the fashion issue of Seattle Sound magazine just went to print and my kimono dress made it into their spring boutique article! The Bouncing Wall gals are in the know and got a hold of advance copies which they're handing out for free, so pop over there and pick yourself up something cute while you're there. the dress is a one-of-a-kind called "Mackenzie" and it's made of cotton stretch fabric with a self belt and could fit anyone from an 8 up to a 12 ($118).
very productive day. finished several dresses in the new spring design. how ever did I choose these bold patterns? 
the weather the last couple of days has made me drunk with thoughts of spring, sandals and sunglasses... i've been planning to focus on dresses this spring rather than skirts and this is the 2008 prototype. i don't know what possessed me to choose such a bright bold pattern, but the sheen is fantastic in this polyester satin. the tie is on the side with an extra long bow.
the shorter version could be just a top or a mini dress. this one ties in the back, and i created a longer slit for a little sex appeal.
we're in the middle of that season in the northwest where it can be sunny and 50 degrees or - if the sun ducks behind a building - it can feel like the dead of winter. i never know what to create for my customers at this time of year. last year i went with corduroy and faux suede knee skirts, thinking they would be warm enough with thick cable tights. this year, i'm all about fancy silks so i created a few skirts that may have to hang in the closet a few more weeks... available at bouncing wall later this week.
finally got around to organizing all the glam.spoon fall items in stock. I've listed leftover items from fall, 2006: 
a few things from early spring, 2007:
a couple fall, 2007 hats:
and then some random things:
time to move the inventory...
we got 6 inches of snow on sunday night so monday morning, i was stranded. it's a special treat to have a snow day as an adult. first i walked to the mini-mart for coffee. i trudged past two cars and an 18-wheeler abandoned at the bottom of our road - needless to say i left the jeep in the garage the rest of the day. along with checking work email, I did a little sewing on my alt retail line: 
I also watched some bad tv and hung out with the puppy, who thoroughly enjoyed the white stuff (she's the blur with the footprints). 
last year I made a few scarves with hearts on them out of really fluffy soft angora sweaters in hot pinks, magentas and reds. It's that time of year again, so I set out to make more. Instead of repeating what I did last year (since I never do that), I used cashmere and incorporated this chunky, wooly chocolate yarn outline. I think it gives them a Charlie Brown retro quality. I'm dropping them off at BW this week.
My other Christmas gift craft this year was jewelry... lately I've been seeing lots of designs I like, which is unusual because I've never been drawn to jewelry. On an impulse I bought the most beautiful K D'Angelo necklace for myself last summer at Bouncing Wall because it was just so exquisite. Since I'm a DIY girl I had to try it myself, so I made a necklace for my sister-in-law, but then I wanted to keep it, so I had to make one (or two) for myself.
...and I thought it was difficult photographing fabric.
I decided to make hats for Christmas presents this year, and although I only needed to make three, I ended up making over a dozen, so the rest will be offered up at Bouncing Wall this month for $28 retail. I felted the wool by washing it in hot water and then drying it on high. I tried to design an applique that was not recognizable but still familiar and one that I could repeat to create a sort of branding. I think they're pretty cute. 
they're made of lambswool and the appliques are mostly from interior design fabric samples discarded at my office.
I'm going to make a few more with crocheted/felted appliques that take more of a cloche shape which was popular in the 1940's. stay tuned!
