DIY Knockoffs: Cool to Copy?

According to a friend who works in the fashion industry, nobody designs anymore. Nearly everything out there is a knock-off. Or a knock-off of a knock-off. Just ask Forever 21, which is forever in litigation with the designers whose work the company copies and then sells en masse for a million times cheaper. From the New York Times online:

It's not illegal, and some argue it's even good for the industry (listen to Kal Raustiala, co-author of The Knockoff Economy: How Imitation Sparks Innovation on NPR). Pattern companies are likewise on the copycat bandwagon.

For example, remember this dress?

Pippa Middleton

Butterick 5710

 So should I feel bad for ripping off a design and drafting a pattern for my personal use? I don't. But I would if I were to sell it. Call me old-fashioned.

The garment in question is a black silk tunic by Lauren Moffat. I love this detail on the back:

The front view is pretty simple:

So I drafted a flat pattern, using the original as my guide:

Unintentional photobomb by Ryan

It's looking a little tortured here, which is both the result of inadequate ironing and probably not quite the right fabric (this is the silk crepe de chine I had leftover from sewing Simplicity 1872, which I recently gave away):

I carefully ripped out all the top stitching. I decided it just didn't work. Or maybe I am just terrible at it. Either way. It had to go. The back looks even more tortured in this photo, but mostly because the sleeves were still pinned at that point. The fit on me is actually really good, though it looks like it's pulling in numerous places here:

For a simple looking top, it was hard to figure out how to construct this thing. It's like facings upon facings...and then sleeves? It turns out ripping something off can be extremely difficult. Figuring out what to sew first was like a puzzle. 

It's nearly done, after a week of sewing in short fits and starts (My time to sew over the past 7 days was minimal  thanks to Hurricane Sandy, which knocked out power to both my kid's preschool and my husband's office for five days  — and shut down the subway system and just about everything else. So that meant we three were all home for days upon days. Even the playgrounds and parks were all closed due to danger of falling branches. You might think that would mean lots of sewing time. You might, if you've never spent any time around a stir-crazy four-year-old.)

It's just waiting now for the buttons, which I bought on Etsy:

Have you ever knocked something off? Did you feel guilty? Are you knocking off my knock-off at this very moment? If so, how did you set in the sleeve?

Once Upon a Thread

I have a three-year-old, so I spend a lot of time reading children's books — and thinking about what makes a good one. Not just the words, but the illustrations too.

Among my favourites is Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lioni (which I have written about briefly before). It's the story of two friends (one blue, one yellow) who hug each other so much they become green. After some adventures, they go home to their parents, who don't recognize them. They cry and cry yellow and blue tears, then pull themselves back together. Their parents recognize them again, and all is well. Completely illustrated using torn up pieces of construction paper, you'd think it would be boring to look at. But it somehow conveys the sweet little story perfectly. And my kid loved looking at even when she was 2. We still read it regularly. Here are little blue and little yellow running around with their friends:

Katy of No Big Dill (I can't figure out how she has six kids and still finds time to make stuff and blog about it) is hosting another Once Upon a Thread challenge this month. I loved seeing the kids clothing and toys inspired by children's books. So I thought I'd do something with "Little Blue and Little Yellow," which also happen to be my kid's favourite colours. Not wanting to spend any money (or go downtown for fabric) I came up with this hooded jumper dress in white fleece that I had on hand. I have blue jersey for leggings, and some scraps in yellow and green to applique this Venn-diagram-like design on the front. Here's my drawing:

 

 

I've already drafted the pattern, building off of the basic tunic I made for Lucy's owl costume. I drafted sleeves, a hood, and pockets — all of which are easy add-ons to a simple tank dress (especially for a kid, and in stretch fabrics). I plan on posting how-to's for adding pockets and a hood to anything in the coming weeks. For the leggings, I'm using the Sleeping Johns pattern from Growing Up Sew Liberated. My kid has already declared to me that she won't wear this. So maybe this will be my Thanksgiving give-away. Fingers crossed it turns out good enough for strangers.