Mauve Madness II

This September (Sewing Month!), I wanted to challenge myself with something new, or at least brush up on some sewing techniques that don’t get much use. I’ve been taking Gertie’s Starlet Suit Jacket course on Craftsy, but my jacket needs are still a few months off, and so far I have only watched the lessons.

I decided to toss a few challenges into the Mauve Madness collection. Here are two big ones: a silk blouse made from a vintage pattern almost four sizes too small, and a fitted, pleated skirt. Whew!

Click on any pic to see larger version

I purchased this size 30 pattern as part of a large lot, and really, I probably should have put it aside for sale or to give away.

B3495, mid-40s?

The sewing experts suggest that you should not try to grade a pattern up more than two sizes, and this was at least three sizes. I just could not resist that diagonal yoke panel-bow tie. I set about enlarging it to a size 36.

The back and lower front pieces each have a center and a side seam which can be expanded by ½ inch without losing shape.

New front piece (on muslin)/Original front pattern

That gave me 8 x ½ = 4 inches already. I added a larger wedge at the lower back edge since I needed to increase the hip measurement by, let us say, a lot more!

MUCH larger back piece

With the front bodice gathers and the waist tucks at the front and back waist, there was also a lot of fitting flexibility in the torso.

I decided my biggest concern would be across the shoulders in back, and where the diagonal yoke stretches from the sleeve across to center front. If these areas were too small, any arm movement would tear the blouse apart. Therefore I spread the back another ½ inch all the way from the middle of the shoulder down, and did the same with the tiny triangular front shoulder piece and the yoke/tie piece.

Larger front yoke and tie pieces.

I diverged from the pattern instructions a couple of times. The pattern did not mention any interfacing, but I interfaced the front and neck facings to help them stay put. In addition, the instructions called for the yoke-tie piece to be faced only to center front, and for the tie to have a narrow hem. I thought it would look better to have a two-sided tie.

This is a silk-cotton blend, but it was as sensitive and slippery as 100% silk. I hand-basted any seam on a curve or bias, because the fabric would slide in all directions as it ran through the machine.

I got lots of practice on finishing with this project. My French seams are nice and neat on the side seams, but I still haven’t gotten the hang of French seams on the sleeves. Maybe you’re supposed to use another finish on sleeves? The sleeves and hem are hand-sewn, and I did nearly go blind trying to stitch with dark grey thread on dark grey fabric. Not as bad as black but almost!

And one more thing about the pattern: it is not dated, but I place it in the mid-40s due to this public service announcement on the envelope flap:

Isn’t that interesting? Have you ever seen this on a pattern? Do you have an idea of the date?

 

On to the next big challenge!

This fabric is a loose-weave silk or blend.

It has that raw-silk smell, a nubbly texture, and the threads are easily snagged. I first stabilized it by fusing a very lightweight interfacing to the entire yardage. This skirt requires a surprisingly large amount of fabric because so much of it (20 inches) is inside the pleats.

1930s style skirt adopted by the 1980s in this pattern

It’s a very simple shape with simple construction, except for these pleats! I can NOT believe how difficult it is to sew seven parallel straight lines! Twice! (The front and back have the same pleats.)

Normally a skirt with sharp pleats would be made of wool or a synthetic blend in order to hold the crease, but the interfacing allowed this floppy silk to stay sharp.

Then would you believe I decided to line it? Yes, I lined it with Bemberg and I used the same pattern, pleating it in the same places. Fourteen more pleats! The only difference was that I cut away the extra fabric in the stitched-down portions of the pleats to reduce some of the bulk.

It has its share of problems, but they are all minor and overall I’m so happy with the pleats that I can overlook the other stuff. Of course, it isn’t hemmed yet…

I was making progress on the next item in the Mauve series when my iron broke. Hmmm. Are the sewing gods trying to tell me something? I will be back on the job as soon as I can get a new iron, but that means I have to decide which one I want.

Any suggestions for a good steam iron?

Katrina

Mauve Madness I

Measurable progress can finally be reported on the Mauve Madness collection. It had a slow start and several interruptions, including, of all things, a thread shortage! That has to be a first in hoarder history. I am now properly stocked with several shades of mauve thread, and have a couple of completed projects.
 
First up, a simple peasant-style combo. It’s always good to start with the easy stuff.

The skirt is slightly gathered at the top with a wide ruffle at the bottom, from this pretty 1976 pattern.

 

This is a heavy cotton gauze, and I pressed the fabric completely flat before cutting to avoid going off-grain.  After sewing, I washed it to get the wrinkles back, but I might wash it a few more times to get it nice and crinkly.



The top is based on one of the hundred or so Anthropologie pages I have saved.

Anthropologie, Spring 2011 or 2012?

It doesn’t look much like the inspiration garment, but I like the colors and the loose shape anyway.



Instead of the drapey rayon knit of the inspiration top I wanted to use leftover cotton voile from some of my other projects.

I divided the front piece of this pattern to use multiple fabrics, then replaced the pleats with gathers, and bound the neck with contrast trim.

 

Next, a big project worthy of Sewing Month: Grading up a pattern! Hand sewing silk! Lining a pleated skirt!

Katrina

Patriot Day

Tomorrow is the eleventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. I have been living in a cocoon of denial for those eleven years, refusing to watch video footage of the planes, unable to even consider seeing one of the movies about that day, and avoiding conversations on the topic. I just recently discovered that I can finally approach the subject without breaking into sobs.

The World Trade Center was my home away from home for the month of August, 2001.


The Marriot was in WTC 3. A walk through the lobby of the North Tower and across the bridge got me to work each morning. source



While I worked at the Financial Center across the street, I stayed at the Marriot WTC, a twenty-two story hotel that was completely dwarfed by the 110-floor towers on either side. There were coffee shops everywhere, and it was nice to get a big cappuccino and sit in the plaza and people-watch. There were so many good restaurants in the hotel and the WTC complex that I didn’t even have to leave the building on busy working nights. There was a huge shopping mall below the WTC, and a big clothing store across the street, so any last-minute necessities could be procured immediately (and late-night shopping urges could be satisfied).

It was not uncommon to find a tourist sprawled in the middle of the plaza with a camera pointed upwards, trying to get as much of the towers as possible. source 

The WTC was also the perfect base of operations for weekend activities – located nearly at the southern tip of Manhattan and with access to train and subway stations, the hotel was my launching pad for four weekends of non-stop shopping, dining, and sightseeing.

I had the subway figured out, at least enough so that if I got off at the wrong stop once in a while I didn’t worry, but either got back on the next train or just explored a new area. I walked miles and miles of city streets and was forever getting turned around. I found more neat little shops, tiny churches, and colorful neighborhoods than if I’d somehow found my destination the first time. I dined on caviar at a Russian restaurant, drank sangria at a Spanish restaurant, saw a Broadway show, and found kindred spirits in the Village. I shopped for linen suits (August in New York City!), and shoes to replace the ones I wore out. By the end of my time there I was pretty sure I could stay forever. I enjoyed that assignment in NYC more than any other during my nearly 20 years of on-the-job travel.


A familiar sight: approaching the towers at street level. source

I’d been back home for a little more than a week when my radio alarm woke me with the babble of panicked voices talking about the World Trade Center, and of course, I thought it was a dream. Just in case it wasn’t, I detoured toward the television, just in time to see the second plane crash into the South Tower. Not a dream, but definitely a nightmare. So many people lost.

Why did I have such a prolonged emotional response? It’s common enough that there are popular theories: survivor guilt, misdirected anger, generalized anxiety. I think it is simpler: just plain grief.  It was a strange, terrible day, and it’s been a strange eleven years, but I seem to be waking up from the nightmare finally.

Patriot Day, as we call it now, does not make me feel patriotic, it makes me feel sad. But it also makes me nostalgic for a wonderful summer I had once in New York City. Tomorrow when I take a moment to remember the victims, the rescuers, and the survivors, I will also remember what was there before. 


source

Katrina

 

This Is Usually A Good Sign

After a grueling couple of days with a broken air conditioner and yet another expensive repair, we were treated to a beautiful, hour-long downpour, followed by a rainbow.

And then a double rainbow!

Hope this means things are looking up for everyone!

Katrina