Two cockades - process shots

Here are some of my process shots of a couple of the cockades I made

 in the Candace Kling Cockades Class (hereafter known as the CKCC)

Here is a paper mockup:

 And here are the loops I cut out of 1.5" ribbon:

 The loops all sewn together in that very specific way...

 And the cockade laid out on crinoline and pinned out on the grid, all ready to stitch in place.

 The crinoline trimmed down, the loops pinned with teensy clips, stitching with strong thread. You can see what it is going to look like here, just needs the crinoline to be trimmed back and a button stitched over the center.

 A different cockade, I made 22 (I think) of these motifs. Made them in the green paper first - just to figure out what I was doing.

 All pinned to the grid. I didn't get this stitched till many days later, but isn't it AWESOME!

And....that's all she wrote today.

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. :)

Edwardian hat - and new camera Luvin'

Did I Mention that I Love my new camera? I think I may have mentioned this at some point. Please allow the picture below to illustrate the degree to which I Love my new camera:

What is it a picture of, you ask? It is a yes-you-can-actually-count-the-threads-if-you-wanted-to closeup of the detail on my new Edwardian hat - which I made to go with a vintage dress that I wanted to wear to the fundraiser gala for the Seattle Children's Theatre.

Here is a more "Oh - NOW I get it" photo of said hat:

My excuse for wanting to make said hat for said fundraiser was that the theatre had done "go, dog, Go" this season, complete with the scenes where the pink dog asks "Do you like my hat?" and I wanted to be able to go up to the dog characters and ask that. That's my excuse - had nothing to do with just wanting to wear a white linen dress actually from 1909, which fit me pretty well.

The hat came out pretty spiffily, (despite the mad rush I was in to get it made) and it wore well too. My solution to how to keep it on my head was entirely due to an error I made, which I shall entitle "how teensy should the headsize be when I have my hair done up all big like." Let's just say - I originally made it my headsize (21.5") and it should have been about 19" in order to not squish the hairdo.

So - I had to make a new little...headsize reducer thingy. Which I'll try to photograph and "hexplain" later  but which totally allowed me to NAIL this sucker to my very backcombed and hairsprayed hairdo, and then pin the outer edges of the "headsize fixit reducer" to the underside of the hat - keeping the whole thing on come wind or weather.

Right,- so I can't seem to get the photos of me in the dress AND the hat to upload, so I'll just go with what we have so far, and update later as I can.

Ok - it's later: Here we are at the event. I think we look like Tim is running for some political office in 1909 :)

Oh - and that thing I'm holding is a bacon wrapped pretzel.

Bacon. Wrapped. Pretzel.

They asked me if I wanted Nutella on it. I declined. It was already perfect.

Another shot - this one is "tryin it all out - hey Zach, take a picture of Mom"

The dress looked better pressed, and I did end up wearing a corset under it all, which slimmed up the line a lot, even though it was not the right corset. I ain't gonna even SAY how wrong it was, just that it was better With it than without it.

Also of note is that some of the head postures that I think of as "feminine" (chin raised, or head cocked to the side a little) seem to me to be derived entirely from the wearing of large brimmed hats. It's really funny to realize that when wearing large brimmed hats, in order not to slice someone in the face with your hat brim when greeting them with a friendly hug, one MUST tilt one's chin WAY up, and cock the head to the side to tilt the brim out of the way. One must also not stand close to walls. Or Columns. Or tall men. Very interesting and entertaining. I think such a hat changes a lady's grace, posture, and movement as much as do high heels, or a high stiff collar, or a corset. All of them together would produce a very specific set of movements which are totally indicative of an era.

Just pontificatin'

So

Do You like my hat?