The Process of a Dress

I recently was asked by a long time customer why it was that I took so long to do things that other seamstresses seem to take no time at all to do. I figured that maybe if I explain my process a bit then it would make more sense.

First you have to understand that I work a full time job besides making garments and costumes. That means that my sewing time ends up really being on the weekends when I am not doing something that didn't get done during the week. Plus it actually takes changing my train of thought from highly analytical to highly creative, and that is one reason why I am crazy.

When I wake up at 2 AM (which happens far too often) thinking of a dress I will sketch the dress and go back to bed. When I wake up the next morning I have to decipher that sketch. Sometimes it looks like a drunken frat boy trying to draw a stick figure. Then I have to start deciding things about the dress regarding the fabric. Sometimes the picture I have in my head is so specific that I have to search for the fabric. Once the fabric is found the I have to start the drafting process. See most people will draft the pattern while searching for fabric, but some fabric requires special accommodations and until I know what I am using I can't effectively select fabric.

See at this moment I am working on a custom gown. I found the fabric, but I have to custom dye that fabric, and that is a really specific process. Then I have to cut to work with the pattern I have drafted. This will be a long process because when I make a custom gown it is a labor of love. I am so meticulous in every little detail because I want that dress to be perfect. Now if I am making a dress from a pattern or a group of patterns then I can usually make that in a day or less because all of the hard part is dealt with already. Drafting that pattern is the LONGEST part, because I am actually not really good at that. I can do it, but not super great.

As far as alterations? I can do those as fast as any other seamstress except for the fact that I am not working at it full time. I watched the most awesome video of a dress that was in Dior show in spring of 2015. 200 HOURS!!! for one single solitary dress. That is 25-8 hour days! That means 5 regular work weeks for a single dress. This is why a custom gown costs so much more than off the rack. One of my favorite lines from Oh Brother Where Art Thou is "we ain't one at a timin' it here... we're mass communicating"

Well when it comes to a dress we are one at a timin' it! That takes longer. (LOVE THIS MOVIE)

Starting Renewed

I have been out of commission for seems like close to a year now. I was very busy, had some personal matters to attend to, and mainly needed to clear my brain.

I have been working on some custom pieces and focusing on private customers for a while. My new year new you resolution for 2015 is to refocus my blogging efforts more on the sewing portions and reopening my Etsy store with a renewed focus there as well.

I enjoy teaching people to sew so much that I want to teach little bits here and there as I go along so maybe there will be a renewed embrace of this craft that I think has gotten a little lost. While there are a ton of sewing blogs and seamstresses out there that likely will and do a better job than myself maybe they don't relate to people in a way that works for every reader.

I will try to make it simple, but might get it buggered up along the way.

Hope it works, hope it helps, and hope you sew more regardless of me.

Organization Shmorganization

So I went back to a regular job, and I have been trying to organize my office so that I can enjoy my time at home and be more productive. I have done TONS of online research and looked at all those fancy schmancy pictures of other peoples sewing rooms, and crafting spaces. Thank you Martha Stewart for making me feel even more inadequate.

Then it occurred to me. I can't do a damn thing those people do......

Why you ask?

Well they have regular rooms with regular windows and walls and doors.

I have a room that is 10' x 15' with two walls of floor to ceiling glass one 10' wall with a 6' wide opening (no door, jut opening) smack dab in the middle of it, and another 15' wall with another 6' wide opening about two feet from the window wall and on the other section of the wall that might be cool for storage there is ANOTHER opening that is about 3' square maybe 4' off the floor.

No way to have fancy storage in this space!

SOOOOOOO

There is just no reasonable way to have all those awesome bookcases with cubbies in them like all my peers. I see this post from another one of my favorite sewing bloggers, and it occurs to me that I am just screwed. I have so much more natural light but I have even that much less space to organize. I have fabric shoved and stored in every closet, bookcase, cubby, and nook I can find and as always I am always snatching up more fabric and as always I am not sewing as much as I want on my own projects. I look at storage like Gertie and I think I could do that, IN ANOTHER HOUSE!

However I am going to try to make a better effort at that. Since I have gone back to a regular job, then I can't take as many big stage productions and things that have strict deadlines. I will probably not sew for others, well except the special people, for a while and will just make what I want. If stores want to buy the pieces that is awesome other wise they will become wonderful additions to my Etsy store. Of course my girls are hoping their chances of getting more clothing will go up, and that is possible, but as I always say the seamstress family lives in tatters.

So much for actual organization I will continue to limp along in frustration and see where it takes me. 

Copyrights

This is a very TOUCHY subject with most people. I completely understand the fact that you put time and energy into your designs and you want them for yourself, and you may even want a piece of the pie if someone else makes things with your design.

Well there are a few things that are very common in the copyright area that I encounter a LOT! Patterns, fabrics, designs, and "looks" for lack of a better way to explain it!

Patterns
Clearly marked on all purchased patterns is a statement to the affect of "For home sewing use only, not for use commercially or in manufacturing" This means that they don't want someone to use their design to make thousands of dresses and sell them commercially. Now they understand that there are thousands of seamstresses using these patterns to make clothing on a one at a time basis for people. As far as I know they aren't after those people for copyright infringement. However if you take a sleeve from a pattern, a skirt from another, and a bodice from a third that becomes a completely different thing, and falls outside of the copyright to my understanding. I know how to make patterns and sometimes I do, even though it is time consuming and generally frustrating. However I use manufactured patterns for elements of a design I have created. It makes the cutting time significantly less. NOW that also means I have to make a lot more adjustments to deal with the fact that those pieces were not originally intended to go together, but it makes my life easier.

Fabrics
You go to Hancocks or Joannes and you buy your team fabric or duck dynasty or whatever other license fabric you like to make something. If you are a small time crafter you might even attend a craft show ro two a year and sell those items. The fabric is licensed, and the license stays with the fabric. SHould you sell the items you need to include a tag that has the Tabberone Disclaimer.

In this case you would change "Disney" to the appropriate license holder.This is typically acceptable for small scale crafter/sellers. However if you start to make larger things and amounts some license holders have custom licenses that are fairly inexpensive to purchase so that you can claim your products are officially licensed. Meaning you made a purse out of Arkansas Razorback fabrics, and you hold their crafters license, then you can claim it is "Officially Licensed" gear. Now I have added the link to the University of Arkansas guidelines because I know they offer this, but I am sure most other schools and organizations offer similar products.

Designs
This is a sketchy area in my opinion. I am a seamstress/designer in Arkansas. Oscar de la Renta is a designer in the WHOLE FREAKING WORLD. I may be randomly sketching one day and happen to sketch out something I love, then work for months creating a pattern, selecting fabric, and sewing the garment only to discover a few month later that in 198? Oscar created something almost exactly like it. I have never met the man, it is VERY likely I have never seen his garment, but he could claim I stole his design. Is it likely that will happen, probably not, but it isn't unheard of either.

There are designers that get knocked off all the time. It is a serious problem that designers like Sherry Hill have entire divisions of their company scouring the internet for knock offs and fakes. There are only so many ways to cover the human body. If all of a sudden we sprout a third arm or leg, or a second head then there will be more options but it is very likely that two designers separated by thousands of miles and decades will create the same garment. I think most designers are conscious of this, but to those that are legitimately knocking off other designers, shame on you. If your talents don't lye in design then STOP! I am not the best but my daughter is amazing she has a great eye, but she also is surrounded by clothing a lot so other work affects her eye, and she will on occasion include elements of other peoples work. However that doesn't  make it not her work.

Looks
This was hard to explain, but what I mean is specific looks. If you want a costume like snow white you can go to the store and buy one or you can buy a pattern and make one or you can have someone make it for you. However if someone comes to me and wants a "Snow White" costume and I make it for them there are rules for how I can market that I could make another one. I have to say that it is a "princess dress". I can not use the terms Snow White, or Disney at all! That falls under copyright infringement. Even still if I post it on Etsy and Disney complains then Etsy can delete the listing. If it happens too often then my store could be shut down. I had a listing deleted once because I made a Dalek dress for someone from Dr. Who, and I used their terms and the BBC complained and it got taken down.

Sadly I can make a TON of things, but can never post anything about them because I risk my own business having legal action taken. Do I set out to steal others work, NO! However imitation is the best form of flattery and people fall in love with characters created by television and movie professionals and they want to BE that character. Some of those people are not skilled enough to create their looks on their own, so they hire others. Then it becomes dramalicious. I just am very cautious about what I create and how I create it, and move forward.

For those of your that wonder about the wide wide world of copyright and how it affects you personally in your creations I advise doing the research and speaking to a legal professional. I am just one person that has done that myself, but am BY NO MEANS an expert on the matter.

Mad about Vintage

I know I am WAY behind the television viewing public as it wasn't until season 6 of Mad Men that I started watching. I got through the first five seasons on Netflix, and then through season six during original airings.

Yeah Yeah I know WAY BEHIND!

However this show has clearly revived vintage in an elegant and realistic way. Most of the time when we see vintage clothing it is the pieces that have survived the moth balls of our grandmothers attic. Formal wear and on occasion the rare daily wear piece. Clothing, like anything else, isn't vintage until it is. We get tired of that look and we give it to good will, or just discard it. Then 20+ years later everyone is wearing the same thing again. It happens over and over again the 60's (thanks to Mad Men), 70's (thanks to American Hussle), the 80's because so many of us are still romanticizing our youth, and our kids will do the same for the 90's and 00's.

So here is what I have to say about vintage revival. I LURVE IT!!! It is more about the lines of the dresses, and the expression of femininity that isn't overtly sexual in nature. A woman can be sexy and be FULLY clothed. I try to remind people that being beautiful and sexy isn't being nude. Being a woman is a powerful thing and you can use what god gave you to wield power better than a sword could ever dream.

So here are some of the garments that I am in love with from Mad Men. This is a small gathering of them because there is at least one per episode that makes me happy, and it would just be too much to post them all.

 That green dress of Joan's is STUNNING!!! Not to mention, again, my favorite sewing blogger Gertie has a pattern line with Butterick, and 5814 is basically the same dang dress!

SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can dress like Joan! As far as the show goes Joan is my favorite fashionista closely followed by the 50's swing couture of Betty Draper. After watching American Hussle I fear that all things 70's will be making a comeback next. If I can find a hairy chested Travolta look alike I would totally put an unbuttoned satin shirt on him.

EW that just made my skin crawl! LOL

All photos in this post have been pulled from google images and multiple other locations on the web, no copyright infringement is intended. They are merely being used as reference shots.

Invisible Zippers

When you put on a dress or pair of pants you probably don't think anything about the zipper until it fails. You just put it on zip it up and go on your way. Well there is some thought that should possibly go into the next time you zip yourself into a dress with an invisible zipper. If you have ever gone formal wear shopping you may have noticed that the sales people are really adamant about zipping you into the dress? Well that is because a big percentage of formal clothing uses invisible zippers and they are prone to failure probably 75% more than any other design. However they are, in my opinion, the best zipper to use EVER!

Exposed Zipper (Credit)

Invisible Zipper (Credit)

Standard Poly Zipper (Credit)

As you can see in the three pictures the invisibile zipper makes the least amount of impact on the line of the dress. There is no stitching on the outside of the dress and you don't see the teeth of the zipper at all. It just looks like the extension of the seam line. 

HOWEVER invisible zippers are much more fragile they are made where the zipper pull runs along the fabric of the zipper and if you tug or pull at them too hard the zipper pull begins to separate the fibers of the zipper webbing and will result in the zipper not working properly. It is very important that you use care when putting on a garment with an invisible zipper and if you feel that the zipper is beginning to fail, have it replaced immediately. It is especially important to be careful if there is thick fabric, Thicker seam lines, or beading. Also if that garment is closely fitted it can put additional stress on the zipper, so just be careful.

Here is a real life story or an invisible zipper. The young lady took the garment to a seamstress to have some minor alterations and adjustments made. She asked the seamstress to replace the zipper, and the seamstress told her it didn't need to be replaced. Three weeks later while at a pageant I am pulled out of the audience to sew that girl into that dress because the zipper failed. I have since replaced the zipper in the dress myself. 

I recently put a zipper into a dress that had some very thick trim and made it very clear to both the wearer and the parent that care MUST be taken when zipping into the dress, guess what she had someone else zip her into the dress they yanked the zipper and tore it up the first time she put the dress on, so I changed it out to a standard poly zipper, which is probably what I should have done in the first place but even an experienced seamstress makes mistakes at times.

There is a wonderful tutorial by my favorite sewing blogger Gertie that you can read to learn how to install an invisible zipper. Invisible zipper feet are purchasable from your local fabric store, but if you are lucky enough to have a machine that a metal foot can be purchased I HIGHLY suggest purchasing that foot. It makes putting that zipper in so much easier than with the little plastic foot.

How to Select a Sewing Machine

I am asked frequently from students and customers what type of sewing machine they should buy. I know that when you go to a sewing machine store they want to sell you their top of the line model with 5 million stitches and computer compatibility for the low low price of $6,000. When you go to Hancocks, should you get an educated salesperson they will direct you to whatever is their personal favorite that day. So I want to give you some shopping tips, not specific model suggestions.

Brand
There are the top known brands Singer, Brother, and Janome. There are a ton of others as well. I personally use an Elna now, but own five other Singers and a Brother. All are good brands and all usually have local support in larger cities. Brand isn't an issue that I worry with as I haven't found a full sized sewing machine by any brand that wasn't a decent machine.

Stitches
Usually machines will list the number of stitches they have, ranging from 1 to 1,000. Well I guess they get that high to be honest the sky is the limit based on what you are doing or want to do. For beginners I suggest starting with a straight forward machine with about 20 stitches the most important being straight stitch, zig zag, and button hole. If you can find or want to spend the money for the automatic button hole DO IT! I swear to you it is more than worth the extra you pay for the one buttonhole you ever sew!

Size
I never suggest people purchasing craft or mini machines. I know people want to get them for their kids and they are cheaper, but they are also made cheaper and I find that students that have these tend to run out space to sew as they progress. Where as if you get a full sized machine first you can make that machine last longer as your skills improve.

Price
Again like stitches you can go from $100 to $50,000, probably more. I sewed for probably 15+ years on a machine purchased for me at a pawn shop for $100. It was a work horse and still is in the sewing classroom, but eventually I just decided that an upgrade was reasonable. I suggest that beginners spend between $100-200. If they find that they really will take to sewing and want to get something nicer in the future that is great, but if you spend $2,500 and then never really use the machine it is a waste of your money.

I hope this gives you some starting places to work from. If you have questions I will be happy to answer them. I have used a ton of machines, and haven't really met a machine I didn't like.

Headless Changing Half People

So while I am a huge fan, rabid may be a slightly more accurate term, of Halloween, this isn't anything about Halloween.This is about Dress Forms - headless changing half people that march around my office. The picture of them marching around my office that played in my head when I wrote that made me VERY happy!

For the average home seamstress that wants to make herself a dress or five a year, a dress form isn't something that is likely to be worth the investment. For the seamstress that is making herself ten or more dresses a year, then a dress form in your size is a life saver. For people making clothes for others if you don't have dress formS then you are pulling your hair out and banging your head into a wall in a very Willie Coyote chasing road runner kind of way.

There are a ton of companies that make dress forms and they can range from a single form to accommodate a single standard size to one that can be adjusted for multiple sizes and body types. I personally own five, four girls and a boy. My girls are all adjustable, but my boy is a one size kind of fellow.

"Alia"
Family Sew FMP Petite Dress Form
Bust: 28 - 34"
Waist: 22 - 29"

Hips: 30 - 38"
Neck: 12 - 15"
This girls has almost NO boobs, and when I use her I usually have to put a bra on her to create boobs. We jokingly call her the 12 year old boy.

"Bianca"
Singer Model 150
Bust: 33 - 39"
Waist: 25 - 31-1/2"
Hips: 34 - 40"
This girl is one of my favorites because her adjusting mechanism is SO easy to use! It has little dials built in that you turn by hand rather than having to use a seperate "key" which will get lost. Also she holds those measurements much better than the forms that use the keys. If Singer would make a itty bitty girl and a BIG girl I would buy them and sell my other ones, but alas they only have two forms.

"Marilyn"
Singer Model 151
Bust: 39 - 45"
Waist: 30 - 36-1/2"
Hips: 40 - 46"
This is my other favorite!

"Bertha"
Family Large
Bust: 45 - 51-1/2"
Waist: 38-1/2 - 45-1/2"
Hips: 47 - 53-1/2"
Neck: 14-1/2 - 18"
This dress form actually makes me angry when they write the size, because both the Singer 151 and this one are labeled as "large" however they have very different measurements. I guess they are trying not to offend women, but let's be honest we know when we are bigger, but that doesn't mean we aren't gorgeous, so stop trying to pet our egos and just say we are beautiful!

Anyway.............

My fellow is really a retail mannequin. He is foam filled and covered in fabric, but I bought him from a store that was closing their brick and mortar and going to online only. He is greatly helpful when working with male customers that are close to his size. He is also helpful when I have to put mascot costumes on him in order to design custom clothing for them.

As I stated earlier there are a lot of companies that make them, Dritz, Family Sew, Singer, etc. They range in price from around $100 to as much as $400-500. I am not always a big fan of shelling out the big dollars unless it is justified for your specific purposes. There are four main sizes for adjustable forms, and as many sizes as you like in one size forms. So far I have not found adjustable men, but I also haven't looked all that hard for them. The adjustment mechanisms come in two formats either a dial or a keyed adjustment. I prefer the dial personally. The last thing about a dress form is they have a hemming gauge. It is a arm that attaches to the stand that helps you mark a hem at the correct distance all the way around the dress. These are just the best thing ever since you can decide in one spot where you want that hem to be and set your gauge and then mark the rest of the hem on the form.

The biggest thing that I have to remember when using a form is that she is hard plastic and the human body is soft. A 36" bust measurement on you should be dialed in to about a 35-1/2" or slightly less on the form. When I first used my form to make a dress for myself and put in my real measurements the dress was a bit too big. It fit but a little loose. So when I dial in the measurement slightly smaller it ends up being more accurate.

Hope this helps those of you looking for a dress form, or wanting to buy one for a friend.