Hexagons

After seeing my friend Mary (of Molly Flanders blog) at Sew to Speak work on her hexagons quilt I got an itching to try it out myself. I knew I always wanted to do hence the boxes of scraps that I keep from every project but I was letting myself get sidetracked because I couldn't find a solid small hexagon template.  I was just being bogus, because when I finally went to do it I found I never needed it in the first place and it would of made me waste a lot more time an energy then I needed to work with a foundation template from plastic or wood.  I said to myself I bet I can find a good hexagon size just from clip art on the internets.  So I did just that and printed out my hexagon to the size I wanted then I folded the paper over several times so I could cut out more then one at a time. Then I had my tiny hexagon templates, easy peezy like.  I continued to do the trace and fold trick using maker paper which is a bit more expensive but I like the weight of the paper and it is more durable then tracing paper.

My hexagon paper templates

Since this was my first go I picked the most boring scraps of fabric to try my hand at this.  I pin the hexagon to the fabric and cut around it leaving 3/8 - 1/4 of fabric around the template.

 After it is cut our all the way I begin the next step which is folding over the extra fabric around the paper template while baste stitching it down.

 You sew through the fabric, paper and out through the fabric again.

You want to pay careful attention to the corner when doing this so that you go through both the fabric to keep the corners sharp and flat.

After you basting do not tie it off or too tightly where it curls inwards.  You want to be able to pull the basting stitch out later without too much trouble.  At this point if I am home I would take a pile of them and press them flat to keep everything nice and crisp.

 After I assembled a small handful of them I started to piece them together by hand with a whip stitch and they fit together perfectly like a little puzzle.

Right now I have no idea what I am making, I just the lines to be at random and then I'll probably applique it onto something else.  When I am done with stitching all my pieces together I will press it with the iron again and then snip the basting stitches to pull them out.

I am very excited for this new piecing technique to play with.  I think it will add a good element of pattern to my designs and help me to further explore representing neurons into a fiber based art form.

TiLT - Fashion inspring me

I feel slightly obligated to post something more "fashion" oriented considering this is amidst New York Fashion Week and right before the Oscars. Let me tell you what you won't find here, trends. I don't really follow them the way the masses typically does.  I do fashion to the beat of my own drummer and go for inspiring and original rather then that new hot color or shape to wear.  Sure I follow the trends but I pick and choose what I like and what I think is really appropriate for me.  Doesn't mean it is appropriate for you, just me unless otherwise stated.  Having said that let's move on with my Things I Love Thursday for fashion inspirations!

 1. Pastels and Peekaboo maxi skirts.
 I love mint I always have and there is something about pastels that just screams for spring to start.  I could never personally pull off the Pink but I think with a contrast of Electric blue or black I could rock it.  That peekaboo maxi skirt I am in love with. It's not a leg baring slit, it's not a skort, simply a combination of long and short hems that give a little show as you walk or sit cross legged looking over all sophisticated when matched with the right fluid fabric.

 2. Sheer Oversized Sleeves
 If you know me and my design work you know I love an over sized sleeve. This one of course instantly struck me as amazing.  It makes me wish I had endless yardage of silk organza to play with.

3. Givenchy Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2012
 Firstly, yes! true Haute Couture not the pret a porter that most people assume is Haute Couture.  You can read my rant here.
Moving on, the attention to all the details, the elegant draping, this has got it all.  There wasn't a single piece in the collection I wasn't floored by. I am also reminded by a quote from Valentino "I have never made a dress where the hem shows the ankle as you walk that is disgusting". If you haven't done so already you should take a closer look at each individual piece here.

4. Making Lace
Although I am not so keen on this design it has sparked a wonderful DIY lace idea in my head.  I want to use satin stitch and free form sew some of my own patterns to an OOAK (one of a kind) lace for applique on my own pieces in the collection I am forming around Neurons. 

5. Sketch applique mixed with heavy beading
I am in love with this contrast.  The very sketch like light embroidery and applique matched with super heavy beading in coordinating colors.  It looks light and airy but the feel is weighted.  It reminds me of the Japanese squiggle coloring books turned adult

6. Striking Ombre
Yes Ombre has been around the block more then a few times but what struck me about these pieces is how potent the color is and stark.  Not to mention the careful selection of which part to dye.  Both of these pieces would of been just find on their own plain because there is enough detail going on with them to make them unique.  Adding in the ombre was a gamble, it could of been viewed as overworked and trend following but the above two pieces hit the perfect pitch in my book.  The first shows how ombre doesn't have to be just from one side to the other.  The bow was the basis for the garment and letting it bleed out organically into the rest of the jacket is poetic.  The dress/skirt on the right is a prim example of how you don't have to let the ombre take over the entire garment.  It is super saturated and then quickly disperses to the stark white of the rest of the garment.  This is just another example of how editing embellishments to any garment is key.




All the photos in this post were taken from various sources which I unfortunately didn't keep a great track of when I plopped them into Pinterest and Evernote (sorry)
Style Bubble, Park and Cube, Givenchy Facebook, Style.com