Tag Archives: fabric

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INTER-GALACTIC SPACE ANOMALY

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You may remember my friend the Pink Lion, but he has another identity: IGSA! Formerly known as the Inter-Galactic Space Assassin, IGSA was in need of a new uniform for Burning Man 2012. I honestly don’t remember quite how this design evolved, but it was glorious.

Tying into his other incarnation, I just love that long gold zipper. It’s magnificent against the silver fabric of the suit! And could that suit be any tighter? The fitting sessions were hi-larious, and as an honorable lady my own Jason was present (and laughing just as much as I was).

Inter Galactic Space Anomaly

Inter Galactic Space Anomaly

The main idea of this suit is IGSA’s heart chakra. It’s represented by green in the middle of the chest, and we found nebulous inspiration on the internet. The pink star was omitted, and I really enjoyed recreating this idea.

heart shakra

Inter Galactic Space Anomaly Inter Galactic Space Anomaly

First I blocked off the zipper with painters’ tape, and then sprayed a mist of fluorescent green paint over the chest. Once that was dry, I pinned Solvy stabilizer to the area, and marked the points of the lightning bolts. I used zig-zag stitches of various lengths and widths with my black light reactive green thread to really get some pupils bouncing. The final step was the wavy lines, which I made using glow-in-the-dark puff paint. Texture and visuals! Anyone else hallucinating?

To contrast with the green, I put a glittery orange trim on all raw edges, instead of hemming. You can’t tell in daylight, but I used a neon orange thread for this step, which really glows in an ultra-violet environment.

IGSA needs his supplies, so I made this fabulous fanny pack for him. I happened to have the black/silver glitter vinyl and wide elastic belt in my stash, which matched so perfectly with the lycra of his suit. I LOVE the vinyl pouch; the construction is just sexy. It’s got a giant snap on the back, for easy removal and re-attachment under most inebriated circumstances (and beyond those, helpful bystanders would easily be able to figure out the system).

The last step was a cape. Mint-green minky dot on one side, and black-light reactive matrix fabric on the other. Pimpin’ green color, and you got yourself a cape! I hear that it was very warm, and I can attest to the fabulousness of it.

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YELLOW FLORAL BIRTHDAY DRESS

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My computer has recently revived from a 3 week hiatus, and yet I’m still just using an old post. Haven’t got quite everything back up and running, and the laptop was really just an excuse to not blog. Maybe I’ll write about it later, but does anyone really care? Long story short: I’m busy sewing all day, working really hard, and also prioritizing my time off. I haven’t really done any personal sewing, and I’m waiting for photos on several large projects for clients. Theoretically I’ll be able to post every day in May.

So in the meantime here’s a post that’s all about eventually getting things done. Pictures were taken in July 2014, when I had an incredibly short cut and was still deep in platinum mania.

 

Happy birthday to meee… from 2013. I bought this fabric as a birthday gift to myself, but between other projects and design uncertainty, wasn’t able to sew it up until 14 months later. Luckily it was worth the wait!

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

The yellow floral poplin in from the Lisette line at Joann. I immediately fell in love with the color combination and the paisley-inspired print. But it was that print that got me turned around. Brightly colored flowers… would that be too juvenile? I hate the idea of being ‘cute’ or saccharine, and so the fabric was folded and left in my cabinet…

Would I use a Laurel-esque shift pattern (this was right around the time that design was sweeping the blogosphere)? What about a vintage sleeveless dress? Maybe I should copy a 2005 H&M shirt dress I still wear: even with the heart print and slightly puffed sleeves, the sleek seams and short hem made me feel powerful.

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

In the end, I combined all these elements. I made a complete pattern of the H&M dress, but eliminated the sleeves and collar. I used a placket inspired from my vintage pattern, though I constructed this one myself. I copied Laurel’s clean neckline, and from there added my own details.

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne The raw edges are serged and topstitched. The neckline and arm holes are bound with self-made bias tape, which I sewed on the front using my machine, and then whip stitched the inside and back. yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

I feel like the coral binding creates a neat outline for the wild print. The mustard thread for the buttonholes doesn’t actually match any of the 7 colors of the fabric, but it still felt like the right choice. And the gold shank buttons… somehow, I didn’t even consider that option as I imagined the perfect buttons, but they jumped out at me as I was browsing the Dill racks.

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

It’s been a great summer dress so far, and of course it will do well in cooler temperatures with a cardigan and leggings.

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

I already bought fabric for this year’s birthday dress. I’m not sure if I’ll have it done in time (3 weeks!) and I’m not even sure what design I will use. Perhaps I’ll make a blog post all about that… I should have it published in about 4 months!

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CHEVRON GENIE PANTS

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Jeez, this should have been posted in July! Lucky for current-me, cause I’m swamped with projects for clients that aren’t bloggy. I have a few big projects coming to completion soon, so you’ll see how busy I’ve been!

A few weeks ago I went shopping in the fabric district with some friends, and naturally we ended up at Michael Levine Loft.

fabric shopping

Aleah, Sandra, Nhi, and me

Fabric was $2.50/lb, and I walked away with 11.85 lb (Sandra had a little more). Among my haul was a swishy rayon with black and green chevrons. I wasn’t sure about the colors, because it’s dark and I rarely wear green, but the fabric was perfect for some new genie pants.

chevron genie pants, made by Juliannechevron genie pants, made by Julianne

chevron genie pants, made by Julianne

I followed my own DIY genie pants tutorial, with a couple modifications. I made these pants with pockets and side seams, and there will be a follow-up tutorial for that.

chevron genie pants, made by JulianneThe other departure is that I tapered the legs about 4″ from the inseam and side seams on both front and back. I wanted these pants to be casual lounge wear, and the super puffy legs felt so conspicuous.

chevron genie pants, made by Julianne I also made the tank top. It was a $1 remnant, and super smooth charcoal gray jersey (with rayon?). The seams were serged with red thread on the right side of the shirt, and then I topstitched them to lay flat. It’s strange to see myself wearing all dark colors!

chevron genie pants, made by Julianne

They’re comfortable and casual and I love them!

Another word from current-me: after a lot of wear, this rayon fabric is starting to pill. Also the elastic waistband is wearing out a bit; I’ll replace this with a higher-quality spadex. I still have a bunch of this fabric, but now I’m reluctant to make anything that requires a lot of effort.

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