10.23.2012

maybe I could be twitter for halloween.


Do you work on one project at a time? Several birthday weeks ago, ruggy gave me, among other things, three days of sewing all day. I was so excited I couldn't decide what to work on. So I worked on EVERYTHING. I had a "rack" of five dresses, two skirts, and several refashions hanging from our reading lamp. After a few hours on princess seams, I'd switch to jersey, then to vintage seam ripping, I never got bored or frustrated with what I was doing, it was genius, I tell you. Every fifteen minutes or so I'd yell across the room: I AM SO HAPPY THIS IS GENIUS. Since then I've always had myriad things going on at once. It keeps me from wanting to tear a project apart when it's not going well, or rush through an intricate step because I want to get it done and play with something else. So it should come as little surprise that I've moved on to feathers in the midst of boucle.

These sketches were done in Hell A, oh I'm sorry, I mean L.A. My brilliant idea to pair an Anna Sui silk print with bird hair was met with a lackluster response from ruggy and crew, so I used my croquis to visualize it mo' bettah..


I actually thought this was the version I wanted. At least, in my mind it was... once it was on paper, it was an INSTANT no. Hoe down, anyone?

But I was determined to get them in that dress. Another friend cautioned against creating the effect of "vagina feathers". This gave me serious pause, and I went vertical at that point...


EGADS.

I finally settled on something completely different from my original plan, which would have made pathetic use of the silk print...


And that's when I stomped off to my machine and draped a dress sans feathers. 

But it seems their time has come again. With all the Halloween sewing going on, I feel like making something dramatic. Where will I wear this? No earthly idea. You would think the end of October would be the perfect opportunity, but in a nice tidy incident of Post Coming Full Circle, ruggy's birthday week falls on Halloween, and we haven't dressed up in centuries. I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. We're either still celebrating or recovering from celebrating, which is just fine by be. I kind of play dress up all year long anyway.

35 comments:

  1. Oona, what the hell? Even your croquis is freaking adorable. Thanks for making me smile this morning.

    Your sass gives me a kick out here in the middle of nowhere...hoodies and Carhartt are standard issue clothing round here.

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  2. oona so happy to have discovered you .,.,you Are the ultimate golden girl with an awesome voice. i too alwya have multiple things going at a time. currently a chanel jacket for my 9 year old and a vogue dress. waiting to ser how u use those feathers

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    1. CHANEL FOR A 9 YEAR OLD?! WOMAN!! you haz the patience of buddha. glad you're here!

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  3. Love this post; I think seeing the decision-making process is just as interesting as the finished products! I have trouble working on more than one thing at once, but next time I feel like hurling my seam ripper (or myself) outta the room, I'll remember and consider this. :-) And omgvaginafeatherslol!

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  4. I never work at one thing at a time. I didn't think anyone did. :O Apparently, I was wrong. Susan, you've opened my eyes to a world of all kinds of various people. (That sounds weird, but the sentiment is there, OK?)

    Yes, I like seeing the decision-making process, too. It's interesting to see a project evolve. Of course, sometimes the readers will love one of the discarded ideas more than you...

    And good for you for playing dress-up all year long. I bet it's more fun that way, anyway. No deadlines!

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  5. I am a huge fan of playing dress up all year long! It's the best, and then there's less pressure to be something mind-blowingly spectacular for Halloween because it's your one chance...

    Your croquis has the best poses. Why am I not surprised.

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  6. I used to work on many projects at once, but it took me too long to re-focus! I do enjoy watching others go where their creativity leads them. Keep sharing your process! :)

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  7. i love the creativity and i think with feather or not it will be so cool!

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  8. ditto, your croquis is amazing! and how helpful is it to see your ideas drawn out in perfect proportion? I'm curious though: I'm way too lazy to change thread to accommodate multiple projects at once. Do you change thread? Use the same color on all the simultaneous projects? have multiple machines?? am I the only lazy seamstress? :)

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    1. i do indeed change the color for every project, actually changing colors within a single prject several times as well. i used to take shots of the line of spools on my sewing shelf at the end of the day, i have to do that again...

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  9. I'm a fan of multi-tasking and never focus on one at a time but I have never got cool in progress drawings to show! You are such a pro... gonna take me a leaf outa your book!!! :-)

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  10. You are the only person I know who can rock feathers, no matter their position! You go, my darling! Cannot wait to see what you make, especially with that adorable croquis. ADORABLE I SAY!

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  11. I love how cheeky your croquis are!! Is that one waving at me?? Well hello there...
    I admire your brave perseverance with the feathers. I have no doubt that you will figure out something that works, and fabulously so. Or you could just go all Carmen Miranda. I mean, why not? Its feathers for chrissake...
    And I think I'm in the one-project-at-a-time camp - though for efficiency sake I wish this was not so.

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  12. I loooooooooooooove feathers and I have the utmost confidence in your ability to deck yourself in plumage and look GREAT.

    I work on multiple projects at once, which is awesome, but sometimes I'm afraid it helps me to justify UFO's, like, "oh yes, I will come back to this project that just needs 8 miles of seams ripped, just give me one second, I'll be right back, OK, bye forever..."

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  13. So I worked on EVERYTHING.

    This is about me!!

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  14. I must see feathers soon! I am so wanting to see you Anna Sui' it up!

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  15. I wish i could work on heaps of projects at once, but i get so overwhelmed!
    The most projects i have on the go at once is 2 - one at home and one at sewing class.

    The project at sewing class is not touched at home and vice versa. I also don't take on too many projects at once becos I don't like having too many WIPs, make the OCD part of me feel like im losing control hahahha.

    I have issues :/

    There is a very talented girl in my sewing class who is tackling THREE projects at class, and they are simple ones either. I admire such peeps!!

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    1. ***they AREN'T simple projects.
      She's working with silks and satins, long black tie vintage ball gowns!

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    2. i like the idea of a project only for class-- makes it even more special. and the idea of your classmate working on three gowns at once? DROOL.

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  16. I definitely need to have something simple on the go at all times. Otherwise I get distracted by all the AMAZING FANTASTIC BRILLIANT things I'm going to make, start them all, get frustrated that they aren't bending to my will, and throw them in the corner to sulk.

    Too many and I feel overwhelmed, though. I need just enough that I have that edge of 'gotta finish that, dying to finish it!' to spur me on.

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  17. Sewing mutliple things at once is the only way to sew! I have tried to be good and sew one thing at a time, but I get so bored! Cannot wait to see your feather dress!!

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  18. Super cute croquis and costume idea! Maybe it can be a two piece set so you can still use the top more frequently?

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  19. I am a one project type of girl and I've always liked it that way until you wrote that having many projects at one time prevents you from becoming bored or rushing through one. I'll have to keep that in mind in the future when I'm hesitating to start a project while I'm in the midst of another.

    Have you seen what I made for Halloween? Just like you, I rarely dress up for Halloween but I decided to make this Halloween different. Check it out: http://www.madalynne.com/how-i-wore-it-my-halloween-costume

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    1. i loooooooved that look!! the black hole of birthday anniversary hurricane made commenting... sparse.

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  20. I knew I liked Ruggy for a reason, he is an late October baby.

    I can't wait to see what you end up with as your costume. I am skipping Halloween this year, I have school on the actually night and I am not really motivated to make anything (cause you know I would be a bad seamstress if I buy).

    I am also boycotting fabric stores until after Halloween. Walking in there for muslin the other day was a nightmare. Only need 3 yards of muslin, took almost and hour. Silly people buying horrible fabric and not knowing how many yards. *shivers*

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  21. WOW!!! You did an amazing job on your croquis! They're so much fun! I love the poses, they're so real! AND, I have to thank you big time, because your link to your croquis post made me get mine done. I'd only started about a year ago, and well, after a few hours my stiff hands said "NO MORE"! But your post with the other links was great, and now I've finally got mine done! THANK YOU!!

    btw, i actually prefer your lovercase font, it suits your personality (from how it comes across on your blog) it's like, "rules?! who needs them!"

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    1. isn't it great to have them! i really want to get a book of them made up.

      i'm so back and forth on the lowercase thing. it's totally my style, but i hate that it's tough for some to read...

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  22. I will have to try hopping from one project to another, sounds like a good idea.. I can't wait to see what you come up with for those feathers! Love your croquis!!

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  23. Thanks for the chuckle! ...Have to admit I had no idea what a croquis was until now but I think I need one!

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  24. twitter for Halloween - so meta! Well I can certainly relate. I'm totally pooped by Halloween. My birthday always coincided with Halloween parties in grade school so my mom made the best of it and made me Halloween cakes for class every year with little ghosts on pixie sticks "candles". I can't wait to see what becomes of all your feathers. That last idea is pretty cool. A feather cape? And seriously, what an amazing gift, a 3-day sewing holiday. Ruggy rocks.

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  25. Oona honey, where are you? I'm starting to Worry.
    An anxious reader.

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    1. thank you!!! we're affected secondhand, but everyone is quite well-- just a lot of time spent shifting gears.

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!