Sourcerist Knits (AKA I Disappeared, But I Didn’t Die!)

It’s been a long, long LONG time since I’ve posted anything here, mostly because a while back I made the executive decision to close down KSSD. It was a hard call, but I am now happily frolicking (READ: battling uphill) through the wonderful world of skincare.

That doesn’t mean I gave up all things clothing- I just don’t do it for work anymore. Which, if I’m being honest, makes it a whole lot more enjoyable for me. Recently, I’ve taken up knitting. And, being me, I decided to do it the hard way.

No scarves and hats for me. Oh no. I decided that since I could do a basic knit-and-purl, and I can draft patterns, I am totally capable of designing my own knitting pattern.

It’s an interesting process. With sewing, the design is built into the construction and detailing of the final product. Those elements are still present in designing a knitting project, but on top of that, you have to create the actual textile!

Having not much background in knitting (aside from a barely functional ability to follow instructions), I thought this project would be way more intimidating… But once I got started, I realized that this is actually pretty straightforward. A lot of work to get it started, and A LOT of math (Ugh. MATH!), but it’s not the esoteric voodoo I was expecting.

I’ll be keeping track of my progress here. So far, I’ve gotten through a truly staggering amount of work on a repeating Fair Isle pattern I designed (9 hours. It took 9 hours.), and I came up with a simple lace pattern to use. The swatches came out pretty good… once I tested them out with matching needles. The first swatches were knit on a mismatched “pair of size 8 and size 7 needles. I’ve had smarter ideas.

I’ll also be posting full details for the design a little later. Also I’m working on a new bra (when am I not working on a bra?) and building a duct tape dress form. I’ll be posting a little about those projects, too!

Vintage Lady of the Week: Judy Garland

I was super excited to do a little research on Judy Garland for this week’s Vintage Lady. However, I guess I should have curbed my enthusiasm a little bit. Her story, unfortunately, is a sad one, with no real happy ending, outside of her enduring fame. It’s always a little bit heart breaking to me- people frequently seem to think that the modern story of the child star spinning out of control and dying too young, is exactly that- a modern story. But it’s a tale that just seems to go back as far as the invention of publicity and celebrity.

Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm) was born in Minnesota on June 10, 1922. She began her performing career as a vaudeville child performer, along side her two older sisters. She was signed to MGM as a teenager, which I can’t imagine was easy, given how few films pop up on TCM from the 40’s and 50’s, with leading teenagers. Despite this, her career, over the course of almost 40 years, earned her numerous awards, from Grammy awards to Academy Awards and Emmy Awards! Unfortunately, she also struggled with addiction, and ultimately died at the age of 47, from an accidental barbituate overdose. She is best remembered now for her portrayal of Dorothy, in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939). Personally, I never really cared for the film. I loved her costume, but if I had to choose my favorite Judy Garland movie, I would have to line up all the films she starred in with Mickey Rooney, put on a blind fold and throw a dart to choose for me. Her pairing with Rooney was as spectacular, in my opinion, as the pairing of Myrna Loy and William Powell! Rooney and Garland played off each other so well, and were so incredibly adorable together!

As for her costumes, that’s a whole different ball of wax. I’m not a huge fan of about 80% of her costumes, they are either absolutely plain, incredibly childish, or boring. For instance, I loved most of the costumes in “Ziegfeld Girl” (1941), but found all of Judy Garlands costumes in it to look ridiculous.

That is not to say that I hate all of her costumes that she has ever worn. I adored the costumes she wore in “Presenting Lily Mars” (1943). They showcased her stunning beauty so incredibly well. I have particular envy for this costume piece. I love the detailing and cut- it reminds me a little of a bull fighter’s costume. I’d love to make simplified version of this to wear as a summer romper!

I had such trouble finding a good picture of this beautiful and sophisticated dress from “Summer Stock” (1950). But if I were ranking my favorite costumes of Judy Garland, this beautiful dress would be almost tied with the romper costume. The skirt is a fantastic creation, and I’m super annoyed that I couldn’t find any pictures with the skirt showing. But trust me- it’s stunning. The lace on the bodice adds for elegance and opulence, without pushing the whole dress over the top. A+!

This is another costume from “Presenting Lily Mars”, and I absolutely love how ethereal it is, with the transparent fabric and a few flashes of sparkle. I covet dresses like this. It’s entirely feminine without being weak and insipid, and the crisp texture of the fabric seems to be imbued the the perk and spunk that her characters so often had on screen.

I also have a special place in my heart for Hollywood-Does-the-1900’s costumes. The sillouette and the shape of this dress in particular is so stunning. The dress is from “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944), and I just love the white lace against the red fabric. But the really amazing detailing is almost unnoticable- look closely at the cuffs of the sleeves. At first, it looks like they just have beads or sequins on them. But no! Look at that beautiful craftsmanship! it looks like maybe hemstitiching? And since we are going over this dress with a magnifying glass now, look at the quilted grapes on the skirt! So much beautiful attention to detail, and it almost gets overlooked!

What do you think of the costumes? Do you have a favorite Judy Garland movie?

Up to the Challenge, A Pledge for the Historical Sew Monthly Challenges

Lat year I stumbled across The Historical Sew Fortnightly, feel in love with the idea and quickly signed up with hundreds of others, to sew a challenge assignment item every two weeks.

There were some obvious issues that I had not taken into account. First, the fifty hours a week that I spent on campus, followed by the twenty hours a week I spent working on house chores, and cooking, followed by another forty hours a week I spent doing work for my store. This doesn’t take into account commuting time, various and sundry errands, homework, or cram sessions.

So to start of with I had very little time to even contemplate the challenges, let alone make them.

And then, what should have been obvious to me, is the simple fact that I was not, at that point in time, in a mental or emotional space, where I could crank out one garment every other week.
So I fell further and further behind, and just gave up entirely, in a fit of frustration.

This year, The Historical Sew Fortnightly host made some changes, the most blessed of which is that now there is an entire month to complete each challenge!! Well, heck, I can do that!

January’s challenge is “Foundations”, and being obsessed with nether wear, I’m super stoked to get started! I have about ten ideas rattling around in my mind right now, and plan on going HAM, and writing a mini-research essay, and maybe doing more than one piece!!!!!!!!!!

I’m a little bit excited.

On that note, it’s pretty early, so I’m going to go get some coffee and begin my day. Orders to fill and fabric to buy, you know! 🙂

Back From Hiatus!!

It’s been a while since my last post… A really LONG while, and I apologize for that. I had a rough semester this past spring, followed by fixing up the house for an overseas cousin to come visit, followed by two months of the overseas cosin visiting, rapidly followed by cleaning out my basement and moving The-Friend-Who-Remains-Namelss into said basement. And that’s just the things that come to mind! There were also various and sundry events and orders to fill.

The moral of my excuse is that I was maybe, kinda, sorta busy.

But now, it’s time to get back on the horse (or at least back into the office chair)!

I’ve been working on a new collection, with a matching spa line for my sister store, The Raw Spa. That’s a big thing with me, now- clothing collections with matching spa. I think it’s cute- and I love mixing up things in my kitchen.

I had to really think about this collection (estimated to be done by early January 2015). When I heard that “Fifty Shades of Grey” was being made into a movie, I jumped on the idea to make a BDSM inspired lingerie line!

This has so far, been quite an experience. Besides hours and hours of sourcing and sketching for the collection, I also had to source out suppliers for the spa line, come up with and test recipes, and, perhaps the most baffling of all, mix fragrances. Which is not like cooking, it turns out.

I will be keeping the blog up to date on future goings on with my adventure on this project!

Vintage Lady of the Week: KATHARINE HEPBURN

Katharine Hepburn was an odd duck. From her deep, husky voice, to her handsome (but not beautiful) looks, to her bizarre behavior, she remains some one who defies conventions. She was alternately described as strong, and stubborn; independent, and pig-headed. Besides being a phenomenal actress, she is next best known for her unofficial relationship with Spencer Tracy.

The story of Katharine Hepburn’s life, her rise to stardom, and her dalliances, is a long and twisting tale. You can find it on Wikipedia, or in a plethora of biographies. I’m just going to focus on her costumes! And -oh!- what costumes she had!

First up is this feminine tuxedo, from “Woman of the Year” (1942). Katharine Hepburn was infamous for her pants. At the time, pants were far from the norm in women’s wear. I read once that she showed up to a rehearsal once in blue jeans (gasp! the scandal!), and the director absolutely lost it. He apparently banned her from the theater until she put on a skirt, so she wrapped a burlap bag around her waist. Is it true? I have no idea, but given everything I’ve read about her behavior, it really wouldn’t surprise me.

Second is this dress from “Holiday” (1938). The dress itself is simple, not particularly close fitting, and rather plain, besides the scarf. What I find so appealing is that she was able to do a somersault from Cary Grants shoulders, and landed it! In a full length dress!!!! Mind boggling.

This stunning evening dress showed up in “The Philadelphia Story” (1940). The bead work alone makes me absolutely drool. What I wouldn’t do for this dress? The sleeve are interesting as well. This is definitely on my list of things to recreate. It’s just STUNNING!!

Next is this stunning lamé gown from “Bringing Up Baby”(1938). I adore this fabric, but hate working with it, so this particular dress is not really on my sewing list. The cut and construction are beautiful, and you can see the attention to detail present in it. Look at the fringe on the bodice. And, if you have seen the movie, how about that tear away panel on the skirt! 🙂

I  have this dress last, because I feel that although it is an absolutely stunning dress, it just doesn’t seem to fit with Katharine Hepburn’s personality. It seems entirely to structured, and not at all in line with the fiery independent spirit seen both in her personal life and in the character she played in “Adam’s Rib”(1949). I couldn’t find any good images of this costume in the film. But you can see how sumptuous construction is!

Well, that’s all I have for this week. What do you think of Katharine Hepburn? What do you think is her best film?

 

Vintage Lady of the Week: MYRNA LOY

The first black-and-white movie I ever saw was “After the Thin Man”. It would be another five years until I got cable, and discovered the Turner Classic Movies channel (as far as my mother is concerned, my discovery of said channel was possibly the worst event of her life- she now has to stipulate “Made after 1986, in color, with living actors!” when I turn on the TV). But the image of Myrna Loy, with her elfin face, smartly curled hair, and witty lines, stuck with me. Imagine my glee when I found out that she had made many, MANY movies, and many of them with William Powell, who I feel is absolutely the best of her co-stars!

Myrna Loy started off her career as a dancer, and entered Hollywood before “talkies” had started. She frequently played Asian characters, or nominal chorus characters. As a matter of fact, you can spot her at the end of “The Jazz Singer”, which is a sort of bridge between the silent movies and the “talkie” movies. It wasn’t until she was cast in “The Thin Man” that her career really took off.

One thing that I hadn’t know, and that made me really happy, was that she was the first celebrity to get involved with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), and was also a co-chairman of the Advisory Council of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing. While it is nice when celebrities get involved with animal rights, there is something incredibly heart warming to me about celebrities who were involved with human rights causes, before they were de rigueur.

Which is absolutely not to say that I’m not all for animal rights, too.

But I digress.

I now present you with absolutely my favorite of her costumes. Few and far between are the Myrna Loy costumes that I don’t like, so this took some concerted effort, to not just present you with a catalogue of all 500 of my favorite costumes.

The first one I have for you just has to be this lounging ensemble from “The Thin Man” (1934). I love 1930’s fashion, and I would dearly love to one day make a replica of this set. It is a silk dress with a frilled collar thing and cuffs, underneath a robe. How do I know this? At the very beginning of “After the Thin Man” (1935), we see almost the exact same robe (there is a change in the collar style), while the dress is being used to wrap a martini shaker. You can tell by that frilly collar thing. …Yes. I have watched “The Thin Man” movies so many times that I have commited them to memory….

The Thin Man (1934)

After the Thin Man (1936)

 

Second up, I have this simple gown that looks like it has been painted onto her body with liquid latex, from “Libeled Lady” (1935). I love the fit of this dress, and the metallic sheen it has. And on Myrna Loy, it looks dynamite! If I wore it, I’d look like a stuffed sausage. ::le sigh::

Next I have her wonderful costumes from “After the Thin Man” (1935). She wore a few dresses that had sheer over lays dripping with embroidery. I like the way it looks, very ethereal, which seems almost contradictory in a tailored garment. I also love the hats she wears. They are … well they certainly are screwy, aren’t they!

Finally, I have this dressing gown, from “Third Finger, Left Hand” (1940). I always drool over beading on vintage costumes, and I am working on convincing myself that this particular beading pattern might not take TOO long. Not that I know anything about beading, but I feel like it’s good to have insane aspirations, like reproducing this piece!

 

Is that it? It is for today. I could probably keep going, but this seams like a good stopping point.

What about you? Do you like Myrna Loy? What do you think is her best movie?

Vintage Lady of the Week: DORIS DAY

I adore Doris Day. Her spunky characters never ceased to amuse me, and I love her voice. I have to be honest, I once spent an entire summer, after watching “Romance on the High Seas”, belting out “Put ’em in a Box, Tie ’em with a Ribbon and Throw ’em in the Deep Blue Sea” over and over and over again. I’m not sure that my neighbors were too thrilled with this, but maybe they welcomed a break from my waaaaaaaaaaaay flat-and-sharp rendition of “Phantom of the Opera” songs (I sing while I work, partially to humor the green monster, Jack, and partially because I just love to sing.)

Jack demands more singing!!!

The story of how Doris Day  ended up in Hollywood is both heart warming and comical, much like many of her movies. She was originally a singer with a band. In 1947, she did an audition for “Romance on the High Seas”.  According to an interview I heard, when she got the call telling her she had been cast, she thought it was a joke set up by her manager! The role of Georgia led to a 20 year career in Hollywood, during which she made 39 movies. Now there is a woman who kept herself busy! I can appreciate that. 🙂

When I first saw “Romance on the High Seas”, I fell in love with her wardrobe, her voice, and pretty much everything else about her.  But enough about that! Here are my top wardrobe picks !

First up is her zany “Matahari”-esque costume from “The Glass Bottom Boat” (1966). It was a toss up between this one and her orange mermaid outfit. Both of them are over the top, colorful, and hilarious. While I’m not exactly dying to make a reproduction of this, it never ceases to put a smile on my face! 🙂

Second is definitely the blue dress from “Romance on the High Seas” (1948). The bead work is stunning, and it fits her like a glove. If you watch the movie carefully, you may notice that she seems to move from her hips, and her torso seems to sway, a fraction of a minute behind the rest of her body. This sometimes happens with a rigid internal structure, like a corset, or lots of boning. It would have helped provide support (let’s face it, sleeveless bodices sometimes need more than wardrobe tape to stay up), and also shaping, for that beautiful silhouette she had. Also, I am IN LOVE with that little shoulder cape!

 

I’m starting to notice that many of my favorite costumes for Doris Day are blue. She just looks fabulous in blue! This is third on my list, a wonderful gown from “Love Me or Leave Me” (1955). I love formal gowns from times gone by, the beading, the layering in the skirts… the cunning use of high slits that do not scream “I”M A TRAMP!!!!”. Of all the blues I’ve seen her in, I think this shade looks the best. She almost looks like her skin is made of porcelain!

Fourth up is one of the first costumes she wore in “Please, Don’t Eat the Daisies” (1960). The dress itself is simple enough, but that great big flower on the front makes it a show stopper. Or a conversation starter. I  think maybe I like the idea of this dress, combining an eye-catching adornment with something sleek, to keep it from being boring.

 

Well, that’s all. What do you think of them? What costumes of hers do you like?

 

 

Summer Days and Summer Nights

Wow! What a crazy start to summer! I did two events, a First Fridsy, that went FABULOUS, and another event, the West Park Arts Fest, which did not go particularly well, but was definitely a learning experience.

What did I learn, you ask?

That event managers and organizers sometimes tell lies to get vendors.

To make up for the disappointment that was last weekend, I am gearing up for another battery of events-

June 28th, 9am-1pm
Lansdowne Farmers Market
I will be bringing freshly mixed body products from my new Raw Spa, which you can check out at THE RAW SPA .

The current line of products is called “Jewel of the Nile”, and was inspired by many sleepless nights researching ancient Egyptian cosmetics and beauty aesthetics. See, I just KNEW I would be able to mix my anthropology major with my work!!! I will also have the butterfly and fish hair pins, the little lotii clips, and a few of the Matahari pieces.

July 4th, 11am- 10pm
Philadelphia First Friday, at 2nd & Church St.
Yep, this is going to be a loooooooong day. But in addition to fabulous freshly mixed lotions and potions, and the fun CREASE origami pieces, I will be bringing my awesome, fantastic, wonderful German cousin with me!! It’s her first time in America, and she will be staying with me for two months!! And of course being the great cousin that I am, I thought her first few days here should include a wicked long day in the Philadelphia heat, at what I think is the coolest event in town! Plus, I hear there will be fireworks, two blocks away at Penns Landing! (have I convinced you yet?)

July 12, 10am-4pm
First African Presbyterian Church Summer Market
This is going to be my first time at the FAPC Market, so I’m excited to see what other vendors will be there! Right now I am planning on mostly having the CREASE origami pieces, so lots of butterflies, fish and flowers!

I’m still looking in to more events to do around the area. So if you live around Philly or the Main Line, keep an eye out for us! I might even slide my fabulous blog followers a discount… ::hint HINT::

In addition to that, since there is no such thing as TOO BUSY, at least in my overly caffeinated opinion, I’m starting work on the samples for this fall’s Thing That Go BUMP!! collection. Yes, the collection that I promised last year, and then failed to finish. I am even planning to have a line of body products to go with it!!!

I’m trying to come up with some fun and funky Halloween products. I feel like all-natural, organic body products are frequently stodgey and boring. What do you guys think? What sorts of things do you think of when you imagine Halloween lotions and such? I’m game for any suggestions you can throw at me!

Well, that’s my looooooong over due update. I keep telling myself to keep the blog updated better… I mean, do I really need those four hours of sleep a night, anyway?

Vintage Lady of the Week: GINGER ROGERS

I adore Ginger Rogers. I especially love her movies with Fred Astaire. For all of the stories I read and heard about, on how they fought all of the time, they danced marvelously together.

I always loved Ginger Rogers for her grace and poise, and her elegance. These are qualities that I frequently think are starting to disappear in modern society. Goblins know I am lacking them!! Her costumes, and her clothes, were always stunning (except for the naughty little lingerie pictures I found!!), which made my selection a little more difficult.

First up is the soft, fluffy dress she wore in “The Gay Divorcee” (1934). The fabric was so lightweight that it almost billowed around her like clouds, and the detailing in the skirt was stunning. This one is definitely on my “To make” list!

Second is every costume she wore in “The Barclays of Broadway” (1949), but most especially this gorgeous gold dress she wears in the opening number.  On the dress form, it is reminiscent of the white dress that Marilyn Monroe wore in “The Seven Year Itch”. However, the skirt is an interesting sort of deflated-balloon design, which look fascinating every time she spun in the dance number.

Third is… this… thing… for “Top Hat” (1935). Okay, I’m going to be really honest- all of the fluff up around her neck makes her look like some sort of deranged ostrich. Its the skirt that I’m crazy about. I love the play in textures this dress has, from the silky satin body to the fluffy, floating feathers.

Lastly (not because I ran out of dresses. I could have gone on and on until the skies fell down!!), is this dress from “Lady in the Dark” (1944). It’s so flashy, and so decadent at the same time, with the touches of fur. I mean, WOW! Show stopping!

What about you? What movies of Ginger Rogers do you like? What do you think were her best costumes?

Spring Cleaning and Other Good Things

After pretty much freezing my business, and everything associated with it, in a last ditch effort to survive the semester, I have decided to just bite the bullet and get started up again.

For firstly, this store represents the culmination of my life’s dream (the dream to be a fashion designer, not the other dreams!!), and it’s been absolutely heart breaking and neurosis inducing to not be able to sew, or to sketch. So I’m cleaning of the poor neglected sewing machine and getting her fired up!

For secondly, First Friday season is here, and my brain has been overflowing with new ideas for that. So I’ve recruited two assistants to help me with the folding and the glazing.

Today, unfortunately, doesn’t look like it’s going to have much sewing in it. My house is absolutely trashed, and the weather is so nice that I thought I might do a Spring cleaning. If there’s any time left over to the day after that, then I can get started on a cute little sun dress I’ve been sizing hour. It’s going to be made from absolutely the most fun fabric ever!

Although, I must say, I have learned an important lesson from sizing it out- don’t cut your nice pretty fabric first before testing the pattern….