FabricLady Tested! These Jeans are so Flattering!

Who doesn't love a good pair of jeans? Everyone, from tomboys to girly-girls, has a favorite fit. Some love a relaxed boyfriend style, like the Morgan Jeans from Closet Case Files, and we all need a pair of the Ginger Jeans also by Closet Case Files as featured in my previous blogs! Some love a slim line, like these Safran Pants from Deer and Doe. If you are like me, you can see any of these styles fitting into various moods and activities.

We can all agree that shopping for the perfect fitting jeans is not only time consuming, but often frustrating! Either they fit in the waist but the booty is to tight, or they are perfectly tapered down the leg, but the rise is way to low. Not to mention, each brand uses a different sizing style, am I a size 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, or a 26, 27, 28, 29, 30? More than likely, if you finally find the perfect jeans, you need to take out a second mortgage to pay the cashier.  And THIS is why you may want to try your hand a making a pair.

My new Safran Jeans and Tea House Top

Here they are with my Tea House Top from Sew House Seven

Getting ready for Layering with my Decades of Style, Threes a Charm Jacket, Grainline Studio's, Scout Tee and
my new favorite Deer and Doe, Safran Jeans! All available over at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics!

This month, we are making Deer and Doe's Safran jeans. I love the higher waist and the slim, but not skinny, legs. The front pockets are unique - perfect for some great top-stitching details.

Could these Saran Jeans be any cuter?!

I'm using the same stretch denim that I used for my Ginger Jeans by Closet Case Files (Read those blogs here and here), but this time in black for my Safran jeans. We decided on the Neon Pink for the top-stitching, but Laurel wanted to add some drama on the back pockets just for fun, so we are going to incorporate the Turquoise and the Gold thread as well. Shop our selection of fun neon top-stitching thread here!

Choosing "outside the box" with Neon Top Stitching Thread! - Yes we can!

Laurel came up with a swirl detail that we will stitch in all three colors.  She  drew it freehand on paper for a pattern and pinned it to the pocket. Is that an "S" that I see?

She stitched around the edge to the S shape pattern in pink, then removed the pattern and echoed the pink stitching as a guide for the other two colors.

We decided on a single row of top-stitching to attach the pockets.

It's all in the details!

Top-stitching thread is a lot heavier than normal sewing thread, so getting the tension right can be a bit of a challenge.  The important thing to remember is that people can only see the outside of your garment, so don't stress out if the inside stitching is a little wonky.  We notice that this often happens when you plant your needle, raise the presser foot and turn a corner, leaving a little loop of top-stitching thread on the inside. Oh well.

Finishing off the end of the stitching line works best of you gently tug on the bobbin thread to bring the top-stitching thread to the inside of the garment, then tie it off.

When top stitching over a heavier section like a seam, you can stop short of joining the line together and then hand sew, taking the top stitching thread to the inside, creating a "stitch" that joins the line, and then tying it off. This will eliminate any extra bulk that would be created by backstitching with the thicker thread.

We were pretty sure that the Safran jeans would fit, so Laurel installed the fly-front zipper before sewing the pants together.  If we needed to adjust the waist, we could reduce the back or side seams.

Don't forget to be creative with your lining fabric.  Of course you can always use the same denim for the lining, but why not make it fun? One of our many cotton prints would work beautifully! Shop them here. We used scraps of this paper crane cotton from a previous garment. Laurel is the master of reworking scraps!

Great way to use your left over fun scraps!

Another Thursday with Laurel - checking the booty for fit...

Hey, these fit!

Love these pockets!

Look how the top stitching thread pops!

Marking the hem...ready to send them back to Laurel's studio for the final steps.

Back in the Studio, Laurel attached the waistband and belt loops and finished the top stitching and hems. Nothing left but that pesky buttonhole and jeans button. Everything was going great until that perfectly sewn buttonhole was on the wrong side of the fly. Making mistakes is part of the creative process - we all do it, but Laurel finds it particularly annoying.

We were both reminded of one of my favorite books, Debbie Ford's The Dark Side of the Light Chasers. In this book we learned that we ALL have aspects of our nature that we don't like, but more to the point, we ALL have things that annoy us about other people. Debbie contends that it is these very things that we hate in others that also exist in us, perhaps even hidden. This hidden "Shadow" side of our personality, as Debbie calls it, is something that we must learn to embrace so that it no longer has an emotional charge.

Assuming that Debbie is on point (which we believe she is SO on target), after reading Debbie's book, Laurel shared that one of her trigger words was "stupid", as in not very smart or not smart enough. We won't go into all her issues with this word "stupid", but after reading about this concept of embracing her dark side, she can now easily admit that she too is sometimes "stupid."

Yes, that buttonhole is on the wrong side...rookie (stupid) mistake!! But hey, at the end of the day, she laughs at it, let's it go and let's her creativity kick in.  Throw a patch on that mistake buttonhole, attach the jean's button and call it a day!

Aaahhh.  Embracing her stupid side turns out to be a good thing for me!! Actually, I don't think this is a mistake after all - looks like it belonged there all along.

XOXOXO

 

Going to love these jeans!!

Laurel and I! She looks great in my Tea House top - so much that she's making one for herself!
All my indie me-made clothes are all working so well together :)

Feel like embracing your own "Shadow"? You can pick up Debbie's book The Dark Side of the Light Chasers from Amazon Books, or at your local bookstore. It will definitely give you something to think about. As women, we want to love our whole selves, not just the parts we like or that others find pleasing. It's okay to be "not good enough" once in a while!

And meanwhile, embrace your whole self and your creativity and sew a little heart in your jeans!

Yours Creatively,

Suzan

More Cotton Ikat choices on this Link!

Layering garments can be so much fun with the the Three's a Charm Jacket, Scout Tee
and the Safran Pants! Denim Dot Jacket fabric is at this link...Shop any of
our Woven Cottons at this link for the perfect Scout Tee!
Check out all the great "Bottom weight" choices for making pants at this link, too!

It's why we sew...

A few weeks ago my seamstress and friend Laurel came down for one of our fitting/lunch/wardrobe planning days at Stonemountain. Over lunch she recounted a window shopping day she had recently, on the search for a dress to wear to her high school reunion this coming fall. In fact, her hubby' reunion in Texas is later this year, so she was on the hunt for some ideas - you know, one of those smashing little dresses that will make the old girlfriend ever so slightly jealous (LOL!).

Even if we make the majority of our wardrobe, sometimes we just want to see how ready to wear styles might look on our frame. That's why we window shop, trying on dresses to help us imagine what we might wear to a special occasion.  If we're lucky, we might even score a new dress off the rack. But because we sew and are able to recognize quality fabrics and good workmanship when we see them, even window shopping can be a disappointment. Laurel's recent expedition was not without challenges.

First, how do you even find anything? 

With the sheer number of choices, you would think you should be able to find one dress you like...

Second issue: who wants to show up for the party looking like everyone else?

You want something unique, but most of us who are of a certain age 

can't imagine some of today's "styles" working on our bodies...

For Laurel, many of the designs were not suitable for the "knock 'em dead" look she was after. We can image wearing this simple sheath design, but its way too corporate business looking for a party...

This fabric was unique and feminine, BUT unless you're twenty something,
it's way too short.

Conclusion: Making the perfect dress is why we sew! When we see a gorgeous piece of fabric,  we imagine all sorts of garments that we could create.  And best of all, we know it's unlikely that we will see someone with the same outfit across the dance floor.  Our creations are unique to us.  They fit us like a glove.  They speak to who we are as designers and sewists.

Two sewists can use the same pattern and just by changing the fabric make the garment unique to themselves.  For instance, we've had this unique La Fred Helena dress hanging in our shop for quite some time, but it just caught Laurel's eye this month.

Laurel chose a gorgeous rayon knit to make one for herself. 

You won't find this print in the department stores, so her dress will be uniquely her.
It won't be worn for her reunion, but it's a perfect example of why we make our own dresses instead of buying off the rack.

                 

I too love a dress that will speak to the Berkley girl that I am.  Sometimes the pattern is classic but a fresh take on fabric brings it to life all over again. For instance, take this Boho Chic look that's been around for ages: Vogue 9124.

Let's make it up in a gorgeous rayon border print. 

 I can't wait to see how Laurel works the fabric's border into the design!

The fall season is just around the corner, so it was inevitable that we would get distracted away from the "Reunion Dress Mission".  Fall speaks to each of us in different ways - the colors and textures of fall fabrics are infinite. We chose this silk knit first because of its unique color block pattern.  So why not pair it with a solid fabric and make a color blocked top with Vogue 9067 to wear with some nice black jeans?  So very fall...so very Laurel! 

After our day of wardrobe planning and dreaming, we still didn't find the right look for Laurel's two reunion events this fall, but we were off to a good start with this fabulous silk...it's definitely a show stopper.  Stonemountain often stocks these one-of a kind fabrics - I think a long flowing maxi skirt could be the ticket. It's a definite "maybe".

There's nothing complex about picking out just the right look and fabric for a special occasion:  You go with what strikes your fancy. Fabric speaks to those of us who listen. The option of facing jammed aisles of ready made dresses is often overwhelming - it's so "noisy". But a wall of beautiful fabrics...touching them...holding them up to our face; we can see the image of our garment start to take shape. We are creating something uniquely us...an outward expression of our inner soul and spirit - it's almost magic.

And it's WHY we sew.

Creatively yours,

SuZan

Cabin Top

Take a look at some of the fabulous garments we have been creating - you just can't buy these in the stores! What are you ready to make for Fall?

         

Given a Chance Dress!

                             

Give this Dress a Chance!

Just for fun, we started a promo in July to feature Decades Everyday Given A Chance Dress, a sweet sleeveless shift that "could be your favorite dress year-round."  We invited our customers and staff to join in the fun by making up this easy dress and wearing it into the shop. Customers who participate will take home a free Decades of Style pattern to add to their collection.

The response has been amazing! It's been a true joy to see how one dress can have so much personality and bring a community together.

We will wrap up the whole event on September 16th with a finale party at Noon.  Needless to say, we've seen so many versions of this dress already and we haven't really started - cotton, silk, rayon - all beautiful creations, each with the sewist's own brand of style and flair!

I have a dream to see all of us in a photo at noon on the 16th! Please make up a dress and pop on by!

After seeing some of the initial  versions of this dress on our Staff and on many customers, I knew I wanted to give it a chance too.

I chose a soft rayon in a black and white geometric print.  So many of our sewists used two different fabrics - one print or solid for the yoke and a different fabric for the main body of the dress.  I wanted to try making it all in one fabric, but perhaps with a small pop of color. Piping, maybe?

Piping? Yes! We loved this bright chartreuse in 100% cotton. We cut bias strips along the polka dot portion of the fabric then folded and pressed it carefully.

The Given a Chance Dress is an easy pattern to work up - it consists of two sections: the lined top yoke and the body of the dress.  And it has my favorite feature - in-seam pockets!

Laurel lined the inside front yoke with the contrasting cotton just for fun.

The dress body has a unique design element - two bust darts on each side.
These double darts look great on everybody!

Adding piping as a design element takes a little more time, but it is not difficult.  I chose not to add cording to my piping.  I wanted it to lay flat, which made Laurel happy - it certainly makes the application a lot easier.  The trick to making your piping width even is to apply the piping to one side of the seam edge, in this case the top of the dress front, and then use that stitch line as a guide when you sew the yoke and dress together.

One...

Two...

And Three...perfect!!

Sometimes the best things about your hand sewn garments are the slightly hidden details and embellishments that you add...like the addition of the piping fabric to the inside of this in seam pocket.  You can only see it when you put your hands inside...but YOU know it's there.

So glad that we added the piping.  It's totally me!

 

Be sure to come in today and get your Given a Chance Dress pattern soon and be ready to show it off at the store.  I can't wait to see what you all create!

Link over to our Stonemountain Blog to read more about the Given a Chance Dress and our promotion/event happening until September 16th. We will do a special blog post after the September finale party to highlight all the versatile and beautiful dresses.

Hope to see you all at noon on September 16th for a photo with Janet, the local designer of this extraordinary pattern and line of designs!

Creatively Yours,

Suzan
email me at fabriclady3@gmail.com
I love to hear from you!