Things I Make

Nani Iro dress

I finished a new dress two days ago. I was sewing late into the night, because I wanted to debut my new dress at my birthday party (which was yesterday May 22).  Both the party and the dress were a hit, I’m glad to say.  I used simplicity pattern 2180 for this dress and some of the Nani Iro fabric I ordered from Miss Matatabi in Japan on Etsy last month.  I love this dress!  It fits so great and the fabric is soft (it is double gauze).

The pattern was pretty easy to follow, however I did a muslin to check the fit and overcome problems / complications before I cut into this gorgeous fabric.  Here are the results:

Also, this is the first time I have every made pockets!  The pockets I made for the muslin were a mess, so I looked up a “how-to” online and found this Burda tutorial really helpful. 

I can’t believe how much I’m learning with every new dress I make!  I have a few more dresses in the works that I want to get done before I go on vacation, so I’ll share them when I’m done.  What have you been working on?

Halter ‘O’

I recently finished this cute halter top from the Stylish Dress Book 3, halter ‘0’.  I learned A LOT while making this top.  This pattern called for a lot of top-stitching, which I didn’t have much experience with, but I’m really happy with how it turned out.  The top-stitching was along the edges near the straps, see the last photo for detail.  I also really love the straps and the elastic in the back.  

Here’s how it turned out:

Here is the photo from the Japanese Dress Book I was working from:

I felt like from the front looked a little baggy and shapeless, but I’m really happy with the back.  Maybe I’m just not used to this kind of fit.  Here’s what it looks like, what do you think?

I love this cute little frill at the bottom:

Top-stitching and strap close-up:

On another note, I recently bought some gorgeous new Japanese fabric on Etsy from Miss Matatabi.  It was so exciting to receive it in the mail!

Here is the bundle of fabric as it arrived, wrapped like a special present… for me!!!

They are all Nani Iro by Naomi Ito for Kokka.

Can’t wait to see what I make with them!

New Hexies!

English Paper Piecing

Thursday night I took an English Paper Piecing class with Johanna Masko at (you’ve guessed it…) The Workroom.  This is the first “petal” that I have completed.  I love the hand-sewing involved, my mind just goes into a trance.  Although there are several steps involved, Johanna gave us really good tips and I can tell this is going to be my new obsession.

I LOVE this cute cat fabric that I fussy cut for these hexagons.  The designs on the fabric are by Tammis Keefe, and there is also a dog version! (Eeek, it’s equally cute!)  I can’t wait to see what I make with this technique and this fabric!  Even though I’ve only just learnt English Paper Piecing, I am feeling a bit ambitious, and the other day I bought this cool quilting book all about Japanese quilt patters called ‘Quilting: Line & Color’by Yoshiko Jinzenji.  I’m loving the Honeycomb quilt pattern, it’s definitely on my ever-growing to do list of craftiness.

New Dress! & it’s my fourth so far!

Yesterday I finished my fourth dress from Japanese Dress Books, this one is from the Stylish Dress Book, dress ‘N’.  The fabric is designed by Anna Maria Horner, who also has a great blog.  

When I cut out the pattern I tried to line up the fabric so that the bottom would have a bit of a seam, rather than cutting into the fabric’s pattern.  I’m really happy with how this pattern has fit into this dress!

I also ended up sewing in some elastic on the front of the dress, just under the bust to give it more shape.  It ended up being a continuation of the elastic that is at the top part of the back piece.  

This was also the first time I sewed a string/strap thing to tie the dress into a halter behind the neck.

  Now all I need is some summer sun!  

I have a few more dresses in the works, so hopefully I’ll have something new share in a week or two, check back soon! x

Mona Hatoum

Tuesday night I attended a fascinating lecture by artist Mona Hatoum at The Power Plant as part of their International Lecture Series.  She presented an overview of her major works throughout her international career.  I have admired her work for some time.  I love how she subtly captures beauty, strength and humour to discuss complex ideas, human experiences and political issues.

Here are a few of my favorite works by her:

Grater Divide by Mona Hatoum, 2002.

This piece is so funny and smart I almost feel like I don’t need to say anything.  One really interesting insight that Mona Hatoum shared with us is that she saw the cut-outs of the metal, specifically the right-hand side of the grater, as reminiscent of an Arabic-style window.   Here is a close up:

Untitled (Wheelchair) by Mona Hatoum, 1998

With this work, Mona Hatoum was discussing relationships of dependence, the resentment that one might have of the person they depend on (illustrated here by the knives in place of the handles at the back of the chair.)  I really love this work, it has such an unassuming anger, but expressed in such a funny way!

Light Sentence by Mona Hatoum, 1993. 

She said the title is a play-off of “Life Sentence” or “Death Sentence”.  It is made of small metal cages staked up upon one another, forming a U-shape.  In the center, there is one bulb that slowly shifts and makes the shadows on the surrounding walls subtly move.  She discussed the architectural qualities of this work, how it’s structure is reminiscent of subsidized housing, or council blocks.  It could also be seen as prison cells, or animal laboratory cages.

I saw this work a few years ago at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and I remember thinking it was so overwhelmingly beautiful and so interesting to experience that environment, which is sort of inviting and mysterious, but frightening at the same time.  It’s definitely one that stayed with me.

Keffieh by Mona Hatoum, 1993-99

Finally, she showed a few of her hand-made works, which was really interesting for me because many of her works have to be produced in factories (I imagine) or by specialized crafts-persons, so it was cool to see a different side of her practice.  Her hand made works are just as compelling as her other works, they posses the same sharp wit and beauty.  In this work she embroidered the pattern of the Keffieh using human hair.  It was so labour intensive that it took six years to complete.  The Keffieh is a scarf most often worn by men and is also a Palestinian national symbol.  She described the act of embroidering the hair into this Keffieh as a silent act of protest of the women of Palestine.  She has created other works using embroidered hair, such as maps and a necklace.  I love how she employs a wide range of materials and uses complex textures to express her ideas.

Thanks Mona! x

New Dress!

I think it is safe to say that I am developing a strong addiction to Japanese dress making. Lately, I’ve been falling asleep at night thinking endlessly of dress patterns and fabric choices, I’m hooked!  My most recent dress is so far my favorite.  The pattern comes from the Feminine Wardrobe book, dress A3:

This is what the dress looked like when I finished sewing all the pieces together, but I felt it was too baggy, so I added three lines of elastic around the waist (see below).

I got this GORGEOUS fabric for the side panels from The Workroom a few months ago.  It is a Liberty of London print, designed by Kate Ada.  I’m super excited for the upcoming summer because I’ll be in London in June and I’m planning on hitting up the Liberty shop, among other fabric Meccas.

On another note, I started making knitted chain necklaces, which will soon be added to my (currently vacant) etsy shop!

New dresses in the works, so check back soon! X

Japanese Dress Books.

Other than sewing underwear, I have been learning to make dresses, following patterns from Japanese dress books.  I learned this skill after taking a class at the Workroom (I go there a lot…)

The first dress I made, in class, is based on this image & pattern:

Here is the finished product:

Dress # 2:

Underwear!

I recently took an underwear sewing class at The Workroom.  It was super fun and surprisingly easy to make.  The first style we learned was a Brazilian cut made with stretch lace.

This is an image of the inside lining:

The second week we learned to make a more standard pair of underwear, however my colour & material choose makes it look a bit unconventional.  I think they look more like Roller-Derby short-shorts!

This is the inside lining: