Beyond the Scarf - Clothes
With summer right around the corner, one of the things I've wanted to explore is clothing. I had a photo of a poncho two weeks ago, modeled so graciously by my younger sister, but ponchos are good for spring and autumn, not so much for the summer.
For summer, I always want something comfortable. I live in Western NY, and while we may not have the endless heat and humidity the South might have, it does reach into the 80 degree mark regularly. Add with that our bountiful sunshine, something lightweight and comfortable is a necessity.
Handwoven garments (even on my rigid heddle loom at 12.5 dpi) are perfect as seen in this photograph below:
I normally work with plus-sized fashion, partly because that is where I fall in my own sizing, but also because I find little for the plus-sized woman who wants beautiful handcrafted items. While my sister isn't plus-sized, only a few adjustments were needed for the dress to fit her. This is one of beautiful aspects of handwoven fashion - its fluidity.
The dress was made using five panels of 11" wide material. It is a halter top, and the back portion has elastic to keep it tucked in for my sister. All in all, however, she declares it to be quite comfortable. One of the joys of this dress is the fact that there are no pattern pieces required to make it. While I have used store-bought patterns for clothes, I find with my woven fabric too many seams to protect. With the dress above, I had only top seams and bottom hems to consider. The interior seams use the selvages requiring no special protection.
Next week, I'll focus on the pros and cons of using patterns.
For summer, I always want something comfortable. I live in Western NY, and while we may not have the endless heat and humidity the South might have, it does reach into the 80 degree mark regularly. Add with that our bountiful sunshine, something lightweight and comfortable is a necessity.
Handwoven garments (even on my rigid heddle loom at 12.5 dpi) are perfect as seen in this photograph below:
 |
| Green Striped Summer Dress |
I normally work with plus-sized fashion, partly because that is where I fall in my own sizing, but also because I find little for the plus-sized woman who wants beautiful handcrafted items. While my sister isn't plus-sized, only a few adjustments were needed for the dress to fit her. This is one of beautiful aspects of handwoven fashion - its fluidity.
The dress was made using five panels of 11" wide material. It is a halter top, and the back portion has elastic to keep it tucked in for my sister. All in all, however, she declares it to be quite comfortable. One of the joys of this dress is the fact that there are no pattern pieces required to make it. While I have used store-bought patterns for clothes, I find with my woven fabric too many seams to protect. With the dress above, I had only top seams and bottom hems to consider. The interior seams use the selvages requiring no special protection.
Next week, I'll focus on the pros and cons of using patterns.
Comments
Post a Comment