FREE "Scary Hannah Mask"!

Happy Halloween everyone! Here is another something frightening for you! (Sorry Hannah, I couldn't resist!)  This is my terribly inaccurate drawing of Hannah being her goofy self.



So in order to make proper use of such a rare and valuable resource, I have provided a Scary Hannah Mask. This goes out to all those Hannah admirers and costume collectors alike, who are looking to complete their collections!



Enjoy!

Halloweens passed.

My favorite holiday is finally here! In honor of the wonderful Halloweens of yesteryear, I share with you some of my favorite memories.

Indeed an item of the past, our 2006 pumpkin rendition of the Britney and K-fed phenomenon:




Another favorite... when Rob and I dressed as bears... It was a brilliant idea, but neither of us could see through the poorly planned eyeholes in our gutted teddy bear heads.




I have yet to see what we concoct this year, but this dress has seen many a Halloween, and I may be forced to carry on that tradition.

Happy Halloween y'all!

I love this sweater

For the most part I don't believe in pushing my politics. I think that what people believe in and who they vote for are entirely their business. Don't get me wrong I love talking politics I just want both people to be happy to be having a conversation. That said I love this sweater. It makes me want to fish out my massively under used yarn collection and start a fall project. If you want to check out the blog of the girl who made it click on the title. As a warning it is light on the sweaters, heavy on the politics, and drowning in kittens.

Anatomy and Kinesiology

I was just taking a peak at Adam Arnold's studio, described and photographed in the Portland Mercury blog MOD, and was struck by this photo. He has X-rays of a torso on his chalkboard! Now he could just be being cute and design-y, since X-rays are totally the kind of thing that people put up just because they're interesting, but my impression is that it's for the sake of anatomy, because being able to see exactly how the human body is constructed, as well as how it moves, is one of the important aspects to patternmaking that I think is often overlooked. Jessie? As his new intern, is that the case? Also, I'm so envious and excited for you. It looks like he has such an efficient process that he works with, and his new clothes are gorgeous.

Hannah's story.

If you're not gonna say it, I am. Hannah's mini life-as-a-patternmaker autobiography, How I got my start, is featured on Fashion-Incubator. Way to rock it Hannah, we are all so proud of you!

Thoughts on Lanvin and "The Economy of Cut"

At a time when, as Cathy Horyn writes in On the Runway, there is a "gloom supplied at once by the economic crisis and the expensive orgy of the [fashion] shows," it's nice to know that some designers have the economy in mind.
One of the things that surprised me most when I first arrived in NYC and started working with Nicolas was the complete lack of consideration for how much fabric a pattern would require. There were numerous circumstances where a some extravagant dress needed five yards of fabric when it could have been made with two, had a simple seamline been added in a strategic and unobtusive place. I'm sure this was because we worked on pieces for the collections, and had they been production patterns we would have worked differently. All the same, it was exciting to read a review of Lanvin by Sarah Mower on style.com and hear that his runway pieces were patterned with a mind towards efficiency and a reduction of waste. Here's an excerpt:

"Can voluptuous fashion stay relevant in an age of austerity? Can gorgeous decoration coexist with the need for something plain and simple? Ask Alber Elbaz, a man whose recipe for reductionism and all-out gorgeousness squared the circle with a unique flourish. "Whatever's happening now," he said, "it's the end of fake. What's not real will go. What we have to do now is make life easier for women."

To him, that meant going back to the studio with scissors and fabric and working out, first, a supreme economy of cut and design. Airy shapes in poufy gazar, duchesse satin, georgette, and cloque were crafted from single shots of color in one-shouldered tops, balloon-sleeved blouses, and shifts in which the only feature is an internal drape that adds a miraculously chic fillip to the hip line."

Of course we are still talking about pieces that cost thousands of dollars. But if other fashion houses follow suit and direct part of their creative energy at diminishing the wasteful and "expensive orgy" aspect of the process, I for one will be much happier working in the world of high fashion.

Elbaz's pieces, by the way, are stunning. Here are some of my favorites:

The color combination of this one is so unexpected but pretty -- but look at the back of the other one! The front was very plain. I love designs with more going on in back, it adds an air of mystery.



This one almost looks like it's just pulled up on her thigh from static cling. I love clothes that walk that line between "is that an accident, or is it a stylistic choice...?"

Dang, Dolman.

I don't think I've mentioned yet that I will be starting my internship with Adam Arnold next Monday. Yay! I'm very excited!

Meanwhile, he's invited me to his fall open house. The invitation strongly suggests wearing Adam Arnold. Unfortunately I haven't yet had the honor of owning anything Adam. I thought in order to get in the spirit of being a designer, that I would try to crank something out for myself.

So, I came up with a lined wool dress that is very coat-like. I sketched over a dozen designs an finally decided on one. I began by sketching them as flats, and created a sheet of progressives. I actually began drafting the pattern and began to second guess myself.



I love dolman sleeves, but because I have an unusually large bust circumference, they tend to look dumpy on me. It is visually confusing, because unless my waistline is defined, I look pregnant or overweight. And most dolman sleeves are baggy in general. As I was drafting the sleeve I began to wonder about how this would look, and lost some faith in my design.

In a completely natural search for reassurance, I was drawn to do what I've been taught, and drew my garment on this fashion figure! And I feel a million times better now! I drew this in less than ten minutes, and am so glad I did it.

The bodice should be very fitted aside from the dolman (it has an overarm seam), and has some combination of a built-up neckline and a mandarin collar. The bodice ends exactly where it needs to in order to accentuate the waist and has a true waistline seam where a slight amount of fullness is added, and increases to a somewhat fuller a-lined silhouette which is pulled in by a band at the hem. I added the band in order to balance out everything that is happening at the top, and feel it's a little over-accentuated in the drawing. I'm hoping that once it is made out of the medium-weight wool, the sleeve will droop a little and not be too stiff, and that the "coat feeling" doesn't take over too much. I would love to combine it with a satiny silky shirt with a "secretary" feel, black tights and boots.

The Flock and Fiber Festival

Susanna and I went to Canby OR to go to the Oregon Flock and Fiber festival. It's a large collection of all thing sheep. There were livestock pens, craft contests, spinning circles, and a parking lot full of raw fleece. The clientele ranged from good old farm folk, "crafty" middle aged women, and some of the waldorf crowd. I was especially excited about the craft exhibit but I found it a little disappointing. Most things were just what you would expect, a shawl, a sweater, a hat, but there were a couple of things that totally blew me away. One woman named Debbie New had made two knit teacups.


These are knit in the shape of a football and then inverted onto themselves to lend support. They are totally soft, there are no wires, or glue, or anything.

Even more awesome was a knit kaleidoscope that she made. Its made as a series of Styrofoam cones wrapped in knit "hats" the whole thing is operated by a hand crank.

There was someone who made the tackiest and most elaborate felted scenes. They are a perfect example of the amazing capacity of people being used for things I find totally inexplicable. Although I might pay a small fortune for this unicorn. Bear in mind that both of these are 100% wool. And yes, that's a bear catching salmon.



We also found a wonderful booth that had felted goods from Kyrgyzstan. They had some beautiful stuff. Susanna who has spent time in Mongolia studying felt told me all about how the stuff was made. Its amazing. I can't explain the amount of wool that goes into a rug or the amazing way it feels in my hand.

Taylor and Travis's wedding

Well a lot has happened since the last time I posted. First and foremost I moved into a new house. It is beautiful old portland style house with three room mates that are all pretty awesome. I am even going to have room to move my studio into the basement. I have in the past shied away from having my studio in my house because it seemed nice to get out and a little more professional to have one's studio in a different building. However the fact remains that where I had my studio was not very professional to begin with, I rarely had people over to impress, and there have been so many times that I have not worked on projects because I didn't want to take the time to get on my bike and go down there. I'm also feeling pretty cheap these days so that doesn't hurt either. Anyway this is a round about way of apologizing for not posting in such a long time.
There are two major events that have happened in the last two sewing weeks. (I say it like that so I don't have to go off on the vice presidential debates that I just watched.) The first being the wedding of Travis and Taylor and the culmination of my well documented sewing project Taylor's dress 1 Taylor's dress 2 Taylor's dress 3
The second I will get to in my next post.
Our friend Taylor worked at beckel canvas with Hannah and I and is a remarkably vivacious person. She and her husband once had a small fashion line of their own called T-Rex. For the most part Travis sewed the clothes and Taylor decorated them with a technique of cutting away a top layer of fabric to expose the under layer in spots, coupled with a lot of embroidery. On the whole they were pretty cool clothing.
To make a long story short T-Rex became the theme of their wedding. It was officiated by a friend in a dinosaur costume, they had a dinosaur themed cake, and lots more. For all of its non-tradition it was the sweetest, most honest and heartfelt weddings I have ever attended. But pictures speak a thousand words so here are some photos.


Taylor with her brides maids.



Taylor walking to the alter with her father.


Check out the beautiful trellis their friend made.



This is a good chunk of the wedding party on our bike ride to the reception. You can spot yours truly out on the end of the outcropping sporting a T-Rex made dress.


T-rex cake.


This is the groom standing in front of a 15 foot tall gold vinyl T-rex with christmas lights strung behind it.

Leather belts

Alright, I admit I'm spending my rainy Saturday internet surfing. I just found these leather belts made by Jasmin Shokrian, and they're amazing, despite the fact the the pictures are a little hard to make out. Might have to copy them if I can get my hands on some lovely leather.



Lately I've been attracted to plain things that seem really well-made and sturdy, and these belts embody that.

Gianfranco Ferre

I haven't ever paid a lot of attention to Gianfranco Ferre, but I stumbled onto his Spring/Summer 09 collection the other day, and am in love -- it's exactly what I'm in the mood for: Womanly and flattering but a little tough, futuristic/architectural with really new interesting shapes, and not a print in sight. Here are a few of my favorites:

This one above is kind of the perfect party dress.

I love the way that the pockets stand away from the body on the skirt. Also I think the fact that the belt is dark only in the middle section of the bodice is really flattering and makes the waist look tiny.

I love how in these last 2 pieces there are so many hard lines and edges as well flowing lines that maintain a balance between a feeling of strength and grace.

Shirt problems

Awhile ago, when we were discussing balancing patterns, Dana had mentioned something about the possibility of balancing shoulder seams as a way to keep from having to pull shirts down in front while wearing them. At the time I didn't know what she was talking about, but just this week I started having that exact problem. I've started wearing button-up shirts that fit a little looser, and I noticed that they tend to ride back and I'm constantly pulling then forward so that the collar sits against my neck. The shirts fit me in every other way, and I'm wondering if this is a common problem and if so, how it might be solved -- it seems to me that the shirts don't follow the curve of the back of the neck well and that's why they slide back, but I want to hear other people's input.

More jean talk.

Well, I finally made myself a pair of jeans. Aside from a few very minor errors, I am very happy with how they came out! I have been wearing them everyday since I finished them. I'd been imagining this large back yoke, which pushed the pockets down onto the leg. It's a design I'm incorporating into my senior collection, and thought I would try it out on myself first to see how it makes me feel. I have yet to apply belt loops, but plan to do so soon.

Eating my (snarky) words

As a few of you know, I've never been much a fan of Leanimal, Portlander Leanne Marshall's line. I have to retract that sentiment though, having just taken a look at her capsule collection shown in NYC as one of the Project Runway finalists. I like this look below more than most things I saw on the runways this season. Although, as a blogger mentioned on ultrapdx.com, her work has become "decidedly un-portland." Maybe that's the change that took it from kitchy-not-quite-interesting to classy-completely-interesting. From now on I'll be paying more attention.

Addendum:
A few days ago I flew to Portland OR for a visit, and on the plane ended up watching 5 or 6 episodes of the current Project Runway. Not only are Leanne's final pieces interesting and beautifully made, but she is by far the most likeable person to have ever appeared on a reality TV show. I won't be watching the finale, but I hope she wins, because I'd love to see how she furthers her line with the prize money.

portland fashion week

So my dears, it looks like I accidentally scheduled my trip to portland right over portland fashion week -- I don't know that I want to go to the official shows, but on Saturday the 10th there's a multi designer show at Someday Lounge, featuring the indie designers I always think are more interesting...how about it, can I count on going with you all?

It's Fall!

I just got back from China, and discovered that hot sweaty NY summer had turned into beautiful breezy fall. Hurray! To celebrate I am posting all the things I've been dying to wear/find lately (but it's been too hot for).

I found a pair of Wranglers similar to these, but in much better condition on ebay a couple weeks ago, I can't wait to wear them with thick tights and short poufy skirts, or straight jeans tucked into the tops...

I love the idea of rainboots but I'm pretty tired of imitation wellies everywhere I look. I really like how woodsy these are - I think I'd wear them the same as the wrangler boots.

I just found a black cotton jacket similar to this one, and am thinking about remaking it in waxed canvas (see post below) because I love it so much.

I really love the idea of harem pants like these, although I haven't seen them anywhere except the runway (here, Proenza Schouler resort 2009) I think they'd be pretty easy to sew up though.
Also on my list for the thrift stores: Large men's dress and plaid shirts and smallish blazers (to be worn over the shirts).

Waxed Canvas

I'm looking for info on waxed canvas -- I had hoped to find some at the fabric markets in China -- I'd heard that they had EVERYTHING, but that wasn't the case. (Also, how do you say waxed canvas in Mandrin? It's hard to mime.) As I'm in NYC, I figure there has to be some somewhere, I just don't know where that is, and everyone I ask looks at me blankly. I've looked online, and can't find any either. Complicating the problem is that I only want a little bit for personal use, not production quantity.
Also, I was wondering if anyone had experience working with waxed canvas, and if there was ever a problem with the wax gumming up the sewing machine. I'e only used it once, and it didn't seem to be a problem, but it made me nervous. Any information would be great, thanks!

Needles and thread

Here are two sites that have taught me more about trouble shooting needle and thread issues than anywhere else. Its amazing how important having the right set up is.

Pendelton Round Up

Last week end I got to go to the Pendelton round up in Pendelton OR. It sure was fun. I went with my uncle Ted and his friend Spencer who works for Telemundo Portland and got us press passes. We also got to tour the Pendelton woolen mills. They do all the jacquard weaving at this location but all the plaids are done in Washington. Here are some pic of the giant looms. It takes six people two and half days to tie warp threads on.




This is all wool.


From left to right, My uncle Ted, Me, and Spencer. With our press passes.


Check out this guy's shirt.




My uncle got me a signed photo of this guy.