The Stephen Burrows Challenge Coat

Today is cataract removal day :(  I was told to call the day before the surgery to find out what time I should arrive. To my great disappointment, I have to wait until 3 this afternoon to arrive, so the surgery probably won't take place at least until 4. Here I sit, hungry, thirsty, and thinking. Regardless of what everyone has told me about it being such a simple procedure, it's concerning when it's happening to you. Oh well, I've been through worse, and this too shall pass. 

I had promised to share my Stephen Burrows coat that I did for the Haute Couture fashion show. This was such a fun project!

The 2 pieces below are the original garments designed by Stephen Burrows. I've read conflicting stories on the piece. Some call it a coat, while others called it a coat dress. I decided that I would make the piece as a true coat as I would get more wear out of it.  

The first step was to find the fabric. I went with merino wool, so the colors are not as vibrant as those that Stephen Burrows used.

Next was the pattern. In retrospect, I probably should have drafted it myself, but I came across the Butterick pattern below, 6143. With some changes, I thought I would get the basic shape that I wanted. 

The skirt of the coat was far too full, so I pinned out some of the fullness to get the shape that I wanted.

For the bodice, since it is knit fabric, I ended up using Londa's Creative Threads Terrific 'T" pattern as a base. The shoulder was changed a bit. Below you can see how I laid the sleeve over the sleeve of the original coat pattern. I used the width of the sleeve, and lowered the cap to halfway between the top of the t-shirt sleeve and the coat sleeve cap.  

I used a fusible knit interfacing on the knit fabric where there were not multiple layers of fabric. Since I made a coat rather than a dress, the fabric needed a bit more stability.
   

I determined where I would use the different colors. The green knit was laid over the yellow, and then the band of navy blue knit was laid in place. I sewed the navy to the green and then flipped it over and hand sewed the bottom edge to the green.

The same process was done on the bodice. I also basted all the pieces together around the edge so that everything would remain in place.

With all the stripes coming together at center front, it makes inserting the zipper a little bit of a challenge. To ensure that the stripes did come together at center front, I basted the zipper in place prior to stitching. Once the zipper was stitched in place and I was happy with how the stripes matched, I did a catch stitch to hold the seam allowance in place.

Then came the challenge of the lining. Since the coat is a knit fabric, I needed a knit lining, but I still wanted to have some slip to it as a typical lining has so that it would slide on over whatever I wear underneath. A few years ago, the Haute Couture Club of Chicago celebrated our 50th anniversary. One of our members, Renee Liepins designed the fabric you see below. If you would like to see some of her other wonderful fabric designs, you can find them HERE on Spoonflower. This is a lovely knit that has a very nice slip to it. The only problem was that I didn't have enough to do the entire coat. But, I had the solid gray that matched, so all in all it worked out. 

Here's a closeup of the knit fabric. Look closely and you'll see the HC in the pattern. 

The back of my finished coat.

 The front unzipped. 

And finally, the front zipped. I really did match the stripes :)

I so enjoyed this project, so much so that I think I would like to copy another design. If I can find complimenting stripes, then this little outfit is in my future. I know, I know, I am not supposed to be shopping for fabric!!!

Monday Morning Inspiration/Florence Eiseman

It has been horribly hot in Chicago the last few days. Last night, I walked Gracie, came home and began getting ready for bed all along thinking about how I couldn't wait for the temperatures to change and the lovely days of fall to return. As I laid down in my lovely bed, in a cool, air-conditioned house, I thought of something I heard at mass this past weekend. The priest talked about how we always compare ourselves to others who are doing better, a bigger house, a move expensive car, better clothes, a more successful career, and the list goes on. His challenge was to look the other way, think of those who have less, and then take another look at yourself and be grateful for all you have.  

As I sank into my bed, I thought of the people in Puerto Rico whose lives have been devastated by the recent hurricane, and so many more on other Caribbean islands who have lost everything, homes, and even family. The people of Mexico who have lost so very much. So many do not have a comfortable bed to sink into, electricity that can provide cool relief. As I closed my eyes, I embraced all that I have and became all the more grateful.

About a month ago, I made a trip up to West Bend, Wisconsin to visit the Museum of Wisconsin Art. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very sweet exhibit on the creations of Florence Eiseman. From Milwaukee, her career began when her husband's toy factory was struggling. In the 1930's, she began sewing on the advice of her doctor as a cure for her nerves. How about that?!!! 

When the toy factory began to struggle, Florence's husband gathered up some of the pinafores that she had made, took them to a buyer at Marshall Field's where they promptly placed an order for $3000.00, quite a huge sum in 1945. The company did not make a profit for a number of years, but little by little consumers began to embrace the impeccable workmanship, natural fibers, and the elegant but still childlike designs. In 1955, Florence Eiseman was the first children's wear designer to win the coveted international Nieman Marcus Award for contributions to fashion.  

Those of note who have worn Eiseman creations include the children of Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Grace of Monaco, the Kennedys, Rockefellers, and the list goes on.

Since many of you make children's clothing, I thought that I would share a few of my favorites from the collection. Truth be told, big girls can glean a little inspiration from the collection as well ;) 

The little polka dot dog below is just too cute!!!

Such a simple little detail, but so cute.

I included this picture as I thought that it might inspire. The white circle is actually a pocket. Super cute!

While the Obamas were in office, they commissioned the Florence Eisman company to do girl and boy outfits with the presidential seal as gifts during their term of office. Such a thoughtful, and special gift.  

I included this picture for those of you who may make doll clothes.
The little red dress in the center is the main garment. All of the pieces that circle the dress are interchangeable aprons that would button to the dress under the collar and then tie to the back or side. So it's like 9 outfits all in one. Love this idea!!!
  

The exhibit runs through October 8, 2017. You can read more about it HERE. 

Do you have a sweet memory of wearing a Florence Eiseman garment? If so, the museum would love to hear your story. You can leave your message HERE. 

So as our week begins, may we all see the abundance in our lives.
Have a wonderful week!
Rhonda

Sewbussted's Material Witness/The Roman Skirt

Happy Friday!!!

I think you are going to especially enjoy the new Sewbussted video :) It features a fellow Haute Couture Club of Chicago member, Mary Kay Blaschke. Such a lovely, creative, and innovative lady. She designed a special outfit for our fashion show that was held last May, and when she walked out on to the runway, the audience absolutely went crazy. So I thought, why shouldn't you have the opportunity to see what she did and learn how to do it? 

Enjoy!



I thought that the play on stripes made for a fun and whimsical outfit. As we showed in the video, it's actually 3 pieces, a unitard, the skirt and a ruff at the neckline. The 3 pieces makes it especially versatile. The skirt can be worn on its own, the unitard paired with a short pencil skirt. Lots of possibilities and lots of fun:)
Mary Kay had the idea, but wasn't initially quite sure of how to execute her design. So she played around quite a bit, never gave up, and ultimately achieved her goal. The skirt is basically a 6-gore skirt with just a bit of a twist. Take note of how full it is at the hem.  

I see now that I didn't get the drawstrings quite right for this picture, but I think you get the idea. Take note of the little striped unitard legs peeking out from below. So, so cute!

And I just had to tell you a cute story about the little ruff. In the video she talks about how she used toilet paper to create the ruff. After we had finished, she said that she probably shouldn't have shared that on the video. I told her that I loved it because it shows how you can take everyday household items and use them in the design process.   

I thought I would just let you enjoy the video first and then do a separate post with the instructions on how to create this super fun skirt. Look for that in an upcoming post. So...stay tuned ;)

Hope you enjoyed the video.
Remember to follow me on YouTube to stay up to date on new videos. You can find my channel HERE.

Monday Morning Inspiration/Fun, Fresh, Effortless

A friend of mine was so inspired by a past Monday Morning Inspiration post that I did on Carolina Herrera that it prompted her to recreate one of the dresses. She did a beautiful job, and I think it is now one of her favorite dresses. Nice!

My friend's excitement over her dress has prompted me to pay a little more attention to what Carolina Herrera is doing. This is the time of year that many of us are growing a little weary of  warm temperatures, but are not quite ready to give up bright colors and floral prints. On a recent visit to Carolina Herrera's website I found this absolutely beautiful video that showcases her 2018 resort collection. The fabrics and colors are so dreamy! The video was shot at her Venezuelan home which been in her family since 1590, and the garden was her inspiration for this collection. It's only a little over a minute long, so it won't take much time. By all means, PLEASE take a look as the photographs do not capture the beauty of the garments the way that the video does.

Carolina Herrera New York - Resort 2018 BTS from Carolina Herrera on Vimeo.

Carolina expresses that the collection is fun, fresh, and effortless. I love how the pieces work together, and the 3 dimensional floral appliques and embroideries.

This is a dress that we have seen in the past as more of an asymmetrical bandage dress. I love the added circular skirt.

The longer jackets are lovely and the movement of the stripes makes the dress especially interesting.

I love everything about this look, the wide leg pants, the interesting play of the stripes in the peplum top, and the simple, but dramatic belt.

Fun poppies really add whimsy to the garments below.

I hope you have been inspired, I know I have!!! If you would like to see more from Carolina Herrera, you can find her website HERE.

Have a wonderfully, colorful week!

Rhonda  

Pattern Making For Jacket and Coat Design

Earlier this past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and interview Pamela Vanderlinde. Not only is she an accomplished designer, she teaches at both the Illinois Institute of Art and the School of the Art Institute. 

She recently published a book on jacket and coat design. This is a book for the modern designer who would love to have the knowledge to create beautiful jackets and coats. Hear all about it in the interview below. 



Now that you've seen the video, you know that Pamela is not only making a difference in the fashion world, but reaching out and working with the Andean women of Peru. You can find their website HERE. 

Pamela's book, Pattern Making For Jacket and Coat Design is a must for anyone interested in developing and designing coats and jackets. You can find it HERE on Amazon. 

If by chance you can make it to Chicago the first Saturday of June, Pamela will be speaking to the Haute Couture Club at our June Banquet. Once the registration form is up on the website, I'll let you know. This is an opportunity that you will not want to miss!

Pamela hopes to get her blog updated soon. Be sure to pop over as there is more on her blog that we did not cover in the interview. You can find her blog HERE. You'll see that Pamela is truly a very deep well of inspiration. 

Monday Morning Inspiration/Shock Wave

While I was in Denver, I had the opportunity to go to the Denver Art Museum and see a wonderful exhibit on Japanese designers who began a fashion revolution during the 1980s and 90s.  The exhibit is entitled Shock Wave. It was fascinating and I found it quite interesting as to how many of the pieces are still relevant to today's fashion.

Since I enjoyed it so much, I thought you might as well. There are 70 pieces in the collection, so it's a fairly large exhibit. I'm showcasing just a few of my favorites.

Loved this simple piece, basically just rectangles.

The gathered neckline on this dress made for the most attractive and feminine design.

Structure and drape combined.

From Rei Kawakubo, bias dress with matching gloves. Spring/Summer 1994  

This is a very different piece, but interesting and inspiring. From Commes des Garcons, entitled, "Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body." The sections and drape of the skirt is especially interesting. 

Loved this pieced and structured bustier.

Interesting tweed suit. I really liked the sleeve detail.
  

From Issey Miyake. Pleated fabric with a play on stripes. Beautiful.

There was a section devoted to pleat detail. While the shirt is interesting, I so wished I could have captured the skirt, but the lighting was just too dark.

This skirt was paired with a different shirt. Take note of the tie that is attached to the waistline of the skirt and then wraps around the waistline. This is a fairly heavy skirt, so the tie helps to hold the skirt in place. Love the pocket detail.

From Issey Miyake. Spring/Summer 1989. What caught my eye was the amazing sleeve.

This dress has the feel of a kimono, but given a modern twist with the neckline and sleeves.

And finally, I just couldn't take enough pictures of this dress. From zippers, to buckles, to drapes, so much inspiration.

The exhibit runs through May 28, 2017, so if you are in or near Denver, I highly recommend the exhibit.  

Hope you enjoyed this little taste!

Rhonda