Woman vs. Dress

At the present moment, I'm swamped in custom work. Not so great for my creativity, but wonderful where finances are concerned. For that reason I'm grateful for the ability to measure, cut, and sew. :-)

One project that's in the works is the conversion of the train of a bulky and cumbersome yet beautiful wedding dress into a bolero jacket.

It's so massive and overwhelming for lil ol' me.

So far I've lost my seam ripper.
Somewhere inside the dress, I believe.

It must've just swallowed it up, and I want it back dangit!!!
Need it actually.

I know it's somewhere in those folds and crevasses.

We'll see how this goes...

peace!

La la la

My big, wide, veiny feet enjoying nature's touch.

I was in Houston/Galveston, Tx last weekend for a series of events one of which was an ancestral tribute that took place on the Galveston beach. I could go on and on about it, but suffice it to say I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Pictured above you can get a glimpse of the minimal sewing that I've been doing lately: a fitted, floor length skirt to wear that day. As mentioned before I really only ever sew for myself when it's time to attend an event that I need a particular type of garment for. The request was to wear white to the beach, so I whipped up something. I'll get (and post) better photos of it soon.

Me adorned with marks to deter evil spirits. These were given to me by Yoruba priestess Oyafunmike Ogunlano. If you've seen the film Sankofa, she's Shola/Mona, one of the main characters. (Both she and Mutabaruka --Shango from the film--were present.) Seeing as how I enjoy Mutabaruka's work and Sankofa is one of my favorite movies to watch, It was definitely an honor having them there.

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Feels like I've said it before, but I really hope to be back to my regular sewing within the next few weeks. A lot has changed for me, and I'm working some things out, but it's all coming together. :-)

peace!

Circumstantial

I've got a photographer friend who recently opened up a studio in a local mall, and from time to time he'll call and ask me to come pose for him so he can practice with lighting, angles, various props, etc. Then there are other times when I'm just over there--with no intentions whatsoever of taking any pictures--and he'll talk me into getting in front of the camera. Below are shots taken nearly two months ago. In the former ones I'm in a reversible dress (A FlyTie creation, of course ;-) which is purple and a dark teal color, but in the second shot you'll see where he used Photoshop to make it a different color. Oh, and the beaded necklace belongs to a friend of mine who went with me to the studio that day. That day was a planned day of photography. The latter photos were taken impromptu another day while we were sitting in his studio talking and watching people walk through the mall.

Before these sessions it had been a long time since I'd had photos taken of myself that involved someone else besides me, the auto feature on my camera, and a box or something to prop the camera on.

Enjoy!!
(Maybe??? :-/)

(It was my idea to get behind the cage. i don't know. There something sooooo..forbidden about it!)

© 2009 Mark Joseph
Majestic Photography
Lafayette/Carencro, LA

About a Dress

On September 5, 2009, my friend Olympia was joined in holy matrimony to a charming man in a private ceremony. Following the ceremony a select group of individuals converged and engaged in merriment and glee at an intimate reception in honor of the new union. Seeing as how I was not actually present at said reception, I can only assume that the aforementioned merriment and glee are the reality of the day. However, knowing the ways in which love can inspire the best in people, I'm going to stick with this assumption. :-D.

Come along with me for a pictorial presentation of the day's occasion. In the process, you'll be able to read my impromptu, (poorly composed) short story about a particular dress and an explanation as to why I missed out on such a special moment.

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Sometime in early to mid August I got word from Olympia that she was getting married....like in less than a month. Of course she'd need a dress, and she was entrusting me to make it... on time. Something non-traditional, canary yellow, and strapless. Simlar in style to this dressfrom my shop but with a contrast color peeping from under like in this one. Something in color. Not just white.

The contrast colors were important, but the band at the center was to be solid, not patchwork like the original. Ok. I got it. In my head. I never really was a sketcher.

Time went on. We did more "virtual designing" via phone, email, and Yahoo! Chat and determined that the contrast colors should be blue in nature. Yellow and blue usually go well together. Turquoise and navy blue is what we decided. Yep, that was gonna be it.

And some of that stuff to make it poof out and be full, Olympia added. Netting. In white. Canary yellow, navy, turquoise, and white. Yep. That was it. We had it together.

Oh! And what about a belt attached to the center band? I thought it was a good idea and dug upone of my earlier designs (which was later produced in another form) and emailed her the link as an example of what I meant. She liked it and also decided that her band should be wide--like the original dress--not 2-3 inches as we'd first thought, but much wider. Alright. I had all the info I needed. All that was left was for me to make it happen.

But wait. I needed measurements. The dress has to actually fit! Ummm, but we hadn't (and still haven't) seen each other since June, were in two different states, and all that getting fitted stuff was too much. "Just give me your bust measurement," I say. Yeah. That'll do. If it fits uptop, then we're good. The skirt part is sorta like a one size fits all situation. And where the length is concerned, I'll just use myself as a model to determine how long it should be based on her height (Meaning how tall I guessed she was. I didn't know her actual height). Yep. It was ready to be made.

But one problem: I was ripping and running all over. From North Louisiana to south. Then back. Then back again. Then to Austin, TX. Then back to South Louisiana. Doing thus and that and that and this. All while knowing I was being depended on to make a wedding dress.

August passed on. September arrived. September 1. September 2. I finally went to purchase the materials on this day and learned that canary yellow wasn't really an option. There were only a few shades of light yellow and a golden yellow. I called from the store and we made the decision over the phone: golden yellow. Ok. I had the materials. Still no dress. I was in transition unsettled. No place to really set up my machine and supplies and get to work, but it was gonna get made.

Then we came to a resolution: I'd go to her home--further South Louisiana--make the dress Thursday, and leave it there for when she arrived back home that Friday evening for the ceremony that would take place on Saturday. We were pushing it, but hey, it had to be done.

So I went, made the dress, hung it up so it'd be in plain view when she walked in, and headed out Friday morning back to where I was (about 2 hrs. away) with the intention of going back down that way to attend the reception on Saturday. When I woke up Saturday, though, the exhaustion had set in. I could barely move and just felt sick. All the driving and ripping and running all around had taken its toll, and I knew I wouldn't make it. :-(

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When it was all said and done, and the vows were taken, and the fun was had, and the people were gone, we talked, and I was happy to know that the dress--designed and created over the miles without us ever seeing each other to get it done--had worked out in the end. She loved it, the people loved it, and a new concept was born The Olympia Dress. I'll be coming out with a collection of this style and variations of it as an alternative to the usual styles of wedding dresses.

peace!

O

The jacket is finished and has been handed over to its owner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *sigh of relief* I do have photos, but seeing as how I'm in transition and typing from everyone's computer but my own these days, I'm currently unable to transfer them, upload them to my files, and show them to the world. Well, I guess I could but I'll wait. They'll be posted soon...

In the meantime, I'd like to share something with y'all pertaining to my author-sistafriend Ms. Olympia Vernon....errr Mrs. Olympia Vernon-_____...More on the updated prefix later with lovely pictures to accompany!

She's currently being featured as one of the top stories on the front of Louisiana State University's website, Lsu.edu.

(There's much to be said about that floral couch, too. I'll have to give y'all the run down on our day of adventure with that in a post to come.)

Once there, click the image to read more about her writing process, and get a glimpse inside the mind of one highly gifted in the literary arena.

Or just go here:

http://www.lsu.edu/now/index_vernon.html

O, yes! :-D

peace!

Interlude

Eeek!! Blog neglect yet again. Hope y'all are doing well. I've been working on the jacket and look forward to having it completely DONE and presented to its owners within the next 2 days. Then I can get back to doing MY thing. I haven't sewn a single stitch on anything other than that project in nearly a month. Not necessarily because I haven't had time. It's just that when I work on something specifically for someone else--especially something that's outside of my usual work--it's hard for me to really focus on anything else until it's completely done. It's like I'm held hostage creatively until then.

But despite my decrease in productivity, I was featured on a blog recently:

Read it Here:

http://welcometoacadiana.blogspot.com/2009/09/super-fly.html

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As alluded to in the post, several items in my etsy shop are 1/2 off.

Such as this very comfortable pink number:

I'm just sooo ready for newness!(Which of course won't come 'til I get back to my regular sewing.)

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I could really use some relaxation at this very moment. Something like:

"It's soothing, like swimming in deep blue water. "--YouTube Comment

peace!

Believe In You

Every so often someone will approach me about a sewing project that has me looking like:

youwantmet'dowhat??

(Showing off new glasses which I unashamedly confess are from the Hilary Duff collection. Hey, I liked the shape and colors! But if she ends up getting turned out by "the industry" like some of the other young stars, I will be ashamed.)

A few weeks ago I got a call from the band coordinator at a private high school that triggered the above expression.

Apparently the band drum major is broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted and his current band jacket doesn't fit well. So they want a whole new one custom made. No. Not alter the other one to fit. Make an entirely new one. And it needs to look as close as possible to this:



And they want me to make it.
And they found a pattern that's similar.
But I don't get along well with commercial patterns.
They cause me to sit and stare into space for extended periods of time.
Which prevents me from being productive.
So I'd have to make my own pattern.
And make the entire jacket from scratch.
Never mind the fact that I make simple garments for women.
And not band jackets.
Or jackets at all really.
But they believe that I can.
And I can.
I have before.
So they gave me a box of materials and sent me on my way knowing I will.
And I will.

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Other requests that brought about the above facial expression:

"Can you make me a comforter???"
"A Rug???"
"A slip cover for my oversized couch???"
"I know you wanna make me some curtains for every room in my house, right???"


Because of course if I can work a sewing machine, I not only should be able to do all of the above, but want to do all of the above.
My reply:

"Uhhh, no."
"Nope."
"I'll pass."
and
"Sure don't."

I do appreciate the faith people have though. :-)

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I don't think I posted this dress here before


Black and white herringbone print. It's pretty big on me hence the hand in back holding excess material. ;-)

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Some tunes.






Same words over and over but such a powerful song!

peace!