Visits from Garbedge Past: A Year in Review

Revisiting some of my favorite garments from 2014

1

Repurposed vest made entirely from Kai's cast-off Carhartt pelts. 

There were a few incarnations before I was happy with the style, but in the end she was a pieced together femm beauty.

Sold to sweet Geraldine in Ireland.

Geraldine's review of her purchase: "My favourite item in my wardrobe!" 

2

Button down linen crop top in black and brown with scavenged copper buttons.

Sold to a sweetheart in Pasadena, California.

3

Brown linen tulip skirt with brown canvas waist. 

Also sold to Geraldine in Ireland. Girl's got style...!

4

Open-back linen tank with pater pan collar.

Also, ignore my attempts at modeling, or in other words, don't look at me!

Sold to a lady in Reno. Her item review:

"Ahhhhmazing quality and detail. The sizing is true to fit. Shipment was on time. Comfortable and sexy. Killer shop! Love love love."

Oh, my self indulgence...

5

The Rheanin top. 

Made from yet another one of Kai's discarded and oversized teeshirts. 

I was particularly attached to this one, as it came right off the RAW runway in Brooklyn.

First Garbedge Fashion Show; maybe the last Garbedge fashion show.

I was happy to see it sell to someone in Vermont.

6

This striped ruffled tank-top that's hangin' off of little Allie.

Sold to Miss Urban in NYC.

Six seems like a weird number to land on, but my favorites are my favorites.

Happy 2015 everybody. It's a comin!

Cleanin' Out the Garbedge Closet

...and you know what that means!

FREE CLOTHES!

If you pay for shipping, I will send you these hand-made articles of clothing for free. I just want them to have good homes. 

First up, there's this extra tiny tee.

What a stud, right?

XS

The sleeves are made of a paint studded cotton bottom-weight, and the rest is a super stretchy soft jersey. This top is real old-school Garbedge from the Devoe Street days in Brooklyn, when my bike had a place to hang in the hallway, and Maya and I were building a vegetable garden in the courtyard, and I slept by the ceiling in a bunk bed with Chessy.

Next up, we've got  the Endless Struggle Teeshirt Dress

XS

Made from the cast-off XL teeshirt of my old landlord, a skateboarding, ex-edgman Brooklyn daddy of two with a knack for sculpture and hella clothes to bestow upon me to meet my sewing dreams.

Do you have a tiny butt?

These might be for you.

XS

Waistband: 26"

Rise: 8.5"

Inseam: 26.5"

These jeans are made of a heavy cotton canvas. 

Reinforced with copper rivets.

X pocket detailing.

My best guess would be that these are a 00, but I'm not entirely sure.  

All I know is that they are too little for my booty. 

Just a note: the machine I use for rivets and tack buttons happens to be named THE DEEP THROAT.

Just sayin'.

And then...

The scoop-neck elegant tee. 

I don't have any good pictures of these, but you get the idea.

This shirt has no ribbing around the sleeves or neckline, so the shirt drapes in a real pretty and simple way. There is a decorative seam running up the back. 

I have 6 of these in stock right now: Two pale gray, two white, one bluish gray, and one in lace. They are all a size M.

LENGTH (shoulder to hem) 23.5"

SCOOP NECK 4"

HIPS 36"

BUST 39"

Black Jersey Tunic Top

S

This top is made of a super light-weight black jersey. 

It's almost long enough to be a dress. Almost.

Measurements:

+24.5" LENGTH (shoulder to hem)

+30" WAISTLINE (at seam)


If you are interested in anything, please e-mail me at garbedgeclothingdesigns@gmail.com.

Check out my etsy shop, too!
etsy.com/shop/garbedgeclothes

The Dora Shirt

Ahh, this button-down is a favorite baby in my shop. The  beige silk came from B&J Fabric in NYC's garment district. It's one of my favorite places to browse, particularly for denim, but the place is pretty pricey and not for the faint of wallet. I had the buttons covered at a little place on 36th and the floral silk for the collar came from Mood. Sometimes I have meltdowns in mood, due to the overwhelming nature of choice.

I designed her from this little room I was subletting in Prospect Heights last summer. 

That room was my first taste of having a real WINDOW in two years; my first taste of my own room in two years; first taste of privacy and a view and floorspace to cut on.

Damn, was it happy-making.

Scalloping - Almost a Real Tutorial

Scalloping looks daunting.

Hella pretty, but so daunting. Right?

It's actually really not that difficult to accomplish

All you need is paper and pen, some writing implement that won't stain your fabric (tailor's chalk, chako pen, fabric marker etc.) a round object like the bottom of a bottle or bowl, a bottle cap, the base of a spool of thread--depending on the size of your desired scallop (and of course, if you have a  French Curve that's ideal, but tracing a round object is a bit more accessible) and last of all you need a sewing machine. 

Use your French Curve or round object to make yourself a paper template. If you are altering a preexisting garment, you'll want to add a strip of fabric rather than folding the hem. This way, you avoid shortening the length of your garment. If you are altering a pattern, simply lengthen your pattern's hem. Whichever method you choose, be sure that fabric is arranged with right sides together. 

Lay your template with the curved edges at the bottom of your hem and trace all the way around.

Stitch over the lines using a smaller stitch length than you would usually. I use 1.8 generally. It makes easing around the curves oh so much easier. At the point between scallops, left the presser foot (making sure the needle is down) and reposition the fabric so that your scallops are crisp and defined. Trim around your stitching leaving about 1/8 allowance.

Now turn your scalloping right side out. It'll look a little messy, and the scallops won't be rounded. Don't worry, use a point turner or other implement to push your scallops into their rounded positing. Be sure to iron them flat.

Your last task is to use a straight stitch (at a normal length) to stitch around the open edge of your scallops. If you would prefer to avoid this seam--though I think it's pretty--you can serge the upper edge of your scallop panel rather than folding it, which will leave you with a finished edge that you don't need to address.

Done!

Buuuut...

You're not just limited to hems. 

Check out the collar!

The Basics in Booty: Some of the Best Ways to Literally Cover Your Ass

...and maybe a little about sewing stretch fabrics.

The way I see it, everybody's got a booty. And sometimes they've just got to be covered up. These shorts are all made of a soft cotton jersey with a whole lotta comfy stretch. They are easy to make, once you've got the basics of sewing stretch fabrics under your belt. Aside from the right needle, the right thread, and the right stitch (all of which depend on the specifics of your fabric), you might wanna try a walking foot: 

They can be a little expensive, but they work wonders:

If you don't have a walking foot, try a twin needle for smoother, less puckered seams. 

Once you've got the seams under control, your ready for the actual shorts.

Black and white stripes

Foldover waist band

Lettuce ruffled hem

Or you could try...

Polka-dots

A drawstring waist

And a ribbed ruffle