Inspiration: TLC

Have you ever just gotten into a groove of doing things so well that it was hard to pull yourself out of it to complete another task?  I find this happens to me a lot.  I like to think it's my artistic temperament shining through.  I mean, famous artists had "periods" all the time.  Most of them were associated with color.  Like Picasso's "Blue Period."  But not me.  Mine are texture periods.  I have been heavily into a "woven textile" period lately which means I just want to stay chained to the sewing machine.  It matters not that there are people waiting on graphically designed items.  I can't think in that mode because I'm all about the pin. 

It's been so much about the pin, that I can't even seem to get myself to a computer to write about most of the things I've been making!  Part of my posting tardiness comes from the fact that I started a new job about 2.5 weeks ago at a print shop, so I guess most of my "ink" needs are being currently fed by playing every day with copiers and plotters and the ancient, behemouth, industrial paper cutter.  But rest assured that I have been super busy making this and that, trying to come up with my own patterns for things so that you can buy the stuff you see here and so that all the crafty goodness will leave me alone and let me sleep at night instead of dancing around giving me dreams of fabric swatches and the ways that I should construct things.

I want to share with you right now a little inspiration that I have picked up from my mindless television watching.  Can I just tell you how confused I am by what has happened to The Learning Channel?  It used to be wedding story, baby story and shows about the body - sort of a "Discovery Channel Lite."  I'm pretty sure these days, though, that "TLC" stands for "THAT LOOKS CRAZY!"  People who eat cornstartch and foam padding?  What???  People who are enormously fat and in love???  People who have huge "members"!!?!?!?  Hoarders!!  Little People!!!!  Washed Out Having Too Many Kids!!!!!!  Big Brides!  Little Brides! Lots of Brides and One Husband!!! Hoochie Babies!!!!

Whose reality is this channel portraying, anyway??? 

And I say all this yet I can NOT stop watching.  It is like all the best train wrecks all on one channel.  Seriously - if Bravo would give TLC the Housewives franchise, I'd be all set to watch that one channel for all my "At least I'm not them!" needs!

But my latest favorite has GOT to be the UK import show, "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding."

Because hoochie babies and dramatic brides were awesome separately, so they MUST be gonna rock together!

If you don't know what I'm talking about, thank your lucky stars or go immediately and hit up Google for the 411.  Because it is taking a toll on the way I look at fashion, and I'm already formulating some great ideas that I hope you'll see here soon based on the images this show produces.  For example:

This reminds me of my favorite Elton John song: "Hold me close now, Tiny Stripper..."

 

Ruffles and a bedazzled heart, anyone?

I do love to see hats making a comeback, but maybe not the ones from "Moulin Rouge." 

Someone just couldn't pick a favorite color with these dresses.

And finally, the ever classy corseted back with big bow on the bustle.  Which we actually have seen in more recent fashion!!!  And of all these color combos, the black and pink is fairly classy.  Go figure.

So what on earth - you must be wondering - is my inspiration from these things?  Am I seriously about to start dressing my toddler in a stripper suit and bedazzling 1980's era prom gowns?

I'm seriously not into stripper toddlers, BUT I am into some of the shapes.  The ruffles.  The bows.  The extraneous details that take the dresses from being ridiculous to "straight up redonkulous."  Everyone likes to have something that is just a little bit "too much" sometimes, right?  And let's all face it:  These chicks are all dressed like at least one of your Barbie dolls from 1983.  Right?  See??

  We're conditioned to love this type of absurd showy style. 

So I'm going to channel my inner gypsy/Barbie-lover and see what happens.  I'm kind of excited. 

And maybe a little scared.

If anyone sees the toddler in a stripper suit...take me down.

Inspiration: Vintage Mom

Aprons are making a comeback in a huge way.  I think in addition to wanting to return to a more self-reliant and healthier lifestyle, people are craving some of the kitschy accoutrement of those lifestyles.  Garden gloves with cutesy rubber boots for tending your organic raised gardens and backyard chickens and of course, perfectly printed aprons with cute designs and monograms while baking your own breads and serving a fine meal at the table for your family.

In short, everything is so up in the air these days with the environment and the economy and it's nice to pay homage to the glory days.

McCall's alone has 24 patterns fit for the family, and several of them are clear throwbacks to your grandma's apron.  But I don't want to just be retro.  I want to go straight to the source, and as I was cleaning out my laundry room the other day, I got just the inspiration I needed.

I never got the opportunity to meet my husband's grandmother, but from all accounts she was quite the character.  I get the sense that she was a no-nonsense kind of person and she lived a no-nonsense lifestyle.  However, it was a proper no-nonsense lifestyle, with dinner parties and before dinner cocktails and baked chicken dishes and in that kitchen with a cocktail and chicken dish was a lady in an apron.  And for whatever reason - perhaps because of the his love of entertaining or his one-time shunning of a second piece of her baked chicken, my husband's grandmother decided to gift him several of her aprons.

There is a blue chiffon one that was always a hoot to see him wear, but the more utilitarian of the two I know the whereabouts of is this chartruese and kitchen print half apron.

 

Definitely needs a wash.  And an ironing.  But to be how ever many years old it is, it is in remarkable condition!  It has great, deep pockets on either side that are part of the apron's design, which to me equals a stronger construction than a patch pocket applied to the front.

I summoned my best Google-Fu to try and find out the history of Fifth Avenue Aprons by Mussalem, but only had luck finding some age-old listings on eBay.  So the search continues for information on this brand which I can only assume is somehow related to Saks Fifth Avenue, but I have no proof of that.

In the meantime, I have decided to put to good use some of my fabric scraps by recreating this apron anew for myself.  I think it will be an excellent exercise in pattern creation and tutorial writing.  Besides,  I like to pay homage to the good old days, too.

Plus, I look pretty darn cute in an apron.

Happy Mother's Day!

Inspiration: A Princess Bride

I'm not usually the kind of person who gets swept up in the media mania of the minute.  As a pre-teen, I was one of the few girls I knew not completely in love with one or all of the New Kids on the Block.  I was too busy being in love with Patrick Swayze.

But since I love just about every facet of weddings - from the paper items announcing the engagements and ceremonies to the delicate stitches of flower girl dresses - I absolutely could NOT miss the wedding this morning of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

I had stayed up insanely late working on a dress for myself for once - which will be another post, naturally - and had decided I would just wake up whenever I happened to wake up and watch anything I missed on replay.

So my eyes popped open precisely at 4:57am.

I went straight to the sofa to watch the coverage, waiting - like most every other woman watching - to see Kate's dress.

I was so totally not disappointed.

I just love how classic the dress is, and how simple.  I'm a big fan of clean and classic and simple everything, so this dress is right up my ally.  I especially am in love with the neckline - she needs no jewelry except the earrings that were gifts from her parents and her wedding band.  I'd love to know the significance in the designs of the lace - And oh my heavens - how about that petite little bouquet!

There are already designers creating knock-off versions of the dress, so I doubt it will be very long before you can wear your very own modern princess dress at your wedding, but I did a quick search to see what patterns exist that are close and found only this one from Vogue

This dress is quite beautiful, but is much heavier than Kate's dress.  In fact, because of the opaqueness of the lace and the more collar-like neckline, this dress is actually far more reminiscent of another princess bride, Grace Kelly.

I just love this return to class.  Less is more.

I can't wait to see how Kate's dress inspires all of formal wear fashion, and I'm considering a couple of projects definitely inspired by the Princess' classic choice.

Inspiration - Fairies

 

This sweet little green glitter fairy is neither pin nor ink, but she will be the inspiration for many projects in both genres over the next 8 weeks!  As hard as it is to believe, my Lilah will turn 2 at the beginning of January and due to her dedication to a fascination with Tinker Bell, I have decided to have a Tinker Bell/Fairy/Woodland Fantasy birthday party.  I'm knee deep in ideas about pixie dust and enchanted forrests and I couldn't be happier.  My husband, on the other hand, is a little irritated that she doesn't have an unhealthy attachment to Spiderman.  I assured him there is still time, but that I'm afraid she's going to be a little prissy girl and all his efforts to make her otherwise may go unappreciated.

So send any ideas you have to make my Lilah's fairy/woodland/sparkly/floral fantasy dreams come true!  I'm currently cooking up some ideas for invites, though I doubt they'll top her first birthday invites, that were fashioned after Elvis' 1970's jumpsuits...

I have one day got to learn a lesson about setting the bar so high...

Inspiration - Science Pillows

I'm constantly looking for new and cool ideas to steal borrow to make for gifts, and I found something the other day that I think would be super fun for a "go along with" gift for a little dude just starting elementary school!

How fun are these Science Pillows from Uncommon Goods?!  I especially love the volcano and respiratory system pillows.  The artist based them on old science text book drawings, and I just think that is so much fun!  These would be great to make as a science class project or as a supplemental project with your kids at home - or if you home school, this could be a fun way to combine a home ec assignment with a science lesson or three.  You could do beautiful floral pillows to give as gifts or other fun images lifted straight out of the pages of your science text books!  I especially like how these are a sewing craft that can be given to a boy, because I'm always at a loss for things to make for little boys.  Imagine making something where you could sew a small pocket on the backside which holds extra felt pieces for play on the pillow - food to follow through a digestive tract, or different types of precipitation from a cloud?  Or give one of these with a fun age-appropriate reader book on a science topic!  The possibilities are almost endless.

I'm all about supporting artists and their work, but at a staggering $204.00 each, I'd rather try my hand at making one myself, thanks!