Do you have a fabric that you’ve been SAVING instead of SEWING?
Yeah. Me too.
So when Whitney Luckenbill of TomKat Stitchery asked me to be a part of her “Precious Fabrics Challenge“, I felt a rush of inspiration.
I knew exactly the fabric I’d choose.
I said yes right away.
The timing was also perfect! It was a Challenge to sew a new garment during the month of September, and Raleigh Frocktails was scheduled for September 27.
I’d combine two fun Sewing Community Challenges into one!
Learn more about the Precious Fabric Challenge here.
Learn more about Raleigh Frocktails here.
Welcome to Part One of my new blog series! This first post is mostly about the thought process I went through to decide what I’d make.
My Precious...
The “Precious Fabric” I chose for the Challenge is an absolutely delicious silk/linen matelassé that I bought at my local fine fabrics store Mulberry Silks in December 2013. I still have the receipt.
At that time, I was a custom wedding dressmaker shopping for a bride named Diane. Only this time I wasn’t making a dress. I was making a bridal blouse, vest, and pants.
I still very clearly remember seeing this matelassé at the store and falling absolutely in love.
Matelassé is textured fabric that has been woven with a design that appears to be padded, but there’s no padding within the fabric. My precious matelassé features an abstract floral pattern woven with silk and linen threads. It has a gorgeous drape, texture, sheen, and creamy color. Just delicious!
It didn’t take much to convince Diane to choose it for her bridal blouse. She loved it too.
It became a gorgeous custom shirt for Diane’s wedding day, and it was an absolute pleasure to sew!
BONUS: I bought extra yardage to someday make myself something with it.
Well, that someday was now.
Nearly 12 years later.
The Inspirations
And now, even though it’s been ready for me to sew for over a decade, I still didn’t know what I’d make with it. What design would suit this special fabric- and be something I would I actually wear?
Whitney’s challenge was the catalyst. Maybe Raleigh Frocktails could be the inspiration…
Raleigh Frocktails had announced a Sneaker Ball theme! A Sneaker Ball is an event where people dress in fine attire while wearing sneakers. So fun! This gave me permission to play around with ideas that are fun and kind of fancy.
A dress? A top and a skirt?
I might wear separates more often. I could mix and match each piece with other clothes…
And would I leave it white? I don’t really wear white, but it’s soooo pretty white…
And if not white, what color? I have no doubt this fabric will dye beautifully. Silk and linen are natural fibers. It could be any color…
Oh the possiblities!
At some point, while seriously considering making a fancy white shirt for myself (something I’m not sure I’ve ever owned), I remembered a design from Tomoko Nakamichi’s book “Pattern Magic 2”.
She offers a menswear inspired design where the necktie disappears into the garment. Have you seen this before? I just love it. It’s such a patternmaker nerd design. I had a hunch it would be fun to make, and to wear!
Custom sewing (which is the type of sewing I love and teach) is sewing from an image.
My background is professional theatrical costuming, though I’ve never been a Costume Designer. My MFA is in Costume Production. My special skills involve taking the designer’s sketch, (or any sketch, photo, or image) and turning it into a custom-fit 3D reality for a specific person to wear. It’s really fun and satisfying. And it is an integral part of the “behind the scenes” creation process that often goes without acknowledgment.
I’m not really a designer. And I don’t need or want to be. Not my area of interest! I have a separate set of skills, that is equally worthy of celebration.
Since I can draft my own custom-fit patterns based on any inspiration image, I could have moved forward with just the Vanishing Tie photo.
But I had some questions.
My First Big Question
My first question was: Is this really a wearable garment, or just a fun exercise for patternmaking students?
I find that most “Patternmaking Origami” ideas are super-fun for the patternmaker, but not something that would translate into something someone would actually want to wear.
This book is “Pattern Magic 2” (of 4)- and the only one I own. Though I’ve looked through all four (which you can peek into the pages on Amazon) and I love love love the ideas for patternmaking practice (soooo inspiring! I’m serious, go take a look), this Vanishing Tie shirt and a few other designs in this book, were the only ones I could imagine a real person wearing.
That said, this book has been around since 2007 and I’ve never seen anyone actually wearing this Vanishing Tie idea.
And after looking closely at the instructions in the book, it seemed like the answer to my First Big Question was the latter: Not wearable. Womp womp
The way the author shows putting the shirt together seemed like it would only work in a practice garment like the one in the photo.
If I followed the instructions, it seemed like it would create a shirt that would be impossible to wear as an actual garment, since the knotted necktie would be permanently sewn around the neck.
Works great for a mannequin with no head.
I (thankfully) have a head.
(And I thankfully don’t need to follow someone else’s directions.)
And two heads are better than one.
I shared the puzzle with my handsome husband Charles- who also thought this would be a cool design for my Precious Fabric Frocktails outfit. Together we brainstormed: Is there a way to make it actually work?
Charles had the excellent idea to cut the permanently knotted necktie at the center back neck, and add a clasp that would be hidden under the collar.
That made sense to me!
I even unexpectedly had a small ivory bra clasp- from inside a Porcelynne Lingerie Supplies packet as part of my Pattern Con Swag Bag.
I think it could work!
Now to be clear, when I start a new project, I never know how it is going to go together.
But it now seemed possible,
and that’s all I need to get started.
Ha! I’m not the only one perplexed by the book’s instructions!
As I am now writing this blog post after my Vanishing Tie top has already been successfully completed, I finally googled to see if someone had made this top and shared it online. In the first post I clicked, the blogger added “Forewarning, the sequence in the book IT DOES NOT WORK.”
So remember ya’ll: Resources are only ever a starting point. Learn to write your own directions.
My Next Big Question
Now that I was pretty sure it was possible to construct a wearable version of Tomoko Nokamichi’s Vanishing Tie sample, that a real person could get in and out of, I was ready to explore My Next Big Question:
Though this muslin version looks very cute and cool on this standard-sized half-scale dress-form, would it look good on me?
Let’s find out!
I love my custom Sketching Silhouette/ Croquis tool! Here’s how to make your own. I’ve been using my digital version more and more.
And one of the many cool things about sketching in the iPad app ProCreate, is that it records a video of your process.
Click to watch how I played around with sketching a version of my inspiration top onto the silhouette of my body, and brainstormed potential skirt ideas. This wasn’t one sketching session. I pondered and played with these design lines for several days.
I’m into it! I like how it looks on me!
For the Frocktails Sneaker Ball, I was thinking I’d pair this top with a fancy gathered above-the-knee skirt made from the same matelessé, which I planned to dye navy. I liked the idea of a masculine-inspired top paired with a fancy poofy girly-girl skirt.
But I couldn’t sketch something that looked right to me…
Then, Raleigh Frocktails got cancelled. Bummer!
So my Next Big Question became:
Would I still make this Vanishing Tie design for the Precious Fabric Challenge? Where would I wear it?
Say "Yes"to the Sketch!
As I brainstormed other options for what I might make myself with my “precious” matelassé, I realized that I was already pretty obsessed with the Vanishing Tie idea.
And the permission to be less fancy helped me pair my Vanishing Tie top design with a simpler A-line skirt- a nerd-girl look I think I’d like to wear. I liked each piece separately and together! No formal event required.
I even fiddle-farted around to add the fabrics onto the sketch. Saremy Duffy of Sew Sew Live has a good tutorial on how to do this.
I even thought about dyeing the top gold…
Sketching is really fun…
And I guess I had my answer!
The Challenge was about to begin.
I had no other ideas for this fabric.
And I think I’m in love with this one…
Yes! I guess I’m doing this! Or at least taking the next step!
My Next Step
One of the things I love most about the custom sewing process is that I do not need to have everything figured out. All I need to figure out is my next step. The rest of my plan can take its time to reveal itself.
All you’ve got to do is say yes.
You learn how it goes together by trying to put it together.
Though I was still thinking about colors, that decision could wait. The skirt could wait too. I don’t even have to commit to making this top from this fabric yet.
Custom sewing is all about proceeding while using reversible, adjustable processes. The original ideas naturally evolve and sort themselves out as you move forward.
And right now, I’m just getting started with my best first guess.
My next no-risk step: Employ my sketch and my custom patternmaking tools to help me rough out a first draft of the main bits of my top’s custom-fit pattern.
Here’s a sneak peek into Part Two of this blog series: Patternmaking!
Questioning is the Answer.
Any time you craft something you’ve never made before, questions are inevitable.
In custom sewing, this is very exciting. Answering your own questions is how the project moves forward. And the answers are usually decided by your own personal preferences.
If you are altering a pre-made pattern, the inevitable questions that arise can be more frustrating. Your questions are most often “Why did they?” and there’s likely no way to know the answers. You are making guesses about someone else’s process.
In custom sewing, most questions are “How do I…?” and there are often many correct answers. You can test out your options and make your own choices based specifically on your project, your materials, your tools, your body, your skills, and your preferences. And there are lots of opportunities to make changes, pivots, and improvements along the way. It’s so fun and satisfying, ya’ll!
Spoiler: In the final garment, I did not end up using Charles’s clasp idea. I came up with something different as was working through the steps of the custom process. But his idea was the answer that moved the project forward and a critical part of this top becoming a reality.
I love the twists and turns in each story, and the evolution that each custom sewing project goes through, as you slowly move forward, one step at a time.
Thanks for following along!
NEXT POST: PT 2- PATTERNMAKING! I’ll use my sketch, my custom sewing tools, and some basic patternmaking principles to draft a Size-Brooks Ann pattern for my Vanishing Tie top.
2 Responses
I love this! I can’t wait to hear more! And I love how much I have learned from your classes and now custom sew for myself! I am sketching out ideas for a dress with my skirt and top blocks from Skirt Skills and Top Class. I have learned to embrace taking the next step and figuring it out as I go. I used to get frustrated, and now I understand that there is no rush and I can make something I will love. Thanks so much Brooks Ann!
Yay! My pleasure. So great to hear!