Pink Portrait in 4 Ply Silk

Have you ever used 4 ply silk? If not, don't start now. It creates a very expensive addiction.

I decided I could use some more basic blouses, and the portrait-neckline blouse from Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing fit the bill. I had already made it in a somewhat casual linen eyelet, and thought it would be fun to try in a dressier fabric. Since it only requires one yard, I decided to splurge on a 4 ply silk from Mood. Here's another picture where you can more clearly see the released darts on the blouse:

This fabric is, in a word, amazing. It has a really nice, substantial drape. It's opaque, even in light colors. It tailors beautifully. It's even fun to cut into.

Now that I've gotten a taste of it, I can't stop thinking of all the other things I'd like to make in 4 ply silk. I suppose that of all the things to be addicted to, it could be worse--right?

I took a dressmaking class last year with a wonderful teacher who was such an enabler when it came to expensive fabric. He talked me into buying this gorgeous red double wool crepe at $25 a yard. It was Italian. I had never spent that much on fabric. Now, I bought it to make a sheath dress that only required two yards. My teacher's reasoning was that if one were to buy a dress made out of fabric of that quality it would cost over $300, not $50. Sure enough, that red dress turned out beautifully. I have worn it more times than I can count, making it worth every penny.

Now, let's hear from you. How much will you spend on a really high quality fabric? What fabrics do you think are worth it?

Tada! The "Feminine, Portrait Neckline Blouse!"

"Under the sun or under the stars, the portrait-neckline blouse has a way of making you look your prettiest and most feminine."-- Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing (aka VoNBSS)

Well, here it is! My first project from VoNBSS.

I made it in linen, just like the book suggested. Actually, it's a linen eyelet--how cool is that?

I did my very best to stay true to VoNBSS's guidance. I used tailor's tacks, did a faced, lapped zipper and a basted fitting, and even hand-rolled the sleeve hems! I have to say, the things that I thought would be such a pain really weren't at all. Doing tailor's tacks actually isn't any more time consuming in the long run than transferring marks with a tracing wheel and transfer paper. And there are no troublesome chalk marks to deal with afterwards!

There were a few things that struck me about this vintage pattern, which is from 1952. First, it's an unprinted pattern, which I've never used before. It's simply blank, with perforations as markings. The perforations make it easy to thread tailor's tacks through them.

Here are the new skills I picked up with this project. After all, learning is what we're all about here!

1. Tailor's tacks (verdict: pretty much awesome but not always necessary). It was actually quite fun to make the little thread loops through the perforations. Also, you have to love the enthusiasm VoNBSS brings to tailor's tacks. "See--there are little tufts of thread to show you which perforation goes with which!" OMG! VoNBSS does not shy away from exclamation points. They're very cheerful.

2. Basted fitting (verdict: an excellent time-saver). I machine basted the major seams and then tried the blouse on. Luckily it fit perfectly. Then I just stitched precisely to the left of the basting so it wouldn't show on the outside of the blouse. If I had done this with my Joan Holloway dress, I would have saved a lot of ripping out tiny stitches.

3. A faced, lapped zipper (verdict: pretty neat, and worked like a charm).

Conversely, VoNBSS has you do a lot of things that seem like time-wasters to me. Tailor's tacks to mark the seam lines? Hand basting to mark the center front and center back? No thank you.

I did do a lot of things by hand that I normally wouldn't have out of sheer laziness. I hand-rolled the sleeve hems, which was very satisfying. I also hand-tacked the facings to the shoulder seam allowances, rather than stitching in the ditch. Hand tacking takes roughly 30 seconds, and it's invisible (unlike my stitching in the ditch, unfortunately). Seriously, what is my problem with doing this stuff on a regular basis?

This is a fun little blouse that I think I'll get a lot of wear out of. I really like how it's very fitted on the hips, and then the darts release into tucks at the waist to give a bloused effect. Very cute. Thanks, VoNBSS! Next up from this book is the "slim, supple skirt" in a lovely lavender rayon/wool blend.

Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing: Acronyms and a Few Self-Imposed Rules

So I'm cutting out the portrait neckline blouse featured in Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing today. The book has lots of guidelines on exactly how to make each project, some of which seem like reasonable methods for advanced sewing (basted fittings, tailor's tacks, etc), and some of which seem dated and like they could use a little 2009 update. I realized I needed a few rules for myself on which ones I would follow, and which ones I would politely ignore. Here's what I came up with.

1. I can ignore an instruction and use a different method, if I'm doing so because the alternate method is better. Not because I'm lazy. For instance, I will probably finish my raw edges by serging rather than pinking or overcasting them by hand. (I know hand overcasting is a hallmark of fine couture garments,but I'm making stuff that I actually want to wear on a regular basis, so durability is an issue for me.)

2. Take fabric suggestions seriously. I usually take the suggested fabrics on a pattern as just that: suggestions. Sometimes I really throw caution to the wind (wheeee!) and use a dramatically different fabric for dramatic results. But here, I want to have as much of the home sewing experience of the 50's as possible, and I want to achieve similar results to what's in the book.

3. Try to achieve the original look of the pattern as much as possible, but alterations can be made for contemporary wearability. For instance, there's no skirt length I despise as much as that dowdy mid-calf length of straight skirts on 50's patterns. I will definitely be shortening them to knee-length.

That's it for now! I'm sure I'll come up with more as I go along.

Oh! Commenter Meg helped me come up with a much better acronym for Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing. Henceforth, I declare that the volume shall be referred to as VoNBSS. (Pronounced VOWN-biss). Now, isn't that more manageable than VNBFBS?

I Can't Resist a Sewing Contest

I just can't. If I see a new contest, I have to enter. I love how contests get me outside of my comfort zone, and I end up making things I wouldn't have otherwise.

There's a new one going on right now, sponsored by Craft Magazine and Singer. It's a swimsuit cover-up contest--there's one I haven't seen before! So here's what I'm brainstorming:

The Sarong Dress. Just look at this magnificent vintage Butterick pattern! Rawr!



These dresses were popularized in World War II, after soldiers would bring them home to their wives. The sarong actually seems to be more of a "mock sarong," with the tie being non-functioning.

So here's where I have to use my (not so) trusty patternmaking skills! I took a course at FIT last semester, and I think I'm up to the challenge. I got a B+, after all! I want to use this image as inspiration and make a few changes: wider straps, and a shirred, elasticized back so it's easy to get on and off.

Oh! And look at this nice print I found at A.K. fabrics in the Garment District yesterday! Five dollars, darlings!


I don't really love Hawaiian prints (unless they're vintage), but this is retro and abstract enough for me. I think it will look awesome gathered and draped!


In other news, I found the pattern for "the feminine, portrait neckline blouse" from Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing (that's VNBFBS for those in the know!) on a vintage pattern site and it's on its way!

Isn't it just fab? Well, honestly, the illustration is fab, the blouse we'll have to see about. I looked over the instructions in VNBFBS, and they want me to do all sorts of crazy things like tailor's tacks and a basted fitting. Let's see how long my patience lasts. They tell me all I need is a "pioneering spirit and my sewing equipment." Thanks for the encouragement, VNBFBS!

I have a 60" wide yard of the coolest black linen eyelet, and I hope it will be enough to make this baby up. Stay tuned!