New Fall Gertie Fabrics!

As you may recall, my first line of retro-inspired apparel fabric hit Joann's stores in March. The response was fantastic, so I now have a fall line arriving in stores as I write. Like the spring collection, fall features vintage-themed prints on apparel-friendly fabrics. For fall, we went a little more rich and jewel-toned and we have some exciting choices: knits and jacquards and flocked chiffons, for instance! Here's a look at the collection, with links to purchase online.

First, a beautiful floral cotton sateen in greys and purples.

Grey Floral Sateen

Also on sateen, a retro atomic jacks print in both purple/grey and black/white. 

Purple/Grey Jacks Sateen

Black/White Jacks Sateen

I love the drape of rayon challis, and we have some beautiful ones this season. First, a retro rose floral in both blue and black colorways.

Blue Floral Rayon Challis

Black Floral Rayon Challis

I love this faux-stitch floral print on black.

Stitch Rayon Challis

Also on rayon challis is this sophisticated dot pattern.

Gray and Purple Dots Rayon Challis

I adore velvet flocking on fabric, and I knew that would be a must for a fall collection. To start, we have little dresses flocked on blue faille!

Flocked Dresses on Blue Faille

Next, flocked poodles and dots (!!!!) on grey chiffon.

Flocked Poodles on Grey Chiffon

Then these lovely rich jacquards in blue/black and grey/black. These have really nice body and a subtle sheen.

Blue/Black Jacquard

Grey/Black Jacquard

Finally, knits! This rose pattern was inspired by an actual '50s dress and it comes in monochromatic red, purple, and grey on a luscious rayon-spandex knit. It has fantastic drape. This fabric is way easier to sew than I anticipated too!

Red Floral Rayon/Spandex Knit

Purple Floral Rayon/Spandex Knit

Grey Floral Rayon/Spandex Knit

What do you think? Do you have any favorites? I hope you love them, readers! A huge thanks to both Fabric Traditions and Joann Fabric and Crafts for putting these out. 

Finished Quilted Skirt

It's finally finished! I wrote "Making a Quilted Skirt, Part One" earlier this year and then life and book writing took over. I finally finished the skirt last week, so here I am modeling it. Part two of the tutorial is coming up!

The skirt is made from the rose print sateen from my spring 2015 fabric line. (This color is sold out online, but it's available in yellow and coral on poplin here.) It's sandwiched with red Kona cotton and cotton batting. The quilting gives it incredible shape and body--no petticoat needed!

The pattern I used the the Flared Skirt from my book Gertie Sews Vintage Casual. It's a half circle, though it looks much fuller with the quilting.

There's a high waistband and a back lapped zipper. The waistband is interfaced with non-woven sew-in interfacing and then has rows of channel stitching rather than quilting. I'll be writing more about this.

The quilting adds such a fun texture and overall shape. 

I wore the skirt out fabric shopping in the city yesterday and got so many compliments. Seriously, I felt like a celebrity. (I found some great fabrics for my dirndl, readers! More to come.)

Look out for part two of the tutorial next week!

Sketching in Color

Since Gertie's New Fashion Sketchbook came out, I've been thrilled to have proportional croquis to work with. It's so refreshing to use fashion figures that are of a realistic height and body type! And it's really made me want to step up my sketching game. So I decided to start experimenting with using color in my sketches. I bought some Prismacolor art markers, the kind with the brush tip on one end and and a fine tip on the other.

I haven't been to an art class in decades and I honestly have no idea what I'm doing here, so I decided to just have fun with it. I started by sketching in my design in pencil the way I wrote about last week. (This is the dirndl I'm planning on making.)

I know I plan on using this royal blue and black jacquard (from my new fall fabric collection, more to come on that!) so I had an idea what colors to use. I'm planning on finding a magenta silk for the apron and trim. I started by coloring in the apron and large parts of the dress, using the brush end of the marker. I drew black swirls on the dress to represent the jacquard pattern.

I drew in details and outlines with the fine point of a black marker. Then I experimented with making the blouse black and the lips red. 

I didn't like the black blouse as much, but unfortunately there's no way to go back! (Though that's what sketching is for: now I know to buy white fabric for the blouse rather than black.) And I wasn't sure how to represent details like gathers on a black garment. (Ideas?) Ah well. Also important to note: the markers kind of seep through the paper, so you can only use one side.

Anyway, it's been a fun experiment. I'd love to hear your sketching tips! Do you work in color? What are your favorite techniques? 

Dirndls and "Wearability"

Lena Hoschek Amalie Dirndl

After I wrote the post "Dirndl Mania," one of the comments expressed that while the dirndls were certainly cute, they are not wearable outside of maybe Oktoberfest. It's an intriguing comment, and I think the wearability factor probably depends on an intricate mix of geography, personal style, and the style of the dirndl itself.

I spent a few days in Southern Germany this summer and was surprised at how many women I saw walking around streets in dirndls. I figured that, given that I was largely in towns heavily visited by tourists, these were tour guides and employees of restaurants. However, in Regensburg, our tour guide was a young woman who shared some facts about typical dirndl wearing there. We passed a shop window which displayed mannequins wearing long dirndls.

The guide explained the significance of the dirndl, but said that women her age would almost never wear a long dirndl, that they preferred shorter ones that show more skin on the legs and cleavage. She also said that this demographic always has at least two dirndls: a "fun" one that's for "going out," and a "nicer" one for weddings and family celebrations. She said it was very common for a bride to request traditional dress at her wedding, meaning that girls and women would wear dirndls and boys and men would wear lederhosen. (I have to say that my fascination with this traditional dress has not extended to lederhosen. In Koblenz, I passed a bunch of drunken young men wearing lederhosen and it was like a terrifying gang of Overgrown Bavarian Manboy Frat Dudes. Little boys in lederhosen are always adorable though.) Interestingly, our tour guide also mentioned that lederhosen have become more popular for women to wear but that sometimes they veer toward the short and trashy (think Hotpants Lederhosen).

So, my limited experience on the matter tells me that if you live in Austria or Bavaria, dirndls are very much a part of a typical woman's wardrobe. But what if you live somewhere else and are in love with dirndls? Do you wear one once a year to your local Oktoberfest and that's that? That seems unsatisfactory. (Also, yesterday I went to the Bear Mountain Oktoberfest and was one of only 3 women wearing dirndls [see the other two below!]. I did see a woman wearing a t-shirt that read, 'This Is My Beer Drinkin' Shirt,' which was much more typical of the dress overall. Disappointing!)

One question, to my mind, is how does a designer make dirndls more wearable to the rest of the world? What about the dirndl makes it "unwearable"? Is it the blouse? Some designers, like CocoVero, do a great job of adapting the dirndl in ways that make it more like a dress. Adding sleeves, for instance.

CocoVero Dirndl

Designers like Julia Trentini make "dirndl dresses" or dirndlkleid which have sleeves and are more like '50s era shirtdresses than traditional dirndls. Julia Trentini's marketing copy even calls these dresses more "everyday" and mentions that they can be worn either with the apron (like a dirndl) or with a belt (like a dress).

Julia Trentini Marta Dirndl Dress

Julia Trentini Traudi Dirndl Dress

Which leads us to the apron. From my point of view, the one thing about dirndls that seems truly unwearable on a day-to-day basis is the apron. The rest of it is really a jumper and a blouse, and there are certainly ways to incorporate that into one's wardrobe. But the apron is perhaps the sticking point to the modern girl. One could wear the dirndl without the apron, though I know that's sacrilege in terms of traditional dress and custom. The designer in me also wonders if there's a way to hint at the apron: an overskirt or separate wrap skirt? For instance, this gorgeous Noh Nee dirndl suggests the line of the apron with the contrast fabric at the hem of the skirt and the sash at the waist. It could even be worn without the blouse.

Noh Nee Tere Dirndl

Of course, this entire debate this assumes that you care if something is wearable on a daily basis. Lots of stylish people, especially vintage-loving ones, wear things that the average person feels they can't "pull off."

What do you think? Is the dirndl wearable on a day-to-day basis? If not, are there ways to make it more wearable? Would you wear a dirndl without an apron?

Dirndl Trim

Lena Hoschek Röschen Dirndl

Dirndl Fever is no where near subsiding! And it's just in time for Oktoberfest, so let's keep the dirndl posts rolling. One of the many reasons I am so attracted to dirndls is their beautiful craftsmanship. And that craftsmanship really shines in the use of gorgeous handmade trims. The Lena Hoschek dirndl above is one of my favorite examples: the trim around the neckline is a piped ruffle with handmade herzruche ("heart ruching") set in the center. That's an astounding amount of work, and the results are so lovely.

Here's another Lena Hoschek design that uses just the herzruche around the neckline. The effect is stunningly simple.

Lena Hoschek Kiritag Dirndl

Other typical dirndl trims involved origami-esque hand pleating, like this Sonja Fellner design:

The subtly amazing thing about the trim above is the way the gingham side of the strip was cut a little wider than the red, so the gingham wraps slightly around to the red side. It's that kind of detail that blows my mind a bit.

I especially love designs that incorporate the contrasting apron fabric into the bodice trim.

Lena Hoschek Cordula Dirndl

Of course, the question is: how does one learn how to make this type of trim? (Especially with no German language skills and only the beginnings of understanding of the subject.) A great resource I found is Folkwear pattern #123, which has several pages of instructions for making various types of dirndl trim.

My vote for the best trim name? Froschgoscher,  which is translated to "frog lips."

A good online resource for making ribbon herzruche is Kenneth King's article "How to Make Ribbon Trim." However, you will need a Threads Insider membership to view the entire thing. King, in his turn, recommends the book The Artful Ribbon by Candice Kling.

Other potential book resources (I say "potential" because I don't have them to look at) are Fabric Manipulation by Ruth Singer and The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff.

Readers, have you ever made your own dirndl trim? Do you have any resources to share?

Dirndls and Boning

Lodenfrey Dirndl, which uses boning at center front, concealing the hook and eye closure

I've always loved the subject of adding structure to fitted vintage-style dresses. Boning, padding, underwires, underlining, interfacing, interlining: no topic is too minuscule or technical for me to obsess over! So when I caught Dirndl Fever in Germany recently, one of my first questions was about dirndls and boning. Since dirndl bodices are so fitted, it seems like using boning would be a common technique. However, I was surprised to find that the Hammerschmid dirndl I purchased in Passau has no boning in the bodice (though the entire outer layer is interfaced with what appears to be fusible Weft interfacing).

After buying my dirndl, I shopped again in a couple dirndl shops in Rothenburg specifically looking at the structure of the bodices. Evidence of boning was found! A few of the dirndls in the Pollinger shop had just two rows of boning, one on either side of the front zipper opening. The closest example I could find online was this Lodenfrey dirndl on eBay. See how there's a centered zipper with topstitching, and then two more rows of topstitching to either side of the zipper? The bones are inserted into the channels formed by the topstitching.

Source

This center front boning placement seems fairly common, and would be especially helpful if you were concerned about keeping the front opening of your dirndl sturdy and wrinkle-free (functioning like a busk on a corset). A few resources on this type of boning placement:

• Here's a video on adding boning in the lining and at center front (though I would personally like to find a way to do this that hides the zipper tape between the outer fabric and the lining).
• Some very skillful dirndl sewing from a blogger, with incorporated center front boning. 
• This Folkwear pattern incorporates optional center front boning.

I was curious if there were other ways of placing boning in a dirndl. Some more obsessive web searching brought me to Gössl, a traditional Austrian design house that seems to use boning much more liberally in their dirndl bodices. Bingo! Check out these photos.

Source 

You can see a boning channel underneath the bust and then one that extends diagonally from the underarm to the waist.

Source

These dirndls also have a line of boning on the back bodice. The back boning extends from the underarm to the waistline, near the side seam.

Source

In these cases, it's interesting how the bones appear to be inserted into a stitched channel between the outer bodice and the lining, much like a corset.

On a side note, I went down some interesting rabbit holes with Google Translate. Gössl refers to their boning as miederstäbe, which translated back to me as "bodice rods." Lodenfrey uses the term formstäbchen, which Google translated as "shape chopsticks." Shape chopsticks! I love that! (On a side note to my side note, I obviously need to learn German if I'm going to really sew some dirndls.)

So readers, this is just a collection of my initial research into the use of boning in dirndls. All this said, it's also very common for dirndls not to use boning at all. I wrote to the kind ladies at Limberry (a site that carries some rather high-end designer dirndls), and they quickly wrote back saying the only designer they carry who uses boning in her dirndls is Sonia Fellner, whose designs incorporate a lot of corseting details.

Sonja Fellner dirndl

Now, I know I'm not the only one out there who's spent time pondering this very subject. I would love to hear your experiences and thoughts on the matter of dirndls and boning, readers!

Gertie Wears a Dirndl!

Last week, I confessed my newfound love of all things Dirndl, and I wasn't surprised that you were all pretty enthused as well. What's not to love? Structured bodices, full skirts, puff sleeves, and so much more! I got a lot of requests to see pictures of me in my dirndl that I purchased in Passau, Germany. So here you go!

This is my "milk maid" pose.

The dirndl is by a brand called Hammerschmid and I picked it because it was made of natural fibers, wasn't too flashy or expensive, and I liked the color combination. The blouses are sold separately and I was surprised to learn that they end right underneath the bust, like a crop top. That seems to help reduce bulk and keeps things tucked in.

The bodice doesn't have any boning, which seems fairly common. (Don't get me started right now. Oh readers, I have a whole post planned on the use of boning in dirndls.) However, the bodice does have fusible interfacing throughout and is fully lined in cotton so it has a substantial feel to it. The dress zips up the front and has a very snug fit.

I love the hooks for the corset lacing--they're open at the top, making them a cinch to thread the ribbon through. Genius!

The bodice back has piped princess seams.

The skirt seems atypical in that it is flared, with no gathers in the front, and just light gathers in the back. My understanding is that a typical dirndl style is a rectangle shape with gathers or small pleats all over.

The gingham apron has large pleats rather than gathers or shirring, which is what I've noticed on more traditional aprons. 

A big thanks to my friend Melanie, who took these photos in her backyard, which I can almost make believe is in Austria somewhere! She also gave some great art direction having to do with "getting intimate" with the flower garden. 

Doesn't Mount Beacon look just like the Alps? Okay, maybe not.

More dirndly fun to come!