Back to WOOORK!! - 5/31/11

           Yesterday was a holiday, and if you had to work I pity you.  For the rest of us today is our "Monday".  In order to keep our spirits high I thought I'd dig up some work-ness from the movie "Gypsy" starring Natalie Wood as Gypsy Rose Lee.  The montage of Gypsy 'stripping it up' near the end of the movie is one of my favorite scenes.  They squeeze in a few different Orry-Kelly costume changes and the last one is to die for!  The true essence of WOOORK! 

As Gypsy says "And if you're real good.  I'll make you feel good.  I want your spirits to climb!"

Philip - In Brooklyn

Adventures in Tambour Beading

           As you could tell I haven't been able to post much about projects.  I actually have been pretty busy working on my niece's prom gown.  It turned out pretty great.  I will post pictures of it soon.  Since I have time I've been teaching myself how to use a Tambour hook.

           I purchased a Tambour beading tool from Lacis in Berkley, California.  The only reason I knew what it was is because many years ago they did a news piece on the House of Lesage during the French Haute Couture fashion shows.  They worked from both sides of the fabric using a chain stitch to place the beads or sequins in place.  Lesage and other companies that do this type of embellishment.  They have the fabric stretched across large frames so that the work is tight as a drum.  

           I do not have the space in my apartment to have the frame set up that Lesage has, so I had an idea that I would make a smaller frame.  That way I can work easily on my lap or counter top.  When I was window shopping in an art store I noticed they had canvas stretchers in varying sizes.  So I figured this would be the perfect way to build a frame without having to get wood cut to size at Home Depot.  I know you find it shocking that I don't own any power tools (except a cheap drill). 

          The first thing that I did was to drill holes and set screws in to keep the frame square.  I padded the frame using quilt batting that is sold by the yard and then covered the batting with fabric that I had left over from a previous project.  

I stitched the batting in place by hand.



I mitered the corners so they weren't all thick and lumpy.

When pinning the batting and fabric I  made sure to pull it as tight as possible.

The finished frame!

A little sequining experimentation.  Curious George has YET to look so fabulous!

The revese side of the fabric showing the chainstitch that forms.

             I realized that I need to add some heavy duty staples to keep the fabric and betting in place since it tends to slide inward.  The key is to keep the fabric as tight as possible!  I need to get my hands on one of those big staple guns.

             My pictures make it look like I just hit the ground running but let me tell you it was the exact opposite.  The sequins shown was about an hours worth of work.  The function of tambour is that you have the hook of the bottom of the fabric and your sequins/beads are strung on a thread on the top side.  You are working with the bottom side of the fabric up.  Seems simple enough when using organza or other sheers/semi sheers.  Then my ming got to going.  How in the hell are you supposed to see what you're doing on an opaque fabric?!  TO THE INTERNETS!

            I found many videos showing people embellishing using a tambour technique.  I got super inspired when I saw a video showing them using the hook on the top side of the fabric with the sequins loaded onto the hook itself!  This causes the chainstitch to be on the top side but obscured by the sequins.  I tried this out with better luck.  The technique is still pretty tricky and my motor skills are slowly catching up.  I have faith and big plans.  Sequins on everything!

            Are any of you out there familiar with this technique?  Any pointers or words of wisdom you can share would be great!  More to come on this technique!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! 5/23/11

           Getting back to WOOORK on Monday is tough.  So enjoy this beautiful Cecil Beaton sketch from the opening scene of "My Fair Lady."  All this Cocoon Coat work-ness really cuts the edge, like finely processed cocaine... I mean coffee!  Like a finely processed COFFEE!

Enjoy... and get back to WOOORK!!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 5/16/11

           Yes I'm a day late... but I was wooooorking.  What were you doing?  What ever it was I'm sure it was glamorous.  You go on with yo bad self!  Speaking of going on with your bad self check out this sassy number.

              This is a beaded mantel circa 1890.  The fringe is a mix between beads and tape ribbon.  The body is beaded in a swan motif.  This is an epic jacket kids!  Head on over to VintageTextile.com to see more detail pictures and commence the drooling!  When you're done cleaning yourself up get it back to WOOORK!


Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 5/9/11

           Many apologies friends and family!  We missed last week's Back to Wooork because Kathleen and I were off celebrating my 30th birthday... IN VEGAS! So you will need to bear with us as we are still in "Vegas Mode".  Please enjoy this week's edition of Back to WOOORK brought to you by Sin City!

Roll the dice with some vintage showgirls!

The Tropicana Showroom 1959

Freemont Street 1949

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 4/25/11

So it's Monday yet again... lovely, I know.  The silver lining though is that through my aimless internet wandering I came across the auctions of the costumes from "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever".  This costume sold for over $8,000 to benfit the Barbra Streisand foundation.  I hope these amazing images of this Cecil Beaton design brighten your Monday.  But seriously.. get back to WOOORK!!!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 4/18/11

           It's Monday and we could all use a shot of glamour in our morning cup of Joe.  Today I'm going with some Leslie Caron for desperately needed that pick me up.  Hollywood's French Prima Ballerina is oozing with unscrubbed beauty that most girls pile on the make up to look like. 
           In the 1955 film "The Glass Slipper" Leslie plays Cinderella perfectly.  That hoe shows up to the ball to holler at her man in a gown that is the defenition of WOOORK!!  Not to mention her "F*&# Me Pumps" made of glass.  That bitch is serious!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK! 4-11-11

Hi Everyone!

It’s Monday.  Again. 

But don’t let the M-word get you down! 

Today’s back to wooork is brought to you by our dear friend, Esther Williams.  In her heyday, this she lived in her bathing suit.  Don’t hate!!  This gal worked hard for the money!!  Making “aquamusicals” was her bread & butter.  Miss Williams spent so much time "dancing" in the pool that she became a co-designer and fit model for Jantzen.  They developed and tested out a new fabric called Lycra, and created swimsuits for her films.  With Esther's input, they contributed to the revolution of womens mass-market swimwear in the 20th century. 

Before Esther Williams, girls swimsuits fastened closed with a metal zipper...and did I mentioned they were knitted out of wool?  Yeah.  Gross.  We have a lot to thank her for.

….imagine if a bikini was your uniform?! 

Now get back to WOOOORK!

 -Kathleen, In Oakland

I Wear Many Hats: The Dog Bonnet, a Tribute.

Hey Y’all,

Clothing can be so sentimental. 
Sometimes, it's the most tangible thing you can have to connect with someone that is gone. 
You can see them wearing it, touch the fabric that they once wore, note the creases and wear marks their body made in the garment.  It can be very moving to re-visit.

I wanted to share something I made a long time ago that is very special to me.  

Cotton Calico Bonnet, trimmed in goldenrod yellow grosgrain ribbon.

FRONT VIEW: Modeled by the Medium-sized Doggie dress form at work.

SIDE VIEW:  Earholes have self binding, bottom edge is bound in grosgrain ribbon. 
All hand-finished with tiny pick stitches.

BACK VIEW:  Bonnet is gathered and clean finished into a half-moon yoke.



EAR HOLE DETAIL: 3/8" satin rainbow ribbon was fitted under the ear to hold the brim in place. 
Ruffle brim has folded edge, and is clean finished to the main body with grosgrain ribbon, all hand-finished.




INSIDE VIEW:  All clean-finished inside for Doggie-proof durability!



This fully-functional cotton bonnet was specially created for Honey, our beautiful family dog who changed our lives forever.  Honey was a Yellow Lab/Chow mix, a stray, found abandoned in the little gulf town of Rockport, Texas in 1997.  Thanks to some very well organized small-town vets, we were able to research who she was and her past history.  Honey was originally named Sandy.  Her previous owners even had her fixed, but left her behind in the back yard when the moved away.

And there she was, months later, sitting at a gas station, ready to follow me home.  I called her “Honey” the moment I saw her, and the name stuck ever since.

She was like all Texas ladies I know, TOUGH and BEAUTIFUL.  Honey survived months of abandonment on the Gulf Coast, with the biggest & largest tick infestation I’ve ever seen, AND THEN went through a heartworm treatment! She was already 4 years old when she came into our lives, and lived over 16 years until we had to make the painful decision to put her down.    

Honey was gentle giant, a mother-dog who never fussed about anything….even little children riding on her back was just another day of fun for her, lol.  And boy, did she loved to dress up!  We adorned her in pink baby T’s, tiaras, bunny ears, cat ears (too funny) ….she was just a perfect joy to play with.    PERFECT.

I designed & made this little bonnet to fit her head, and Honey wore it every Halloween when she greeted the Trick ‘or Treaters at the front door with my Mom.  Our little Texas pioneer!

It will always be one of my favorite projects, and proudest accomplishments.

And here's Honey in her younger years....Ain't she lovely?!

-Kathleen, In Oakland

Well Hello, Mr. Rochester!! 1840's Fashion, My Way

 Hi Everyone!

With the release of the new Jane Eyre film this month, I thought it would be fun to share this lil’ dress project I did a few years ago, but didn’t actually get an opportunity to wear it until Dec ’09:

Me, Dec 2009, in my Laughing Moon Round Gown

This dress is the product of a pattern test I did for a lovely lady in Sacramento.  She has her own line of costume patterns, Laughing Moon, and a shop in Old Town Sacramento.  I had the wonderful opportunity to sign up and try out the pattern before it was published for the masses.  A style know as the Round Gown.  She sent an unpublished copy, and I had to make the dress according to the pattern & directions, step by step, to review and ensure the process was clear and highlight any errors/typos in print or wording, ect.

This was a worthwhile experience in more ways than one.  Not only did I create a dress, but I was a contributor to the creation of a historical pattern, and a GREAT one at that!  It can be purchased here. 

But my favorite part, the icing on the cake, was finding a way to actually like dressing up in this particular silhouette in history. 

Women's fashion plate from 1844.

You see, I love the story of Jane Eyre…my sisters and I grew up watching the BBC min-series in the 80’s with insanely handsome and brooding Timothy Dalton, and adore the latest version from 2006!

But frankly, women’s fashions from the mid-19^th century scare the shit out of me.  I would not willingly choose this silhouette or even this Laughing Moon round gown to make for myself.  Perhaps it’s those severe center-part hairstyles and bonnets, or the confining drop-shoulder bodices?  Or just the fact that all the women look so …sad?

  We all have era’s of time we are attracted to for different reasons.  That’s why civil war reenactments, Dicken’s and Renaissance faires exist, right?  As much as I love costuming, these time periods have  always been my least-favorite eras of fashion.  Judging by the images of women in these periods of time, it does not look fun or pretty to me. (Such as the Tudor (left) and Elizabethan (right) ladies below)

The Laughing Moon pattern test gave me an opportunity to “make it work”. 
Here I was, faced with the challenge of making a dress from a time I did not care for, so I found a way to like it! 
What inspired me the most? 
Reading bios about various women from the 1840-1850’s.  Women who lived unconventional lives in America and, in particular, California.  Since the Gold Rush started in 1849, California is a wealth of mid-19^th century unique inspiration.

And that’s how I stumbled upon this crazy bitch, Lola Montez.

FIERCE: Note the tight leather gloves and what looks like a hand-rolled cigarette. 
My kinda mid-19th century gal!

What a perfect blend of beauty, scandal, and mental illness!  I found her story and images very inspiring.  Lola Montez: "Special friend" to writers Franz Liszt and Alexandre Dumas, Mistress to a German King, dark and dramatic, known for her “Spider Dance”, SHE is the original vamp!  The song “Whatever Lola Wants” was written just for her!  This broad knew how to LIVE!

I ended up making the Laughing Moon Round Gown in a blood red “crackle” print calico cotton.  The cotton makes in so “American” and the bizarre crimson print makes it intriguing and dare I say…sexy?  The buttons I chose for the front closure are actually “Teddy Bear” eyes intended for stuffed animals.  (I didn’t know this until I went up to the counter to buy them…needless to say, it adds to the “crazy” factor.)

My hair was full-on Lola inspired with the bun in the back, a Spanish comb, and curly sides known as Spaniel Ears (not hot).  Miss Lola Montez was basically a white girl pretending to be Latin and exotic, so I accessorized with a Lace Shawl and Spanish fan:

 

 I went to the Dicken’s Fair in San Francisco looking like this, and felt scandalous and extra-spicy!  Definitely stuck out from the Bonnet & Cape crowd…and since I’m anti-hoop, I felt liberated in my net petticoats!

I was VERY happy with the end result!  So early California! 

Me, Dec 2009: Dicken's Faire @ The Cow Palace, San Francisco.
(yes, that is sawdust on the hem of my dress...classy!)

And that’s how I was able to inspire myself to sport an 1840-50’s round gown! 

By looking to the American West and going outside the Jane Eyre/Dicken’s/European history, I was able to have the mid-19^th century “talk to me” in a different way.

Perhaps, one day, I can have that same experience with the Tudor/Elizabethan fashions.  Until then, I can remain content in knowing the Mid-19^th Century ain’t so scary anymore.

-Kathleen, In Oakland