Work in Progress...

As you know I love reworking garments that need a little "pick-me-up" or a special something to take it out from being just good, and turn it into great or interesting!

The example I have for this week is a vest that I have been working on for a friend of mine. It has been a challenge of a piece because we didn't want to change any of the outer structure of the garment. Except for removing the puffy collar as seen to the right. The reason we removed it was it was a dirty white, but the kind of dirty that instead of looking like a color choice, it just looked ....dirty. And, although in concept the puffy collar with a puffy fashion vest would seem like a fun design element, in practice it just doesn't do it for me. I think the reason I don't like it is that it is too much softness on an already soft piece, it doesn't add needed contrast or interest. For me, having a different texture or structure to butt up against the dominating element--is key. For example: lace with denim, leather with silk, corduroy and satin, etc.

So, below are a series of shots I took with my favorite embellishments and applique options for the piece. I haven't decided which one is the favorite, depending on feedback from the community I will make a choice. Feel free to drop a line and say which version you like! I am partial to flowers, but lace is good too!

P.S. The applique flowers have several arrangement options, so you can see which version of the is most appealing

IQ tops....the latest versions!

I have decided to name the Ana Lisa Hedstrom silk crepe scrap blouses "IQ tops" because these garments are like the Rubik's cube for fashion. The combination's of how to wear them are countless the depending on the creative the mind of the wearer. One of the reasons this is true is silk crepe has the best drape of almost any fabric and practically any way it hangs looks good.

Another bonus in showing off the latest of the tops is that you can see my latest haircut which I call "boyband meets Joui!" Go and look up young Justin Timberlake and you will see what I mean. And my boyfriend mentioned that we both have the acronym JT!!!

*Note* each strip of photos represent one blouse...yes it is true just one blouse! It is my way of showing you the tip of the iceberg of the 1,000 ways to wear these tops! And YES! they are for sale, email me if interested.

Click on images to enlarge

Easy Shoulder-Strap Closing Technique (for lined garments)

My dear friend Lauren showed me this strap technique. It is hard to explain yet I think is so important to know that we decided to create a pictured online reference for all the fanatic sewers out there to utilize. In fact, having this useful posting will be a great resource to send my colleagues every time I try to poorly explain the technique, they can just look to this! YAY!



Step 1
Make sure your strap's seams are open about 3 inches on either side. The lining (as seen in black) shoulder seam is connected while the fashion fabric (in yellow) remains open.








Step 2
Sew the shoulder closed of the fashion fabric (yellow) . As you can see in the picture to the right, she is holding the yellow fabric together to indicate the need to sew it closed.













Step 2a
You can see how the top strap is being sewn closed.











Step 3
As pictured here you see the recently sewn shoulder seam. The next move is tricky and is better explained with pictures.

The goal is to sew one of the side shoulder strap seams by moving it through the opposite strap opening which allows you to sew with the right sides together.










3a
In the picture to the right you can see the fabric being pinched and getting ready to be pulled through the other side.












3b
In this picture you see the fabric being being
pulled through to the other side and
ready to be sewn.











3c
As pictured the side seam is being held
flat so you can see where you will sew.

















Step 4
Pull the fabric back through so you can admire
your first nicely sewn side strap seam.














Step 5
Pull the strap through the opening in the bottom
of the lining. Your hand is coming in from below and pulling the strap down so it comes out the bottom.


















Here is another picture of the strap coming out of the bottom opening of the lining.














Step 4
Sew the last remaining side strap opening.
Be sure that it is clear from any bulk from
the other seams before you sew. Once it is flat, line up your seams and sew.










Step 5
Pull the strap back through the lining to its proper place.

There it is! You have a lovely strap!

Creative Headgear for Priceless

It's summer, and in the Bay Area that means countless festivals/gatherings/costume events. Since Burning Man is not in the cards this year we are costuming-up for Priceless...this weekend!

So, I thought I would share some of the headgear I have been creating for me and my man.

Priceless has a theme each year and this year it is "Midsummer Night's Dream". Therefore, we are going as our versions of Oberon and Titania (king and queen of the fairies).

We almost spent a couple $$$ on some fancy vintage headdresses but opted for the "lets-find-out-what-Joui-can-come-up-with" choice. Which as you can see is a collection of scraps and random material that I horde for occasions just like this!

For instance, fake ferns!??? They are so awful but were exactly what we needed for the costumes....I was soooo close to giving them to the thrift store in my last move.

Let's Repower America - Environment California

Let's Repower America - Environment California
Just wanted to help spread the word about the energy bill going through congress right now. As you know, I am a fashionable environmentalist, and I am always trying to do my part, but in the end we need the government to cap the emissions from dirty energy (which makes up most of the CO2 that is put in the atmosphere).
So share this, spread the word...we can make a difference!! I hope!
Shared via AddThis

Neon is my favorite ( for the moment )

Here is a tunic top I just finished today! Made from rip-stop fabric and in one of my favorite neon colors. It fits me perfectly and I can't wait to wear this little number to some fun parties (or just on the street).

What might seem to be a somewhat simple design turned out to be VERY complicated. The idea was to have continuous pleats that start from the top of the shoulder and then turn and end at lower side hip. In the end the patterning turned out to be way too complicated to make as a 'genuine' pleat. As a designer, I know it can be done, but since I have allocated most of my brain to the complicated Varda gowns, I wasn't going to use them up on my own playful blouse.

So, the yellow ribbing at the bottom of the tunic, are acting as "fake" pleats. The real pleats are just the vertical ones.
In the end, like most unintentional design elements, I am happy how it all turned out, although I would have liked to see more of a true accordion silhouette.

And of course...why neon? Why not?! I think it must be my reaction to the ever-continuous dullness of the western world's infatuation with black ---I am constantly looking for ways to rebel. AND you will never loose me in a crowd ;-)

The Latest Recycled Vest...

As usual I like to share the latest recycled vests as they come down the pipeline.

This particular vest is exciting because it is a new version of the series I did in a previous blog.

With this vest, instead of piecing different blazers together to create one look, I simply used the bottom of the jacket to create the ruffle around the collar. In the other vests, the ruffles were created from selected scraps. In this piece the only scraps used are in the draped fabric piece that works its way around the bottom.

The scrap fabric used is by Ana Lisa Hedstrom and is one of my favorite details with this vest.

I also like how the lining of the jacket accentuates the under-collar portion of the neck ruffle.