Versatile Vogue 1817--New Marcy Tilton Pattern

Marcy Tilton's new jacket/vest pattern is super versatile.  I've made it in a techno fabric and a French terry, both are super comfortable and the perfect all-year weight for my climate.

This is another quintessential Marcy pattern; somewhat of a puzzle, challenging but so gratifying to make.  This version is the techno fabric that has a bit of metal thread woven in so it retains its crinkles in a good way.  

I finished it with a twill tape and snaps and changed the collar.

I tend to wear it closed more often.  It has just the right amount of asymmetry for me.

There are many interesting details in this pattern.  Both front and back bottom pieces are single cut,  all four different.  A lapped flange separates the upper bodice from the lower pieces. 

Twill tape/snap detail.

This one is out of her Icelandic Black Tweed French Terry.  It looks a bit narrow at the bottom in this photo but it's fuller when worn.

The French terry fabric called for a hoodie.  It wasn't hard to make the change.  I took the pattern pieces from a Katherine Tilton OOP pattern, adjusted the circumferences, and it went in without a hitch.

This is a very stylish and wearable pattern that can be adapted to lots of different fabrics and occasions. Heck, I could even see this as a shirt.  I urge you to give it a try, especially if you need a bit of a sewing challenge.

 

Spoonflower Printed Fabric

I finally did it!  I've been wanting to have the fabric I print (I use a silkscreen process that's a combination of what I learned in Pat Pauly and Kerr Grabowski classes) reproduced by Spoonflower.  It's been at least 3 years and I finally made it happen.

It started with a 3-one month online Photoshop Elements classes taught by the Pixeladies.  These gals know their stuff but more important, they know how to teach.  And they're FUN!

I was a three time Photoshop loser/dropout, couldn't get the hang of it, till I found Kris and Deb.  

I had some of my prints professionally photographed and started designing them in Photoshop Elements to make repeatable patterns .  I was pretty successful but I have a ways to go.

Here's my first actual wearable garment using fabric I had printed using Spoonflower.  It's their Cotton Spandex Jersey.  I like the fabric.  The black background came out sort of heathered, which I actually like.  The Pixeladies have done a whole blog on the blacks you get with different companies.  

I must have goofed on the sizing though.  The motifs came out much smaller than the original piece of cloth.  I'll have to figure out what I did.  I don't mind this size but I'd like to know how to size my designs so that I get what I want.

Here's the original piece of cloth.  It's 1/2 yard, about 52"wide.  The "windows", which is what I call this fabric, are each about 5-6" tall.

It's much easier to silk screen pieces that are about 1/2-1 yard.  Then have a company print more yardage.  I'd been trying to print several yards myself but it's just too danged hard to get what I want.  Plus, when I print smaller pieces I can combine them into one file on Photoshop.  Here's an example. 

 I started out with these three panels. Each is about half a yard.

And combined them in one Photoshop file that turned out like this.

I had it printed in their Signature Cotton which I'm not all that thrilled about.  I'd like to find a company that uses really fine garment quality fabrics.  

Something interesting happened when I put on a garment using my fabric but commercially printed.  It didn't have the same energy as when I wear garments in the original cloth.  I hadn't expected that.  There's something tangible and exciting about wearing the original that is somehow lost when they are reproduced.  That doesn't mean I'll stop doing it but it was interesting.

I plan to take these three classes again when they offer them in a few months.  

It was a super productive way to spend during COVID confinement and I'm glad I got something like this accomplished during that time.  I would never have done it otherwise.

What did you get done during COVID that you're proud of???