Tuesday, August 16, 2011

In the Mood for another Groupon?? and Further Thoughts

FYI - Groupon is offering another "$30 of fabric for $15" at Mood right now. This one is for on-line shopping only. So, get em here. Again, I have no affiliation other than a burgeoning fabric addiction (Mood) and love of a good deal (Groupons).



On to today's thoughts! Most important, thank you all for the advice and encouragement that was offered on Friday's post about my big dress project. I am bowled over by the thoughtfulness of the responses - thank you, thank you! This really helped me organize my thoughts.

First, it may not have come across, but let me just say it: I'm terrifically excited about this project!!! I know there will be moments when I want to pull my hair out, but I've got hair to spare and a purple wig for when I run out. I'm nervous, but it's in a mostly good way. And I'm feeling much more confident since posting. Does that happen to you? Once you say a fear or hope out loud, suddenly it seems much more manageable. Or is that just me?

Next, here's where your advice has already helped:

Tailor tacks/thread tracing in silk thread for the markings -  Yes! Why didn't I think of that?

A few classes with a teacher  - Brilliant! I hadn't thought of that, but am looking into it now.

Hand sewing - Honestly, I've never made one of my big mistakes while hand sewing. You can see mistakes coming from far off, unlike with a sewing machine. And it's easy for me to commit to doing shorter bursts of hand sewing each night than it is to get behind the sewing machine. So, I'm adding this to the "plus" column.

Needles, thread, etc. - I will not be skimping on whatever tool or notion is right for the job.

The hem - the dress is lined, not underlined. But I was definitely thinking that the hem, which is self faced, would be sewn to the lining so it's invisible.

The floral sleeves - It comes down to whether I want the flowers to be crisp (organza) or soft (georgette). I've ordered fabric for either scenario and will test. Feel free to weigh in. 

Bra cups - Funny, but " just tack 'em in at the end" was pretty much the only instructions that Vogue gave for them, too. Seriously, it's the very last step (#71 of 71 steps) and it's all of 10 words long... like the technical writer ran out of steam and gave up at the end. ha ha ha   

So much of this project hinges on the fabric. I'm just going to have to test test test everything - interfacing, stay stitching, different pins and needles, bias cut silk for the piping (shudder)... I over-ordered fabric by about half a yard so, in addition to scraps, I should have plenty of fabric to test on and a little wiggle room.

Really, there were so many good nuggets of advice in your comments! And now, I'm amassing supplies. Today I actually bought myself a thimble. Can you believe I didn't have one? Anyway, stay tuned.

PS - Thanks to commenter Sherry, who suggested that since crepe back satin may stretch, I may want to stabilize the zipper area. I think this must be why I'm having issues with the zipper on the jumpsuit. It's matte jersey, and I didn't stabilize the pants portion, and it's coming out all wonky and non-invisible there. Fingers crossed that this will solve the problem.

4 comments:

  1. Bra cups: You might want to have a look at Tasia's tutorial on bust padding: http://sewaholic.net/a-little-more-oomph-making-bust-padding/

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  2. I hope you thought my comments were helpful. I'm glad you bought a thimble. My first sewing teacher told our class to use one because she'd suffered nerve damage from sewing without one.

    One day, I helped someone baste a muslin of a coat because she had a deadline. I didn't have a thimble on me. Three days later, my fingers were still tingling.

    I get the impression that a lot of people, including fashion design students, don't use them out of ignorance or an idea that it's not cool. It's a matter of safety. And they are cool!

    Again, do samples. I was reading a tailoring forum in which Claire Shaeffer said that if you're making welt pockets (besoms) you should do 10 perfect ones before touching the garment itself. Obviously, welt pockets are particularly challenging because there's no way to recover if you screw them up, but you get the point; don't leave these things to chance if you're using expensive fabric.

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  3. lin - thanks for the link!

    anon - yes! so very helpful! I agree 100% with the need for a thimble. Every time I hand stitch I think about it and then forget to buy one. Typical!

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  4. Whenever I wear a thimble I automatically use another finger instead. Force of habit I guess. I'm better at using my fingernail (the side, sort of) Oh well! and the bra cups instructions could read alot like shoulder-pad instructions- put the garment on, insert cups, fidget and check from all angles, pin securely in place, remove garment and permanently tack with hand-stitches.
    Keep us posted on your project as much as you can! I'm so excited for you!

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