liberty fabric

Learning Curve

04.24.2019 by Tracey //

Hello Everyone. I know it’s been awhile since I last posted, but I’m still here! My friends sometimes call me a turtle. Not only because I tend to work slow and steady, but also because I have been known to retreat into my shell. A close friend who used to live next door to me would joke that there were periods of time when all he would see of me was my forearm pushing the door open to get my pizza delivery. Funny and true.

I have a very good reason for retreating lately. I’ve been nurturing an idea. I don’t know about you, but when I have a creative project that is newly born, it needs lots of protection and care. So I’ve just been quietly doing my thing over here.

And like many creative adventures, there’s a steep learning curve. It’s kind of tough to push yourself to the next level because it requires leaving behind your proficiency and coming to terms with the fact that there are a lot of mistakes and missteps in your future. But what else are you are going to do? If you don’t take that step, you just stay stuck.

I’ve been doing a lot of lying awake at night, designing clothes in my head. The trick is to be able to get those ideas down on paper before the self-sabotaging thoughts get in the way. It’s all fine at 2 am but by morning I start to tighten up.

The best way to get good at something is to practice, practice, practice. The more you flex the muscle the stronger it gets. So I just play a little head game and tell myself when I sit down to sketch that I only have to come up with five bad designs. It is so much easier to get started when all I have to do is make bad drawings. The pressure is off and no matter what I come up with I’ve met my goal. Regardless of the result, I feel good.

This top is a product of one of my “bad” designs. And I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I wanted to create something that had a modern Victorian feel. The seaming and the hem are reminiscent of a corset. The collar comes up higher on the neck. In some ways it’s a modest top as it covers up a lot of the body, but the close fit and the peek-a-boo at the back lend it a bit of sexiness.

Don’t even ask how many times I tweaked the muslin to get it right. My pattern making skills are a work in progress. But I’m getting there! Slow but sure. (I told you I am a turtle.) All of the ups and downs were totally worth it because I have a top that is exactly what I want it to be. The first time I wore it, I had someone ask me where they could buy one. I was so proud to tell her that I designed it and made it myself. And bless her, she said that I need to hurry up and start making more to sell. Who knows? That may be in my future.

Pattern, Designed and Drafted by Me

Fabric, Liberty Lawn, B&J Fabrics

Photography by Santiago Vanegas

Waves

07.10.2017 by Tracey //

Sunny Day Dress

As I sit down to write this post, my daughter is on my mind. First of all, I have to tell you that she is the one who made these amazing photos. Didn’t she do a great job? I’m proud of my girl. But I’m thinking about her for another reason as well. You see, not only is Sienna a great photographer, she is also a wonderful writer. Not too long ago, she started a story about a dog named Bacon and his sidekick, a cat called Tuna. You have to believe me when I tell you that this story is off-the-chart brilliant. I know, I’m biased. But it really is just so darn good!

Sunny Day Dress

Halfway through the work, Sienna found out that she would not be able to use her story to complete an assignment, so the writing has been left unfinished. I’m doing what I can to encourage her to tell the rest of the story, mostly because I’m dying to find out what happens! But also because there is such value in seeing a project all the way through to the end.

Sunny Day Dress

I don’t know why many of us start things we don’t finish, but there’s definitely some psychology behind this phenomenon that I am sure somebody has studied somewhere. I have been creating art and sewing garments long enough to recognize some very distinct patterns in my process of making. In the beginning, I’m filled with enthusiasm and the potential for greatness. By the time I reach the middle of the project, I know for sure that it sucks.

Sunny Day Dress

Fortunately for me, I’ve managed to push myself to finish enough times that I have also experienced the reward of getting it done. Sometimes I’m happy with the result and sometimes not so much, but I’m always satisfied that I saw it all the way through. It’s so important to know my creative rhythm because when I hit that point when I’m convinced that what I’m working on is an abomination, I know that I’ve got to ride that wave. I’ve been in that place before. I can’t stop those feelings from coming but I can let myself be carried right on through those sabotaging thoughts and hopefully arrive on more solid footing.

Sunny Day Dress

So, now’s the time that I confess that this dress sat unfinished for about two years. I reached a certain point and put it away. I don’t even really know why. I think I convinced myself that the dress didn’t suit me. Or it was going to look bad on me. Or who knows what nonsense I was telling myself at the time. But I hung it up, with an unfinished lining and an unfinished hem. And there it sat, getting completely ignored.

Sunny Day Dress

If it weren’t for a beach vacation on the horizon, it may not have ever gotten finished. But I didn’t want to pass up the chance to photograph one of my garments on the beach and I did not have anything close enough to being done. Then I remembered this dress. It took me an afternoon to finish. Can you believe I gave up so close to the finish line? And I do not know what my problem was with this sweet little dress! I like it just fine.

Sunny Day Dress

I may or may not convince my daughter to continue writing her adventures of Bacon and Tuna. I’m going to give it my best shot. But maybe someone who is out there reading this will be motivated to dust off that UFO (unfinished object) you’ve got stashed away somewhere and let it see the light of day, so that the rest of us can enjoy it too.

Sunny Day Dress

Pattern, Sunny Day Dress by Jamie Christina

Fabric, Liberty Lawn

Photography by Sienna Vanegas

Everyday Couture

05.22.2017 by Tracey //

Photo Negatives and Pins

Tape Measure, Thread, and Photo

I’ve become really addicted to podcasts! For me, there’s nothing better than listening to one while I’m sewing. One of my favorites is an episode of Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell that focuses on creativity. It’s called Hallelujah. The way the episode unfolds is so beautifully done that I’m reluctant to even attempt to summarize it for fear of ruining it. So, I’m going to urge you to listen to it because there’s no way that I’ll do it justice. But I have a post to write, so here goes…

Photo and Scissors

Throughout the course of the episode, Malcolm covers all sorts of creative territory by examining the music of Elvis Costello and the song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. But he starts by illustrating the concept of two differing types of genius. The conceptual artist and the experimental artist. And he uses Picasso and Cezanne to make his point. Picasso was a conceptual artist. He had an idea in his head, then set about to create what he visualized. Cezanne was an experimental artist. He painted and painted, trying to hit on what he liked. Kind of “I’ll know it when I see it” approach.

Photo Negatives

I’m pretty obsessed with the process of creativity and love to hear how other people make their work. I would also count Hallelujah as one of my favorite songs ever. So you can imagine that I’ve been telling all my friends about this podcast. Now I can’t really control whether they will decide to listen to it or not, but with my husband Santiago, I put it on while we were in the car so he had no choice but to listen. (I didn’t really have to twist his arm. He was a willing participant.) After the podcast was over, he asked what kind of artist I think I am and what kind I think he is. Please don’t misunderstand, neither one of us think we are geniuses. But we are artists, and we do have a clear creative process. We didn’t have to think too hard about who we are like. Santiago is Picasso. I’m Cezanne.

Photo Negative and Tape Measure

This post is a case in point. The idea for these images was fully baked before we started shooting. Santiago laid it out—this is what we are going to do and this is what it’s going to look like. His plan—Photograph me with film. Arrange a still life using the negatives and photograph it. Then reverse the image digitally so that the negative reads as a positive image, but the objects placed within the still life would now read negative. I was skeptical, but pretty much, these images match his vision. Exactly.

For me, I have been chasing this idea of Everyday Couture. What that means to me is thoughtfully creating something special that can be worn on any normal day in my life. How do I fit together my love of fine fabrics and couture sewing techniques with my jeans and t-shirt lifestyle? If you have read some of my past posts, you will recognize this as a common theme. Well, I can tell you, the only way that I’ve been able to achieve this balance (WHEN I’ve achieved this balance!) is through a lot of experimentation. And I can also tell you that my misses outnumber my hits. But with each endeavor, I swear I’m getting closer to manifesting this goal.

Tape Measure, Bobbin, and Photo

So, here’s my two cent advice for the day. Don’t worry if you’ve tried and failed. You’re just Cezanne. You just need more time to experiment some. Get back in the game and make a beautiful mess! You may just accidentally hit on something fantastic.

Tracing Wheel and Photo

Thread Snips and Photo

Pattern, Merchant and Mills, The Dress Shirt

Fabric, Liberty Lawn, B&J Fabric

Trim, Lace from my stash, Ribbon, Britex Fabric

Photography by Santiago Vanegas and Tracey Hogan

Okay, for those of you who want more details (Cissie, this is for you!), here’s the deep dive into couture! I used the Merchant and Mills Dress Shirt pattern. The pattern is actually a dress length, which I shortened into a shirt. I combined a Liberty lawn with lace trim from my stash. (To read about my special laces, go here.) I was so excited about the sleeves that I made them first. I tried out a method for making pleats that has been all over Instagram. You’ve probably seen it, where you use a fork to grab and twist the trim as you are sewing it down to give you perfectly uniform pleats. I basted the lace pleats on first, then made another pass to attach the grosgrain ribbon. I used a smaller width lace trim around the bib, pleating that too. Although with the pleats around the bib, I didn’t use the fork. I just eyeballed it. I basted the lace pleats first, then stitched the bib to the body of the shirt. (I wish that I did a better job sewing this part. In the photos, all I can see are the places where the fabric is not really laying smoothly. It doesn’t look as bad in real life, so I may or may not fix it.) I made a bib lining that I sewed in by hand to cover the interior seams. Then I used french seams throughout the rest of the shirt for a nice clean inside.

That’s it for now. Currently, I’m working on creating a self-draped shirt and there’s a lot that I’m trying to figure out, so I can’t promise that you’ll see me soon. But hopefully the wait will be worth it. Have a great summer everyone!