It’s Mathematics! My 500th Blog Post!!

     When I began my blog 12 years back in 2012, I never have thought that today I would be celebrating my 500^th post.  If you do the math, that statistic amounts to at least 41 projects shared each year, and a dizzying amount of words to match!  I can’t believe how much I still enjoy keeping up my blog, and am so pleased how many of you appreciate this site. 

     Putting emotion aside, I didn’t want to overthink which project to share for this momentous occasion.  I considered a party gown, an Agent Carter dress, or even a fancy robe from my queue of not-yet-shared projects to post.  However, I have two separate pieces that are easy-to-wear yet equally fun and unique as anything fancy.  Half of this set is from a vintage style from one of my favorite designers while the other half is completely self-drafted.  Either way, as you will see, both items rely on mathematics as their theme.  As I am looking back at my blog statistics for the last 12 years lately, a math-oriented project that is casual yet classy, quirky yet unpretentious seemed to fit the bill of my 500^th post quite nicely, after all.  Perhaps, you can add to my engagement numbers by letting me know in the comment section your own thoughts this post.  I would love to hear from my readers, anyway, to help celebrate with me!

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  for the Top – a vintage 1970s era cotton and polyester blended knit; for the Skirt – a burgundy colored apparel weight polyester challis from Uptown Fabric shop on Etsy, already used to make this 1943 Agent Carter slacks suit (posted here)

PATTERN:  Butterick #6530 by designer Betsey Johnson from 1972, a vintage original from my personal stash

NOTIONS NEEDED:  lots of thread, one zipper for the skirt’s side closure, and a stray single shoelace became the cord for the top’s neckline casing

TIME TO COMPLETE:  The top took me 4 hours to make, while I spent 6 hours on coming up with the skirt.  Both were finished in October 2023.

I added a satin ribbon in the shoulder seam to prevent stretching.

THE INSIDES:  The top has its inside edges left raw as the knit does not ravel.  The skirt has no raw edges showing the way I sewed it together, and the sealed selvedge edge is the only thing showing at the waistline…so very clean!

TOTAL COST:  The top’s fabric was bought second-hand for pittance, while the notions were on hand already, so I’m counting the skirt’s material to be my only cost.  This outfit cost me $15.  

Some of the preliminary mathematical figuring I made for drafting my skirt…

     Mathematics is all about precision and accuracy, the same qualities of the finest clothing.  I aim for high standards in my sewing, and that feels very much like a math-oriented quality to me.  In an era where we have our latest technology assists so much of our lives, eliminating the need for mental figuring, I am of the type that still uses the old fashioned methods of mathematics to do my garment drafting.  It hasn’t failed me!  For as fluctuating and changeable as my body is any given day, I never fail to be amazed at the way that something as harsh as raw numbers or flat lines on paper can transform fabric into something which fits the body.  Thus, I feel like this skirt really is my math set.  It tested my math skills, my level of accuracy in drafting, and my calculating foresight to sew my skirt.  My blouse not only used a math-themed print, but also has mitered corners, sweeping curves, and angular lines for a perfect array of geometric shapes.  I love wearing this set and hope my joy can be seen through this posts photos!

     I have been mentioning the designer Betsey Johnson in my posts on a consistent basis, especially ever since I shared my first project using one of her sewing patterns for the Fall of 2022.  (Go to that post to learn more about her life!)  That post’s dress pattern was from 1971, and was my sneaky set-up to my eventual sharing of this post since my current project hails to 1972!  Thus, I approached the making of this top with an unusual confidence for using a vintage pattern.  In my most recent post, I mentioned how the sizing trend for her brand is predictably short-waisted, but they also run small in the bust, which is just my proportions.  I have several original Betsey Johnson ready-to-wear items (not Alley Cat Brand) that I posted about here to establish the fact that her clothes seem as if made for me.  It’s always so nice to find a line of clothing that seems to be tailored for your personal fitting needs, but such a discovery is even sweeter when there are sewing patterns to match, too!

A dress version of my top! Butterick no.6530 by Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, as featured in Butterick Home Catalog, Spring 1972.

     The Butterick Betsey Johnson patterns of the 1970s tell a great story about the woman behind the designs.  Her youth-focused designs dictate some of her sizing preferences, as the sizing chart on her patterns show that the offered measurements are either Junior Petite or on the small end of adult proportions.  However, her models – both live and illustrated – always look so tall and leggy to appeal to the 1970s trends as well as the era’s gawky teenager looking for the coolest Bohemian chic clothing.  I am not tall and leggy, but I feel that the long lines of this top help make me look so!  I made sure to lay the lines of the measuring tapes that are in the background of my print as running vertical on my body to further lengthen this top visually.  The straight lines of my pleated skirt also carry the linear theme. 

     Betsey’s penchant for using knit fabrics calls back to her desire to offer pieces both as easy to wear, as they are easy to fit, and take care of on a day-today basis.  Knit fabrics were the material with which she first found success selling her velvet trimmed sweater tops back in 1964.  My previous Betsey Johnson dress could have used either stretchy or woven non-stretch materials, but this pattern is solely a design for knit fabrics, like most of her Butterick patterns.  Nevertheless, knit fabrics in the 1970s were often very stable and different from the super stretchy spandex knits of today.  Therefore, the separates that are part of this pattern all have zipper closures and stable waistlines or necklines.  For my version of this top, I did leave out the back zipper.  My tightly woven fabric stretches just enough to do without the zip even though the knit is a very tight, non-elastic content knit.

     Betsey’s preference for bold floral and oversized plaid prints during her Alley Cat line was the beginning of her spiral into crazy novelty prints for the namesake brand that followed.  As I was using an Alley Cat pattern, the way I made my top only anticipates the style of prints she used in the 1980s.  I have reasons to believe my novelty print is from the 1970s, so I think my unique merging of influences just works out!  I call this a “conversion chart” print for the way it shows various imperial and metric units of both length and volume.   The acronyms for these units are in basic colors and float aimlessly over a background of yardsticks lined up in a row.  I appreciate the way the print has all the different numerical amounts I use on a daily basis between cooking, sewing, and price adjusting when shopping.  I never would have thought that I would end up with a piece of clothing that can substitute for a conversion chart or measuring tape, if needed, but I love the quirkiness of it!  It’s so “me” while also being unequivocally Betsey Johnson.    

     She was playing with some Renaissance design elements at this time in her career (the 1970s), as evidenced by my top’s puffed sleeves and mitered wrists.  Such references blossomed into full-blown Historicism for her Fall-Winter 1997 and 1999 collections which are a cross between a moody Gothic revival and a Ren-Fair parade of polyester velour.  Betsey’s use of 16^th and 17^th century design elements started out sweet under her Alley Cat line (as my top proves), but became full-blown Punk with a strong undertone of rebellion in the 1990s.  My top has the quaint look of being an Alley Cat, but I tried to work my hair into a creative Punk look and added socks with my platform sandals for a merging between the 1970s and 90’s. 

A 1973 pleated skirt pattern on the left next to a 1943 pleated skirt pattern

     The skirt was not originally meant to pair with my Betsey Johnson top, but I loved the look of the two together enough to include it for this post.  I merely wanted a skirt to match with the 1940s Agent Carter blouse I had made from the rest of this fabric, and having it pleated was my only requirement.  Yet, before constructing this skirt, I realized that this burgundy pleated skirt would pair perfectly with a medieval inspired project I have been working on…back to the 16^th century influence we go!  Pleated skirts were in style for ladies for the couple centuries following circa 1580, and even though my skirt is getting a feature here in this post, it will be an important part of that medieval inspired project (to be posted soon).  However, pleated skirts were incredibly popular in the 1940s as well as for the 1970s, when the latter decade had their own spin on the fashions of the former.  A pleated skirt would have been just below the knee for 1943 (the year of my matching Agent Carter blouse).  Nevertheless, a longer midi length seemed to look better on me with this 1970s top and (most importantly) looked better with my medieval inspired piece.  There is something crucial to sewing for your taste and ideals, not just for ‘historical’ accuracy or to mirror an overly specific motivation.   

     Sticking with a longer midi length worked in my favor for drafting.  I planned to use the full cut of two yards in a way that would keep it one piece.  I did not want to cut the fabric at all just in case I needed this fabric (for some wild, unknown reason) at a future date.  A bought pattern was not going to check off all the boxes I wanted filled for this skirt at this point, so I drafted my own.  A pleated skirt made this project very mathematical.  I had two yards to wrap around my body.  By taking into account one center back ½” seam allowance as well as the finished garment measurements I needed (based off of my true body size plus wearing ease), I could learn of the difference in material I had left.  Then I could figure in a proper amount of pleats to bring the two yards down to my body size.  I knew an odd number of pleats was my goal.  I also wanted deep set knife pleats which would travel around my body in one direction.  This layout helps my skirt have a soft and swishy movement when I walk as if it was a knit, a feature that I love about this piece.  The soft-finish poly crepe does not set a permanent pleat very well, anyways, and it is easier to work with a fabric’s inherent quality than to work against it.   

     Since my fabric was thin and relatively flimsy, I decided I would use it double layered to keep the skirt opaque and substantial.  Does so gave me the opportunity to plan out the hem along the fold opposite the selvedge, as I did for this self-drafted rib knit dress, posted here.  This move also helped me eliminate the need for visible thread along anything other than the waistline, as I remembered the material does not take very well to machine top-stitching.  Since my fabric is 60” width, working with half of the fabric gave me 30” for the overall length.  I shortened this length by folding about 4 inches into the inside to create a stable interior waistline that is smooth and invisible on the outside.  I hand stitched the zipper in the center back for yet another deluxe touch. 

     As I said to start off with, this set might not be the fanciest outfit to show for such a special blog anniversary, but it is really no different from sharing a party dress or something elegant, as I had considered.  Running my blog for so long has taught me many lessons that have carried over to how I have approached my sewing and my general style over the last few years.  Every occasion in life is special no matter what I wear, every garment I sew has the same amount self-investment, and every post or paper I write is something I am incredibly proud of.  I’m trying to be gentle on myself and focus on enjoying the overall process.  My style is continually evolving and growing along with me, and I am thankful that I have the ability to find personal avenues of self-expression, especially through my sewing capabilities.  At first, my blog started off as a sewing diary to add fulfillment in my free time.  Everyone was doing it in 2012, after all!  Yet, after this long, my sewing blog seems to be a long-term passion project which has happily and recently led me into new, unexplored avenues of personal advancement.  There have been exciting clues of some of it already on my blog.  Those who have followed my blog for years or those who merely pop on over to visit over the years get to see the best of me here on this little niche of the internet.  See what a ride it has been reaching 500 blog posts?!?