Sewing Gallery

At the suggestion of a friend, and following the example of other craft nerds on the web, I've posted a couple of snapshots of clothes I've made. Due to encroaching matronliness, I can no longer get into most of the cuter things I've made. More to come, as I find time to dig things out of the closet.

Green Dress

Bodice and notched sleeves from New Look blouse pattern 6598
Not hemmed yet, because it's a little too short; may add a few inches of yellow fabric for the hem, to bring it below the knee
Yellow buttons!

I found this groovy retro print at a store somewhere in San Francisco's Mission District and had to search for a while before I found a suitably retro pattern to match (this was before all the big companies started reissuing vintage patterns). Then I screwed it up by doing something stupid with the skirt pleats. It looks okay here, because I'm holding it up, but when it hangs loose, it makes my hips look like pontoons. Note that I don't really have avocado-painted walls in my living room, . . . but the dress really is that loud.

Black Dress

A very forgiving black rayon faille with khaki and white flowers
Most of the dress is from a McCall's pattern, I think; the notched sleeves are from New Look blouse pattern 6598
Square neck, back ties, and back zip

This dress continues to look flattering even though I've put on a size or two since I made it. Unfortunately, I don't wear much black.

Purple Jumper

Purple-looking wool-type stuff that's actually a tiny black, blue-grey, and red plaid with green, yellow, and orange flecks
Copied from a heavy linen Laundry/Shelli Segal jumper
Huge side pockets, four hem slits, spaghetti straps that can be buttoned on straight or cross-crossed in back

I got a lot of this fabric, as well as some of it in a less handsome teal sort of color, with the intention of making suits. All I've made so far is this dress, but I made it twice: the first time around, I narrowed the pattern willy-nilly, as the dress I was copying from (my mom's) was too big. Not until I'd sewn it all up did I discover that I'd made it too tight. I gave it away and started over, measuring and fitting this time. The second one fits, but the slits at the bottom are too short--both on mine and on the original I copied: you can't walk in this dress with a long stride. Although it was totally unneccesary with this fabric, I was super-obsessive about matching up the plaid at the seams; you really can't see them.

Black Jersey Dress

Really nice solid black cotton/Lycra jersey
Top traced from a cheap red knit top that I loved; bottom cut pretty much freehand into what seemed like a hip-sized trapeze.
Sweetheart neck, side-seam pockets, very goth

I used to love this dress, but when I stopped wearing black, I forgot I even had it. I don't remember exactly when I made it (high school?), but I totally remember buying the fabric: I got it at Beckenstein's on Orchard Street, back when they used to sell dress fabric. It was perhaps the only time I went there without my mom, and probably the last. The man who cut the fabric for me was being very skeezy. He asked my name, where I lived, whether I was married, and what were those spots on my forehead (acne! I was a teenager, for fuck's sake!). He told me his name was Muhammad. He gave every impression that he was sizing me up as a possible marriage prospect. He may have asked me for a date or my phone number outright; if so, I've blocked it.

Why did I put up with this? This stuff was not cheap; I wasn't going to get it, but then I couldn't find anything similar that was less expensive. Muhammad found me wringing my hands over the bolt and encouraged me strongly, implying that he would cut me a deal. And he did. While he was chatting me up, he was also ostentatiously cutting me a lot of extra fabric; and when he wrote up the slip, he calculated it at a much lower per-yard price. I still have a big piece left over, somewhere in my fabric stash. And I got to amuse my family and friends with this ridiculous story.

Muhammad is now the sole cutter at P&S Fabrics on Broadway near Leonard. He's never acted quite so sleazy to me since, but I try to stay far away from his table until I'm ready to buy, and then I'm very direct and businesslike.

Sewing Resources

Books

My favorite sewing books are the many by Adele P. Margolis, such as:

How to Make Clothes that Fit and Flatter: Step-by-Step Instructions for Women Who Like to Sew, Illustrated (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1969)
How to Design Your Own Dress Patterns: A Primer in Pattern Making for Women Who Like to Sew, Profusely Illustrated (Garden City, NY: Hanover House, 1959.
The Dressmaking Book

They're all kind of similar--most even contain the same illustrations--but hey, sewing's pretty straightforward. I keep Threads and a few newer books around for tricky ready-to-wear techniques, but these are the references I turn to first. I look for her books whenever I'm at a used bookstore. If you find one that's not listed here, please let me know.

BBRUG: Brooklyn Bridge User Group