82-lancMter Farming, Saturday, September 23, 2000 EnibettisH To Cover Up Or M.a\e 7<eiv LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff LEESPORT (Berks Co.) Got a stain on your favorite blouse? Worn out your jacket cuffs? Don’t despair. “Embellish to cover up a rip or stain. Make it new and wear- i i You don’t need to be an artist. Everyone can do this}} able,” advises Shirley Adams. At a recent workshop held at the Berks County Ag Center, Adams showed hundreds of clothing pieces where she per formed her magic by using fabric scraps, yarn, and ravel ings. Yes, ravelings, those pieces rf threads you throw away. If it sounds tacky, then you’ve got to see the works of art Adams performs by using bobbin work, couching, machine applique, and other sewing tech niques. “I got this idea from seeing a $4,000 Armandi jacket in a shop,” Adams said as she lifts up a black silk jacket with artis tic embellishing. “If you use scraps, you have nothing to lose. It’s just fun,” Adams says of creating and up dating wardrobes. Don’t think that she’s spent a lot of time on items such as patchwork vests. She uses fusi ble interfacing to built a log cabin pattern, presses with an iron, and finishes with machine decorative stitching to hide raw edges. Some other favorite designs Using bobbin work, Adams created this wild flower garden by duplicat ing a design from a flower catalog. First, place the stems, leaves, and foliage. Then top with loopy flo wers. Committee members who arranged the workshop at the Berks County extension office, from left, are Jeanne Maddaloni, Elaine Baro, Sylvia Blomquist, Fay Strickler, Berks County consumer science agent; Nancy Evans, Carol Miller, and Catharine Smith. use couching, which is zigzag ging over yarn, cord, and ribbon with nylon thread that doesn’t show. For machine bobbin work, fill bobbins with pearl cotton, heavy rayon, and metallic threads to create different textures. A simple but dramatic effect Shirley Adams Adams said. is using ravelings dropped on top of a black background and stipple stitched to hold in place. Evening and matching purses made with fabric scraps, dis carded scarves, crazy quilt stitches, and buttons, add a co ordinated look to wardrobes. Although Adams knows all the rules of sewing, she occa sionally breaks them to create an effect. For example, fabric should always be cut on grain. If cut off grain, the finished gar ment will pull out of shape. Knowing this, Adams some times cuts a piece off grain, but fuses it to a backing to retain its shape. However, she stressed that tubes, piping, and binding need to be cut on the bias to curve without puckering. Adams also uses bits and pieces of scarves to stitch on jackets and vests. She likes the dramatic effect created by the play of textures on the same gar ment. “If it’s a pricey fabric, think how little you can use,” Adams said. She showed how she cre ated several different coordi nated outfits by using a touch of fabric in different ways. Adams recommends that most embellishment be done at the neck and shoulders to draw attention to one’s face rather than one’s body. “If you don’t like a fabric, wrinkle it for an entirely differ ent look,” Adams said. She demonstrated fusing fabric while wrinkling with fingers and If it doesn’t fit, cut it up and make it new. stitching with metallic thread to hold wrinkles in place. Pin weaving is another con cept she incorporates. Using a curved tapestry needle and pretty yarns and ribbons, she weaves a design to a fabric back. Adams demonstrated making your own chenille by using three to seven layers of rayon fabric and stitching, slitting, and wash ing. Adams said that gets her ideas from everywhere. During a flight, she noticed the beauty of farmers contoured fields. Using this concept, she fashioned a vest with different fabrics ar ranged similar to contoured fields. Adams has her own line of patterns that introduces a new concept in patterns. For exam ple, her Alternatives 100 Classic Vest includes patterns and in structions to create 25 different styles by using couching, color blocking, bobbin work, weaving fabric strips, wrinkling fabrics, appliquing, and other effects. “It’s no sense in making the same thing over and over again. Make an original,” Adams said of her theory behind her pat terns. “You don’t need to be an artist. Everyone can do this,” she said of designing. At the workshop at the Berks County Extension, Adams showed how to adjust patterns to help clothes hang correctly. Most people have a higher shoulder or hip on one side. Adams said that adjustments should be made at the waist to enable skirts and pants to hang perfectly. She also demonstrated changing sleeve and bodice pat terns to fit one’s body type. “Nothing is a mistake. If you don’t like the effect, consider it a creative opportunity to change it,” Adams said. She showed how a few of her “mistakes” took on new life when buttons, loops, and additional applique were added. Adams, a former Indiana ex tension specialist, taught sewing workshops via television for many years. She travels the states teaching workshops. Adams uses only four basic patterns to create a whole ward robe of 75 garments. The pah terns are available in sizes XS to XXI with instructions on how to fit the pattern to your size. Each pattern offers instruc tions and variations in add-on pieces, style changes, size in creases, and embellishment pro cedures. Garments can also be made adornment free. For more information on Adams’ patterns, books, and videos, write to The Sewing Connection, P.O. Box 688, Plainfield, IN 46168. Phone 1- 800-237-4475. Website is www.sewingconnection.com (Turn lo Pag* B 3) Nothing goes to waste in Shirley Adams’ sewing room. A former television sewing instructor and Indiana extension agent, Adams demonstrates the ease with which a ward robe can be updated and embellished using scraps of ma terials, fabric ravelings, threads, yams, and buttons. The jacket she is holding was created by couching varigated yarns on a fabric backing. Some articles are Just for fun. Adams created this when she needed a Western outfit for a party. The dancing stick figures are an example of Adams’ philosopy that one doesn’t need to be an artist to create original designs.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers