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July 9, 2021
So why is sewing an art form?
Why is sewing more than a well crafted seam?
Why is it, even an outfit that is sewn with the most expert of techniques, that it's off, no matter what you think might be the problem and corrected, it's still not right?
Making a garment and/or wardrobe for yourself is more than learning how to sew. There is artistry to it, and that's why I refer to folks who sew their clothes as sewist - sew + artist = sewist. There is artistry to sewing your clothes for yourself that involve much more than sewing a seam and sewing it correctly.
The most expertly installed zipper means nothing if the zipper is in the wrong place (for your style, shape and size), doesn't work right (the fixture and zip works right, but it's not functioning the way you need), if the color is off, if the size is off, if style of zipper is not right for the garment, or if the type of insertion (lapped, center-seamed, invisible, exposed) doesn't work for the location or type of garment you have.
I have about 20 or so different ways to install a zipper. Some work for formals, some work for more casual looks, some are for exposed, decorative look, some are for delicate fabrics and some are for hard-core, have-to-hold-through-anything garments!
And that's just zippers. What about pockets? ...what about collars? ...what about necklines? ...what about shoulders? (you know how I am about shoulders!) The point is that executing a well-made collar is more than knowing how to insert the collar into the collar band. It's also about knowing what a rolled collar will do, knowing how to roll a collar, knowing when to use a rolled collar and when not to (which is as much your personal preference as well as the
occasion for the design).
It's true that the most gorgeous fabric and the most expert stitching can not help a bad fit or just as worse, a design that looks elegant on one type of figure, but looks horrendous on another.
Then there's the personal style of a person. When I do wedding gowns and I get in a darling cute little girl who is preciously delicate and about 19 years old, I think, this gal isn't going to be dramatic. Dramatic will overtake her and the wedding will be about the gown, not the girl. At the same time, I often get a 30 y/o experienced and successful bride, who is getting married in a very intimate family gathering in the family's back yard.
Here's the the gal who can handle the drama, but the location and number of guests precludes doing something on the scale of Westminster Abbey in London. So how do I make it dramatic but keep the gown and the whole look in proportion. THIS is ARTISTRY!
These are the sorts of queries that we face when we are making a garment that will "sing" on pitch, as opposed to one that will fail miserably and either be difficult to wear or a contribution to the trash can. Preventing that really isn't as horrendously hard as it sounds. There really are some clear guidelines and rules to learn to help you get through this. This is exactly the sort of thing that students learn in design school. And yes, there is
gift and talent involved, but there are also learning the skills and practices that make a fine work of art. And Yes, a gorgeous garment is a fine work of art.
These guidelines aren't hard and they aren't a secret, but the do need to be studied to understand what makes a look right. Because the truth is that we don't always know what is wrong even though we probably know something is wrong. That's where these rules and guidelines help so much in figuring out what's wrong and how to fix it. And of course the amazing thing is that when it's right, we know that, but again we may not know why.
And to think that because we sew excellently, that will prevent bad proportional, unbalanced, out-of-focus, too busy and too blah designs from looking badly, is a fallacy and can cause a lot of heartache. The way you avoid this is realizing that sewing is an art form, and like any other art form follows certain guidelines and rules. They aren't hard, but you do need them and you do need to practice them to know how to use them. But it is a huge part to know that
those rules exist.
We often have the impression that artists are "born" with a gift and they popped out of their momma's womb knowing how to make good art. That isn't true. They had to learn like the rest of us. What makes them different is that they had an aptitude to pick up what works and what doesn't. Some of us, like me, had to learn what those rules were. If you're interested in learning more, I have a great primer (in 2 different packages), The
Elements and Principles of Design and the Elements & Principles of Design with an extra bonus on Color.
By the time I got to college, sewing and anything home-ec-ish was totally banned from schools. It was like some horrible communicable disease, so not only did students want to take any of those diseased courses, they didn't know anyone who did!!!! I was devastated. So I decided to study art. It was the next best thing. But the truth is that the entire time I was in school and after, I knew I wanted to learn how to design and make
clothing. It must have been a God thing, because that's when I learned about all the elements and principles that make up great art work. Because of taking those art courses and studying art, I learned how to make great art! I wasn't a great painter, but man could I use that stuff when I was sewing.
Later, I found my mentor, and like an artists has to learn how to mix colors, a dancer has to learn dance steps, and a musician has to learn to master the instrument, I had to learn how to sew and sew well, and then I could use my art background to design my garments.
Today, I see so many sewists, classes and teachers, who know how to sew excellently, but have no idea how to fit, what to fit, what NOT to fit, how to balance, how to style, how to shape and it's not that hard, but you do have to know the rules.
Don't ever consider yourself simply a technician. That's not who you are. When you sit down to sew an outfit, you are marshaling all those techniques as well as matching the fabric to the occasion to the pattern to your style and to make yourself a flattering comfortable outfit.
That is the epitome of an artist!
The sleeve or more importantly the armscye seam - besides seam-ripping, I think, is what everyone perceives as the hardest seam alive. Well, mastering it does take some practice, but everything in sewing does, but once mastered, the sleeve is a beautiful thing. Yes, I know - I don't have a life when I think this is a beautiful thing, but there it is!!!
Watch me take this mess of a sleeve:
and turn it into this:
Don't purchase both of these resources - you only need one or the other.
What I've done here is that I know a lot of you already have the Entire Sleeve Resource. The one thing I've changed and updated and extended is the Armscye-Armhole Alteration Resource. So I'm offering both of them special this month.
If you don't have the Entire Sleeve Resource, it's at a tremendous discount. If you have the Sleeve Resource and want to update it, the Armscye-Armhole Alteration Resource is at discount as well.
Here's the Entire Sleeve Resource
Here's the newly updated Armscye-Armhole Alteration Resource
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