The reading and sewing connection

Barb · Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:31 am Post subject: The reading and sewing connection

I really enjoy reading books with a sewing or fashion theme. Even when I'm not actively sewing, I can live vicariously through the characters in a story or learn more about the fashion world which is itself filled with interesting and creative characters! This summer I posted a list in my blog of books that I had read or was planning to read. A few others contributed ideas to the list. That's when I decided this belonged in the salon so that we can share easily with others what we are reading/watching. Please share even it it's just to post a title...we don't require a book report!

If you're interested in "how-to" books, visit the Tried and True forum.

Therese · Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 4 Location: Bakersfield, CA

Crime in Corn Weather, by Mary Meigs Atwater. The craft in this quick read is tatting.

Piecework Magazine from Interweave Press. I love this magazine and read it cover to cover. It is filled with all sorts of handcrafts and always has articles about the history of various forms of needlework and often includes information about the maker. The Nov/Dec issue has an article titled: "Is this Chanel an Original or a Fake?", by Claire Shaeffer. For anyone short on time and interested in needlework and history, this is a terrific magazine.

bhhewitt · Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 5

I'm reading "The Tenth Gift" by Jane Johnson. Historical fiction about a book of the art of embroidery and how it links two fascinating women of different ears. The women are 400 years apart, different cultures and countries--London and Morocco. Captivating characters keeping me enthralled with beautiful silks lingering on my mind.

The other book I am working through is "Style Statement" Live by your own design--written by Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte. This book helps develop your style statement--the essence of our expression. I am applying the book and working through it in a journaling process.

bhhewitt · Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 5

I'm reading "The Tenth Gift" by Jane Johnson. Historical fiction about a book of the art of embroidery and how it links two fascinating women of different ears. The women are 400 years apart, different cultures and countries--London and Morocco. Captivating characters keeping me enthralled with beautiful silks lingering on my mind.

The other book I am working through is "Style Statement" Live by your own design--written by Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte. This book helps develop your style statement--the essence of our expression. I am applying the book and working through it in a journaling process.

Lois · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 8:11 pm Post subject:

Both of those books sound great and thanks for telling us about them.
Here's what I am reading..... I Don't Have A Thing To Wear; The psychology of your closet by Judie Taggart and Jackie Walker (ISBN 0743466446

The book description really spoke to me...having things in the closet that never get worn, some still with price tags, and numerous orphan pieces that don't coordinate, ending with me wearing the same combos week after week. This book helps you understand your inner beliefs and attitudes about clothes; exercises taking your through the thought process of what clothes you do need for the variety of roles in your life, and how to learn about your own buying behaviors. I am going to try the exercise they recommend of writing down everything you buy, description, store, price. And after 6 months color code the list to show (a) favorites that you love and wear (b) clothes that have become the backbone of your wardrobe and (c) things that you never or rarely wear. Interesting..... the book takes you through the thought process to consider why some pieces worked for you and why not. I've gotten past the 1st few chapters and feel this book is well worth reading for anyone struggling to save money, stop buying the wrong things, yet have a workable wardrobe.

Barb · Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 10:06 am Post subject:

I have this book, (Don't Have a Thing to Wear) and haven't cracked the binding yet. The title spoke to me too, since I find so few styles that I think truly work on my mature body. I tend to let pieces languish in my closet or in my stash. When I get energized I work at finding new combos. Perhaps this book will motivate me this summer. I find winter harder so maybe I will gear up by reading it this summer. Wink

I have added The Tenth Gift to my Borders list. Thanks for the recommendation. I know I will love it!

BrendaJo · Joined: 20 Apr 2007 Posts: 35 Location: Cape Cod

This is somewhat off the topic but in regard to having nothing to wear. I keep a notebook with pictures of all the garments I create for myself along with information about fabrics, patterns etc. that were used in the construction. Recently I asked myself the question: "Why is it that I spend so much time sewing and yet end up wearing the same old things over and over again?" I went through the notebook, looking at all the things I have made and realized that I make the wrong garments for my lifestyle. I have beautiful dresses and suits hanging in my closet that I have worn only once or twice. I wear casual clothes all year long yet, aside from two summer skirts, I haven't made any of these items for ages. Does anyone relate?

Barb · Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 12:51 pm Post subject:

A number of years ago I switched my sewing mode to jackets almost completely. My time to sew was limited and my wardrobe was/is warehouse casual! I find that silk tweed jackets make great toppers for jeans and work well to kick up the outfit without pushing it into a dressier category. Now all I need is more time to make jackets as my favorites are over the hill! We just got some stunning silk tweed in for fall in three colors and we're all trying to choose the best one for our "go-with-everything" jacket.

This topic is fun as I think we all share similar dilemmas. If others join in I'll split it out to a new topic. Thanks Brendajo.

Lois · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 2:23 am Post subject:

Brendajo - I totally understand the dilemma and have found myself in the same position. I have a few theory's why we sew things we don't wear and/or why we have a hard time making the design decisions.

One thought is that we are creative people and with every new project comes "hope" of something new, "hope" of accomplishing the task with finesse and perfection, the feeling of accomplishment, the challenge of going outside our box and/or the mere fact of being immersed in a sea of creativity. So I might choose to make things that are beyond what I really need to add to my wardrobe. I get drawn in by the gorgeous textile and in my mind's eye the image of what that fabric should become. I think we all value quality clothing and want to sew a garment we might not buy in RTW for a variety of reasons.

Another thought is how many, many decisions there are in each project. What pattern, what view, what design changes, what fabric, color, techniques, length, width, linings, buttons, proportion to other pieces to be worn with the garment, on and on...... It is not a simple task but one I find to be lots of fun. I do make some mistakes too......those garments might not get worn much. Like you, I gain inspiration from RTW photos and depend on them to lead me through the maze of decisions. Over time I'm getting better at it and am learning a lot.

Last thought - it's plain old fun to sew things we might not need for everyday. Although currently my projects are geared to my need for career clothes. I am in the middle of making knit tops and some sumer weight jackets.

Sewing......It's our hobby and our creative outlet. I try not to be too hard on myself.....and just sew garments I like, and try new things.
I'd love to hear other's comments...I think we all share this dilemma.

Carole · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 5:40 pm Post subject:

Hi Everyone,

I found an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on Thurs. June 12. Collecting Vintage Dresses Like Art. Did anyone else read it?

The article is about vintage dresses and particularly ones by Madame Gres, a French designer who worked from 1920 to 1980. I first read an article about her in Threads magazine years ago. The article says she "defined the modern Grecian goddess gown and experimented intriguingly with kimono sleeves." An assistant curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is quoted in the article saying "She's such a critical designer that anything by her is significant."

The pictures accompanying the article show three beautifully draped dresses, one dark red, one turquoise and one wild jungle print. The fabrics are clearly thin. They drape like high quality silk jersey.

These days, collecting these gowns is as much about scavenging as shopping, the article says. The Met regularly finds and occasionally buys these dresses and other designer treasures on eBay.

Then the article goes on to tell how New York vintage collector Juliana Calrone recently bought a few of her gowns from a private source. These dresses, she claims will sell in her store for between $5,900 and $10,000 apiece.

Ms. Calrone owns a boutique called Rare Vintage in NYC. Wouldn't it be fun to go and see these amazing dresses?

Also on the same page is a Q&A column about skirts and waistbands. A reader writes in that she likes a traditional waistband on her skirts but is dismayed that the ones she finds these days are hip-hugger styles that 'don't look good on me'. The 'expert' replies that the only way to get a snug fit at the waistline is to have the garment tailored, usually with darts.

I think we sewers knew that all along!

Lois · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 7:11 pm Post subject:

Wow Carole! That was a very informative post and I will check out the article. Thanks for letting us know about it. I love to read about Vintage and Couture. My skills are certainly not at a Couture level and I may not spend the time to achieve such a fine result. But I DO value the art and just love to read about it. I find it so fascinating and inspirational.

Carole · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:33 am Post subject:

I've been meaning to post about this for a few days . . . Did anyone see the article in the June 23 Wall Street Journal called 'Figure This'? The article is about how Levi Strauss & Co. is trying to create a well-fitting stretch jean for women at a fairly low price. The interesting thing about this story, I think, is that it focuses a lot on stretch fabric. The third paragraph of the story says that these jeans are designed to 'minimize women's areas of concern - specifically the stomach, thighs and the behind (really now, what else is there to be concerned about when wearing jeans?). The high-stretch fabric reportedly shapes the leg and 'lifts' the bottom. But the vp of merchandising and design at Levi claims that it's not a girdle.

The article details how Levi struggled to find the right fabric. After testing initial jeans on real women, they decided they needed to use fabric with more stretch, which proved tricky. "Regular women's Levi's use about 1 percent stretch material. Adding more makes the jeans harder to work with. The fabric itself handles differently in a sewing machine. It's really hard to sew."

I thought this was interesting because it voices some of my own struggles with stretch woven fabric. I've made a few pairs of casual pants out of stretch woven and they've been pretty good. I also typically buy a couple of pairs of them each year and all the jeans I buy (I live in them and buy them solely at the Gap) have stretch. But I'm always on the lookout for better ones. I'm happier with stretch jeans because they can be close fitting. In fact the picture with the article shows close fitting jeans on an almost normal sized woman (she's on the thin side, but does have hips and thighs). But I'm not so happy with casual cotton pants with stretch because they tend to sag and bag within a few hours of wearing and I have to wash them often to restore the fit. This constant washing and drying eats away at the relatively inexpensive fabric quickly and I'm soon on the hunt for more. Because of this if I'm dressing for somewhere that jeans aren't appropriate, I tend just to go for dress pants because I know they always look good!

Which brings me back to sewing with stretch fabric. I like to keep trying new things, so I'll occasionally keep trying to sew my own stretch woven casual pants. I've had my eye on a Jalie pattern for this type of pant and also one from a new designer Jennifer Stern. I'll keep you posted on what I find out.

If you're interested in the jeans mentioned in the article they will be sold in Wal-Mart stores at the end of July. They are marketed under the name Totally Slimming and will cost under $25.