Butikofer Blog » Technique of the Week

fussy cutting

adrienne — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:34:58 +0000

I heard a great sewing term on Sewing With Nancy a little while ago. Sewing With Nancy is a long running American sewing show that I can occasionally catch on PBS. It’s kind of dry and awkward, which makes it amazing- the real life version of that skit on Saturday Night Live with the two women on the radio food show. . . Delicious Dish!

Anyway, I happened to catch this quilting segment a while back, and they used the best term ever to describe the process of cutting something out where the fabric patterns have to line up with each other over multiple seams- FUSSY CUTTING!

My long-lost always honest studio assistant Danielle used to often use the word fussy to describe a design wrought with finicky and unnecessary details. It is ingrained in my psyche.

When fussy cutting is done right- the result is often very impressive.

Check it- the obvious, and relatively easy fussy cut- the pattern matches in the front crotch seam of the shorts. And what gets me all riled up- the open jacket’s pattern matches exactly with the shorts pattern underneath. Wow. Great cutting and great casting, as the model’s proportions would have to be perfect to pull this off. A real head shaker.

MARC JACOBS RESORT 2012

Another example- this one is more fussy sewing than cutting, all seam allowances would have to be perfectly the same. I like this because it has a quilting vibe- definitely a reference that I think is coming down the pipe for Fall 2012.

Proenza Schouler Spring 2012

My own example, from my fall 2008 collection. I (meticulously) cut each piece individually. I had this sample around since then, but someone bought it at last springs Clothing Show for 40 bucks. I wish I had kept it. 40 bucks is kind of an insult to the effort. Oh well.

FUSSY CUTTING!

the lost art of merosine

adrienne — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 03:19:15 +0000

I get a lot of traffic to this blog from people coming for the paper bead making instructions, so I’d say the crafty jeweller is definitely out there, working for the weekends. I thought I’d share this article from The Girls Own Annual Vol. 46 (1924-25) about making jewelry from fish bones.

It is called merosine (derivation, mer, the sea, and os, a bone) but upon googling merosine I came up with nothing relevant so I’m thinking they might have made up the term specifically for this article, and maybe the idea also never really caught on. . .

The art was developed by a young woman named Helen Rosher, and it was one evening “during the domestic occupation of dissecting a cod’s head for the cat’s dinner that the possibility of turning to some decorative use the curiously shaped bones that form its structure occurred to Miss Helen Rosher.” If only the can opener hadn’t been invented. How many strokes of brilliance have we missed?

The results are pretty intriguing, and the concept is something I could imagine some young, modern jewelry designer running with. Imagine these in colour, lovely.

Unfortunately the article is vague in specifics, saying, “How to cook the fish so as to produce in the bones exactly the requisite degree of hardness became the first step to be conquered, for experiments quickly revealed the ease with which the bones might be reduced either to brittleness or undue softness, so that they would prove unpractical for protracted use.” But it doesn’t actually say how to do that. And same goes for the “disinfection process” which “would once and for all remove all traces of smell and yet not interfere with the natural transparence and delicacy of the bones. . . “ but yet again, no specifics. I am sure one could easily figure this all out with a little experimentation. Boiling water. Bleach. Formaldehyde? Wood varnish? Nail polish?

She does say that cod is the best fish to use as it is “more fertile than any other in furnishing bones of a suitable nature“. So the next time you’re de-boning a cod head for your cat’s dinner. . . why not make some jewelry?

cute

Log Cabin Quilt Part III

adrienne — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:52:14 +0000

Okay, enough with the quilting already!!

I’ve got a pretty bad case of ‘pregnancy brain’ these days. Meaning, I can’t concentrate on anything. I’ve got a mile long list of things to do before the baby arrives- selling fall 09, packing up my studio, fastidious cleaning and organizing of my house, making half a dozen casseroles to freeze (haha I’m such a loser). . . and all I can seem to do is quilt!

Anyway- one of them is done! Yes, one of them- I decided to make two instead of one. I realized that the actual quilting of the two layers together would never work with such a similar pattern on each side. My quilting method of choice is “stitching the ditch” of the block piecing, and it would be impossible to line up the pieced sides together, and the ditch stitching would be super off on one side and it would look like crap. So, I opted for a flannel back, a couple of colours pieced together. I put two layers of polar fleece between the front and back, rather than the traditional batting. I have a lot of the stuff from making Caninjas, and I am following the buy nothing rule. And besides, it’s fluffy and warm.

So- voila- quilt # 1.

I call it “Daiquiris By the Fire”

yummy

refreshing

I really like it! I retract what I said about it being ugly. It’s gorgeous.

So, seriously, enough with the quilting! I am going to try to hold off on the second one until I am sewing in my new little sewing room at home. Wish me luck and strength.

Log Cabin Quilt Part II

adrienne — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:15:56 +0000

The sunset side is assembled- I made the blocks a few days ago and have now pieced them together. It’s a little off kilter and the squares don’t really line up, but I pretty much don’t care. It could possibly be described as ‘ugly’. I am hoping for the realm of ’fun ugly’ or, ‘so ugly it’s beautiful’.

sunset dreams

Speaking of fun ugly quilting projects- here is an oldie from the aforementioned spring 2005 “Lazy Susan” collection that never quite made it out of the gate. It’s so cozy. I was going to bring the concept back for fall 09 but the designs got cut. Still love it, there’s nothing better than a warm upper back and shoulders in winter.

if this isn't fun then I don't know what is

Log Cabin Quilt Part I

adrienne — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:53:17 +0000

Today is my birthday! yay! On my list of ‘things to do that would be dreams come true’ is making a quilt. So that’s what I did- well, I started one anyhow.

The most time consuming and difficult part of the day was choosing a pattern and picking the fabrics. I have amassed a large collection of craft and technique books over the years that I pick up for cheap from thrift shops. I perused the quilting ones and decided on a log cabin style- which is essentially squares built by sewing strips together, one at a time. It’s a simple design for a first timer like me.

love my reference material

One side of the quilt will be mostly varying black and white prints with a tiny bit of colour in the centre, and the other side will be varying shades of coral-peach-purply-pinky colours, similar to a sunset in summer. The unifier at the end will be black. I am sticking to the rules- as in not spending any money with anything I make over the next six months. Luckily, I have a thing for vintage cotton and had a bounty to choose from.

the raw materials

I couldn’t have done it without my rotary cutter. The thought of cutting all those strips by hand makes me feel a little sick inside. I spent about 3 hours sewing the first 16 blocks of the black and white side today. It was a pleasant time- a mindless task for a lazy afternoon. Here they are, layed out in their future formation.

I see coziness in your future

Tomorrow- the sunset side!

Making Paper Beads

adrienne — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:49:08 +0000

After yesterday’s personal reminder of my paper dress creation- and last night’s perfectly synchronized Project Runway Canada post-it note competition, it’s pretty obvious that paper is the thing. So to celebrate paper’s new ‘it thing’ status, I’ve decided to bring back my How-To on Paper Bead Making from my old website. The dress I created for the NOW Designer Challenge, 2006- a competition that involved making a dress out of paper, (which I won!) featured 100′s of hand rolled paper beads.

Here’s how you get on the paper love train and make some of those pretty little things:

FIRSTLY- The motto of bead making and/or life- Just roll, baby. Just roll.

Step 1: The first step to making paper beads is cutting. The method used here is an exacto knife and a long ruler. You could also use scissors. Keep in mind that if you draw lines for cutting these will show up on your beads. Make marks at each end of the paper to ensure a true triangle for a tapered bead. If you want to make a 1 inch bead- at the top of your paper mark one inch in from the edge. At the bottom, mark 1/2 inch in from the edge. Then, mark 1 inch intervals from here at both top and bottom of your sheet. With your ruler, connect the two points and cut. The cutting will alternate between the tapered end being at the bottom and the top.

Below are some examples of ways to cut the paper to make different beads.

Step 2: Roll the paper strip on something cylindrical. For example – a knitting needle, a pen, a thin paint brush, or whatever else circular that will make the desired bead. For a symmetrical bead, try to keep the paper centered.

Step 3:To finish the bead, spread a small amount of white school glue on the final inch of paper. Continue rolling the paper around, spreading the excess glue onto the bead. You will get gluey hands.

Step 4: The bead should be solid. Slide it off the needle.

Step 5: To varnish the bead- hold it in a pair of thin tweezers and paint on the varnish of choice. Here a varathane wood varnish is used, other options are white school glue diluted with water (as in paper-mache) or liquid wax. Cover the bead with the finish and let it dry. To be extra efficient, make the beads in batches and varnish them all at once.

Step 6: Here is the apparatus used to dry the varnished beads. It is a styrofoam cup with wooden skewers (bought at the dollar store) poked through. Through trial and error, it is best to take the beads off before they are completely dry, to prevent sticking. The varnish may get on the inside of the bead, and if it is left to dry, when removed it may unravel from the inside, which is painful. Here, a mark has been made at a point on the cup, and the beads are put on the sticks from this point, clockwise . Once all the skewers have been filled around the cup the first beads varnished are usually ready to take off and transfer to a parchment or waxpaper sheet to dry completely. The beads should generally not be left on the skewers more than 30 minutes.

Making paper beads is a fun and addictive way to pass the time. Different paper will produce different beads – try newspaper, magazines, wallpaper, wrapping paper, flyers … there are many different possibilities for many beautiful beads!

The End

My Messy Self and my Hubby at the NOW Anniversary Party- notice the paper bead necklace. Quite a statement if you ask me!