Mathey Walker

The Deets

OK. First, let’s talk color choice. Teal isn’t usually a place I go, but I’m so in love with all parts of this cape. It’s subtle enough to still go with mostly everything, but it’s also just loud enough to add some pop to my mostly—intentionally so, I might add—neutral wardrobe.

On construction, as I said, this is a second go round, so I was familiar enough with how it would come together. And, taking a page from Heather Lou, I added a welt at the arm opening and at the pockets. In-seam welt pockets are *everything* and more. Thus, I give you up close and personal. This may very well be my proudest tailoring moment to date.

Granted, since I bought this fabric with a different project in mind, the yardage was ever so slightly off. Never fear! I hacked the facing piece to be part lining/part fashion fabric and I sewed a length of grosgrain at the junction. Truth? I LOVE IT.  So delightfully pleased with the way the lining and the ribbon peak out. Detailed lining shots below.

 

The last thing I’ll mention is this: NO CLOSURES! I’ll likely be wearing this as a layering piece. So no buttons. No interruptions to the silhouette. No unnecessary additions.

Friends, more than my actual name, I LOVE my initials. Actually, the truth is I love putting my initials on things. Just monograms for years. Anyway.  Size-wise, I used the American Apparel Large Leather Carry-All Pouch as inspiration. It has just the right amount of space to be a daytime bag, and the drama of an oversized centered monogram just works, day or night. #swoon

Friends, babies. Baby cheeks. Baby smiles. Baby feet. Baby eyes. Another little cherub, who has completely stolen my heart. #smitten

Chez Mathey Walker, new baby means new quilt. Rainbow magic for a sweet baby boy. If you missed it on Instagram, this CB2 rug for the nursery served as inspiration.

Friends, this dress. This dress. I want to love it. I really do, but right now, it’s ambivalence. At best. Mind you, I concede that it is charming and lovely and as cute as can be. Somehow, I just don’t love it. Alas. The heart wants what it wants… whereby it’s complete the inverse of that sentiment I hope to convey, but you guys are right there with me!

The need to know: mystery fabric (we think some kind of coated cotton), Vogue 8723, and a day and a half of sewing time. It fits perfectly fine, as Vogue patterns are wont to do on me, but ooof, something, something is just off. I’ll confess that I LOVE to look at this dress. Theta is wearing it right now, and she is adorable. On my own person?… Nahhh. You win some. You lose some.

But that lapped zipper? That I’ll hold near and dear to my heart.

xx

 

Friends, you remember the Huntress Vest, right? In short, it’s fabulous, Alexi is fabulous, and Two of Wands is everything. Agreed? Agreed. Well, when I bought the Huntress pattern, I also bought one for the Armor Scarf. A year and change later, I’ve finally whipped it up, and let me tell you, it, too, is gold.

Now, if you’re familiar with the pattern, you might be wondering how precisely I landed on the above since it looks somewhat different from Alexi’s original. Totally fair. I definitely tweaked the pattern a bit. A few noteworthy changes, so let me walk you through the magic.

The length now is perfect for wearing it as, well, an armor scarf, or I can belt it for a completely different silhouette. I will likely make this again and in doing so will keep the same proportions.

Now, the shoulder is where the real fun starts. Alexi’s pattern uses the front and back pieces as the foundation for the cowl, and the shoulder kind of “appears” at the base of the cowl. Totally a thing, but I knew I wanted more of a vest silhouette. A large part of that was building in proper shoulder seams. You can see the right shoulder in photo below.

My shoulder measures 5.75 inches. In practice, getting a true fit meant grafting 8 live front/back stitches together on the each side of the circle I left open for the neck. If you don’t know Cheryl, you should. I’m such a fan. Notice that thicker ridge of stitches above? I ended both the front and the back on a right side row and grafted them, under Cheryl’s tutelage, with the right sides down. That’s how I ended up with the thicker right side ridge. Does that make absolutely no sense? Writing about knitting is laughably so much harder than the actual task at hand. Give it a try. You’ll see how it all comes together. 

If you know me in the land of the living, you know that in my version of the universe, neckware is rarely optional. Were I ever to fun for public office, my campaign slogan would be* “Scarf. Everyday.” 

Digressions aside, if you know the original pattern, you know the cowl is rather loose and voluminous. Truth: I thought long and hard about how I could wear a scarf with/over/under such a cowl, the conclusion being I couldn’t. That’s reason number two why I built in proper shoulders seams. This allowed me to add a narrow turtleneck above the faux stockinette stitch seam. Scarf wearing is still very much possible. Let us all rejoice.

Friends, snow. Like, snow, snow. And lots of it! Chez Mathey Walker, this means three things: warm socks, thick and creamy hot chocolate, and the perfect chance to check off a few quick projects. You’ll know from Instagram that I churned out a super quick LBD this morning, but here I give you another little postcard: the latest addition to my winter accessory wardrobe. 

If knitting projects could earn frequent flyer miles, this neck magic would clearly be in the running for platinum status. Between cast on and cast off, it’s been up and down the eastern seaboard, tucked away in Basse-Normandie, taking sun in Andalucía, and in tow for a quick BBQ run down to the Lonestar state. Very well traveled for a wool merino. 

Now, as is only appropriate since it’s #blizzard2016, know that this scarf is cozily wrapped around my neck as I type. I am content.

 

 

Friends, Happy 2016! A few weeks ago, a sweet baby girl made her debut, so a quick share with you today. My favorite full shot is on Instagram, but a few more below. The need to know: self-bound and elephants!!!

Friends, if you follow Mathey Walker on Instagram, you know that for a while now, I have been in close study of the shirtdress. The first came along in June. The second, which I do actually wear from time to time, didn’t pass the threshold into “bloggable”—blame the exposed buttons. You know how I feel.

The third? The third is the subject of our conversation today, and I assure you that Mary Shelley herself would be proud of the crazy amount of cutting and splicing and tweaking and drafting that went into this creation. I want to say it’s Simplicity 2245, the Traveler Dress, but that’s a lie. There’s a whisper of the suspicion that once upon a time Frank may or may not have traveled. But who really even knows. In either case, here she is.

Truth: these might be my favorite part. The fabric is a relatively structured cotton, and I’m kicking myself because the name escapes me. That said, because it’s a fairly thick fabric, the three layers coming together at the center front make the placket a hair bulkier than I would like. I know I could have pieced this and perhaps use a lightweight cotton for the concealed buttonhole side. At the same time, though, I do like the visual continuity of it being all the same fabric. TBD how I execute it next time, but I am still searching for my perfect placket method. Suggestions are most welcomed, but do know that square finishes are just so, so the right answer for me.

Once I installed the button holes, I did stitch the cover down between the buttonholes à la this Thread article to help things lay as flat as possible. Those are the blue stitching lines marked in the above.

As with the first go round all of my seams are flat-felled, save the armscyce seam which is serged. You’ll notice in the shots below there is quite a bit of ease in the sleeve cap that yields a somewhat voluminous silhouette. You know this: typically I am not one for gathers at all, but given the very corporate, straight-lined nature of the rest of dress and the fabric, the puffed cap adds just a touch of femininity that always makes me smile a little when I see this dress in action. Loving the juxtaposition.

Now, of course, this wouldn’t be a Mathey Walker production without a gratuitous shot of a popped collar, so in keeping with tradition, one more for you.

I won’t say Frank is at 100%, but she’s oh so close. I need to think all the thoughts about upping my placket game. That said, I am beyond pleased with this one. As usual, more on flickr.

Friends, just a quick hit. In honor of fall, I give you the silk tank that was my number one travel companion this summer. Rainy days in Paris or beach side in Andalusia (or that two-day in Chicago…), this was actually the perfect warm weather magic to wear around. Thank you, Mood! And thank you, Burda!

Truth be told this was an incredibly easy top to make. I’d clock it at about 3 hours from cutting to hemming? I saved a couple of seams by cutting the from and back piece on the fold as opposed to sewing them together. I also just like the way the uninterrupted front and back fall. May try it as designed another time—who knows. 

Looking at the twist up close, the way it all came together was really clever: a double layer of fabric and a construction technique that yields no visible top-stitching. I know it has a time and its place, but in my soul, top-stitching is rarely a thing that I visually enjoy. I won’t say never, but most of the time it’s something I’d rather do without. Hooray for a top-stitching-less pattern designed with the Me’s of the world in mind! And, to give you a twist up close-ish.

One more picture, so I can say I’ve hit all the highlights. Lately I’ve been taking a very analytical eye to the few RTW garments in my wardrobe, especially when it comes to hems. Gah, hems!!! They are probably my most constant source of frustration, and I haven’t come down hard on a method I 1) like and that 2) produces a clean even result every time. Maybe that’s a big ask, but I’m still on a mission! This time around, I simply serged the edge, turned it up once and stitched it down. And, since this is a lighter fabric, it works out well to keep everything nice and fluid.

Friends, in the version of the universe where I live out all of my Alias-loving dreams, this is the dress that I wear all the time. Literally, at all times. Since I live in the actual real world, however, I’ll opt instead to just wear it to the office every once in a while.

To quickly talk shop, the pattern is one that I made for the first time, back in, oh, let’s call it 2011. It’s Lisette’s traveler dress. Unfortunately, it’s no longer for sale, according to the website, but I’m sure it’s out there somewhere. If you find one and are considering buying the pattern, do it. I have nothing but good things to say.

The fabric is a heavy, almost jacket-weight cotton “shirting”—she says skeptically. Save the armholes, all seams are flat-felled, and just like with my sleeveless blouses, still very much of the mindset that a lady should cover her buttons. For me, this was a straight sew, minus the addition of the covered placket.

I had encountered this tutorial over at Threads Magazine eons ago and finally put it to use here. You’ll see in the detailed shots below that the hidden stitching to secure the buttonhole strip to the placket cover is such a clever little thing—happy to have this new arrow in my quiver!

On sizing: typically preferring a slimmer, more tailored fit, I often cut a size or two smaller in commercial patterns, especially the Big 4 because they usually have *so* much ease!! In the case of this dress, having sized down last time, I knew for the most comfortable fit, cutting a proper size 12 was the right call. In terms of construction, I clocked it at about 11 hours, including the time spent crying sewing on the buttons. Speaking of buttons, I include this picture below only because I think the little button is so cute just there on its own. Do allow me my indulgences.

For the sake of completion, here’s a shot of the full dress with Theta working her (/my!) new obi belt, also fresh off of the cutting table. Faux croc but all chic, I simply could not ask for more.

 

Friends, it wasn’t until I started doing research* for this post, that I realized “Sleevegate”—as a term—was a thing. Hilarious. Except I’m obviously behind the times on the latest lingo. Shocking.

Musings aside, with warm weather in full swing, I’ve spent the last few weeks in close study of none other than Jen’s sleeveless archer. Three iterations later, I’m ready to emphatically say, “Nailed it!” 3x victory hands for the perfect summer uniform. You know my aversion to the whole being photographed thing. Thus, two quick, decapitated, half-body shots before diving into the details.

To get the perfect fit, first, I followed Jen’s adaptation at the back/yoke seam slicing out a 3/8″ wedge. Then, I shortened the shoulder seam length by 3/4″ and removed 1″ total at the side seam under the armscye, narrowing to nothing the waistline notch. Super easy alterations.

When I was visiting family on the island earlier this year, I made a point to go fabric shopping. Of course I went to paradise and brought back fabric with palm trees on it. I pride myself on having only original, non-obvious thoughts. That said, this fabric is the perfect weight for a nice summer top. TBD if I actually wear it. Anywhere.

For everyone in the DMV area, G Street Fabrics has become my spot. I went in searching for a lightweight cotton shirting fabric for v2, and imagine my sheer euphoria at finding this glorious powder blue dream on the $2.99 per yard table. There was a scant yard and a quarter left. Untagged. Unloved. But I bought it, and trust me when I say this is a ’til death do us part situation. I have no idea what the fabric is. It has these bumps and ridges throughout from what I guess is a rough, uneven weft thread. Imagine like a silk noil, or a dupioni even. Have never encountered a cotton like this, but again. Love.

The only change I made to this version is the placket. I’m going through a phase where I feel very strongly that buttons should be covered. Except the placket on the red one had two major flaws to my eye: too wide and too pointy. This (and on the yellow gingham) is a thinner placket—1″ overflap, 7/8″ underflap—and a boxed finish on the end. I’m obsessed. I don’t even want to think about life as it existed before the thin, boxed-end, covered button placket.

I won’t go so far as to call this mon chef-d’œuvre, but like, it’s kind of the bomb. That the fabric is a treasured purchase from Marché Saint-Pierre à Paris, already puts this head and shoulders above the rest, but with the alterations noted above, the fit is truly impeccable. Going in, I was so opposed to the idea of a bias yoke, but in seeing the final execution, I think it’s so incredibly charming and gives that much more character to the whole garment. Also, I simply cannot get enough of the contrasting collar elements. Smiles.

As is always the case, more for you on flickr.

xx

If you think that fabric looks familiar, you’re right. This glorious piece of wool traveled across land and sea in the move from Europe last year. You’ll remember, I talked about my haul last winter. At first I thought to use this wool for a dress, then for a cape, but neither of those felt right. Once my brain finally married this fabric to the Anne Klein pattern, I mean, there’s just no denying la magie.

In short, this coat is divine.  It’s perfectly oversized and comfortable and stylish and functional without being too fussy. Essentially, a win on all fronts. We talked about the outer fabric, but it is lined with a buttery silk habotai—fine, yes, in terms of color, but mostly I mean in terms of how deliciously smooth this coat is to slip into. A few pictures for your viewing pleasure (can we all appreciate those darling little pleats), then we’ll talk about the details.

East coast girl though I may be, I’m still an island baby who spent many a year getting used to the California sunshine. Winter is actually *so* cold. Just the coldest cold. Luckily! I added a flannel interlayer to this coat, and that kept me quite toasty, even on the windiest, wintry mornings. A simple addition really—I sewed up a version of the shell in 100% cotton flannel (pinched in at the center front and shorten at the sleeve and hem to reduce bulk), attached it at the neckline to the main body of the coat, and otherwise let it hang free between the outer and lining layers.

An astute eye would have noticed from the pictures above that I didn’t actually sew the silk lining to the sleeve. I merely added a narrow hem at the end and tacked it in place along the underarm seam. Couture technique? Certainly not, but it serves my purposes perfectly fine.

There are a couple of places where a slight misalignment may or may not exist, but overall, I’m thrilled with the execution. And I’m tickled pink by the diagonal plaid on the undercollar!! That it stands firmly on its own means there is always a little character to be appreciated on this coat—even when viewed from behind. *Swoon*

Here only two things. Well, maybe two and a half. I omitted the front welt pockets called for by the pattern and instead went with oversized patch pockets. I. LOVE. THEM. This could be my favorite part of the coat if I had to only pick one thing. I tried on the coat and placed the pockets at just the right height for optimal hand/lower forearm coverage. I couldn’t be happier.

In leaving off the suggested button closure, I added the belt featured in the opening shot so I’d have a way of keeping it closed on those cold kind of days when function (i.e. please keep me warm) needs to prevail over fashion (i.e. check out my coat and the coordinating outfit underneath).

Moving forward I think static pictures will be my blogging preference, but you can always find more images and bigger sizes for your enjoyment on flickr.

xx

Friends—hello! It’s been quite some time. If you follow Mathey Walker on Instagram, you know that much has been created in the time since my last post. Today, a formal update on the latest.

I had an event on Friday night that required I be—”dressed to impress” were words on the invite. My thought? Go glam. Here’s a little taste of the dream that is stretch blue velvet:

Knowing I wanted a floor-length gown, I went to a Vogue pattern that I’ve been drooling over for the longest time. It’s a lovely a Bagley Mischka design, but on the pattern envelope, the fit on the model is truly appalling. I knew some tweaking would be necessary. Details below.

I am *in love* with all parts of this dress. Disclaimer: additional photos follow, but because the blue velvet was hard to accurately photograph, I threw a high-contrast B&W filter on this set. Forgive my digital trickery.

So, here it is. If we can talk a little business, this dress was a pleasure to sew. It went together *so* easily! I cut the fabric late Sunday evening and was done by 9pm on Thursday night. Yes, this doctor has a full-time job. In the name of full disclosure, I did make the muslin the weekend prior, but even without, this isn’t a major time suck of a sewing project.

I would advise anyone making this dress to find a knit with a similar stretch as your fashion fabric and make a muslin. Remember how I mentioned the shady fit on the model. Well, let me tell you—the bodice?!!?!? OMG. I swear I took this in a good 3 inches from waist to armscye. And, I’m relatively small-busted, so I also could have done without the dart. I probably could have fixed all of this by blending between sizes, which would have meant an 8 to the hips and a 12 the rest of the way down.

Otherwise, construction was a breeze, and stretch velvet is truly my new favorite fabric. It has a beautiful drape, was easy to work with, kept me quite warm in the cold December air.

Obviously, the most striking adjustment is my omission of the sleeves! I thought the whole thing would have been too visually heavy given the richness of the velvet.

You’ll notice there is good shaping around the bust. It’s not just because Theta is mostly made of plastic! I sewed these Dritz bra cups into the lining, and I had a worry-free evening in terms of making sure the bust situation was always situated.

Another security measure? The dress has an invisible band that attaches at the shoulders. This makes sure that everything stays in place and you don’t have to constantly adjust the sleeves. I didn’t tack down the facing band because, (1) it’s hidden and (2) I wanted to save time wherever I could, but if you look down into the cowl back, this is what you’ll see.

Last thing: I didn’t hem it!!! I used a rotary cutter to cut the fabric so my edges were en pointe, and this being a knit, there was no fear of it unraveling. Walking with the train floating behind me, I really liked the way there wasn’t a folded under edge. Just my preference.

Friends, I can’t say that the big move is fully complete, but Mathey Walker is officially back up and running on Eastern Standard Time! For the most part, relocating from CA to DC was rather smooth minus the whole car sawing thing, but I will say that if I never have to see shipping tape and moving boxes ever again in my life, that would be totally fine… Anywho, I am *so* thrilled about the new east coast digs and am looking forward to organizing my new sewing studio!!!

So, what’s the news? This little zipper bag clutch!

Those of you based in the San Francisco Bay Area should know about Fabmo. It’s a great place to get all kinds of high-quality fabric pieces. I made this bag using a square swatch of upholstery fabric that I picked up from Fabmo, oh I don’t know, back in 2011 maybe? I knew it would turn into some kind of bag, and I guess it took me 3 years to settle on something that might work.

When I made the monogrammed zipper bag, I used the method where you work with 4 rectangles (two for the lining and two for the outer bag), and then you hand-sew or machine sew the lining closed at the end. This time since I was feeling lazy being efficient about judiciously using my time, I used two LARGE rectangles à la this tutorial, and OMG dream! It was so easy! I finished the raw edges inside with mint green bias tape installed with a quick zig-zag stitch.

While the bias tape is there to really just keep the inside edges tidy, I also really like the way it gives more structure to the bag. Yes, the upholstery fabric does have some intrinsic body to it, but the corners are much sharper. You can tell by looking at the main bag and comparing that to the accompanying pouch that I made to hold smaller incidentals since there are no internal pockets. Can’t you see how much sharper the corner of the main body is?

I will definitely revisit the bias technique in the future. Plus it’s a fun way to add a pop of color! There isn’t a whole lot more to say about this. That said, there are a few more pictures over on flickr so you can click through for the rest of the railroad photo shoot.