So a while back I was jabbing about a pair of men's vintage pants that I was making for a local dancer, but I never showed any pictures of them. That is because I didn't take any. DOH!
But here they are in action. The couple that starts dancing second at around 1:45 is Bobby White and Carla Heiney (she is wearing a red dress). I made Bobby's pants. :-)
They placed second in the competition. I am not saying my pants had anything to do with that. But I am not saying they didn't either.... Ok, they didn't. Dammit. If I could make magic pants like that I would totally make them for MYSELF!
Bobby is an absolute sweetheart of a guy and a dancer, and I am taking a few private lessons from him in exchange for the sewing. I swear half of the D.C. swing dancing scene (and beyond) owes or has given me lessons in exchange for sewing (for any dancers out there familiar with The Jam Cellar, ask me sometime why I "own" it. Ha!). Nina...Jeff...Frida...Bobby...Meg....the list continues.
Bobby (and his gal Kate, who came over to me while I was dancing last week and stage whispered, Those pants are AWESOME!) must have liked them, because he asked me to make two other pairs, exactly like the ones I made. Being the crankypants about fit that I am though, I see a few problems with the pants in the video, so Pair Number Two will be even better (I hope).
ETA: The dance they are doing is called Balboa and it is kinda a form of swing dancing. I do Balboa and I also do Lindy Hop.
It is also worth noting that the above clip is the finals from a Jack and Jill contest--Jack and Jill competition is where you are randomly assigned rotating partners and have no idea who you will end up dancing with, although most J & Js are broken down by level so you are dancing with someone at approximately the same skill level. So Carla is from California and Bobby is a local here in DC, so while they know each other (the dance world is like that, particularly the upper levels), it isn't like they dance regularly. Everything you see in that clip is lead/follow, no choreography. J & J competitions are much closer to regular social dancing than some of the other competitions.
Showing posts with label men's sewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label men's sewing. Show all posts
11 September 2009
12 May 2009
So productive I don't even know what to do with myself
A very productive weekend for me! First, I made a quick Jalie top to wear to our usual Second Saturday swing dance in Richmond. Fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics, of course.
I had a few problems with it, mostly of my own creation. I tried to do a FBA, forgetting that I usually don’t need to with Jalie knit shirts. But after fiddling with it for a while, it was pronounced Good Enough and worn happily to the dance. I like the style and it was pretty easy to put together. I am sure I will do another one and not try to “fix” it and then it will turn out splendidly. All I see are fitting issues, but I got many compliments on it at the dance, so perhaps to the non-sewing eye it looked fine.
Most of the sewing was quilting stuff. I am still in progress on the Giraffe Baby quilts. The tops are done now, and I spent the weekend practicing free motion quilting. Here was my very first attempt.
Not perfect, but not too shabby for a first try. But I wanted a bunch more practice before I quilted on the Baby quilts, particularly since they are a gift. I decided to make a very small little quilt to put on the cat’s window seat, a Cat Mat. I figured the cats wouldn’t care if the quilting was a little wonky!
I whipped together this quilt top and quilted it as my second practice piece.
Much better! Still not perfection, but good enough to start on the Baby quilts. I set it aside to do the binding later.
I actually finished the quilting on one of the Baby quilts and started the binding. There are a few boo-boos, but I don’t think they are noticeable and I really feel like I am getting the hang of free-motion quilting on my machine. But all of these projects are very small, so doing the Mod quilt will still be an adventure. I will try to have pictures of the finished quilt top tomorrow, but no promises as I am meeting with Vintage Pants dude again tonight to go over some changes he wants in the pants.
Busy Busy Busy!!!
Parting shot: The children are enjoying the end of rain and the opening of the house.
I had a few problems with it, mostly of my own creation. I tried to do a FBA, forgetting that I usually don’t need to with Jalie knit shirts. But after fiddling with it for a while, it was pronounced Good Enough and worn happily to the dance. I like the style and it was pretty easy to put together. I am sure I will do another one and not try to “fix” it and then it will turn out splendidly. All I see are fitting issues, but I got many compliments on it at the dance, so perhaps to the non-sewing eye it looked fine.
Most of the sewing was quilting stuff. I am still in progress on the Giraffe Baby quilts. The tops are done now, and I spent the weekend practicing free motion quilting. Here was my very first attempt.
Not perfect, but not too shabby for a first try. But I wanted a bunch more practice before I quilted on the Baby quilts, particularly since they are a gift. I decided to make a very small little quilt to put on the cat’s window seat, a Cat Mat. I figured the cats wouldn’t care if the quilting was a little wonky!
I whipped together this quilt top and quilted it as my second practice piece.
Much better! Still not perfection, but good enough to start on the Baby quilts. I set it aside to do the binding later.
I actually finished the quilting on one of the Baby quilts and started the binding. There are a few boo-boos, but I don’t think they are noticeable and I really feel like I am getting the hang of free-motion quilting on my machine. But all of these projects are very small, so doing the Mod quilt will still be an adventure. I will try to have pictures of the finished quilt top tomorrow, but no promises as I am meeting with Vintage Pants dude again tonight to go over some changes he wants in the pants.
Busy Busy Busy!!!
Parting shot: The children are enjoying the end of rain and the opening of the house.
01 May 2009
So many toddlers, so little time
Been quilting up a storm and I am almost done with the Mod Sampler quilt top. I finally get my fancy machine Sven back from the spa today....so no more excuses about starting the actual quilting part of the quilt.
And of course, my scatterhead has started new quilts before the first one is finished. But this time it actually makes sense. The Husband and I between us have about a billion friends having babies in the next few months, so I am making several small baby quilts. These will be easier to machine quilt than the big lap quilt, so good to do them first for the practice. I'll take some photos of the fabrics and progress this weekend, but I think they will be really cute. Children's quilt fabric has come a long way from the cutesy stuff it used to be. Now you can get cute AND funky. YEAH! There was even some robot fabric that I had to buy for myself. :-)
Speaking of cute and funky, more toddler shirts, made several more for the many many toddlers of my acquaintance. Cause everybody wants some...I want some too! (sorry, Cusack flashback. it happens.)
I like what I did with the hippo--took off the bird, resized, and reversed so there is a momma and a baby. Designs, of course, from Urban Threads.
Before I do the quilting this weekend, I need to work on a commission piece. There is a REALLY good lead in our local swing community who wants some vintage style pants. He has a pattern that a tailor made him long ago, but no one to make the pants. It has been really interesting to work from someone else's hand-drafted pattern and it is a fun project. Plus I get paid with some private dance lessons, which is great!
And of course, my scatterhead has started new quilts before the first one is finished. But this time it actually makes sense. The Husband and I between us have about a billion friends having babies in the next few months, so I am making several small baby quilts. These will be easier to machine quilt than the big lap quilt, so good to do them first for the practice. I'll take some photos of the fabrics and progress this weekend, but I think they will be really cute. Children's quilt fabric has come a long way from the cutesy stuff it used to be. Now you can get cute AND funky. YEAH! There was even some robot fabric that I had to buy for myself. :-)
Speaking of cute and funky, more toddler shirts, made several more for the many many toddlers of my acquaintance. Cause everybody wants some...I want some too! (sorry, Cusack flashback. it happens.)
I like what I did with the hippo--took off the bird, resized, and reversed so there is a momma and a baby. Designs, of course, from Urban Threads.
Before I do the quilting this weekend, I need to work on a commission piece. There is a REALLY good lead in our local swing community who wants some vintage style pants. He has a pattern that a tailor made him long ago, but no one to make the pants. It has been really interesting to work from someone else's hand-drafted pattern and it is a fun project. Plus I get paid with some private dance lessons, which is great!
13 February 2009
Flashback Friday, WAAAYYY Back. a.k.a. I'm a MAN, baby!!
Back in the good old days of December 2005, I was invited to a 12th Night party by a group of historical costuming friends whom I had only known via the interwebs. So I had a month to make an outfit to impress a group of people who knew what they were doing, all of whom had likely been working on their costumes for months and months and months.
No problem....yeaaaah.
I decide to go in drag as an 18th centuray man because all womens outfits for almost any period involved undergarments that I just didn't have time to make. Plus I had fabrics and patterns on hand (don't ask me why I had 18th century mens clothing patterns in my stash because I have no earthly idea).
The frockcoat and breeches I did in a grey cotton velvet that I had bought for an Elizabethan gown that I never got around to making. The waistcoat I did in a mulberry satin scrap that I don't even remember what I bought for it.
And what does a girl do when making an outfit in a hurry to make it look impressive..... embroider the CRAP out of it and hope no one notices the fitting and construction mistakes underneath the loud decorations. :-)
Here are some pics of me at the event.
The coat is totally unlined and the facings are safety pinned on the inside. The waistcoat armholes are also completely unfinished, not even bound, just zigzag-ed on the raw edges to keep them from fraying. I was not going to take that frock coat off, so I only finished what you could see. I totally forgot to make a shirt to wear under the waistcoat, so that is an old dress shirt that I forced to work, again hoping the Power of Embroidery would be distracting enough that no one would notice.
Details:
Breeches
I started out using a pattern by Pegree of Williamsburg which was HORRIBLE. I ended up scraping that version and using a pattern by J.P. Ryan instead (Yes, I not only had 18th century breeches patterns, but had several of them from different designers. No, I don't know why.). Every J. P. Ryan pattern I have worked with has been a delight to use. I recommend them.
To save time I made a bunch of alterations, so the finished product was not much like the pattern. I left out the pockets and the back gusset, and took out a lot of the fullness in the seat. The top of the pants are not even finished, just pinned together where it should button closed. Again, since it wasn't going to show, I didn't finish it. I did covered buttons in the grey velvet and used old purse buckles for the knee straps.
Frockcoat
Another J.P.Ryan pattern. I machine embroidered little designs (that matched the waistcoat designs) with yellow and gold metallic threads on grey velvet scraps and covered all the buttons. I used gold braid trim to outline all the buttonholes and the pocket flaps.
Waistcoat
I used a pattern from Rocking Horse Farms. The embroidery I did by machine, and used my new fangled "design" software for the first time to create the total embroidery design. I took a couple basic flower designs that came with the machine and doubled them, flipped them, repeated them, changed the colors, etc to fill the space. I used more gold braid trim to outline the pocket flaps and the edges of the waistcoat, and then used one of the decorative stitches already on my machine in metallic gold thread in between the braiding. Again, the buttons were embroidered and then covered to match the waistcoat.
All in all, an impressive outfit if you don't look too close. I made a grand entrance and I had a great time at the party and, once I got a little comfortable with the folks there (it was my first time meeting ANY of them in person!), we all had a little giggle as I opened the coat and revealed just how sloppy it really was.
No problem....yeaaaah.
I decide to go in drag as an 18th centuray man because all womens outfits for almost any period involved undergarments that I just didn't have time to make. Plus I had fabrics and patterns on hand (don't ask me why I had 18th century mens clothing patterns in my stash because I have no earthly idea).
The frockcoat and breeches I did in a grey cotton velvet that I had bought for an Elizabethan gown that I never got around to making. The waistcoat I did in a mulberry satin scrap that I don't even remember what I bought for it.
And what does a girl do when making an outfit in a hurry to make it look impressive..... embroider the CRAP out of it and hope no one notices the fitting and construction mistakes underneath the loud decorations. :-)
Here are some pics of me at the event.
The coat is totally unlined and the facings are safety pinned on the inside. The waistcoat armholes are also completely unfinished, not even bound, just zigzag-ed on the raw edges to keep them from fraying. I was not going to take that frock coat off, so I only finished what you could see. I totally forgot to make a shirt to wear under the waistcoat, so that is an old dress shirt that I forced to work, again hoping the Power of Embroidery would be distracting enough that no one would notice.
Details:
Breeches
I started out using a pattern by Pegree of Williamsburg which was HORRIBLE. I ended up scraping that version and using a pattern by J.P. Ryan instead (Yes, I not only had 18th century breeches patterns, but had several of them from different designers. No, I don't know why.). Every J. P. Ryan pattern I have worked with has been a delight to use. I recommend them.
To save time I made a bunch of alterations, so the finished product was not much like the pattern. I left out the pockets and the back gusset, and took out a lot of the fullness in the seat. The top of the pants are not even finished, just pinned together where it should button closed. Again, since it wasn't going to show, I didn't finish it. I did covered buttons in the grey velvet and used old purse buckles for the knee straps.
Frockcoat
Another J.P.Ryan pattern. I machine embroidered little designs (that matched the waistcoat designs) with yellow and gold metallic threads on grey velvet scraps and covered all the buttons. I used gold braid trim to outline all the buttonholes and the pocket flaps.
Waistcoat
I used a pattern from Rocking Horse Farms. The embroidery I did by machine, and used my new fangled "design" software for the first time to create the total embroidery design. I took a couple basic flower designs that came with the machine and doubled them, flipped them, repeated them, changed the colors, etc to fill the space. I used more gold braid trim to outline the pocket flaps and the edges of the waistcoat, and then used one of the decorative stitches already on my machine in metallic gold thread in between the braiding. Again, the buttons were embroidered and then covered to match the waistcoat.
All in all, an impressive outfit if you don't look too close. I made a grand entrance and I had a great time at the party and, once I got a little comfortable with the folks there (it was my first time meeting ANY of them in person!), we all had a little giggle as I opened the coat and revealed just how sloppy it really was.
27 October 2008
More Wedding Madness
I took a few more pics yesterday with a friend of the ceremony dress, since I wore it so little at the wedding.
You can see here, I went with the embroidered buttons. And now looking at it I wonder if the red ones would have been better. And holy cow, why didn't someone tell me it wrinkled so badly in back. Although folks tell me that it didn't look that wrinkled during the actual ceremony. Hmmm. But this shows the train nicely.
Photo by Rosemary
Studio shot of me and Trey.
Photo by Rosemary
Looking at all the wedding photos for pictures that show's Trey's suit, I realize how very bride focused weddings are. Not that I am complaining. But here are a few that show Trey's suit in part at least. As you can see, the time constraints bit me in the butt and it became a two piece rather than a three piece suit. I finished the jacket about midnight the night before the wedding, so there was no way I was going to try to do a vest then. I made the jacket, pants, and the tie.
Photos by Rosemary
I will try to convince Trey to do a few sewing room photos to show some of the construction details. I think he is getting tired of being a groom/model though. :-)
You can see here, I went with the embroidered buttons. And now looking at it I wonder if the red ones would have been better. And holy cow, why didn't someone tell me it wrinkled so badly in back. Although folks tell me that it didn't look that wrinkled during the actual ceremony. Hmmm. But this shows the train nicely.
Photo by Rosemary
Studio shot of me and Trey.
Photo by Rosemary
Looking at all the wedding photos for pictures that show's Trey's suit, I realize how very bride focused weddings are. Not that I am complaining. But here are a few that show Trey's suit in part at least. As you can see, the time constraints bit me in the butt and it became a two piece rather than a three piece suit. I finished the jacket about midnight the night before the wedding, so there was no way I was going to try to do a vest then. I made the jacket, pants, and the tie.
Photos by Rosemary
I will try to convince Trey to do a few sewing room photos to show some of the construction details. I think he is getting tired of being a groom/model though. :-)
08 September 2008
Proof!
I did some work this weekend! Muslins for both dresses are done and fitted, The Boy's pants are started, and the petticoat for my reception dress is about halfway completed. Here are some pictures of the ceremony muslin.
Me in Muslin
It was interesting to fit the bodice of this dress. It is constructed in two layers and I decided to make the underlayer red and have it peak out above the overlay. I raised the neckline of the underlayer about 1.5 inches, both to show more of the red and because it was a little too low cut. I did the usual FBA for princess seams on the underlayer, and it was good to go.
The overlayer was more of a challenge. I didn't want to change it too much, because the fun pleats are a main element of the design--but the B cup pattern was not going to fit me right out of the envelope. what I ended up doing is making the pattern pieces with no alterations and just pinning them in place over the underlayer in whatever way they fit. I ended up taking out a fair amount at the side seams, especially on the bottom so it would fit nicely over my bust. I took a tiny little dart out in the side to make the armhole lay better, but I don't think that took anything away from the design. It worked out in the end I think. It would have been MUCH harder if I hadn't wanted the underlayer to show, but since I did, I didn't have to worry about raising the line of the overlayer or anything like that.
Back Train
This is a horrible shot of the back with the train, but you can get the general idea. I split the vogue pattern and the red bit is the fantail skirt which will cascade out the back split. I am going to have buttons down the back to the point of the split. There will be a slight bustle effect in the back, all the better to hide my natural bustle (i.e. Big Butt) a little better.
The Boy's pants are not finished, but the most time consuming parts are done--i.e. the pockets! I never thought before just how much time the pockets take, since most of the pants I make for myself either don't have pockets or aren't made under a deadline. Here is a little shot of the back welt, which still need a little more pressing.
Tomorrow I will try to post about a shirt I made last week for an office bowling party....my first Jalie disappointment. Sigh.
Me in Muslin
It was interesting to fit the bodice of this dress. It is constructed in two layers and I decided to make the underlayer red and have it peak out above the overlay. I raised the neckline of the underlayer about 1.5 inches, both to show more of the red and because it was a little too low cut. I did the usual FBA for princess seams on the underlayer, and it was good to go.
The overlayer was more of a challenge. I didn't want to change it too much, because the fun pleats are a main element of the design--but the B cup pattern was not going to fit me right out of the envelope. what I ended up doing is making the pattern pieces with no alterations and just pinning them in place over the underlayer in whatever way they fit. I ended up taking out a fair amount at the side seams, especially on the bottom so it would fit nicely over my bust. I took a tiny little dart out in the side to make the armhole lay better, but I don't think that took anything away from the design. It worked out in the end I think. It would have been MUCH harder if I hadn't wanted the underlayer to show, but since I did, I didn't have to worry about raising the line of the overlayer or anything like that.
Back Train
This is a horrible shot of the back with the train, but you can get the general idea. I split the vogue pattern and the red bit is the fantail skirt which will cascade out the back split. I am going to have buttons down the back to the point of the split. There will be a slight bustle effect in the back, all the better to hide my natural bustle (i.e. Big Butt) a little better.
The Boy's pants are not finished, but the most time consuming parts are done--i.e. the pockets! I never thought before just how much time the pockets take, since most of the pants I make for myself either don't have pockets or aren't made under a deadline. Here is a little shot of the back welt, which still need a little more pressing.
Tomorrow I will try to post about a shirt I made last week for an office bowling party....my first Jalie disappointment. Sigh.
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