Ashley Helvey

Above: Images courtesy of Totokaelo

Below: Images courtesy of A. Helvey

Ever since I randomly came across an image of my brother in law on her blog, I've been following Ashley Helvey's work. She makes wonderful felted objects, such as the rug and shimenawa necklaces pictured above. She also just made a series of cast bronze pendants from stones found on the beach, for sale at Totokaelo under the name of Hunter Gatherer(er).

Simple, earthy, lovely!

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been sick and haven't been feeling up to it.
I'll be back when I recover from this cold.

Corner View: Favorite Hangout

I don't really have time to hang out in coffee shops anymore (I wish I did). But I do try to make it to this restaurant just about every week to hang out with out with our good friends, but I didn't really want to blog about
that (maybe later).
So after considering this week's theme, I realized some of my favorite places to hang out are artist's studios!
I love looking at their work, but I also immensely enjoy looking at their materials, their tools, their books and papers shelved and strewn about and the photographs that they choose to tack up on their walls.
I relish taking a glimpse of their process, their minds and what inspires them.
Someday I'd love to publish a book of photographs of artist's studios.
The above images are all from Aaron's studio. You can see some images here, here, and here of photographs of artist's studios that I have taken in the past.

Click here to hang out with the rest of the CV crew.

ERMIE SP 2010

Starting to gather my materials to make some dresses, tops, skinny scarves and skirts.
I'll be working with dyes for the first time, and digital printing. Above: Indian sheer linen, Japanese cotton gauze, and silk-bamboo blend yarn. Stay tuned.

Oh, man!

Sneak peek of Nani Iro 2010, via True Up.

**EDIT: 1/31/10: The NEW line is up now!!**

Today

After a very restless night, I woke up this morning with a sore throat.
The rain finally stopped this weekend (more is on the way).
It was so gorgeous outside, I almost don't mind catching a cold.

#2

Project # 2 of 2010. Snapped these photos pretty quickly of the dress I just finished. Pattern from this book. 2009 Nani Iro double gauze (of course!). My first Japanese pattern that I made, only using the diagrams, and it was easy! Guess I'm getting better at this sewing business.

Patti Smith: Just Kids

I'm having a Patti Smith moment, I guess. I heard her talking about her book that was recently published, "Just Kids", and I went out and bought it immediately. I've devoured it, it's a great read. It's a memoir, which details her meeting Robert Mapplethorpe in the late 60's in NYC when they were both young, literally starving artists. Their relationship was truly a special one, and reading about their development into the individuals we now know them as is fascinating.
Smith is going to be making a couple of appearances here in L.A. next week- both at the Hammer Museum & at Skylight Books.
I think I need to go.

Shabd

all photos courtesy of Shabd

Shabd Simon Alexander's SP '10 Collection.
Especially digging these pieces...all light & air. Exactly what I would want to wear on a hot day in Los Angeles.

Corner View: Your (My) Style

With the blouse buttoned.

With the blouse unbuttoned.

Liberty trimmed placket.

Nani Iro wooden button.

The placket is sewn shut 1/2 way down the shirt.

The back of the blouse. Jeans by Madewell. Rachel Comey shoes.

For this post I thought I'd show you my first creation of 2010: The Summer Blouse from Heather Ross' book Weekend Sewing.

The Summer Blouse was pretty easy. It was my first experience with making darts, and placing sleeves on a garment. Tackling both was much simpler than I expected. Surprise, surprise: darts really do make a difference with a garment's shape (duh)!

Now that I know how to put in sleeves, I have no idea why I avoided doing so in the first place (previously I just cut the sleeves already attached to the dress body / shirt pieces that I made for my ERMIE line).

Here's hoping that zippers and buttonholes will be easier than I expected.

I made this blouse in a Nani Iro Linen/ Cotton Gauze from her 2009 line, and trimmed it with Liberty Tana Lawn. The bias tape is a pre-made Japanese linen tape, and the quirky little button is also Nani Iro.

If I make this blouse again, I'll make it a little bit longer, more like a tunic or dress (I have a long waist, so most shirts annoyingly tend to be a little cropped on me if not cut on the longer side). Well, onto the next project!

Take a look at these fashionistas from around the globe!

The Slow Season

images courtesy of The Slow Season

The Slow Season is an upcoming line of paper goods designed and produced by Katie Hanburger & Julie Cho (Katie won my Mina Perhonen catalog give-a-way months back, and sent me some beautiful samples of the line in thanks).

Featuring unusual color combinations and inventive prints, this is no ordinary stationary line!

Pictured above is the "Highs & Lows of Summer" postcard set. Look for the line to release in the next couple months.

More Mina

all photographs courtesy of Mina Perhonen

In keeping with the previous post: I just about died when I saw this Mina Perhonen printed blouse & bag while taking a peek at the Japanese site's archives. The print is beyond. Love how it's styled with beat up blue jeans. Can't wait for their spring catalog to come out.

So-En Magazine Feb. 2010

above: selections from the Mina Perhonen editorial

below (& 1st image, cover) : from the Liberty spread

Features spreads on the Mina Perhonen exhibit at the Audax Textile Museum in Tilburg,

Liberty 2010, Marimekko, among others. Available here for purchase.

Lu Flux

All images courtesy of Lu Flux

From the designer's website:

"Lu Flux is a London Designer who specialises in unique pieces of ethical clothing. By working with salvaged, vintage, and organic fabrics, combined with traditional techniques of knitting, pleating and patchwork, the contemporary menswear and womenswear collections represent an antithesis to the modern trend of expendable fashion. The aim is to make something new out of something old so as to consume less and reduce waste."