Thanks, Sweatshop Book!
The Sweat Shop Book has arrived
7 FebI love it when Christmas lasts for months! My latest Christmas gift to myself (courtesy of Amazon gift cards) arrived in the mail this morning…The Sweat Shop Book. I am so excited! I just spent the better part of an hour flipping through it, being charmed by it.
For those of you who don’t know, The Sweat Shop is a cafe/crafting atelier in the Canal St. Martin area of Paris. You can take classes there in knitting, sewing, customizing clothing. You can also pay for time on the machines by the hour if you’ve got projects but are in need of a sewing machine or serger. And of course, you can sip on a coffee or sample their desserts. It’s been around for a couple of years now and my lovely friend, Emily Towers, worked there and created some of the patterns for the book.
The book creates a full-on experience, mimicking the cool, cozy vibe of the actual Sweat Shop. There are photos of their neighbors from the Canal St. Martin area, recipes, music playlists, address lists for resources & shops in Paris, in addition to the many many patterns and projects.
The first project that I’m going to make is the “Bonbon, Draught Begone!”, which is a door draft stopper. Parce qu’il fait froid maintenant!
The Sweat Shop
13, rue Lucien Sampaix
75010 Paris
M Jaques Bonsergent
The Sweat Shop Book is available on Amazon.com here
or
on Etsy.com here
Valentine’s Day Kimono
24 JanI’ve recently completed the PDF pattern for a luxurious kimono-style robe. Using the pattern, you can sew one for yourself…in time for Valentine’s Day. Visit my Etsy shop, Atelier Joy, to purchase one for yourself or a crafty loved-one.
Inspiration outside the Chanel SS 2012 show
24 JanToday I finally went to a Haute Couture fashion show venue to take photos. I went to the Chanel SS 2012 show. I had no idea what to expect; no idea whether I’d be able to get anywhere near the entrance. I got pretty close. The crowd wasn’t too big. There were probably about 50 people milling around – professional photographers with huge camera lenses, fashion students, bloggers, people there just to take pictures, and people there to be photographed. I took most of my photos of the crowd, but also got some shots of celebrities entering and exiting. Patterns, bright colors (especially reds), and heavy framed glasses were the standout trends I saw. Here are my favorites shots.
Rima Abas-Fidalgo - personal shopper - in her Charlie's Angels-inspired look. http://rimaapersonalshopper.com
Style Lines at Dries Van Noten
16 JanLast weekend I visited Belgium for the first time. JHO and I spent a good amount of time in the Dries Van Noten shop in Antwerp because: 1) I’ve always admired his designs 2) everything was 50% off 3) they have menswear as well as women’s wear.
As I browsed through the racks I knew that each piece I picked up would have some special touch. Maybe something simple, maybe some unique embellishment. What I was surprised to find was that oftentimes the detail was simply in a style line + fabric combinations. A style line is a seam that is purely cosmetic and doesn’t affect the shaping of a garment. For example, voila, the tshirt I bought:
Mr. Van Noten could have made this t-shirt all in one color with only shoulder seams and side seams, period. But he used style lines to add in the cap-sleeve and yoke details in contrasting colors, and that’s what makes this t-shirt special. I noticed this technique particularly on some beautiful silk sarong skirts in the shop. He juxtaposed some very diverse prints together into lovely mosaics of fabric. Here’s one as seen on the runway:
Something to keep in mind when designing. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time. Perhaps that dress pattern from last season can be tweaked by adding style lines to create a new look.
