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Tulle skirts #1427 - sewing!!!

2/28/2014

So ... or should I say "sew"? How DOES one tackle a skirt made with 35 yards of 54" wide tulle?

Before I get into it, let me say that only the knee length brown skirt requires that much fabric AND if you don't want to break the bank making this skirt, bolts of tulle can be purchased on line for pretty cheap.

The Tulle Shop sells 40 yard bolts in loads of colors for $11. Here's the link.

First, you have to cut it all ... gasp.

It at all possible ... DON'T REMOVE THE TULLE FROM THE BOLT. Just roll it out bit by bit, still folded in fourths and cut the necessary lengths. Get the measurements from the patterns, but don't bother laying the pattern tissue down. This pattern is designed to use the full width of the tulle.

Devise some code for all the layers and label them ... IMPORTANT!

Assemble all the layers and ruffles ... kind of messy at this point ... keep the labels on, still. Use safety pins.

Gather, and gather and gather. You can use a single line of gathering. And I did for a lot of it. There us just SO much.

Proportionally divide the skirt panels and ruffles. Again mark with safety pins, they don't fall out. Pull up the gathers and pin in large sections.

Fine tune the gathers at the machine as you get to each section, while sewing.

There are so many layers for the brown skirt I hand basted the last couple in place before sewing to make sure I kept it all where I wanted it.

The best way to gather is to use 2 rows of gathering stitches. One a 1/4 inch from the edge and one 7/8". That way the machine stitching goes right int the middle. This takes longer but assures the best results. I used this for the outer layers.

As you can see.

Just pull out the one that shows when the skirt is finished.

Because the under skirt is a circle, the hem of it will sag in sections. The hem needs to be marked while the skirt is being worn and that can't really happen until the skirt is finished, which is not a problem really for the shorter skirts.

But for the long ones ...

well, it's a good thing I take Yoga!

Actually I felt a bit like a car mechanic.

And, since this hem is under everything else, I use the roll hemming feature on my serger, the easiest.

Tah Daaaaahhh ... hope this gives you courage.

Please write in if you make these, or try any of this tips I've shared. I'd love to know if they work for other people.

So, I'm adding this on December 8th, 2014. Many people find the inner yoke confusing and some people have even let it out. If you are in that group, click on this link to read a blog were I try to explain the yoke a little more clearly ... blog link.

I'm adding this July 30th, 2015. I would love to see any and all of your finished skirts and how they were worn. Please send pictures to scheweandrea@yahoo.com. And tell me if I can post your photos.

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New Pattern #1427 - tulle skirt - trickier than it looks!

2/27/2014

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Story time ...

When I was asked to do these skirts, I thought "WOO HOO! ... a FASHION pattern and SO easy, just gathered tulle, I've done gathered tulle a million times."

How hard could it be??? Well, let me tell you.

First of all, it is going to be a garment worn as clothes, not costume, so it needed a sewn in under skirt. I decided that it needed to be circular cut for fullness at the bottom without bulk at the waist.

So I made my circle skirt pattern the way Martha McCain taught me when we were working in the New York costume shops back in the day.

Some math an L-square and ruler to get started.

And do you know the the REAL reason tape measures have that little hole at end? Well, I don't know if this is the real reason, but it sure is great for drawing circles, but you do need a table you can poke a pin into.

And here are my first two mock ups.

Clearly too skimpy. It is tricky striking the perfect compromise ... keeping sewing and cutting not too hard AND having the finished product look right.

This first white sample is two layers with 4 to 1 flounce ruffles on each layer. The black/pink one is 3 layers, 2 pink and one black on top. The layers for both skirts are 4 - 54" panels of tulle. This I kept constant. I found a 4 panel layer of tulle the most I could manage without loosing my mind.

On to the second set ...

The short one is still a two layer skirt, but it is now a bit shorter and the outer layer is sewn double as are the ruffles on both layers to make it more opaque. The black/pink one now has a doubled outer black layer.

I thought I'd gotten it perfect this time, but ... NO! The folks in the fashion department along with Abbie Small, who is now the #1 person at Simplicity sent them back again with more instruction.

And here is the third set ...

Here are the notes I sent along with these samples.

Tulle Skirts - Third pass

This skirt (off white one) is now 7 layers and will require 35 yards of 54” tulle.

It’s a little tedious to sew, but I think it looks pretty good.

This skirt (black/pink one) is now 4 layers all gathered separately.

They were approved, but the two color scheme was nixed, as you can see on the envelope above.

The two outer layers of the off white one have flounce ruffles sewn to them. Needless to say ... IT WAS A LOT!!! OF TULLE AND A LOT!! OF GATHERING.

Tomorrow I will share and show the sewing process with a few tips to, hopefully, make doing this easier.

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New curtain pattern #1437

2/26/2014

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"Have needle will travel" is my motto ... I like to sew, pretty much, anything.

I was so happy to announce on Monday that I made it to the fashion department in Simplicity's most recent catalog. But, I have a new pattern in the home decor section, too!

Is that the same as competing in the Summer and Winter Olympic games? The sports announcers sound very impressed when they talk about an athlete who's done that.

These grommet curtains are part of a group of home decor patterns released in this issue.

I don't have a lot to say about these curtains because I completed this pattern a little over a year ago, well before I started blogging, so I didn't take any photos while I was working on them.

Sometimes Simplicity will have me make something they know they want in the future, if I don't have any work and I bug them enough to give me a project. So, during a slow period I made this pattern and it sat waiting for a few other designs to go with it.

But, this is what I can say. First this pattern is designed to use standard width fabrics. The turquoise and flower print panels are made with 45" home dec yardage (a cotton bottom weight) sold at Joann's. The shear curtain and solid beige panels are made with 54" home dec fabric. And the black and white panels were made with 60" wide fabric. And there are 4 panels there. This pattern is for panels made of single widths of fabric, so if you have a very long window or doorway, just make several panels to get the effect needed.

Also, until 3 days ago, I didn't know that last view was going to be black and white. Actually I like the print they scanned in. What I made was 4 very large panels made of soft blue and beige. Simplicity likes to have some samples made in "mappable" colors, so in the future the print can be change for one of those photo spreads they put in the catalog to bring your attention to different designs and show how they can be combined, like the photo above. This is called an "editorial."

Here is a link to a blog I wrote about another pattern I made that the prints were "mapped" in.

OH ... and this is the one useful thing I can say ... I asked Simplicity to send me an assortment of grommets for the top of these things. Some were the snap together plastic kind that are designed for the home sewer and I, also, specifically asked for the metal kind professionals use along with the necessary tools for setting them in to give those a try.

Don't even bother to think about using these ... REALLY. I have no clue how this guy below is successfully setting in those grommets all by himself, without breaking a sweat. It took me AND my very strong husband together to get them hammered in correctly. I devised a contraption to hold the tool steady while keeping my hands out of the way, while he hammered as hard as he could. This was a project! We did the final set of black and white curtains (really blue and beige!) this way and one other (can't remember which). I think there were 64 of these monsters.

SUCH hard work and they don't look any better than the plastic ones up on the curtain rod.

There, that's my warning.

Tomorrow I'm going to tell stories about the tulle skirts ... promise.

I'm still scrambling to get the classes I'm teaching on Saturday ready!

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Costume Academy - this Saturday, March 1st

2/25/2014

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This Saturday is the first annual Midwest Costume Academy that will be held just outside St. Louis. I will be one of the speakers/presenters. Go to the website to learn more.

I will be giving/teachinng 4 sessions.

The first, My Life as a Commercial Pattern Designer, is about my design work for Simplicity, what happens to my designs after I submit them for production and how did I get this cool job!

Next is Combining Commercial Patterns to Create a Unique Garment.

I will show you how to take the sleeve from one pattern and make it fit into the armhole of a different pattern, how to combine a top and pants to make a jumpsuit and other useful combinations to create a specific costume when you can't find just the right pattern.

My next class is Making Costumes That Can Be Moved In and Move Well.

I will talk about the modifications necessary to allow you to lift your arms and kick up your heels while wearing a costume AND how to make a costume look beautiful while in motion taking into consideration fabrics, pattern shapes and quantities.

And my last class is What Size Am I? How Much Ease Should There Be? This is the class I have been having the most fun preparing. I will show where the numbered sizing system came from, how body proportions have changed over the last century or so. Also, the correct way to take measurement including things like "girth" and "princess front and back", along with talking about wearing and design ease ... how much extra do you need in a garment to be able to walk and sit as well as how roomy should a garment for the fashion of the period.

Please write me on my contact page if you are coming. I am really looking forward to this event. This is my chance to meet people.

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New Pattern #1427 - FASHION! ... HA!

2/24/2014

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Well folks ... after over 20 years with Simplicity Patterns, one of my designs made it to the "fashion section."

I'M A FASHION DESIGNER!!!!!!!!!

And it's harder work than I thought. When they asked me to develop a tulle skirt as a fashion pattern, I didn't realize how exact the proportions were going to have to be.

Later this week I will show you how these skirts evolved and how many different versions I made before the design was approved. You can't even believe how much tulle was piled up all around my work room.

It was pretty over whelming!!

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more on Skating outfits

2/21/2014

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So, today, more fun looks at vintage skating attire ... Which makes me say ...

What IS this guy wearing?? Tights and shorts and a tunic ... that's different. Actually they both have puffy topped sleeves, like a Disney's Snow White, which came out at this time. And, looking closer, she has a collar that stands up like Snow White's collar. This photo is from a Canadian skating exhibition, not a competition, so I guess they are going for a themed look. Who knows, maybe they were skating to "Some Day my Prince Will Come."

But back to serious skating, take a look at this video of the first Olympics in 1924. It shows speed skating and clips of several of the figure skaters.

Sonya Henie was 11 years old at these Olympics, the youngest competitor. Would we let someone that young compete today? Probably not. But, it is so fun to see her in action wearing the outfit I've seen so many times in still photos.

There are so many YouTube videos of Sonia Henie. She was even in Hollywood movies!
Click on this link to find a list of her videos you can watch.

The video below shows many of the skaters from the 1936 Olympics. Sonya Henie won gold that year. You can see how the routines are based on LOTS of spinning, very little jumping.

But what about the guys? ... WAIT ...

OH ... SORRY! I was going to keep this blog about skating, but look what I found!

This is a bobsled team from 1924!! Look at their outfits! ...

And LOOK at that sled. WOW, not too much protection. So different from the encased bullet shaped things used now. I even found a video of the bobsled event from that year.

Back to skating and the guys. Alas, men's clothing is usually not as varied as women's, but it is interesting to see the male skaters from the past.

Here we have Ulrich Salchow in 1908, the one year skating was at the Summer Olympics. He has a jump named after him! and Gilles Graftrom in 1932. They both are wearing what looks to me to be thick dancer's tights.

But this outfit is the best. I'm sure these sweaters were hand knit. And check out his socks! This is good old Sonia Henie again at the 1932 Olympics with Karl Schafer. She must have been in the pairs competition in addition to the solo skating.

And while men will wear something a bit flamboyant from time to time, the basic skating outfit is black. I can't decide if men are lucky to not have to worry about clothes so much, or not.

Both these photos are of Brain Boitano gold medalist in 1988.

So, Olympic week is over. I have had more fun digging up all these old photos and videos. I have only scratched the surface really. Just go to YouTube and search and loose a few hours of your day.

FUN

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Skiing clothes - then and now

2/20/2014

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The first thing I see in these photos is how dramatically ski jumping technique has changed in a century ... arms held out in front ... actually flapping, watch this video.

I guess they thought it was like flying ... but, wait, I'm reviewing clothing ...

And the clothing has changed, just as much as the skiing it self.

Back in the day, they wore heavy WOOL. Unstretching V-neck sweaters and collared shirts with ties and knickers! Short balloony pants allowed for more range of motion than standard long trousers.

Norwegian, Jacob Tullin, best jumper from the 1920's

Harry Glass, bronze metal 1956

By 1956 the clothing hasn't changed much, except they have long pants, but the jumping style looks closer to what is done today, without the skis turned out to the side for better lift.

The modern clothing is very different though. They are wearing tight fitting, slick, colorful and overly decorated uniforms. See the one from 2010 above.

What about downhill skiers? The first year for downhill skiing was 1936, before that they only had cross country skiing and ski jumping.

Here is what one unknown skier wore for his race in 1936. The poor guy could use some goggles!.

This is American Andrea Mead in 1948. She was just 15 years old and I'd have to say, very determined looking. She would go on to win three Olympic medals in later games.

I find her pants so interesting. The fabric didn't stretch, but they are as close fitting as possible. You can see how the fabric pulls from the knees to her boot. Fabric technology has changed all sports from skiing to swimming.

Here are all the US women skiers at the '48 Olympics.

On to the '70s. Skiing clothes really didn't change much mid-century.

American Tyler Palmer was still wearing a sweater with no helmet or goggles in 1972.

Of course, some events are more dangerous. I think downhill skiers started wearing helmets before slalom skiers.

So, what were skiers wearing in the 70s?

Did you know Barbie won an Olympic Skiing Medal? Well, here she is .... wearing a simple, well designed stretch jumpsuit with competition letter. She has goggles, but no helmet, just a cute ski cap with pompon on top.

And even though this is a silly way to see what skiers were wearing. Barbie is always a good way to get the essence of any current trend.

And, well, Barbie is Barbie. She fits into any conversation, in my opinion.

In 1998 great French skier, Jean-Luc Crétier, wore a bright patterned outfit, but not covered with advertising like is worn now. Oh, and he does have a helmet and goggles now.

Here is what our modern skiers look like! One of our best, Lindsey Vonn, at a race last year. She is totally encased with wild colors and patterns all over her ski suit, actually the web motif make it look like an interpretation of a Spiderman costume. Her helmet and goggles kind of look like a bug

I see Visa and Audi on her arm ... can't make out the other ads. Do our athletes have to be walking or should I say skiing billboards?

What comes next? I don't think the skiing uniforms can get any busier, but I've been wrong before!

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Curling - wild and crazy clothing

2/19/2014

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Another winter sport that gets talked about for it's clothing is Curling. Even before the Olympics started there was a lot of buzz about what the Norwegian team would be wearing.
I just love these zig zag suits. Both the Norwegian men and women's teams have such a great sense of fun.

But it wasn't always like this!

Here is the Gold and Silver medal teams at the first Winter Olympics in 1924, the Brits and Swedes ... sorry don't know which is which. They are stylish, in a way, compared with other photos I've found of other curling competitions around the same time.

AND THEN THE GREAT VOID!

No curling in the Olympics for 74 years!

This brings us to 1998, and to what most teams wear ... black trousers. I even heard that black trousers were required, kind of like white was for tennis. Here is Sandra Schmirler of Canada releasing the stone at Kazakosohi Park during the women's curling during the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. Curling is more athletic then it looks I'm gathering.

BUT, every time I search anything about Curling uniforms ... all I get is photo after photo of the Norwegian team! I'll type in "British Olympic Curling Uniform" and up pops image after image of silly Norwegian pants ... so I'm going to share them with you.

Who's making their stuff?? That would be a great job, wouldn't it?

But, you know ... they kind of remind me of the American Team Uniform, actually ... Ha ha

What ever happened to the dignified team uniforms like were worn in the opening ceremonies in 1956?

But, that's a whole other story.

So, what is the US Curling team wearing this year? Take a look.

Yeah, a little boring. Come on USA, have some fun! The Russian team is getting in the act. Here is what they are wearing at the Olympics.

I hope this is a sign of things to come. Curling is a fun and quirky sport which deserves fun and quirky uniforms.

If you want to know more about Curling, go to the Curling History Blogspot.

A little post script ... you can buy a pair of these pants for yourself, if you want. Go to this page which has links to retailers.

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