Visits from the ghost of Garbedge Past

Some Favorite Projects From the Past Couple Years

In no particular order, here they come.

1. 

The (Repurposed) Strapless Lolita Dress

This is the second version of this dress that I made after designing it with the help of a vintage slip from the 50s. 

The material I used came from a very old LLBeans night gown.

2.

The (Silk) Strapless Lolita Dress

This was the first version of this dress I made. 

The silk came from Katz Exclusive Fabrics in Borough Park.. 

3.

High Waisted Floral Shorts

Love those matte black tack buttons <3

Back welt pockets.

Wide waistband giving them a higher rise. 

Made from Rag & Bone denim purchased at Mood Fabrics in Manhattan.

4.

Scalloped Tee

I was a little wary of scalloping with a knit fabric, but turns, it's nothing to be afraid of.

5.

Honey Bee Jacket

This might be my favorite creation from the past couple of years. 

It certainly gets a lot of use.

And peek-a-boo! A honey bee bedazzled back!

6.

Pressed Wool Vest

This was a project I did entirely with old hoarded fabrics I've been needing to get rid of (by using) for a long time. 

This too gets a lot of wear.

7.

Bikini

I believe I found the material for this at Stretch House in NYC's garment district.

It turns an even prettier color when wet!

Just look at how much I loved this beauty.

8.

Denim Vest

This is the same denim vest I've been selling for years, but this one in particular stood out to me as having expert craftsmanship. 

9.

Gathered Jacket

This is a newly minted jacket and I love it so. Made from a beautiful gray silk and lined with Carhartt quilted lining. 

10.

Owl Undies

Let's get a closer look.

'Nuff said.

Fruition from Vintage Inspiration

The Making of My Strapless Lolita Dress

To start you off, I have had the slip that inspired this design for over ten years. It came to me via my dad via Bunny Bilson, a little tiny lady who lived in the White Mountains and at one point in time formed a sweet friendship with my--at the time--teenaged father. She was a ridiculously bad ass woman under five feet tall. After she died in 1993 my dad bought her house and everything inside of it--which is what she had wanted-- and all of her clothing became mine. Most of the textiles deteriorated at a single finger tip tough, but a few pieces had held up to the tests of mothballs and time quite well. Here is the story of one of the tougher items in the bunch.

Part #1

Nice to Meet You

Circa late 40's-early 50s.

Simple and just right in every way.

Semi-sheer cotton, boned bustier, elastic paneling, metal side zipper.

And of course it also has very pointy coned boob cups which was in vogue at the time. 

(I have them pinned flat in the above photos.)

Part # 2

The Muslin

Created July 2019

After painstakingly seam ripping this prized slip into pieces I preserved them in the form of a paper pattern. I kept this unadjusted version so I have the ability to exactly replicate the original if if I want to (it makes me feel just a little less heart broken about ripping apart the real thing). But now comes the fun part: designing and creating the dress inspired by this slip, not just recreating the slip. 

Here is the very simple drawing of changes I wanted make to the original

Lolita style skirt

Welt pockets

Flatter cups

Exposed back zip

Upper edge detailing

Adjusting the cups definitely took the most revisions, but finally they looked right.

 I love the way a marked up muslin looks.

But then comes the worst part. 

The sometime gun-wrenching bit.

You rip apart the muslin, seam ripping all seams being sure not the stretch anything knit or tear anything woven. Muslins should come apart pretty easily as they should mostly be sewn with a basting stitch.

Making sure to transfer the relevant markings, use the muslin pieces to create your final paper pattern. 

Once you've got your pattern completed the fun start all over again.

Except this time you'll be working with your final material.

So it's time to put that sharpie and seam ripper away.

Part #3

Nice to Meet You, Silky

Created July 2019

I chose a dusky purplish-gray silk that I fund at Kats Exclusive Fabric located in Borough Park, Brooklyn. Kat's is one of my all time favorite fabric stores. From the outside it looks small, but oddly intimidating as you have to ring a doorbell and it always looks closed. But their selection is insanely gorgeous, and the store is bigger than it looks boasting three stories of textiles.

The welt pocket turned out just as I had pictured.

The inside big of the pocket is attached at the waistline so that the weight of anything in the pocket won't reduce the fullness of the skirt. The weight hangs directly from the structured waistline.

The historical context in which women's clothing does not have functional--if any--pockets is information for another day. But suffice it to say I take pockets very seriously, particularly in womenswear. 

Voila!

Excuse the sweat spot. 

It's hot in NYC in the summer. 

Showing off that nice exposed zipper // a nice akimbo stance.

I couldn't be any happier with this thing. Though I anticipate much frustration scaling up those boob cups if anybody wants to order one in a not-Kelsey size.

Scalloping Tutorial

Getting the Perfect Scallop

DIY Scalloping Tutorial With Pictures!

Here's what you'll need:

-A curved metal ruler OR something rounded to trace

-Chalk pen OR fabric marker

-Small detailing scissors

-Seam ripper

-Non-stretch fabric

-Steam iron

-Sewing machine

I have found that the absolute key to creating even and smoothly rounded scalloping is a metal Varied Curve Form ruler, or a metal French Curve. Plastic is not as helpful because you can't press them--something I will explain later. This is not a crucial tool, but I highly recommend it, especially for the perfectionists among us.

If you do not have one of these rulers, find a traceable object that has the size curve you desire. Spools of thread, mugs, bowls, and jars all work well for tracing. 

First, MAKE A PLAN.

When deciding what size scallop you'd like to create, be sure to measure the distance you'll be scalloping so that the scallops fit exactly into the desired space, and you don't end up with a half scallop, or a tiny scallop, at the end. Then use your ruler to trace a row of even curves along the edge of the fabric you would like to scallop. Your chalk marks should be on the wrong side of your material, and your fabric should be folded right sides together. For the purposes of this post I'm going to assuming we are scalloping a hem, though neck lines and cut-outs look gorgeous scalloped as well. 

The smaller scallops you choose, the more difficult they will be to execute, to keep curved, and to keep even. Mark the intersection of each curve. This must be at least 1 inch below the edge of your fabric, or else your scallops won't be connected. 

Next, you want to stitch along you chalked line using a straight and short stitch.

Do not stitch above the marked intersections. 

When sewing scallops and other small curves--such a pater-pan collar--you want to shorten your stitch length. I generally use a length of 0.5, but you may want to adjust this depending on what fabric you are using. As you sew, be sure you are pivoting at the point where each curve intersects. With your needle in the down position (so it will hold your project in place and keep your line of stitching unbroken) lift your presser foot and rotate the fabric in order to follow your chalked line. Put the presser foot back down and sew the next curve, repeating the pivot at every intersection. 

Now snip the excess fabric. Cut about 1/4" below stitching.

Finally, make a tiny little snip directly at the crest of the point, creating a notch when the fabric is splayed. Be sure not to snip you seam. Also notch around the seam allowance of each curve. This allows the scallop to lay flat when turned right-side-out. Because the curve around the seam allowance contains more fabric than the curve of the the stitching, without the notches the seam allowance will be forced to bunch in order to fit into the curve of the stitches. This would cause bumps and small flat areas in your scallops.

Next, turn all of your scallops right side out. You'll end up with a somewhat messy looking string of scallops that looks something like this:

Now begins the finicky annoying part that is infinitely helped by your metal ruler: Flattening your scallops exactly on the seam. 

UGH.

Begin by making sure each crest is fully turned out. Here is where my technique deviates from others'. If I have trouble turning out a certain corner, I take my seam ripper and rip out one single stitch around the crest of the intersection (the spot where you pivoted). As you attempt to turn your scallops, you will be able to see which stitches are preventing the fabric from laying flat. That's the one you want to rip out. This instantly allows the crest to lay flat when turned out. KEEP IN MIND that if you use this technique, you must top stitch your scallops to finish your project, otherwise your seam may pull out.

Here is a scallop that needs to be seam ripped:

Here is a scallop that is laying flat:

Now take your curved ruler and use it to push the curve out evenly. Use a steam iron to press flat while the ruler is still in the scallop. 

Lastly, top stitch the edge of your scalloping using a straight, normal length stitch.

In the end, you should have beautiful & smooth scalloping.

Forever yours with pricked fingers and pins in her mouth,

Kelsey