Manties

This is one for all the lovebirds out there who put any stock whatsoever in Valentine’s Day. First of all, you’re all fools. Fools I say. Perhaps this is harsh of me, or perhaps it is not completely unfair of me to loathe any holiday completely over-taken by greeting card companies. Don’t get me wrong, the idea behind the holiday is still a very nice one, but sappy greeting cards, tacky flower arrangements, and chocolates in heart shaped boxes don’t really say that you care. Unfortunately, the commercialization of this holiday is almost exclusively American. There are still plenty of places around the world with the right idea. Take Finland for example; instead of a holiday for lovers, they celebrate a day of friends. Or the Slovenians, who believe it to be a day that birds are married, which is just about the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. Or the Brazilians perhaps, who skip the holiday altogether and celebrate Carnival, a whole week of celebration in honor of sex and debauchery. Yes please! Don’t think me to be a poor, single, bleeding heart. Quite the contrary in fact, but I still believe in the power of a hand-made gift, and I sincerely believe that any gift worth giving is worth putting a little effort into. That being said, nothing says Valentines Day, other than a Christian martyr, like matching handmade underwear.

At first glance, the pattern piece for a pair of briefs is an extremely odd one, but once they are put together it makes perfect sense. Let me start by saying that making men’s briefs are not in the least bit difficult or even very time consuming. I would urge those who wish to make their own, however, to start with a pair you like the fit of and make a pattern from there. I ended up using Kwik Sew pattern number 2334 and they were more or less the male equivalent to granny panties. Once I made the first pair, I made a couple of changes to the pattern and it made all the difference, but were I to make them again I would certainly be making even further changes. The other major thing that I gleaned from this project is that the ideal fabric is very specific. I chose to make mine of a basic cotton knit because I really liked the colors, but it ended up being far too thick and completely lacking in the necessary spring-back quality. This resulted in lettuce-edged leg bindings and saggy, non-supportive crotches. I assure you, these qualities aren’t in the least bit sexy. The pattern used ¼” seam allowances and was completely stitched together using a narrow zigzag.

The first step is to attach the bindings for the fly openings. Simply pin and stitch with right sides facing.

Foxy Pajamas

   I recently had the pleasure of seeing one of the most awe-inspiring stop-motion animation films ever made by one of my favorite contemporary directors. I was a little late in the game as it was released on Thanksgiving, but now that I’ve seen it I’m completely obsessed. The director is Wes Anderson and the film is Fantastic Mr. Fox.  If you have yet to see it, run out of your house immediately, if not sooner, hop on your motorcycle, preferably with a sidecar as to take a loved one, and get your tail to the theater. You will thank yourself, and me. Unless of course you already have seen it and did not appreciate it accordingly, in which case I say Bah! Read no further!

    First let me tell you that whoever conceived the costumes, if something made of clay can constitute a costume, is my new personal hero and that I simply must have every ensemble worn by Fox. Of course I can’t have them all, at least not yet. But I can start with one, and the pajama set seemed a fitting first project. A little simpler than that amazing double-breasted tan corduroy suit complete with a short sleeved shirt, tie and short pants.  Sigh. Foxes pajamas were gold and striped and piped with burgundy. Not only did we not have a stripe in these colors in the shop, but these colors also happen to be both my high school and university colors. As you can imagine, after seven years of staring at the same color combination one can become somewhat adverse to them. Thus I chose to select my fabrics based on the color pallet of the film in general, which I would definitely categorize as autumnal.

  

    As it happens, I’d been lusting after a particular fabric in this family for quite some time. I just didn’t know what to do with it. It is Japanese, of course, and is covered with hills, trees, rabbits, and tiny squirrels toting equally tiny acorns. Cute explosion! For the piping I chose a rich chocolate cotton sateen with an ever-so subtle sheen, and the buttons are a bronze-colored metal with acorns on them. Holy cuss are they cute.  I’d never actually made my own piping, and though it was surprisingly easy, it took a cussing long time. I imagine that had something to do with the fact that the pattern called for six yards of the stuff, although I only ended up needing about four.

  

    I’ve had my eye on Kwik Sew pattern 2388, and it turned out to be a very simple, straightforward pattern to follow. The only thing I did to change the pattern was shorten each arm and leg by 2 1/2”, but were I ever to make it again I’d shorten the legs another couple of inches and create a back neck facing because the method of attaching the collar was not to my liking. I would also cut off a couple of inches from the top of the pants because they ended up at my waist, which I suppose fits in with the old-fashioned appeal to pajamas.

  

    The first step was to cut bias strips which I only recommend doing if you have the use of a rotary cutter and mat. One of my first jobs in Los Angeles was a designer’s assistant, so I’ve hand-cut my fair share of bias. Let me tell you, I don’t recommend it in the least. 

BUNNY! – a wee wonderful patterncard

For these little guys I employed the help of Adam, my partner in crime…and craft. Ever since we got these adorable, aeronautic woodland creatures I’ve been dying to make one.  So we made two! These little guys are perfect for gifts or just a good way to kill a couple of hours. We put on some old episodes of Strangers With Candy, cracked a bottle of bourbon and got down to business. It was crazy easy, so I’m not including a play by play, but here is what they looked like in pieces.

I’m definitely no expert hand-sewer, but Adam sure is. While his construction was much nicer than mine, they each have a personality of their own.  In fact, much like dogs and their owners, I think these guys look like their respective makers. Can you guess which one is mine?
 

 

posted by Daniel

3 Shirts in 3 Days

After having my blog hijacked by the boss-lady, I decided it was time for a new post! I spent a moment in heavy contemplation before I realized that I could kill two birds with one stone; I could manage to beef up my wardrobe and find a way to work on my Christmas vacation. Because I’m just that dedicated. Once the Christmas feast was made and consumed and I was sure I would explode from all the gluttony, I decided to step into the sweatshop and put myself to the test.  Thus was born my new post: 3 Shirts in 3 Days.

I know what you must be thinking, you’re thinking I’m crazy and you’re certainly right, but now that the craziness is finished I have three lovely additions to my increasingly jaunty wardrobe. I ended up using Kwik Sew pattern #3422 in a size small. This particular pattern is actually the one used for our button down shirt class, so for those of you that took the class before can use this as a refresher. Those of you who think the class would be too hard for them (I know you’re out there) hopefully this will in some way relieve your trepidation.

I chose to make the short sleeve version because that’s really all I wear, and the only change I made was to shorten the sleeve within an inch of it's life. This pattern's version of a “short” sleeve comes to my elbow, and I spent so much money on all these tattoos that I may as well show them off.

Day1 – In which our hero was almost defeated.

Defeat in stage one? I don’t know about the rest of you, but pinning and cutting is my least favorite part of sewing, and because of my increasingly meticulous approach it always seems to take me longer than any other part of a project. So, if you are anything like me you’d rather cut yourself than your fabric, but please suppress the urge. It is well known amongst those in the know that killing yourself under such conditions will ultimately doom you to an eternity of cutting in the bowels of the fiery deep.  Instead, put on some soothing music and have a glass of something. My something is almost always bourbon, but you may, of course, have whatever you choose.  Anyhow, this is what many long hours of cutting and a glass of something looks like.
   

By the time I finished cutting on the first day I’d already had one too many glasses of something and decided to hold off on further work until the following day.

What can I do with Japanese Double Gauze?

Shaerie here, taking over Daniel's blog while he works on his next amazing project. We have had a bunch of people ask about this great fabric! Double gauze consists of two layers of sheer cotton gauze sandwiched together with tiny, almost invisible stitches. Heather Ross' "Far Far Away" and the Spring 2009 Echino collection by Etsuko Furuya plus many of Naomi Ito's Nani Iro designs are printed on double gauze.  It's cool and incredibly soft, opaque and a bit spongy with a good drape - so what do you do with it? Many people have been making children's garments and quilts out of double gauze because it is so soft, but it translates into fantastic garments for big people too! Especially the more sophisticated prints, like LIONS!

 

I recommend picking a pattern with simple lines and a minimum of details. A simple, loose shift dress or tunic would be ideal! Double gauze is not stiff like woven cotton, so you can pick a loose style and it will drape over the body better. Of course, the many Japanese pattern books out there have great designs that work well with double gauze. I picked a tunic dress from the book "Stylish Dress Book" - the one on the cover actually - to make out of my turquoise LION double gauze from Echino's last collection.

 

Double gauze frays easily so you have to finish the edges - I used a three step zig zag on each separate seam allowance so I could press them open. It presses beautifully, so the tucks down the front of the dress came out straight and crisp, not too bulky. A small amount of gathering works fine (as in the back of the dress) but if there is a lot of gathering pleats or tucks might work better. Too much gathering might end up being too poofy. Make sure you pin darts and pleats well as the fabric can shift easily!

 

If you are curious about how to use Japanese pattern books, I'll be hijacking Daniel's blog again shortly to do a demo of how to trace the patterns and add the correct seam allowance. Stay tuned!

posted by Shaerie, posing as Daniel

And so it begins...

And so it begins…with a big mess. Let this be a lesson to us all; don’t put bobbins full of thread in the washing machine. It took me twenty minutes to release my freshly laundered clothes from the mouth of that fierce, golden-toothed beast.

 

 

Little “Zakka Sewing” Linen Basket

When I was told I was getting my very own blog I rejoiced, and when I was done rejoicing I picked up one of the cutest books I’ve ever had my hands on. I’d had my eye on it for a while, and now I had a wonderful reason to actually tackle some of it’s cuteness. “Zakka Sewing” by Chika Mori is that book and the linen basket was just the right level of cute to start with. I decided to make my basket with a putty colored cotton linen blend, line it with a stunning traditional Japanese indigo, and use a sew in fleece as the stuffing. All ingredients combined are collectively cute enough to suit the basket. Tired of hearing the word cute? Too bad, you’re in the wrong place.      

For starters, the book says to use a 12” square of fabric, but either my printer didn’t enlarge correctly or that’s just not true. I cut 3/8 yard for each fabric, and once they were cut they looked like this.

 

 

After the pieces were cut, the thing to do was to make the straps which just required two pieces at 2x5 inches. Draw a line right down the middle at 1” down the length of each strap, and fold and press each side to meet that line. Then fold the whole strap in half, press and sew shut close to the edge. This will give you two straps at 1/2x5 inches.

 

 

The next thing to do is to pin and baste the lining to the batting at ¼” making sure that you’re sewing them together with the wrong side of your lining fabric down.

 

 

Once the two pieces are basted together you can start sewing the side seams of the lining together. Pin and sew each side at ¼” right sides together. Then put your beautifully constructed lining to the side and admire the halfway constructed cuteness. Also, you can choose to press the seam allowances open. I did, and typically recommend that you do as well. It just looks better.

 

    

 

 Next you’re ready to sew the outside fabric together. Follow the same steps as the lining and sew at ¼”, but this time only sew three sides together. Leaving one side open allows you to sew a nice decorative stitch around your basket about an inch from the bottom.  If you’re not into those kinds of details then you’re probably reading the wrong blog, but go ahead and sew all four sides together anyway.

 

 

Now that you’ve sewn three sides together and added a charming decorative stitch (I very lightly marked a chalk line as a guide) it’s time to sew up that other side, place your two pieces next to one another and imagine how much more cute life is about to be. You’re almost done! Don’t forget to press those seam allowances open.

 

 


 Now take those handles that you made all that time ago and pin and baste them to opposing sides of your basket, straps facing downward and on the right side of your outer fabric.
 

 

Place your outer basket inside of your basket lining right sides together and pin and sew the tops together at ¼” leaving one side un-sewn. Helpful hint: the side you leave open should be one of the sides without a handle. This will make it much easier to sew the hole shut.

 

 

Lastly, turn your basket right side out using that handy hole you left and sew the hole shut with a simple whipstitch. If you really want to add another element of  cute, add a decorative button or two. Either way you’ve got a ridiculously cute basket to hold whatever your heart desires. Here at the shop ours is holding some pattern cards, but you can make them in whatever size you want. And with the holidays coming up, they’re perfect for festive treats. I made a king size one for cookies and bourbon, and I just know when I show up to my holiday party with a basket full of belly-warming goodness our humble host will jump right out of the window with joy. I can’t wait!

 

posted by Daniel