Marcy Tilton's Newsletter 26 July 2008

It is high summer here in southwest Oregon, lavender in full bloom, long days with just a hint of fall in the last light of the day. The fall catalogs are in the mailbox, and here in the studio, we have lots of new transitional fabrics arriving every day. We have a new collection of rayon/lycra knits, a grouping of pant fabrics and a selection of jacket-weight fabrics. Many of these fabrics have lycra‚Äîeven a bit of lycra adds not only stretch, but drape, even to a heavier fabric. Every fabric is chosen carefully‚Äîthese are the fabrics I select to use for myself and for my Vogue patterns, and we have limited quantities. I've chosen these fabrics for the casual everyday side of life....I want to develop a wardrobe of the clothes I wear everyday at home‚Äîmy own version of jeans and a t-shirt.

In the studio, I've just sent off a new pattern grouping to Vogue: 2 skirts and a pant, set for January 2009 release, along with a second pattern, 2 sculptural little shrug tops and tank. Coming up in the October Vogue pattern release is a new jacket pattern, a toss-over-everything casual jacket with darted shaping. We called it the Euro Member's Only/Barn Jacket while it was being developed. I made 2 versions for the pattern photo: one in black cashmere, the other in natural Italian linen. You'll see the same jacket in the October issue of Threads featuring my article on silk screening.

While it is still summer, I am doing some sewing for right now‚Äîsoft pants, little t-shirts and linen shirts that are the summer version of a jacket.

Happy Summer, Happy Creating
from my studio to yours,
Marcy Tilton

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T-Shirt Mini Primer

Lightweight Knits
The Inside Story
Lightweight knits, AKA jersey or single knits,
feel so good in warm weather, but the tendency
for the edges to curl and for the fabric to
stretch when top stitching can be frustrating.

In current t-shirt projects, here are two
solutions to this problem.

To stabilize the raw edges for a lapped seam, I fused 1" strips of fusible tricot JUST shy of the edge of the fabric,making the topstitching much easier

When I started topstitching, the fabric began to stretch, so I slipped a strip of Totally Stable both behind AND on top of the stitching. Took a bit of patience to pick out the stabilizer on the right side. Here is how it looks from the wrong side. On this garment, I had not yet figured out to use a fusible tricot. Yes, it is possible to combine both products.

Question about pre-treating knits
Good Morning
I just received my order of Cotton Lycra Knit to be used for Marcy's t-shirt pattern. Lovely fabric. Is it machine washable or dry clean only? Any information on the care of this fabric would be appreciated. Thank you in advance
Anne

Marcy's reply:
I pre-shrink all my knits, put them in the washer and drier before cutting. But after that, I do not put the finished garment in the drier; I wash on gentle and hang to dry, then touch up with an iron if needed. The drier wears things out and makes knits look 'tired' very quickly.

Tissue Fitting De-mystified
Tissue fitting a t-shirt is like trying a garment on in the store before you buy it. Some sew-ists tell me they skip this step because it seems too hard. If you can't come take a workshop with me, my CD, Where Did You Get That T-Shirt is the next best thing. Click on the following two U-Tube video segments from the CD on tissue fitting. Then give it a try for yourself!

^$40^.00

Where Did You Get That T-Shirt? CD-rom

Tissue Fitting Part 1

Tissue Fitting Part 2

NEW T-Shirt Knits
Just arrived, a new collection of knits to sew now and into fall. I have found a grouping of rayon/lycra knits in rich colors with a beautiful drape and subtle sheen. We are delighted to have a NEW collection of stripes and dots to add to your t-shirts. Quantities are limited. Call if you have questions about colors, what goes with other fabrics or to request swatches. 541-592-2969

You can also e-mail Shelley with swatch requests: shelley@marcytilton.com,

Silk Screens

Here in the studio, silk screening is a natural
part of the creative-design process.
I love the ACT of silk screening‚Äîso simple,
and may plan it as part of the initial design
or add a touch as I go to bring in a focal point,
add a dash of color to a garment in process.

Layering is the secret to success with silk
screening. I like to combine the effects
of dye discharge, paint and foil adhesive.
Any of these techniques can be used separately
or together depending on your desired effect.

This is the order I work when combining dye
discharge, paint and foil.

First, apply the dye discharge, allow it to
dry, steam press to remove the color.

Second, apply the paint. Allow it to dry
and press to heat set.

Third, apply the foil adhesive, allow it
to dry and apply the foil. Here too‚ÄîLAYER
the foil colors, using more than one for a
subtle gleam.

8 year old Erin in her silk screened T. She uses good design sense, choosing colors that blend with her shirt and layering one image over the other. She chose two of our best selling screens: Cottonwood and Praise, Gratitude, Love...

Silk Screen Favorites and Best Sellers
When I select a grouping of silk screens for a project, I choose 1-5 in different sizes, with related shapes, some airy, others with a more defined shape. I use SpotEO a lot for blending, Japonesque Dragonfly (our #1 seller), is great to fill in a small area or to hide a smudge or drop of paint. I love words‚Äîone of my favorites is the Victorian Alphabet, it is airy and makes a cool graphic statement when criss-crossed over itself. Feather Fern is one of Nandini's favorites in her clothing line, and Praise, Gratitude, Love is her own design and she says, 'I just keep using it.'