Don McCunn's Blog

Preparing for Red Dress Day

June 3, 2010 on 12:50 am | In Events, Fitting Issues, Sewing Techniques, pattern making | No Comments

Bill Rivers		Raj and Susan Walia
To see a larger version, click on an image. More Photos on Flickr

Awhile ago a friend of my wife and I, Bill Rivers, mentioned he was going to celebrate his 50th birthday by doing the AIDS/LifeCycle 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles from June 6-12, 2010. We got to talking and he told us about the special day when everyone, men and women, wear red dresses.

Somehow the discussion veered on to the idea that he would like a red tutu. I had acquired instructions for making tutus back in the 70s and had always wanted to make one. So the die was cast. I started as I always do by researching images of different styles of tutus. Boy are there a lot of variations. I saw one that I really liked because it reminded me of the cartridge pleated Elizabethan Neck Ruffs that I had made before.

So when Bill came over for measurements I showed him the images of what I was thinking of as well as the other variations. We got to discussing how to make the tutu so that he could wear it all day long. Bill also expressed an interest in wearing it for the entire 7 days of the ride. So the challenge became how to make a tutu that you could wear with different clothes that were going to be exposed to some serious exercise.

I came up with the idea of building the cartridge pleats on a wide elastic waistband that could be worn over just about any garment. I pulled some waistband elastic from my stash of elastic and put it around Bill’s waist so we could adjust it for the comfort factor. This was the easiest measurement/fitting session I had ever done.

Then I was off to my favorite fabric store in San Francisco, the Fabric Outlet on Mission street, to buy the yards and yards of fabric that were going to be required. One of the reasons I love this store is I can always find fabric that surprises me. I was not disappointed. I found a red net fabric that had a metallic sparkle to it. They also happened to have some wonderful red ribbon trim that sparkled as well and was a wonderful complement to the fabric. From my research I knew I needed to bulk out the fabric to achieve the effect I wanted so I also bought some regular red nylon netting. It was not nearly as lustrous as the metallic netting so I used it as an inner lining for the tutu.

Then all I had to do was to sew it up–Ha, Ha, Ha. Cartridge pleating is interesting to do. But to stabilize it so it would stand up to vigorous wear was a major challenge. But I persevered with the results you can see.

Part II

In the middle of this project my computer died. Fortunately I live 5 blocks from a wonderful business which builds custom computers for me, Castro Computer Service. I lugged my dead computer down to them and cried “Help my computer died.” They took it in and checked it out and told me sadly that the motherboard was a goner.

As I was talking to them about building me a new computer and having them save my life by transferring all my data and programs to the new computer from the old one the topic of the AIDS/LifeCycle came up. It turns out that my computer guru, Raj, was doing the ride for the second year and was being joined by his sister, Susan, the woman who manages the business end of Castro Computing Services with a firm hand–don’t try to put anything over on her. It turns out their mother is going along as a roadie.

Susan and I talked about the Red Dress Day and she told me how much she wanted to wear a cape. I got intrigued by the idea because I have worn a cape and know how hard it can be to keep them on when you are just standing around, much less riding a bike. Once again the die was cast. By knocking our heads together Susan and I came up with a cape that was a full circle of fabric with an opening for her head.

I put one together and when she road tested it, she came up with the idea of adding straps to keep the fabric from flying up in her face so she could see where she was going. It sounded like a good idea to me so I made the addition.

And of course we couldn’t leave Raj out of the picture. He is a very masculine kind of guy so I envisioned him with a vest. Thinking of my conversation with Bill I wanted to create something that could be worn over any other garment. When he came by for measurements and a quick draping fit I could see he was disappointed in not having more. We talked back and forth and decided a frilly skirt would be a nice addition. Strong masculine from the waist up and nice and feminine from the waist down.

Back to my favorite fabric store where I found a lovely crushed, panne velvet with nice frilly lace for the skirt. You gotta love a fabric store that so consistently delivers the goods. They have a fabric and notion selection to die for.

But enough of me talking. Check out this YouTube where you can hear about this ride from Bill, Susan, and Raj and this wonderful venture they are participating in.

To see more of their stories and contribute your support, if you should so desire, check out the pages below.

• Bill Rivers
• Susan Walia
• Raj Walia