Cynthia Guffey Shawl Collar Jacket

This week’s featured garment comes from a pattern by Cynthia Guffey, #5010, Shawl Collar Jacket.

This short jacket with shawl collar ends with one button at the waist line and four curved bust darts that originate in the armscye in the front and back.  Cynthia's instructions are pretty bare-boned and assume a certain level of sewing expertise. These were fine for an intermediate to advanced sewer (which is who this pattern is rated for).

Things I particularly like about this jacket:   It is a great short length (my favorite), is well-drafted, has attractive and unusual curved darts in the front and back and a shawl collar that goes together perfectly and is very flattering.

I also loved the hem finish which, by the way, has no instructions other than "Hem the jacket". There is a cut out along the CF hem so the facing can be folded to the right side and sewn with a seam, then the rest of the hem turned up. You would have to know what to do here since the instructions don't tell you. If I were to make this jacket again I would line it.

Fabric Used: The jacket is made from a brown wool with a twill weave. The collar is made from a plush corduroy (almost chenille-like) both purchased from Guss Woolens in Baltimore.

I particularly like that Cynthia's patterns fit me very well with almost no altering.  Several years ago I spent a week with Cynthia in Louisiana learning her pattern alteration method. I used that technique to alter this pattern. I increased the shoulder slopes and added a small upper back curve. I shortened the length of the sleeves. I redrew my own facings rather than make the alterations to those pieces, too.

Conclusion:  A great little short jacket with lots of style and good drafting.

More About Dyeing Fabrics and Winner

And the winner is Donna Gotlib.  I found Donna’s blog during One World, One Heart and left a comment for her.  In turn, she checked out my blog and left a comment for me.  That comment earned her my hand dyed fabric bundle (thanks to Random.org which picked #5).  Donna creates wonderful art designs; I fell in love with her wedding stationery called Neva and Howard.  Just look at those bridesmaid designs!  I love those.   She has lots of other lovely things at her webstore Got Donna.

I’ve been thinking a lot about dyeing fabric recently and am itching to do some more myself.  I’ve got a pretty good set up at present with all of my dyes and supplies in one spot and a handy bathroom sink nearby.  But I’ve also been thinking about those of you who have an interest in dyeing but just don’t know where to start.  So here’s my list of supplies you need to get started.  Many of these things you can buy at your local big box or dollar store, and all of the actual dyeing supplies you can get from Dharma Trading Company who is offering 50% off shipping until the end of February.  I’ve added a link to the supplies below that are available from Dharma.  Click on the word and it will take you to the item on their website.

These supplies are for dyeing 100% cotton fabric.  Dharma sells a number of different types, or you can pick some up at your local fabric store.  I like Country Classic Solids from JoAnn Fabrics.  It’s inexpensive and takes the dye well.  Any 100% cotton fabric will work.  Make sure you prewash it first.

• Fabric
• Mask/goggles (for mixing)
• Rubber gloves
• Misc. measuring devices -- buy a set of plastic measuring spoons and cups
• Plastic containers (cups, bowls, etc.)
• Zip lock plastic bags
• Plastic spoons
• Paper towels
• Newspaper or plastic dropcloth
• Sharpie marking pen for marking fabric and record keeping
• Synthrapol (or other soap)
• Soda Ash (1 or 5 lb); you will use 1 cup/gallon water
• Dharma brand fiber reactive dye in the following colors (2 oz. each):

o   PR1 : LEMON YELLOW (MX-8G)

o   PR13 : FUCHSIA RED (MX-8B)

o   PR26 : SKY BLUE (MX-R)

These dye colors will mix together to create the colors you see here.  I used the directions in Dyeing to Quilt by Joyce Mori and Cynthia Myerberg though I use less water than they call for to give a more mottled look to my fabric.  The book contains the “recipes” you need to create a color wheel of 12 fabrics.  I would recommend starting with fat quarters or half yard pieces for your first attempt.  Feel free to email me privately if you want more information on the process.  Good luck, and send me some pictures of your beautiful fabrics when you are through.

One World, One Heart Giveaway Results

The deadline has come and gone for my One World, One Heart giveaway.  This morning, using www.random.org, I selected five winners to receive one of my key fobs.  This event was so much fun, discovering and bookmarking lots of new blogs, and response to my post was so lovely that I decided to share the love a little further around and pick five winners (five to commemorate the number of years that OWOH has been going on).  Sadly, this is the last year for this event but I will enjoy connecting with all of the new blogging friends I've met through it.

Without further ado, here are the five winners, listed in the order their name was drawn.  Congratulations.  For the rest of you, don't forget I'm doing another giveaway this week for a bundle of my hand dyed fabrics.

julie mitchell   US

trisha too    US

jennifergrieco

emily r

jenn    US

While I was working on this post I received a lovely email from Tejae, notifying me that I had won HER OWOH giveway!  What a nice way to start my day.  Tejae makes lovely heart shaped keepsakes like the one I will be receiving but she is talented in lots of other artistic areas, too.  Head on over to her blog, Tejae's Art, and see what she is up to.  Thanks, Tejae, for being a part of OWOH and thanks for this beautiful love token.

photo by Tejae Floyde

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Fabric Dyeing and a Giveaway!

I spent the morning at my monthly ASG meeting, where I presented the program for the day on fabric dyeing.  I’ve been experimenting with this craft for a number of years now and always find it a rewarding, if not always predictable, art form.  Here are a few of the points I made at today’s meeting:

• What I have learned about dyeing fabric is that it is not an exact science – you can use a number of methods and the results are similar.  Do not get too hung up on getting everything precise.  Instead, experiment, develop your own methods and style and keep good records. 
• I buy all of my dyes (and other dyeing supplies) from Dharma Trading Company.  They have excellent prices, great service and will provide help when needed.  Their catalog and website are full of instructions.
• Koolaid is a fun and safe way to dye wool and silk.  knitty has a great tutorial with complete instructions for stovetop or microwave method along with a sample of the different colors of koolaid.    Another great chart of colors can be found here.  You will know when the dyeing process is finished because all of the color from the koolaid will be taken up by the fiber and the remaining water will be crystal clear.
• I-Dye by Jacquard is a relatively new dye that comes in premeasured, dissolvable packets which you toss into the washing machine.   There are two types available:  one for natural fibers (cotton, wool, silk, linen, rayon); other for synthetics (poly and nylon).  The main thing I learned from experimenting with this dye is not to open the washer while it is running.  I now have a shirt spontaneously dyed the same color as the dye I was using.
• When mixing dye powder into liquid form, always add the liquid to the powder and not the powder to the liquid.
• For those concerned with the toxicity of dyes, two new companies have come on the market with dyes produced without toxic mordents.  Greener Shades has come out with an acid dye, available in 9 colors, to dye silk, wool and nylon.  The colors are set by a soak in a vinegar bath followed by ironing with a hot iron.  The other product, ColorHue, is hard to track down.  After an extensive internet search (and lots of broken links) I finally found the product at Ginny Eckley’s site, Art Threads.  Information about the dyes are also not readily available but the literature claims that this is a highly concentrated cold water dye for use on silk, linen, wool and rayon.  They are no-rinse, instant-set dyes, available in ten colors.  Nothing else is required except water.
• Fiber reactive dyes are still my favorite.   I have had great luck dyeing cotton fabrics and recently have been experimenting with dyeing silks.  The silk results are rich and beautiful but can be unexpected and unpredictable; that is OK for the applications I am using them for.  Also, I can’t speak to the colorfastness on the silk as I am using them mostly for leaves and other floral bits in some of the handmade flowers I make (hence, no washing).

To celebrate hand dyed fabrics and share a bit of the love I am giving away a set of 12 pieces of hand dyed 100% cotton fabric, 4” x 6” in size (pictured above), just right for small crafting projects, like fabric postcards and artist trading cards or scrapbooking.  All 12 of these colors were dyed using only three primary colors.  Here is a fantastic site where you can find information on mixing dozens of colors from only a few basic dye powders.  Wow. 

Leave a comment on this post before Monday morning (February 21^st, 6 a.m. EST) and I will select one name as the winner.

Now go get your hands dirty.

Little Blue Dress

One of the projects I worked on at my recent sewing retreat was a princess line "fit and flare" dress from a heavy weight cotton/lycra knit.  I made this pattern many years ago (probably 20!) and I found that I got more attention when I wore that dress than any other garment I have ever made.  I decided to resurrect the pattern and make it again.  My goal was to make a winter dress I could wear to church and that was easy to put on and wear.  What I have come to realize about my wardrobe and my sewing is this:

• I have a lot of summer dresses but almost no winter ones.

• The few winter dresses I have are too dressy for every day wear.

I knew this dress fit 20 years ago but I was a little nervous cutting out the fabric without a few measurement checks and alterations.  I added some width across my tummy (which ain’t what it used to be) but one real advantage to sewing a princess line garment is all of the seams and their possibility for fit.  One design change I made from the original was to omit the center front seam and cut the panel on the fold.  I lost a little flare in the skirt by doing this but the skirt is full enough that it isn’t missed.  I basted the dress together before serging all of the seams and tried it on for fit.  Despite that preparatory fitting, I was nervous when I sat down to serge the seams and I sewed each seam a scant smaller than my basting.  In the end, I was sorry I did as the dress is a little large, at least above the waist. 

One other concern that I had was that the dress would be boring.  I felt it needed a little something to add some interest.  My friend Kathy suggested using tone on tone embroidery.  I auditioned a number of designs before I came up with the one I finally chose.  This large, open floral is a Pfaff design, digitized for the Grand Hoop.  The actual embroidery design was much more complex with several other colors and a small all-over floral design but I chose to only stitch one of the color stops and to leave the flower centers off.  I lean toward tone on tone, subtle, low density designs and this one perfectly fit the look I was after.  I stitched one sleeve and the opposite skirt panel before constructing the dress. 

When I left for the retreat I wasn’t sure what I was going to put in the center of the flowers.  I had a collection of unmatched purple buttons but also entertained the idea of some tiny fabric yoyos.  What I ended up with were some glass pearl beads that I bought at the bead shop in Winchester while at the retreat.  I hand sewed the beads on after I had finished the dress.

I used self binding around the neckline and stitched the hems with a double needle and the same rayon thread I used to stitch the embroidery.  I also omitted the zipper at the center back and next time will probably also cut the center back seam on the fold, losing a bit more of the flare in the skirt.

I am really pleased with the way this came out and like wearing it with my black, knee-high boots.  It pushes the limit of casual vs. dressy with the addition of the pearls but I don’t feel over dressed wearing it.  I am happy to have a new addition to my closet.