Playing With Stripes: Shirtwaist at the Grand Rapids Public Museum
Stripes are one of the most common patterns in fabrics and also one that has much potential for playing around in garment design. We are most used to stripes running up and down, as on men’s and men’s dress shirts. Then in sportswear, you sometimes see a collar or cuffs, cut on the bias, or diagonal. And an entire blouse bodice can be cut on the bias, a technique used in the 1930s, that I have tried and been pleased with. More on that later.
The cotton shirtwaist, or blouse, was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States and in Europe. It was a break from the dress which was more expensive and harder to clean. A working-class woman could afford a set of cotton blouses to wear with a single skirt, and put some variety into her wardrobe. Yes, the first example of what some call a capsule wardrobe.
This shirtwaist uses bias on the bodice beneath a straight-grain yoke and with a straight-grain button placket . This is a smart idea because puts stability where you need it and allows for the drape of bias where it is flattering. You want stability at the button placket to hold the weight of the buttons and for the buttonholes which must bind the cut fabric. The yoke gives you a trim and relatively stable shoulder line (though it is necessarily on a slight bias to shape to the shoulder’s angle), and from the yoke drapes the bias portion which both creates a soft mass over the bustline and appears to whittle the waistline. Both important to creating the then ideal silhouette of a full bust and a tiny waist. The soft, gathered sleevehead also emphasizes the wide to narrow drop from shoulder to waistline.
Working with stripes takes more effort than a plain weave. You must mirror the stripes from one side to the other or risk making the wearer look slightly drunk. And notice here the button placket is cut so that it does not disturb the stripes found in the yoke. But I always think the effort is worth it.
This is part of the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s exhibition on Fashion and Nature, which has a section on cottons. For more info, go here: https://www.grpm.org/fashion-and-nature/
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Some more pictures of the stripey dragon gloves from my video!
The inspiration was a pair of late 18th century printed gloves from the MFA collection, which I've loved for years.
I made my stripes dark brown instead of grey, and painted dragons instead of humans. When I looked for 18th century dragon references I found them on so many things! Dishes, furniture, frames, tiles, title pages, etc.
I want to make so many more striped gloves, they're so much fun. I could put lots of other different things in circles too.
But the stripes can be a bit eye scrambly, which is why I filmed a plain pair of gloves instead for the construction portion of the video.
Also, because a lot of people have asked, no I don't sell gloves and I don't do commissions.
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OOAK Monster High outfits I've made over the past month.
I've been having fun coming up with different looks for the ghouls, there are more than this, but these were the latest six in my camera roll.
The first three will be available on my Ko-Fi later today (the others have already sold).
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I'm doing my sewing project I cut out last year and have accidentally colormatched my washi tape seam allowance indicators for the french seams to the fabric
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Your daily reminder that Beetlejuice canonically repairs his own suit because he’s been isolated from everyone else for so long
okay I could write an essay on the implications of this, but this 2019 Playbill interview with the costume designer for Beetlejuice the Musical, William Ivey, drives me insane because he brings up the fact that when he designed the suit for the show, it was sewn with an upside-down stitch because it was Beej himself making and repairing the suit. There’s a ton of other interesting stuff in that interview, along with this video from Broadway Direct that goes through their costume room, but the mental image of BJ having to make and repair his own suit and maybe that's part of why the stripes are so un-even and the fit is a little too big on him kills me.
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What do you do when you have an old cat plush lying around? Make him a little vest and turn it into Skimbleshanks! This is my first time doing something like this and I'm really proud of how he turned out.
Bonus my cat Parker who had to get involved while i was taking pictures.
@uppastthejelliclemoon @afairytalestray @statisticalcats2
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apologies for the terrible photo- but here's my little fizzarolli plushie!! this is my first time making a plushie this big and also my first time using a sewing machine so he's a bit wonky in some places but I love him a lot!
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You know what's something fun?
I have this whole list of sewing projects I want to do, and if I run out of things I'm doing the eight stripe Gilbert Baker pride flag 🌈
I've wanted to make a pride flag from scratch for a couple years now, and it just feels very fitting in my brain to make the first ever pride flag first, like real n raw queer creativity!
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I finally made a pair of pants for Toralei that I liked the end result of.
I still need to tame her hair and boil her arm back into shape.
Has anyone successfully removed her tail? I've pulled and tugged, but no dice so far.
Anyways, let's hope the Basic Wave 2 gives some characters pants.
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Decided the emmet and ingo puppets are just gonna be Too Much work to complete, although the pattern is quite simple they require Many diffrent fabrics and their jackets are... Interesting!!! I hope to make them some day... muppet boys in real life... but as it is I don't really ahve the room for them either!! Perhaps when I get a sewing machine.. (soon!! And then I will learn how to make their silly jacket Cuffs)
In the meantime I'm finishing up meldrop!!(very easy!!! She is a live hand puppet!!!) And then... I will work on The Conductor.. I reaallly wanna make his weird beak shape... I think it will be easy and also SUPER COOL.. he has so little colours and a Solid Shape :]
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