The Big Reveal...

 Perhaps you might recall this lovely yet un-assuming little out fit that I posted way back in July.

It's actually something that has been a work in progress for almost 2 years now.

It is the Jane Austen Theater Dress.

 Recently titled "No Apologies to Mr. Darcy" for the FashionArt show.

 The taffeta on the skirt is hiding

 A series of loops and cords

 So that when the model raises her arms .... Up comes the curtain.

 The underskirt is appliqued with a scene where Elizabeth becomes inappropriately damp in the presence of the rather stuffy Mr. Darcy...

( Happens to lots of Jane Austen characters, actually.)

 We had a collar of vintage pearls and a fascinator made from birdcage net and the folded pages of the novel.

 As many of you may know I have a rather morbid fascination with the societal restrictions placed on the mid-century female. So, I had some fun combining a slightly risque reveal on a vintage fashion piece with a scene from Jane Austen, which I love, but also makes me marvel at the ways women were marginalized and how their very well being was linked inextricably to their marrying or being cared for by a man.

I was so lucky to get to work with Chelsea Keating as my model. She  really put everything into it and it was quite frankly totally amazing to see my creation come to life as she took it down the runway.

She was fun, and sweet and so perfect for it.

It wouldn't have been nearly as exciting without her enthusiasm and charisma!

Thank You, Chelsea!

And here is a little close up... for the crafty voyeurs.

( click the photo to enlarge...)

This is actually a w.i.p. photo.

There were silver and crystal rain drops added on the day before the show....  

What can I say? Deadlines are my greatest inspiration!

Fashion Art: Seamstress for Hire

So, it has actually been a couple of weeks since the fashion show and due to personal drama and my sloth-like nature I haven't done the Blognanza of Bloggy Good Blogness that I promised! But here come the posts.

First of all I had my own piece of wearable art in the show which I will post on Friday...
But I also worked as the seamstress for another artist and had a fantastic time collaborating in that way.

It was a really fun and challenging process as Angelo Grova and I worked out the designs he envisioned...
in the materials he picked out.

Namely, industrial clear vinyl, landscape fabric, and tent nylon.

Sewing this stuff was a kick, as it made me use my brain every minute,  but also a physical challenge.
It was sticky. or sometimes stiff. It needed weird thread. It hated to fold... and if it did fold, it hated to unfold. You couldn't iron it.
Very unforgiving as far as seam ripping and resewing goes on the vinyl.
So the actual sewing was a metaphor for life.

Be Prepared. Be Sure. Be Bold. Move Forward!

It was my first time working with fitting models and they were funny, delightful, and so sweetly accommodating.

It was really empowering and exciting to help someone facilitate their artistic vision. I hope I get a chance to do it again.

Let's Play Stylist

sexy librarian by bitter betty featuring a wool coat


Okay, Polyvore? So fun and easy to use. 
I can play fantasy dress up/ amateur fashion editor all day long.
I don't want to break the hearts of the affliated shops/ designers, but there is no way in the world I'm going to actually buy
the clothes I put together on this page.. 
( I think the bag is $3000 or something...) 
But I fantasize that this is the sort of thing I would wear to go meet with my editors to go over the gorgeous proofs for
my brilliant book on making vintage fashion for the thoroughly modern woman.


In my dreams... those boots are as comfy as sneakers.


Yes, my fantasy life has a vast and fancy landscape.


Monochromatically Yours,


Betty
 

Fashion Friday: Can You Help Me?

All right all you vintage couture sewists... I want to make something like this:

Thanks to Dude Craft who sent me to Vintage Scans 

(Not all G rated.. BTW... but has the word strumpetry in the subtitle.. 

which I personally found kinda cute.)

Specifically the bottoms with the shirring. I'm pretty good at the elastic thread sewing, but would love to find someone who had a pattern they might be willing to trace for the rest of the shape. Even if it isn't a shirred pattern but just a similar or semi similar bottom... I will pay or trade, and love you forever.

Monday I'll have the DIY Couture giveaway all sorted.  I'm in the middle of something big and fun and secret this weekend...  And I want to have something "material" to show you using their methods for the Give Away post!

The Age of Aquarius Top

Hiya Kittens,

Thought you might want to see some applied piping in practice. Here's that awesome vintage zodiac fabric sewn into a revised Amy Butler Cabo Halter.

What's new on this halter other than that piping hot corded trim?

Viola! I lengthened the straps by 6 inches and crossed them in back. Buttons and button holes and it is so much more comfy. I tire of a knot rubbing the back of my neck. Sassy, No?

I just love piping. Don't you?

Feeling Felt For February: Flower Collar

This is my project for the week.

I had all these lovely crocheted and felt flowers that I had gathered from swapping, and craft fairs, and experiments. They looked so nice in their little box all together that I wanted to craft them into some kind of wearable bouquet. I decided an removable felt collar would be the best structure to stick them on. Getting the sizes and colors balanced is definitely the hardest part, and the most fun. I must have arranged these a thousand ways. There were blue and yellow flowers that were eventually edited out and new flowers made to accommodate the new limited palette. There will probably be a couple of changes by the time I'm done. I have an antique glass button on it now but I'm not happy with the closure. Over all though I think it looks pretty promising.

I used the collar to practice free hand quilting and I had the tension screwed up. I'm filing it under "Happy Accident " though because I love the ferny texture it left. and I'm glad it happened here because on and actual quilt this setting would have been a real bummer.

Now there needs to be a lovely little dark red boucle wool jacket or capelette under it. I have vintage patterns at hand for either.

Please tell me dear readers... Which do you think it should be? jacket or capelette?

Fashion Friday: Making It Up As I Go Along

you can click on the photos if you need a close up

This is a pattern free self designed top made entirely from thrift store fabric and buttons. Did you catch that folks? Entirely thrift-begotten supplies and designed by Me!

I did use new thread. But, hey, that's like 95% green. Super economic at 3.00 in fabric and MAYBE another 50 cents in thread and buttons, and it only took a day, plus hemming and attaching buttons. So it was also quick like a bunny.

this was supposed to show that it buttons up the back but ...oh well

And Voila. I am doing something that helps me define myself the way I have long aspired to.
"She is the kind on woman who designs her own clothes."



Yeah. That is definitely the kind of person I long to be. It does have more sophistication than
"She is the kind of woman who dries tomatoes in the back seat of her car."

And look how great it goes with the earrings that Susan made. I wore this when I had dinner with her on our trip to Portland... and she liked them so much she put more of these in her shop.
Must be said that she was as delightful IRL as she is on her blog... and I think Jacob was a bit smitten because he talked as much during our dinner together as he did the rest of the trip.

(You know you want to buy them.. Then we can be like twins, or sisters or something. And you can even be the younger sister with less gray hair, because I like you that much!)

See You Next Week,
Betty

Made It Myself Monday: This Jacket May Be Too Graphic For Sensitive Viewers

Well, at the beginning of spring I picked up a Burda Magazine and this is the third thing I have made from it's pages. I really had sort of thought the graphic wouldn't look quite this large, translated to clothing, but here you go!




I bought the canvas fabric at Ikea and really tried to stay on top of the designs as I cut. Placing, changing and hoping the shapes would still be nice with the darts and all.
The jacket was pretty easy to make but a little boxy ( So far I have found all their patterns a little on the boxy side...) but I altered it by adding a belt, and curving the front corners at the bottom, to match some of the shapes in the print.


It isn't the jacket I would pick for a wallflower shy day... But I guess I'm not really that type of girl anyhow.

Boldly Going Pretty Much Everywhere,
Betty

Fashion Friday: The Western Mermaid Shirt Goes To San Francisco!

Hi Gang..
Well, the crafty Mojo kicked in to high gear pretty much as soon as I posted (eek...) 2 weeks ago! and I have a lot of stuff to share... Must have been all those nice comments!
I appreciate you all so much.

Today, I start with Aquarium pictures and the second shirt of the Western Shirt Series:

The Mermaid shirt.

( click on photo to enlarge for detail)

Arty anemone photo for fun...

This is the same pattern as before but I used Heather Ross's Mendocino collection for the main panels. I don't remember the other fabrics name, but I like how the dark fabric framed the Underwater Sisters pattern.

that is a lot of water!

the strangely cute spiny lumpfish

We took the pictures on a family field trip to the New Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park.
I had been there on a field trip I had just taken with Sonya and her lovely youngster (Want to see pics?) , and was excited to go back with my big kid. He really enjoyed it.

The building is wonderful and organic, with a living roof.

We are also working on a fun Photo Scavenger Hunt for Great Buildings in San Francisco.
We got a deck of cards and we are trying to get a photo of Jacob with each building.

This is the Phelps House.
This is going to be a really fun project.

Maker Faire: Fashion 2

Oh, I can't believe I forgot 2 of my favorites... Original and handmade.

The wet felt maker. I love the dress, the garters, the hair... and she was about as nice as a person could be. She said she thought maybe there was 4 lbs of roving in her dress.
That's cool. Or warm.. or what ever.

... if they got their hat at Target... I will eat one of mine.

There was tons of Steampunk stuff too... all will be on Flickr someday soon.

Maker Faire: Fashion

Hey gang! Was at the Maker Faire Yesterday. Man, I love the Maker Faire. There really isn't anything more crowded, more controlled chaotic, more over stimulating (in a good way) than a day spent with 12,000 creative and curious people and the inventions that some of them have made.

Here are some prime examples of Maker Faire Fashion:

You know it is all good when a girl can coordinate her top, her handbag and her beverage, thereby employing my current favorite styling technique.

Best friend share hair dye.
80's.. it still looks cute on young people.
Not on me.

well coordinated neutrals... cool indy t.
(edit: oops! apparently Target t.. but cute and well matched.)

sparkly member of the bike dancing team.
She does bike tricks in a sequin mini.
Props, people. Give her props.

I like a couple that is coordinated without being matchy-matchy.
These guys have their own indy clothes company...
Bunnywarez.
I am considering a kitty hat. But am not sure where I'd wear it,
as the club scene is over for me,
unless you are talking Garden Club or Lawn Bowling Club.

arm warmers and a tank... over-alls and cute hair. I liked it. I like it.

and this guy? he is my new modeling super hero.

People watching supreme... and there were robots.
But more on that tomorrow.

Tutorial Tuesday: Battle of the Bulge

As I am the lucky type who, thanks to a delightfully fortuitous marriage, gets to indulge each year in both latkes and Christmas cookies, it has come to my attention that unless I control my urges or actually exercise (no time, making presents, damn it) it might be in my best interest to ask Santa for a rather aggressive foundation garment.

Here again, advise from the formidable but devastatingly accurate Nurse's Guide to Charm:

How to Buy a Girdle...


That's right, Santa, I have removed my rose colored glasses...
I will take the "Lycra Iron Maiden"..in medium.

Oh, and I will be good next year.. to make up for some stuff.

Silly Hat Day and My Bases are Covered...

This is what would have posted for Fashion Friday:

It is our tradition the last weekend Before Thanksgiving to have a "Sisters in The City" day.
We shop, have a lovely lunch with glasses of prosecco, drink fancy coffees and occasionally actually get Holiday Stuff off our to do lists.
Since my holiday is of the Handmade variety, I had lots of time for getting goofy this year.
My sis Lassen is 11 years younger and easily led astray.
Just ask her.

Do you think Gap will hire us as models?

Fantastic Tradition.. One of my favorites of the year.

Made it Myself Monday:
I asked my niece to try on the hat I made for my other niece ..
It is clear the modeling gene has not skipped a generation. Dang the low light and this blurry shot.. Her pose is clearly "America's Next Top Model" worthy.

Oh, The Glamour! Oh, The Sass!

Thrift Thursday and Fashion Friday: The 70's sewing book

picture this in different colors.. and with toggles not ties

The pompom to end all pompommery

where can I get the fabric?

I can never pass up a sewing book at the thrift store.. The 70's were quite a time for the crafty
fashion set. Shall we quilt ourselves up a coat? Or make an Icelandic style cap?

Sorry I was late. Have to run to the show!