I've got so much I want to blog about but no time at the moment. However, I was so excited by this Latvian Mitten project that I had to link to it and tell the world immediately.
Maybe it's my inner Canadian, but I love mittens. I've been planning my own mitten post for a while. Let these wet your appetite...
Just a small sampling of the 3000 Mittens the Latvians have knit for the NATO summit.
More from me soon!
China has a population of a billion people. One billion. That means even if you're a one in a million kind of guy, there are still a thousand others exactly like you. ~ A. Whitney Brown
I'm back in London. Back in the hubub and the stink. But I'm making good use of it. After my summer of Project Runway veiwings, I can't wait to start sewing some fabulous clothes and I've been looking around for inspriration. I have all of my September issues and I've even visited a few fancy shops to check out my faves.
As always, I love the clothes at Future Classics. I think this is the perfect dress:
Funky, vintage-looking, flattering and fresh. It is draped ingeneously and the silk crepe de chine with dirty-dip-dyed hem is to die for.
However, the price at £761, is far beyond me!
I'm also loving Future Classics tailored jackets. I'm determined to wear the new shoulder. My son says it makes me look like I have muscles.
It's also supposed to make your waist look smaller. We can dream, can't we!
I like a bit of military influence in a jacket too. Especially the front cut away and the all the vertical braid detailing like in this jacket by Bird Juicy Couture.
Or this Twenty8Twelve jacket:
It has some great lacing and flap details in the back:
Although, I think it needs more shoulder. How quickly my eye has readjusted to the pad! Or rather not the pad, but the height, as the new shoulders are not so much padded as cut and interfaced or boned into their shapes. Fun pattern cutting stuff.
As soon as I've unpacked and decluttered my studio, I'll be off and drafting. Stay tuned.
I love dying yarn! It combines several of my passions; colour, painting and yarn! Last night, I demonstrated dying to my friend Dawn.
I took two skeins of Colourmart merino and painted on acid dyes. I then steamed them and Voila, the colour is set. If you you are a knitter and don't know about Colourmart, you are really missing out: great value, (mostly cashmere), high quality yarns.
I call this colourway raindrop. It is mostly pale blue-greens with a sprinkling of lilac.
This is Chalcedony. I was aiming for a semi-solid here, the colour of a chalcedony stone in my friend Henny's (check out her website, she's a great painter) earring.
I think I got it. I'll have to see what Henny thinks.
I've also been to the Hayward Gallery to see the Walking in my Mind exhibition. Not so interested all the junk in the men's minds but delighted to discover Yayoi Kusama and her polka dot hallucinations.
Me so happy!
This idea of mine to post on a single topic, over a month, is not working out.
My interests and activities changed and I didn't make the time to shift gears and post about sewing from Japanese clothes books. Sorry.
I think I'm going to return to my previous format and post about what I'm currently interested in. I will come around to more sewing info eventually, but you might as well know what I'm up to now.
With my discovery of Ravelry, my interests moved back to knitting and crochet. They were already on their way there but this helped get the fire going. I've been doing a lot of knitting from other people's patterns and dying my own yarns.
This one is called Sweet Ernie.
And I made a beret called Honest Ernie with removable flower pin.
I love neckwarmers, cowls and shawlettes. Especially in my hand-dyed cashmere.
Along with the dying, my paints have come out again, too. I'm just mucking around at the moment. Getting warmed up.
Much more to come!
Hi Guys,
I'm back with a clean studio. I got older while I was gone, but I'm feeling some wisdom too, so it's not all bad. Now, to finally get on with a Month of Dressmaking!
My second post on this subject shows me wearing some of the designs I have already made from Japanese dressmaking books. These are all incredibly simple patterns to make. The shapes are easy to cut, fit and sew and the instructions are straight forward.
If you're in your twenties (or younger) and very thin, you can assume the clothes will look similar to the pictures in the books. If you're older, live in a different climate, taller or wider you will need to use your imagination a little.
I am a UK size 12-14, which is about a European 40, US 10-12, or size medium. I wear an F cup bra which is my biggest fitting problem and I'm 5'5 or 1.65m tall. I'm tempted to pepper my post with disparaging remarks about my looks, but I won't comment about how the designs translate for my age and size if you don't! You can make up your own mind about whether these are flattering styles for an older and bigger woman.
The first tunic is from Pochee volume 6 and has several variations of sleeve and trim included in the pattern. Here it is worn by a very cool looking model. I love the patch on her jeans.
Now here's me in a tartan cotton/wool blend. I've made it with no sleeves, one pocket and lace trim at the neck. I wear it a lot with various coloured skinny jeans, elastic-waist trousers, skirts and scarves.
During the winter I always wear a close fitting, colourful, long
sleeved undershirt as my base layer. In these photos I'm wearing a
chartreuse one but I pick them up in as many colours as I can find. I
also wear this tunic with purple or cream undershirts. Sometimes I pick
up on the lace edge and wear all tea-stained and antique colours.
The next piece is a coat dress with a two-part sleeve. The upper part of the sleeve is cut on the bias and the lower part has a tuck so that it flutes out. It can be made with just the shorter piece for sleeves...
or with no sleeves.
I have made it both ways.
In this first set of photos I am wearing the full sleeve version. I have given it three different buttons at the top front and then left it open at the skirt. The pattern doesn't include the button opening. The front and back bodice pieces are the same so you can choose whether to wear it with the centre slit in the back or front. I adjusted it to have a dart in the front bodice so the back and front are not the same and I wear the split in the front so you can see I have a waist. I made this version when I was a little heavier. I would make it smaller now.
Again, I wear it with an undershirt, jeans, trousers, skirt and scarves. In the photo on the left I'm wearing a cheap spot scarf I bought. I cut the fringed edge and sewed on some of my massive collection of vintage lace. In the photo on the right I am wearing a crocheted scarf/shawl/shrug thing (more about that later).
This next example shows the dress with just the shorter part of the sleeve. There are no buttons on the front here, it just pulls on over my head. On the left I'm wearing a crocheted flower at the neck. On the right I am wearing a crocheted collar with the flower as a closure. I'm also wearing a pair of trousers I made from a pattern from Lisette (page 34-35).
Here it is again with long sleeves and pockets but no front opening. This is a thick velvet Kenzo fabric so it doesn't drape as much, making me look bigger but it is warm and comfortable. The pockets are great; it's a favourite for when I'm teaching kids art classes and need a hundred places to keep things. The kids always ask whether I've made what I'm wearing. They act as if it is a magic trick- girls and boys!
Lace scarf on left is pieced from scraps of vintage lace in cream and ivory. I've made loads of these elastic waist trousers. They give you a pooh-bear bottom so I wouldn't wear them without a tunic on top but they are cut so that they make your legs look as if there is a gap between them like the Japanese girls.
Here's some pictures of me with bags as if you've spotted me walking down the street. I made the one on the left from a Japanese pattern.
I'll give you more detailed shots later, I just wanted to get started with some sense of the silhouette on my figure. I should probably post these to Flickr. I'd love to see how this style of clothes looks on other real people. (Later I did go on Flickr and start a group for pictures of women modelling the clothes they've made from Japanese patterns.)
Next time I'll be discussing selecting a pattern; what are flattering styles and substituting with commercial patterns.
How does an elephant get down from a tree?
He sits on a leaf and waits till autumn!
I've found two new (to me) watercolour painters to be excited about. They are mother and daughter, I believe.
First up is Shirley Felts, who I can not find any information about but my friend Joss sells beautiful prints of her watercolours (and Katy's).
I love the way the water is very evident in the paintings but they are not at all wishy washy. She has a beautiful way of loosing edges.
Her daughter, Katy Ellis is also amazing. Brilliant, batik-like,dense colours and awesome draftsmanship.
I wonder if she uses a lot of masking fluid while she floods colour on? I suspect she might.
Both Shirley and Katy make paintings that make my mouth water! Although I said in my last post that I'm not generally attracted to finished watercolours, the exceptions make my heart skip a beat. And these are two exceptional painters!
Today's Inspiration: Shirley Felts and Katy Ellis
Likes: A cool walk in the woods on a hot, sunny day.
How do you know if an elephant is in your bed?
You'll see the 'E' embroidered on his pyjamas.
Okay, so I've started playing with the paint again. I'm so happy! When I'm working with watercolour paint I feel so sensual and liberated!
Funny thing is, I have never been partial to the finished look of most watercolour paintings. But making them is such a joy!
I remember how little I liked watercolours before I started making them. I always preferred the look of gutsy opaque mediums with their strong, dense colours and ability to rework ideas. (An inspiring example of this is shown in this wonderful stop motion video of a painting by Gillian Warden - have a look !).
It is a surprise to me that I have chosen to paint in water based media. But there it is. I feel good when I'm doing it.
So far I have only just started playing again. Making a few experiments in a small square area, based on magnolia blossoms I drew in April.
Today's inspiration: I'd like to say the sun, but can't as we haven't seen much of it. However, roses are blossoming everywhere! And I'm enjoying the yellow ones particularly.
Likes: New toy - Derwent Inktense pencils. They are so much more vibrant than pencil crayons!
More of What the Americans Think about the British. Although, this one could have been said of either, and definitely of me.
Paul Davis
Playing in paint and enjoying myself immensely!
Admiring Francis Boag.
Seeing Caroline Bailey at the Ainscough.
Lovely textures that don't come across on the web.
Today's Inspiration: Barbara Rae. My favourite of the Scottish colourists.
Likes: Trees!
I'm anorexic really. Anorexic people look in the mirror and think they look fat. And so do I.
Jo Brand
I'm finally finished editing the colour proofs of my book (so tedious!) and I'm really looking forward to making the space and time to paint again.
Part of that process is keeping a new diary and tracking my ideas. Part of it will be going to galleries to feed my eyes. Part of it will be clearing up my studio to make space. And as always, I'm reading a lot. Lots of myth, fantasy and now the Bible. Okay maybe not quite the bible, but about the bible. Interesting, I have no religious education of any kind.
Which brings me to this wonderful paintings.
Once again I have to credit the incredible Ulla for finding artist Dorina Mocan.
They remind me a little of Victoria Crowe's work.
All of it good food!
Today's Inspiration: Dorina Mocan
Likes: Julia Sweeney losing God, on This American Life
I'm having some strange Typepad problems but am looking into them and will be blogging again soon.
Look at Cher. One more face lift and she'll be wearing a beard.
Jennifer Saunders
Today's post is dedicated to Julie Arkell. I know many people find my blog when they do a Julie search. Julie still hasn't entered the age of computer technology.
She is currently showing some of her beautiful work in the window of Loop.
Well worth the visit! The combination of Julie's figures surrounded by yarn and the cozy home spun feel of Loop is perfect. I think it is only there for a month so hurry!
I'll try and get some pictures of the window soon, for those of you who don't live around here.
Today's Inspiration: Art and Ghosts I just want to look and look and look!
Likes: England in the Spring. It is the one time of year I'm glad to be here and not in Canada.
Dislikes: I really am running out of things to dislike.
