red coat

Finally, new pictures! I messed around with this too large, long red coat I bought for $12 at a thrift store. I put in some new buttons and buttonholes to get it to sit differently. Ok I think I found a solution to the looseness by tightening the back sash (maybe a little too much!) But the best part is that I like to wear it either buttoned up or with only the 1st button--like 2 coats! (the bottom image is the "before" shot)

weekend of sewing pt III

I made a tote bag! Melissa, this uses the Ikea cushion cover you gave me as an invisible structural lining. And Saskia, do you recognize the outside sweater layer? Essentially, it's all just a nice cover for an existing ugly black canvas tote bag I already owned.

And I kind of just wanted to show off the lace curtains I got while my family was visiting. But I did alter the length of them to fit the window, so it squeaks by as acceptable posting to this blog, I hope!

thanks Melissa for telling me how to turn the pictures:)

weekend of sewing pt II

So this is my version of Melissa's fisherman pants! I have to say, it was a nice, but easy project. I decided to raise the inseam by an arbitrary 10cm, which turns out to be the limit. Any more, and the pants won't work, because the fold you need to make to wear it would hang funny.

At first, I was unsure about them because it has the funny feeling of wearing a diaper--there is a lot of material gathered up around the crotch. But they certainly are comfortable otherwise, and I've been wanting to make a loose, above-the-ankle pair of summer pants out of this dark material I had.

Project notes: I found I liked using the wrong side of the fabric because it is more rough-looking, which fits the look of the pants. And I used a contrasting green thread to sew because it made it easier to tear out stitches--and kept it, because I thought it looked nice on the hem.

weekend of sewing!

I set aside most of this weekend to do a lot of projects that have been on my mind. It helps that I got this shiny new camera to document and show you guys!

First from before, that yellow-checked dress that was too big and weird around the bust. It turns out the existing dart was too high, so adding vertical darts didn't solve the problem. But if I took out the side-dart, and made a new one, I found I could connect it to the vertical dart to make a cool-looking "L" that fits a lot better.

Hey, I just realized that this L thing is what Saskia already did on her polka dot dress! Serves me right to not look more closely at the pictures... but I guess great minds think alike.

Ok I'll start a new post for the rest..

Pocadot dress is almost done

I made the pants.

I made the Thai Fisherman pants. I find the crotch hangs too low for my height but other than that, I think it turned out well and was pretty easy. It took me longer than an hour because I was super fastidious about finishing the seams but still, I
made them in about 3 hours. I would be faster next time. I'd like to try modifying them to make a pant as comfortable but a little less pajama like.

I love that me or T can wear them.

Free Pants Pattern

There is a free pattern for these pants here, that look like the most comfortable pants on earth!

Click here to see pants: Thai Fisherman Pants

Click here for pattern: free pattern

A not so romantic dress

It's a coincidence that I post the process of my first dress, which I made today. I logged on to post it and there was your post of your first dress Saskia! Crazy.

So, I made this dress without having any idea what I was doing. It was fun. Would love suggestions on how to make it more wearable. I especially need advice on how to handle the very bottom of it.

Romantic dress

This dress was the first real thing i made, it took me forever and i never got to wear it except for a tiny fashion show from my course and for this photosession.

Just wanted to show u guys. Hope one day I (or someone else) can wear it.

etsy team?

http://team.etsy.com/

this sounds cool--like what we are trying to do here, except with a way to sell our stuff too! we can either make our own team (looks like there is not a quebec or a holland regional team right now, btw) or join one that is doing things we're interested in. haven't browsed the whole list of international teams (there are a lot) but it might be a good way to find out about events and ideas other like-minded ppl are having...

fashion as over/underpriced

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/fashion/29PRICE.html

I think Saskia and I observed this first hand in New York-- shirts for $4, sandals for $3 or even $1.50. I'm not for $4000 purses, but someone is getting underpaid in this transaction. But it's hard to justify paying more out of principle since you know that the laborers in China are not the ones earning the extra profit on the $4000 purse.

Anyway, I think this is an interesting trend, reflecting the true cost of manufacturing which on one hand makes fashion accessible to more people; on the other, maybe robbing the true value of that which is bought. On some level, I don't value my $1.50 sandals even though I really like them, and it encourages an attitude of disposibility if I think I can easily replace my shoes often at no real financial cost to myself.

(sorry to be a downer with my first post! maybe i'll be the depressive-non-photographic-one on this blog..)

Inside Local 23 Montreal

I love the eighties

But oeps the zipper broke... Jenny whats the name of the cafe we tried these funny clothes on? I know its on Mont Royal in Montreal, but i also know this street is maybe 60 km long.

I love how this turned out!

Jenny, you had a great idea to meld these 2 sweaters. You and Saskia had the vision of embedding one in the other and we all agreed that the colours demanded those art deco shells. I'm pretty pleased with myself for figuring out how to make it happen. I learned the trick of the embedding and how you must reverse-stretch it.



Process documented below:

We did it.

Indemaak is ours!