Inspiration #3 - Opera Coat

Spring can be bright, sunny and warm. Spring can be blustery. Spring can be cold and rainy. It seems as if it does not matter where you are, but Spring can bring the most variable weather. Spring can inspire us to sew a Summer dress, a cotton blouse, a tweed suit, or an Opera coat, a long, loose, fitting coat made using a luxurious fabric, such as this wool tapestry, with lurex (metallic threads woven throughout) for sparkle. Made in Italy and available at FineFabrics.com.


Consider making the coat using Vogue Pattern 8549. Love the collar and shoulder detail on this one. The wool tapestry has the body to support the collar, and a softness that will fall into the drape.


Think about wearing over a black velvet tank dress, or jet black cotton with a bit of lycra for stretch pant weight poplin for casual elegance.

Summer Fashion Inspiration #2

In my opinion, the fashion designs by Tom and Linda Platt are among the most elegantly simple available. Their entries in the Vogue Patterns Summer Collection are no exception. Take the dress of Vogue 1180 for Summer walks. A simple dress with elegant lines.

The beauty of this dress is how it falls from a proper fitting bustline. Made using using a fine Japanese cotton double gauze, with wispy painterly quality, it will be the perfect dress to wear on hot Summer days.

If a bit shear for your liking, then consider lining with soft, high thread count pima cotton broadcloth in eggshell, made in England and available from FineFabrics.com

Onward!

Is it a primal throwback? Something ingrained in our dna? No matter how consistent our lives might be... with climate controlled shelter and cars to enclose our travels year round..... Spring comes and,.... well..... It's inspiring...... and to inspire your sewing obsessions, we have a fresh collection of cotton, linen and light weight wools.

Inspiration #1:

Vogue Pattern 1165 by Sandra Betzina. I just love the pleating detail on the front of this blouse. It will prove to be a challenge to keep the pleats straight along their angle. Not something to do when you are tired or in poor light.

I envision making it even more daring, collapsing into the pleats the colors of a brand new cotton print from Liberty of London, now in stock at FineFabrics.com


What is your Spring inspiration?

Be Humbled

I am going to move from fashion and sewing and parties to a blog of a friend, whom I have had the honor to sit beside at a number of parties, Dr. Paul Auerbach, Director of Emergency Surgery and Medicine at Stanford Medical Center. Paul contacted us from Haiti last week, and well, you can imagine how humbling it is to hear from him. As busy as he was directing triage, coordinating between military, media and patients, he still found the time to journal his experience. His blog entries start on January 20, 2010 at healthlines.com and move forward from there. Take the cue from him and do what you can to support organizations offering aid to the victims of the quake in Haiti.

Warmth in one hour

This year the family decided no gifts for Christmas, but like everyone else, at the last moment, you know we all succumbed to the temptation of tradition. In a last minute flurry, I chose something for everyone. My last minute choice was to grab from the shelf at Fine Fabrics a square of warm, soft, cuddly fabric, each piece of which with large enough fibers to fringe easily. I cut each into a square by folding diagonally, meeting the selvage with the edge I wished to cut.

I jumped onto the sewing machine and sewed a sealing top stitch about 5/8" inside each cut edge. I created a fringed edge by pulling threads to the sealing stitch. Within about 1 hour, 1 hour, I had made 4 gifts.

I added a chenille rick rack as the sealing stitch on the red and black blanket on the far left.

Each member of our family received a warm blanket like those we used to call car blankets, but they work just as well when sitting on a couch with a good book before a warm fireplace.

From right to left, the boucle and wool fabric used for these blankets are:




These and more can be found at FineFabrics.com

Wedding Clients

One of our clients, Danyel Dean, was kind enough to allow us to share with you pictures from her recent wedding. The wedding took place at the elegant San Ysidro Ranch, in the foothills over Montecito, California.


The dress was made using a soft blue silk heavy georgette, and lined with sik charmeuse. Both were 19 mm. The bodice overlay was made using a French Lace. All fabrics are available at FineFabrics.com


The dress was inspired by a satin silk organza, bias, tier skirt wedding dress she saw in a couture store window in Paris. Danyel made her interpretation in our sewing studio, and we cheared her on and assisted with fitting and construction advice.

50th Annual NOGI Awards Gala Dress

On November 5, 2009, I was honored to attend the 50th Annual NOGI Awards Gala in Orlando, Florida.

Dating back to the 1950's, The NOGI is the oldest and most prestigious award in diving. An acronym for "New Orleans Grand Isle Fishing Tournament", which had an underwater division, and where the original statuette was bestowed upon its winners. Originally carved of balsa wood, then cast of polywood, in 2005, the statuette was updated by Wyland, and now is cast of lucite in molds of his making.

In 1993, The Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences (AUAS) was incorporated by the recipients of the past 33 years, and with ongoing sanction and support from the Underwater Society of America, the AUAS administers the NOGI, which each year is awarded to 4 individuals who have made a global impact on the exploration, enjoyment, safety, and preservation of the underwater world, and have distinguished themselves therefor in Arts, Science, Sports and Education and Service. My husband, Master Fin Designer and Underwater Photograph, Bob Evans (NOGI, Sports and Education, 2005) is the current President of the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences, and as such hosts its black tie Gala Awards ceremony. This gives me the opportunity to stretch my sewing ability and make a new gown annually.

What makes this endeavor extra fun is that Martha Watkins Gilkes, President of the Women Divers' Hall of Fame and proprietor of Fantasea Island Divers Scuba in Antigua, sharpens her needles and makes a gown as well. Our annual creation have become a friendly contest of sorts. I have to say, Martha took the night this year! I had anticipated this as much when she called me early in the year to inquire whether the mother of pearl shells completely covering the piece of Chanel couture fabric she found might have been harvested. If so, their impact on the ocean would be adverse, and it would not be appropriate to wear, particularly at this event. It took a bit of digging, but what she and we found is that the shells are harvested from California abalone farms - not far from Fine Fabrics store location!