Smocking: Everything you wanted to know July 6, 2009

Last week in my haute couture embellishments class we learned hand-smocking, and oddly, it’s a skill that I took to right away. It’s not the smocking is anything to mock—it’s just not something I considered myself to have an affinity for. But as my professor, Kenneth D. King, pointed out with great practicality, I can do it on the train. I’ve found a great link on smocking, but it includes a machine pleater.

If you prefer to pleat by hand, it’s easy. Mark a dotted grid on your fabric piece to be smocked, spacing dots 1/2 – 1 inch apart. Then sew a running stitch along each horizontal line in the grid, connecting the dots. Once you’ve stitched the parallel lines, pull the threads to gather the fabric into pleats. You can anchor 2-3 threads with a figure-8 shape around a pin. You’re ready to start smocking. Learn the technique here.

Recycled by Hyena: Fab clothing & accessories! July 2, 2009

Submitted by Marjorie Cunningham, owner of Marjorie’s Cracked Plate Jewelry and manager of the Reclaimed to Fame Market.

For fabulously unique recycled clothing, look no further than Hyena at 1000 Markets!  She carries recycled clothing, bags and accessories and is a valued member of the Reclaimed to Fame Market.  She’s kindly taken the time to give us an exclusive interview.

Q. Where did the name of your business, Recycled by Hyena, come from?

A. When I was 16, Hyena was my nickname, inspired from Siouxsie album’s Hyaena.  It was a perfect animal in my mind to be associated with an recycling business. Hyenas are scavangers therefore natural recyclers, recycling and eating what other animals have left over.

Q. I noticed the following slogan in your 1000 Markets shop: “Handmadeness is an antidepressant”. In what ways do you find this to be true?

A. Designing and making things all by yourself not only gives you a deep and satisfying feeling of accomplishment but it also allows you to focus your mind on something “neutral”. This is for me the best antidepressant, without even speaking of all the great aspects of recycling.

Q. How long have you been designing recycled products and when did you actually decide to start selling them? Have you had any formal training?

A. I have a master in visual arts and I am a photographer. Even though I always had interest for fashion and costume history, I never planned in becoming a clothing designer or a seamtress.

When I arrived in USA in 2002, I was totally broke. I also had trouble finding clothing my size. So I bought a sewing machine and started to teach myself how to sew. It quickly became a passion.

After awhile, I felt like trying and selling my designs. It was in 2005 and I sold right away. It was a great encouragement and I haven’t stopped since.

Q. What inspires you to create? Do you have any role models in the fashion field?

A. I don’t really have role models. I am mainly inspired by strong personalities and clever people. In the fashion world, my favorite designers are French or Japanese. On top of my head, I could say: Marc Le Bihan, Marithée+François Girbaud and Yohji Yamamoto.

As for my inspiration, it really comes from a lot of things: the complexity of nature, the incredible array of colors, history or literature.

Q. What advice can you give to aspiring designers just starting out in business?

A. Follow your heart. Work hard. Be a perfectionist.

Q. In what ways do you recycle in other areas of your life?

A. I use recycled paper for almost everything and natural products in the house. I buy mostly second hand products. Mainly my ethic is to use products and items that can go back in the cycle without too much processing or that can go directly into nature without harming it in any way. It requires research and knowledge but there are more and more good website and guides out there.

Q. What do you like about being a merchant at 1000 Markets?

A. I still have to sell something there, but I really like the clear cut design of the whole site, the easy way to list, the market system.

Q. Do you sell anywhere else?

A. I sell on my own website http://www.recycledbyhyena.com and on etsy, dawanda and Smashing Darling.

Q. Where do you see “Recycled by Hyena” five years from now?

A. It is growing slowly and I like it like that. I really enjoy what I do, each moment and step of it, even when I complain!

I wouldn’t want to have to compromise any step of my creation to a fast and maybe short lived success.

I love what I do because it is fitting my way of life and it is a good answer to my desire to respect the earth and the environment. I want to keep that authenticity.

 

Finder’s Flea: Brooklyn Weekend Flea Markets June 18, 2009

Here are two new favorite flea markets that happen in Brooklyn each weekend:

The Brooklyn Bridge Flea is every Sunday, 11am-6pm.

The Fort Greene Flea is every Saturday, 10am-5pm (this one is really the bomb!)

For more info, click here.

Glam Girl Hair Clips June 15, 2009

Just discovered on these adorable pin-up girl hair clips at retroglamourgirl.com, created by a glam girl model (shown modeling her clips here). The clips are big and floral and absolutely adorable. Plus, you can find other glam girl products for your pin-up personna. See it here.

Ya gotta love a gal with an accordian June 14, 2009

Discover the amazing music of Milwaukee-based Pezzettino, singer-songwriter, Margaret Stutt.  Trained in classical piano at the local convent and self-taught on her father’s accordion, she began writing her own material in 2008.  That year she self-released her debut album, “Because I Have No Control …” and launched herself into the touring circuit.  Just six months later, Pezzettino released her sophomore album, “Lion.” Listen to Pezzettino’s music here.

Fashion warriors: Funksauce Vintage and Retro June 7, 2009

I’m from St. Louis and I may never have left if Funksauce Vintage and Retro had been around. While St. Louis may not be the easiest place for fashionistas to thrive, it is the bomb when it comes to untapped vintage sources. Fortunately you don’t have to live there to buy from Funksauce. And they also have a new Funksauce blog. Read on to learn more about these brave, adorable lads carrying out a tough fashion mission just west of the Mississippi: funksauce.com is the endeavor of two brothers, David and Chris, whose fashion sense has been living right around the 70’s for the last several years. We grew up in a small town in southern-central Missouri, population 722, a place where fashion as a whole is generally not a huge concern. But we love being different, we love some of the styles from previous decades, and with today’s environmental issues, we’re excited about the fact that we have the opportunity to recycle clothing! We can’t help but try to spread our appreciation for vintage and retro clothing to others. We choose clothing that catches our interest, so you should be able to get a sense of our tastes as you get to know us better. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your experiences with us even better. funksauce.com is a one-stop, virtual shop for all your vintage and retro clothing needs. Every article of clothing offered for sale on our website was personally selected, measured, photographed, and cried on by either Chris or David Thomson…you couldn’t possibly want for more! But there IS more! In addition to the peace of mind you will have knowing that the clothes you are viewing on the site were hand-picked by the Midwest’s finest fashion gurus, we also offer free shipping on all orders within the United States, all the time! We would greatly appreciate it if you’d peruse our website, offer suggestions/feedback on what you see (clothing and/or website design), place an order if anything strikes your fancy, or even just submit your email address at the bottom of the homepage to receive emails. Also, we would be extremely grateful if you could help us spread the word by forwarding our website and facebook page to your friends, family and acquaintances. What else could you do to help us get the word out? We thought you’d never ask. Here are a few ideas: · Bring up funksauce.com at the water cooler with co-workers · Buy a funksauce.com t-shirt on our website and make that your “casual Friday” wear—every Friday · If you see someone wearing a cool outfit, tell them that their clothes are “totally funksauce” · Stand on street corners and hand out flyers and tootsie rolls after work and on weekends · Have the funksauce logo painted on the side of your car or tattooed on your shoulder or neck. Your support in this business venture will be a key ingredient to our success … so let’s work together to put the FUNK back into fashion! Fine fashions of decades past are simply one click away: *Please visit our website and sign up to become a member! http://www.funksauce.com Sincerely yours, Chris Thomson & David Thomson Funkmasters

Contact Info

Email:
Website:	http://www.funksauce.com
Office:	St. Louis, MO ~ Funkytown

JM Craftworks – Fine Handcrafts of Wood & Fabric June 3, 2009

Submitted by Marjorie Cunningham, owner of Marjorie’s Cracked Plate Jewelry and manager of the Reclaimed to Fame Market on 1000 Markets.

Jim & Marilyn of JM Craftworks have a wonderful shop at 1000 Markets and are merchants in the Reclaimed to Fame Market. Here’s their story:

We’re a husband/wife team with a small crafts shop specializing in high-quality handmade items, primarily of wood and fabric. All of our work is designed and constructed from start to finish entirely by us. Everything we make is slightly different in size and shape and no two are the same. Each is an original.

We both have a Bachelors of Fine Arts and a Masters of Fine Arts in visual arts. We have worked full-time for museums and galleries for over 15 years as well as previously running our own art services business for six years. Our training has given us a thorough grounding in essential technical skills and enables us to approach our crafts work with the perspective of artists. We are fans of American styles such as Shaker, Arts & Crafts, Mission, and Prairie, and one of our main goals is to bring the values of these past styles into contemporary settings.

We do not use any endangered or exotic woods in our work. We are a green shop and use recycled and reclaimed materials wherever possible; making second use of materials that would otherwise go to waste. Our primary sources of woods are cutoffs from a local large commercial wood shop. The woods they don’t want, which are usually sections with unusual color or interesting patterns in the grain, are exactly what we want for our small handmade items. We’ve also been able to save wood from trees scheduled to be taken out by the city.

Watch a Flickr slide show of our shop in action, producing two handmade wooden jewelry boxes using wood saved from a walnut tree removed by the city. We contacted the city forester and were allowed to gather enough wood for many future projects. See the progression from a section of rough tree limb to finished products: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmcraftworks/

Whether you’re searching for a keepsake box, a fabric collage or a special handcrafted item that will turn your house or apartment into a home, we can help. We always have work in progress so please check for new items and special sales and promotions. We have work that is in stock and can be shipped immediately, or you can request a custom order for a one-of-a-kind piece that is exclusively yours.

See our portfolio of past & present work on Trunkt: www.trunkt.org/jmcraftworks

Gem Junkie June 1, 2009

I love beads and have ever since I wandered into a Santa Fe bead store run by a woman named Gloria of unknowable age with a glorious head of laquered white hair and a bad attitude. While I have collected them through my life (my favorites are from Prague), I’ve never gone so far as to string them. I just like to look at them, run my fingers through glassy piles. Although lately, with my haute couture embellishments class, I’m learning how to apply beads to garments, a task I took to with unforeseen and surprising love and tenderness.

Well, I’ve landed on a wonderful etsy beading store, Gem Junkie, which has “gemstones and jewelry supplies for all your beading needs.” Just think, I don’t have to put up with Gloria’s bad attitude or trek to Czechoslovakia. And with the supplies available as well, I may even string a few together. Discover Gem Junkie here.

Roobie Soup – Fabulous purses recycled from cigar boxes! May 27, 2009

Submitted by Marjorie Cunningham, owner of Marjorie’s Cracked Plate Jewelry and manager of the Reclaimed to Fame Market on 1000 Markets.

One of the merchants at the Reclaimed to Fame market is Roobie Soup of Orlando, Florida, who fashions fabulous purses from recycled cigar boxes.   Here’s her story:

“I have been creative my whole life… in fact I have been surrounded by creativity as well. I grew up in the south and in a college drama department.  My dad was a drama professor and I spent many an after school night in the costume designer’s (my mom) or set designer’s company. 

“I created jewelry and scrapbooked my little heart out. Then I came up with a way to put them together and show it off sort of subtly!

“Anyway, I am not one to do mass production.   I sort of get bored recreating the same old thing.     I love to alter the use of an item and create something completely different and artistic with it.   I live an “altered” life… hee hee!

“I think life should be fun and you should have ample opportunity to laugh, whether it is at yourself or the situation.”

Sweet floral frocks for a pittance May 25, 2009

A twist on the floral fad: a $30 Tracy Feith barkcloth skirt on Target.com

Just when was that last time that floral prints were all the rage? As I recall, it was 1982, when all I craved were Liberty of London dresses. So I’ve jumped right on board with the floral thing and likely gone a bit overboard. But I realize that just like the graphic prints of last summer are on the wane, so these blooms of this summer will fade in their freshness. I’ve made a point of searching out economical flowered frocks. (Click on pics for buying info.)

This '50s frock is only $24 at Forever21.com.