Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sofia Masri

Alas, the life of a flight attendant. I was supposed to be home tonight, but due to weather in Boston, I am here in Detroit. But don't cry for me because I'm staying in the BEST hotel in the system. Serene and restful decor (read: no burgundy or hunter green in sight), crisp white linens, and a marble bathroom. Still, I'd rather be home...

So last week I was in Madison, and checking out that lovely shop Anthology and they have a number of etsy sellers there. The one that caught my eye was Sofia Masri. I have always admired her style when I've seen her porcelain earrings and pendants on the front page, but sometimes it seemed the pictures were too good to be true.

I'm here to tell you that they aren't. Her porcelain pieces are more beautiful in person than they are on the web. I really admired a small yellow pendant in the shop that was similar to these earrings. One of these days I'll be ordering myself a beautiful pendant, the only problem being trying to winnow it down amongst all the gorgeous colors!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

And, On to the Pink...

Tonight I'm in Fort Myers, FL, but just a short trip this time. I'm home tomorrow, and then on vacation all next week. Yippee!

The second part of my line is the perennial girl favorite: PINK! I used soft pinks, hot pinks, and sophisticated (if there is such a thing) pink. The mix and match features a reversible pink wrap skirt with a chickadee on one side, and a cool pink and green trim on the other. That skirt pairs with my happy dot blouse, and spring blooms top. If yellow is your thing, you can pair it with my sunshine peasant blouse from the blue collection too.



The ruffle capris go with everything, and even extend the life of my reversible pink jumper. My daughter is wearing the size 2, and she normally wears a size 5! So the first summer she wears it as a jumper, the next year as a top, so it's like getting 4 outfits in one!



My wavy capri pants are the other coordinate for the spring blooms top and can also extend the life of my reversible asymmetric jumper.

The reversible pink jumper features a sweetheart neckline and a keyhole opening in the back. Just a little piping and rickrack complete the look.



And no collection would be complete without a trendy apron dress.



Next up: cross-pollination.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Spring/Summer 2009 Collection!

I've been thinking about this collection for so long that the styles made themselves in my head long before they were translated into cloth and thread. However, I think having them all in one place would be helpful for you to see how they work together and all of the possibilities!

So today, it's all about the aqua with dashes of hot pink, apple green, and sunshine yellow...



This first dress is reversible, and you can see that you get two totally different looks in one dress. One of the features I love about this one is the elastic under the arms which makes it so that you can get more use out of it. As she grows up, she can wear it next season as a top with my aqua capris!



I love the combination of these fabrics because they are so refreshing and cool for the summer heat. The wrap dress has an easy style that can go from casual to a bit more dressy, and the apron dress has a trendy appeal.



Finally, all my mix and match styles in one place! The polka dot apple green skirt reverses to a solid aqua, and will go with all of my tops. The yo-yo garden skirt can also be paired with everything and the aqua capris can extend the life of those aforementioned dresses. I designed everything to mix and match even for when it's Daddy's turn to dress her up. I know you know what I mean...

Everything is available in my etsy store and as always if you like a fabric but want it in a different style, I can do that too.

The other thing I'd like to try doing is letting you all know where I am in the world when I write these posts, because I'm sure it seems like a crazy life for many. As you know I'm a flight attendant and travel the country on a weekly basis. I'm headed home after a four day trip which has included layovers in Edmonton, Detroit, and right now Madison. By the way, I have stumbled upon a wonderful shop at 218 State Street which features all manner of paper, fabric, and handmade creations that fit my aesthetic perfectly. Its name is Anthology, and if you live in Madison, you should go check it out. Today I tried on a pendant from Sofia Masri that was really hard to leave at the shop. More on that later...

Anyway, from Madison, happy spring!

Friday, March 20, 2009

A New Style, A New Look



As promised, a sleeveless version! I'm calling this particular color "Sunshine on Her Shoulders". Yes, probably a tad cornball, but when you are talking about little girls, you're allowed, right? It took me a long time to decide on a yoke treatment. I thought about horizontal trim and ruled it out with all that is going on with the buttons and the skirt print itself. In the end I decided to do a simple scallop treatment that really stands out against the bright yellow of the yoke. So sweet.



The other thing I started messing around with this afternoon is some of the free textures on flickr. Through the magic of photoshop I was able to apply it to my favorite photograph of my child wearing the sunshine dress. Let me know what you think!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

This is why I LOVE flickr


M9002 Gallery, originally uploaded by sandritocat.



Because it's so inspirational! I was browsing through my photo contacts when I hit upon this number. Sandritocat on Etsy is one of my favorite sellers of vintage patterns. She has an amazing selection for children. But what I like about browsing her flickr photos is that I can get inspired by women's patterns just as much as little girls. So yes, you guessed it. My newest dress was inspired by this very picture.





I love the buttons on the side, it just adds a great twist. I added puff sleeves to mine because they are just so darn girly, and really fit with the look of the dress. I plan on drafting this in a sleeveless style too (in my non-existent spare time).

So this dress opens on the side all the way down to the hem, so it's very easy to put on. It's one of a kind, but only because I don't have enough of that amy butler fabric to do another one. So if you really can't live without it you can beg me for the size you need...hehehe.



The next time I make something that looks like this, I'm thinking of using Anna Maria Horner's drawing room fabric. It'll be pretty bold, so should be fun. Back to the drawing board...

Monday, March 9, 2009

Custom Creations



I've been thinking a lot about custom orders, because I've been getting a lot of them lately! Let me just say that I love working on them because they usually present some kind of challenge. Most of the time this involves a change of trim or button. One of the things I love the most about designing clothes is putting it all together. With a custom order, my customer has been inspired by something they have seen, and then they inspire me with their desires!

A dress that seems to have provoked its fair share of orders is this one, my new green pinafore wrap dress:



I love everything about this dress, the style, the colors, the trim. I've had that green floral for some time, but couldn't bring myself to cut into it. That's how much of a fabric disease I have! I think what people respond to are the bright springy colors, and of course that great loopy trim.

So the dress inspired not only the pink dress pictured above, but it will hopefully also be a part of my signature asymmetric jumper, on the reverse from the aqua side. I think it will be smashing.

Here are some other custom dresses I've done:





Such fun. What I love about custom orders is that it is usually something different. I love variety, and enjoy the diversion from my styles. Plus it almost always inspires me to think about what else I can do with any given fabric. If I get the chance to do that new green asymmetric, I'll be sure to post a picture!