Friday, August 31, 2012

Trim????

The colours are slightly cooler in real life than this photo, at least on my monitor.  But it's close to accurate.  I can't remember if I said earlier - this fabric is a rather artisanal (i.e. highly irregular and lumpy) 100% silk.

Problems:

- the Petersham is made of 100% poly.
- it is also too wide at 1".  I sliced this lengthwise and overlapped so it is about the right width - using this particular ribbon would therefore require a few extra steps to prevent it from fraying into oblivion.  But I am pretty sure I could secure it invisibly under the beaded trim, probably with a 3 step zig-zag stitch.

What I like:

- I love the shape and texture of these buttons.  Bought enough for the jacket (9) even though I'm not 100% sure they are right.
- strangely I like the beads and sequins on the narrow ribbon trim.  Usually I remove such frippery.  But these are shiny in a dull kind of way.
- the browny-grey of the Petersham and the dull silver buttons emphasize the neutrals in the fabric.  Maybe this would make the jacket more wearable.

I would like to avoid the problems with the Petersham so I shall venture forth yet again today in search of the perfect trim.  In the meantime, I am soliciting opinions.  Comments, please!

14 comments:

  1. I think the buttons are spot-on perfect!

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  2. I box-pleated my petersham before I put the trim on top of it. Worked very well.

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    1. Definitely boxpleat. That would be the perfect and very appropriate finish.

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  3. The buttons are wonderful. If you want narrower cotton rayon petersham you can get it from Judith Millenary, http://www.judithm.com/ It's hard to tell the scale in the picture you've shown. I am not big on beads either but this is so subtle that it works nicely. Have you seen this month's Vogue pattern magazine? Claire Schaffer has an article on trimming the Chanel jacket.

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  4. I have total button envy. This looks gorgeous.

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  5. Super button choice!

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  6. They all look brownish on my monitor - even the buttons. But I like the look. Maybe the bead trim looks a bit plonked (technical term) on the petersham. If you have enough fabric you could try to unravel some to add a bit of extra omph behind the trim and on the petersham? Just a thought.

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  7. The buttons are absolutely perfect. I love the beaded trim, but would love it more if the Petersham was just barely wider than the beaded trim. Try making it so that about half as much shows as now.

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  8. What gorgeous fabric, Kay. I love the entire combination of colours and textures, especially that beaded trim!

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  9. Love the look!

    Brenda

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  10. Whenever I have machine stitched trim on to a jacket it creates a stiffer edge to the garment, so I recommend you sample it first. A hand stitched trim gives a softer drape but it is hard to hand sew petersham. You could consider using the selvage of your fashion fabric and unraveling it a bit and use that under your beaded trim, this acts like a fringe and Is quite often seen in more recent Chanel collections.

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  11. This last idea --- making a fringe out of your silk tweed --- was exactly what I was going to suggest. And perhaps a narrow velvet ribbon to further define the edge at the fringe/jacket edge seam (the advantage to velvet being it is available in very narrow widths, and is soft and pliable.) Piping would also work in one of the colours. I think of petersham ribbon mainly as a reinforced edge for buttonholes on a sweater or knit garment. That being said, I love the bead trim you purchased; it just makes it very dressy. Wonderful project, though, and thanks too for the bound buttonhole tutorial!

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  12. Just an update. . . in my inbox this morning, I received a preview from Neiman Marcus on their new jackets. If you look for their exclusive "Bead-Trim Jacket" you can see another great idea for trimming. Tweed fringe runs both ways down the front length of the jacket, with bead trim in the centre, and it looks terrific, I think.

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