Wednesday, May 5, 2010

process and prototypes

gingko
So many wonderful botanical suggestions for stenciling! Gingko had the most votes, so I thought I'd try it out first. I got to work drawing and cutting a few of the fan-like leaves free hand style. I had no plan, nor did I know what I was going to stencil. A linen blouse in my closet caught my attention just this morning. I had never been very happy with it, so giving it a little oomph could only be a good thing. It's the Summer Blouse from Weekend Sewing that I made exactly a year ago. As crazy as I am about oatmeal linen, I wish I had used a gauzy print for this blouse... and sadly have barely worn it, nor posted about it. Adding a few leaves and then trimming the bottom with white crochet gave it a little life.
weekend blouse updated from last year
Maybe I'll play with the sleeves or add some elastic to the back for shaping. I'm now determined to do all I can to transform it until I wear it. A little print was a great place to start. I'll improve my leaves with practice, so this is not the last you'll see of gingko!

I also wanted to share my prototype for last week's  burlap handbag. I've learned that when I design something myself, my first attempt will almost always need improvement. It took me until I started producing something over and over again for my shop, to really see the marked difference in craftsmanship of a practiced pattern versus a first run. I'm a sew by the seat of my pants/no pattern kind of girl, and now realize that most of the things I made in the past were prototypes... even my wedding dress! Nothing wrong with this. Just acknowledging my growth as a sewer and the beauty of practice. I'm much more diligent these days... so I made a (demo) handbag in linen, which I will use for myself.
prototype/crow bag

proto interior crow bag
The body is a bit wide, the straps are too narrow, the linen doesn't have enough structure, but it's fine for me and I finally got to use this bit of feather fabric I've been holding onto. For you:  I had perfected  the pattern and created the just right bag. Burlap seems to suit the design very well. Two more coffee sack handbags are almost done, and I love them! Pin It

25 comments:

  1. they are both great but the bag is awesome!!! love it x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great bag...I did one a week or so ago...amazing how similar our "shots" are. I've since made 6 of them all with different Hawaiian fabric (for my buddies here on the island) Laurie
    http://lauries-projects.blogspot.com/2010/04/tote-bag.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh talk to me about prototypes!

    I love the bird/feather print combo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. i love the simplicity of your prototypes...the gingko-blouse is awesome...i like it a lot!

    greetings from germany
    mnh

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's taken me a long time to enjoy the process of sewing something. I'm getting there and finding more joy in the making instead of always focusing on the end product. BTW. I love the simplicity of your things.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I too have recently come to the conclusions that prototypes are a must for me (I'm also a sew-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda girl!)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love the summer blouse! It looks amazingly comfortable.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the way the gingko leaves look. I've got some thin cotton set aside for when I try to make that blouse. I'll probably be sick of looking at that cotton by the time I actually get around to making it, mind...

    ReplyDelete
  9. that feather print is quite striking. I love lining!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nice! That is a really great bag, the feathery fabric is perfect for the inside!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your bag and blouse are gorgeous Maya!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Unfortunately I haven't had much formal sewing instructions and so I feel that a lot of my work is prototypes too. That's how we learn :) I love the poppy print on the shirt. Too cute!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks Maya for giving us a peak into your design process. It shows how we all can keep learning by diving right in on a project and then perfecting our techniques.
    Your gingko leaves are awesome, and the lining makes your bag extra special. Lovely as always!

    ReplyDelete
  14. The combination of the feathery fabric with the bird print is so lovely. It adds that element of surprise yet fits the outside of the bag perfectly. Great work!

    Also, the gingko leaves and trim are a great addition to that blouse.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh, I love the bag! What a great fabric combination. Enjoy it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Maya, you're so right about what you said about practiced pattern versus first run. However first runs often have a special charm - like first sketches, so maybe it's good your wedding dress was a prototype.
    Blouse and bag are beautiful!

    Did you get my E-mails about asking you, wether you would like to be published in our magazine KidsLife?
    I've sent them to the adress mentioned above -please let me know on my blog or at
    mvs@kidslife.magazin.de

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love hearing all of your thoughts and experiences on prototypes. Thanks also for the bag love... it's a sweet one, even if it wasn't quite what I was going for.
    Laurie Downie: your bag looks beautiful... 6? wow!

    Martina- I'm answering here, as well as your blog, just in case. I've responded twice to both of your e-mails and you must not be receiving them. We might need an alternate system to communicate.

    ReplyDelete
  18. My heart sang when I saw the gingko leaves! Then it held a full on opera with the lovely bird and swooned at the sight of the lining! Thanks for making my morning just that much better. I've leaving hints for a belated mother's day gift from your etsy shop. We'll see if the family gets the hint. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love the bag! This feather fabric looks amazing with clean linien outside.

    ReplyDelete
  20. That purse is amazing! That inside fabric really makes it!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Can't speak a peep about prototypes but I love the bag!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love the ginkgo leaves on the linen w/ the crochet edging, lovely. Also the bag w/ black bird and the wonderful feather print lining is great!

    ReplyDelete
  23. That feather fabric is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'd love to know who makes that feather fabric!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. me too, Bethp! I don't have the selvedge any more and am dying to know who makes it. I'd love some more. I've been looking into it, and will be sure to post when I find out.

    ReplyDelete