Koos van den Akker V1213

I finished Koos' new coat pattern Vogue 1213 for my recent visit to New York City. The coat was a big hit, receiving compliments everywhere I wore it!

This was a very fun project to plan and put together. I shopped for most of the fabrics in my stash. I used a black fabric with wool boucle plaid, a grey boiled wool which had black lace fused to it, a black and blue menswear houndstooth, a flocked denim from France purchased from www.emmaonesock.com and a wool purchased from www.sawyerbrook.com that I was able to

use on both sides. One side was bright royal blue and the other was a grey boucle. I used this fabric for the two fronts. The Italian buttons were purchased from www.britexfabrics.com The planning was as much fun as the sewing!

I did hand picked topstitching on all edges. To add warmth, I used a flannel backed Kasha satin lining. I added a full lining to the sleeves and a piece of chamois to the back to cut the wind.

Koos approved! Here is a photo of us in his NY studio. Koos is one of the most creative people I know. He will be returning to The Academy of fine Sewing & Design to teach a 5 day workshop in September 2011. Visit http://finesewing.com/workshops.html for more information.

Little Black Dress Project with Jon Moore

The Academy of fine Sewing & Design hosted a Little Black workshop with guest instructor Jon Moore of London, England.

Students draped the beautiful, lightweight wool crepe directly on their dress stand. Each dress was unique and fit perfectly! The garment was underlined and lined in silk.

Couture techniques, which involve a lot of handwork were taught. We created the atmoshphere of a couture workroom where students sat at two large tables to work on their hand sewing skills.

Jon is a couturier who is passionate about preserving and sharing his skills. He will be returning to the Academy again in May 2011 to teach two Couture Tailoring workshops. Visit www.finesewing.com for more information and a registration form

Free Form Ensemble from Verena

Several people have been patiently waiting for me to post pictures of the Free Form Ensemble I finished knitting this past fall. The over dress was designed by Margery Winter for the Spring 2010 issue of Verena knitting magazine. I fell in love with the tunic and put together the main colours which were knit from Filatura Di Crosa Luxury 100% silk yarn and the narrow stripe from Berroco Oragami yarn.

This was a very fun project to knit! It is called a Free Form Ensemble because you drape the garment as you knit it. The hem is sewn up here and there and various stitches are used throughout.

I made the plain black dress to wear underneath from a knit fabric sewn out of a DKNY pattern Vogue 2091. The neckline is cut quite low but it was perfect to show off the open knit of the tunic. I found the perfect black and cream shoes to wear with the outfit!

I wore the outfit to an evening cocktail party at Vogue Knitting Live held in New York City last month. The woman behind me in the entrance line up was Mari Lynn Patrick, who had written the pattern for the magazine! She enjoyed seeing the tunic made up.