Malotke Sews

This week's book review is a pattern making book focused solely on menswear! Gareth Kershaw's " Patternmaking for Menswear " is one of my favorite menswear patterning books. It's made for with professionals and students in mind, and provides an excellent step by step guide for different classic menswear patterns. I thoroughly enjoy the layout of the book. First it starts with short introduction to patternmaking for contemporary menswear. It describes how "working on these garment silhouettes you will learn the basic principles of patternmaking" and can then use those as your building blocks to alter and create your own patterns (Kershaw). I like how the introduction walks you through menswear over the years and how silhouettes have changed. After this you're given five chapters that encompasses the entire process for you. Chapter One focuses on the prep work for patternmaking - what you should have, what the different terms mean, how to take measurem...

I'm sure your social media feeds are full of face mask posts, but I  just wanted to share a few more pictures of some of the fabric face masks I made for co-workers, family, and friends. Above is a progress photo from a blue and white geometric printed mask I made where I was super happy with pattern matching around the slit in the middle. Pictured above are three black and white masks I made for family in Canada. There are two types of plaid and a lovely houndstooth one as well. All of my masks were made using the method I posted about: Project Homemade Face Mask . They're all breathable, cotton fabrics that are double layered and pleated. The slit in the middle allows you to add a filter to your mask for extra protection. 

Above is a close up on the neckline. I used a solid black knit for the neckline to really stand out against the red poppy pattern. After finishing the neckline I just needed to finish the hem! Since it was already serged, I decided to just roll the hemline up and zig-zag stitch it in place. The final look! The top is a little big overall, but I like the length of the short sleeves. If I made another top I would make the top a little more snug and I would move the peplum up the waistline about two inches to work better with my body shape.  For this top I used a test pattern I received a few years ago, the Parker Peplum, as a sloper in a way. After I had laid the two pattern pieces out on the fabric, I changed the underarm/side seam curve. I also did the sleeves and neckline differently than when I created this top the first time: Pattern Testing Part 2 .

After going through all of my fabric I decided to make a couple of simple styled tops to add to my work clothes closet. I have a pattern for a peplum top that has just 3 pattern pieces (cut two of each: front/back, sleeve cuff, and peplum). I chose a stretchy red, black, and white poppy print fabric from my stash and started working on the top. I laid the fabric out, pinned the pieces, and cut everything out. Then with everything cut out, I started to pin stuff together and run it through my serger. Pictured above is a snapshot of me pinning the front and back sides. After serging the side seams together I serged the sleeves and the cuff pattern. Then I rolled and pinned the cuffs and hand sewed them to the serged seams. I serged a black ribbed knit to the neckline and then, like the sleeves, rolled it and pinned it to the serged seams to then hand sew together. After this I just have the hemline to finish!  I'll post a picture of me wearing it once the hem is finished.

Since my fall and winter shows have been postponed to next year, I have a decent amount of time on my hands. So far I've been using that time to take online classes, tune in to various webinar seminars, and read for fun. I've decided to finally work my way though some commercial patterns I own. I am currently in the process of hunting down all of the necessary notions for each pattern.  I've chosen two patterns to focus on at the moment. First is a Simplicity pattern #8229 by Madalynne for a matching underwire bra and panty set. The other is a lined button front unisex jacket: McCall's pattern #M7818 "W Melissa Watson for Palmer/Pletsch". My plan is to use as much fabric from my current stash as possible and only buying what I am missing. Since I don't typically sew stretch lace and spandex, I will be buying most of the fabric for the matching bra and panty set. However, I have plenty of fabric to make multiple lined jackets, so I will be able to make a ...

If you read the first part of this blog post you would know that I had finished the Juniper Skirt, but it wasn't quite what I wanted out of a skirt. It was a little too short for my taste and I felt like it needed something extra. I decided to add a ruffle to the hem.  I sewed two long strips together and serged all four edges. I then finished one of the long ends that would be the bottom hem. Since I had serged it I simply turned it up and stitched it, you can see the finished hem in the picture above on the left side of the fabric. After this I sewed two gathering stitches along the other long side (as seen above). After sewing the gathering stitches I pinned the piece to the skirt's bottom. I sewed them right side to right side and then pressed the seams up. Pictured above is me sewing a top stitch, securing the seams to the skirt. Final look! I took the "Juniper Skirt" pattern from Mood Fabrics blog, and added a ruffle hem to it. I actually really love the end res...

Finishing the waistband. This past weekend I wanted to make a simple skirt to add to my closet. With the temperature getting warmer and warmer every day I decided I needed some other options for my work attire besides my go to ankle cropped dress pants. I went through my pattern stash and discovered I didn't have a simple skirt pattern in my size. I went onto Mood Fabrics blog - Mood Sewciety - and searched their free patterns for a simple skirt option. I landed on their short A-line skirt option called the " Juniper Skirt ."  I printed out the patterns and then based on their size measurements chart I selected my size and cut out the pattern pieces and tapped them together. I was hesitant on the over skirt flap that was shown with the pattern and actually ended up not adding it to the skirt. I decided that instead of following the directions, I would treat this as a mock up skirt for my personal body type and fashion tastes. I used a black/brown/gold cotton fabric with ...

For my 100th blog post I wanted to just share some pictures from the past few years that are just fun snap shots of my life as a costume designer: Senior year of college, showcasing my senior collection featuring millinery and a whole lot of black/white/red patterns. My first paid show as Costume Designer: A Christmas Carol . For the ghost of Christmas past I used my corsetry skills to make a lovely white bodice with gold detailing. I also got to make her skirt light up! What a great experience. Working on A Servant of Two Masters. Collecting set colors so I could go fabric shopping. My sketching skills are always a work in progress. I love diving into historical research and so I usually work with a lot of mood boards and notes to get my thoughts across. One of my favorite progress pictures from working on Farinelli & the King . I made a lot of costume pieces for that show and loved working a variety of textiles and colors into the show. One of my f...

More face masks just waiting to have their pleats sewn! Black, blue, and some fun Star Wars printed fabrics. Close up on my Halloween inspired plaid fabric face masks. Masks consist of orange and black plaid, black elastic, and black thread. Pictured above are the 10 fabric face masks I made yesterday!

The Final Look: A while back I finished this lovely dress but it when it was finished it was way too big for me. I had managed to drop a few sizes while I had been making the dress. Ever since it's completion it has sat in a pile of almost finished personal projects. I finally decided to make the necessary alterations so I could add this fun dress to my closet. I needed to basically take the dress apart and redo it. I took the skirt off, removed the zipper, and undid the side seams. I then added a front seam and took in the side seams. I redid the hem on the skirt and moved the waistline up a few inches to a more flattering place for my waist. When I sewed the top and skirt together I chose to do a couple of pleats instead of gathering stitches. With the geometric print of the fabric I thought it would add a little more visual interest. After this I  redid the zipper, choosing a shorter than the original.  Now it not only fits, but it is flattering on me and I am exci...

With everyone making home masks at the moment I thought I would do a little tutorial on the ones I have made specifically for myself. I looked at a lot of tutorials and different patterns online to construct a mask that worked for me. I wanted something very simple both time wise and material wise. Let me know if you have any questions! Warning/Disclaimer: This method is not industry tested or anything, it is simply a way of making a face mask using 1 piece of fabric and 2 pieces of elastic. It's just a tutorial, intended for educational purposes and nothing else. The decision to use this as a method of protection against pollution or viruses is solely your own. Please consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) website for updated information about home made masks and their effectiveness. First Step: Select your fabric. Check the CDC's guidelines for recommended fabric types. I ironed out my fabric choice, marked a piece 8.5 x 16 inches, ...

Made a waistband and marked the center back & where the snap closures would be on the front. Next I took the fabric for the skirt and started to pin pleats, switching directions at the center back. After pinning the pleats I sewed the front panels and then sewed across the pleating so that when I attached the waistband the pleats would already be put together. Once the pleats were sewn I then pinned the skirt to the waistband. Because of the thickness of the fabric and the overlapping of layers I needed to hand sew the skirt to the waistband. In the picture above I still need to sew on snaps for the closure in the front and finish the hem. I will probably also sew the waistband and skirt again, it's very heavy and I just don't want anything to happen accidentally since the Queen is very active in the show.

I have been looking for small projects to use up scrap fabric pieces and decided why not make a bunch of bow ties ? Here is my first one, it's a black and white plaid cotton fabric that has been sitting in my stash forever. I have already cut out 4 more bow ties. Next step is cutting out the interfacing for them and sewing them together.  I've been trying to use my stash of fabric to make small functional garments and accessories. So far I have a handful of makeup bags and detachable collars. I figured I can use some of the larger pieces that can't be used for actual clothing garments to make some bow ties. I'll be slowly adding all of the pieces I create into my Etsy shop here: Malotke Made .  I will try to do a step by step tutorial for sewing the ties when I make another one.

Finally adding more colors. While my style is somewhere between geometric print goth and forest witch, I have been in the process of trying to add a little more color into my closet. I wear a LOT of black and white patterns. While I absolutely adore my black and white section of my closet, I have been trying to introduce more colors into my wardrobe. Stripes for days. Pictured left is a small portion of my dresses & blazers section of my closet. While there is some classic black and white stripes and houndstooth happening, I have added some solid fun blazers to mix with all the patterns & prints. I've also managed to add some variety in colors to this portion. Slowly but surely I am figuring out my style and if after all of this my style is still very heavily geometric print goth, then it is what it is and I will rock it.  A lot of my closet comes from second hand stores. Sometimes I'll find something that I would want to tweak just a tiny bit, so it gives...

Two samples pictured: Seeing Grey & Red Oxide Stripes. Part of Spoonflower 's design to sell process involves you ordering samples of your designs to then double check and make sure everything printed the way you wanted. I had designed a handful of patterns, ordered my samples, and eagerly awaited their arrival.  Once they came I was both excited and a little disappointed. Two of my designs, pictured to the right, came out beautifully. I love the colors and the stripes printed really well. No visible errors. My other two designs I had gotten samples of weren't quite what I expected. My blue plaid was very very tiny and the plaid part of it was invisible, same with my pink plaid. They are essentially solid color fabrics, no vibrant plaid like it was shown on my computer.  I approved the two that turned out well, Seeing Grey and Red Oxide Stripes , but with the other two I am trying to figure out if it is an error on my part or Spoonflower's printing proc...

I found a great zombie pinup girl fabric at Joann Fabrics. It was too unique to pass up on! Using a pattern I already own I decided to make a very basic sleeveless dress.  It pairs two of my loves: a tailored look and a quirky fabric.  Because I purchased the fabric without a project in mind I didn't have enough to make the entire dress out of the zombie fabric. I chose a plain black cotton fabric for the lining pieces as well as the front two side panels and the back two side panels (so basically the sides of the dress are black). I also chose a black zipper for the dress. I really enjoying just making something simple and fun for myself. While it isn't necessarily something I can wear to work, it will definitely get worn! After I finished sewing it all together I tried it on to mark the hem and it was way too big! Apparently my measurements I took a few months ago are no longer the same. Instead if just altering it then and there I elected to wait until Septe...

Malotke Made is on Spoonflower! You can find our design studio here: MalotkeMade . There are currently two fabric designs available for purchase: Seeing Grey and Red Oxide Stripes. Seeing Grey is comprised of grey striped circles in different sizes with some overlapping. Red Oxide Stripes is made up of grey, red oxide, and white stripes. Both can be printed in the different types of fabrics Spoonflower has to offer such as Cotton, Modern Jersey, Velvet, Chiffon, and so many more! Plus, both designs are available as gift wrap or wallpaper. So far I'm pretty happy with my Spoonflower experience. Their website is user friendly and they have an excellent blog with lots of great project ideas. If you have any questions just leave a comment below!

Malotke Made, LLC is now up and running! Want to stay in touch with the company's progress? Check out our social media accounts and other adventures we're running!  Find us on Etsy:   MalotkeMade Check out our social media accounts: Instagram - @Malotke_Made Facebook - @MalotkeMade We're also on Spoonflower if you're in need of some fabric! You can find our design studio here:  MalotkeMade . We currently (June 2019) have 2 designs available - Seeing Grey and Red Oxide Stripes .

Since I do work full time it has been a very slow process, but I am slowly but surely getting everything done with starting my small business. I have received my FEIN, gotten tax registration approved, filled out my LLC paperwork, started an Instagram account, and finished my funding request for the incentives program.  My next steps include actually sending in my LLC paperwork (I need to get a money order to mail it all in) and finishing adjusting my business plan to the way that the incentives program wants. I have an upcoming meeting in February to go over everything and *fingers crossed* if it goes well my funding requests will be approved and I can get some new equipment that will increase my product output efficiency and potentially my incoming revenue as well.  With all of this in mind I am thinking my launch will be mid to late February. I could start selling now but I would love to actually have my physical business license before selling products. I'm hoping ...

As promised, here are my progress images from pattern testing the Parker Peplum by Seen & Sewn Patterns ! First things first, I had to cut and piece together all of the pattern pieces. Then I figured out my fabric choices and started pinning down the pieces. Next step was cutting out each piece. After that I did what I usually do for sewing projects, I serged all of my cut pieces. This wasn't really a step in the pattern instructions, but I tend to do this for everything I sew. Since it's knitwear I could have serged the pieces together, but I wanted to sew them together and then decide if I wanted to press seams open (little difficult with zig zag stitches) or serge them together. Next was the sewing part. The instructions were easy to follow and I liked that it had accompanying images to check what you're doing at each step. The pattern is pretty straight forward. You sew one shoulder seam, put the neck binding in, sew the other shoulder seam, and finish th...