Sleeves On Saturdays

The Cowl Draped Sleeve 

Today's sleeve is beautiful when paired with a draped front top but will also make a simple top look special.

 The folds fall gracefully from the top of the sleeve. I think you'll be amazed by how easy it is to draft.

Begin with your basic sleeve pattern. This sleeve will also look wonderful when made from a fitted sleeve.

Find the approximate elbow area of the sleeve. Draw a horizontal line at this point. At the cap, measure over 2" from the center of the sleeve and approximately half way down the sleeve cap and draw in the diagonal lines you see pictured above. 

Now cut from the top of the sleeve to the elbow line and across to the side seams, being careful to not cut through. In the cap area cut on the diagonal lines once again being careful to cut to the seam line but not through. Spread your pieces as you see above and tape or pin in place. 

 Draw a horizontal line at the top of the cap that will connect the two pie shaped pieces. This sleeve will need a facing. The second line that you see above is 2" from the line that connects the two pieces of the cap that have been spread. You can spread more than I did. The more you spread, the deeper the drapes will be. Also note in the above picture that you will straighten out the area where the cap has been spread.

The final pattern. I made mine out of a knit, so I cut my sleeve on the straight of grain. If you would like to do this sleeve out of a woven, draw in a bias grain line.

 You can see in this picture that the top of the sleeve cap is open which looks lovely with an arm peeking through.

 Here you see the soft drapes.

A very pretty, feminine sleeve. Enjoy! 

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday

For those of you who have been following along for some time, you will remember that when I first started the weekly rectangle series, it began as "Rectangles, Squares and Circles." Not a very catchy title. My intent has always been to encourage people to sew and to show just how easy it is to create wonderful pieces with a minimal amount of effort.. I'm sure that I am no different than many of you, if sewing had not been a part of my life, well first of all, there was a time that I would not have had clothes to wear and I am not exaggerating. But more importantly, I have made friends and opportunities have come to me through people I have met along the way, all of which have enriched my life in such an abundant way. So much so that I hope to pass along the joy of sewing and hopefully others will gain what I have along the way.Today's post is pulled out of that original series but I would like for it to be included in the Fabulous Free Pattern Friday series as well. Actually, the two series are the same, just a different title. You can see the original post here.

The fabric for this skirt was purchased at High Fashion Fabrics in Houston, Texas, a wonderful store.
Making this into a skirt only takes a few easy steps.

Begin by sewing the center back seam. Divide the waist line into four equal parts. For the waistband, I like a 1 1/2" wide elastic. Take the elastic and put it around your waist, pull it until it is comfortable to you. Cut it and sew it together. Divide the elastic into 4 equal parts and match this up to the divided waistline of the skirt.

To attach the elastic to the skirt, I like to serge the 2 together. You can also use a sewing machine and zigzag the 2 together.

For this particular skirt, I tacked the waistband to the center back seam and made a few tacks around as I did not want stitching to show.

The finished piece as a skirt, which I might add that I no longer own. My niece took one look at it and fell in love. I couldn't resist, so the skirt went home with her. I love to make her smile!!

Now you can see why I didn't want a stitching line around the top. It's really cute as a strapless top, or it can be worn with a t-shirt underneath.

It also makes a fun little poncho!

I found another piece of the same type of fabric in a small store in Granby, Colorado. I got to keep this one!

I did not totally cop out today and just pull up an old post. I bought this piece from High Fashion Fabrics as well. So pretty.

It's just a little different from the other pieces as it is one continuous piece. If you are interested, they do have a number of pieces of this fabric and they do ship. In order to make the skirt, cut the piece in half which is the white area in the picture above. Rather than just 1 center back seam, you will have 2 side seams. Divide the waist line into 4 equal parts as in the other skirt and do the same with the elastic.

Serge the elastic to the top of the skirt.

For this piece, I zigzagged the elastic waistband down.

The skirt is really pretty, but I have a problem. It's confession time. I didn't try on the skirt before I sewed in the elastic. Once it was finished, I put it on and it is miles too big. The elastic is fine as that was measured, but the skirt is swimming on me. So a word to the wise, try things on before you finish them. I can easily fix this, but I will have to take out the elastic and then take up the side seams and then put the elastic back in. Bummer, but all my own fault.
Wishing you all a wonderful start to the weekend.
Rhonda

How To Draft A Peg Skirt, Part One

The peg skirt is back!

Everywhere I look, I keep running into peg skirts.

They are rather unmistakable, small at the waist, flared out at the hips and then narrow at the hem line.A peg skirt is quite easy to draft.

This will be the first of a two part post. Today I will show you how to start the draft of a peg skirt. Next Tuesday I will finish the draft and show you my finished skirt as well. The skirt that we will draft will have a yoke, pleats and a side pocket. The finished skirt will be similar to the skirt pictured above.

Begin with a basic straight skirt pattern.

Next, draw in the yoke line. At the side seam the yoke line is 3" below the waist and at center front the yoke line is 4 1/2" below the waistline.

Now we will draw in our pleat lines. The first line is 2 1/2" away from center front. The second line is 1 1/2" away from the first pleat line.

 

Now we will start to have some fun and draw in our pocket lines. The pocket is actually going to stand away from the skirt.

Measure 9" down from the waistline. At this point come out 1 1/2" as you see in the picture above. The depth of the pocket should be 5 1/2". The line closest to the side seam is 2 1/2" away from the side seam. The second line is 1 1/2" away from the first line. Connect the lines as you see above and round off the edge of the pocket.

In the next post, I will show you how to take all the pieces apart and make the final patterns. It may look a little complicated at this point, but once the pieces are pulled apart, I think you will be able to see just how easy this actually is. This really makes a great little skirt, perfect for light weight summer fabrics as well as heavier winter fabrics.

The Wednesday Showcase

Since I've started doing the Wednesday Showcase, it seems that Wednesdays roll around so much faster. Hmmm, is there a message here? Well, life does go by very quickly doesn't it?
Okay, so much for that, this is about meeting new people.
Our first follower is so talented that she needs two blogs to showcase all of her work. She really does it all. Here's how Knitmachinequeen describes herself,

"I sew, I machine knit, I cook, and most recently I've started cardmaking. My mother says I'm the Black Martha Stewart!"

When she posted this picture, she said that she had to admit that there was a time when she would throw on a pair of leggings with a t-shirt and go to the store, but no more. What a great role model for a stylish, put together shopper!

Knitmachinequeen has such a wonderful sense of style, bold prints with stylish silhouettes,

 This is a jacket that she made. It's fleece, yes, fleece. Incredible.

And look at her lovely finishing. This is a jacket that can go anywhere.

She even makes her own under garments. I couldn't believe that this wasn't a purchased bra.

And even her panties!!! There's a wild woman hiding behind those pretty dresses. You can find all of her lovely creations at www.smokingneedlesknitting.blogspot.com.

As I said, she has two blogs to showcase her creative abilities. Knitmachinequeen makes the most wonderful cards. What a lucky person you would be to receive one of her cards.

They are lovely and so much work goes into each card. You can find her blog where she shares her lovely cards at www.imblackmartha.blogspot.com. There is one thing I disagree with her about, she is not the black Martha, Martha is the white Knitmachinequeen!!! Just too much talent for one person.

Our second blogger today has just started following my blog and I am so very happy to say that I am her first followerer. Yea!!! Her name is Kitty and the title of her blog is "Kitty's Brand Spankin' New Costume Blog." What a great title. Here's her description, "I'm a 3rd year costume student about to head out into the big wide world commonly known as the theatre industry. Wish me luck!"

When I saw that Kitty is a costume design student, my heart immediately went out to her. A little something that I have not shared is that I spent a period of time as a costume designer. Here's a review that a company I worked with received for "The Little Prince."

"The show`s designers have captured the beloved look and style of the author`s original drawings."
A play from the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, directed by Sandra Grand, with music by Adam Gorgoni, a setting by Brian Traynor, lighting by Kevin Snow and costumes by Rhonda
Buss. The play was reviewed by The Chicago Tribune in 1987. Wow, I'm REALLY dating myself!

This is a finished piece done by Kitty.

And her original drawing.

Take a close look at this picture, there's a person inside that fish! This is a costume that she is working on. Kitty is headed for an incredible career.

I just had to include the following pictures. I did a number of shows that involved children. Let me tell you, when you work with children, you must call up the patience of Job!! It can be a little like herding cats.

Her little actors are smiling and happy. Great job Kitty!

The children pictured here are part of the same production. They are monkeys. Too much fun. In the background are clowns. She did all the costumes without ever seeing the children before hand. Again, way to go Kitty.
Help me in supporting Kitty by joining her blog. You can find her at www.kittypowercostume.blogspot.com. I look forward to watching as her career blossoms.
Hope your week is going well.
Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration

Flower Power

Spring has sprung and I am loving all the lovely flowers popping all over my garden. There are purple crocuses, sun yellow daffodils and delicate pink cherry blossoms. So today I thought I would celebrate this early spring with a few pictures of tempting floral creations for us to wear. Above is a lovely dress exploding with flowers from Felicity Jones.  

Platforms and a matching bag from Nine West.

A hot little skirt from Marni.

An island inspired sarong skirt from Proenza Schouler.

A mix of florals and prints from Elle Tahari.

 If you dare, matching floral jeans and bra from 7 For All Mankind.

 Three dimensional flowers from Oscar De La Renta.

 A vintage inspired draped dress from Proenza Schouler.

 A beaded confection from Chanel.

 Jennifer Lopez in a strapless jumpsuit from Valentino.

 A larger than life burnished rose hat from Alexis Mabille.

 A beautiful snakeskin purse from Brahmin. Take a close look at the leather rose buds above,

 and again here.

A to die for shoe from Sergio Rossi. Just in case you're interested, they are available at Neiman Marcus!!!!!

And just in case wearing flowers isn't enough, you can ride around on this rose filled scooter from cwonder.com.
Wishing you a lovely start to your week.