Cowls and Cowardice

Cowl dress pattern available here in a 34" bust!

I've had cowls on the brain lately. You see I've been thinking of other variations I could make of my draped midriff wiggle dress (last version here), and a cowl neckline keeps popping into my thoughts, especially in a nice jewel-toned crepe for fall. They're a more advanced draping (and sewing!) technique for sure; the use of the bias grain makes things notoriously tricky. But I was amused to see this sidebar tip in the book Professional Sewing Techniques for Designers:

"Note: Bias is an advanced technique. If this skill has not been mastered, save this technique for later design work."

So . . . is this as hilarious as I think it is? Let me get this straight: they're suggesting that if you haven't mastered the bias, you should come back at a later date . . . when you've somehow mastered it in the meantime by not practicing it at all? I'm so confused!

I certainly understand (and agree with) the concept of building up a good foundation of basic skills before getting into the tricky stuff. Perhaps that's all they're saying? Or that you should save cowls themselves until you've mastered the bias in other, simpler designs? (Yes! I do actually think that's what they're saying now. Whew! Only took me about twenty-four hours to work that one out.)

Anyway, I thought it was a funny quote and a good one for discussion. How often has a more advanced technique intimidated you or made you back away in fear? That quote certainly made me think twice about trying my hand at cowls! But the paradox at the heart of the quote holds true: if you never reach the point where you're ready to throw yourself into a scary new skill, you will most definitely never master it. There are always things you can do to make it easier on yourself: using an "easy" fabric or a simple pattern to start out with. But, at the end of the day, the only way to master the bias is to sew with the bias. A lot.

Cowls, here I come! (Gulp.)

P.S. For more information on sewing cowls, I picked up a tip on Pattern Review last night: Claire Shaeffer's High Fashion Sewing Secrets gives detailed instructions on constructing a cowl stay, which helps a cowl lay beautifully. I ordered a used copy for $2.53 on Alibris.com. Knowledge is power!

The Wild World of Stay Tape

After taking classes with a couple very experienced teachers lately, I've learned that the one thing couture-level sewers really freak out about is fabric stretching out of shape on curved areas like necklines. As my teacher Sharon says, as soon as you cut fabric on the bias, "it's like water." It can slip off grain pretty easily, apparently. I think this is the kind of thing that home sewers don't really think to worry about, right? I've staystitched curved areas when a pattern calls for it, and I've stabilized waistlines with seam tape when vintage patterns instruct to, but that's about it. But apparently this stabilizing of seams is one of those skills that separates the women from the girls, if you will.

Sew, Clip, Press!

I've been eyeing this book for a couple months now (after reading a review on Threads), so I was super excited to find a used copy at Fashion Design Books last Friday. I've made it my mission to read it from front to back and thought I'd share some tidbits with you as I go. Let me tell you, I am loving this book so far. The chapter on stabilizers kind of blew my mind, but more on that later. In the second chapter, one of the things that caught my eye was the authors' SEW, CLIP, PRESS method. (Yes, it's capitalized like that EVERY TIME.) Here's the idea.