Learning to Sew A Regency Dress: From Scratch - Threads

My first Regency dress:

It's not the first choice of the Bennets but hey, I'm pretty proud of it. 

Learning to Sew A Regency Dress: From Scratch - Threads

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Correction: Izar

I was doing more research on the term"ikzar" and found out that it's actually spelled, izar not "ikzar".
Arabic is not my native language so I am sorry for the mistake. Also it would explain why I was not able to find any information on the garment when I was Googling it. Here is more information on the izar: Izars
To make sure that future readers are not confused by this mistake, I went back and edited my posts.
Insha'allah, you find any mistakes, please let me know so they can edited.
A follow blogger helped me: fashioningfaith
She has a great blog on Islamic fashion, insha'allah you like Islamic fashion or in need of some inspiration or you just curious, go & check out her blog.

DIY Izar Completed

Shareef's izar is complete and he was very pleased with it. Insha'allah I'll be even more pleased when he decides to wear it out so I can see it in action and get some feedback on it. I think I'll try my next tailored izar project from scratch and even do a tutorial on this so sisters can make their husbands izars from old worn pants and left over material. It's great way of re-using what you got in your sewing scratches and giving those worn garments more use. This project was fun too, I discovered that pants are very versatile garments and how much fun it was to do your thing.

"Kurayami nara kocchi no mon da"

(The darkness is my advantage.)

I often like to play a movie while Im sewing. Some may found this funny, but it helps break the mundaneness of sewing and naturally helps you take a break. I still be listening to the movie without watching it. I find an excellent samurai/yakuza movie series call: Zatoichi.

The main character, Ichi-san, is a blind swordsman and masseur with a good, kind nature. He wonders the land in search of work and helping people along the way. Often for some reason, Ichi-san winds up in some situation that ends with alot of dead henchmen and their bosses regretting that they never crossed his path. Insha'allah you like samurai movies: this badboy would be great.

Anyhow, I do have a Japanese clothing project coming up soon and this movie have some great, realistic costumes. I'm positive that my husband would not be too comfortable in a hakama, he sticks to his pants and izars. Me, on the other hand, would like a kimono & a michiyuki.

Back to the izar, after I cut the legs & crotch off the pants, I simply pinned the skirt material in place then when I got the look I wanted, stitched it in place. I added a flap over the front and it fastens down with heavy duty snaps covered in the same fabric as the skirt.

I stitched faux pockets over the real pockets to balance the back with the front. He can still use the real back pockets too.

New Pattern

I got my Sense & Sensibility pattern today. I havent sewn anything yet, I'm still reading the wonderful instructions (a habit I developed). I'm looking forward to sewing my first from this pattern and I have seen some of the gowns. They are very beautifully made.

To check out this pattern, go here: Sense & Sensibility Patterns

Hubby's New DIY Izar Update

It's Fajr and I have been up ALL NIGHT LONG.

Yeah, Im a night owl and I do my best at night.

Anyhow about the DIY Izar.

This project looked great on paper however almost hard to execute. This is just a mock, so Im learning & taking alot notes as I go along. Insha'allah the mock holds up and looks good, it will became a garment worthy of wearing.

Im having a field with pleats because when pleats are soft they tend to look feminine. And I hate that, so I had press and zigzag stitch over the pleats. There are also some design planning for the back, Im planning to add a panel over the front. I got the izar over my dress form for now until hubby gets home for the fitting.

The next time I choosing pants with just pockets. The current pants shown in the picture are a pleasant warm dark grey but the flash on my camera brighten the pic, so they look medium grey. The material feels very good and handles great; smooth to the touch yet not too slippery to sew. These were very nice pants to cut up and experiment on. They had hand-stitching on the inside. Shareef (hubby) said he found them at a thrift store in New York City.

I'm like: Hella sweet. Only in New York City you can found fine tailored slacks in thrift stores.

In the South, it's really ugly stuff that smells horrible.

Oh well...(Gail does the Threadbanger gesture)

Hubby's New DIY Izar

Today I started a DIY Tailored Izar for my husband. I got the inspiration from the utilikilt. The utilikilt/kilt was great for design but too short for my husband's Islamic dress code needs.

Yes, Muslim men do have a dress code in Islam, they have to cover themselves from their navel to their ankles. One of the dress codes for Muslim men is that their garments must not drag the ground or end above the knee. Also they cannot wear silk or gold.

I wanted an izar that looked tailored yet simple make & could be made with old garments. An izar, from my understanding, is basically a simple length of cloth that is pleated and tied around the midsection. Islamically, the izar was worn by men and women however today it's more of a men's garment. The izar can be a simple tube skirt with elastic or drawstring waistband to a tailored garment with pockets and studs. The skies's the limit on this garment.

Im still working on the izar and will be more than happy to update this as soon as Im finished, insha'allah

****Islamic correction as of October 30, 2013: The original ruling on the Muslim men's dress code is from their navels to their knees. ****