Silk

Here I am in the latest silk creation, Burda Tunic 02-2009110 and Burda skirt 03-2010-105.

Side zipper and re-beading to complete design

Both fabrics were bought at B&J Fabrics in NYC. The black is silk chiffon with three types of beads: black round and rectangular, and silver rectangular. The tunic is in a super lush silk charmeuse. I made it a bit looser this time to accommodate movement- yes, I wear this when I choreograph :) it has such wonderful drape. I also lengthened it 1".

I had very little of the beaded fabric( $$$ ) so I couldn't make a complete match on the sides, although the left side (see above) comes pretty close. But since this design isn't too obvious I just created new design lines by re-beading. Also, I never wear ANYTHING tucked in anymore so I don't have to worry about the upper part. The skirt also ended up a lot shorter and sits on the hips. I wanted to take more photos, but my camera fell off the tripod! Yes it broke, well the flash broke, so DH is off to get a new one. Did you know we've been married for nearly 18 years? That's a LIFETIME here in Hollyweird...

I did manage to take photos BEFORE the accident so below you can see some of the work  I did.

Daisy asked where I buy my silk fabrics:

The plain white and black I buy mostly from Dharma Trading, and some from the Silk Connection.

Katy mentioned Thai Silks and I buy from them too, they have some lovely prints. Then locally, I have F&S Fabrics five minutes away and Moods is about ten minutes... yes, I know, I have it goood...

I have several pieces in my stash and some I don't think I'll use (wrong colors for me), so watch out :) There will be another giveaway muy pronto! We're taking a little break from the hustle and bustle to spend time on the beach in Laguna, and then we're off to NYC.

And to the last giveaway winners; thank you, I received your mailing addresses and the magnifiers will ship tomorrow.

Front Trim In Progress

One full test done, except buttonhole. If I make a regular buttonhole, the facing will have to be attached before adding the trim. Could be cumbersome (lots of manipulation needed, as I found out, only using a small swatch). Thoughts of handling a whole jacket while doing the beadwork frightens me! Especially the front because the lines have to be so straight (Monk speaking). Maybe I can do the front before attaching it to the sides? The shoulders and sleeves will have to be done after construction. OMG I can hardly wait- Ouch!!

I'm now thinking a bound buttonhole will be the easiest, bypassing the need for facing attachment.

The lines are basted for accurate placement. I will see how easily they can be removed, I used silk thread but should have increased the length. My machine only goes to 5mm; so wish it went to 7.

Below is a closer picture to show the different color pearls: The lightest and darkest gray are both 6mm Swarovski, the two medium gray I don't know, but it's very good quality.

Close look at the cross. I used the mixed bag posted last time. It works fine but I got a little carried away with the amount; the left side has too many and thereby "leaning" over the beaded outline. The sew on crystals are from Beads & More in downtown LA.

If any of my dear readers are heading my way (Los Angeles) during the month of August, let me know! Baby It's You is, if I may say so myself, pretty darn good :))

Bubblegum 4 Christmas

The dress is done. She won't get it until the 14th because it goes on the advent calendar, but here are the photos on the mannequin (which is a bit bigger and taller). Silk, silk silk... I always end up with silk. But you know, it's a wondrous fiber, not at all what some people might think. It's strong and durable, can be washed in hot water, takes dye with brilliant results, and of course, it feels like a million bucks :)) I had the good sense this time and ordered in bulk from Dharma Trading- one bolt each of black and white habotai, as well as a bolt of 4.5mm white gauze. I use the gauze for nuno felts, which, btw,  I haven't made in more than a year !!  Oh well.

As you can see I manipulated the fabric as I did with my blouse, only this time I used Jet AB crystal beads.

And the shoes... Aren't they gorgeous? And the color matching went pretty well, if I may say so myself :)

Some details: I made a little bow at the back, using the extended bias. That was a tip from Roberta Carr's book. Hook and loop closure. My label under the ruffle.

Here's the lining being attached, and the finished dress inside out.

Vicky asked if I cut the ruffles on the grain: 

Yes. The sheerness of the gauze worked well this way, and the lace is very light as well. I used a 3-1 gather ratio.

Thank you for your well wishes. I feel a little better today, and having this done was a relief. I'm not sure if I'm ready to go into the black, so to speak, but I probably should. I really need that black dress...

Build-A-Blouse

This was a long time in the making, but it's been so busy with rehearsals and previews. I now only have one item left in my mini wardrobe and hopefully that will be faster (although I doubt that very much since I don't have a clear image in my head of the Big Bird skirt yet.)

As usual, I took these photos with a self timer, so you can't really see the beads sparkle as they do in real life- you know I adore sparkle right :)) Anyway, I'm happy with this blouse, and it goes great with black pants as well. 

The word Habili is Latin and means (according to one website): clothe, clothing, that which may be easily handled, suitable, fit, proper.

Blouse assembly:

Centered tucks:
Making folds on centered tucks:

Dye Oh My- How I Do Love Thee!

Here's the habotai silk lining, dyed with Charcoal Gray, willfully splattered. Check out the sloppy job I did on the French seam lol.

I finished the zipper and attached the insert to the yoke. Both top and bottom need to be stabilized with some hand stitching before I can attached the lining and skirt. I'm just so lazy at the moment, got a cold too. Hopefully I'll get it all done by tomorrow. Want to get started on DD's silver leather jacket. She's so patient- the little one, not the older :-)- it's been months since I made the promise. 

Pants To Go-Go

BWOF January 2008, style 110. These are sooooo comfortable. And, imo, stylish to boot. And into/over the boot. And over the shoe. Open or closed. Get how much I like these? The cotton/lycra fabric is very stretchy- and attracts cat hair and everything else like a giant magnet. But who cares, I'll just carry one of those roller-thingies in my purse. I didn't have to make major adjustments (see photos below, in no particular order), but the thing here is the yoke. Gotta be precise, mark and stabilize seams and points. I beaded the front zippers to add the "sparkle" and also attached my label in silver thread on the back waistband. I'm hoping these will go well with the YSL blouse, which I have finished draping. The fabric arrived a few days ago, and is washed and ready to be cut .

And look how they work with my coat :-)

Hugs and thank you to those who voted for me, it is greatly appreciated. We are going through a 'growing pain' period- those with past and present teenagers may know what I'm talking about. Nuff said. Sewing -and you- keep me sane.

"Sabrina" Dress, Part 2

DD is home :-) and it's so nice to see her again. Above is a temporary placement of lace, it will be all filled out below the upper border. DD approved. But as always, plans may change. I have to see it on the black top to know for sure.

I'm almost done with the skirt. I underlined with organza, and also added organza facing to the hem. Below is a photo of the notched SA before the facing is turned and hand stitched to the underlining. Another good reason to use underlining: No stitches on the self fabric :-)

Here's the inside. I used a Hong Kong underlining seam finish for the side seams.

And below is the lace on the hem. I cut out each piece, secured the bead thread (a hassle!) and stitched them on by hand. I still have quite a few more to attach, and will do so while I watch TV tonight :-)  Think it will add some sparkle on the dance floor due to the sequins. 

Vicky asked where DD will be wearing this dress: She has a prom coming up in the end of May, her boarding school does this every year. The theme this year is 'classic' or something like that. This is her third dress and I made the other two as well. The first one was a silk and nuno felt dress, and last year was the Bollywood dress, you can see the review Here. I'm so happy she still wants me to make them, it warms my heart.