A Few Good Things

I've been slavin' over my classic white shirt for a while (and am a bit fed up with it), and have found a few things I like to have around that make tracing, altering, and redrafting a bit easier. Some are old friends and some are new finds.

The Curve and Square Ruler (CSR) to mark seam lines. It is marked in both English and Metric system and has a French curve, a square, a straight edge, buttonhole guides, and handy slots along the straight and curved edges to mark 1-inch (like the "just in case" seams on my classic white shirt), 5/8-inch, & 1/4-inch seam allowances. The curved edge is perfect for tracing and marking seam lines along armhole, hip, and neckline curves. The CSR even gives you the points on the ruler that match those curves, for example, the hip curve is from 0 to 9 inches. I also have a random collection of Fairgate curves and rulers, but this one is the most handy.

A Calibrated Flexible Curve to measure and mark curved seams, such as crotch curves and princess lines. I ordered mine through a “big box” office supply store and its 24 inches long. There are longer flexible curves available that would probably be even more useful for longer design lines. I guess I'll probably use it to measure the darned armhole on that classic white shirt if I ever get that far.

Swedish Tracing Paper (STP) and Bienfang No. 106 for tracing off patterns. I like the fact that, if I sew desire, I can actually baste the STP pattern together and try it on for fit. Ballpoint pens, lead pencils, colored pencils, and crayons make clean lines on STP with no bleed through. And it cuts like a dream with regular paper scissors. STP can be pricey, so if I know I will be making a lot of alterations to the original pattern , I will use Bienfang No.106 white tracing paper and reserve the STP for the final draft. An added bonus is that scraps of both STP and Bienfang paper can be used as a great tear-away/cut-away stabilizer for delicate seams and embroidery projects. I got my last 5 rolls of STP from Debbie Cook's coop, but you can get it from a number of places online, including directly from Birch Street Clothing . Bienfang No. 106 is available from Mister Art and also comes in canary. I hear canary is easier on the eyes, just what I'll need after going cross-eyed with the classic white shirt alterations.


A Utensil Caddy for pattern weights, smaller rulers (there's my CSR), colored pens & pencils, rotary cutters & scissors, and other marking tools. The caddy is handy because I can carry it around with me to wherever I'm working. I got this one at Walmart at the end of last summer. And I just bought another one because it matched my other one. You can find it in the "summer/outdoor living" section. I also saw them at Joann's and I'm sure the Container Store, Linens 'N Things, Crate & Barrel, and the like will have other versions. I don't have a plan for my new one yet, but I'm sure it will come in handy!

Finally, I just picked up this Gridded Template Plastic in the quilting notions at Joann's the other day when the notions were 50% off. I've been using it essentially as an extra-wide ruler for pattern alterations (primarily on the classic white shirt). I slash my pattern and slip the gridded plastic under it. It allows me to line up my pattern evenly along the total length of the slash. Then I slip in the extra tissue to fill in the open, slashed area and tape everything down. My cutting mat has a 1 inch grid printed on it, but gridded template plastic let me fine tune my alterations down to 1/4 inch.

In Process: CWS Muslin 2 or "I think I'm just a glutton for punishment"

Okay, here's muslin 2 of BWOF 08-2007-126, my chosen victim pattern for my classic, crispy white shirt.

Muslin 2:

I started with the size closest to my high bust measurement to get the fit in the neck and shoulders. Of course, I failed to take into account that I needed room for my hips & waist. Then I did a humongo FBA to add 2.5 inches to each side for the “Girls.” That’s a total of 5 inches right?!? More on that revelation later. As previously noted, the dart is humongo, so rotated about half of it out to the side seam. That added enough room for my waist and hips (per the flat pattern measurements I did). Woo hoo! However, the dart was still humongo. Just as I was about to cut out the muslin, I realized I hadn’t done anything to the back to account for the extra length & width added to the front, so I cobbled something together for that. Then I decided to worry about the swayback/tilted waist/sloping shoulders thing later. Just a note, the bust dart is still humongo. Now, completely tired of RIMMing (redrafting in my mind), I decided to take a go at sewing it up. My friends, may I present, umm, Muslin 2:





Clearly more RIMMs needed!

RIMMing for Muslin 3:

In Every Sewers Guide to the Perfect Fit, Morris & McCann indicate that if you need a FBA to add more than 2 inches total, you should do a second alteration. There has been some discussion about this on the PR discussion boards, since the revised Fit for Real People (fondly known among PR members as, “FFRP”) came out and Patti Palmer published an article about it in the Spring 2008 issue of Sewing Today. Basically, under the Morris & McCann method you do the well known FFRP FBA to add up to a maximum of 2 inches, and then you do a second alteration emanating from the upper chest/shoulder area and cutting through the waist dart to add another 2 inches. I worried that this alteration to the chest area would add fabric where I didn’t need it, as I don’t have much extra fluff above my full bust & I have sloping shoulders to boot. Morris & McCann make it seem as if 4 inches is the total maximum FBA you can do with this 2-step method, but the Palmer article in Sewing Today didn't seem to put any limitations on the amount. I guess if one needs an extreme amount to accommodate a full bust, one may have to compromise on the fit at the shoulders a bit.

Muslin 2 showed me that the fit is better in the neck & shoulders & upper chest with the smaller size. But I added too much with my FBA. Also the fit over the waist and hips is a bit more generous than I intended. The back and underarm/side seams need some serious attention. And at this point, I don't even know what size sleeve to cut. I think once I get the front & back fit worked out, I can just measure the AH opening and trace the closest size and alter it based on that measurement. Anyway, for Muslin 3 I will try the 2-step FBA, but I will also transition from one size at neck, shoulders, and armhole to the appropriate size(s) at the side seams for waist and hips. Maybe I can kill two (or three or four) birds with one stone?

Okay, I'm a bit tired of thinking about this project right now. Aren't you? I thought so! So later this week I'll post pics of some other things I'm working on.

Do I Need to Plan a Trip

to Japan? I'm getting to fetish level with the Japanese pattern magazines and books ... and now the food, too?

Good ol' California roll, a.k.a, entry level sushi, & some salmon - mm, mm good!

One of my girlfriends P and I took a sushi workshop with Chef Oudi from Flavor, a local restaurant featuring Asian fusion cuisine and some of the best deserts of French influence I've had since my last trip to France.

Anyway, friend P and I spent 3 hours last Wednesday night sneaking pieces of silky-rich, fresh fish; making snowballs out of sushi rice; and snacking on crispy sheets of salty seaweed while Chef Oudi tried to teach almost 20 of us his lifetime passion in a nutshell. We learned to make sushi rice, roll 3 different types of sushi and the hand roll (the one that looks like an ice cream cone, how to select and cut fish for sashimi & chirashi, and where to get the freshest ingredients in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

We watched in amazement as Chef Oudi transformed a slice of carrot into a butterfly (see the salmon pic above) with a few well placed cuts from his giant sushi knife. It wasn't a very organized class (I kept having flashbacks to that Yan Can Cook show), but we had a great time. I don't think I'll ever make sushi at home -- there are too many good restaurants around and it is a pretty ingredient-intensive endeavor -- but it was great to hang out with P and eat sushi that we rolled ourselves.

Chef Oudi & me after class (& 3 glasses of plum wine)!

Have you ever thought so much about something . . .

That you thought yourself out of the solution that was right in front of you? Well, my recent trip to the bra fitters threw me into a tailspin on what to do about my FBA. It has made for very restless nights when I should have been sleeping so I could wake up early, get through work and classes, and get back to the drawing board and some actual sewing! Instead I find myself dragging through my daily activities and not having the time or energy to sew at the end of it all, only to fall into a fitful sleep full of FBA calculations and R.I.M.M.s (redrafts in my mind). Anyway, I think I've got it now.
a. b.
a. draft based on chest measurement, with pre-bra fitting FBA & additional width added at side.
b. 2nd draft with post-bra fitting FBA, portion of dart rotated to side seam (but the horizontal dart is still humongo -- we'll just have to see how attractive that will be in fabric!).

Whatever the case, I'm tired of RIMMing so I'm going to sew up a second muslin this week. If (b) above doesn't work out, I'll try the Morris & McCann method from Every Sewer's Guide to the Perfect Fit (published in 1997 and republished as "Customize Your Sewing Patterns For A Perfect Fit" in 2001). In this method you do the regular FBA up to 1 inch (per side), then the follow with the second method to add another 1 inch (per side).

I don't know how strict those 1 inch rules are because I need about 2.5 inches to fully accommodate the Girls. Its going to have to be a bit of trial and error at this point. Also, I think I have to RIMM whether opening up the chest area above the bust will work for me, since I don't have much fluff up there, have sloping shoulders, and have already been contemplating adjusting for a hollow chest to get a better fit across the chest and shoulders. I'm not trying to overfit this shirt, but my RTW tops & jackets tend to collapse in that area and I just don't like that look.

African Fashion: Something Beautiful

Kitu Kizuri, which means "Something Beautiful/Good" in Kiswahili, debuted in Spring 2007 and is fast becoming my new fave African women's magazine. Unlike most other African mags I'm aware of which highlight "lifestyles of the African rich & famous," this mag is published quarterly and focuses on issues that affect African women living in and out of Africa. It is now available in Barnes & Noble bookstores nationwide. If you get a chance, do check out Kitu Kizuri.

The current issue features some designs from South Africa's Marianne Fassler. I just LUV how she integrates traditional and non-traditional fabrics and style sensibilities into modern, very wearable garments. Check out a few of my faves:

Two shades of chiffon overlay traditional motif.
Playful mix of fabrics with modern style.
The twist top meets batik!
The Heart of Darkness puts on the Ritz & glitz ("shine, shine, Bo-bo")!
If I were in the market for a wedding dress, this would be it! It's totally me - classic, traditional with a surprise modern twist.

From Japan with LUV!

Just after Easter I received some Japanese pattern books & mags. I LUV LUV LUV the Pattern Magic books and will have to find a way to incorporate some of the very innovative styling into my projects. The mags, entitled Female, feature styles that are a bit too jeune for a thirty-um-sumthin like me, but there were a few things that caught my eye:

I always like these high-neck designs, but, alas, I do not have the Victorian-esque swan-like neck required to really carry them off very well.
I think the print used for this one is outstanding. I also like the use of darts and tucks to really define the waist.

These two are a variation on a single theme. One in a great textural fabric for the office and the other lengthened and flared for a nice outerwear garment.

Finally, I was planning to make a nightgown out of cotton lawn using Simplicity 3799 in anticipation of the inevitable dog days of summer here in Texas. Then I saw this in the Winter 2008 issue of Female:
With this surprise design element at the back: So, after I finish my nightgown and if all goes well with the Simplicity pattern, I think I will use the pattern drafting instructions for the back of the model in Female and morph it to the Simplicity for a cute, breezy summer frock. I have some cotton gauze in a print and coordinating solid from Joann's that might be just the ticket. Here's the draft from Female:

Small, Shiny, & On Sale

I LUV shiny things ... and buttons are no exception! LOL!

Bra Fitting Woes

I thought I knew my bra size, but I decided to get a professional fitting anyway. I thought, if anything, getting a professional fit will confirm what I already know and tell me I'm on the right track with my fitting adventures. So I went to Loretta's Intimates -- a local lingerie shop that got into the business many moons ago helping cancer survivors and other people with their prosthetics needs. If Loretta's couldn't help me, I don't know who could.

I put on my best fitting bra for the trip to Loretta's:



Margaret, the fitting assistant, whisked me into a private dressing room and had me remove my top, but keep my current bra on. She whipped out her lying, cheating tape measure of doom and took a few measurements and then left to bring me some possibilities. She quickly returned with what I believe to be the ...LARGEST...bra I have ever personally seen in my life! All kidding aside, I know I am a blessed-in-the-bust, full-figured gal, so I've spent quite a bit of time searching for elusive well-fitting (and pretty) lingerie, but suffice it to say, I cried real tears when Margaret came back with this triple whopper!!

We all have certain perceptions of what we look like and this bra fitting put me face-to-face with a reality for which I just wasn't fully prepared. Poor Maggie! I think she saw my face crumple and the tears well up, so she quickly brought back another couple of options. I thought about tossing my t-shirt back on and fleeing the shop, but then I came to my senses and talked myself into believing that this experience would be good for me, my appearance, and my fitting and sewing. So, sucking it up through the tears, I tried on everything Margaret suggested -- a total of 10 different bras consisting of 3 different styles and 4 different band and cup size combinations. It was mind-boggling, but I ended up with great results:



In the t-shirt it may seem like a subtle difference, but I have to say, my new bras are amazing! The Girls are positioned up on my chest where they are supposed to be and there is 150% less stress on my shoulders from the weight. The bra band around my ribs is supporting everything -- the way it is supposed to be. I wore one of the bras out of the shop and ran errands all day in it. I've never worn something so comfortable and supportive in my life. I don't know why I waited this long to get professional help. If you've never had a professional bra fitting, I highly recommend you find a specialty shop in your area and get it done. No matter your size -- at Loretta's it was mainly the large busted, but there were a few members of the IttyBittyT**ty club there -- a good fitting bra is an eye opener!

As for my fitting challenges, I'll have to rework my FBA a bit based on these new measurements. I also anticipate that my posture will improve now that my shoulders have been relieved of the weight of the Girls. This may impact future shoulder, high back, and swayback alterations. We'll see what happens as I continue to work on my classic white shirt.

Calling All Bandwagoners!

First this blog, now club BMV ... I hope it will save me some money, 'cause I'm not good at waiting for sales at Joann's. I tend to do the "instant gratification" thing and just buy the Vogue/Butterick/McCalls pattern I am coveting at the artificial everyday sale price of 50% off and leave it at that. Plus, I tend to pick up lots of other essential "stuff" when I stop in a Joann's without a shopping plan.