 Finally the linen and lace jacket I began back in the fall in Susan Khalje's Couture School is completed. Just in time for Easter! It's always nice to have new spring clothes and a special treat to have something custom made. It seems like such a gift to be able to carve out time to create a one-of-a-kind outfit. I hope to continue to find time to make dresses, and I always say, dresses and slipcovers are kissing cousins!  The inspiration for my jacket came from this Easter outfit my mother designed and created for me. This must have been around the early 70's. Mama loved dressing me in aqua and it is still my favorite color. I am so grateful to have Mama in my life and glad that I can still show up for Easter dinner with family in our home in Tarboro. Fun photo shoot with Katherine. 
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Last week I wished for a few cold winter's nights so I could get back to finishing a couture project, and this week I got snowed in on Snowden. Night time temps have been single digits in Raleigh. Be careful what you wish for! 
Last night I worked on hemming my couture jacket. I couldn't find a good match in hem tape, but Joann's Fabrics had three colors of this lace. One was the perfect match. I used pins I purchased from Susan Khalje to hold the lace in place for hand stitching They are so sharp and have glass heads which can be ironed over and are great for delicate laces and fine fashion fabrics like the silk organza underlining. You can purchase the pins and the silk organza here: Susan Khalje Store 
Once the bottom of the lace was stitched to the folded up hem, I pressed the lace with just enough steam to shape it to the curve of the bottom edge of the jacket. Malleable materials that can be molded together feel like clay in a potter's hands to me. The fabric I chose for the jacket is 100% linen from Brazil, in color celestial, and reacts wonderfully to just a bit of steam. 
At the top of the lace I am using a catch stitch. Working from left to right, I first catch the lace and then catch the silk organza interlining. That way there are not any pick stitches showing on the outside of the garment. Well maybe a few misses. But only a few. 
Looks like celestial snowflakes to me. Melting on celestial linen. Too bad this is only the hem on the inside and will not show. But that is the beauty of couture inside and out. Rumors of more snow always welcome. I'm ready for another late night of fabric play. 
So glad it's snowing tonight! Cold winter nights are super for late night sewing, and it's time to take my couture school project off the back burner. I finished the linen exterior in class, but I still need to insert the silk lining. And finish hand stitching beads on the lace. Oh and the buttons, alledged to be Chanel. Here are some scenes from the beginnings of making this jacket at Susan Khalje's Couture School back in October. Yes that was months ago. I know, it's time to finish.  REBOOT week five was spent in a dreamy sort of unhurried way. It was my great honor to be in the House of Khalje for six days of Couture School with a fantastic collection of students, twelve in all, dedicated to learning the time honored traditions of couture. This house in Baltimore was peppered with accents literally from all over the world. And while we came from different places, we all had one thing in common: fabric dreams.
We all dreamt of fashioning fabric for the body and soul. Throughout the week, we shared our dreams and stories of life events - past, present, and future. Directing our fabric fantasies, Susan Khalje seemed to go about the art of passing on couture techniques with seemingly effortless grace. I may have only come away with a taste of this world of couture, but I can now begin to imagine what it might be like to apprentice under a master couturier in a Parisian fashion house. This week was memorable and remarkable. This week was pure. Couture!  Loved receiving this card in the mail from my neice Kari, who is a textile student at NC State University. It has cute little pattern pieces all over, and I have been knee deep in patterns this week.
REBOOT week four has me finalizing my couture project for Susan Khalje's Couture School next week in Baltimore. Our homework assignment was to make and fit a muslin, or toile, which is the essential first step for any couture project. I am working on a jacket pattern and I'm a little frantic trying to get everything all packed up. But luckily my Mom helped me baste the muslin together.   I've been counting down and it's time. My six week break officially begins September 1. So how will I spend my time during the break? I will spend more time with my family. And I will contemplate my place in the universe on an island. OCRACOKE ISLAND  And I will attend the Couture Sewing School in Baltimore. SUSAN KHALJE Fashion enthusiasts travel from all around the world to attend. Six intensive days are devoted to creating a garment using the couture techniques and details Susan uses in her exquisite designs. Now I must choose a project and begin sketching out designs. Off to the drawing board.  Hey this is me in my new upCdooZ!
So what's an upCdooZ? Altered upcycled clothing for artfully dressed women and children. One of my friends from design school, Camille Thornton, along with Susan Thornton, launched this business in Charlotte, NC. This dress is so comfy I want to wear it all the time. Click on the link below for more info. upCdooZ  Wish I had a nickel for every time I heard my mother say "quit prissin' your fanny and be still so I can pin this hem level". Mama is a woman of few words, but she knows just the right ones to say and how to say 'em so you know exactly what she means. And I learned to be still from Mama. As Mother's Day approaches, I am grateful for my mother who dressed me like a doll in her beautiful creations and instilled in me an appreciation for the art of the custom fitting. Happy Mother's Day to you Mom.  |