Twin Spiral Hoody

I've finally started the Twin Spiral Hoodie for Lou. I'm loving the process so far. Something about the challenge of finding solutions to problems brings me so much satisfaction. The challenge of this piece has been the fabrics. Lou loved one of my other hoodies, but it was too small for her and she isn't a fan of fleece fabrics. So I needed to come up with fabrics that would fit her criteria. Add to this that she lives miles away from me so I couldn't use anything that needed to be tailored. It needed to have some stretch to it.
After searching the net for a week or so I found a beautiful textured knit, multi coloured on a rust base.

It arrived two days ago and was everything I hoped it would be until I pulled it out of the bag.

See through as all hell. Argh!

Not to mention far too loosely woven for the project!
I didn't want to give up on the fabric. It's beautiful and I hadn't come across anything else in my searching that had come even close to filling my brief for this project. I hunted through my stash and found a burgundy retro knit. Nice to touch on one side but the other felt strange and slippery. It had a nice stiffness though and only a small amount of stretch. Not a fabric I was likely to use for anything. So here is my idea. I lay them out, cut my garment and lightly quilted them together. Turn two imperfect fabrics into one perfect one.
I feel pretty pleased with myself. for working my way through this one.

Next bit is the twin spirals. Cutting a spiral is usually soooo easy for me. I've learnt through my hours of drawing and painting how to get my forms flowing just right. What makes doing a twin spiral more tricky is that I'm trying to get two spirals cut out in one piece so that they create the negative and positive of each other. I cant afford to slip in the cutting of one because it breaks the form of the other and I need to make sure that both forms are balanced as individual pieces. I am pretty happy with how these two worked.

Loving the retro cotton. So cool. I really love the juxtaposition of the geometric shapes printed on the fabric and the sweeping curves.



















PART TWO a few days later.

Next bit of the mission was deciding on the fabrics for the hood and arms. It wasn't hard in the end. Lou had already told me that she was a fan of purple and I have the most beautiful deep purple, large wale corduroy. It was the obvious choice. Once again a no stretch fabric where I would usually use a fleece though. The simplest solution was to rework my pattern to have looser sleeves and my hood pattern is fairly large anyway. It just needed a little taken out to accommodate a stiffer fabric.

This created one problem with the hood though. With a fleece hood the inside is soft and snuggly. Not so with corduroy! I had to line it. I have some of this sooo soft stuff, I don't even know what it is but it is the best snuggly lining ever made. I chose a dark chocolaty brown that blends beautifully with the other colours to line the hood.
















I added a little peak cuff to the sleeves just to tie the whole piece together and stitched it up.
I am sooo pleased with the result. The challenge of unusual fabrics has paid off in one of the best hoodies I have made. I hope that Lou will love it as much as I do.

Identity Crisis

What is it about me that I seem to need some sort of box to stick myself in. I wonder if I need it to anchor myself somehow. My creativity can be such a fast thing. Great arms that swoop me up in a whirlwind and lead me dancing down a hundred new trails. I think I try to box myself just to limit the direction I could go in, the things I could create out of and the thoughts and feelings I try to express.
I've been searching "pixie clothing" on google and etsy lately. I've found some beautiful things.

















Spunky, sexy, funky stuff! But to be honest after a while I felt like I was visiting different versions of the same site. The same fabrics and basic concepts on every site.
At first I felt inadequate, like my work was 'uncool', too old school, not sexy enough. This crisis of confidence seems to be part of my process. I'm coming to terms with it and am learning not to give in too much to that mean old lemon lipped critic that resides between my ears.
So having seen all this beautiful clothing and experience this loss of confidence, I begin to ask myself "what do I love to make? Where does my work Fit?"
Envious as I am of these peoples talent, I realize that this style of work is not from me.
I hate to work with these super stretchy fabrics. Give me strong solid canvas any day, drill and crazy retro cottons and linens, none of which lend themselves to slinky sexy clothing.
So where does that leave me?
Unique!!!

Kowhai inspired bell bottomed pants.



















Utility Belt



















Spiraling seedpod halter



















Simons Custom Freeform pants

Fractal Pants

Well here I am, sitting in front of the Puta screen, launching into this blog thingy. I decided to get started today because I'm working on a pair of pants for my partner Dean and they are becoming quite a process.
For ages my work has been inspired by fractal art, but I never thought that I would be able to figure out how to represent this in fabrics. It always seemed to me that all the detail would be absolutely impossible to recreate. It is!

Then I found a series of art quilts on line by a woman called Rose Rushmore that she had based on fractals. Her art showed me that I didn't need to exactly copy a fractal, that using different fabrics and simplifying the forms I could create a representation that was beautiful in it's own right.

'Skating on thin ice' by Rose Rushmore

So that was one thread on this creative journey I'm on. Another thread is the story of Dean, his birthdays and the pants I make for everyone but him.
Not long ago I made the most beautiful pair of pants for my friend Rick. They were fabulous, the best I have ever made. Lovely colors and embellished with random cellular shapes of hand dyed cotton that was free machine embroidered with various sized circles of multi-colored thread. I'll try and score a picture from Rick so I can upload it later. Dean loved them! (guilt)
So I decided it was time to get started on those birthday pants I've been promising him for the last three years. Thats when the trouble began, every fabric I pulled out from my stash was not right,evry piece I brought raised a skeptical eyebrow and my confidence sunk lower and lower. In the meantime the market got stupid busy, and newyears at Canaan Downs and Luminate festival were drawing closer. Massive stock sewing began. Argh, man was I happy to get my butt up that beautiful hill to join the tribe again!

Dean in the tribal zone at Canaan(new years)

Fast forward>>>>Deans birthday was three weeks ago and I've finally started his pants!!
I've never felts so freaked out about making anything before. The applique I'm doing is well and truly the hardest I have ever tackled and Dean is my harshest critic and most fussy 'client'.
Well I have begun, fighting my insecurity and hoping that he loves them. I'll keep you updated as the fractal pants progress.

So far so good