Hi, all. Hope you had a happy Mother’s Day!
A slow sewing speed is the new normal in my sewing life — let’s hope it’s temporary. Therefore, I am sharing an in-progress item with you, having given up hope to finish it for wearing and sharing with you today.
About this oversize neck placket:
I came up with a new way to attach a neck placket and what you are seeing here is the first try. The size seems like a placket on steroids, and that is on purpose. Then comes making and refining a few more, where hopefully smaller and reasonably sized plackets will emerge. Will my idea make it easier to attach a neck and/or sleeve placket? That may be for you to judge when I do share it with you. Stay tuned, as it will take time to simplify it further than the placket’s current iteration. For this first try, I’ve used a white, puckered cotton double-gauze from Sew Much Fabric, which is a quintessential mid-summer fabric. It is a cool and breezy kurta in progress, in case you’re wondering about the final outcome.
Hey look! The House of Valentino is making it easier for sewers to knock off their stuff:
It seems like a needle felted embellishment on wool, with additional beadwork. It gives off that iconic Valentino vibe, and seamstresses out there who are familiar with wool felting should go forth and knock it off. Or, are those red leaves appliqued? What do you think?
Look #25 is a refashion artist or scrap-buster’s go-to project – just grab a blue shirt, some old lace fabric, applique as shown. Wait, the Valentino design team removed the blue fabric from the back, making the lace section transparent, with individual flowers “dripping” down on the blue. The Vogue editor who did the write up about this collection speaks of this in more glorious terms than I have, though. Read it here.
Hope you had a Happy Mother’s Day! I appropriated the yellow tulips from my daughter, who had a birthday very close to Mama Day.
Samina
Sew Everything Blog 
Hi Samina! I can’t wait to see your technique for the placket, looking forward to it.
I think the jacket is appliqué; the edges are very smooth, and when I enlarge the phot, I think I see the slightest hint of stitching. I’m sure there are those who are more talented than I am, but my needle felting never produces that clean of a line- not that it couldn’t be of course! Too, I might hazard that the appliqués are a bit padded even, a little trapunto-like.
But it’s a very nice use of decorative sewing, whichever it is, and I’m very glad to see it. Off the rack clothing can look so plain, I always enjoy seeing different techniques used!
LikeLike
Working on the placket, Kasey! About the Valentino, you may be right about regular applique. My senior eyes did not catch that hint of stitching around the leaves. Worth a try, I think. The fabric looks like wool felt.
LikeLike
The Valentino felted applique is strikingly pretty. But I see it as a knock-off of the creations of indy sewers, not the other way around. 😉 I’m intrigued by your wide placket.
LikeLike
You are absolutely right in thinking that the mainstream high fashion industry has been taking inspiration from talented and creative home sewers. I keep thinking the same when something like these two looks appear.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Samina I just discovered your blog . I am so excited to try your method for altering armholes which are too big. Since I am of the age where I am always warm (to say the least) I like to wear sleeveless shirts but because I have a large bust I have to buy a larger size than I would ordinarily need and the armholes are always too big. I have tried other methods that are both time consuming and prove to provide less than desirable results,
LikeLike
Yes they both look 12! Your khurta looks like it will be cool and comfy. Intrigued also by your placket.
Really enjoy your posts. Renita in NC
LikeLike
Thank you, Renita! So glad you enjoy my posts 🙂 .
LikeLike