Filed under: DIY, fashion | Tags: lotta jansdotter, Peapod fabrics, sewing, Simple Sewing, Stitch Lounge
My mom’s a home-ec teacher, so I grew up making little projects all the time, but for some reason never made it much past pillows and a few vests. Over the past couple of years, I renewed my interest in sewing and decided to really step it up and see if I could make my own clothes. I started out small, taking a basic class at Stitch Lounge. It’s an amazing little studio where you can take sewing classes or even rent machines/studio time by the hour. It was actually the first one of its kind in the nation. Unfortunately, I think they’ve made enough money off of the books they write, that they’re going into early retirement, but supposedly there are many more places like them now for you to choose from.
I graduated from there to a few patterns in Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing. The book comes with all the patterns and the instructions are very easy to understand. I highly recommend it!
After a few of those projects, I finally felt ready to take on some real clothing. I’d gathered a pretty large collection of my mom and aunt’s vintage patterns from their high school days when they made all their own clothes. I picked one and headed to a wonderful little fabric store called Peapod Fabrics out in the Inner Sunset. They have so many beautiful prints and all the prices were affordable, so it was hard to make a choice. I finally settled on this super bright, vintage looking pattern that I thought would fit my dress quite well. I’m excited to report that I just finished the dress and it turned out nice enough to actually wear in public! Success! I have to say, it feels pretty cool wearing something you made yourself and I had a lot of fun doing it. After I make a few more things from patterns,the next step is both designing and making my own clothes.
Rebecca_SF
Filed under: design, fashion, fun!, san francisco | Tags: Etsy, Hello Lucky, Loyalty and Blood, Mucca Pazza Marching Band, Nous Savons, Renegade Craft Fair, The Poster List, The Weekend Store
I made a stop by the Renegade Craft Fair this Sunday. It was amazing! It’s certainly not like the craft fairs your Grandma goes to. This was more like a collection straight from all your favorites at Etsy. I spent way too much money and I would have taken home much more if I could have. Here were some of my favorites:
Hello Lucky Printing Press:
Ahhh… I couldn’t help it. I had to get the tool necklace….
More beautiful necklaces from Jocelyn Nguyen at Nous Savons.
They specialize in recycled vintage jewelry. I got a necklace with a twig dangling from it and a button ring, but they had a huge assortment of things made out of old typewriter keys and clock parts as well that I thought were pretty cool.
Amazing screen printed posters! I want to own so many! Good thing they’re only $10.99 each.
And to really make the day perfect the Mucca Pazza Marching Band from Chicago performed. They were crazy and highly entertaining! Their myspace page refers to them as an astounding circus punk marching band and I’d say that would sum things up pretty well. I loved it! They’re playing in town at the Rickshaw Stop on Thursday and I just might have to go.
_Rebecca, SF
Filed under: fashion | Tags: 18th Street Fashion show 2008, kansas city, summer at sea
The Crossroads district in Kansas City is the place to be these days. With tons of galleries, one of a kind fashion boutiques, and First Friday’s there’s a lot to see & do. It’s too bad I don’t live there anymore… but, for those of you that do, you have to check out the 18th Street Fashion show happening this Saturday. The theme is Summer at Sea. There will be 18 collections featuring some of the best designers in KC like Birdies, spool*, bon bon atelier, Habitat, nui Kai, and our very own best friend Andrea Harms.
It should be an amazing event. It takes place on West 18th St. between Wyandotte & Baltimore, starting somewhere around 8 pm (dusk), it’s outdoors so you can enjoy the summer weather, and best of all, it’s FREE! I’m not sure how it could get much better.
So check it out and cheer Andrea on for me since I can’t be there. I look forward to lots of pictures.
Rebecca_SF
Filed under: fashion | Tags: by nature, g=9.8, lenpur, sopie young, sustainable underwear
I’m constantly seeing companies announcing their newest line of recycled or organic clothing. That’s great, but it’s not too often I see people bragging about their new organic underwear! Well, I guess it’s time to brag because By Nature has actually designed a line of lingerie, called g=9.8 out of wood. OK, if you need to hear it again….underwear made of WOOD!!
I know, I know….wood undies don’t sound like the most comfortable thing in the world, but they’ve been known to feel “as soft as silk with the feel of cashmere and the coolness of linen”. What a great mixture! Not to mention, it’s pretty sexy (wink, wink)! This is not just for the ladies, they make boxers for men as well.
You’re probably wondering, what in the world this material is made of so that you don’t get splinters on your bum!?! Not too long ago a material was developed by the name of Lenpur. I had never heard of Lenpur until now, but apparently its famous for its absorption capacity, its ability to release dampness (as a yarn or fabric), its deodorant properties, and its adsorption characteristics. This timeless textile is made from pine tree clippings processed with enzymes into fibers. The clippings are managed sustainably, and harvesting coincides with normal tree pruning, so no trees are destroyed in the making!
I can’t wait to get my bootie into a pair of these. I wouldn’t be suprised if Rebecca already owns a pair because they’re produced in a tiny french village and designed by a French designer, Sopie Young. Did we mention Rebecca loves France?! 🙂
Kelsey – Vail, CO
Filed under: fashion | Tags: handmade jewelry, oye modern, re:vision, recycled jewelry
I feel like everyday I see a new product being made out of recycled materials. I LOVE IT!!! Seriously, why waste the energy and resources to make an all new material when tons of reusable plastics/ metals/ goods are being discarded daily?!?!
One of the most clever designs I’ve seen lately consists of used camera parts. Aussie designer Craig Arnold has developed (haha…no pun intended) a line of these rad cuff bracelets, re:vision.
A different Australian designer, Liana Kabel has come up her own jewelry creation by melting and fusing old pieces of Tupperware together. She has turned what was once used as a crate for leftovers into interesting necklaces, earrings and rings.
So, what can I say but “Give it up for the Aussies” for recycling materials to create these unique, everyday accessories! You can find more unique handmade jewelry at Oye Modern.
Kelsey_Vail, CO
I wanted to share more photos from Discarded to Divine that were just released. They were taken by Teru Yoshida in my office with Ford Models specifically for the event. The auction is on April 26th. You can buy tickets online here and then buy one of these designs to have for your very own!
-Rebecca, SF
Filed under: fashion, social issues | Tags: Discarded to Divine, recycled clothing, St. Vincent de Paul
Kelsey brought up the idea of recycling your clothes a couple of weeks ago and if you’re looking for some inspiration for your next project and you want to help out the community at the same time, I highly recommend checking out Discarded to Divine. Major fashion designers like Jessica Mclintok, Colleen Quen, Sara Shepherd, and the Nice Collective have come together with SF fashion students to create this show. They’re turning donated clothing into one-of-a-kind couture designs. The pieces will be showcased at a fashion show & then auctioned off on April 26th to benefit the poor & homeless. All the proceeds are going to St. Vincent de Paul Society of SF. You can catch a sneak peek this Friday, April 4th at the De Young museum and vote for your favorite design. Keep in mind that you can submit your own designs next year!
St. Vincent de Paul set up this charity in 2005. Gensler is a sponsor and I’ve been lucky enough to sit next to a few of the major organizers at work. They’ve helped with everything, including the graphics, the photography, the overall planning, etc. I went last year and had a great time. I hope to see you there!
Rebecca, SF
Filed under: design, fashion | Tags: Commonwealth, DC, denver, limited edition, maharam, shoes, the 400
Check out these fabulous shoes I just found! Popular brands Commonwealth and DC have joined forces and have created this wonderful footwear using Maharam’s “Eames Dot Pattern” fabric. Being a designer in Colorado, I can totally appreciate these.
I found these in my search for some fun and unique, yet comfortable shoes for spring. In the mountains it’s hard to get away with all of those fancy fashion trends involving high heels and pointy shoes, so I tend to stick to the “board sport” fashion”. And I have to say it was a pretty easy adjustment because everything is soooooo comfy!
If you’re looking for some unique sneakers to flash around town, take a look at the 400 http://www.the400.net/index.cfm. It’s kind of like an art gallery for shoes. They sell only Limited Editions of name brands such as New Balance, Vans, Puma, Gravis, etc. Not to mention it’s a fun place to go for First Fridays in Denver because they sell/ display local artist work each month. This place has a great environment because the employees are not just shoe salesmen, but they are artist themselves.
Some might be a little “out there”, but you can’t say they’re not unique 🙂
Kelsey – Vail, CO
Filed under: fashion | Tags: Color + Couture, fashion design, IIDA, kansas city
Every year in KC our local chapter of IIDA hosts a fashion show. There is a twist on this fashion show and it is that we must use a random product to construct our couture design. These random products can range from fabric, to tile, carpet or even Formica, to name a few. The designs are outrageous and push a simple building finish to the limits. It’s a great way to see the imagination of different architecture firms in KC expressed in a different way than we are used to. The picture above is the winner from last year. That dress is completely made of carpet!
We find out our product and color scheme tomorrow. So, keep your fingers crossed. Teammates of mine have already started sketching ideas and brainstorming about what we want to accomplish. For all of you Project Runway fans, our design is going to be FIERCE! Now we just have to find our model, but as of now, no one is volunteering.
This is a great fundraising event for IIDA and it’s becoming something we look forward to every year. We already design buildings, but can we hack it in the fashion world? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but it’s always fun to find out!
– Alison KC, MO
Savvy Lifestyle 
