Revolutionary Uplift

Scottie: What's this doohickey?
Midge: It's a brassiere! You know about those things, you're a big boy now.
Scottie: I've never run across one like that.
Midge: It's brand new. Revolutionary up-lift: No shoulder straps, no back straps, but it does everything a brassiere should do. Works on the principle of the cantilevered bridge.
Scottie: It does?
Midge: An aircraft engineer down the peninsula designed it; he worked it out in his spare time.
Scottie: Kind of a hobby, a do-it-yourself kind of thing!

Ah, yes. The Brassiere. A mysterious doohickey that has for many decades relied on rocket science for its function and design.
Well, NOT ANYMORE!!


This is a complete bra making kit which includes a textbook, a pattern and materials for 2 bras from Bra Makers Supply in Ontario Canada.
They sell all kinds of books and patterns as well as a full range of fabrics and trims and all the assorted notions you will need for brassiere and lingerie making.

I chose a classic full band bra pattern (you may also chose a partial band pattern) and pink for the color of my kit (white, black, brown and 2 shades of beige being the other choices). The full band style allows me to use or not use underwires and I like that. The pink on the other hand, I don't really like. I didn't want to pick black because it can be hard to see what you are doing on black some times and beige/nude is just boring. But this pink is the exact shade of pink that makes me vomit uncontrollably.It looks ok in the above picture but it is bright cotton candy pink! Good thing this is my first attempt and I will inevitably screw it up (or puke on it :)

It may not have been apparent so much on this blog but I am FASCINATED by underwear. I have been since I started making my own clothes and being interested in fashion in general. In other words consider the can of lingerie open and expect to see more about it.

the lace museum, Calais

My friend Ksenia recently went to the north of France and visited the lace museum in Calais. She posted the following pictures on facebook with this message:

AMI, THESE PICS I MADE ESPECIALLY 4 U =)
HOPE U ENJOY THEM
this is the lace museum at Calais, the north of France, where lace manufacturing has been traditional 4 centuries, and in the end - vintage models of dresses and underwear of couturiers that now are legends

I thought I would share them with you since they are so beautiful.

Lace as you please (1852-1870)
Industrial progress and the expansion of colonial possessions made the Second Empire a period of prosperity. The bourgeoisie, growing fast, wanted to show off its social and economic success. Feminine dress became the visible symbol of masculine success. Lace found price of place on dresses, which gradually increased in size, as well as on the multitude of accessories that propriety recommended using.

I love the merriwidow hiding on the left.





Check out this link for an english article about the museum that includes some history of lace making in Calais (it was actually smuggled in by lacemakers from Nottingham, England) and some images of some very nice lingerie!

Shana Tova

or in other words, Happy New Year! I like the idea of the year starting in the fall. It is a time ripe with new beginnings as well as a time of letting go of things and putting summer's bounty to bed. Unfortunately, this time of year tends to be a major clusterfuck for me. This year is no different! I left you all with a half-assed post about kittens in space with high hopes of returning from Nashville last week being inspired and to hit the ground running. I was seriously inspired and it was one of the best vacations I have had but hitting the ground running has never been my forte. I tend to trip and roll for awhile before I can even get up. So the purpose of this post is to give you a little heads up about a few things, kind of a table of contents, in the hopes that you will help stick to what I have laid out.

News and Notes

-You can "Like" Dart and Hem on Facebook
I have been setting this up for awhile and meant to tell you like a month ago. I wasn't sure about it at first but I think it is a great way to share bits and bobs along the way. Some inspiration, some discussions, etc... Check it out in the sidebar

-This year I will be making serious effort towards grad school. I may have mentioned grad school before, and I did get some lovely advice from some other bloggers about it. The gauntlet has been thrown. I am going.


Upcoming post topics

-A note about Project Phoenix

-Catch up on some completed projects

-oh, hey! The Sketchbook Project

-I will be taking a draping class starting later this month! WOOT!

-My current project, a 1950's clutch coat for my aunt

-The Hepburn Hepburn Project and more projects I should not be participating in


aaaaannnnnnddd...I think that is good for now! See you soon, cross my heart and kiss my elbow!


Ps. Did you know that wearing garters all the time can give you blisters on your thighs? And to avoid having the garter show through a tight aka wiggle skirt you should put the garters on backwards? And while Joan Collins was very happy when the girdle wearing days ended she thinks the fashion of that time was waaay sexier than fashion today. I happen to agree.

That's all.