I haven’t sewn in three weeks (except for a duvet cover…three seams and some velcro), I just washed 98% of my clothing, but felt like I needed both wardrobe and color inspiration, so I pulled some scraps out of the heap and got to work…

I got this vintage mint green on white plaid double knit about five years ago and was down to the last two 16″x16″-ish squares. I also had about a yard of matching 4-way stretch cotton lycra.

I freehand cut empire bodice pieces,two 25″ x 8″ panels of the cotton/lycra and the skirt in plaid.

I sewed the  bodice and skirt together then the panel which I pin-tucked onto the bottom of the skirt.

I sewed up the side seams and voila!

CUT TIME: 15 minutes

SEW TIME: 20 minutes, no finishing

SIZING:  smedium (bust max 38″ waist max 33″ hips max 40″)

FIT:  So-so. The double knit has natural (but not intended) stretch, so the empire is not as close-fitting as it could be.  Minimal gaping in the back, which is to be expected since both front and back pieces are cut the same. Drapes nicely along the shoulders.  Fits to the knee. May be 1.5″ too long.

SHOULD I PRODUCE THIS?  It’s cute but not necessarily flattering to a range of body types.  The combination of fabrics don’t sew nice seams together, but I really feel the color.

Definite brown or ambiguously pale?

A very good friend of mine recently reminded me that I should use more”diverse” models (his words) — meaning, not so many black girls.

I guess I’m a victim of that post-post racial mentality (that I usually scoff at), in which I assume that general audiences would see beyond the skin and hair of the females in the photos and directly to the dopeness of the clothes.  At the very very least, I assume (and expect) that my particular audience will see beyond the superficial.

Just like editors, photographers, bookers etc. basically hire “what they see” in front of them on aregular basis, I do the same.  I just happen to know a lot more black girls than other types, so it’s more convenient for me to call up a friend or colleague or two without a big production.

If I’m concerned about color and alienating any potential customers who may not see themselves wearing a dress that an Afroed mocha diva looks good in, then I have to consciously reach out to females of other races to model for me.  I can think of at least 10 who are suitable off the top, it’s just two steps of extra effort to coordinate and shoot.  I’m not against it;  that’s the next step (not the crude Photoshopped image on the right…).

Ideally, I’d hand a card out to funky women (and men!) of any persuasion I see on the street.  Maybe you  are or know one?

photo:  shireen in white cotton/metallic crocheted beret, white chiffon shoulder bow top, and multicolor beads by rowenazita circa 2006

one shoulder royal purple lycra spandex with multicolor snakeskin inset

About the style:

I love stretch satin because it’s densely constructed so holds you in so expands with you, and because it makes any design party-ready. The design is slick and efficient, and the rich purple and pop-brite snake are unexpected but complementary.

I could probably still get away with a “one size fits most” approach to this dress and leave it up to the purchaser to decide how they want it to look.

Can you see yourself in this dress?  Let me know if you’re interested in being a sample model for the next revision.

About the model:

I’ve seen Kendra around in various ways and places — since we both a)live in Brooklyn, b)work in dance education on occasion and c)share a friend in common.

Kendra’s a great model because even though she wears small sizes, her torso is long and her height is above average (for a humanoid female, anyway).  She fills out this dress in a way that I can’t, even though it doesn’t fit her the way that I intended (with the band sitting low on the hips).  It took me seeing how nice it looked on Kendra to decide to revise the fitting and actually produce it. Thanks K!

Kendra Ross

measurements: bust  36      waist  28.5       hips 38.5

dress size 5/6          pants size 5/7 long

why does what you wear matter (in general)?

What I wear normally dictates my mood.  If I want to be in urban street mode I wear baggy pants ‘n sneakers.  If I am feeling girly, it maybe heels and a dress or leggings, or comfort mode is jeans and a sweater.

I have an orange tube dress that is not tight but fits well around my waist and hips.  On the front in red it has a beach scene and Love written across the bust.  I would keep that because it is comfortable, yet I feel sexy wearing it, and I am all about promoting Love in the world.

I like it in fabrics and accessories and craft supplies and in lotions, powders and make-up, but not in graphics.

There are always bits of sparkles and glitter somewhere on my body. The same thing happens to people who kiss me regularly.

However, they should expect it, because as Demetri Martin says, glitter is the herpes of the craft world.

speeding through the stratosphere

Not quite sure of where I heard this info, but at one point during the earlier part of the 20^th century someone in the US government considered closing the US Patent Office because he figured everything worth discovering had been already been found. The arrogance of man! Kind of like the arrogance needed in starting a business, ironically.

Yeah, more than likely 90% of what you’re doing has been done before. In fact these days if you do a little googling and basically follow simply laid out steps in sequential order, you’re guaranteed to at least beat the average small biz fail rate of 50% within the first 2 years. So the (often free) information and the how-tos are out there, and yet some people still “fail.” And other people go all in hoping that they’ll hit upon that formula that will at least not put them into serious debt.  And then there are many, many others who will stay on the safe side of the daydream, never actually taking that first step.

Inventors, entrepreneurs, artists – we believe that no matter what it’s looking like, we have something substantial to offer, and it’s worth our while to at least, just put it out there when our time is right.