Easy Shoulder-Strap Closing Technique (for lined garments)

My dear friend Lauren showed me this strap technique. It is hard to explain yet I think is so important to know that we decided to create a pictured online reference for all the fanatic sewers out there to utilize. In fact, having this useful posting will be a great resource to send my colleagues every time I try to poorly explain the technique, they can just look to this! YAY!



Step 1
Make sure your strap's seams are open about 3 inches on either side. The lining (as seen in black) shoulder seam is connected while the fashion fabric (in yellow) remains open.








Step 2
Sew the shoulder closed of the fashion fabric (yellow) . As you can see in the picture to the right, she is holding the yellow fabric together to indicate the need to sew it closed.













Step 2a
You can see how the top strap is being sewn closed.











Step 3
As pictured here you see the recently sewn shoulder seam. The next move is tricky and is better explained with pictures.

The goal is to sew one of the side shoulder strap seams by moving it through the opposite strap opening which allows you to sew with the right sides together.










3a
In the picture to the right you can see the fabric being pinched and getting ready to be pulled through the other side.












3b
In this picture you see the fabric being being
pulled through to the other side and
ready to be sewn.











3c
As pictured the side seam is being held
flat so you can see where you will sew.

















Step 4
Pull the fabric back through so you can admire
your first nicely sewn side strap seam.














Step 5
Pull the strap through the opening in the bottom
of the lining. Your hand is coming in from below and pulling the strap down so it comes out the bottom.


















Here is another picture of the strap coming out of the bottom opening of the lining.














Step 4
Sew the last remaining side strap opening.
Be sure that it is clear from any bulk from
the other seams before you sew. Once it is flat, line up your seams and sew.










Step 5
Pull the strap back through the lining to its proper place.

There it is! You have a lovely strap!

Creative Headgear for Priceless

It's summer, and in the Bay Area that means countless festivals/gatherings/costume events. Since Burning Man is not in the cards this year we are costuming-up for Priceless...this weekend!

So, I thought I would share some of the headgear I have been creating for me and my man.

Priceless has a theme each year and this year it is "Midsummer Night's Dream". Therefore, we are going as our versions of Oberon and Titania (king and queen of the fairies).

We almost spent a couple $$$ on some fancy vintage headdresses but opted for the "lets-find-out-what-Joui-can-come-up-with" choice. Which as you can see is a collection of scraps and random material that I horde for occasions just like this!

For instance, fake ferns!??? They are so awful but were exactly what we needed for the costumes....I was soooo close to giving them to the thrift store in my last move.

Let's Repower America - Environment California

Let's Repower America - Environment California
Just wanted to help spread the word about the energy bill going through congress right now. As you know, I am a fashionable environmentalist, and I am always trying to do my part, but in the end we need the government to cap the emissions from dirty energy (which makes up most of the CO2 that is put in the atmosphere).
So share this, spread the word...we can make a difference!! I hope!
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Neon is my favorite ( for the moment )

Here is a tunic top I just finished today! Made from rip-stop fabric and in one of my favorite neon colors. It fits me perfectly and I can't wait to wear this little number to some fun parties (or just on the street).

What might seem to be a somewhat simple design turned out to be VERY complicated. The idea was to have continuous pleats that start from the top of the shoulder and then turn and end at lower side hip. In the end the patterning turned out to be way too complicated to make as a 'genuine' pleat. As a designer, I know it can be done, but since I have allocated most of my brain to the complicated Varda gowns, I wasn't going to use them up on my own playful blouse.

So, the yellow ribbing at the bottom of the tunic, are acting as "fake" pleats. The real pleats are just the vertical ones.
In the end, like most unintentional design elements, I am happy how it all turned out, although I would have liked to see more of a true accordion silhouette.

And of course...why neon? Why not?! I think it must be my reaction to the ever-continuous dullness of the western world's infatuation with black ---I am constantly looking for ways to rebel. AND you will never loose me in a crowd ;-)

The Latest Recycled Vest...

As usual I like to share the latest recycled vests as they come down the pipeline.

This particular vest is exciting because it is a new version of the series I did in a previous blog.

With this vest, instead of piecing different blazers together to create one look, I simply used the bottom of the jacket to create the ruffle around the collar. In the other vests, the ruffles were created from selected scraps. In this piece the only scraps used are in the draped fabric piece that works its way around the bottom.

The scrap fabric used is by Ana Lisa Hedstrom and is one of my favorite details with this vest.

I also like how the lining of the jacket accentuates the under-collar portion of the neck ruffle.

Very Versatile Clothing

I recently created a series of flowy tops that are constructed out of fabric remnants from Ana Lisa Hedstrom's Shibori collections. Due to the design of the blouses and beautiful drape of the fabrics it allows the wearer to wear the shirt in multiple ways, front, back, twisted, sideways, inside-out, etc.

To some the prospect of so many possibilities in one top is daunting. To others, it is a gold mine of constant creative discovery.

Below I have photographed myself in three of these tops, demonstrating the multiple styles you can get from each one. Where the .... symbol occurs, it means I am in the act of changing the position of the top. There is something very poetic about lingering in transition and using it as a fashion statement. I don't know about you, but I personally love to rearrange my whole outfit so that by the end of the day my earlier look has a totally new feel.

How to make quick and easy ruffles

One of the questions I get often about my blazer vest is how to make the fun ruffles that adorn the neckline. Fortunately for us, creating the ruffles is probably the easiest part of making the vests. With the technique I am going to show you, you can easily use small pieces of scraps or long ones. In the end it doesn't matter, just with smaller pieces of fabric you will need more of them to fill up the collar area.

Here is the step-by-step process to create an easy ruffle.

1) Choose a light-weight fabric that is in a rectangular form. Using a fabric that is at least 5 inches wide and 8 inches long is helpful. As you can see in this picture other shapes can be used for more interesting and asymmetrical ruffles.








2) Folding right sides of the fabric together, fold the rectangle in half matching rough edges. With the asymmetrical piece I took a pin and folded the fabric to match it to the other edge because otherwise it wouldn't match.





3) Pin in the ruffles. Every inch or so (for me the more the better) pin little bunches of fabric together. It will look more interesting the more folds you have in the fabric.













4) Serge the rough edges and folds together with an over-lock machine. Be sure to remove the pins as you go, you don't want to break your needles by serging over them. After a while you will get used to sewing folds into the ruffles and you don't need to pin them at all. Just bunch the fabric as you go by scrunching up the fabric as you feed it in. Be care not to make the fabric too bulky because then you can jam your machine.








5) Serge closed one side of the ruffle so that we have a clean edge. Next, pull the ruffle through the open side to reveal the fashion fabric. To finish the open side of the ruffle you can turn the edges inside and hand sew it closed. Otherwise, I just sew it closed on the jacket itself.





6) Lastly, attach the ruffle onto the jacket, adding more tucks and volume through the pinning process. Then hand sew the ruffles in place and your done!





EXTRA! One of my high school interns did her own version of the blazer vest by using a hooded sweatshirt. I think it turned out great! Here is a shot of her wearing her creation.