Baby It's You

Yes, very much so.

What was I thinking, planning the Balmain knockoff in the middle of tech rehearsal???....

The second staging of our musical Baby It's You begins previews on July 18 so our days are looong! Lots of fun of course, but tech rehearsals can be grueling. We have added a whole bunch of goodies (movies, slides, lights, wardrobe, sound, choreography, scenes, some cast replacements...) But, as I was watching it last night, I actually cried. That's what live theater can do to you ;) We have such talent on and off the stage that every piece of hard work is priceless. It lifts you up into a state of spiritual awareness, like you're riding on some magical cloud where possibilities are endless.

Somehow I did manage to make a test shoulder pad. We'll see if it works when the jacket fabric is cut but for now it looks good. I will use a sleeve head of course, and like Nancy K mentioned, some kind of interfacing on the sleeve cap.

The main points of the shoulder/sleeve for me are:

straight line (none-sloping) shoulder

extended shoulder

slender look of shoulder

slender sleeve

The increased height of the shoulder will have quite an impact on the sleeve cap and yet I have to be careful not to add too much ease or the sleeve will be too full.

QUESTION:

Nancy K mentioned that Kenneth King may be using mohair in the sleeve cap (she also made me get his latest book- thanks for enabling me, Nancy :)) While I'm waiting on my Amazon order I also bought some mohair on eBay. But I'm really confused... Please look at the picture and let me know if this is the kind of mohair I should be using. To me it looks like a velour or velvet, upholstery weight. My only previous connection to mohair is yarn, which always is fuzzy. This fabric seems way too substantial and overpowering for the wool crepe...

And for the stay in the back; I have no idea what I should use. Would hair canvas do the trick, and should it be on bias or straight? Any and all insight is appreciated.

Trim: The bulk pearls I ordered were not the right color/gloss :( I think my sample, which I bought at a local source, must be Swarovski crystal pearls due the the wonderful shine. I just may have to use my connections in the costume world to track down some of this trim... I don't like to take advantage of people so I'll have to come up with some kind of exchange. As long as that does NOT include sewing/mending for other people I'm willing and able :))

And Lindsay T; your idea is great if not doable :) I would have loved to be part of the NYC workshop and get hands-on help from experts. I hope you will share the experience with lots of pictures and info.

Balmain part 2: First construction thoughts

When I bought the book Classic Tailoring Techniques, by Cabrera/Meyers, some time ago I didn't have any particular project in mind. But I had been making a few jackets and was hungry for more information. Nancy K, you may remember I posted a question on the PatternReview boards about what book to buy, and your insightful answer gave me the push I needed. Thank you.

This jacket, as patsijean pointed out in her comment, will need lots of support due to all the heavy embellishments. When I found the fabric I was so relieved because it truly needs support inside and out. The double wool crepe is quite substantial and will hold up well. I picked a medium firm hair canvas as interfacing and believe it will get the job done. I may have to add an extra layer under each trim section, and will test first to be sure.

In the book there is no mention - I think- of any interfacing in the sleeve itself, which is normal, but this jacket is not normal :)) This is where couture enters the picture. In couture you have to think on your feet and constantly readjust as the project unfolds. Which is something I love to do :))

Hence; I'm not pushing for a July 31 deadline. I'm taking my time and will be enjoying it all the way.

I'm using BWOF (what else!) 02-2008-105 as a start off point. It's so well drafted I only did minimal changes (except for shoulder/sleeve of course.) I will do a separate post, maybe several, on the muslin.

Balmain part 1: Front trim placement

Before I begin, let me not forget to thank you for your support. This is a big undertaking, and I'm not expecting to finish this jacket by July 31. I will try to document the entire journey as much as possible, and, although your comments are always greatly appreciated, please do not feel you need to do so because I'll most likely be posting a whole lot :)) It will be helpful to me (as the rest of this post already has proven), and hopefully some of what I learn can be useful to others as well. Claudine and Nancy K asked for shoulder pad and sleeve construction photos and I will absolutely post on that. The muslin is not complete and the sleeve will be the last part of the construction, when the body and armhole/shoulder pad is set in stone.

The muslin bodice is at a point of a good fit, so I needed to see where the trim placement would be in relation to the length of the jacket and also the angle.

I started by measuring down 1/2" from the top edge. Each trim measures a total of 1 1/4" wide (hopefully this will work with the pearls and rhinestones). In the above picture it looks like the distance between the top trim and the second trim is less than the rest, so I went with a 1 1/4" distance there, and then 1 1/2" distance between the rest.

And here is the part about documenting being helpful :))

Studying the pictures side by side, I could see that the Balmain was slanting more, so I moved the slanting point down about 3/8". The result can be seen below.

I have tested 6mm glass pearls which work great and ordered them online in bulk :)) I have also ordered some sew-on rhinestones and rhinestone banding to test sizes. I looked up washers online and there are some small 2 and 3mm ones that might work. The one thing now seems to be the tiny pearl beaded rope. I found something at F & S Fabrics, but it wasn't the right color. I wonder maybe Int. Silks and Wools or Mood might have it. If all else fails I just have to schlep downtown... not exactly my fave thing to do. But I really want that rope! It adds a great dimension due to its raised surface.