Haute Couture Club of Chicago - March 2010

March, 2010 edition - Haute Couture Club...,

The club met a few weeks ago. This is my first real opportunity to sit down to blog about it. This meeting was no different from the last; a joy. At the beginning the members meet and greet, then club business, contest review and judging, show and tell, and guest speaker. Immediately follow the meeting lunch for those who have time. A treat...,

There is so much that happenings in the "short" period of time. I'll give the highlights so you get a flavor of the day.

Club business - Upcoming Fashion Show April 18, 2010
Who is planning on showcasing their artistry; how many garments
Tickets anyone? - I bought five
All garments, finished and unfinished, should be brought to March 27th special meeting

Show and Tell
Opportunity for members to "show and tell" about something that they made/designed
(great motivational segment - very creative members)

Contest - Shoe Inspired Outfit
Three winners - Sorry the photos are not the best so I decided not to publish them.

Guest Speaker - Karen Snow - shared her knowledge of silk and silk painting

Tidbits on how silk is made - She passed around an actual silk cocoon with deceased worm inside. We got to see and touch the silk fleece and various weaves of fabric. At the end of the presentation, the members were invited to collectively design silk scarves.




Parting shot: Me wearing a pair of pants (black stretch woven from Pauline) made last week M5818. Top worn is S4020 made two years ago. The second pair are also black (cotton/poly twill from Pauline). I needed some simple black pants that I can grab in a hurry, like yesterday.




That's it!
C

The Finish Line Vogue 1084 - Part IV

It's been over two weeks since I last posted. March was a big submission deadline via our application. So I've had to support the users more than normal in addition to the other tasks assigned to me. On the home front, I've been out and about more than usual. Not much blog reading, but haven't missed out of sitting at the sewing machine. As far as blogging about it, I'm about five posts behind. Ms. PB's dinner dress is done! And in between the fittings and sewing of it, I managed to meet/shop with a few more clients, make two pair of pants and a skirt for me.

And oh yeah! On March 6th the Haute Couture club met (other post). We learned about silk and silk painting. The club is sponsoring a fashion show April 18th. Several ladies showed off their entries for the Challenge: "It Is All About The Shoes". Each contestants creates an outfit centered around a "interesting" pair of shoes. And loads of other exciting updates about the going ons of the club. Fun! Fun! Later...,

Back to Vogue 1084. This dress will be showcased on March 28th. I'll only give a few details today, but will post event photos and full review later. There were multiple changes in the design of the dress. Most mentioned in an earlier post. Since then, we've had two additional fittings, both last week.

Design changes -

- sleeves were changed to above the elbow and fitted
- hem sleeves just by turning under two inches and handstitching the hem in place.
- made an additional tie out of the contrasting fabric (back skirt)
- made three belts 3 inch wide (heavy interface), two 2 inch wide belt to tie at waist. (Just in case)

Fitting changes -

- taken in at sides, requiring removal of the zipper, bodice through hip area
- taken in at upper back (center and shoulder sections)
- making adjustment in back facing (ripping out inital facing, resizing a new one)
- increase the wideth and length of the back darts to address sway back

This was good experience for me. I love sewing silk dupioni. It handles well, easy to press, and is beautiful. Normally I underline it, but this time I didn't fear that it would affect the drape of the dress.

The pattern was average, I think. Some may feel the joining of the side bodice would be a little challenging, especially since it is very visual and there are two. It may be difficult to get the same finish in both.

Below are a few photos from the process of joining the side front to the front bodice and sleeve:






In closing, now I need to finish my outfit for the event. My fabric and shoes.
Happy Sewing!

Spring 2010 - Cadena! Can You Stand Some More?

Can you stand some more inspiration? Maybe not for those of you who saw the Oscars last night. So many fabulous dresses. There were a few nice tuxedos on the red carpet as well.

But for the sake of sewing "Real Way" instead of "Run Way", here are a few more of my favorites from the Spring Catalog. Enjoy!


Great details on this jacket. The white on black is something I want to incorporate into one of my Spring/Summer projects.



I've been wanting a similar jacket for a while. I need move it closer to the up of the ole list.



The layering technique used in this outfit is outstanding. It's fresh and doesn't look over done. (Side note - the models have big beautiful hair.)



Great use of fabric. The combination of the chiffon (belt) and the boucle (jacket) is interesting. The colors remind me of a dewy spring morning with the scents of gardenias and jasmine flowing in the air.



The big flower is definitely over the top. But I like the idea of the side flounce instead of a slit.

Happy Sewing!
C

2010 Fall Fashions - Dolce & Gabbana

This morning my DD walked into my office with the Wall Street Journal Personal Journal section. On the cover is a runaway photo from Dolce & Gabbana's recent Fall 2010 Fashion Show. The sub title reads: "The normally provocative Dolce & Gabbana sent a fleet of models down the runway in tailored jackets (above), while Marc Jacobs (right) featured a gray three-piece suit."

I haven't started sewing for Spring yet. Oh well...,

So that's the short of it. I'll check out my favorite online fashion show firstview in a few months to see what other designers have to say.

Happy Sewing and Designing! Have a fantastic weekend!
C

Getting Some Spring In My Wardrobe

There is always so much I want to do, but have so little time to do it in. This year is no exception. About three weeks ago, I started organizing a few projects just to have some ideas about what I want to sew over the next few months.

For starters dresses are always on the list. Here are a few I want to make before summer.

B5455 - Navy Starburst silk fabric from Fishman's





S2812 - Black and White Houndstooth fabric from Marji





S2473 - White with black topstitching (I already have several cuts of white fabric, but I don't know which one I'll use for this dress.)



These are a few garments on the Spring to make list. Needlesstosay, I'm still working on a few fall/winter pieces. All will be transition clothes as it's not Spring in Chicago until late May.

That's the short of it. Oh..., Several client projects (wardrobe for DS and Ms. CB's family reunion dress (V1138) and clothes for DD on the list as well. So I will be working on several projects at the same time. Next week I'll have an update on Ms. PB's dress. I finally decided on my banquet outfit (inspired by Cadena Fall 2008 design).

Happy Sewing!
C

Easter Is Almost Here!

We are about four weeks away from Easter. Not a lot of time. I've a few clients projects (separate posts). So I'm starting now on DD's Easter outfit. From my first muslin attempt I noticed quite a few alterations. Particularly in the shoulder area. I cut size 10 of S2588-first view on the left. Also revealed DD has square shoulder. It's very noticeable in this dress. From the muslin notes, you can see my challenge. I slashed the sleeve trying to see if that would help. I also pondered making slashes in the front and back yoke but decided that wouldn't solve the problem. The "pull" seems to be in the sleeves and upper bodice area just below the yoke. Any suggestions??? I definitely need to make another muslin to get it right. Other alterations observed: prince seam (front needs to be move just a little (1/4") towards the center and small sway back adjustment. The bottom of the back bodice needs a small adjustment as well, but I will wait until I see how the other changes affect the fit. This weekend I want to do the second muslin to see if I can solve the fitting issues. Suggestions on the broad, square shoulder alteration would be greatly appreciated.






I'm also making a matching jacket, S2558 view A-short version with bell sleeves.

The fabric that I'm using for the outfit is a fit from Marji. DD really likes the fabric.