My Own Couture Garment- Part 2

Close-up of the stitching on my handmade felt button.

 

Adding a loop to the back.

 

Cutting black leather to size.

 

Covering all of the ugly foundation stitches.

 

The garment back.

 

A close-up of the golden-brown bits in the felt.

 

The garment front.

 

As you can see...

...my finished garment ended up being rather straightforward in style.

Despite a week spent making flounces and flourishes...

...in the end, the only couture detail I could commit to was a button! :)

Maybe this is one of the joyful lessons of mid-life...

...accepting one's own personal style, and fashioning something to suit?

After all, this is a project that (for once) won't be given away...

...and one which has already found a home among my fall wardrobe!

My Own Couture Garment- Part 1

Liz Clay's original toile pattern...as made up in muslin.

 

My own toile, after modifications.

 

Felt 'production'.

 

Stockpiling finished and dried felt.

 

Cutting out my pattern pieces.

 

One of the other instructors, the amazing Marjolein Dallinga, modeling my nearly finished garment.

 

With my awesome teacher, Liz Clay...wearing smiles of relief after a long week!

 

Though I've shown you some of the wonder and variety of "Felter's Fling"...

...the next two posts are the meat and potatoes of my own 'Fling' experience.

Our instructor started us with a pattern, that when made up...

...fit each and every one of us...more or less!

(Kind of like the sisterhood of the traveling toiles!!) :)

We then learned to make pattern alterations and modifications...

...in order to get the finished garment that we each desired.

Some of my fellow students (expert seamstresses, all!!!) added sleeves and ruffles...

...and many took their patterns to thrilling extremes of tailoring and style!

Being a very rudimentary 'sewist', myself...

...I made modest changes: pattern-lengthening , a curved garment back, and nicely finished seams.

Next time: the finished garment...

...with couture button!

Endless Mountains Fiber Festival

Little cuties!

 

What lovely colors...and check out the wonderful yarn bowls!

 

The vendors kept busy in their booths, spinning or carding...and this nice 'mother of a vendor' worked on a beading project.

 

What a great technique!

 

More pretty things...

 

...and sweet animals.

 

Blog friends meet at long last!!

 

I know that I promised you a post about my Felter's Fling 'couture garment' next...

...but I just couldn't wait to show you photos from my fiber-filled weekend.

I drove upstate to the PA Endless Mountains Fiber Festival on Saturday morning...

...and this time, it wasn't just for the fiber!!

After several years of e-mails and blog comments...

...I finally got to meet my 'blog mentor', Sandie!!

If it weren't for her initial encouragement and technical expertise...

...I'm not sure I'd be blogging today!

It was truly a joy to finally meet...

...and she is just as lovely in person as she has been all along, virtually! :)

(She even brought along a gift of camel roving, and some soft-as-butter Tussah silk and baby camel roving...

...that I can't wait to try.)

Thanks, Sandie!!

I can't wait until we have a chance to meet again!!

Flounce Turned Pocket...Later, Purse- Part 2

Pinned to my garment as a pocket.

 

Sewn on...and looking rather unfortunate! :(

 

Stitched together for use as a purse, and trying out different lengths of handles.

 

The finished purse...side one...

 

...and side two.

 

The purse handle with wrapped felt rectangle.

 

As pockets, these felt pieces absolutely did not work...

...standing stiffly away from the sides of my garment and looking just plain odd.

Unfortunately, before I realized how 'wrong' they were, I had sewn both of them on by machine...

...and it took quite a long time to 'un-pick' them! Grrrr.

People offered ideas about what now to do with them...

...and one of the teachers even thought they'd make great mules (slipper tops)!

I liked the idea of a 'companion pocketbook' for my garment, though...

...so I stitched the two 'pockets' together into an envelope.

I made two long, thin, felt cords and let them dry...

...then folded them into four strands and sewed them to the purse top on each side.

I cut a small rectangle from a leftover piece of felt...

...and wrapped it around the handle, stitching it closed...

...to help keep the handle cords together during use.

Next time: the garment itself!

Flounce Turned Pocket...Later, Purse- Part 1

Variegated wool layout over a bubble wrap resist.

 

While felting.

 

The finished pockets...

 

...shown here as a flounce (their original purpose).

 

Machine stitching embellishment details.

 

The finished pocket.

 

During my couture garment class at Felter's Fling...

...our amazing instructor, Liz Clay encouraged us to pay attention to the details which make each garment special.

To that end...

...some of our week's work was attempting to make different kinds of flourishes and fasteners!

These pieces were originally designed to be used as flounces which could be added to a garment in various places for interest...

...but since I was aiming for a slightly simpler design, my first thought was, "What about turning them into pockets?"

I enlarged the flounce pattern and made it on a resist, not individually...

...so that I would have two identical felted pieces.

I cut a fabric backing for each one (for structural support)...

...and machine stitched them in a regular and random pattern.

Next time: The horror of the pockets...

...and their final redemption! GIggle.

Student Exhibition-Felter's Fling 2011

A peek at some of the amazing work exhibited by students at the Felter's Fling...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this beautiful work speaks for itself! :)

Mid-Week Sharing Time-Felter's Fling 2011

Wrist warmers...

 

...and sculptures.

 

Sample rugs...

 

...and mini-yurts.

 

3-D felt forms...

 

...resist dyeing...

 

...and yurt bags!

 

I hope that these photos give you a sense of the amazing diversity of classes taught at this year's 'Fling'...

...and the incredible talent of its participants!

It was thrilling to be in the company of some of the most capable and inventive feltmakers in the world...

...in an informal atmosphere where we could share meals and spend time together as friends.

Working together with other students, learning from each other and our teachers...

...we formed instant bonds of friendship and community.

For a felter like me (used to working mostly alone)...

...it was a rare and exceptional week of creative energy and inspiration...

...and one I won't soon forget!