Ruffle Trim Diversion

As many of you know, I do a lot of knitting as well as sewing. I found this amazingly unique "yarn" recently that turned into a very cool short scarf.



The yarn is really a lacy ribbon that, when knit through the edges, turns into a wonderfully ruffly concoction.



I just made a simple scarf to test the yarn, but it can be used to create a wonderful edging that can be sewn onto necklines, cuffs, etc. Fun stuff!

Planning A Field Trip - Balenciaga in San Francisco

The much anticipated Balenciaga and Spain exhibit opens on March 26, 2011 at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. This exhibit has been on my "must-see" list for quite a while --- and I was so thrilled to learn that someone else was just as excited about it --- Beth of SunnyGal Studio!

We determined that there must be other like-minded fashion/sewing enthusiasts who would like to take a field trip to the De Young. The construction details, silhouettes, embellishments --- the inspiration will be tremendous. And it will be so fun to share our experiences and impressions!

As Beth mentioned in her post, we have a tentative date of Saturday, April 30, but it isn't set in stone. The exhibit runs through July 4. Let us know if you're interested in joining us!

Image from here.

Thank You and the Python Parka is Next

Thank you for all of your lovely comments about my Trench Dress. I haven't had a chance to wear it yet, but I hope to soon. Interestingly, when I tried it on, my husband thought it looked better worn as a coat and had a difficult time seeing it as a dress. It must be the trench details --- it is such an iconic coat style.

I forgot to mention that I purchased the Trench Dress fabric from Emma OneSock, one of my fave online resources for unique fabrics --- and one that is familiar to many folks. I recently purchased this interesting python print fabric from EOS. It is polyester and has a wrinkly texture to it --- perfect for one of those Burda parkas that I've been wanting to make for the last couple of years.



Up next ... the Python Parka!

Trench Dress: Finished and I Love It

At long last, the Trench Dress is finally complete! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to model it today, so I'll have to follow up with another post.





Fabric and Notions
My fabric, which is a wool blend with metallic stripes and some fuzzy chenille-type stripes, is more drapey than crisp, so I thought it would be perfect as a dress. In fact, it was kind of difficult to work with because it shifted a lot and seemed to stretch out of shape easily --- not particularly stable. For the lining, I chose a bright blue china silk from Thai Silks (love that place!).



I used a fusible interfacing for the collar, stand, fronts, belt, belt loops, epaulets, pockets and all hems. The buttons, which are a combination of matte and shiny black, are from Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics.



The buckle was a challenge to find. I couldn't find anything suitable at a local store, so I ended up going online and found a great recommendation on Pattern Review for an unexpected online source for a leather-wrapped rectangular buckle that worked perfectly! They were great --- ordering was easy and the buckle arrived in a couple of days.



Mistakes that Became Design Elements
As often happens, unexpected mistakes arise. For this project, it was the instability of the fabric that led to my concocting an unplanned for design feature. According to the pattern, the back yoke (storm flap?), which comes to a point at CB, is just turned up and hemmed/topstitched. I should have paid more attention to what my fabric was speaking, because I tried that with my fabric, and it turned into a wavy mess. Of course, I didn't have enough extra fabric to re-cut the piece, so I decided to just trim off the wavy section and use bias binding to add some stability and length. In hindsight, it would have been best to line it with a thin fabric (like the lining fabric).



Remember the issue with the back pleat? Well, I'm so glad I got rid of that extra fabric! There would have been too much weight and volume in the back if I left that pleat there. I could have done what Mary Nanna did, which was to stitch down the pleat until the waist and let it loose, but because of my fabric, I don't think the pleat would have been very crisp or attractive.

The sleeve hems have a new design element because I forgot to add enough of a hem allowance to the pattern! I ended up adding a 2-inch wide band to the hem (interfaced), which actually looks pretty nice --- might work well to cuff up the sleeves for a different look.



Pattern Thoughts
This is a great trench coat pattern that includes all of the expected elements. One thing I thought was cool were the "pockets in the darts" --- pockets are sewn into the front darts and covered by the pocket flap. Clever!



Overall, I'm pleased with this dress/coat. As others have said, the trench styling has so many details that it really becomes a labor of love to finish one. That said, I would definitely make another one of this pattern (minus the back pleat) using a more coat-appropriate fabric. Love it!