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Gwen Spencer's Cool Combo Tunic
I sent Gwen Spencer our Moderne Cool Combo to experiment with - called first to see if she was willing - she replied instantly with a big YES, so we shipped off the fabric. My only request is to use any current Tilton pattern, and as you can see, she rose to the challenge!
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Ponte Primer & Pilling Solution
What exactly is ponte? Why is it desirable? What about pilling issues? I've been getting this question in my newest Craftsy Class and on internet sewing forums.
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Sustainability is a primary value for Ratti
Sustainability is a primary value for Ratti, an environmentally virtuous business, oriented towards a circular, socially responsible economy, in constant dialogue with its circle of stakeholders. More creativity and less consumption is the principle that inspires their work. Combining beauty and sustainability in their creations, integrating cultural heritage with technological innovation, opening up to the challenges of the future without abandoning tradition, being in a constant quest for what is beautiful, well made and sustainable.
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Black Tie Suggested - Sewing Required
Nothing strikes trepidation in my heart like 'special occasion' dressing. Hard to believe that I have closets full of clothes and 3 barns full of fabric, but when the wedding invitation from my niece Marissa arrived, it dawned on me that I had nothing to wear.
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Nancy Murakami is my sewing guru
My friend Nancy makes clothes and has a sewing style that I admire. Her clothes are always interesting; not too fussy and never overworked. She does not own a serger and is a friend to an honest unfinished seam. Nancy lives in Gresham, Oregon and works in the local JoAnn Fabric store...are they lucky to have her on their staff!
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Silk velvet pleated pants
Sewing silk velvet can be a beast. The one garment that has been in my winter/holiday wardrobe for the past 30 years (in various iterations), is a pair of silk velvet pants, usually black. Take a look at the video to see the easy technique for pleating. I love these soft loose fitting pants; they are comfortable, warm in the cold, cool in an overheated house, I can cook in them, sit on the floor, wear them to a casual family gathering or to an evening event. The pant I am using now I got from Eileen Fisher a few years ago, but you could easily make them. The secret is to allow a bit of extra ease in the pant as the pleating takes up some space, and you want the pant to hang with fluidity.
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Sewing with eyelets, embroidery and lace — Vogue 9190 & 9193
I’ve been gathering a collection of eyelets, embroideries and lace for the website for months, so when the warm weather hit last week, I hit the studio. Last summer I made black eyelet pants and loved them. This summer I'm coveting a loose floaty top, combining a current Marcy pattern with an eyelet fabric from MARCYTILTON.com.
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A Little Black T — Vogue 9244
The ONE garment I replace every season and for nearly every Paris trip is a black t-shirt. This is the background piece that works to tie other pieces together. Diane Ericson came for a weekend visit and we had a studio day together. This t-shirt had it's start then and was directly inspired by Diane. She works with bits and pieces, stitches things together, drapes them on the dress form and what starts out looking like a hodge podge ends up as beautiful garment. Diane works one piece at a time, is intuitive, goes back and forth from the fabric to the sewing machine to the iron to the draping on the form. She has spent years and countless hours developing her own way of working.
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Jacket & Vest — Butterick 5891
Over years of traveling, and a tendency to overpack, I’ve developed a sewing and wardrobing strategy to help insure that the pieces I sew will actually make the final packing cut. For my upcoming Paris spring trip, I’m heeding my own advice, using a plan for a core wardrobe that was developed over years of teaching. The theory behind the core wardrobe works for any season whether you are traveling or not. It is a common sense and fun approach to the never ending question, ‘what shall I sew next?’.
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