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Recently completed projects

No words, just pictures...

Inspiration for the "cradle" bag

The "cradle" bag

Pretty Little Liars dress for a Sweet 16 party

A wedding ensemble for the bride and groom, using pieces of the  bride's traditional Hanbok

M&S Schmalberg Custom Flowers

I recently wrote the cover article for Vogue Patterns Magazine, detailing a great company, specializing in wildly beautiful, ornate fabric flowers. Grab yourself a copy and read it!

The perpetual shirt...

If my other blog landed you here, you've read the background of my "perpetual shirt", and you're here for the sewing info.  Not a significantly difficult process, really.  It is a simple, raw looking t-shirt, with zigzagged edges, made of a durable, quality knit.  Boldly written on the front, is today's date.  Or mostly any spring date I want until 2019, actually... But if I'm still wearing it by then... I'll need your help.

Did I use a pattern for the shirt?  No.  Just took my scissors and went for it.

So, how do I make the dates change?  Here's the inspiration:

Why?  velcro is too fluffy for the letters to sit flush.  But, if I do this...

By creating a velcro "grooves", I recessed the under layer (soft side) into the shirt, so that the letters could lay pretty flat against the surface of the fabric plaque. Now, I can make it almost any spring day I want... Why only spring?  I didn't want to buy and velcro too many letters, and I probably won't want to wear it in the summer (too hot) or fall/winter.

The "201" is permanent, but the other letters are all removable.

I am a professional collaborative dressmaker by profession, and would make you one, if you want one made... Keep in mind, though, that labor, planning, and materials make this quite a pricey t-shirt!  You can show this example to your own dressmaker or crafty/sewing person to do this for you, if you don't wanna drop a chunk of change.

Who would I imagine wearing this? Myself...

I'm tired of people taking my pens...

I've got 100 of them... let's see how long that lasts!

Lacemaking... and what we can learn from spiders

The art of making lace in one form or another has existed from the earliest ages. There are scriptural references to various web-like fabrics, which were made of rude construction, no doubt, but whose general characteristics were identical with those productions of modern skill which have for centuries been known as lace. Homer and other ancient writers constantly mention net-works of fancifully embroidered materials; gold thread-work was nown to thee Romans, and as Egyptian robes of state are depicted upon the tombs of the earlier dynasties as being fashioned from a looped net-work or crochet..."

-The Art of Modern Lace-Making (Butterick Publishing Company, 1891)

Lace and silk from Metro Textiles

Pictured above, is a fabric combo on its way to becoming  something unique for me, inspired by a dream I had, an unrealized idea from a client I had last year, and the "Spiders Alive!" exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.

In an old Greek story, Arachne (uh-rak-nee) loved to weave. Her weaving was so beautiful and perfect that the goddess Athena got jealous. To punish Arachne, the goddess turned Arachne into a spider. But Arachne still loved to weave, and continued to do so, as a spider...

So, here's my question for the day... if all spiders know how to spin webs (and I assume all do), why don't they consolidate their efforts, and some work on spinning webs, while others gather the prey? Why don't they work together?

A spider uses its own body measurements to make its web, using a very practical and ergonomic design process. The spider starts with the most difficult part of construction -- the first thread, and creates an extraordinary silken net, often as beautiful as it is functional. It is also abolutely unique and personal.

We work to create our own intricate handmade patterns, using yarn, strings or thread and fabric, and our own human hands. There is something very natural about this. Something very real and tactile... Individuality is important. Personal expression, the need to share beauty, and this sense of accomplishment are vital.

Various custom projects (part 2)

A beloved dad (Larry or "Lah", as he was called) passed away, and as a gift to each of his children, teddy bears were commissioned, using his old, beloved sweatshirts to create each one.

See more examples of my work here...