Poly, You Haven't Licked Me Yet!

Readers, I wasn't going to write about my 1944 blouse project again today, but I felt it my duty to share a few important truths about this synthetic fabric, perhaps to spare you some unnecessary headaches down the line.

Here goes:

1) Poly charmeuse will not ease.  It will, however, pucker like nobody's business (esp. when there's spandex in the weave).  I knew this going in, readers, but it's SO true. We've all encountered the sleeve cap situation where there's five or six inches of extra ease and you're like, Huh? I usually just chop the extra height off the top kind of intuitively. Well, with poly charmeuse, you don't want even an extra inch of ease because it ain't gonna ease.

My sleeve hole measured roughly 16 inches.  My sleeve cap measured more than 20!  I chopped, trying to retain the shape of the sleeve cap, which is not entirely symmetrical.





I had to deepen the armhole a bit as it was a little high, which widened the armhole a bit.



Believe it or not, there was still a little too much ease.



I got the sleeve on, and it doesn't look bad, but it was a headache.  If you stitch the sleeve on first with a basting stitch, the seam looks puckery, but you can't start out with a tiny stitch in case you have to rip the seam out.  Do you know what I'm talking about?

2) As I mentioned, my poly charmeuse has some stretch to it.  When you're stitching it you must not stretch the fabric under the sewing machine or it will look puckered when it's finished.  There will be the occasional appearance of puckering when the fabric stretches on the body -- I think this is very hard to avoid, particularly in an armscye.



3) The pattern called for two dart tucks at the front hem, giving the blouse a lovely hourglass shape.  Unfortunately, it also made it too fitted.

 

I had to take those tucks out and do it without damaging the fabric.  Eensy weensy stitches, too.  I managed it but is wasn't fun and I'll probably need glasses soon.  I'm not sure if this would have been easier or harder on real silk.  Any idea?

These wrinkles pressed out completely, thankfully.  I may add a very narrow dart tuck just to create the illusion of a slightly more nipped waist.





Overall, ripping seams in this rather pillowy charmeuse is a PITA and not for the faint of heart.

4. Poly charmeuse is thick and rather heavy.  The sleeves have ruffles on the cuffs.  The ruffle is made by folding a rectangle in half length-wise, right sides together, stitching the ends, and turning.  This is then gathered (!) and stitched to the cuff. The cuffs are then stitched to a gathered sleeve. 





The end result is OK, but lacks the crispness  and lightness you'd get with cotton or perhaps real silk.  The fabric is simply too thick for this to look elegant.  And you can't really press ruffles, can you?



The band collar came out very well.  But tied, it's hard to get the crisp bowtie effect you'd get with real silk, at least not without a lot of effort.  It's just too slippery. 



I'll have pics of the finished blouse this weekend.  Overall, I love it and it's very different from anything I've made before.  If I were to make this again, however, I think I'd do it in something crisper and probably a natural fiber.  It has certainly been an interesting challenge though!

Thoughts about poly charmeuse, pro and/or con? 

Happy Friday, everybody!

All The News About Poly Charmeuse

Readers, one of the best things about giving yourself permission to change your mind is that you're also allowed to change your mind back again, with the end result being like you'd never changed your mind in the first place.  Do you know what I mean?

This time yesterday, very much in a wiggy whirl, I doubted I wanted to make my 1944 blouse with the two yards of poly charmeuse I'd purchased for it.





It looked too shiny, too slinky, too too.  But rather than pitch it altogether I decided to try to make friends with it.  I did some research in Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide.  I took out my featherweight (my go-to machine these days), inserted a fresh #9 needle, and experimented with stitch length.  The test darts I'd made the previous day that looked shabby with a medium-long stitch came out beautifully with a tiny stitch.  I experimented with iron heat settings (my iron runs cool) and steam.  The results were encouraging.



Michael said he liked the fabric.  The alternative was to make the blouse out of an old cotton sheet I use for muslins.  I decided to give the charmeuse a try.

I chose the darker of two thread colors, not that you'll ever see the thread.  Normally I sew with serger thread -- there, now you know! -- but I received an 18-spool kit of Coat & Clarks thread from the BurdaStyle dress sew-along project I led, and was eager to use some of it.



Did I mention that my charmeuse has a little width-wise and diagonal stretch?  I steam ironed it on the wrong side, and got ready to cut.  It cut beautifully with my rotary cutter, with very little fraying. 



The polka dots made it easy to line things up.  As you can see, this is not a printed pattern.  V-cuts and perforations are all the information you get, which can be confusing at first but you get used to it.  The instructions are very detailed, if a little dense.





The back has two inverted tucks, and the front has something similar, referred to as "dart tucks."





I'm using french seams where I can.  Not sure what I'll use for the armscye seams.  Any suggestions?



I serged the edges of my front facings.  I know that's not historically accurate but it sure is easier, and won't show throw the front of the blouse when ironed.



Anyway, there's still much to do.  Maybe it's the quality of the poly charmeuse I bought (which wasn't all that cheap at $5/yd at Chic Fabrics), but I am cautiously optimistic. While it doesn't have the beautiful creamy quality of real silk charmeuse, this poly charmeuse is a pretty good imitation.



In closing, I think one of the tricks to success with this fabric is to use a straight stitch machine, which gives excellent control, especially on darts and tucks, and especially with potentially slippery fabrics.  Sometimes I think sewing machine manufacturers perpetrated a huge hoax on home garment sewers when they introduced the zigzag machine.  But let's not even go there -- unless you must.

Have a great day, everybody!

Cathy's New Hairdo -- Yea or Nay?

Friends, I believe, when choosing between two paths, always to choose the one that really excites you in the moment.  Hence, yesterday, I put aside my two yards of polka dot poly charmeuse (more about that later) and made a beeline for Wigs & Plus at 152 West 32nd St.  Kind of has a nice ring to it, don't you think, Wigs & Plus? 

The consensus, building over many, many months, was that Cathy needed a new hairdo: something softer, longer, and in a somewhat lighter shade.  But she couldn't lose her essential Cathy-ness.  It was a very difficult challenge, perhaps equal to sewing a poly charmeuse blouse.  No, definitely harder.

You, beloved readers, have been more than generous.  Laura offered to send me a red wig she has tucked away somewhere.  Sadly, red is the one color that makes Cathy's rosacea "pop" in photos.  Semi-retired wig stylist Richard suggested something slightly tousled, with more volume.  Sandy was even kind enough to send me a link to this beautiful portrait of sultry Gina Lollabrigida. 



From among the hundreds of wigs at Wigs & Plus, I found one I thought had possibilities.   Cathy and I took some test shots and I'd like to share them with you.  No makeup here, just a little lipstick, faux fur, and a lot of attitude.  Very spontaneous.  

Before:



After:







Yes?  No?  Maybe?

By the way, for those who wish to emulate Cathy's new look, it's Soul Tress "Perry," designed by James Lee (fancy!), and has copper highlights.    

Meanwhile, in poly-charmeuse-blouse land, I'm having second thoughts.  I fear the charmeuse is too heavy and, frankly, too cheap looking for the 1944 outfit project.  I especially don't like the way darts and tucks photograph in charmeuse.  Then again, most of it will be hidden under a jumper.



I may follow Stashdragon's advice, put it aside and opt for a more somber, historically accurate solid in a natural fiber rather than synthetic.  We'll see.

But back to synthetic hair.

In your opinion, does Cathy's hair conjure up any specific period or person more than others?  Ava Gardner?  Loretta Young?  Gladys Kravitz from Bewitched?

It does give off a somewhat late Fifties/early Sixties vibe to me.  Not sure how it will work with earlier periods, but hey, there's always hats, turbans, and snoods!

Cathy's new hairdo -- yea or nay?

More Cathy wig portraits below.

This is not a sequel to "11 songs by fictional musicians from movies and TV that are surprisingly not terrible"

After reading my post in which I listed standout tunes by fake bands like "Find It" by The Kelly Affair, a.k.a. The Carrie Nations, from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (catch "Find It" during "Assorted Fistful" on A Fistful of Soundtracks), retroRechercher tweeted to me the title of another standout original Stu Phillips-penned song from the 1970 Russ Meyer flick. It's been a while since I saw Beyond the Valley of the Dolls on the Fox Movie Channel, so I forgot about "In the Long Run."

I'm relieved that the Fox cable channels that aren't Faux News--FX, Fox Movie Channel and Fuel, to name a few--have settled their beef with DirecTV, which I currently subscribe to (and have lately considered ditching for Xfinity). I would have hated being forced to watch the latest episodes of Justified, Louie and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia a year after everybody else would first see them on FX. Also, if I'm not mistaken, Fox Movie Channel is the only channel that airs Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The "In the Long Run" montage makes great use of the wide frame as it details Carrie Nations manager Harris Allsworth's wordless resentment of record producer Z-Man's control over the band. In pan-and-scan, the montage is the victim of a massacre that's as awful as the one during the movie's climax.



A live cover of "In the Long Run" by the Pittsburgh band The Garment District:

Chewsday

Random Chew page of the week (from Chew #10)

Filipino American History Month Painting of the Day archive

(Photo source: Filipino American Artists Network)

October 3, 2011: "Tax Dollars Kill" by Mike "Dream" Francisco
October 4, 2011: "Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao, Fighting Pride of the Philippines" by Cristopher Nolasco
October 5, 2011: "Lotus Blossom" and "Dragon Lady" by Allison Torneros
October 6, 2011: "Skeedo" by Leo Valledor
October 7, 2011: "Beachcomber" by Alfonso Ossorio
October 10, 2011: "Why I Hate Europeans" by Manuel Ocampo
October 11, 2011: 1990 graffiti art by Mike "Dream" Francisco
October 12, 2011: "Shannyn Sossamon" by Cristopher Nolasco
October 13, 2011: "How Mali Lost Her Accent" by Pacita Abad
October 14, 2011: "The City" by Allison Torneros
October 17, 2011: "Echo" by Leo Valledor
October 18, 2011: "Five Ways to Exit a Window (Defenestrate)" by Allison Torneros
October 19, 2011: "Red Dress" by Cristopher Nolasco
October 20, 2011: "Four Seasons" by Leo Valledor
October 21, 2011: "The Conception of Bliss" by Allison Torneros
October 24, 2011: "Lou Reed" by Manuel Ocampo
October 25, 2011: "Hello Like Before" by Leo Valledor
October 26, 2011: "Gintong Kasaysayan, Gintong Pamana (Filipino Americans: A Glorious History, A Golden Legacy)" by Eliseo Art Silva
October 27, 2011: "Dancing Couple" by Pacita Abad
October 28, 2011: 1990 graffiti art by Mike "Dream" Francisco
October 31, 2011: "Thriller" by Allison Torneros

Halloween recap + NEW FABRIC!

Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen?  Princess Margaret and nephew Prince Edward?

To say Michael and I weren't exactly the most-easily recognized couple out on Halloween night is an understatement.  But at least neither of us was Zombie Steve Jobs.  Or a sexy secretary.

I'm not entirely sure what Michael was dressed up as, but I think it's obvious which one of us grew up in the suburbs (Hint: it's not me).  That "Woof" tee shirt is Michael's own creation, made with Swarovski crystal letters we ironed on with my Elna Press -- the first time I've used the darn thing in months.



The leopard leggings are something Michael bought for the cabaret show, though he ended up wearing my leopard pants.  We never did make it to the Halloween parade -- Michael was cold and my feet ached -- but we had a lovely Italian dinner at Donatella on Eighth Avenue instead.  We were seated next to a witch, a zombie, two pirates, and a French couple.



File under Don't Ask If You Don't Want To Hear The Answer -- the topic of Cathy's hair color.  I asked Michael if he thought Cathy needed to go a shade or two lighter.  Cathy has such a delicate complexion and she is a "summer," like myself, after all.  (A few months ago I did try to find Cathy's do in a somewhat lighter shade of brown, with no success.  Apparently Motown Tress has discontinued her style, do you believe it?!)



Not only did Michael answer Yes quite emphatically, but he also asked if we couldn't find something with perhaps a little gray in it!  Cathy was not amused.



Friends, even I am getting a little tired of seeing Cathy in that vintage McCall's rose-print cocktail dress, so let's move on, shall we?

I went fabric shopping yesterday and am now ready to begin my 1944 outfit project!



As you'll recall, I'm making the Butterick coat (above left) out of the dusty rose vintage wool blanket I bought a few weeks ago at the flea market.  I hope to enter it in the Pattern Review Refashion contest, if all goes well.



For the jumper, I wanted something with a pattern -- classic and a little conservative, to go with the period.  Here's what I chose:



For the blouse, I bought a cream and black polka dot poly charmeuse.  I've never made a Forties blouse before and never worked with poly charmeuse, so it should be interesting.





And that, dear readers, is that!  It seems like Halloween kicks off a holiday season of overeating that doesn't really end till Easter.  Oye.

Your fabric and hair color comments are most welcome.  You'd be surprised how hard it is to find a good pixie-cut wig that has some length on the sides and doesn't have all those irregular razor-cut edges.  What are all the Jane Wyman clones doing?   Could this work?

Have a great day, everybody!