The Right Trousers

No Wensleydale shall enter into the lists.

Trousers have rarely been my friend. When I was a child I was so skinny my mother bought me boys' slim ones and they were still too big. When I became a young woman, the gap in the back was, and remains, the problem - the extreme waist to hip ratio.

So I decided that for work, when I need trousers sometimes, I would make my own. I chose an old pattern - Folkwear 218 (Palm Beach Pants, as it used to be, now Hollywood Pants, #250.) I have made the culottes (now tap pants in the re-issue) but never the trousers or knickerbockers. The trousers are a nice straight cut, falling from the hip with no pleats, and a side zip. I figured, wide legged trousers, perfect for all my figure problems - the waist-hip thing, sway back, knock knees. What fun!

Even so, I fiddled for a fortnight with the muslin, trying to get that extreme waist to hip ratio thing corrected. Even had the off-the-cuff (so to speak) consult of my friend's new hubby, who just happened to have studied design. It finally came down to pivoting the huge immense darts into the side seam and making one smallish dart in the side fronts. The problem with this is that one doesn't want the side curve to be extreme. But unless you want to emphasise the difference by two or even three darts, that's your best shot.

Now, with all the bugs worked out in the muslin, I am on to cutting the fashion fabrics - one wool gabardine and one linen. Lined. With self-bound underlining. Swish. Worthy of my mother.

For instructions on how to do underlining (on a jacket, but the principles are the same) see

Line and Underline in One Step from Threads magazine.

Pictures in the next installment

A Day at the Races

Bless my Alumni Association! I was invited to the races at beautiful Golden Gate Fields, on a completely gorgeous day, and I went with my old friend Cathleen, who had never been to a live race meet. I went because of a lifelong love of horses and riding - and because it was a chance to swan about in Ascot worthy gladrags. In fact, the hat I wore was inspired by one worn by one of the Court ladies at this year's Ascot.

Several ladies accosted me, early and late, saying my dress and the hat were wonderful. Great for me as I trimmed it myself, and my daughter Brigid thought it completely outre, always a good thing.

American race meets are a little weird to me. I am much more familiar with Irish races, on courses and strand racing - if that doesn't give me away. And I promise not to sing The Galway Races.... But Cathleen did bring up 'The Quiet Man' and the race on Dingle strand. That bit of the film always amuses me, as our own little beach here in Linda Mar is just like Dingle strand - which is I guess why I live here in Celtofornia.

Me in the outrageous hat





Cathleen



The horses of one of the races, and the racecourse grounds. I had a wonderful time studying their conformation and temperament and judging how they would 'go'

Update Pet en l'air

If this were a tarot card, it would be The Tower.

I arrived home to a package notice from the Post Office. An Express Mail Must be signed for package. I hoped it was the toile. Called post office national customer service. The thing MUST be signed for in person by me. No signature cards.Only the sender (my little client) can request the signature be waived. I was informed by lady at PO number that this may or may not be granted. She didn't hold out much hope. Client could not phone til Monday anyway as that office is closed. Roman buereaucracy! Informed client of situation. And let it be known that I was beside myself that another week would be stripped from the sewing time by this delay.

It all rather blew up, and the little client's mother wants everything back. In dressmaking parlance, this is known as firing the client, and deadlines are always a big issue here. So are interfering mothers. In this case, the little client was a young woman of 18, who has a job, which is why I took the commission; she has a job, which she has had for some time, and paid for the dress herself in insallments, ergo she could follow through and get things done on time. This is the same reason your employer cares if you have a college degree. Any college degree. Nevertheless, I did keep the mother informed also. You can see what good this did. I figured, okay, so she's letting the daughter have a little life lesson here in responsibility, letting her fall on her face by sending everything so late. Nope. Just self-absorbed. And nasty when I gave the little client a reality check.

My sister, who is also a costume nerd, advised me after my first stint at burning the midnight oil not to overtax myself (I have Addison's disease) as I had waited for a month already. She also advised not to let myself be taken advantage of, and cited several personal examples. But there was NO way I could get it done if I didn't push, so.... caffeine here I come. Won't do that again.

This commission was not for money, but for love of the thing, and the girl. I am sorry it has gone so badly. But dear clients: when your dressmaker tells you it wil take at least a month to complete a project, believe her; it is based on experience. Do everything in your power to get the fabric and other necessaries to her as soon as possible so your item may be completed well in advance of your deadline.

The modiste is most unhappy.

Pet en lair Update

After receiving the fabric much belatedly, I am now scurrying to unpick the detachable train and cut and sew two jackets (with detatchable sleeve ruffles) in time for a date some three weeks hence.

The train arrived being a fully lined and interlined detatchable affair - an overskirt, really - rather than a swath of fabric from the bottom of the dress as I'd imagined. It had velcro at the top - attaching under the bodice, presumably - stitched and restitched and understitched. Much too much for the organza. And it is organza, not taffeta, which is good and bad; more delicate, but less prone to show stitches that have been unpicked.

The pleats, to which the ornamentation is attached, are sewn down to withstand the most severe stress imaginable, straight through the underlining. The ornamentation is also machine stitched. The modiste is not happy. Too much machine sewing can be a very bad thing.