Let me clarify something on the skirt for you, Sania. I started with the Kwick*Sew "slim skirt" pattern. If you make it the way they tell you to, it's 2 pattern pieces, each one cut on the fold. What I did was cut along where the fold line should have been so that it became four pattern pieces. Then I flared out each one very sharply (it makes about an 80 degree angle) into the half-circle shapes. I then had to take in the side seams a little to get it all to fit perfectly.

As for the "Karate" shirt...that's actually sort of what I'm doing. I took a good look at a tape with Michael Wentik wearing one and realized "oh my god, it's really just a bathrobe!" So I got Kwick*Sew's men's bathrobe pattern and started from there. I did make a few changes. First of all, I cut it several sizes smaller. I opened up the pattern and it gave the finished chest measurements for each size, and picked which size to cut from that. If your guy is already thin and wirey you will have to make more adjustments because the pattern isn't sized small enough, but I'm sure you can figure it out. I also adjusted for length, and instead of sewing the side seams all the way down I left them open for about 5 inches from the hem and folded back the edges to make little slits. The other change I did was to make the armholes a little smaller so that it would be fitted. Fortunately when I made the smaller size it all pretty much worked out exactly anyway. The trickiest part is sewing the contrasting collar and lapels on. I used fusible interfacing to line the collar + lapels (they're all one unit because this is a shawl collar pattern) and then very carefully followed the directions in the pattern to put everything together. I'm quite happy with how it is coming out -- it looks like a smoking jacket!

Hi, I'm done with the other Latin dress now. Well, actually, I have to sew some more fringe to it, but it will still look the same, I'm just putting in another layer.

That's a gorgeous dress, Laura. I really like the "refined" fabric with the more daring, yet still tailored-looking, cut. (Sort of a fantasy pinstripe suit...)

Thanks! The friend who I made it for had seen Julia Gorkachova in a pinstripe dress several years ago, and so decided that she wanted pinstripes too. She started looking for the fabric about a year ago and had absolutely no luck. Last fall I was in one of my favorite fabric stores (Discount Fabrics on Haight Street in San Francisco) and I saw the pinstriped material, so I grabbed it. She loved the fabric immediately -- it's black with red (light siam color) and white pinstripes. I'm not sure how she's going to stone it, but she's got a lot of light siam and jet stones. I think she's going to encrust the bra area with the light siam.

This dress was made with the same patterns as the last one.

Sewing on fringe is a bear -- that stuff just flops everywhere and can tangle in the presser foot if you're not careful!

It will be interesting to see what she does with the stoning. Encrusting the bra certainly makes sense, and probably the collar as well. I probably wouldn't do more than outline the neckline and the cutout in back, though - I think you'd lose the refined effect if you stoned the whole dress. It might be OK with just jet, though - I'm not sure.

Yep, we were talking about keeping it simple, pretty much along the lines of what you describe. Great minds think alike... :-)

I thought the outfits were great except for one thing: Laci's skirt was really really really short. But I guess I just like to see 14-year-olds with their butt cheeks covered. To each their own.



Their overall look was fabulous and so was their dancing!

Laura, the pinstripe dress looks great, I love it. How many layers of fringing did you use for the skirt? Did you sew it in layers or "tufts"?



I must say I'm not convinced about the red stones but I like the idea of jet ones. For me the tone of the dress is very classy and sophisticated and I would keep to the colours already in it.

I've seen one dress which was black & white with red bra cups and they just looked like shooting targets, but that's just my personal observation. Presumably the wearer liked that effect and it would be boring if we all liked the same thing!



[Edited bit]:

Just re-read the bit about there being red pinstripes. It's hard to see that on the photo but I'm still not convinced about red bra cups!