Toile Bishop for Carly is Complete!

This just seemed to take so long with interruptions of toothaches, out of state visits, etc... But now it is full speed ahead. In yesterday's post I gave a description of what a Bishop Dress actually is. This design by Gail Doane has a nice medium amount of fullness. Gail also designed the smocking plate. I customized it a bit. My Carly is very tiny in the shoulders, like her Grandma BunBun. I did not want the smocking design drifting down past her shoulder bone so I only did two repeats of Gail's design. I chose to embroider this with bold colors and four strands of floss, the better to stand up to the graphic nature of the black and white print. It almost gives it a Folkloric influence which I like. I did the button decoration but also chose to do the back opening with different buttons, plaid covered half balls. I fused the homespun plaid to a black tricot before making the buttons so the glare of the metal button would not show thru thin homespun.There is a fifth button that dropped somewhere never to be found so if you see a BH without a button, it will be sewn  on tonight.  On the neckline and cuffs I chose to do a double piping. The only drawback with this is some sections of the neckline piping sort of disappear (the print ones) and the whiter sections really jump forward. But all in all I am pleased. This really is a rather simple design that I will definitely make again. Without life's interruptions, it could be completed quite quickly. I highly recommend Gail's book, "Sew Cute Couture". It is full of great designs all with coordinating jackets. I will trace off the pattern for the jacket as soon as I am done posting here. I may further customize Gail's embroidery design for the coat but will do a few samples first that I will share with you all. I also have to hunt down a lining for the coat. I would love to do the homespun for the lining but think I would prefer something more slithery. Then again, I have often seen toddler's winter jackets lined with just flannel. I'll give that more thought.
        I would like to publicly thank Gail Doane for her encouragement on this project. It was greatly appreciated and her emails a welcome support. I hope I do her darling jacket pattern justice.
        Without further ado here are some pics:

The back:

Yoke detail: 

 ETA: Can you see the seams? I think not with Martha's wonderful tute on Seamless Smocking. The   seam is in there, just invisible. 

Cuffs:

Growth tuck, also discussed in yesterday's post:

I can now put this one to bed and move on!

**********************************************************************************

A word on UFOs, dear bloggers: Try not to let them happen. One of the bittersweet moments spent with dear Ima was encountering all the UFOs. We are talking 30-40 of them at least. Most pinned, interfaced, basted, and just never finished. Many were made with very expensive fabric, quite a few Pendletons and coatings. Since we wear the same size she thought I might want them. Then she double backed and said "you need to spend your time making new things with new ideas." She was right. However I told her I would make use of the fabric if that was OK. So I have been pulling out some rusty pins and basting stitches and felting a lot of gorgeous wools. I know she would be happy with that. To me a UFO is an idea, something from your brain that somehow didn't see fruition. Sorting them into boxes may temporarily assuage the guilt of moving on to more interesting possibilities, but they don't go away. Do you really want your kids to see all the things you never got around to finishing, things that may have even been for them? It just all pulls at my heartstrings. So I am more determined than ever to stick with my two at a time policy and no more. This editorial brought to you by........Bunny

Now this is Scary!

Recognize what this is? I think it is a sight  that puts fear into any sewist. Other than one button and a good press, Carly's bishop is done. Finishing a garment always precipitates a thorough cleaning of the studio. Upon turning on the old Dyson, all I got was a high pitched whistle. Hose was clear. Dust holder emptied.Did I really have to look at the brush? Oy......miles of threads. It didn't take too long to get it all cut off and back to cleaning the floor. A word of advice here: the best tool for the job are those pricey pelican billed scissors you won't let anyone touch.

*************************************************************************************
A few comments on Carly's bishop:   neighbourhood.gal asked the question, "what is a bishop?" A bishop is a traditional dress worn by girls from birth to maybe 10 years of age, if you are lucky. It consists of a gathered neckline with the gathering going around the entire bodice and raglan sleeves. The gathering is usually controlled by English smocking but not necessarily. I have see them with counterchange, backsmocking, and just a simple gather into a bound neckline. If you go into Google Images and type in "smocked bishop"  you will pull up many lovely examples. There are advantages to bishops, chiefly the fit. Lots of fabric is released by the smocking or gathers and therefore fit around the body is not an issue. I often use a two full widths of fabric on a bishop for a toddler, one for the front and one for the back. Usually the only fit concerns are size of the neckline and cuffs and the finished length. Bishops often have "growth tucks" above the hemline. Carly's does and you will see it tomorrow. Between the growth tuck and the fullness a bishop can often be worn for three years, something nice to know when you consider all the handwork that can go into the embroidery. Bishops are very easy to sew up once the embellishment is complete, just side seams, hem, and bindings on the neck and sleeves, not hard sewing at all. Like many, a bishop was my first smocked garment. The bishop style is timeless and therefore a garment with great heirloom potential.

I would have posted the completed little dress today but I lost a button, the last one of a five pack. So it will be back to town tomorrow to get the last button. I did a covered button with the same plaid I used for the binding.

One drawback of the bishop is that due to the flaring nature of the garment it is difficult to line. You would have to use two layers and pleat and sew them as one. This toile fabric was heavier than normal so that would not work. So with most bishops you have all the ends of the smocking and embroidery threads visible, something Hermana Esperanza taught me would just never do. I have a stretch lace that I cut to the shape on my blocking guide and stitched into the bound neckline. It will stretch with the garment as needed and helps hide, as best possible, the thread ends and you can see that here. I could have used a thin solid but I liked the stretch of the lace and I am fine with its funcionality. Tomorrow I hope to have pics up of the completed garment. Then I believe I will be on to a bag for a barter and the coat to go with this dress...Bunny
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

I finally found tiny vibrantly colored buttons for Carly's Bishop. Last week there was no such thing at Joann's. This week they had them. Only one problema:

When steam from the iron hit them the color disappeared and they kind of melted. So I cut out all the damaged buttons and resewed the fresh ones on the dress with a pledge to dry clean this baby. Worse case I remove and reattach the buttons.

Gotta tell ya', the buttons make this design. It really popped once they were applied so I don't want to change the design direction by not doing them. There will also be buttons all over the coat to go with this. Oy..... I did get the cuffs done. They have the double piping and plaid cuffs. It is really coming out cute. I managed to get the growth tuck done on the hem as well. So, we are close, very close.

I will leave you with an apron Ima gave me, one her sister made for her. It has ONE snap at the waistline seam and a loop of fabric you can see that has both ends sewn into the waistline. Wonder what those were for. The dark grey area is a deep divided pocket and the front has large cross stitching in sewing motifs that her sister did. I just love it. My favorite part is the tape measure at the hemline.

Sewing Chores

The last two days have been spent in more of a chore mode with my sewing. If you have been following me for a while you know I don't function well with disorder. My legacy from Ima has presented a large cleaning and organizational challenge. So each day I have been tackling a bit of it. I enjoy doing that. I love fabric. I love washing fabric, ironing fabric, folding fabric, and organizing fabric and sewing fabric so this is a process I am enjoying. Today's effort was two pronged. First I "stripped" down some pairs of 100% woolen pants  Ima gave me. That meant removing zippers, buttons, hook and eyes. Next was cutting them apart at the seams and felting them in the washer and dryer. Here is the result:

You see various shades of pink. I can't wait to play with these and look forward to using these wools for bags.

 Next was washing and pressing some suitings. These are really nice suitings. Two are hounds tooth checks and I guess the third is as well but has a lot more texture. Great stuff and enough to make a great suit or jacket.                                                                                                                       

After dealing with those two projects I moved on to the blouses. We are talking poly blouses with a good silk charmeuse print look. I washed them, stripped off the buttons and cut them apart so I had the sleeves and bodice to provide me with linings for bags. Well worth it as the prints were really nice.

Once the chore part of my sewing day was done I moved on to Carly's bishop. I am pleased so far. On the neckline I did a double piping with the plaid and the toile. Above that I did a binding with the plaid. I am now thinking of possible plaid pockets on the dress. I think I will do a mock pocket and see how it looks. I don't want to show this dress till complete so bear with me.

So a lot was accomplished in my sewing world today but not anything really visually exciting. Oh, one more thing: I completed the bag for my friend. It came out great and is in the  box ready to go to the Post Office. This is the exact same bag you see in this older post. I mean exact. I bought tons of that fabric from the Fix so will be using it for a while. I do have another quick bag to do in another barter situation but it will be a simple felted tote.

The sewing room is clean. I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with my legacy. Carly's bishop is near done. The bag is done. Time to move on, possibly a Chanel jacket.  I need to go pattern shopping. I haven't done that in a while.....Bunny

Pendleton Woolens

There is a small town in New Hampshire called Guild. At one time there was a Pendleton Woolen Mill there. Last I knew, they still made wools there but not for Pendleton. You could go in and purchase yardage quite inexpensively at their "real" outlet. This was the kind of outlet like you used to have in New Bedford and Fall River before the decline of the textile industry, rather down and dirty and an unobtrusive door into the factory. I loved going there and shopping. It closed probably in the early nineties. They now have a regular retail store, quite nice, across the street. You can't miss it if your find you way to Guild.  But it won't have this fresh Pendleton yardage at cut rate prices.

I love Pendletons. They are timeless. The black wool you see just glows and that black watch plaid is to die for. I am overwhelmed by the possibilities here with another Ima legacy. I have spent the last couple of days freshening them up by hanging them outside in the sun. It did the trick nicely and they all smell fresh as a summer meadow, even in the cold here. Nothing like good air circulation. Then I proceeded to shrink them per Pam's (off the Cuff) method (scroll down) which is just so kewl. I shrank two pieces and while getting ready for the next few I found they had tags with the following:

What great labels, even the dry clean only! These tags were pinned to some of the yardage. You can see with a click to read that there was no need to preshrink and the wools were needle ready. Don't you wish all fabrics came with this sort of info and a tag?

When I think of style for these wools I have visions of little New Hampshire Yankee "elder" ladies with their white hair, pleated skirts, and boiled wool jackets going into the white spired Congregational Church on Sunday. Great image, but not quite what I would be going for here. Years back I made a beautifully black boyfriend blazer, back in fashion now, that gave me so much wear. Alas, it was actually stolen and I have missed it ever since. So that is one possibility. Others are the perfect Burda jacket for a plaid, so I am leaning there in more current style.  We shall see what develops. All I know is that this fabric tailors exquisitely and how I love that!

I am overwhelmed with all dear Ima has passed to me. Right now I continue to go thru, clean, and organize. The choices are mindboggling. It will all settle down and I will eventually utilize my gift. For now I will continue with my current children's Christmas gifts and such. Come January it should be delightful to pass that glowy black wool thru my hands.......Bunny

Carly's Bishop plus Some......

Carly's Bishop is all smocked and back on the smocking board. Martha's seamless smocking technique is fabulous and you cannot see the seams in this dress. It is very common and often accepted that the shoulder seams will show and/or be a lump underneath the smocking. This technique is easy and I doubt I will ever go back to the old way. Thanks, Martha.

Sorry for the darkness. Who knows why?! the large hearts that you see at the bottom edge of the smocking will have red buttons in them and the small spaces in between will have bullion rosebuds. The black row of cables at the neck will be butted up to a plaid piping and a toile piping and then a plaid binding if all goes well. Same treatment will be on the sleeves. Being with Carly this past week made me realize just how tiny she is. I used Gail Doane's pattern and plate for this dress in a size two. Once I measured Carly in the shoulders I knew the design need to be cut down, just like I do for my own petite frame. So I changed Gail's lovely design, using just two repeats and it should fit Carly just right.

You may remember that I mentioned the sizing of the neckline on this bishop. Well, props to Gail Doane. She immediately e-mailed me to say "it appears seam allowances have not been taken into account on the guide. If you take a 3/8'' seam allowance OFF the line of the guide you will end up with an 11" finished neckline. This is just about right in line with the 1/2" you had to remove from your neckline - perhaps you needed the extra 1/8" to accomodate a heavier weight fabric." Gail is having the correction made with Country Bumpkin as we speak. Thanks so much Gail for your prompt response to this issue. I imagine publishing is not an easy task and I really appreciate your prompt "stepping up to the plate." If any of you have not seen Gail's wonderful book "Sew Cute Couture" I did a review on it a few months back. It is just wonderful. Gail's expertise in design and embroidery is just fabulous. I highly recommend this inspiring book.

****************************************************************************************

Thanks for all the comments on the cape. Yes, Ima had the personality to pull this off. Can't say that I could. Did you see how she lined up the print down the center of each panel?

To Gwen and others, we do live in a very beautiful area. Yes, where I took the pictures is in the back "yard" if you can call it that. The house, our "downsizer" after the dream house, is 100 feet from the water and affords us beautiful views. We live in a tiny "hamlet" as they call villages here and there are 350 people in our little hamlet. DH and I live 3/4 of a mile from the center of the village and it is a delight to walk to get your mail and talk to the neighbors. We are set way back from the road, almost invisible, but close to the river. We love watching nature here.

For those with a carpet of leaves in the yard, forget the raking and blowing. Try DH's fast excellent technique. He uses his power washer and rapidly sends the leaves packing into the woods. It will not damage your plants and does an incredible job. He can do all of our immediate yard in 30 minutes, removing all the leaves and leaving behind nice clean mulch and the shrubs and perennials.I know you think it will rip out everything in your yard but it doesn't even come close. Trust me on this one.

I will leave you with a pic taken from my ride on the Adirondack Trail yesterday. You can see Whiteface, where they have held the Olympics twice, and the other mountains are covered with snow. This is not the same Whiteface in the White Mountains of NH. It is supposed to be the coldest place to ski in the country. Forget the supposed, it is! .....Bunny

Vintage Opera Coat?

While I am not sure Ima wore this to the opera, she did make this cape circa 1961-62 and told me she "wore it a lot." She handed it over to me saying she knew I wouldn't wear it but wouldn't it be great to cut up the fabric and make some bags with? Youbetcha! We really think alike.

The cape is completely underlined and lined with a silk twill. It must weigh a good 15 pounds! The outer fabric can only be described as a cut velvet tapestry (?). The colors are phenomenal and so indicative of the time. Talk about flower power! She did use some lovely buttons and it is very nicely tailored. She is so tiny I just can't picture her in this. She was a beautiful blond haired blue eyed woman who certainly could light up a room without the moxie of this creation. But true to her vivacity, she made it and wore it with pride and "a lot". I thought you might enjoy a peek at it before the scissors hit.

DH played photographer and the clouds quickly came back to cast a shadow on our fun but here is a view of the front. I had to stand on the rock as the coat is too long for me. This way it hung free. You can see it better if you click on it.

 Today I had doctor's visit. The good news is to get there I have to drive about 20 miles on the Adirondack trail. There was snow here and there and definitely up in the mountains. This was taken in the "Eleven Mile Woods" in Santa Clara this morning: Tamarack Pines are probably my favorite tree. Unlike other evergreens they lose their needles every fall, changing color like any maple or oak. There needles are soft and furry looking, not sharp looking. They are so beautiful.

 

This is the little cemetary I pass everyday walking to pick up my mail in the village. That carpet of leaves just forced me to stop and take pictures. 

 

Tomorrow I will have been home a couple of days and ready to hit the sewing. My smocking on Carly's bishop is completed and I am happy. I will construct it and then finish the bullions. I am going to try something different with the piping. Keep those fingers crossed. My bag is completed except for the lining which just needs to be put in. So I am way ready to get going on some new projects. Anyone need a bag made from an opera coat????....Bunny

A Bit of this and That

The Deer River is at is usual Fall low and the trees are turning as you can tell. Credit the Bible or credit Simon and Garfunkle but one of my favorite string of words is "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven". (Hope I got it right.) This time of year I really feel that. It's the last sweet corn harvest. It's being able to walk across those big boulders down the river. It's perusing soft, wooly fabrics and thinking of the warmth they will bring. It's a whole different mind set as we settle in for Nature's fury up here.

************************************************

These are some of dear Ima's mostly hand crocheted doilies. There are more. I think those odd shaped pieces are the antimacassars of old. I keep thinking of how I could blend all of these in a garment. My mind is working on that one.

*****************************

This boring little pile is really the loveliest of fine batistes and piques, great basics for heirloom sewing. So much more to clean......

********************************

A bit about the blog: I am finally happy with it's look. The little machine picture in my profile is antique child's machine I luckily picked up at a yard sale for a dollar or so. It makes a chain stitch but a bit of rust has it out of commission. It is the cutest doggoned little "sculpture" and reminds me of the passion I had for sewing even as a little girl. I would have worn this thing out if it were mine. That, or my brothers would have taken it's life...... I am not fully on board with my portrait. I have been nursing an abcessed tooth for the past month and looking rather puffy . I will get a root canal Saturday. Two rounds of Penicillin have kept me going.  Why wait so long? Well, first there were work commitments. Second, DD#2 is a dentist and works on Mom for free. This necessitates a trip down  to NH. Of course she wanted me to stop everything  and get it done immediately. So we will be heading down this week and I can't wait to finally get this done.

DD#1's nanny is on vakay for two weeks so I will be filling in there, watching almost 2 year old twins and a 5 year old.  For the next 2 1/2 weeks  the posting will be sparse so bear with me. My mojo and energy level are not their usual due to the infection and I can't seem to sleep well or get enough. I will be so glad when this is fixed. I need my sewing mojo back . I know it will definitely return. I want to get started on the little red cashmere coat for Carly to go with her bishop. That will start as soon as I feel better. Thanks for your patience and I know your caring,,,,,,,,Bunny

The MacMillan Plaid

My dear Canadian friend is expecting her first grandchild this March. She is my closest neighbor as well and we have worn a path hiking to each others homes thru the woods. This week she came over and did her usual bang on my sewing room window. When I let her in for our visit I noticed she brought something all wrapped up in tissue paper. She proceeded to unwrap her paper cocoon and the tiniest little authentic tartan kilt appeared. It was a bit musty and surely needed a good press. She proceeded to show me the teensiest hole and asked if I could repair it. Well, in a heartbeat, you know! She went home and washed it as instructed and brought it back beautifully cleaned the next day. I fixed the hole which is now gonzo and we are both pleased with that. But of course, I had to iron this little treasure to perfection while I was at it.

This was her own son's kilt when he was a tike 30 years ago and she is now going to give it to her new daughter in law for their baby. Love the unisex nature of kilts. Look how the plaid is perfectly balanced in the center of the kilt. My 8 inch Ginghers, which Blogger has squeezed out but are a little visible will give you an idea of the size of this kilt. What looks like a brown spot on the kilt is not there at all in real life. Don't know what the heck that is. The little garment is now spotless, perfectly pressed, and fit for a sweet new baby. Truly heirloom clothing.........Bunny

Washing Silks

For some time now I have wanted to do a post on washing silks. My dear friend Ima gave me some lovely silks she picked up "somewhere in Asia". Having been packed away for sometime I felt they needed a bath. I will detail my method but I can't take credit for it. Many years back, in her early days, Martha Stewart had a "laundress" on her show. She told how she wouldn't trust her silks to anyone but this woman who clearly was employed by Stewart. Since I was sewing and wearing a lot of silk blouses to work at that time I put her method into action and have been using it ever since. Wish I knew that woman's name!

Rule Number One: use shampoo to wash your silks, not dish liquid, woolite, or laundry detergent. Silks (and wool) are protein fibers, just like your hair, so use shampoo. You don't ever want to use Biz on silks. The enzymes are very bad for these protein fibers.  Next, you will need some vinegar, white or cider will do. This will go in your rinse water and will help set the dye and prevent it from leaching out. As Claire said, these silks will bleed. They all do. Use coolish to lukewarm water for you washing and cold water for your rinsing. Add a capful of shampoo to a sink full of water. I don't use the machine. Some do, I don't.

This is the sink water after washing and rinsing. You can see how some dye has leached out. The vinegar helps prevent that from happening to an even worse degree. The odd thing is this  dye is brown and the silk is a deep teal.Hmmmm,,,,

When you are washing yardage, set it up in loose folds before you place it in the water. You don't want to just shove a pile of rumpled fabric in the water. Let's treat this yummy fabric with respect. So lay the layered, sort of folded fabric in the soapy water. Do not wring or squeeze tightly. Pull the folds toward yourself and press the wash water thru. Do this over and over. The let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Pull the stack of fabric toward yourself and pull the drain plug. Let it drain.  Add about a cup of white vinegar to the rinse sink, filled with cold water. Lay your folds in that sink and push back and forth, again no squeezing. You can see the folds here in the rinse sink.

Drain the water and fill the sink again, each time pulling the fabric toward yourself and letting gravity help pull out the suds. No squeezing! Do this three or four times, that is filling the sink with fresh water, until the water is free of any suds.

Looks nasty, huh? Next get a big old fluffy towel. A beach towel is great. Lay the yardage in its folds on the towel and start rolling up.
Now imagin my right hand is not holding the camera and is on the towel roll. Knead the roll with both hands to press out the moisture. Press and press and press some more. You want that towel to suck up as much as it can.

I then took the yardage outside and hung it in the shade. No sunshine for these deep colors. It wasn't easy finding a decent place to hang the silk in the shade around here! Let it dry till still slightly damp. You are now going to iron it dry. Use a dry iron on the silk setting. I do not use a press cloth. If it is still steaming, keep ironing. There is more moisture left in the goods.

Here you can see the teal yardage that I have just ironed dry. It has just as much luster as it did off of the bolt. The silks to the left still need to be ironed. The teal piece is 4 yards but 30 inches wide. It washed to a lovely softer hand. Prior to washing it felt like upholstery fabric with all the sizings and finishings put upon it. The silk to the left is 14 YARDS LONG and I really think may be a sari. It sports wonderful gold painting  which I feared would not iron well. I was right. The sari silk needed a lower temp and a press cloth to protect the gold dyes/paints(?).

 Be aware that your fabric will most like change hand and become softer and more drapeable. If you don't want this effect, dry clean it. Also know that you can manipulate this silk. If you would like a "sand washed" finish, by all means use the washing machine. Throw in a pair of jeans and some sneakers with the fabric. Then throw it all in the dryer once washed. Those sneakers and grommets will beat the dickens out of the silk and give it that "washed" look. This was quite popular back in the early 90's but I am not sure it is now. To me it is much easier to just use the dull side of a charmeuse to get a similar effect.

I don't know what I will do with all of that sari fabric but the heavy  lustrous teal is definitely calling out to me. Not sure what the right pattern is just yet, but I am on the lookout.

**************************************************************************************

As you can tell, I have been playing with the blog. We are not there yet, but its coming. I need to play with my mosaics and header more. I also did my seasonal picture change. After over 70 pics, I have one. It is certainly not great but it is the best of the lot. I had to do this alone and it was quite a challenge to get the height right. I literally stacked up pots and coffee cups and set the camera on top. I must say I absolutely love my remote for the camera. You just sit there and click away. FWIW, the shirt I have on is my absolutely favorite shirt in the whole world. One of my six brothers (8 sibs) left it at my house during a stay, maybe John. I started wearing this chambray shirt. It has to be at least 15 years old. I have dyed many a yard of fabric in it, transplanted shrubs in it, and barbecued lots of chicken in it. It has paint stains, but its softness still sucks me in. I starch it, iron it, stains and all, and feel like I am wearing a Chanel. Go figure..................Bunny

Seamless Smocking Update.....

This photo gives you the status of my seamless smocking experiment. I am pleased so far but the first time I approached the seam it felt like I was herding cats. It is hard to tell but there are two more pleats on each side of the seam (four total) and the serged edges that are scrunched up between  the abutting blue marked pleats. For more on this great technique check out Martha's tutorial on Seamless Smocking.  I am using Martha's Method Number One.

For quite some time now I have been thinking of doing a post on washing silks. I have had very good luck doing this and hope to share this info soon on the blog. This is following right in line with Claire's wonderful fabric posts that she has been doing. We have some beautiful weather here today so that will help with the outside pictures.....Bunny