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.

Update

I apologize for my bipolar way of posting. I was all gung ho to post all the time and have finished a couple items I'd like to share and have some other things I'd like to share but I had to step away. My reasons being logistical (my computer is a cranky old bitch), seasonal (the summer always seems to explode but I feel this year was way over the top in requests of my time being spent in places other than the one I want to be in) and emotional (I hit a bit of burn out, re-gathered my strength and whipped some stuff out then hit burn out again). I feel like I am running on fumes but wanted to check in because keeping up this blog IS something I care about doing and want to keep up. I have uploaded a bunch of my pictures and hope to have a few posts for you in the near future but I have some projects that need some serious attention (like my sketchbook and my aunt's coat) and more steady blogging will most likely pick up in the fall.

Sewing Karma: the apocalypse, and the 2010 project phoenix

My intention to update sewing karma from every week to every month no longer exists. I am (not so) shamefully bailing on sewing karma for a few reasons. I can rack up points for myself fairly easily but it isn't putting money in my pocket to spend those points on. That is kinda depressing. I never found a really good way to keep track of points. I kept a jar of buttons on my desk. And calculated the points on the blog but I either had to count buttons or double check the previous post to know how many points I had. That was annoying. I have been doing really well staying motivated and getting things done. And that is really good. Because of this, I feel fairly confident in adopting a new 2010 project halfway through 2010.(I am naming it Project Phoenix, because it just has a nice ring to it!)

I have been doing a bit of pattern drafting lately and I have really enjoyed it. I pulled out my pattern drafting book from college to look something up and then spent some time just flipping through it. So, in the grand tradition of blogging about working your way through a book (Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing, Bridges on the Body, Peter's current travels through a patternmaking book) I am going to work my way through Designing Apparel Through the Flat Pattern. (hereafter referred to as "the flat pattern book" or "the pattern book")


I have standard sized slopers from when I originally took a flat pattern class in college but I also would like to draft custom slopers from my measurements. I found a copy of How to Draft Basic Patterns (hereafter referred to as "the sloper book") at the library by the same authors as my pattern book. This book deals only with drafting slopers or basic patterns from measurements either from a dress form or a person.


The rules: I have no completion date for this. I think the end of the year is not impossible but it is unlikely. The flat pattern book is a hefty enough tome. I will skip similar patterns as needed to avoid redundancy, tedium and boredom. I don't have to go through the book in order but can skip around and pick what looks interesting to me. I can use other books and switch around between books to learn different techniques. I would also like to make up some muslins so I know that the patterns work and so I can possibly make myself some clothes and reap a reward for all my drafting efforts. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome of readers.

Some patterns I am particularly looking forward to:

Interesting use of darts, especially at necklines, is a definite draw for me. I have bookmarked several vintage patterns simply because of their interesting use of darts at the neckline.

This reminds me of the bonus project Gertie made after her full gathered skirt, the halter sundress. It has that delicious open back. I will have to try out her skirt tutorial and then draft my own halter top.

I think this one has more to do with the stripes than anything else. With Tartan and Plaid being one of my favorite colors I will definitely need lots of practice working with and matching my checks and stripes.

This one is definitely more interesting. I love how the raglan sleeve goes into the chest band. I think this would be great as a lightweight spring/summer jacket/overblouse deal. Maybe in linen.

This just screams Erte to me. He is one of my favorite designer/illustrators. I feel like it evokes a handkerchief hem without the handkerchief hem. Something similar at the hipline of a pencil skirt could either be evocative of the 40's or become very futuristic. I'm game for both scenarios.

women's land army here I come. That's all.

For Da...

Happy Father's Day

Dear Marmee,

I found it!

best dressed

I picked up a RedEye, Chicago Tribune's free daily, this morning on my walk with the dog. I have been making a habit of this to stock up on newspaper for our worm bin. I usually glance through it before before adding it to the pile in the closet. Today's has a page on the fashions seen at the Costume Institute Gala. A grand total of 6 pictures. Most of them declared a high fashion crime.


source

Yes, Joshua Jackson is wearing an ascot. No, this does not make him look like a character from Clue. A man wearing an ascot is hot. Hell, a man even knowing what an ascot is, is damn sexy. While this look isn't exactly formal I give him full points for not wearing a boring tux with a boring old black bow tie. He is wearing something that shows personality without being ridiculous. The ribbon flower in his lapel coordinates well and the choice of color was a good one.


source

Fusty, maybe. Outrageous, um...no. I like the shape of this dress. I like the tulle peeking out from the skirt. I like the teal and black color combo (the color in the paper was more muted and less bright than on my computer screen). This dress is very Chloe. My note on this actually reads "Chloe Sevigny looking very Chloe Sevigny". It is extremely refreshing to see a celebrity looks like they dressed themselves with out a stylist and not just once but always.

Why does being "best dressed" more about conforming to staus quo ideals of fashion and style and less about looking like you have a personality and are an actual person? The status quo isn't about style because there is not style without some character.

This is the reason I no longer read fashion magazines and why I could never work in retail.

And when did Claire Danes get married?

processing backlog...

I have started making a spreadsheet for all my patterns and I want to do all the fabric stash as well as one for projects I want to make. complete with images and sizes and fiber content and date. I am having a few glitches with excel, like how to you put an image IN a cell, on a mac? I love this project for times I need a break from creating and i think it will help with my 2010 project goals but it kinda feels like this sometimes (like when I spend an inordinate amount of time futzing with excel and still not getting what I want)


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

the 2010 project: Sewing Karma

So now that last year is behind me lets move on to this year (only 4 months late but that is ok). So far this year I have completely cleaned out my childhood bedroom (my mom has begged me to do this for years and I have avoided it because it was a HUGE undertaking), moved 3/4-7/8 of all of my stuff out of my apartment, prepared myself (mostly mentally) to live out of one just bigger than carry-on sized suitcase for an unspecified period of time, and then moved all my stuff back into my apartment 2 months later. And now I feel like I have too much stuff. We all probably live with more stuff than we realize and more than we most likely really need. We do this because the items that we own define us. They represent who we are and what our interests and hobbies are. We also define ourselves by what we own (or what we don't own). Our belongings act as a sort of character map for who we are both for ourselves and for others.

I enjoyed my 2 months of living with less. I liked the extra space in my closet. I liked the simplified choices (except when I didn't). My goal for 2010 is to use the supplies that I have before I bring in new. In sewing as well as in knitting I tend not to buy yardage or yarn without a specific project in mind and so my stash of those things is not very big. I have collected quite a bit of clothes to be repurposed or refashioned. I also have a stash of half finished projects or projects that have materials set aside but were never started. I want to continue pursuing projects that push me a bit, help me learn new skills and make me a better seamstress. The best way, I have decided, to keep me on my path as well as allow myself some rewards for good behavior is a Sewing Karma Point System. By using up some of the materials and supplies that I have as well as doing something new or challenging I earn points. I can use these points towards buying new material or a new pattern or for something I can't really make myself. It is not completely fleshed out yet but this is what I have so far:

2010 Sewing Karma Point System (I have based my points relative to what I have and what I think my weak(er)nesses are.)

+5, using a pattern I already own
+10 to 15, drafting my own pattern
+10, using fabric or clothing that I already own
+10, completing a 1/2 finished project
+5, completing a project and then blogging, ravelling, burdastyling about it
+5, completing a project with new skills building elements
+3, misc. darning, mending, altering
+5 to 15, misc. projects (for example, building myself a stand for my giant roll of brown paper for patterning)
+10 to 15 misc. book/research projects (because I want to get used to thinking critically and writing about it in prep for grad school)

-10 to 15, buying a new (to me) pattern
-5, buying new (to me) fabric from the remnant room
-10, buying new (to me) fabric from the bolt or yarn

I haven't figured out how I am going to keep track of my points. I am thinking a jar with buttons in it. As I am still working this out and I would love your input if you have any. Does this sound like an interesting idea or just silly? Are there projects or ideas that you would like to see me explore?

A very merry un-birthday

A few weeks ago I began to think about why I started this blog. I have been thinking up a new 2010 project and its relationship to my opening post and the post by Kate Davies that inspired this blog. I have found that I started this blog as my sewing and knitting and all things related haven just over a year ago. Before beginning a new project I thought this would be a good time to check in and give myself a bit of an evaluation of the past year.
I have not been the creator of a mass of perfect garments for myself as I perhaps thought I would be but I did make a few things. More importantly I learned a few things about sewing, knitting, fashion history, the sewing blogger community and most importantly about myself and where I fit in and feel comfortable among all of those things. I had decidedly stated that I was not ready to stop buying clothing for an entire year (with a whole crock of bad excuses) and then that was exactly what I did! At least mentally anyway. I bought a few items during my trip to Israel in August and a couple more in the Fall that still need to be documented so I can get out of Re-Fashionista Jail but I was much more conscious about what I bought and tried to make more than I bought, Being more self-sufficient is an idea that I have grown increasingly attached to, in all aspects of my life. I am trying to be a more conscious (vs. unconscious) consumer. I try to buy from local shops, buy used items when I can, and donate or repurpose what I no longer need before I think of just throwing it away. I am not always perfect in these aspects but I am more aware of them and my 2010 project will continue to explore these ideas.

So the year in review:

Tree dress


Tartan School Tote


Summer Dress


Floral Fall Shirt

Find me on BurdaStyle.com

Art Smock


Corduroy Jumper



I participated in my first clothing swap through which much of my unwanted clothes received new lives and I received:
a cardigan, a little black dress, a wrap-to be used as dress material, and a skirt I liked the design of that I would like to copy

Fixed 2 winter coat pockets and completely replaced one more

Learned how to create faux smocking with elastic thread in my sewing machine (Used to repair Arabian Princess Dress)

I attended 2 natural dyeing workshops and taught my first knitting class (I hope to do more of both of these things)



Jersey dress (I wear this ALL the time. Definitely a good buy if there ever was one) and Belt (often worn like this or a variety of other blouses and other dresses. I wear this a lot. I need more waist fitted belts)


Tunic top (good with skinny jeans or as a beach dress)


Leggings, black (this doesn't need a picture does it?)

Sweatpants (this doesn't need a picture either, right? Haven't owned a pair since high school. I did wear these all winter as they are super comfy for around the house.)

Sweater Coat (This was my main splurge. I just loved it so much and I don't really have a between jacket. I get lots of compliments on it. It isn't wind proof though. I have thought of lining it with a breathable wind breaking liner (also one that is silky as it is currently lined with fleece that sticks to my clothes and makes it sometimes hard to put on))



Bought but does not require a Get Out of Jail Pass:

Cute shoes

Memphis Belle Dress


2 vintage handkerchiefs

Paris Scarf

am I crazy?

I just came across this picture of Karolina Kurkova and thought "huh, i kinda like the fringe cape. Especially with jeans. In the cascading shades of grey. It wouldn't be that hard to make one. Maybe I should make myself one." and then I thought that i would look totally crazy in a fringe cape because I am NOT Karolina Kurkova or any other model fashionista person in New York City. What do you think? Is a fringe cape crazy? even in neutral shades of grey?

A Guide to Better Sewing

I am in love and obsessed with Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing. The idea is based on this book from the 50's

which claims to be able to make you a better seamstress one project at a time. There was a line of patterns that corresponded with the projects in the book but were sold separately. Gertie has tracked down some/most of the patterns and is sharing her experience of working through the book and use of sewing techniques from the 50's (copious tailor tacks and hand overcast finished seams, anyone?).
The thought that i probably do not have to add for those of you who have been on this blog before or who know me even just a little bit is: I TOTALLY WANT TO DO THIS. I am generally not as much of a fan of the 50's as the 30's and the 40's (the huge skirts are fun but not so practical, same with the wiggle skirts) but the pattern's in the book and the projects of Gertie's that she has posted on the blog seem really nice and fairly practical. i love the portrait collar blouse, the background dress and of course the evening dress. The bow tie blouse and the shirt dress are of course classics. And initially not really taken with the slim skirt until i read Gertie's post about her slim skirt where she talks about the construction of it, now I want to make one whether or not it is flattering. The skirt is made with only one yard of fabric and has only one seam, up the back, and it is shaped only by a the series of pleats at the waist line. it is the vintage construction techniques that really get me. That is what I really want to learn. (and more on that later)

In other news, I am trying really hard to post something every week. Thursday seems to be the day with the exception of this week. i mostly have bits of vintage stuff i have found to show you as my own sewing has been a bit off and going slowly right now. I did pick up the green sweater i was knitting again and have just about completed the body and will start the sleeves soon-ish. I did sew up a dress a couple weeks ago but i broke one of the straps on it during our last trip and need to mend it. I will hopefully post that for you next week. I have also been working on the muslin for a shirt and it is going really slow. it has been hard to find my mojo in my new sewing studio. it is cute button down with short sleeves and gathering along the yoke. i think I want to make a shirt dress out of it too.

So in lieu of photos this week go check out Gertie's blog and report you thoughts back to me!

Wardrobe Refashion Pledge

I __Amy_Sobotta____ pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 6 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Dart and Hem blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings! Signed__Amy Sobotta___.

That is my pledge. I have to let you know, especially those on my cheerleading team, that I am not officially signed up at Wardrobe Refashion. Why? because according to their rules i need to post on their blog once a week. I don't think I can post once a week, but I will try. I will also be out of town July 5-12 and August 9-30 with no access to my blog at all during those times. That is the only exception to the rules that i am making. After August, depending on their sign up schedule i may officially sign up with them. I was originally going to do 2 months, and then 4 months, and just now i decided to go for the gold and do half a year. That is today July 2, 2009 through January 2, 2010. Cheerleaders I hope you are ready for your job.

So here are the official rules:
1.
No buying new! (handmade is excepted; So this allows for Etsy purchases etc!!) All clothing must be Recycled, Renovated, Preloved or Thrifted, or Handmade only for the term. Employment related and special needs clothing (ie sports, school), shoes and undies are excepted from the rules, although you are encouraged to have a go at making these.
2.
In extreme circumstances, maybe a special event, or the worlds greatest and most amazing never to be repeated sale that you simply can not pass up, you may use the Get out of Refashionista Jail Free card. You are able to use this card once during the 2 month part of your contract; ie 1 for 2 months, 2 for 4 months etc. Of course you need to fess up on the blog and display the button!
3.
You must post on the blog at least once a week to let the community know what you've been up to. This will not only give you brag points, but inspire and encorouge others! Of course you need to display the button on your blog and have copied the pledge in at least one post, and provide a link to your pledge under the button.
4.
You need to be honest and admit when you've fallen off the Refashionista Wagon! Go directly to Refashionista Jail, do not pass GO and do not collect $200! Apply for parole once there.

the Gap window says it is 20 colors of spring. my thermometer says it is -10 F...and that's the high for the week...

I recently read this post by needled. It was so inspiring on so many levels. As someone who has studied Fashion and worked as a seamstress I am aware of how much waste there is in the fashion and textile industries. The textile industry is also very hazardous to its workers health. I have always been one to enjoy quality vs. quantity but as I became a college student and then a person who had a very difficult time finding a job-or a direction for that matter- my "fashion" budget has been... lets say very low for the past several years. Not being in school anymore has lead me to want to look nicer. I am not spending all of my time in a Darkroom where I can spill chemicals all over myself and ruin "nice" clothes so now i actually want "nice" clothes. I had recently decided that since I have more time to spend on myself that the best way to get clothes that I love and will fit and I will wear out is to make them myself. Then I read the above mentioned article. I don't feel like I can make a commitment to not buying anything-there are too many things in my closet that need severe repairs or alterations along with too many things i simply do not like- but already having decided to make a good number of things for myself i do feel comfortable trying to push it a little further. If i do make a purchase I will buy the best that i can afford and only buy something I love and not settle for mediocrity. I am also inspired to try to organize a sort of regular knitting/sewing meet up. A way to share what I know about making, altering and mending clothing as well as a chance to be social. I think that the current economy is pushing more people to return to a simpler way of life where you have to use it up, wear it out or make it do.

While I have stepped out of the world of high fashion in the past several years and have recently made a few attempts to get reacquainted I think I could never be a slave to fashion. My morals and ideals for this life have just been set too high to live by the standards that industry has set. I wish for a return of the smaller dressmaking houses like Martha, like what Charles Worth was in his day. Expert people who created not just fashion but a wearable work of art based solely on the level of technique and construction involved in each piece. A wish for a mass understanding of what it takes to create something, anything, from an idea and image in your head to a material object that sits in front of you. All done by someone's hand. The problem with this wish in today's world is that object now created becomes very difficult to throw away. One must create with a purpose to make something special.

The dart and the hem are the first and the last steps respectively when putting together a garment and so encompass every other step taken when making a garment. So here we are at the beginning...