a lovely time for some quiet thinking, and lots of doing. which is good.
i had three friends visit today - nice to have the quiet broken up with some good conversation. sylv came and tried on a few extra pieces i'm working on; rejigging of patterns and such. and also a skirt i'm making her from some buttery naniIRO goodness. oh.so.good. it's taken us a while to feel ready, with the right skirt pattern, to cut into the fabric. i have some too that i will cut and sew next week.
with spring already here, and summer warmness fast approaching, some cool soft whimsical dreamy floaty double gauze clothing is the perfect thing to wear.
i'll show them off next week. {he he he. i'm not the only one who's held onto my naniIRO for so many years out of fear of cutting into the beauty and not showing it the true respect it deserves. sylv + i did get our pieces a few years ago, before it was so easy to find online and in our local shops. well, not the Iro, but the double gauze.}
i have achieved so much these past few weeks. in terms of moving forward with my fashion collection. i am just.a.teeny.bit pleased with myself.
{i am not a trained fashion designer or pattern maker, or even sewer for that matter. i am self-taught in all those aspects. i know there has been much talk, over the years, especially around blogland, of self-taught not being quite as good as professionally trained. yes, possibly true. possibly not. i don't know. what i do know is that having to teach yourself sometimes takes longer to do things that it should. and you don't know the little insider's tricks and tips. i do think perhaps next year i will see if there is time - while we build our house! - for me to do a part-time fashion / pattern making course. we will see}.
in the meantime, i feel that i'm doing very well anyway. if i do say-so myself. and i've had some wonderful, supportive, generous assistance from nina, who is a trained and experienced fashion designer and pattern maker.
so there! ha....
* these images were taken at the studio the other day. all by ben messina (my brother-in-law who shot my fashion shoot... tomorrow i'll show it, i promise - for now the lovely quietness of the afternoon light in the studio).
I really owe you some credit for my decision to cut into the Nani Iro - it was after our conversation the other evening that I let go of the idea that the fabric had to be for me and knew I'd appreciate it much better on Hazel. And cutting into it was so lovely, you're spot on describing it as buttery. It's totally unique in it's feel - soft yet sturdy. Sewing it's going to be interesting!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm loving these glimpses you're offering of your collection, it looks very you.
I agree with you on self-taught vs. trained - talent and creativity aren't limited to one or the other category, and the only advantages of being trained is that it makes it easier to take the vision from your head and make it a reality.