flyTie Clothing for Babies!

I mentioned in my last post that something special would be coming soon to the Etsy shop.

What might that be???

Yes, y'all.  Dresses for baby!  

Today is my baby girl's first birthday, and we're rolling out the first ever flyTie clothing garments for the little ones.

The material used for these dresses is the same as what's used for the customizable tunics for women.  Light, airy, cool, and comfortable.

And, in honor of her name--which means "of the leopards"--I'll soon be offering this style (or a similar style)  in this print:

There'll only be a few available, since the fabric is limited, but I look forward to making her one and some for a few other people as well.

Stay tuned...

https://www.etsy.com/shop/flyTieClothing

Tropical Tunic Collection

Admittedly, it hasn't been easy--or maybe the better word is convenient-- to pursue design/sewing activities in the last year given all that comes with having a baby as well as living in a space that doesn't necessarily lend itself to doing much of anything other than relaxing, playing, and preparing/eating good food. 

 

Last month though, I was inspired by some of the beautiful views that we witness on a day-to-day basis living right on the ocean on the west side of this island.

 

An excerpt from the garment listing gives a description:

 

 

Each day the ocean outside my door boasts a range of emotions and shades of blue. The western sky, too, is varied in hue each evening as the sun goes down. Blowing down from the mountains on one

side and in from the ocean on the other, the wind fills my space with feelings of peace, cool vibrations, and uplifting energies. It is all of these elements inherent to the natural landscape of

Hawai'i that inspire this tropical tunic collection.

Yellow

 Aqua

 

 Coral

This style of tunic goes way back in my design career.  I was first inspired to make these several years ago after seeing the attire of a group of Indian women having lunch at a restaurant.  The flowing fabrics of their tunics and saris as well as the cut of Indian-style garments in general have always appealed to me, and eventually those characteristics made it into my own design techniques.

 

The Tropical Tunics are available for custom order in sizes small-xlarge.  They come in three lengths and a few different colors.  The coral material  is currently out of stock, but yellow, aqua, and white are all available.

 

 

 

 

More information and ordering details can be found on Etsy via this link:

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/239204521/flytie-clothing-square-neck-tropical?ref=shop_home_active_1

I've got something even more special coming up.  It's certainly new to the collection and definitely brings a new energy.

 

Photos soon!...

 

Restart + Clearance

Lately I've been really wanting to get back into making tunics --ones like those shared on Facebook the other day here and here.  That was one item I always enjoyed making back in the day, and they always had a great reception among flyTie Clothing supporters.

Right now I'm contemplating fabrics and colors to use, and so far I'm thinking of using a cotton voile material--mainly because I have some on hand. I like the feel of it and how lightweight it is, plus I've come across some nice colors that they'd look great in.  Tropical colors, which is just how I'm feeling these days.  

In addition to that, I'm working on rephotographing some of the garments that are currently on clearance in the Etsy shop.  

Green Batik Floral Sundress, Large--$38.60

This dress is a sample piece remaining from a Spring/Summer 2014 collection.  You can find it as well as all other clearance items at  flytie.etsy.com.

Have a great week!
~

New Domain

I recently changed the domain associated with this blog from flytieclothing.com to flytieonline.com.  I'll be using flytieclothing.com for another site that I'm working on specifically dedicated to my past and present (if any ever comes anytime soon) design work. 

Please make a note of it.

My intention is to start back blogging here pretty regularly.  The topics won't necessarily only be focused on clothing design and the like, though.  I hope to also share some of my experiences here in Hawaii as well as showcase some of my favorite work by designers/stylists of all sorts.

So, please be sure to add this new domain to your bookmarks!

flytieonline.com

Animal Spots

The other day on my Facebook page I shared a post about my efforts to learn--or re-learn--the difference in various animal prints--particularly large cats with spots.  Since we chose a name for Baby that means "Like a leopard", I figured I should really know the difference between the various prints.  Although I wasn't necessarily a fan of animal prints in the past, it turned out to be inevitable that my leopard-named child would end up with some pieces  adorned with the animal's spots.

Admittedly I'd typically just do a quick internet search in order to satisfy my query on the subject.  However, in this case it was one of Baby's books about big cats that filled me in on what I wanted to know.  While I'm sure I must have learned this information at some point in school, the book---even in it's inherent simplicity--gave me a thorough understanding of the difference in appearance of various big, wild cats.  Most notable of them are the leopard, the cheetah, and the jaguar.

Here's a quick break down to assist with distinguishing which print is which, particularly when it comes to clothing and accessories.

Leopard

Leopard spots are two toned, with the overall coat color being a shade lighter than the color of the inside of the spots. 

Prints such as this can be found in a range of colors.

Now, this is also considered leopard even though the background color is the same as the color inside the spots.

Not a true representation of the print, but as a stylized design, it works. I'd be more inclined to choose this print than the one above it.  

Cheetah

The spots of a cheetah are simple.  They're probably more in line with what people think of when they think of spots.

If you do a search for cheetah spots, though, you'd probably come up with a whole page of results that look like the leopard print images shared above.  

Jaguar

I'm not sure that I've seen jaguar a whole lot or at all on fabric, but it's similar to leopard, except there are small dots inside the larger spots.

Unlike with leopard or even cheetah print, I wasn't able to find examples of this print in various colors.  It seems that designers of cat spot fabrics and graphic designers aren't too much into the jaguar look.



I've only got one leopard print garment, a dress I made when I was about 5 months pregnant...

While little Ms. Leopard Girl--who's now 8 months old--has a few, including these two hats.

I'm sure having such pieces in her wardrobe will be a constant, at least while she's young.

:-)

It's Not Over

Hopefully I'll be back to my regular sewing in the next few weeks!  Last week I got some new fabric in the mail, and I'm currently online shopping for more.

My most recent sewing project was some legwarmers for Baby.

Organic Cotton and Hemp Jersey Knit Legwarmers

It's been pretty cool out here (I'd like to say cold, but something about it being Hawaii won't quite let me), and unlike pants, these make our early potty training process easier when she needs something warm on those legs.  I intend for these to last 2-3 years.

I had some help making them.

:)

She was about to have a fit of excitement from seeing the machine go.  Hopefully she'll be just as enthused when I teach her the skill in years to come!

New Blog!

For months now I'd been considering creating a blog where I discuss my experiences with mothering just so that I can assist and share with others who may be new parents.  Of course, seeing as how this is my first child, I can only share what I'm learning as the process progresses.

 

My way of doing things is sorta of rustic and definitely as natural as possible.  When I search for information online it's always nice to find a blog post or article written by someone who's also coming from that perspective. I mean, it'd not a necessity, but it is nice.

 

The title of the blog is MamaAmma.com: Natural Baby Care and More.  I came up with the name based on the fact that my partner calls me Amma (as well as most people who know me in Hawaii), which means "born on Saturday" among the Akan people of Ghana.  Also, one of baby's middle names is "Ma'ama'ama" which is a Hawaiian word meaning to care for, nurture, tend to, etc.  So, MamaAmma--although unintentionally--is also sort of a play on that name.

 

Anywho, you can check it out at:

 

http://www.mamaamma.com/

 

In the first post I talk about my experience being pregnant. Later today I'll be updating with some info on the noni fruit and juice, which I drank plenty of while pregnant. 

 

I'll be updating there more regularly since, at this time, tending to her is more relevant.  If you feel inspired to do so, enter your email address on the right side of the blog in order to receive email updates. 

 

Hope you join me!

Have a great week.

~

 

P.s...I'll still update here as well to share whatever may be going on in the design department.