011

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    I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions, but this year I will make some sewing related ones.

    Organize your sewing space. This is vital when living in a small NYC apartment where your sewing space is your living room, window sill, and hallway closet. I plan to organize my patterns and fabric.

    Sew less but of better quality. Last year I averaged about one project a week or one project every two weeks, depending on complexity. I plan to keep that rate steady this year.

    Plan out your projects accordingly and sew from supplies you have. I’ve gotten a lot better at buying fabric just because it is beautiful, and plan to streamline it even further this year. I’ve decided to map out my sewing projects on a month to month basis by pairing up fabric with patterns and only buying new fabric when a pattern requires it.

    Sew a season ahead. I’ve decided to take my cue from the fashion industry and sew a season ahead. I’ll be sewing for spring/summer in the winter, and sewing for fall/winter in the summer. By the time the season has started, usually a week or so has passed before my project is finished. That leaves me less time to actually wear the garment.

    Try new patterns. Once I find a pattern that fits, I often make several versions of it. I am sometimes intimidated by fitting a new pattern, so I stick to the same few patterns. I need to branch out and make more diverse clothes like overalls and pants.

    Experiment with new techniques. I plan to challenge myself by learning new techniques with each new project I make. Some techniques I want to try: piping, stay-stitching, using twill tape to stabilize the waistline.

    Self-draft from your block patterns. I already do this, but I plan to continue to branch out by making variations on my block patterns inspired by vintage patterns that I don’t own.

    Don’t rush through your projects. Since I’ve stopped buying clothes if I can make them, often whenever I want a new skirt, dress, or pair of pants I’ll rush through my project so I can wear my item as fast as possible. This takes the joy out of sewing and turns it into something high-pressured. I want to focus on process as well as product.

    Recent Acquisition: Lot of 1950s Patterns

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    I also recently acquired this lot of 1950s patterns. I usually stay away from 1950s patterns since I think the full skirts look overwhelming on me, but these are all slim/pencil skirts. With these patterns, there will be definitely more 1950s styles here in the future.

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    Butterick 7855

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    Pattern description: Butterick 7855; ca. 1956; Casual Coordinates. Blouse & skirt coordinates. (A) Below-elbow sleeved blouse has neckline band & tab matching the hip-pocketed skirt with deep, inverted front pleat. (B) Pocket trim matches neckline. (C) Short, puff sleeved blouse with Peter Pan collar.

    I like the blouse and skirt option, and I like the contrasting neckline tab on the blouse.

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    Butterick 6725

    b6725

    Pattern description: Butterick 6725 Sheath Dress and Nip-Waisted Jacket. The slim scoop-necked sheath adds a nip-waisted jacket and really “goes places”. Dress has cut-in-one cropped sleeves and a wand-slim skirt. Jacket sports a perky collar, slit cuffs. Cuff and collar facings are in contrast.

    I like the contrast option on the jacket and the cut of the jacket itself.

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    Butterick 7425

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    Pattern description: Butterick 7425 1955 Slim Basic Dress that goes everywhere. With eye catching detail on arms and pockets. (A) Below elbow sleeves. (B) Short sleeved version.

    I like the interesting sleeve detail and the 3/4 length sleeves. I wonder how difficult it would be to set in those type of sleeves.

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    Butterick 7548

    b7548

    Pattern description: Kick it up a notch! Slim dress with a keyhole neckline! The skirt is released with four kick pleats at sides, in front and back.

    I like the keyhole neckline and the kick pleats in the skirt.

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    Butterick 7383

    b7383

    Pattern description: Butterick 7383; ca. 1955; Sheath and Jacket Twosome. Scoop-necked, shoulder capping sheath takes a companion jacket with a stand-up collar and below-elbow sleeves faced with contrast. Fitted with a button closing at the waist.

    I like the scoop neck of the dress and the jacket that goes with it.

    Recent Acqusition: Lot of 1940s Patterns

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    I recently acquired this lot of five 1940s patterns. I already have many patterns in my queue, but I couldn’t resist these.

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    Simplicity 3669

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    I especially like the sailor-collared dress in View 1 with the matching skirt.

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    Simplicity 4727

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    I like the sundress and the rick-racks (and the pockets!) featured in the sundress below. I also like the dress and the matching bolero.

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    McCall’s 6436

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    I like the contrast options in View A. The high collar looks stifling and I might have to adjust it.

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    McCall’s 4662

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    I’ve never done anything with princess seams and pleats before, but there’s a first time for everything.

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    Simplicity 4792

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    I’ll probably get rid of the contrasting vertical embellishments, or turn them into something more subtle, but I like View 1.

    Vintage Patterns and Sizing

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    duBarry6008-a

    This should be renamed the DuBarry Fan Blog. I’ve never gotten the feel that a dress fit the 40s more than those from DuBarry patterns. Perhaps it’s because DuBarry patterns have less design ease, or seem more flattering from the start and require less adjustment (for me, at least). I recently acquired this two-piece set, DuBarry 6008.

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    Any pattern can be fit and perfected in the flat pattern tracing and muslin stage, but some with more work than others. When making dresses I try to get sizes that are equal to my upper bust measurement, but with vintage patterns there is no multi-size, and one can’t be too picky. Failing that I just buy whatever strikes my fancy, trying to keep within one or two sizes larger or smaller than my measurements to minimize the amount of resizing, and work it out during the flat pattern tracing stage.

    Below are some pattern companies and my experiences with their sizing.

    Simplicity – Most of my 40s patterns are from Simplicity. For most of these pieces I’ve had to resize severely, and measurements that should fit were too large. Perhaps it’s the design of these patterns, but gathers by the waist and shoulder (common to Simplicity 40s patterns) aren’t very flattering for me. I had good luck with this skirt, but that could also be because I’ve adjusted the pattern. I shouldn’t complain though — my basic four-gored skirt is from a Simplicity pattern. I yet have to make a Simplicity pattern that I love, but I haven’t ruled this out entirely. Perhaps I just need to be more stringent with the fit during the muslin stage.

    Anne Adams – It fits a little better than Simplicity, but still a little large. This might have been the design ease on the bodice, but I will definitely be more particular during the muslin stage in the future, since I like fitted bodices.

    DuBarry – This is my favorite so far. My latest project is a DuBarry shirtdress, and it fit pretty well from the start. It’s also the only dress which to me looks iconically from the 40s. I’m about halfway done with this one, and as I assembled the bodice the dress already felt very 40s.

    McCalls, retro reissue – This is a modern pattern, and I’m fairly happy with the fit, but it took a lot of fixing to get here. The pattern pieces were still very large when I cut them based on my measurements.