my weekend

Had a wonderful show in the lovely home of clothing designer Ann Williamson. I think half the fun was seeing all of the beautiful clothing that walked into our show on the shoppers! I got a few photos in the morning right after set up just to set the scene! Thanks Ann and all for making it such a great weekend!

 The entry featured one of Elisabeth Gillem's gorgeous outfits and the delicate forged silver jewelry of Bay area metalsmith Kathryn Ferrier.

Just a small selection shown here of Carol Risley's fabulous leather handbags.

Some of the amazing work of Ann Williamson, much of which is constructed using vintage kimono silks with hand applique and bead work.

I shared the dining room with designer Elisabeth Gillem and of course, ended up with one of her beautiful hand dyed silk scarves. How could I not?

And my little case was packed full of goodies as well.

This is the Weekend!

I've got my car packed and will be setting up for a wonderful holiday Art to Wear show at the home of clothing designer Ann Williamson taking place this weekend, Dec 3rd and 4th. I'm hoping that all you Portland area readers will pop over and check out the artisan clothing, jewelry and bags being featured, and meet the artists, we'll all be there!

 

The Party Dress Book - Mary Adams

I had the pleasure of meeting Mary Adams, author of The Party Dress Book, How to Sew the Best Dress in the Room, when she appeared at Ristretto Roasters, a very cozy little coffee shop in Portland, a week or so ago. Mary is a clothing designer living and working in New York City, but grew up and began her career here in Portland. I had pre-ordered her book at Amazon, wrapped it up and given it to myself at Christmas, and spent all of Christmas day reading through it! With a forward by Amy Sedaris, an enthusiastic customer, her story is interesting and will be familiar to artists in any medium.

The book is filled with sumptuous fabrics, ruffles, pleats, pintucks and layers and layers of color.

  

The inner spiral binding is a practical touch, much appreciated. 

 And if just being able to visually feast on the images in the book isn't enough, the final chapters are devoted to a tutorial in which you can create your own dress using the full size pattern supplied in an attached sleeve. You can take ideas and techniques from the book to create something quite unique, or use the pattern to go in a totally different direction. 

This book is beautifully done and if it doesn't make you want to sew, it can provide you with raw inspiration you can take anywhere!