sewing

My Sewing Projects

Right: A couple of pictures of one of my recent sewing projects, the Model T Duster (view B) by Folkwear Patterns. I made it several months ago as a project for an advanced sewing class that I was taking. The coat is double breasted with a notched collar, shaped cuffs, patch pockets, and two rows of gold filigree buttons. It has flared princess seams and two large pleats in the back which make the coattails very full and billowy. (The hem is about 110 inches wide.) You can see the effects of the wind on the coat in one of the pictures. (My father says it makes me look like a peacock. *mutter* He always makes fun of my clothes!) The fabric is a lightweight denim with a bit of stretch and despite the periwinkle blue coloring in the photographs, the coat is actually a bright, slightly silvery lavender which always seems to elude the camera. I did an enormous amount of hand sewing on this coat. All of the exposed inside seam allowances were Hong Kong bound, the hem was stitched by hand, and the buttonholes were hand embroidered. I was quite pleased with the result and my biggest complaint is probably that I didn't have many chances to wear it before it got too warm thanks to the seemingly neverending string of rainy days in New York this spring.

Left: A picture of a high-waisted gold brocade and beige satin evening gown that I made. I wore this ensemble to the 2001 Tony Awards. One day, I was in a fabric store looking for material for a completely different project when I came across this gorgeous brocade. (Uh, oh.) You can't really make out the details in the picture but the fabric is a creamy gold with metallic gold thread woven throughout it. I decided that the brocade would be a nice choice for a McCall's pattern that I had already used for a costume. So, I bought all that was left on the roll. (six or seven yards, I think) I had quite a time trying to drag all of home on the subway since it was kind of bulky and relatively heavy. The brocade was used for the bodice, straps, and split overskirt while a glossy light beige satin was used for the skirt. The shawl in the picture is one that I purchased and is made of an iridescent gold satin. They're difficult to see in the photo but the shoes are clear mesh slingbacks with a pattern in gold glitter and fabric covered heels. I also made a matching handbag from some of the leftover brocade. (below) The bag has several beaded swags and a gold pin from the Metropolitian Museum of Art's reproduction jewelry collection is attached. The pin is based on a 17th Century French design.

Below: pictures of a reversible, hooded cape with frog closures that I made a couple of years ago. I had started looking for fabric with the intention of making a deep red cloak with a lining of a similar color. I was originally going to use velvet but I found a gorgeous satiny red material with a shimmery flocked floral pattern in black and changed my mind. I tried to find fabric suitable for the lining but didn't come across anything close enough in color and relatively inexpensive. (If I recall correctly, I bought about 12 yards of fabric for this project because the cloak was so full. The pattern pieces were too wide to be cut side by side.) At that point, I considered using a black lining and after some more consideration, I decided to make the cloak reversible and bought a plain black fabric for the other side. The pattern was for a simple lined cloak so it wasn't very difficult to make a reversible cloak from it. (I'll look through my patterns and put up directions for this at a later time.) Anyway, the finished result is what you see below.

Right: A dress of iridescent pastel yellow satin that I made a couple of summers ago. I made this using the Folkwear Greek Island Dress pattern and found it to be the most frustrating Folkwear pattern that I've ever worked with. The pattern envelope had described the dress as a "loose sheath" and the illustration on the pattern envelope suggested that it was supposed to have some kind of shape. However, when I cut the pieces and started sewing, I found that it was huge and pretty much shapeless: basically a giant fabric tube. I went back to check my measurements again and found that I had cut what was supposed to be my size. Despite this fact, the dress was way too big for me and even though it was supposed to have a zipper, I could easily slip it on without one. Being rather displeased with the way this particular project was coming along, I took the dress in at the side seams, curving inward a few inches on both sides. When I was done, the dress finally had some shape and was a more appropriate size for me although I still found a zipper to be unnecessary. I also made the jacket from the same pattern in a light yellow chiffon but I had such trouble with the fabric and it came out such a mess that I never wore it.

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This page was last updated July 18, 2003.