24.1.12

Missoni Many Ways

Have you met Passiona over at Le Coutureve?   She makes some pretty groovy stuff, and not even just for herself.  One of my favourite projects of hers was the outfit she made for her Nanna.  One of my daydreams has been to sew something fabulous for someone that the fashion world may have overlooked...she didn't just dream it, she got on and did it.  Most inspirational. 

Well, Passiona had a super-generous give-away and I ended up with a piece of Missoni.  Gorgeous fabric, but being a gift, I felt a little pressure to do something worthwhile with the fabric.  This pressure meant that it took me a long time to decide what to make.

My first thought, as with almost any knit print, was to make a boxy sort of boat neck top.

Then I remembered some cute looking summery missoni tank styles I had seen. 
However, I couldn't walk away from the idea of a V-neck; it would be pretty groovy with all those zig-zags.

One of my most favourite Missoni garments is the dress captured by the sartorialist.  I could make a dress, albeit a very short one.  Could be cute, poolside, over a bikini.
Passiona made a dress  I could channel her grown-up look with a simple skirt.
By then, it became a challenge too see how many looks I could create from one garment.  A simple shrug turned out to be very useful when I headed south for the silly season.
A plain scarf. (An aside: my white pants, that I love, keep shrinking, every wash.  Now they are too small and too short.  Grrrrrr.  I have worn them for this photo shoot, as I have not had the chance to sew a replacement.)
More of a jabot.
I was pretty stoked the day I realised that I could also wear it as pants.  Not that I am likely to, but I could, if I had some sort of hippie event to attend.
A short cardigan is a possibility.
A poncho perhaps?  The zig-zags go down on this one, for a little variety.
A one shoulder top, with or without a strap.
That was all that I remembered to photograph today, but I found some earlier photos that I took when I was making it, so I could remember some possibilities.  Top with folded neckline.
A cowly sort of scarf.
A head scarf.
A vest.
An overskirt.
So how is all this possible in a single garment?  Two rectangles.  I cut the fabric into two equal pieces.
Across the top I sewed interfaced bias strips and hand stitched large snaps to the strips.
Along the sides I attached hand-made snap tape.  The top strips and the snap tape were sewn down by hand, so as not to create a line on the other side of the garment.  It was a tad tricky working out where to put the male and female snaps, for the best looking garments.
The snap tape was made using this press (although yesterday I saw that Lincraft sells snap tape in white and black).
The straps were quilted layers of linen, with hand sewn snaps at the ends.
I have kept one strap long.  It sits inside the garment when worn as a dress.  I have kept it long as I have not given up the idea of creating new looks with a long strap.

These outfits have all been snapped symmetrically.  Imagine the possibilities when I start mis-matching snaps!

 As you can see, I've had a lot of fun with this project.  Whilst none of the looks may be as perfect as a single garment may have been, they are mostly very wearable.  I wore this garment at least 4 different ways during my Christmas down south...as a shrug, a skirt, the cowl necked tank and the V-neck top (my favourite look).

24 comments:

Dibs said...

Wow. That is really cool.

Jacquie said...

That is brilliant (and very funny)! What a great idea!

Mary Nanna said...

So clever! Very impressed. And the colours suit you perfectly - what a score!

Christy said...

OMG you are a genius! I've been stuggling to use my piece also from the same giveaway. Seriously - your ideas are awesome!

Evelyne said...

That's amazing - very impressed that you can refashion it in so many different ways. I would have been scratching my head for weeks!!!!

Rachelle said...

Wow, that is THE most amazingly creative thing I have seen on a sewing blog! (or anywhere for that matter). You are so clever :-) they're all awesome but my favourites are the skirt and the cowl.

Lisa said...

I am in awe , I mean seriously what a great idea.I love it as a skirt and cowl.

Sew-4-Fun said...

Oh wow, you are always so creative! The number of outfits from these two rectangles amaze me.

liza jane said...

Brilliant.

Audrey said...

I loved this post. You are so clever. What you did with a small length of gorgeous fabrics is amazing.

Colette said...

My head is still spinning with all the different variations! clever post :)

Robyn said...

Wow. Just wow.

Sue said...

Sooo clever!

Tracy - The Material Girl said...

Amazing! What a wonderful way to wear a special fabric in so many ways.

Carolyn said...

Wow, what an amazing range of looks! Well done!

kbenco said...

Brilliant. You really think outside the box.

marysews said...

I'm enjoying the fun-ness of what you've done!

Mary Beth said...

Gosh...just think..this concept could be applied to knitting..yes, Knitters are obsessed with all things Missoni. Any easy to use up scraps...just get that snap tape and you'd be all set!

Gail said...

Way cool. You will have many imitators I'm sure.

Gabrielle said...

Wow, a fantastic idea - and it really works! Imagine doing the same with lots of different fabrics and mixing them up - you could have colour and pattern blocking that changed every day!

Joy said...

Well, this is the definition of versatility! Great fabric.

Anonymous said...

I am overwhelmed (and still trying to work out how it was all done....)

Brenda said...

Awesome. Totally Awesome. So clever!!!! But how!?!

thornberry said...

LOVE this! Just great!