Couture Weekend was a bust

One thing about owning a business is that it is like a 2 year old. It runs your life. You love it, but don’t be naive about who runs the show. I made one dress on Couture weekend and the rest are in pieces. My imagined 3 days of couture dressmaking fell by the wayside, I could almost hear Apron Company laughing its butt off at me.

On the other hand, orders went out. Phone calls were answered and the boring mundane things like accounting were not dismissed. I was dismissed.Well, my plans got dismissed.

But I am undeterred. I will add personal achievements and journeys to my schedule. The Dolls, of which I started as my very first product when I was a teen, are creeping slowly out from under piles and boxes. I love them. I really, really love them.

In my Doll days, I use to have a following. It was the first time anyone described me as an artist. There were people that collected them. I still love them. And I have found that as I age,  living a life devoid of what you love is a life that just plain…. isn’t as awesome as it could be…:)

So Dear Dolls and Dresses, I will keep you in my day one way or another, even if you only get 15 minutes, your presence will be there.

And one awesome thing about making art for a hobby. You don’t have to give a crap about sales!…HAHA! Dolls and Dresses can be just that, the dolls and dresses that I make because I want to. when I want to. and how I want to. If something sells, wonderful, isn’t that nice, but if they don’t, who cares? It’s the art and the journey that I adore.

And having that in place is important as it keeps me fresh for everything else I do…like designing Aprons, my other love.

 

Golden Leaf Gown Front

Above is the one gown that got completed on Couture Weekend. And lets not forget to notice the photography! Not bad for someone with no real time experience, just a Canon Rebel and Utube how to’s…:)

 

Couture Weekend

As we grow, we morph to what surrounds us. We can stay true to ourselves but who that self is,  like it or not becomes altered in ways we didn’t expect.  Sometimes we become what we don’t recognize; amazing, good or surprisingly bad.

I remember being young and craving to sew (who craves to sew?….:)…me.)  I remember having no money for fabric. On the other hand, I remember having fabric and no time, or no peace.

I know now that the pieces of you that lay passionately inside you exist decades later, you just have to be still and listen…. or play Led Zeppelin 4 to bring them out.I live in a peaceful place now. I have fabric and a studio that nurtures me. I can hear what I want to say and maybe the courage to say it.

This weekend I have declared Couture weekend. I have fabric that called out to me so I purchased it and brought it home. I have peace. I have stillness and can hear the bits of me that so long ago ached to express themselves.

I have my favorite music, when I was young, Led Zeppelin 4, available for free on UTube, gorgeous fabrics and a quieted soul waiting to seep from my fingers.

Couture weekend awaits.

Putting it all together….

I buy pieces of trims and fabric I like with no real plan. I spot something that I am attracted to and wham! It’s in my bag, after payment of course. Wicker baskets fill with these pieces and when the mood hits to play, I drag out the basket and dump it on the cutting table.

I never have a plan in mind or a sketch. For me, they are like puzzle pieces that fit together or not….even I am not quite sure what will become of it all. I thought my vintage lace and linen would look great. I was wrong. It didn’t.

Fabric 002

I was forced to move onward.

Fabric 005

The black stripe taffeta had possibilities.

Fabric 004

The brown silky netting was definitely a marriage worth exploring.

Fabric 006

The golden ruffled taffeta held brighter promise.

Fabric 008

Add in the embroidered floral sheer organza’s and silken plaids and I see at least three  Gowns. Does anyone like a quilted boned corseted bodice? I ache to make one, with a large flowing floral embroidered skirt. But this isn’t Apron Co. Here I get to make what I want and not care if it ends in a sale. Here in the studio, its just me, in frumpy clothes, a pony tail, Led Zeppelin blasting and a way too cool basket filled with fabric that I can’t wait to devour.

 

 

When is it about me?

I sew for a living. I design for a living. And I live in the same few outfits. Which actually I find designers don’t dress themselves very well. I remember the first board meeting I ever went to, an establishment I won’t name that was build on the talent of artists, it looked as if few owned a hairbrush and everyone, yes everyone, showed up for board meetings in old worn jeans and black sweatshirts or tee shirts. You would think black was the official color of artists.

This was explained to me by someone with a degree from a Parisian art school, “artists see outward and not inward” I was told. Partly true, I thought, as a dressmaker I can dress others better than myself. That’s true.

I realized, I have no interest in what I wear except how it feels, but I can dress anyone else. Thus the board meeting was filled with messy hair and black clothing. I felt like I had found my people.

But now I do need clothes, so I collect fabric. I buy pieces that go together and will make a great pairing. But then I have orders to fill, errands to do and the basket grows.

VERMONT APRON COMPANY 132

But soon it will be summer and the wonderful collection of browns won’t apply to the joyousness of spring. Its February, I have maybe 8 weeks at best.  I tell myself to at least get the skirts done, that wont take more then a few hours. The tops will be easier to do then as it will feel like I am halfway there.  Now if I can just apply my creativity to my personal needs instead of solely to my business.

*Sigh*

 

 

 

Wedding Aprons

Finally I have arrived at my favorite part, designing. Me, Mary and Ruby playing dress up and pretend to create a new line of new Wedding Aprons. Mary is draped in the first lines of what will come. And what will come? It’s always a surprise even to me.But I am happy with our first steps.

New Wedding Aprons, a beginning

Clara, maybe Bea, our plus size apron dress form

She is here, finally, after years of trying to purchase the expensive working professional dress form. She is here after we gave up and went with inexpensive Dritz. And we love her. She is a welcomed new figure in our Apron Company family. We are still working on a name. It’s interesting how many people suggest Bertha. We are playing with Clara or Beatrice, it sounds like Aunt Bea of Mayberry, who if you remember, lived in Aprons. The new website is live so that has us busy but I can’t wait for my assigned day of nothing but me and Clara and new designs made especially for women who share her size. It is so much easier to design for a shape that stands in front of you. I am aching to design for her.

Plus Size dress form

Dritz Dress Form

Sometimes you can’t move forward because you have a tool missing. Whether due to lack of funds to make the purchase, time, or sometimes you simply can’t find what you need. I have needed a dress form for large ladies. I mean large, not a size 14 or 18, I mean size 28 or 32. It  has been a solitary road filled with mishaps, unavailability, unreliable sources and simply misadventures. I finally gave up on a professional form. On average a professional form is $250 up to size 18. It jumps to $800-$1200 when you want it  6″ wider and a size 28. With all the larger ladies we have in our culture, you wouldn’t think it would be this difficult. But it is. And quite frankly a testament to why large clothes fit so badly. Who is testing anything?
I now have lowered the bar and have a plastic adjustable Dritz on its way. At least it goes from size 20 up to size 28.  I am thrilled to finally get my hands on one, draping, fitting and making something beautiful for our larger customers. Our website will finally bring presence and recognition to the whole range of sizes. I’m excited to begin a new line to our collection.

Making a Prairie Dress

I need to make a Prairie dress for background dress form. I can make one quicker than buying one and having it shipped.  I love doing this kind of work. In the real world of fashion, I have no idea what I’m doing. Meaning, I have no language or vocabulary or official technical training. I just have Grammy’s voice, ” Put it on and pin it in place.” So I start with the bodice.

 

 

Starting a bodice

I  pin the fabric in place and cut a 1/2 inch past the seam marks for seam allowance.

Pinning Darts

I tuck up fabric for darts and pin them for pressing and stitching.

Pinning waist darts

Matching both sides is a good thing. I pin midriff darts the same way as bodice darts. By the way, I can sing along with most show tunes while I work with the dog still wagging her tail, until Julie Andrews comes on. She is the James Brown of show tunes. Meaning, never Karaoke a James Brown or Julie Andrews tune. It will never be a good thing. I need music to work, usually classical, broadway, jazz, celtic, anything stings, or anything Botti or YoYoMa… or Alison Kraus, of course Buble…..ok…. back to dressmaking. I’m glad you can’t hear me belt out Les Mis.

Cutting the waistline

I left fabric long enough to make a decision about waistline shape and placement. That way I will have fabric hanging there for playing. Here I need a traditional look, this is when I have to do what we need me to do and not what I want to do.  So traditional, straight across the waist it is. So I cut off everything except a 1/2 seam allowance for a proper waist. Not fun or exciting but meeting the need of the moment.

 

Tidying up my hand cutting

My amazing hand cutting is not always perfect so I fold the bodice in half and clean it up. Not exactly Project Runway….:)….. I’m told this is Back Alley dressmaking…let’s face it, this is what women did in their homes for centuries before we had Project Runway.

Cutting out a back bodice

Here I am using the front bodice to guide the shape of the back bodice. Armhole needs to be a little wider and an inch on a back seam for the zipper. “Wouldn’t it be quicker to use a pattern?”, I have been asked. Nah.

Completed Bodice

I forgot to shoot the sleeve cutting process. It’s pretty much hand cut roughly as well. But now the skirt… the question is how long should it be? Simple answer, it needs to be longer than the aprons that it will display.  Putting one on will help the measurement process. Once you have a finished bodice, the rest is easy.

Apron determines length

It’s already looking pretty good, I’m inspired to make a matching bonnet….:).. A bonnet with old looking lace. …. not now though…..Now I can see the skirt needs to be cut at 36″. So I cut 2 fabrics widths a yard long each.

Hand gathering

 

I stitch a machine basting stitch but hand gather. I have to hand gather. Nothing beats that. Especially since you want the outside hip area to have less gathers and you can’t adjust like that on a machine.

Hand gathered skirt ready for the bodice

My lovely hand gathered skirt pieces ready for the perfectly prepared bodice.

Stitching the skirt onto the bodice

Stitching the skirt to the bodice is the best seam for me. It’s when I get my first glimpse at what the dress will look like when finished.

Prairie Dress front

I machine stitched a straight hem. And voila! I love it. It’s perfect for what I need.

Prairie Dress Back

Here is a shot of the back. It’s pinned where the zipper needs to go. I will put one in later. (seamstress are laughing everywhere). No one will notice in the photos.

Prairie Dress with Petticoat

Here is the final dress with a light petticoat underneath.

And we are done and ready for pictures!

Thinking of it, this same process may work for the wedding line.

 

Susannah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspiration and MoMA

I spent an entire day at MoMA. Just me, alone wondering, occasionally ducking into the cafe for another coffee and checking my phone. I love wondering museums. I love turning each corner to see what fills the next group of walls. I love the lighting, the wide spaces and even the little dark creepy spaces. And when I return home, I am filled with renewed energy, the cutting table feels energized and I cant wait to feel scissors in my hand. My fingers scribble sketches at an amazing rate, the mannequins seem to enliven with anticipation of what new thing will come. But then reality comes slowly like the closing of a windows nightly shade. The fabric I see in my head is not in my studio, the yardage I want to cut is not on my table. My moment of enthusiasm is stabilized as the reality is that I must go hunt for fabric first, if I can find what I envision and then secondly hope that my checkbook can handle it…..*sigh*

Ready to Sew

Tomorrow I get to sew all day. I love days like this. I love waking up and have nothing calling to me or distracting me. I even have special comfy clothes and shoes that I wear in the studio as I plod around from cutting table to sewing machine. I wear my hair in a ponytail that looks horrid but here in the studio I get to be comfy with no one judging…. well, the outcome goes up for judging, doesn’t it? The work gets judged, critically so, and that’s Ok. The work is what matters, not how I dress.

It’s hard to sleep I am excited and filled with enthusiasm. I have two new designs to try out on the dress form and new fabric to order. Additionally, I also want to make some new dresses for simply the sake of playing with design. I do miss dressmaking. I have never done anything so fulfilling as crafting out a new dress, that one wonders if anyone would dare wear it.  I made a pumpkin dress once for a girl who dared to be a pumpkin. She looked like the Good with in The Wizard of Oz except in bright Orange. I loved that dress and loved her for being so excited about wearing it.

I also miss making dolls. I miss making dolls that explode with emotion; sadness, despair and hopelessness. Women connect with those emotions. Women all share moments of crying out in despair. We all know what it feels like to not have what we need. I better try and sleep if I am to be productive tomorrow.

Here’s a photo of Aprons and outfits I designed for Thanksgiving one year. I enjoyed making these and miss window dressing.

Thanksgiving Aprons