Burda Style For people who sew

Madonna. Sarah Jessica Parker. Lindsay Lohan. Jessica Simpson. Jennifer Lopez. Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen. Sean Diddy Combs. Justin Timberlake. Beyonce Knowles. Britney Spears. The list goes on and on.

How many of our most popular young — and not so young — celebrities are also talented clothing designers?

Malcolm McLaren was a major force behind the punk sound that emerged from London in the mid 1970’s. While it can be disputed whether or not it was McLaren who came up with the concept for his protegee band, the Sex Pistols, or if it was the band members themselves (i.e., Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious) no one can dispute that it was his partner Vivienne Westwood who actually created and sewed the looks that the band wore. By studying the fashions of London’s seedier occupants like bikers and sex workers, Westwood and McLaren conceptualized the new deconstructionist fashion phenomenon known as the “punk look”.

Readers, do you ever feel like you spend a disproportionate amount of your day talking/thinking/writing about sewing?

When you mention your sewing projects, do you ever catch friends or colleagues rolling their eyes, glancing at their watches, and suddenly having to catch the 5:15 train — and they drive to work? Do you yourself retreat daily to the comforting, marshmallow, everybody-sews-here worlds of sites like BurdaStyle or your favorite sewing blog?

While an apron-like garment can be traced back to ancient Egypt, aprons, as we know them, evolved from the middle ages and their use by tradesmen – blacksmiths, cobblers, butchers, etc as protective gear. As other trades began to adopt the apron in their practice, they began to be made from cloth (versus leather for the rougher trades such as blacksmithing). And, as cloth began to establish itself as the material of choice, colors began to appear, denoting specific skills – barbers wore a checked pattern; butchers and porters, green; masons, white. The word “apron,” in fact , is a more modern word coming from the French word “naperon," meaning napkin or small tablecloth.

Readers, as a very visible man who sews, I am often asked the question, Why don’t more guys sew? We know a lot of fashion designers and nearly all tailors are male, so why aren’t there more male home sewists?

My answer is always, well, some men do sew. But even I know that the number is very small compared to the number of women who sew.

Having grown up male in the United States, it doesn’t surprise me in the least that most men don’t sew and probably would never consider it. Here are some of the reasons (in no particular order) and maybe you’ll have some of your own to add.

People often ask me where do I get my inspiration. Inspiration comes to me in many shapes and forms. I often find myself inspired by fibers themselves: using different textures, colors, and weights of yarn can create very unexpected results!

Using mohair and silk together is one of my favorite combinations! The sheen of silk and the matte texture of mohair balance each other beautifully. Combining them in a way that uses lace weight and worsted weight yarns gives the piece a very delicate look.

I’ve spent much of the last year on my blog, Male Pattern Boldness, writing about the many machines I sew with — I love them all!

Last week’s article about vintage sewing machines elicited such a strong response, I wanted to follow up with some information about how to buy a vintage machine: what questions to ask, what precautions to take, what models to look for.

So let’s get started!

I’m not the first to say this, nor will I be the last…but zippers are here to stay (and I don’t mean to simply close pieces of fabric together). From the design studios of Philip Lim, Versace and Balmain to jewelry designers and hobbyists throughout the world, zippers are leaving the seams and taking a prominent place as decorative elements and fashion accessories in their own right.

A few months ago, I received an email from an enthusiastic Male Pattern Boldness reader, telling me I had helped convince her to buy a vintage Singer straight-stitch sewing machine. I’d been spreading the word about vintage sewing machines on my blog since the beginning, but I never thought anybody was actually paying attention!

I’d like to share some of my enthusiasm for these machines with all of you here at BurdaStyle today. Here are my TOP TEN REASONS TO GIVE A VINTAGE MACHINE A TRY.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing last week’s history piece on mother-of-pearl buttons. So much so that I thought I would write another vintage/history post this week on the always glamorous topic of …wait for it…feedsacks.

One of the many delights of learning to sew has been experimenting with old patterns and recreating the popular styles of yesteryear.

One of my recent Etsy finds was a vintage 1939 men’s shirt pattern with a convertible collar. Convertible means that the shirt can be worn either with the collar buttoned on or with just the collar band. For the record, according to shirt guru David Coffin, the collar band is what you see on a shirt with no collar. The collar stand is what supports the collar on a shirt that has one. So for this 1939 shirt, I’d be making both a band and a stand.

I love mother of pearl buttons. Over the years, as I was searching for samples, I began to learn the fascinating story of their rise to popularity and the uniquely American slant to their success. I thought I would share that with you today.

Examples from my book Button Ware

Let’s face it: for the guy who wants to sew his own clothes (or for women who want to sew menswear), there aren’t a whole lot of resources out there. In-print books like David Coffin’s classic, Shirtmaking, are few. I’ve been writing extensively about men’s sewing over on my blog, Male Pattern Boldness, and I’m delighted that BurdaStyle has given me the opportunity to address the topic here.

I admit…I’m a little bias about bias. As someone who has spent the better part of their life involved in sewing and quilting, I absolutely love bias tape. For so many patterns, projects and quilts, a coordinating or contrasting binding can really add a lovely and distinctive finishing touch.