Prada Fall 2008

I'm inspired by the Prada lace styles that are making the rounds of all the magazines now, so I decided I should make an "Homage to Prada" skirt for the fall. However, finding the right lace was a bit more difficult than I anticipated. There's nothing beyond Joann's and Hancock's here, and an eBay search didn't yield anything that I absolutely loved.


Then I read Liana's post about the beautiful lace she bought from Lace Mart, so I bought some too.


Actually 2 pieces. This one is E025:





This one is E044. Both photos courtesy of Lace Mart.





Now, I love the green, but it's not quite right for the Prada look. So, I'll be saving it for another project. It really is gorgeous. So the black is my choice for this project, it's not quite as exuberant as the Prada lace, but I also can't go to Switzerland and have it custom made like the original.


I'll be using the fabric edge. Most of the Prada skirts show a turned up hem, but a few don't:





Unlike the runway models, I won't be wearing the skirt without something underneath. I'm considering making a couple of underskirts (aka: slips) to wear underneath, a beige one and a black one. That way, I can switch off depending on my mood.


(Prada photos from Style.com)

Gratuitous Cat Pictures

La Bellette Rouge has asked for some cat photos. Well, I could link to some past blog posts (and probably will anyway), but it would be more fun to post some pictures of my little darlings. This one is the original post, then there's this one and let's not forget this!


This one is Ghost, who is ancient (18):




This one is Smudge. He's 9, not young but still going strong:




In looking through previous cat posts, I realized that it's been about a month since Smudge injured his tail. Ghost's surgery was in March. It's been a big year for vet bills!


I've had cats as long as I can remember, starting with the Jinx dynasty of my childhood. Several orange tomcats in a row, all with the same name. Then, the "blue" series, which actually means the animal is gray. I started with with Anastasia, then Oz, Ghost, Troubles, and Smudge. Smudge, though mostly white, has gray accents on his head and was almost named Mikhail Gorbachev as a result.

The kitties are home!

I picked them up Thursday evening after work. Smudge's tail is healed. However, I had the vet perform a couple of additional procedures since he was being boarded anyway. He had some stitches taken on his left eyelids, so he'll be wearing the collar for another week. Now the fur won't rub and irritate his eye any more. He also had his teeth cleaned.

Ghost was just along for boarding, although they did tell me she'd need a chip installed due to city ordinance. Why they didn't tell me on the front end? I could have had it taken care of then. Oh well. It's not difficult or expensive, so I'll take her back in the next week or so.

The kitties are happy to be back and enjoying their home! Hopefully, they didn't mind the boarding too much.

Completely Over the Top

...that's what the wedding was! I thought I'd been to some fancy weddings in the past but this one was definitely "It."


The entire event--ceremony, reception, and dinner took place at a country club on Long Island. Transportation was provided for the guests from the hotels to the club. Good thing--we never would have found it on our own!


The color palette was definitely minimalist. The flowers were all white: primarily roses and lilies. Lots of them, too. The bridesmaids wore champagne gowns and carried white roses. The bride wore cream Vera Wang. Black tuxedos for all the gentlemen in the wedding. Much black in the audience, too. Yep, this was a Manhattanite wedding. Music was provided by a small chamber ensemble.


After the ceremony, a reception with copious amounts of food, most of which was prepared to order. Shrimp as big as my fist, lamb chops, ravioli, sushi, escabeche, Chinese duck, lobster tails. And a complete open bar. The band at this stage was a jazz combo.


After all of that, the doors opened to the dinner dance, with your choice of filet mignon, Chilean sea bass, or chicken breast as your entree. A large cover band at this stage. This picture shows the bride, groom, the cake (chocolate), and the band:





There was a cigar lounge following the dinner with a guy custom-making the cigars. No, I'm not kidding!


We were sent home with a bags of bagels, cream cheese and Sunday's New York Post, which I found amusing. I always figured the bride as a New York Times kind of girl.


There was also a post-wedding brunch on Sunday. We didn't attend but I imagine it was also incredible. I'll have to ask my sister. Here we are at the big event:





The wedding had around 275 guests, including former NBA stars Dikembe Mutumbo and Patrick Ewing. Here they are with DF:





BTW, the flower arrangement that opens this post is the same one that appears behind Dikembe's head in this picture. There was one of those at each table.


All in all, quite the experience. That's probably the last wedding I'll attend of that magnitude, as I'm all out of wealthy relatives unless DF's niece and nephews marry into money.

Greetings from New Jersey: a Quick Update

8/21/08: Edited to add some links!

I'm still in the Tri-States, having left Long Island Sunday afternoon for DF's hometown, Hasbrouck Heights. This vacation has had a lot of activity, but here are a few highlights of our agenda:

• Saturday: the fanciest wedding I've ever been to in my life, a complete bacchanal. I've never seen so much food and drink in my life! When I get back I'll post some photos and expand on what took place.
• Sunday: off to meet with DF's family for a matinee production of Spamalot on Broadway. Do go see this if you ever have the chance. I laughed for 2 hours solid.
• Sunday night: Dinner with DF's family at the Charthouse, which has a tremendous view of the NYC skyline. The website has sound (hate that!), but there are some nice photos.
• Monday: off to NYC to the Empire State Building. We also went to Little Italy, which is almost gone, for lunch at Vincent's. I also made DF go up 7th Ave. to the Garment District to see the Needle and Button statue, also the Garment Worker statue. No time to shop, but now I know where to go. Unfortunately, we did not see Tim Gunn or anyone else from Project Runway (kidding!), although I did see Parson's.
• Today: A tour of Northern NJ, including a visit to DF's oldest friend "Richie the Dentist." I think we're going out to dinner or something tonight.

Additional highlights included several experiences with mass transit, including the Long Island Railroad, the Jersey bus system, cabs, and the subways of New York. I know this may not seem like such a big deal to some of you, but remember that I'm a Southern girl living in the West and we don't really have mass transit. For the most part it was cool, and I'd definitely use it if I lived in a major metro area.

Off to Lawn Guyland

DF and I are heading to NY early Thursday morning for a week of East Coast living. The first half is Long Island, where my sis' niece is getting married. The second half is north Jersey to visit DF's family in Bergen County.



Other than the wedding, a Broadway matinee, and a family gathering at DF's sister's house, I'm not sure what the agenda is. DF and I are both beat due to work and would like to de-stress by keeping the schedule simple. I know, I know...de-stressing and Gotham don't exactly go together, but you do what you can. I've been working a series of long days and I desperately need a break.



I'm not sure how much computer access I'm going to have while I'm gone, so don't be surprised if it's quiet here at SewWest for a while.


Yo, get outta heah, will ya!?

The eBay Lot

I mentioned winning this lot in a previous post, and I just had to post some pictures. I've had a chance to check through them all, and they're exactly as described. Thanks, *legallyblonde! for an excellent purchasing experience!







At this point, my favorites are the purple Givenchy (lower right in 2nd photo), the red Geoffrey Beene (upper left in 3rd photo), and the Ralph Lauren (upper right in 3rd photo).

True, these are a little more recent than what some of y'all would consider vintage. Umm, yeah, you have a point. But that's the beauty of it for me: they're 20-30 year old designs but still fresh for the most part.

More on Vintage Goddess aka Crossover Bodice Dresses

Gigi recently wrote about a couple of "vintage goddess" dresses she'd won on eBay. They're circa 1970's dresses that feature crossover treatments on the front. Well, it dawned on me that I also had a couple of dress patterns with that feature from a different era, and I mentioned that I'd post them to the blog. Interestingly (to me anyway), the dresses I had in mind were from both ends of the 1990's.

Here's the 1990 version:



Still a lot of 1980's influence in this one, but classic. I'm considering a work dress from View A or B.

Then there's this one from 1999, the other side of the decade. Less structure, less pleating. Definitely a minimalist take on the crossover style:



I like this one, too, a lot. I'd make any of the views, but the length would be short like View A regardless of the sleeves. Long doesn't look right to me at this time.

No Sew Saturday

I thought that would probably happen once DF and I decided to get together last night. He's working both days this weekend since we have the trip coming up, and the original plan was for me to be on my own Saturday and Sunday. Oh well. I do rather like seeing him...

I ended up doing a lot of running around yesterday. My Santa Fe needed its 45,000 mile maintenance, and the appointment was in the afternoon. The dealer is located across from the mall, so they offered to take me there while I was waiting. I didn't buy much except a couple of bras at Dillard's. I did get a little snoop shopping in, though. There were some neat things I may copy.

The first was using lace yardage as interfacing. I was looking at some sheer tunics that used this technique to line the front facing. At first, I thought they'd overprinted a design over the main print. But no, cream or white lace was layered between. The facing side was the same fabric as the tunic but a light colored solid. I'm going to have to try it or at least do a mock up. Cute idea.

I also saw some knit tops that were similar to Marcy Tilton's new T shirt pattern, 8497.



The shirts had the same basic design lines as the green view. The lap went the opposite way, and the edges were finished instead of raw. The fabric was a bold Ed Hardy style print, and the lap was finished off with large silver snaps. The snaps were the kind you apply with the plier-like tool, not the sew on ones that are so popular now, and were attached through all layers so not functional as snaps. I loved the look but $90 for a cotton/lycra t-shirt is ridiculous no matter how kewl. I wish I'd been bold enough to take a photo of the display with my cell phone, but I thought the store might have a problem with that. Maybe I'll go back and do so in the dressing room!! At any rate, I have a whole new appreciation for Marcy's design eye (as if I needed a reminder).

At that point, I got the dealership to pick me up as I was malled out and had a short wait. I did stop by Target on the way home. An Isaac Mizrahi skirt jumped into the cart; it'll be cute for vacation. Unfortunately, it's not on Target's web page, so I'll need to post a photo later. It could not be easier to make--a drawstring tube skirt with welt pockets from a ticking stripe. But there were some cute designer-y details so I went for it.

I also received my latest eBay purchase, a group of several designer Vogues I got for $7 plus shipping. I need to go through them for completeness, but there are some nice ones in the group. Patou, Ungaro, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Yves St. Laurent, Givenchy, Geoffrey Beene, among others. There are a few I won't be keeping but I'm really happy at this point. I picked up the package from the mailbox on the way to the dealer, so I had the chance to look at them while I was waiting. I can be such a dork at times (but I don't care)!

Smudge has managed to pull off his tail dressing, so I'm off to the vet again this morning. I'd given him a break from the collar and didn't watch him closely enough. Hopefully, it'll be quick if I get in there right as they open.

Smudge Update, Day 14

We went back to the vet after work on Friday. More healing, I got to see the tail again and it looks much better! The last dressing change should happen on Tuesday.

Details: Chico's Basketweave Cattrall Skirt

I recently got an interesting skirt from Chico's that had some details that I thought I'd share. FYI, the skirt is sold out. So if you want a skirt like this, you'll need to make it! Here it is on a hanger, since the picture and description have already been pulled from Chico's web site.



The band trimming the bottom is latticework! Strips of coordinating fabric were cut on the bias and sewn together in a grid pattern. The very bottom edge is a bias binding of the same fabric. Great idea!



True to RTW, some shortcuts were taken that we sewers probably would not do. The lattice was completed for front and back, sewn on the bottom of each skirt piece, then the side seams were sewn. It doesn't look bad, but it's not the neatest finish.



Most sewers would not have left the back side of each bias strip raw like this. At the very least, a coverstitch could have been used? It looks ok from the front but the back looks more messy than I'd want on one of my creations.



I know it sounds like I'm complaining but I'm really not.

I like the skirt, it's cute on me, and it's a clever concept. And it was on sale! The original price was $108 and I got it for $26.12 with free shipping. Don't get me wrong, I didn't buy it just because of the price. I'd noticed it before and liked it. However, the price was what pushed me over the edge.

This would be a cute touch to replicate on a hem, sleeve, or even on pants legs. Keep in mind that the latticework does stiffen the hem, resulting in a bell-like silhouette. You could put it as a lower band as Chico's did, or make an insert, ending with a lower band of the main fabric. There was an example of this in Threads' recent article on working with sheers.

In addition to my previous comments, here are my suggestions for incorporating this technique into your own outfit:

• Use a lightweight fabric--the Chico's version uses rayon charmeuse for the skirt and poly charmeuse for the latticework, which works well.



• Finish the raw edges of the lattice strips. Yes, they're bias and shouldn't ravel out. But you know better! 'Nuff said.



• Lay out your lattice strips on a layer or two of stabilizer; a water soluble kind like Solvy should work fine. The lattice on the Chico's skirt starts with a layer of vertical strips overlaid with a layer of horizontal strips. The horizontal strips were finished and attached to the vertical strips at the same time. I think it would work better to finish all the strips, lay them out, and tack together the intersections. But whatever. When everything's laid out, layer some more Solvy on top, pin all layers together securely before moving the whole "sandwich" to the machine to sew together. Make a piece long enough to fit all the way around the bottom with one joining seam. I'd work "semi-round". In other words, sew one of the side seams, attach the lattice (still contained with in the stabilizer), then sew the remaining side seam, skirt, lattice and all. Then bind the edge. Then, and only then, remove the stabilizer after everything is safely attached.



• If you have a serger, use it. Lots of raw edges to deal with. If you don't have a serger, bind your seams.



• This technique would probably work better on a straight-ish hem edge vs. a curved one. I know, someone will prove me wrong. Good for you! I'm just saying that's how I'd work it.

By the way, I'm thinking of adding this kind of post as a semi-regular feature on my blog. I'm thinking posts like this, little construction details, etc. I may or may not go into much detail, it just depends on what I'm featuring. What do you think? Good idea? Meh? Let me know...

Properly Posting Simplicity 9505 View E

OK, I promised to post photos of my latest series in which I'm cranking out multiples. Somehow, this seems to happen a lot with my sleepwear. I tend to make several pair of pj pants at a time, too. This is the rest of Simplicity 9505 View E, which I discussed before. The picture in that post was of Version 2, since Version 1 was in the laundry.


It seems only right that I should lead off with Version 1, then:




This one was made from a cotton remnant from Jo-Ann's, and it's perfect for this time of year with its beach print.


The next two were cut at the same time by stacking the fabrics. So, some semi assembly line production occurred. The fabric for the next one came from Louise Cutting's former store in Maitland, Florida. It was a souvenir of one of my many visits to the Orlando area to see my sis and the BIL.




This one was also the start of the extraneous facing incident which I wrote about in this post. To recap, I wasn't paying attention and put a facing on the back of both gowns that I was making at the time. Assembly line sewing can be a good thing, but remember that there's a downside as well. Such as:




Thankfully it turned out to be no big deal, just another design element. But I was still a bonehead.


This last one is a busy print, but it features hummingbirds. They're a favorite bird of mine, tiny yet fierce. This fabric came from a shop in Farmington, NM up in the 4 Corners region where New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona come together. Unfortunately, the shop didn't make it, but the 4 Corners is a still a cool area to visit.




These were so simple to make, real fun and easy projects. DF actually likes them, too!


On a tangent: While I was taking the nightgown pictures inside the house, this was going on outside:




The rain hasn't started here yet, but the temperature has dropped drastically and the winds have picked up. Hooray for rain!

Smudge Update, Day 9

Another quick update...

The Little Man and I went back to the vet yesterday for another bandage change. I actually got a chance to look at the tail. Still yucky, but it does appear to be healing up. Received another bottle of Clavamox (antibiotic) for him to take, but the dose has been lowered to 1 mL twice a day.

I gave Smudge a little break from the collar when we got home so he could clean up and rest. The vet suggested that we should only do this under supervision. If he gets bored, he could start to pull off the dressing.

And in sewing news, the fourth nightgown was completed Friday night, just in time for Garment a Month. I didn't embellish as I thought I would. The fabric is busy and doesn't show the extraneous facing at all, so I let it be. I've made 4, which should get me through the rest of the summer. I still plan to do a proper post with pictures soon. Promise.