By Susan Khalje
DIY--Do It Yourself Network
I always like getting an inside look at what other sewers are working on, how they're putting a garment together, and what leads them to the choices they make in design, fabrication and technique. I've just returned from a week of teaching at the Sewing Workshop in San Francisco, and I'd like to share some of my students' projects with you.
C. is getting married in a month or two, and spent her week working on an ensemble for her mother to wear to the wedding. She chose a beautiful silvery-beige jacquard for a two-piece suit (a sleeveless shift dress with a matching jacket). We decided to underline the soft silk jacquard with silk crepe de chine, to beef it up a little bit. It's a tedious process, underlining each of the seemingly endless pieces by hand (the two layers are basted together around the stitching lines of each piece; the silk basting threads are removed after the garment has been sewn together), but well worth it — it really gave just the right amount of body to what would have otherwise been a rather limp garment. And most important of all, C.'s mother was very pleased — I know she'll enjoy wearing the outfit on her daughter's special day.
J. made herself a magenta wool jacket. She'd originally planned to work from a pattern which had no internal shape at all. The pattern specified "loose fitting," but on J.'s trim figure, it wasn't flattering at all. She looked like she was wearing a rather large lab coat. I suggested using instead a Cecelia Podolak basic jacket pattern — it had princess seams and a few darts, and suddenly we had a very shapely jacket. J. also bought a fabulous piece of magenta silk doupioni, embroidered with matching thread in a crewel-like pattern. We used the doupioni to pipe the entire perimeter of the jacket, and J. will later make herself a pair of slim pants. J. didn't need much in the way of shoulder pads, but we did use a small raglan pad, which functioned as both a modest shoulder pad and a sleeve head. The jacket looked great.
G. used a Vintage Vogue pattern to make herself a beautiful long evening dress out of heavy deep red silk charmeuse. The dress, much of which is on the bias, was put together in a fascinating way. There are lots of overlapping diagonal seams (imagine diamond-shaped pieces of charmeuse layered over one another), and rather than seam them in the traditional way, edges are folded in and pressed, and the pieces are simply overlapped and topstitched into place. It's a very easy, effective way to put the garment together — otherwise, sewing all of those angled seams on the bias would be very, very difficult. G. bought some rhinestone hardware for the dress — for a belt, and for two clips which will go on the back straps — they're the perfect finishing touches on a very elegant gown.
I'll tell you about the remaining students next time — I hope I've given you food for thought. You can find more information about the Sewing Workshop's classes by calling (415) 221-7397, or by visiting them online at www.sewingworkshop.com.
(Susan Khalje is the author of Bridal Couture — Fine Sewing Techniques for Wedding Gowns and Evening Wear, from Krause Publications. Contact her at skhalje@aol.com or Box 51 Long Green, MD 21092. For more information, visit www.SusanKhalje.com or www.DIYNetwork.com.)
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