Weekend Review: Vogue & Butterick's Designer Sewing Techniques

 

Vogue & Butterick's Designer Sewing Techniques
NY: Simon & Schuster, c1994.
126 p.

I'm back from my August break -- and one of the things I did during August was visit many thrift stores, discovering fun new sewing things, like this sewing book from the 90s. 

I love reading books from the 80s and 90s. The illustrations are so fun, and I enjoy the retro feel. This book was actually quite good in content as well, and had a focus I hadn't expected. It's written as part of the Sewing Today series, tied to the show on PBS at the time. It talks about various popular designers, and then features some of the designer details they are known for, showing techniques for how to incorporate these yourself. The instructions and photos are really clear and I found some cool ideas to explore further. 

The designers they feature fully with interviews/images are: 

• Donna Karan
• Calvin Klein 
• Linda Allard for Ellen Tracy
• Claude Montana
• Geoffrey Beene 
• Victor Costa 
• Todd Oldham 
• Bill Blass 

And there there is a little blurb at the end about Givenchy, Karl Lagerfeld, and Belleville Sassoon, just to show off some more techniques.

Following each, there is a bit about some of their notable techniques, like pockets, linings, closures/buttonholes, set in sleeves, bias binding, hems, waistlines, patchwork, zippers, tailored collars, lace, denim, and more. I found this an enjoyable read, with a variety of useful tips, interesting designer highlights, and great photos. There is a list at the end of all the Vogue and Butterick patterns used to illustrate the book, all out of print now but so intriguing to look up, including a Karl Lagerfeld Vogue jacket which I am sure is probably going for a fortune on Ebay these days ;) 

I especially enjoyed the section on Todd Oldham, who I wasn't as familiar with as some of the others, and his use of colourful patchwork and novelty buttons. I think a lot of his styles would be in fashion again now. And they certainly give sewists some ideas! A really fun book that you can also look through via the Internet Archive if you are interested. 

When Refashions Go Wrong

Way back in the spring, PatternReview was running its Sewing Bee challenge. I made it to Round 2 on the strength of my first project, a Knit Dress With A Twist. 

The challenge for Round 2 was Collars. I have lots of collars that are interesting, and lots of things I've always wanted to try. I decided to try to make a Book Dress with a Chelsea Collar that would be multi-layered to look like book pages. Well, great idea but not so great in the execution. 

I used Simplicity 7238, a Christie Brinkley pattern from 1991. I had some good base fabric for the dress -- an old sheet, which had tones and shapes that reminded me of old book bindings. So far so good. Then I tried to create layers of sheers as "pages". So many problems! 

First off, the Chelsea collar wasn't the right choice for this concept - there was too much collar, and the sheers that I had in my stash just weren't stiff enough. I sprayed them all with spray starch and pressed but still not enough body to have the effect I wanted. Also, I caught Covid right at the beginning of collar week so was way too exhausted to do anything that might have added to the effect, like adding a text underlay, stitching with wire edges etc. I gave up and just got done what I had started so I had an entry. 

But I didn't like very much, I felt that it really didn't work for me. I put it aside thinking that maybe I could take off the sheer layers and make the dress actually wearable. I finally got to the refashion this month, and removed the sheer bits, sewing the plain collar back on. I like it much better, and think it could be wearable. But not, alas, by me. 

I don't like the shape of this dress, or the collar, or the fabric colours (why did I think I would like these colours on me?). It doesn't have any drape, and the whole outfit is just a big fail, refashion or not! 

However, the fabric is very interesting in its own right, so I'll be unpicking the zip to go back in the stash, and cutting up the dress to put into my art quilt scrap box. I can see it making a great background for something :) The joys of having non-garment sewing possibilities! 

This project was another reminder that the things I make for challenges or contests that don't already fit in with my wardrobe plans and/or colour-pattern preferences are rarely successful. I will be able to reuse this fabric, but will never get all the time back that I sunk into the project. Have you had projects like this too? I have to remind myself to be more conscious about what I'm choosing to make, in many different ways. 

Weekend Review: Sewing The New Classics

Sewing the New Classics: Clothes With Easy Style / Carol Parks
NY: Sterling, c1995.
152 p.

 

Since I was thinking so much about capsule wardrobes this month, I checked out this 1995 tome from Open Library to see how it had aged. Surprisingly well, actually! It's old school; there are 10 patterns for "wardrobe essentials" included, in the way that it was done in the 90s -- sketched out on a grid for you to enlarge by hand yourself. You'll find these items: a traditional shirt, a collarless tunic, a T-shirt, a straight skirt, a full skirt, elastic-waist pants, tailored pants, a jacket, a fitted waistcoat, and a big vest or jacket.

I remember wearing some of these styles in the past, but many of them could be very easily translated to contemporary styling depending on the choice of size and fabric. The 90s aesthetic is still current in its use of more casual and boxy wear. You might have to change up some of the styling choices, ie: the excessive layering, or accent choices, but I think a lot of this book is still really useful. And the colour choices here are often natural tones, and a lot of linen, which I think is very similar to a lot of current styling. 

I found the shirt and tunic, and the waistcoat, all intriguing for me right now. I think if I would have been sewing like I do now back in 1995 when this book was new it would be have been ideal to stitching up a very handy capsule wardrobe. Of course, now that we're used to pdfs or traceable pattern sheets, the idea of enlarging a pattern manually via graph paper feels VERY old school! But it's still possible. Of course with this kind of book and the pattern options, the sizing is quite limited. 

There is some good info on planning out a coordinated wardrobe, and tips on working with these patterns, as well as some sewing techniques. There is also a chapter on embellishments to change up these simple silhouettes -- things like adding tabs, insertions, embroidery or decorative painting/stenciling. I found it quite entertaining.

There are tons of great photos, and it's actually a really fun book especially if you like late 80s/early 90s style. It's a collection of loose fitting, coordinating patterns that will make up a capsule wardrobe of sorts, easily adaptable and able to be personalized. Enjoyable to look through for the retro feel but patterns are also still relevant if you like the boxy casual style.

Denim Look Vogue Dress

Now here's a dress that has been waiting its turn! I first planned to make this dress in thrifted fabric from a thrifted pattern way back in April of 2020. And I have proof that I cut it out in July of 2020 -- but then it sat on the project shelf until now. I thought that 2 years was plenty long enough for it to wait, so got it out and finished it up in August 2022. 

This was an affordable dress; both the pattern (Vogue 9166) and the fabric (denim look but very lightweight cotton) were thrifted. In fact, the most expensive part of this dress was probably the zipper, as I had to buy it full price since somehow I was out of navy zips! The topstitching thread is new but I did buy it in 2020...

I was so eager to get pics in this nice evening light that I forgot I hadn't
pressed the back yet!! It looks better now that it's had an iron ;)

Anyhow, this is a simple fitted dress, with panel seams front and back, and the extra detail of a triple topstitched line at neck and sleeve. I guess that's what makes it Vogue ;) It had no pockets but of course I just used my favourite pocket pattern and added in some side seam pockets. I need functionality! 

The hardest part was getting the curved seams pressed nicely. I pressed them to one side, clipping at the curves to assist them in lying flat. The topstitching, being such a strong contrast, made me nervous, so I practiced a bit on some scraps (which I'd conveniently left with the cut out dress) to get them right before I started on the dress.

I ended up going with a 3.5 length stitch, and reduced the tension slightly. The sleeves went very well but I had some trouble with the start of the neckline rows; it was hard to get them straight with the lumpy zipper seam there as well. It took a lot of patience and some redoing to get it done to my satisfaction.

I'm quite happy with this project and even if it did have to wait two years to get finished, it now works well with my Blue & Yellow sewing plans of this year. This pattern was also fun to make since when I took it out of the envelope, it had been cut out with all my regular size grading already. 

The only thing I had to change was to shorten it an inch above the waist. I guess the original owner was my size doppelganger ;) I had cut it at 16 neck, bust and waist and graded out to 18 from just at the waist to the hip, which was pretty much what the pattern was prepped for. However, there was a shoulder pad allowance that also needed to be removed from the pattern so that it would fit the shoulder without the extra padding. I do think I will take it in a smidge at the bust-to-waist area though. 

Despite those changes and the anxiety of doing so much contrast topstitching, this was a fairly easy and enjoyable project to work on. Glad to have it off the UFO pile & into the closet! 

Blue & Yellow Sewing Plan: Burda 143-04-1990

Another dress complete in my blue & yellow sewing plan! This one was a bit of an outlier -- I found this fabric in my stash after making my plans so added it to the pile, as it fit in just right. 

I had Burda 143 from one of my magazines  (April 1990) on the original plan, matched up with a solid yellow linen blend, but decided to test it out on this busy print first. It was perfect. 

I made some sizing adjustments, as the dress only came in two sizes (older Burda mags don't have the full nested sizing). I traced this in a 44, which is okay for me as I'm a 42/44 in Burda. I simply cut the bodice without any seam allowance, and that brings it down to a 42 (with 1/2" seams). I did shorten the bodice by one inch, but will take up another half inch if I make it again to get it just right. I also added a 1/2" wedge of seam allowance at the bottom side seam of the bodice so that it would match up with the skirt, though, and so that the waistline would be the right size. 

The skirt I cut as a 44 with 1/2" seam allowance all around. After measuring, I decided to add 2" at the hem to give myself room to decide on hem depth. I didn't think 1" would be enough, and I was right. As it is, I ended up hemming it only 3/4", so will add in 1.5" of length to the pattern so that I don't forget I added so much if I make it again!

But other than those sizing decisions, this was a quick and easy sew. I really love the skirt; it has slash pockets, my fave kind, and has a tulip shape. The back slit is just the allowances on each side pressed under and topstitched, with the neck facing, hem and sleeve hems all topstitched as well. It's quite cute. If this was a solid with contrast topstitching it would be a nice feature -- although I'd have to be more careful with the topstitching in that case ;)

I really like the fit of this one so think I may make it again - that yellow linen blend is still a great choice for another version. But I have so many patterns I want to try I'm not sure how soon I'll get to a second one!

90s Revival: Black Mini Vest

Remember those vests I was talking about recently? Well, I finished one! It was a very quick and simple one, but I made a few adjustments to it. I made View C (the floral one) from McCalls 8940, a 1997 pattern. 

I chose this view because I liked the short cropped style of it. To get this look, I had to shorten it even more -- my torso is short like the rest of me, and I wanted this to end just at the waist like the image, which meant taking 1.5" out of the length. 

I made it out of some leftover linen; I had just enough for it with the length I chose to cut the vest and all the facings. This is an unlined vest so I did go the extra step of french seaming my shoulder and side seams to have a clean finish for this fray-prone linen.

There are front facings and also armhole facings. I followed the pattern but on completion I wish I'd used bias facings for the armholes, and will do so next time. I had to hand tack the armhole facings down so they wouldn't flap out, and some of the stitches are a bit puckery. I unpicked and redid the hand stitches on the front side a couple of times and now it's good enough, I'm not doing it again. 

This is a fun accent to an outfit, if I want to change up a dress or blouse a bit. I enjoyed making it but my next vest will be a lined one in a more traditional shape -- and I'll see which I like more! 

Waistcoats, Vests, and 90s style

I ran across a discussion of the revival of 90s style on PatternReview lately. Apparently the 90s are back! I don't remember 90s style very much, probably because I was in university in the first half and working 3 jobs for the rest of that decade. All I recall are the grungy student outfits we'd wear, including my floral dresses with chunky black shoes. I checked out an article about 90s style and only really remembered one thing!

So I thought, nope, I'm not a 90s fan. (Definitely more of an 80s girl!) But then I realized that I do love a good waistcoat, and while that look was hot in the late 80s it carried over strongly into the 90s. I looked through my stash and found a handful of vest patterns from the early 90s. I chose two to try out. 

McCalls 8940 is my favourite -- there are at least 3 of these views that I'd like to try! But I started with view C, the short over-vest. That's the silhouette I've been thinking about making for a while. I had a nice piece of leftover linen from my recent drapy vest project (also from the 90s!), just enough to cut this unlined vest and the facings. I started working on it (sewing the shoulder & side seams with french seams to keep it tidy) and attached the facings. But I haven't quite had the time to finish it, so perhaps I'll share it next week! The linen sews up nicely and I think the style adds a fun element to a dress or tunic. I'd like to try View G next, the one button brown view -- though not in brown for me.

The next one that caught my eye was this Simplicity 8621. It's handy having quite a large collection of thrifted patterns! That floral brocade is SO 90s, I'll be avoiding that, I think. But the leopard print view (#4) has a great shape. I'm going to try that in a suiting, not a leopard print. This one is a lined pattern so may be a little more flexible in wearing options. 

If I'm not sick of waistcoats by then, I may check out the options in these two new-to-me patterns that I just thrifted this week. The New Look 6113 has an interesting shawl collar version I haven't seen in any of my current patterns, and the McCalls is a great dress pattern with vest included. It's a classic style with faux welt pockets. I'll have to see how far this waistcoat obsession takes me. Maybe I'll even finish the Vogue 8987 I started for my husband last year ;)

Are you a fan of the waistcoat, traditional or not? Do you lean more toward the 80s or 90s in your retro pattern love?

Weekend Review: Champagne Supernovas

Champagne Supernovas / Maureen Callahan
Touchstone, c2004.
288 p.

Another look at a decade in fashion, this time the 90s, with a focus on two designers (Marc Jacobs & Alexander McQueen) and one model, Kate Moss. Coming after the lengthy biography of Lagerfeld and St Laurent of The Beautiful Fall, I found this one a bit disappointing.

Author Callahan is a pop journalist, and the style and appearance of this book both make me think of magazine articles about these people and the style of the 90s. It was interesting but felt more magazine than in-depth investigation. It was still quite interesting, though! 

Just like the Paris scene in the 70s and early 80s, the people in this American/English scene in the 90s were equally messed up. The level of drug use and sexual shenanigans are just unbelievable; it feels tawdry and cheap in this book while somehow less so in Paris in the 70s -- perhaps the extra decades give a bit more distance from it. 

Callahan gives the background of each of the three people she's using as her touchstones, and why they were such a powerful part of the way fashion shifted in the 90s. Each of them was self-destructive and willful, and did things against the ruling ethos. It's why they shifted things in the wider world, but in their personal lives it wasn't so great for them. Drug use, depression, angst, and in McQueen's case, eventually suicide, were results. 

But this isn't a book that is based on extensive interviews and research into the psyches of these three people, rather, it's a look at their biographies insofar as they fuel the way they work in the fashion world. She shares their upbringing and the weaknesses each one had as a result -- each one had the drive to create their own style and way of being (and each one sounds like a nasty person to work for/with, at times). McQueen's attraction to ugliness and violence in his life and his fashion is outlined, and there are images of some of his earlier important shows. And Marc Jacobs' ground-shifting grunge collection (which was panned when it was revealed, which I recall quite well) is discussed and shown too. Kate Moss just seemed to embody the new breath moving through the fashion world with her gaunt, grungey heroin chic appeal. 

Perhaps I didn't enjoy this one quite as much since I don't really like any of the three characters. I always found McQueen's fashion sense ugly and somewhat revolting; the other two are shallow compared to earlier designers & models, and I just don't feel as interested in them. So while this was an interesting look at the state of fashion in the 90s, and I felt that I did learn a few things, the gossipy tone and more surface approach to the theme made it just okay. 

A Linen In-vest-ment

This week I picked up some lovely linen on sale, and I immediately prepped it so that I could cut out McCalls 7600, a vest pattern from 1995 😉

I like vests, waistcoats & the like, but patterns for these kinds of things are often from the 90s, the last time they were really popular. Good thing I have so many old patterns in my stash!

I thought that this was an interesting version, with some different details. My linen-rayon blend isn't quite as drapey as the cover image for View A, but otherwise looks similar. I liked the high side split & the mix of rounded back and pointed front panels.

Despite the simplicity  of the design, this did take a bit of work. It has a front facing and that oddly shaped hem takes some effort to make smooth & even. Thankfully this fabric pressed wonderfully and made the hemming a little easier.

I have taken photos wearing it over my very bright Style Arc Adeline dress to best show off the lines of this basic black vest. But I will likely wear it in combos more like this one.

This was a relatively quick and enjoyable project, & I have already cut the rest of this fabric into another summer top that just needs to be sewn now. Linen rayon is such a nice fabric!

Grey Checked Button-Front Skirt

I've been taking some time this week to follow the Black Lives Matter events and posts, and look into some learning opportunities, and some organizations that may need support. I will be continuing to do so as part of my daily life, and will always support anti-racist groups and activities.

This is my sewing blog, so I'll be returning to mainly talking about sewing, but I'll also be remembering that anti-racism is more than just a one week flash, it's a lifelong practice. And so I'll be examining how I share and do my best to keep these issues current as I blog, even about my sewing.

*****************************************************************

And now for the second project I made using the grey checked cotton I made my first Cielo from! I thought that this fabric would be perfect for a button front 80s/90s inspired skirt like the patterns I've been seeing everywhere lately.

So I went back to the source, a 1992 pattern in my stash, Butterick 6222. This is a wardrobe pattern which includes a pleated/gathered button front skirt among other items (including an interestingly seamed cami top).

Like other patterns from this era, the waist is quite small. I had to add 2.5" to the waistband, but found that it came out a smidge too big -- I didn't account for some fabric stretch, I guess. I only had access to buttons in my stash when making this, and found these clear ones that I think look good on this fabric, but my buttonholer didn't like them much and I find that the buttonholes are a bit bigger than ideal. It still works fine, it's just the waistband button with its extra stress that shifts a bit. I added a snap to the waistband button overlap to keep it a little less shifty.

There were no pockets in this pattern -- bonkers, as a full skirt is the perfect place to hide some side seam pockets. So I added some, using a very lightweight poly from my stash (an old microfibre sheet I thrifted and use for things like this).

I like it, but remember now why I don't really wear this style of skirt much any more -- I used to wear this style ALL the time in the late 80s/90s. There is a lot of volume, and my height and pear shape don't exactly work with this style the way I'd hoped. But it's a comfortable wear, and when I took the pictures in the evening of a hot day, I found that this fabric is so very cool.

I can wear it with a matching top for a real 80s throwback - boxy top and full long skirt -- or with a much less voluminous top like the black linen tank top from New Look 6035 that I made about 6 years ago now!

I only had a smidge of trouble with this one -- I somehow put in a buttonhole near the top in the wrong spot, closer to button four than button two! And I had already cut it before I noticed. I decided to try a spot of mending, and unpicked the buttonhole, fused the edges to the facing and then 'darned' it with a mix of white and grey threads. You can't notice it unless you're looking for it, so I think it worked. I'm quite pleased that I now have symmetrical buttons, after restitching the buttonhole in the correct spot. Just when you've think you've made every possible sewing error, another one pops up! Always a journey.