Some photos that SHOULD have gone with the previous post

Hello all!

Here are a couple of shots of the fascinator that I made in the Izzie Lewis class at Nancy's Sewing Basket here in Seattle.  I think it kinda got a little carried away - I'd brought all this stuff (feathers, netting, organdy, brooch, horsehair) to Maybe use on the fascinator, and I ended up, er....using all of it. It has a bit of a multiple personality disorder, but if we just assume that it's supposed to be "over the top", I'd say we hit that nail on the head. Here are the now standard "finished it on the ferry and took a cell phone picture" shots. I need to put my hair up and take a good photo with it on, though I'd look a leedle bit like a saloon girl. 

(click make big)

Whimsy-R-Us, anyone?

 See what I mean? The left side is all explosive-net-foo-with-a-funky-feather-thing-reminiscent-of- Dr Seuss (LOVE IT), and the right side is all rolled-organdy-elegant drape- lily leaves (Love it too!!) but the only thing they have in common is being black, and being on the same little comb base thingy. 

I clearly need to make more of them to "clarify my vision"  Then I need to figure out what to DO with them. I can only wear maybe one a year with the events that I attend, and I can donate one or two to the charity auction.

Though - I had NO idea how much veiling costs. NO idea. Wowza.

In unrelated news, here's a happy picture of Wayne Wichern (that SF milliner dude of awesomeness) in his shop. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what a lifetime collection of hat blocks looks like. Actually, this picture maybe shows 1/5th of his total collection. I was amazed. LOVED the nets hanging from the ceiling that held a bunch of stuff, too.

I got tons of ideas just spending an hour and a half with him. his work is SOOO clean, and his eye is artistic, and he was so delightfully real. Any of you who actually know me should know how important that is to me. I've got about ten seconds of patience for people who are not real.

If you ever get a chance - buy this guy's work. He's totally worth it.

Cockade class! and Houston trip teasers

 So - I do not yet have time to do a full descriptive write-up of ANY of the groovy things that have transpired in the last month, but I will throw out some quick descriptions and some teaser pics:

Cockades class at Nancy's Sewing Basket: First of all, this place Rawkes. It is scary that I can get on a bus from my work and be there in 18 minutes. They had this black wool fabric embroidered allover with solid chainstiched flowers that is screaming to be another Jacobean jacket (which I don't need)...and this amazing ribbon room...and these very awesome people there...and I bought a porcupine quill. Yep. I actually did need one of those, if you must know, and though I have since found them for much cheaper, I would have to have bought 50 when  I just need ONE)

The class itself (which I squealed about being signed up for four months ago) was absolutely everything it was cracked up to be. Candace Kling : www.candacekling.com is a fabulous teacher. I have not had such an intensive and fast paced class since the MFA program. Candace told us that she was going to teach to the fastest student, meaning that the speedy folks would get more assignments, and not sit there waiting for the slower folks to finish up. This was a brilliant way to do it, and I really just want to pack her up and bring her home with me.

If you haven't had the chance to take one of her classes, Run, do not walk, to sign up. Her "art bar" is very high, her process is well thought out and well practiced, her enthusiasm is contagious and her research and experience is extensive. What more could you want? Maybe the best part was that she taught us to fish. You know - did not just tell us how to make three cockades. Told us how to invent them, and how to look at extant pieces and pictures in ribbon books from 1920 something and figure out what the books SHOULD have told us about how to make the cockades therein.  I got eyes that can look at the fabulous things I see and go home and probably figure out how to make many of them myself.  Score!

Here are some quick and dirty shots of a few of my samples from the class:

 And one process shot of making the stripey cockade with the gold button:

Here's one - all ready for me to figure out what to do with it now:

On to the Houston hat sales event - (of which I took almost Zero photos.) I was too busy hugging people I haven't seen in way too long and putting hats on people to take photos.  Here's one shot of me and my youngest godson (who now haz a trulyhat but did not have said hat yet), and then a photo of a hat and its newly adopted person. I even had a grey feather to add to his hat, making it beyond perfect for his outfit.

And....just so that I remember HOW great I used to have it, here are two photos of just ONE of the ginormous fabric stores in Houston.  This is High Fashion Fabrics. (insert angel choir music here) There's a whole wall of embroidered silks, and the wool gabardine section is separate from the wool suiting section.  *le SIGH*

That's ok. I'm going to Britex in June. And then the LA fabric district. And then New York for a supply run. I should be all fabric'd out by August, don't you think?

Me neither. :)