Ench By Sew-46: Ready Set Sew! - Sewing Style

Click on this link in iTunes  to download the 46'th episode of the Enchanted by Sewing Audio Podcast,  recorded in August of 2016. Or listen directly on the web by clicking on this link.

Ready Set Sew! Sewing my own garments, allows me to define and create my own style.

This Month’s Show 

1) Primeros Pensamientos/First Thoughts
* Defining this sewist’s current style 

* Elements of Style- According to Laurel
-Color
-Design Lines and Fit, 
-Fabric and Drape
-Lifestyle

In reference to wearing fur -We go with what the always charming Felix Bassenak (S.Z. Sakall) said to Elizabeth Lane (aka Barbara Stanwick) in Christmas in Conneticut…

"You need it? Nobody needs a mink coat but a mink!"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037595/quotes

2) Entonces/Then
Technicos: Techniques I used for altering M6403, the pattern I used for my black linen summer pants

In Pensamientos Finales, I recall
the importance of
sewing this maxi jumpsuit

3)) Pensamientos Finales/Final Thoughts
Looking back- Sewing myself as a grownup



….

Web and Pattern Resources: http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2016/08/floribunda-bouquet-another-sleeveless.html

M6403 pants pattern - out of print but many copies available on the web
M6076 Palmer and Pletsch princess-seamed shirt

Ench By Sew-40: Year of Monkey Inspires Sewing

Click on this link in iTunes  to download the 40th episode of the Enchanted by Sewing Audio Podcast,  recorded in January of 2016. Or listen directly on the web by clicking on this link.

Kunghei fatchoy!*

The Celebration of the Year of the Monkey begins  just a little over a week from now. This month’s  “Enchanted by Sewing” show celebrates sewing inspired by the Chinese Lunar New Year

This episode:
Primero /First  - A brief introduction to the Chinese Lunar New Year

http://www.sftourismtips.com/chinese-new-year-san-francisco.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/12125631/Chinese-New-Year-2016-The-Year-of-the-Monkey-Everything-you-need-to-know.html

Entonces/Then: My audio notes from the show “China through the Looking Glass” a very popular textile and fashion show that ran  last summer 2015, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

Y Tambien/And Also:  I include reflections on my own experiences with Chinese inspired patterns, textiles and fashions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheongsam

. . .

The American mid 20’th century musical “The Flower Drum Song” is a great way to get a sense of Euro-American people’s awareness of Chinese –descent communities in their midst. 

Chinese fabrics and styles, whether from history, stories, films or  a growing awareness of Chinese culture, have inspired elements in my sewing, since before I first put a needle into a piece of material.

Remembering where my inspiration to create and sew comes from, is just one more thing that keeps me…

Enchanted by Sewing


*In Cantonese “Happy New Year” is “Kunghei fatchoy “ (/gong-hey faa-chwhy/)

Ench By Sew-37: Savage Beauty of Alexander McQueen (Halloween Style)

 

 October is a month when many of us in the Western Hemisphere get in touch with our own emotions and comfort dealing with

mortality. Folks in my neck of the woods celebrate Dia de Los Muertos – Day of the Dead. Dia de Los Muertos is a day for celebrating ritual death tradition- engaging in crafts, creating and eating special foods, and putting out images – colorful, beautiful, and also macabre – that may touch on a connection with departed family members.

Listen directly to this audio/podcast on the web by clicking on this link OR.... to download the show from iTunes Click on this link to iTunes  , 

In our neighborhood we put out beautiful pumpkins, scary dancing skeletons and bright lights. Then we celebrate our connection to another world, by welcoming in the trick or treaters- be they costumed beautifully, colorfully, or gruesomely - by handing out free Halloween candy.

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen focused on designing beautifully romantic, avent garde fashion. He also had a strong interest in the macabre. His masters fashion exhibit “Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims”, was a hint that this emerging designer was not going to be run-of-the-mill when it came to setting his artistic tone. Other chilling exhibits followed. “Highland Rape” and “The Widows of Culloden” , among others, carried McQueen’s historically inspired fashion artistry farther into the dark side of the human soul.

Morose? Yes – often- but his work was also drop dead gorgeous. Many of McQueens materials, embellishments design lines, colors, technology and elements inspire my arty-romantic sewing nature, even as I am frightened by other aspects of his work.

As you accompany me in the show, I’ll share the beautiful, and the colorful as well as the scary.  Because that’s what this time of year is all about, where I live.

Gypsy Rose Lee Tree Gown - Enchanted by Charles James

In my recent Enchanted by Sewing audio/podcast "Enchanted by Charles James",
I talked about seeing this gorgeous "Tree" gown designed to highlight Gypsy Rose Lee's curves.

Listen to the show, then see what they've got to say about this beauty in the Metropoliton's Collection.

Enchanted by Sewing - Enchanted by Charles James http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2015/08/ench-by-sew-35enchanted-by-charles.html

Tree Gown at the Met http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/159583

Ench By Sew-35:Enchanted by Charles James - 20'th Century Fashion History

The Charles James Ribbon Gown - Muslin in the background

Enchanted by Charles James - Stepping into a liminal space to study and enjoy glorious fashion designs and analyze the construction of those garments is the kind of thing that keeps me … enchanted by sewing.

Hey let’s go to the show together! To do that you can either download the ‘cast from iTunes - Click on this link to iTunes  , 
*OR* listen directly on the web, by clicking on this link


* * *
  Some months the Enchanted by Sewing podcast, journals my own sewing project accomplishments, techniques and creative ideas. Other times I share the source of  some of my sewing inspiration. This month is inspiration time, as I take you along on an another in-the-,moment fashon exhibit - a visit to the beautiful Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco , where I went repeatedly to  view the exhibit, High Style: The Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection  exhibit of the Brooklyn Fashion Museum.

This collection – which is housed  and curated by the Metropoliton Museum of Art  in NY City- includes a wide range of the work of 20’th century designers and couturiers.

There was no way I could share all of what I saw with you.

By my third visit, I realized that , despite the charms of designers and coturiers in the exhibit- Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet, just to name a few of the big names, and some that have been almost forgotten- the hands-down winner for sharing with you, was Charles James. That’s because James, and his clients and admirers, worked to see to it, that more than his beautiful garments were saved in this collection, to motivate and educate future sewists, designers and couturiers. This historical treasure trove includes sketches and muslins which really tell the story of how he worked, and what went into the garments he fashioned. They are an inspiration for the creative process.

The body of Charles James work extends from the 1930s into the1950s. The garments he designed, constructed and created were worn by high society types like  Austine Hearst, the wife of Mr. William Randolph Hearst, Jr., Millicent Rogers and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney. They were also made for women with less blue blood like Jeanne Bultman the wife of the artist Fritz Bultman, and Gypsy Rose Lee!

James didn’t just sketch up a gown and expect others to produce it. He worked in the true couture tradition (some say the only American designer who did). He draped fabric in complex ways to get what he was after. Often he created specialized support systems under his gowns, to enhance and extend their third dimensions . Charles James also used fabric in studied ways working with color, light and reflectivity in addition to the hang or drape of the material. He also focused on developing seaming techniques that molded the fabric into directions he wanted it to move.

I’ll be blogging more about Charles James garments I saw at this exhibit over time . You’ll find those in the podcast show notes and at my regular blog, MeEncantaCoser.blogspot.com. So if you find Charles James as appealing as I do, subscribe to the podcast show notes or Me Encanta Coser to be notified about new James postings.


Show at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/legion/announcements/collecting-fashion-20th-century-couture-costume-and-textile-arts-collection?utm_source=Fine+Arts+Museums+of+San+Francisco+E-Mail+List&utm_campaign=e68929bce3-15_3_4_e_news_general&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9757c5111b-e68929bce3-85610377

Other SF show links
https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/highstyle

https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/highstyle/about

~ ~ ~

The Entire (over 400 items) Charles James Collection is Freely Available and Searchable Online at the Metropolitan Museum - Brooklyn Costume Collection. This collection includes not only beautiful garments, but muslins and design sketches James created along the way.

http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search?&ft=charles+james&what=Costume&pg=1

A few Example Links in the above collection - Use this link to do your own searching

Muslin for the Ribbon Gown  http://www.metmuseum.org/search-results?ft=charles+james+muslin+ribbon

Charles James Fashion Sketches

 http://www.metmuseum.org/search-results?ft=charles+james+sketch&x=0&y=0

Clover leaf Ball Gown Sketches

http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/156716

http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/156717

Entire online collection at the Met.Wow!
http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online

Articles about Charles James

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a1451/charles-james-couture-profile-0214/

http://agnautacouture.com/2013/12/15/charles-james-the-first-american-couturier-was-an-egomaniac/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/fashion/charles-james-and-me.html?_r=0

Ench By Sew-31: Historical Bathing Beauties

The April Enchanted By Sewing, Episode 31 Audio Show is Up !

Option I) Listen to the Audio right on the web by clicking on this link - No need to download 

~ OR ~

Option II)  Click on this link to iTunes  to download this and other Enchanted by Sewing shows to your mobile device (iPhone, Android, etc.) free from iTunes

Bathing and swim wear has certainly changed from the cover-em-up days!

 Have you ever sewn your own swim or bathing suit? I created a couple of bikinis way, way back in high school, but since then, frankly, I’ve been happier to buy my suits. I do however often stop off at various sewing blogs to sample bathing fashion creations that other sewists have created, and daydream a little at trying my hand at another suit one day.

I also get a kick out of hearing and reading about how bathing suits have changed over time, and thinking about what a shock people must have had to suddenly start seeing others, especially women, revealing so much of their flesh on beaches! The big changes in swim suit styling around the 1920’s seem to have been about the time when the  sport changed from ‘bathing’ to ‘swimming’ in the English speaking world. It wasn’t enough just to immerse ourselves in water outside, as we did indoors anymore. Now more people wanted to get some exercise when they went into a pool, river or ocean.

This month I’m sharing a walk around an historical bathing suit exhibit I saw at the Vancouver Maritime Museum in the fall of 2014. Won’t you let me know if this show gets you in the mood to sew your own modern day or historically inspired bathing or swimming suit, by posting below?

Babes & Bathers: History of the Swimsuit
http://vancouvermaritimemuseum.com/press/babes-bathers-exhibit-opens-maritime-museum.

Here is the promotion for the exhibit, from the web link at the museum. Please note that the show is no longer running.
‘
"In a city surrounded by water, swimsuits have always been an essential part of our wardrobe as Vancouverites. From swimming costumes to bikinis, bathing suit styles have fluctuated from the modest to the more revealing, all in a desire to make us fashionable by the water’s edge. Drawing on the private collections of celebrated fashion historian Ivan Sayers, you can now see the modest suits, revealing bikinis, and sometimes outrageous costumes that have been spotted on Vancouver beaches since the 1890s. "  http://www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com/

Ench By Sew-024: Shirtdressing and Fall Fun

Hey! 

The latest Enchanted by Sewing Podcast has been published!

Listening Option I) You can listen to the show right on the web by clicking on this link

(http://traffic.libsyn.com/enchantedbysewing/castFINALSHIRTDRESSINGSept2014.mp3 )

~ OR ~

Listening Option II)  Click on this link to iTunes  to download this and other Enchanted by Sewing shows to your mobile device (iPhone, Android, etc.) free from iTunes 
( https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/enchanted-by-sewing/id566370325)

Please note that the Fantasy Fall Sewing Questionnaire from the show, is at the end. Please post any and all answers below, or email your thoughts to EnchantedBySewing@gmail.com

I've recently started a Shirtdress Sewing Board on Pinterest :-) http://www.pinterest.com/lrshimer/shirtdressing-sewing/

Here are the two dresses I created in September, and talked about in the show

Hey I just realized I'm holding the tapestry cap I focused on
in last month's podcast!

This is the happiest I've ever been with the job I did on a sewing project
:-)

Check out the beautiful Fran Leibowitz photo of Amy Adams that inspired me to finally get cracking on my own shirtdress http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/08/inspired-by-amy-adams-creating-perfect.html

Della Street often advised Perry Mason in his work, by asking leading questions.
She also wore a lot of shirt dresses!

You often see only the bodice of Miss Streets shirt dresses,
But I can see just enough of the skirt fabric here to see that it's the same as the bodice.
I bet the costume designer altered the same pattern repeatedly for the actress :-)

Della Street, Perry Mason's "confidential secretary" often wore shirtdresses. They gave her a professional and ladylike image.

Look to television shows from the late 50's and early 60's for examples of retro shirtwaists that still look up to date. Below is an example in what appears to be white satin (!) alo from Perry Mason. I love those wide, rounded shawl-collar lapels too. Shawl collars were again popular in the 1980's.

One of Perry Mason's clients wears a shirtdress
in white satin
Love that sheen, and such an unexpected fabric choice!

It's a very full skirted shirtdress
And the bodice has a lot of fabric too - very blousey

I love the wide shawl collar too

OK, the pattern I used is not a current pattern (though I found it for sale in a couple of places on the web). It is however a classic shirtwaist style and you can find many similar dress patterns currently in print. I don't think there's every been a big four pattern company season, when there wasn't at least one shirtdress in every catalog.

I made the version shown here in the front row in blue.

I journaled about the shirtwaist (Peaches and Cream) I created, in my blog, Me Encanta Coser, over the course of September and early on 

Fantasy Fall Sewing Questionnaire

Please post any and all answers below :-)

1)  Roughly where do you live in the world – you don’t need to get too specific.  

2)  What’s the climate like where you live in the fall?  

3) Is there a big change between what you wear/sew in fall versus summer?

4) Which is your favorite fall celebration ? Do you have Halloween or Thanksgiving where you live?  

5)  Do you have special or different foods that says fall to you?  

6). What is your favorite fall fabric – whether or not you’d sew it up in your climate/region?  If different - What is your favorite fall fabric that DOES work well where you live?  

7) What is your favorite fall color – this year?  

8)    Do you have  a specially favorite fall fabric pattern (like a printed design or a pattern woven into fabric)?  

9)  Do you have a fave classic fall garment you’d like to sew or have sewn? Is it for yourself or for someone else?   

10)    Do you hope to sew one or more practical garments for fall, and if so what?  

11)      If different than the previous garment -  Do you hope to sew one or more special  garments for fall? What?

12)  If you could wave a magic wand, and create anygarment that feels like fall what would it be?  

13)  Would that magic wand garment garment play a regular part in your wardrobe, or would you just like to have it and wear it on special occasion(s)?  

Did I miss any links mentioned in the show? If so, please post those links below and share them with everybody

Email- EnchantedBySewing@gmail.com

~ ~ ~