Winter white...truly a California "Dream"

All the leaves are brown

And the sky is grey

I've been for a walk

On a winter's day

I'd be safe and warm

If I was in L.A.

California dreamin

On such a winter's day

   Mamas and Papas, 1965

The Winter Solstice came and went without so much as a snowflake resting on the trees around me. The weatherman delivered his ominous threats of a California drought as we watch the images of dry lake beds and brown mountaintops flash across the television screen.

I close my eyes and imagine a ski slope waiting for me, all decked out in her Winter finery and I am restored. What is it about the softness of snow that helps us transcend ordinary life and be part of the whiteness of it's beauty? It's why we city dwellers love the beauty of snow amidst our struggling lawns, leafless trees and grey cement edifices blocking the warm sun.

For years, even the fashion designers shared our passion for white...not the bright
bridal white of vestal virgins (LOL!) but the soft creamy white of a snow drift bathed in the afternoon sun. Winter White - it's timeless, never going out of style, worn year after year by all.

Back in December 1987, I did a fashion show with Stonemountain & Daughter along with Berkeley Adult School. I'm not into gloves, stockings and heels gig too much anymore, but I have to admit that yummy Winter White coat and sheath dress would easily fit today's style. And, let's hear it for that pixie cut! Back in style, FYI!

Many designers and fabric manufacturers produce fabric in the Winter White shade. As a buyer, I am aware of the soft pink or cream cast to them, depending on fabric content or dye. These subtle color variations allow our customers to select shades that flatter their skin coloring. Laurel (Laurel's Quill) and I had a blast pulling all the winter white fabrics off the shelves in the Garment Fabric Room at Stonemountain - so many great projects to do!

We tend to only think of wool as a Winter White fabric. What a stereotype!  However, there is a variety of shades and hues of white in an array of fabric contents and textures: wovens, knits, crepes and synthetics. Why not try a warm white in Tencel or silk boil for a pair of slacks this season? Or a sumptuous swing coat in a brushed wool? Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics has a Winter White Boiled wool that would make our awesome Marci Tilton jacket..again!

And for our naysayers who think that white makes you look "bigger", I say nonsense!  Love your body the way it is - your special femininity all your own, so deck it out in a snowy dream fabric, don your jewelry, and celebrate the Winter season...even if we don't have snow (yet)! 

I hope that you will find the time to stop by our store. We are having so much fun and joy playing in the world of fabric and what more is possible! 

Warmly, 

SuZan

p.s. I am off to a ski trip to Park City with my husband to celebrate our 19th anniversary (13 years married!) Here are a few shots from our winter wonderland last year.  

 

Wardrobe "Basics": My Marci Tilton Jacket

The Daughter's Collection for Fall 2013 is all about basic wardrobe necessities: pants, tops, blouses and jackets. With these four elements, you can create an entire wardrobe for the season.

Stonemountain & Daughter Farbics got this wonderful boiled wool in for the Fall/Winter season in 12 colors. Boiled wool is a special type of fabric primarily used in berets, scarves, vests, cardigans, coats and jackets. It is created by a mechanical process using water and agitation, shrinking knitted or woven wool or wool-blend fabrics, compressing and interlocking the fibers into a tighter felt-like mass.

I knew I wanted to have something made out of the rich brown for the Daughter's Collection Fall 2013 so chose a Marci Tilton Jacket pattern 8430 by Vogue. The beauty of working with this unique fabric and this pattern is that there is no real finishing to the jacket - it is basically an unlined, unhemmed simple jacket.  The pattern only had three pieces: the front (cut 2), the back, and the sleeves (cut 2).  That's it. You can use the boiled wool in the 100% quality or the wool blended with rayon quality. The one I chose is the 100% Wool. We *happen* have a great class here at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics featuring making your own boiled wool and jacket!

Laurel did some research on the jacket to see how other dressmakers handled the construction and fitting.  It is a very boxy, roomy jacket, so a few women did some back shaping. And since I too have a relatively small frame, we decided to step down a size as opposed to the one which my measurements might dictate.

She also added an inch or two at the "collar" just so it would have a little more drape. The beauty of working with this fabric is that we can just cut that collar shape any way we want...so if I don't like the way it hangs when we're done, I can "snip-snip" it at any time. The same goes with the finished length of the jacket.  She added 3/4" to the bottom just in case I wanted a little more length.

Laurel confessed to me when we picked out the boiled wool that she had sewn on this type of fabric only once before...and it was years ago! She was quietly skeptical about sewing with such a thick fabric. When she shopped for her back-up machine a few weeks ago, she took scraps of some of my fabrics - knits, silks and the boiled wool (What a great idea, if you're contemplating a new machine!). She handed the sales woman the zip lock bag and said "I need a machine that will sew on all these!!"

Testing stitches on a variety of fabrics is a great way to get familiar with a sewing machine

There is very little to fear about sewing boiled wool. It is exceptionally forgiving - no puckers, no skipped stitches...just pin it together and sew. It took Laurel 30 minutes to sew my Marci Tilton jacket together. Amazing! Of course we still had to adjust the fit (it really is boxy!) and decide if we wanted to embellish it, if at all, i.e. with contrasting thread, binding, etc.

When we did the first fitting, sure enough, it was a little full in the back - time to take it in a smidge, Laurel!

I love the way the back is a little longer than the front.  

We all tried on this jacket during the fitting - despite it's "boxy" style, it looks great on all figure types

Ruth strikes a pose in the jacket that now everyone loves!

Laurel: "I gotta have one of these jackets!"

Even Laurel's Mini-Me Colette back in Sacramento looked stunning in the finished jacket.

The boiled wool fabric and construction of this "BASIC" jacket lends itself to a little top stitching detail. Again, it's an easy task - time consuming, but oh so worth it!!

The current collection of Boiled Wool and
Boiled Wool with Rayon at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabric this week!

Can you imagine how cool this jacket is going to look with jeans? Or that pencil skirt? Unlimited potential - that's why I call it a wardrobe "basic" and  I love it!!!

Creatively Yours,

SuZAn

Come make your own felted wool in
our upcoming class!

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