Sneak peak

A few pics for the corset photoshoot.

First Commission!

I'm very excited that I've received my first commission for Marlena! I was contacted by an old friend to construct a beautiful wedding pajama set. The couple is going for a non-traditional pajama themed wedding. The underdress will be a princess seamed slip dress with a sheer overlay that is longer. The color story will be ivory and pink.

Here's her inspiration pics:

Under dress

Over dress

 

Plus size patterns

I'm starting a resource list of useful links for plus size patterns. These can be hard to find and I hope to add to it as I discover more. If you are a plus size pattern designer, I'd love to feature you here or if you know of some great ones, leave me a comment or send me an email.

Want to get the fit right?



Barbara Deckert's Online Sewing Class is a great way to get started with learning fitting techniques for the curvy body. Crafty's video format gives you 24/7 video access to the course work, plus you can ask questions to the instructor and other students in a asynchronous chat format aka you don't have to be online at the same time. You can post pics of problems or finished garments in the community as well. By using the affiliate link above you help fund my little fabric stash.


Pattern Review

A great place to check out how well patterns work out in real life fabric (and on real life bodies) is to check out Pattern Review. Lots of helpful sewers here! Tons of information, it's easy to get into information overload. If I'm interested in a pattern while I'm out shopping I pull up this site on my phone before I make my decision.

Fashion Patterns

I love supporting independent designers, especially if they happen to be local! Fashion Patterns is based in Washington, state that is:) Connie offers plus size sewing pattern in sizes 1-6X, she has a nice selection of patterns including dresses, tops, lingerie and pants. Check out the site here http://www.fashionpatterns.com/ She also offers books and videos on sewing, patternmaking, etc and straight sized patterns.

Sis Boom/The Scientific Seamstress

Not just for plus sizes, but most if not all of her women's patterns are sized to include plus sizes. I absolutely love Carla's attention to detail and the thoroughness of all her patterns. As a fellow scientist myself I love the way she has put together her "lab manuals" for the patterns. She includes step by step directions and clear pictures of each step in her ebook patterns. The great thing is you can purchase and download immediately and get to work. Purchasing through this link helps keep this blog going (*affiliate disclaimer, I heart You Can Make This website and I personally spend much more on this site than I make through affiliate sales, but hey every bit helps when you're a start up)


Butterick

Butterick, although part of the big 3, has some pretty nice plus size patterns, especially if you're looking for career or casual wear.  Most patterns are offered multisize 18W-24W. http://butterick.mccall.com/plus-size-pages-156.php


Style Arc

Style Arc is an Australian based pattern company. I've heard great things about this company (fit-wise and instruction wise) and they have very stylish patterns! Their plus size offering goes up to size 30. Very fashion forward, I love the gallery and the photos of celebrities along side with their patterns.

Got any favorites? Leave a comment below!

Corsetry Part 2

I'm finally finished with my first corset! Truly a labor of love. This custom pattern required at least 4 separate fittings and many adjustments along the way. I learned a lot about my body, pattern making, grading, fitting, and handling power tools. As Dr. Whaley, Provost of the New York Fashion Academy says "making a corset is part sewing and part metalwork." I also learned you need a lot of hand strength to make a corset...from cutting coutil to setting the grommets to cutting the boning oh and hand sewing through 6 layers of coutil while trying to keep dotted material nice and even, I realized I need to work on my hand strength. Anyone have any exercises?

 My corset has a gentle sweetheart neckline and a v-shaped lower silhouette. Red and black tapestry patterned coutil make up the outer part of this lined corset. The lining is red polka dots on a black back ground. The corset has a 7 closure (extra long) busk in the front and laces in the back with metal tipped polyester lacing. I believe there are 22 grommets on each side. The edges of the corset are bound with the polka dot coutil. The over the bust bones are spiral and the rest are medium weight steel bones. If you want any other details just ask!

Without further ado, here's my beautiful corset. Want to see the progression? Check out the in progress pics in part 1. Professional pictures coming soon, so stayed tuned.

Front of corset

Back of corset

Corsetry

Canvas mock up

Stitching up mock up

Fitting #3 with lace up strips

Fabric selection

Final custom pattern

Preparing lining for cutting

Figuring out layout for fashion fabric

Grommets set

Laced up!

Only the binding is left to finish

To be continued....

Line and proportion

Line and proportion are two topics that aren't talked about as much as they should imho. The line or silhouette of the clothing can make you look taller, thinner, or shorter and stumpier. Think of your favorite piece of clothing or outfit. How does it fit you? How does it make you feel? Now take a closer look. I want you to look at the design lines of the garment. Look at the seams. Which way do they go? Do they visually lengthen you? Do they add curves where you need them and skim/smooth those that need them? Does the garment flow or is it tight?

Some general concepts about lines:

-Vertical lines make you look taller and usually thinner. These lines help the eye visually lengthen as you look up and down. However if strong vertical lines are very far apart they start to look wider.

-Horizontal lines move side to side and visually increase your width. The more contrast there is the wider you will look also (think of a black and white horizontal, striped shirt).

-Diagonals are a bit in between horizontal and vertical. Depending on how much they tip one way or the other they can either be slimming or thickening.

-Curved lines add softness and femininity. You rarely see heavily curved design lines on mens' wear for this reason.

-Straight lines are seen as more formal.Often straight lines are seen in tailored garments. Straight lines can also counteract the natural curves of the body.

Proportion is how pieces make up the whole. For example, how does your jacket and skirt relate to each as part of the whole outfit? Its a type of relationship of your garment(s). Is your outfit pleasing to the eye? Or is it so off balanced that it just looks silly...perhaps a skimpy crop top paired with a full ball gown style skirt would not have a balanced proportion to your eye. With that being said, designers (and nature) often group things in odd numbers. Like 1, 3, or 5 buttons on a blazer or jacket. Odd numbers and odd proportions (1/3 vs 1/2) are often more visually interesting than a completely balanced outfit.

So next time you are putting together an outfit or sketching a new design, take a pause to think about your style lines and the proportion of the garment.

Dressing for your body shape

Over the years I've read a number of books on dressing for your body shape (if you want tips on how to find your own body shape take a look at my earlier post)

One of the best books I've ever found in Mary Duffy's  HOAX book. I believe it is out of print, but you can find it on Amazon. Feel free to use my affiliate link below, you'll help me stay in design school with your easy contribution!

Yes the book is a dated (it was written in the 80s) but it right on point, especially for fuller figures. I find this book to be an excellent reference! I used to check out this book from the library all the time. Mary Duffy was a former plus size model that created her own plus size modeling agency. She really knows her stuff. In her book she makes and argument for 4 basic body styles and nicknames them H, O, A, and X. For the H shape, she is a straight up and down body shape, with little waist definition. O is the typical apple shape, full on top and skinnier legs. An A lady is also called a pear shape, smaller on the top and full through the hips and legs. X is the hourglass shape a lot of women envy, full bust and full hips and small waist. No matter your body shape this book will help you look your best. I would really love to see this book updated and reprinted!