![Mad about Mad Men]()
by Dave | Apr 8, 2015 | Blog, Inspiration, Lucy's Sewing Lab
Do you realize this is the LAST season of Mad Men? McCalls knows and are preparing for us to go mad over retro patterns. I love retro and mod clothing. I have a few patterns in my own collection. A quick search on Pinterest reveals a frenzy! Even before I did a little searching for this blog I have been obsessed with the whole look of Mad Men. I just did not realize until I plugged those words into Pinterest how popular the show is. You see, I just don’t get out much anymore. lol I love the looks, it reminds me of childhood. That’s how the grown ups dressed. With that in mind, I’m not sure I’m grown up enough to don these looks. Admit it, some of those clothes are pretty scandalous. Maybe it’s fashion that created the free love era and not free love that created fashion?
“Mad Style: Feminine patterns and fabrics—a touch of lace, a sweet bow on a blouse, or a flowy dress—keep your wardrobe classic and effortlessly pretty. The trick to not looking too girlish or 1950s housewife is to keep the shape of each piece modern (try a structured blazer or pencil skirt) or to add an alluring touch: Channel Joan’s va-va-voom appeal with ladylike fabrics tucked into body-hugging shapes” a quote from The Muse. And they were kind enough to add pictures in their story. It’s not hard to recreate those looks, is it? Not when the big pattern companies are rereleasing their vintage patterns. That makes it pretty easy to become a Mad Man fashionista.
Butterick Patterns has a new Retro section. B4790 is one of those patterns, a wrap dress.
I think this looks like something Betty Draper would wear. I might wear it too, if I made it. I’m sure this isn’t the last you’ll hear of Mad Men until the season ends. I’m sure this blog will be mentioning it again, soon. I’ll leave you with this added inspiration 
Enjoy!
by Dave | Apr 8, 2015 | Blog, Experimentation, Lucy's Sewing Lab
Determining the fabric for clothing can be confusing. Finding a pattern isn’t that hard to do, right? Walk into the store, browse the book, pick a pattern. The process of fabric shopping is entirely another process which can take quite awhile. Hopefully, this blog post will help in determining the type of fabric to choose.
Probably the easiest thing to do is to look at the back of the pattern. It will have a list of recommended fabric for the garment. So, what if you do not like to sew or wear the fabric the manufacturer recommends? Through the process of trial and error, I have found the following list to be pretty helpful. Some of the suggestions came from Threads Magazine, while the others are personal preference through trial and error.
Pants: Depending on the style the following list works
- Linen
- Stretch poplin
- Denim
- Cotton Lycra (4 way stretch)
- Fleece
- Jersey
Shirts, blouses, and tee shirts
- Jersey Knit
- Interlock Knit
- Sweatshirt fleece
- Cotton Voile
- Rayon Challis
- Double gauze
- Silk
- Chambray
- Cotton lawn
- Linen
- Flannel
- Sweater Knit
Skirts
- Knits, all varieties depending on the pattern and the desired drape
- Cotton Lawn
- Stretch cottons
- Rayon Challis
- Denim
- Linen
Dresses
- Knit
- Cotton Lawn
- Ponte Knit
- Rayon Challis
- Double Gauze
- Silk
- Satin
- Lace (with a lining of course)
- Wool
Loungewear
- Rayon Knit
- Interlock Knit
- Jersey Knit
- Fleece
- Stretch French Terry
- Silk
- Satin
- Flannel
![Mad about Mad Men]()
by Dave | Apr 5, 2015 | Beginner Tips, Blog, Knit Tips, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Tools and Technique
Knits are very on trend currently. They are so popular one might say it’s a revolution of knits, they seem to be taking over the fashion industry. I really don’t think anyone minds either. They are comfortable, wear well, and require little maintenance. As a Fashion and Psychology Major, I have this need, desire, drive to know all there is to know about fashion. Textiles have always had me intrigued. How can cotton and poly blend together and create so many different fabrics? Why is double knit in 2015 completely different than the fabric of the same name in the 1970s? Why do fabrics behave so differently? The questions are endless.
I feel it’s the evolution of textiles. Think about when all clothing was made of cotton. I cannot imagine wearing clothing without at least a little stretch. That sounds horrible to me. I remember fashions trends resulting in new social rules. NO SHIRT NO SHOES NO SERVICE. As a child of the 70s this was devastating. I did not go topless, just to be clear haha. I did not like and still do not like shoes though.
Knit is a good example of a fabric with a personality that has evolved over the years. I started sewing my clothes in the 1980s. Knit was one of my favorite fabrics. I love the way it feels, or the hand of the fabric. I never considered it as a difficult fabric to work with. But, as I got back into sewing earlier this year, the internet is FULL of techniques for sewing with knit. Threads Magazine defines slinky knit, jersey knit, and stretch velvet as moderately difficult to sew with. Everything else is considered easy by this magazine.
When sewing, how do you choose which knit is the perfect match for your pattern? On the back of the pattern there is usually an area that says, “must stretch from here to here” To determine the amount of stretch use a single layer of the fabric on the crossgrain. I borrowed this info graphic from Threads Magazine to better explain the crossgrain of fabric. Simply place the fabric on the measuring device printed on the pattern envelope. Then pull to stretch the fabric comparing the stretch to the ruler. If it has enough stretch it is suitable for the pattern. If not, keep looking until you find a material that is suitable. If you really love the fabric, then by all means adjust the pattern to work with the fabric. How to adjust the pattern will be discussed in another blog.
“Mad Style: Feminine patterns and fabrics—a touch of lace, a sweet bow on a blouse, or a flowy dress—keep your wardrobe classic and effortlessly pretty. The trick to not looking too girlish or 1950s housewife is to keep the shape of each piece modern (try a structured blazer or pencil skirt) or to add an alluring touch: Channel Joan’s va-va-voom appeal with ladylike fabrics tucked into body-hugging shapes” a quote from The Muse. And they were kind enough to add pictures in their story. It’s not hard to recreate those looks, is it? Not when the big pattern companies are rereleasing their vintage patterns. That makes it pretty easy to become a Mad Man fashionista.
I think this looks like something Betty Draper would wear. I might wear it too, if I made it. I’m sure this isn’t the last you’ll hear of Mad Men until the season ends. I’m sure this blog will be mentioning it again, soon. I’ll leave you with this added inspiration 
Enjoy!