Capitol Sew and Sew

Mrs. O Slams It AGAIN!

2009-11-25T05:22:00.004-05:00

Seriously D.C. - WE HAVE STYLE!

Naeem Khan

Isaac Mizrahi

J.Crew (sweater) and Rachel Roy (skirt)

DC Threads Hits the Road to the Holiday Heist!

2009-11-21T06:32:00.007-05:00

Thanks to NinnyCat Crochet for inviting DC Threads to offer a sewing workshop at today's DC Craft Mafia's Holiday Heist craft bazaar! The project of the day is - - HOLIDAY STOCKINGS! Love it --- the crafting of holiday stockings 2 years ago at Ipso Crafto is where Allison and I dreamed up the idea of a DC-based sewing lounge! And the rest is history! Here are some pics from the event

Re-purposed Washington Posts for the patterns

The mittens on this stocking are needle felted in place

A lil wintery bling

Ready for the stitching to begin!

Fashion from the Inside Out!

2009-11-06T15:42:00.004-05:00

Isabel Toledo on her love of sewing (1989):

"I really love the technique of sewing more than anything else…the seamstress is the one who knows fashion from the inside! That's the art form really, not fashion design, but the technique of how it's done."
Look closely at "the dress" - here is has breast pockets........

Isabel and Ruben Toledo - - 'n me!

2009-11-05T20:06:00.004-05:00

What a week it has been here in DC!! Tuesday was Christian Siriano - a great night, for certain! But tonight was an UNFORGETTABLE night! I just spent 90 minutes 10 feet away from Isabel and Ruben Toledo and a jacket made from "THE LACE"! Of course the back story of Mrs. O's inaugural dress was fascinating but the best, the very BEST, part of the evening was when Isabel talked about her love of sewing. Her description of her love affair with textiles and construction is just how I feel about fabric and sewing and design! Ohhhhhhh, I am gone!

Ruben letting me peek at the collar detail and the undercollar construction

Up close with THE LACE!

Remember What Isaac Mizrahi Said - LEARN TO SEW!

2009-11-05T05:31:00.006-05:00

Looking for a place to start your sewing motor?? Would you like a place to practice your new found sewing skills between DC Threads Sewing Lounge sessions? Don't want to travel to the 'BURBS - ever!!!! Well, now you have a fabulous sewing resource in downtown DC! My good friend and DC Threads co-founder has launched "Bits of Thread" - a sewing studio available for private or group sewing lessons. All you need to bring is your enthusiasm, creativity, and fabric.

Here is what Allison writes about the inspiration for the name "Bits of Thread":

“Bits of Thread” comes from one of the side-effects of sewing that I have come to love. After a long day of making a new summer dress or teaching a group of teenagers how to use a sewing machine for the first time, I’d come home with little bits of thread still stuck to my shoes, clothes, and even in my hair– little reminders that I was doing something I loved. Whether you come for one class or for many, I hope to share some of my joy for this art form, and maybe get a few bits of thread stuck to you too.

So come on all you budding sewists - give Allison a call and then stop by the DC Threads Sewing Lounge and join the fun!

Fashion in DC - An Oxymoron? NOT ANY LONGER!

2009-10-25T11:44:00.005-04:00

So I actually have been doing ALOT of stitiching lately but the problem is that I have not finished a single garment - INCLUDING my NYC "Sit and Sew" extravaganza --- but I am "oh so close to being sorta kinda done"! I will at least post a photo of my multiple works in progress soon!

But enough about my sewing procrastination......

The BIG news is that - - - - DC HAS ITS FASHION GROOVE ON!!!! Check out these upcoming DC-based fashion events.....

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The Textile Museum has two “must see” events on their calendar. First up is (drum-roll please) an evening with ISABEL TOLEDO - designer of Mrs. O's fabulous lemongrass dress and coat!!! I have already snagged my ticket for this outing!!

From Switzerland to the White House: The Story Behind the Inauguration Dress

Thursday, November 5, 5:30 pm

Isabel Toledo's Lemongrass Coat and Dress dazzled the world when it was worn by First Lady Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day. Join us at The Textile Museum for this special evening program and hear firsthand about the process behind its creation—from the fabric, made by the Swiss company Forster Rohner, to the finished product.

Panelists include American fashion designer Isabel Toledo, her creative partner and husband Ruben Toledo, and Hans Schreiber, creative director of Forster Rohner, moderated by Robin Givhan, The Washington Post's fashion editor and winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. The talks will be followed by a reception featuring Swiss wine and chocolate. This program is co-sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland.

Fee: $25/Textile Museum members; $45/non-members. Advance registration is required; space is limited. Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 to register.

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And it seems the Textile Museum is on a fashion roll – a new genre for them! Don’t miss the extraordinary collection of Mary Baskett’s Japanese garments.

Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Mary Baskett Collection

October 17, 2009 – April 11, 2010

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Japanese designers Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto shocked the fashion world by introducing avant-garde styles that challenged received Western notions of “chic.” Informed in part by Japanese traditions such as the kimono, obi and the art of origami, these designers produced radical garments with shapes and textures often incongruous with the natural contours of the human body. Their designs—characterized by asymmetry, raw edges, unconventional construction, oversized proportions and monochromatic palettes—effectively overthrew existing norms and set the stage for the postmodernist movement in the fashion industry. Miyake, Yamamoto, and Kawakubo remain three of the most successful designers in today’s fashion world, and under their tutelage a new generation of Japanese talent has emerged.

This exhibition, an expanded version of an earlier showing at the Cincinnati Art Museum, includes avant-garde garments from the collection of Mary Baskett, an art dealer and former curator of prints at the Cincinnati Art Museum who has been collecting and wearing Japanese high fashion since the 1960s.

And before you set out for S Street to view the collection please please take a few minutes to read Robin Givhan’s review of the collection and her views on the designers – her insight definitely will make your time with the garments more meaningful!

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And as previously posted, Christian Siriano willbe speaking about and signing his new book, “Fierce Style” at the Corcoan Gallery of Art on November 3^rd.

Oh yes! November is lookin' mighty fine here in DC!

Go Go CoCo - Chanel To Die For!

2009-10-11T18:55:00.005-04:00

Perhaps the reason that I can't seem to get any sewing done is because I am mesmerized by the Spring 2010 Chanel collection.......

We love, love, love these:

And these not so much:

See all of Karl's magic here: Chanel 2010

From 1600 Pennsylvania Ave to Your Sewing Studio!

2009-09-22T12:29:00.011-04:00

So, one of my favorite design/sewing blogs closed it shutters this month – Weekend Designer – a sad, sad day for me, indeed!! Here's the description of the blog:

Welcome to Weekend Designer! This pattern-drafting blog is meant to show anyone that it is not difficult to fabricate fashionable clothing, accessories, and soft home furnishings. All designs shown on this site are samples culled from the world of fashion and design. In no way am I claiming that they are my own creations but use them as examples of what you can do yourself. Most of the tutorials illustrate basic concepts in pattern-drafting or are patternless designs. In all cases whenever possible, credit is given to the original work and creator. I do not have any affiliation with the designers and do not have access to their original patterns or production methods.

And here's an example of WD's mastery:

I hope someone else fills this void.....

Silver Lining ------ The Weekend Designer inspired me to take images from another favorite site - Mrs. O and make them my own (or, for those of us who live in DC, to bring those stylish frocks from Pennsylvania Ave to M St to Canal Rd to MacArthur Blvd to Q St to Greene Pl).

Here's a lovely dress that Mrs. O wore to a recent event:
If you want one like it in your closet as much as I do - all you'll need is one of these -
---- a new Michael Kors Vogue pattern (V117 - a lined, fitted dress, below mid-knee length has pleated bodice, tucked front, invisible back zipper and center back slit) and one of these extraordinary silk florals from Gorgeous Fabrics

See you at the next STATE DINNER!

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Fashion Week - AH BUENO!

2009-09-16T05:55:00.003-04:00

Videos speak louder than words!

Enjoy Zac, Jason and (coming soon) Isabel - - -

So I Love the Lounge!!

2009-09-13T09:49:00.010-04:00

Sweet September at DC Threads! The project for this month was a stylin' laptop sleeve.

Juliana nailed it with her Ikea fabric and handles!
I'm thinkin' I may need to grab the seam-ripper and add a pair of handles to mine! Great idea by Coach Emily and stellar execution by Juliana!

We had a great turnout AGAIN! Our new registration process sort of worked. Lots of folks signed up early but only a third of them showed up - but we had loads of drop-ins so we still had a full house. Gotta figure out how to get folks to either come if they registered or respond to our email request to let us know if they are not able to join us! If anyone has any ideas how to solve this conundrum drop me a line! I am certainly not complaining - it's a wonderful problem to solve!

But let's talk about the amazing sewists that joined us yesterday - a great mix of ages, expertise, experience, and interests. We spanned the ages from 10-80 and tackled chair cushions, recycle/restyling jeans to a dress, lots of easy breezy blouses, tote bags, etc., etc.....

A HUGE thank you to our amazing volunteers/sewing coaches! The Lounge is a successful because of all of you!! Thanks thanks thanks!

Enjoy the photos and hope some of you will stop by October and celebrate our 1 year anniversary!

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
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Pining for those lazy days of couture! DRUM ON!

2009-09-12T07:44:00.003-04:00

So I haven't touched my couture dress from my AWESOME class in NYC with the fabulous "sit and stitchers" because life (and its adult responsibilities) has managed to get in the way of fashion progress! I am also WOEFULLY delinquent in posting about the class (on the bucket list for this weekend - after the Lounge today!).

But in true L2 form I (with the help of Greene Place's newist sewist - Lauren Archer - I know, who'd a thought!) have managed to squeeze in the construction of 16 lapas for the Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project's performance today at the African Art Museum! Why not wander down to the Mall today and check out their AMAZINGNESS!

Get a sneak peak at this year's "Sistas of the Shakedown Tribe" as they take the Pavilion Stage at 2:30 p.m. for the Museum's Community Day... Festival entitled "Africa Now!"950 Independence Ave SW

FREE!!

September Sewing Lounge! DC Threads Rocks!!!!!

2009-09-08T20:56:00.001-04:00

UPDATE: Due to a fabulously positive response, we have filled our registration slots for the upcoming sewing lounge this Saturday, September 12th. If you have not already registered, we hope you will join us for the next lounge in October. You can reserve your slot using our new registration page here. Thanks so much for your interest! REMINDER---if you are a member of the American Sewing Guild or would like to volunteer at the Lounge your registration request will be automatically honored.

Join us this Saturday, September 12 from 1-4 at North Michigan Park Recreation Center, for the DC Threads Sewing Lounge! We will welcome the glorious Fall with a fabulous back-to-school/campus project - a hand-designed and crafted laptop sleeve - thanks to Ars Technica!

Here's what you need:

1/2 yard (or so) of outer sleeve fabric
1/2 yard of lining fabric
Thread (preferably in a matching or complementary color, but it can be any color you want)
Your laptop measurements

Optional:

Sew-on or glue/iron-on velcro, or a button

As always, you can bring your own project or browse our library of patterns for other ideas. We’ll also have tutorials for first-time and beginning sewers and plenty of opportunities for you meet others who love to sew. Check out our pattern library here....

And, in response to your requests for tutorials about sewing techniques (see, we really do read and value the evaluations you graciously complete!), we will offer a 20-30 minute tutorial about how to read a sewing pattern. The tutorial will start promptly at 1:15 - leaving you loads of time for sewing!

Hope to see you there!

Laura and Allison

Sit and Sew Preparation - Will I Ever Avoid Crisis Sewing

2009-08-24T11:04:00.010-04:00

On Wednesday I head to NYC for my class with Susan Khlaje and Kenneth King! Beyond excited! But, as usual, I'm in crisis sewing mode! My pesky real job always seems to get in the way of my sewing and other parts of my life!

Anyway - here is my plan for the class......

I will have a muslin of a basic dress sloper completed and ready for Susan's and Kenneth's magical fitting touch. I hope to use the sloper as a stepping off point for designing and constructing a variety of dresses (both work and casual). Our first lady offers me some fashion
inspiration --
and Michael too -

I hope to begin work on a garment using this sloper while I'm in NY - which, likely, will require that I stumble into several fabric stores!! Tragic!!

I am also hoping to have a muslin completed (or nearly completed) of this jacket (this task is the source of my current crisis sewing state):
in the hopes that I will have a jacket like this one some time this fall/early winter:
I will look to Susan for any sage wisdom about Chanel construction techniques (I have read and re-read her Threads article a bazillion times!).

And in the times that I am sure I will have between discussions and fitting and fabric shopping I have tucked away this pattern in the hopes that Kenneth will share with us some of his embellishment and millinery tips:

I also have a "life list" of techniques and embellishments that I would love to finally have the time to sit and practice - you know all those things like welt pockets, bound buttonholes, the PERFECT zipper application, finishing sheer edges, etc!

Yikes, sounds like I am going to be there for a month instead of 4 days!

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This I love.....

2009-08-21T15:05:00.005-04:00

But can someone explain this to me???

2009-08-21T14:54:00.003-04:00

The First Mum's Batiks - The Textile Museum

2009-08-12T07:45:00.004-04:00

A Lady Found a Culture in its Cloth: Barack Obama's Mother and Indonesian Batiks
August 9-23, 2009

For two weeks only, textiles from the collection of Ann Dunham, President Obama's mother, are on view at The Textile Museum. This marks the final stop on a national tour of the exhibition A Lady Found a Culture in its Cloth: Barack Obama's Mother and Indonesian Batiks.

Early in her life, Ann Dunham explored her interest in the textile arts as a weaver, creating wall hangings in earthy shades of brown and green for her own enjoyment. After marrying Lolo Soetoro and moving to Indonesia in the 1960s with her son Barack Obama, Ann Dunham was drawn to the vibrant textile arts of her new home and began to amass the collection from which the exhibition objects are drawn. The wide variation in the batiks reflects the range of colors and of patterns, both classic and contemporary, that captured her imagination, and provides a window into the rich culture from which these fabrics originated.

Don't miss this unique glimpse into the First Family and Indonesian textile traditions! A Lady Found a Culture: Barack Obama's Mother and Indonesian Batiks will be on view August 9 through 23, 2009 only.

Wishing you the most serene of birthdays: A Quilted Buddhist Prayer Book

2009-08-07T04:09:00.002-04:00

Here are some photos of the quilted Buddhist prayer book that I designed and constructed for some very special peeps in my life! I wanted to get the photos up as soon as I could. I will add commentary AFTER VACATION (no electronics allowed - except a sewing machine, of course!)

May you all be filled with loving-kindness!
Peace
Laura

DC Threads Gets Some Press!!

2009-08-07T06:05:00.004-04:00

Here is a Post article by Holly Thomas about the Sewing Lounge......Thanks Allison for helping to make it happen!

Join us in September!!!!

Ah Bueno!!!!!!

2009-07-13T22:26:00.004-04:00

Next DC Threads Sewing Lounge - July 11th! Summer Livin'!

2009-07-05T17:41:00.004-04:00

Celebrate your creative liberties at the next session of the DC Threads Sewing Lounge! We invite you to join us on Saturday, July 11 from 1-4pm at the North Michigan Park Recreation Center for another great afternoon of creative sewing!

In response to your terrific feedback about the types of projects you'd like us to have available we have a great line-up of projects from which to choose! We have two fashion garment projects this month: a breezy summer blouse and a tie. And our eco-friendly project is a reusable shopping bag (designed with a self-storing pocket).

The "Easy Breezy Summer Blouse" was a hit at previous lounges and is a perfect garment for these hot summer months - and sooooo easy !
The "Tie One On" tie is a terrific way to express your fashion point of view with only a yard of fabric!!!
And finally, in our effort to keep DC green and to rid our city of plastic bags, we offer our favorite reusable shopping bag.
We'll supply the patterns, the machines, and all the notions you'll need for your afternoon of creating - all we ask is that you bring the fabric! Just click on the projects for information about the type and amount of fabric required (we do have a modest "fabric stash" available just in case!).

As always, you can bring your own project or browse our library of patterns for other ideas. We’ll also have tutorials for first-time and beginning sewists and plenty of fantastic people to share your threaded thoughts with.

If you haven’t done so already, head to the DC Threads website and respond to the poll - let us know if you'll be joining us. This helps us get a headcount so we can plan accordingly. And of course if you’d like to volunteer as an assistant for beginning sewists, please let us know.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 11th!!

Laura and Allison

Round Two - DC Threads at Artomatic

2009-06-25T20:01:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple of pics from DC Thread's Quiltomatic Lounge at Artomatic!Many thanks to our resident quilting experts, Shirley and Charlene from Wee Bee Quilters from North Michigan Park, Jules from Columbia (the country not the city) and a couple of other drop ins who stitched up a storm!

DC Threads Hits Artomatic

2009-06-18T21:22:00.007-04:00

DC Threads hit the road last night and became a part of art history in DC - the first Sewing Lounge at Art-o-Matic! We set up shop on the 3rd floor with the Wednesday night Stitch 'n Bitchers and spent the evening stitchin' up a storm! Many thanks to Rebecca and Lauren for making the magic happen and to all the knitters who tolerated all of our stuff! We are set to be back next Wednesday - June 24th - for another round! Check out the details here - Quilt-0-matic at Art-o-matic

Check out the awesome quilt squares we built for the 1st annual Art-o-matic Quilt-o-matic!

See you next Wednesday!!!!!

Theme Dressing - ISO an Intervention or 12 Step Program!

2009-06-21T09:10:00.007-04:00

Okay, OKAY - I admit I have this odd need to try to construct garments for many of the events I attend. Oft times the garment is an appropriate fashion chioce but then there are the times (not infrequent) when I find myself "theme stitching". Usually, I hope, the final product is "appropriate" (whatever that means) - age, taste, theme! But really - is any theme sewing/dressing appropriate? Really? You decide. Here are some examples of last year's "theme dressing":

The Fourth of July "Save the Baby Skeets" T-shirt (BTW - we won a case of wine for that event! - not sayin' my T-shirt had anything to do with it though!)

And there's my fav - the Obama Dress! Sorry - THAT one was TOTALLY appropriate!

And my most recent (and probably the genesis of this self-absorbed post) - the Alohoa Paddling Pants for the NCA Monumental Outrigger Canoe race - - -

Here's the back story on the paddlin' pants:

Here are my FAVORITE hiking and paddling pants.

I desperately wish I had bought 2 pair! Didn't! So I have wanted to try to "rub" a pattern from them forever. So, Saturday morning before the race I decided I would try to make a copy and, as theme sewing chance would have it, that I also NEEDED to make something to wear to the race (see - I definitely need that intervention - who gets up at 6:30 am the day of a race and decides to make a pattern and a garment to wear by 10:30?)

So here is a photo of the muslin pattern on the fabric. So the fabric has a story too. Sis, Sue, left us all for 2 years to live in Palau - another story - and she sent to me some fabric she found at a local shop. I have waited for the perfect garment to present itself and, well, I think it speaks for itself!

Here are the finished pants. I love how they look lying flat - however, they don't fit as well as the original pair (granted I only had about 20 minutes to fit them as I didn't really get started cutting and sewing until about 2 hours before I needed to head out). The closure is just an opening for the draw string waist. I added about 4 inches of elastic in the middle of the drawstring - that seemed to help avoid the typical drawstring sack look. I don't have a photo of how they look "on" but it wasn't too awful as I wore them in public!

Got a bunch of compliments on them - mostly due to the print of the fabric - an objective measure of success for us theme sewists!!!

Here is our team - DC PoWeR (Paddlin' Women Rock)

I gotta say - not my best fashion statement but then again - the homies from the boat house are all 'bout fun in the water and nuttin' 'bout the fashion!

Peace out!

DC Threads at Artomatic!!!! Come Stitch With Us!

2009-06-14T08:09:00.004-04:00

DC Threads will be at Artomatic this Wednesday (June 17th) from 5:00-8:00! We'll be stitching along side the "Stitch 'n Bitchers" building the first ever Artomatic "Quilt-o-matic"! We will be there with our machines encouraging the crowd to sit and stitch a quilt block with us! So stop by on Wednesday to stitch with us and to enjoy all the AMAZING art and artists! STITCH ON!

photo credit M.V. Jantzen

photo credit Andy Lungren Werner

Artomatic is a month-long art festival in DC that is free to the general public celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Monument Realty and the Capitol Riverfront BID have provided a brand-new 275,000 square foot building to host Artomatic, right next to the Nationals Stadium. The event features nine floors of visual and installation art, theater performances, dance and comedy, three music stages, street performances such as fire dancing and drum troupes, and a film screening theater. With four stages, four bars and a lounge on each floor, the 10th Anniversary Artomatic is bigger than ever. 52,500 people attended Artomatic last year, and 70,000 are expected this year. Over 1,000 visual artists and 600 performing artists are exhibiting this year.

55 M Street, S.E.
(at the corner with Half Street)
Washington, DC 20003
Metro stop: Green Line, Navy Yard, Ballpark exit
Free admission.

Burda World of Fashion Circular Skirt - A Hit or a Miss?

2009-06-08T10:28:00.008-04:00

I actually have been doing a tad bit of sewing but I just haven't had time to post any of my toils! But today finds me in jury duty with a little time to spare!

For this month's Lounge we have chosen a Burda World of Fashion circular skirt pattern - billed as an easy beginner project – a necessity for the Lounge’s pattern inventory. As always, we "test" drive the project/pattern before we unleash it on the "Loungers". Here is my finished garment (please excuse the resolution of the photos - my digital camera was MIA and these are taken with my Blackberry).

It looks cute as a button on the Burda model/designer/sewist and it is really EASY PEASY to make (despite that fact that the project immediately presents you with a math problem – not my strong suit but I am quite proud that I was able to channel a little geometry). But that said there are a couple of issues that need to be mentioned before you dive into this project!

The pattern and fabric yardage as designed assumes that we all live in a 26 inch waisted world, that we prefer to wear our skirts at our high natural waist, that we are all under 5’6” and wear our skirts at 21". I am not quite a 26 inch waist, am 5'9", and do like to wear my garments slightly below natural waist so I needed to add about a 1.5 inches to the waist measurement and I wanted to add an inch to the length to assure that the skirt would be long enough. The pattern is built on the premise that you cut the whole skirt on the fold as one BIG circle. These small adjustments, though, push the measurements past the 45 inch width of most fabrics – so unless you have 60 inch fabric you need to cut a couple of bias panels to assure that you have adequate “coverage”. Not a huge deal but it detracts from the “circularness” of the design, adds a seam disrupting the bias fall, presents more math (ugh!) and may require some fitting. All this adds up to shifting this cute, easy, breezy skirt from a beginner project to a “more than beginner” project.

So I finished the project and tried it on and, whereas it is cute and breezy and (relatively and theoretically) easy – it just didn’t look that great on me! If I can swallow my vanity (and can find five free minutes)I will post a photo of me modeling it soon.

So now for the good news – it is really easy to make once you figure out the yardage and fit. The bias cut makes hemming the skirt a breeze and the ‘D-ring’ closure is a “cinch” for the beginner. I cut the waistband on the bias because I ran out of fabric due to the increased yardage required but, as it turns out, the bias cut made attaching the waistband to the tight waist curve uber easy!

I am test driving a super simple wrap skirt tonight as an alternative to the circle skirt for the Lounge on Saturday! I’ll let you know how I do!

Come on down to the Lounge this Saturday and test drive these patterns for yourself!!