Claire Kennedy Design

Seasonal Cultural Video!

I couldn't resist - Happy Fourth!!!

Veils - OK it's an ongoing post....

Yeah, I know - this is the third or fourth time through this....but what can I say - I love it and I have a soft spot in my heart for these sorts of things. 

I did the older sister, and now another in this generation....I love this sort of thing - being able to carry on the tradition.  Almost all the aunts and the mom wore this veil, and now the second generation is wearing  it.

I love these sorts of traditions

Surviving the slings and arrows

This morning on Sewing on the Side, made an interesting post about sewing through the stress.  It reminded me how many times in my life sewing has saved me from the ravages of stress - through decades of busts and booms, life changing events and the general ups and downs of life - through all of it sewing has been there and saved me.  I attribute a lot of this to my clients, but it's the sewing I do for them that really saves me.

It's sort of hard to describe this process as you are either in the love it or leave it camps of sewing. Obviously I'm from the former. 

 

But sewing has been more than just "something to do".  It has been a life and mind-saver.  Without it I would definitely be in the nut house.  There's a peace and calm that comes over me when I sit down in my studio and start to create.  I've often felt that when I pass through the threshold of my studio, I'm no longer the regular Claire, I'm the super-creative Claire - and the Claire of my dreams - in my studio, that is!  The best proof of this is when I start my day at around 8 or 9-ish and look up a few minutes later and it's 10:30, then a few minutes later and it's 5:30 and wonder "What happened to lunch?!!!....where did mid-afternoon slump go?!!!....where did the whole day go?!!!"

I'm told by experts in this sort of thing, that this is "being in the zone" - whether it's playing football, an artist creating a sculpture, a pianist playing his/her fav Debussy (I can relate to this as I'm working on Arabesque right now!).

Reading about the art and creative process, sewing is also the manifestation end of the creative process that so many visual, performing and dramatic artists may not understand and therefore can't/won't accomplish.  Creating in the mind is the first step, but the creation must be completed or made real for it to be complete.  At least we sewists have that much ahead of other artists as it seems to be understood that you would make up something or it wouldn't really be complete - I know - it's a duh!  moment for us!

Sewing has also been empowering to me.  It has been so long since I have been a slave to even the most minute desires and decisions of designers, store buyers, store clerks, fashion magazine editors and the like, that I just don't even think in those terms.  I get an idea in my head, and poof, it's done...no more shopping, no more leafing through catalogs, no more surfing the net, no more delving on the price, it's just done and onto the next design.  I have grown to take this for granted, and have to remind myself that this is the world of most of my clients, and have to re-educate my brain periodically about shopping.

Don't get me wrong...my fav t-tops, stretch capris, and comfy active-wear is all purchased, but the mainstay of my wardrobe is designed by me.

But by far, sewing has been a peaceful and productive escape from some of the scariest times of my life, exactly when I needed it. Times that if I had not the talent, benefit and expertise of my craft, would have consumed me and defeated me.

I'm interested to hear the effects - good and bad - sewing has had on your life.  Is it something you turn to when things are scary and tough, or is it a way to escape to a more peaceful environs or is it an outlet for your creative juices?  How does sewing affect your life other than putting  beautiful garments on your back!

Claire

A new gadget

I have this friend who likes to make furniture....fine furniture!  And he uses all sorts of neat gadgets and tools to make his life easier in the making of this fine furniture! 

I find a lot of them are really interesting but of no use to me.

Do NOT put your finger in this thing or.....well....there's just no telling what will happen.  But this gadget is useful for him.  To be honest, I'm not sure how, so don't ask me to explain it.  But he extols the virtues of this thing constantly.  Each to his/her own.

One day, while was admiring his work, and I do admire all of this, he picked up this little thing at Home Depot (which is unfortunately just around the corner from his shop).

A digital fractional caliper.  (Sounds really technical)  This looked interesting, but it only got better.

Look at what this thing does!  On the bottom in measures the outside dimensions, and on the top it measures the inside dimensions. 

My minded flooded with the possibilities of the use of this around my own studio!  Above is just one.

I love this button and have used it on many garments - in my mind at least!  But the problem with these odd shaped jewels is making the correct sized button hole and for that matter even measuring it.

Not one to do things in an inexact manner, the whole idea of this caliper (that's what they call them in the shop world), made me oooo and aaaaah with delight.

So off to Home Depot to purchase my own little jewel.

The measurements can be in fractions,which is what I prefer, or inch decimals or metric decimals, with a measuring stick (excuse my inept and un-techy language there), thingie above in case you can't read the digital layout.

I'm not sure I would recommend this as a "must have" in everyone's studio, but this sort of thing does appeal to me as there are times when I glance at the ruler and think it's 3/8ths or 5/8ths or 3/8ths and then have to start counting...1/8th, 2/8th, 3/8th, etc.  This just prevents any misunderstanding between the ruler and me in the future.

And of course we all want better communication - it's just better for the relationship.

I can see this is the beginning of a long friendship already!

An old pet peeve

I like to check out the "best dressed" lists as this is usually a way to check out styles and trends. So I was checking out my tweets and there was a best dressed list, so who was I to pass up this opportunity.

Most of these are pretty predictable

And I'm not offended by the girls modeling....they're a little thin, but at least they look like they have some sort of physical development - muscles, and they aren't skin and bones....

but it didn't last for long....

And although I have warped these a little it's obvious to see that the person in the above photo looks like this month's Rice Cake Queen. 

This so infuriates me as I fight this everyday with my brides and debs and other clients. 

The first thing they do is apologize for their measurements...even my students in my class apologized. I really don't care...only reason I'm interested is to see how to alter the pattern and make the garment fit the client or the student. 

It's an old complaint - one that rears its head and so periodically I rail which will hopefully cause it will remain dormant till the next episode.

The first thing I say when my clients or students complain about their shape, is that they are where they are.  For one reason or another, this is where they are.  I really believe this - for one reason or another we are the size we are.  In my life, I have fluctuated between high and low and having the benefit of hindsight, now seemed fully logical why my weight was up or down (since I've never been blessed with a child, this precludes that weight gain!)

So although all these models here are very thin,there is a distinct difference between healthy and trim and unhealthy and unnatural.

All of these women are not only smart, they are self-starters, motivated, and they excel in their fields and all have normal figures.

What a joy to see a trend of designers dressing these women

The Tunic Class

As promised - here are pics from the class which was a huge success..

 

Each student had their own space and we all spread out to sew and have a lot of fun

With a fitting or two we were able to tweak each tunic so each student got to have personal fitting techniques

 

Most of all we all had a lot of fun and everyone (including me) was inspired to do some more sewing!!!

Going through some old stuff

I was going through some old books, when I found these.  Not sure what is going on with Lois these days as she looks as thought she's changing directions a little.  When I click on designandsew.com her home link, I get purse accessories which is what she seems to be doing.  For years I knew her as a pattern designer, and even more fun, a closure expert.  She had two books out: Opening and Closing: Closures and The Great Put On.  But these books seem to be out of print now, even though you can still get them used.

I love the new technique here and there, but I really love thinking outside the box every once in a while - now that has to be qualified that I don't like throwing out the baby with the bath water - IOW, I don't like throwing out style and fit for the sake of art, but I do believe you can have both.   So I'm always looking for new ideas in the basic fundamentals of design....like this...

All these pictures are extra large (right click and then view the pic) so you can see the detail. 

These books have page after page of ideas.....

Dang!!!  I want some more time.......

One of my favorite things she does in this book is slip a slit in a seam or where the piping might go....

Both these books are great idea books!

My Studio

OK - a lot of people having been wanting a tour of my studio - so while I'm in the middle of my teaching class and no time to sew - here's what it looks like.

First before you enter, you have to understand I'm a person driven by faith and so entering into my studio is a not only a place to create, but I think of it as a spiritual place too.  It's very weird to describe, but for years I felt as though there were two Claires:  one that lived outside my studio, and then the other Claire that worked, created and was artistic and incredibly talented inside my studio.  Sounds weird, but that's how I felt.

My studio was also a place that lost time....I would go in about 8 or 9 a.m. and then next time I looked up it was 4:30 p.m. and would wonder where the day went - why didn't I get another 3 or 4 hours?....where did the time go?  Yes, I got a lot done, but I want to do more - where had the time gone?  I understand from people who study these sorts of things, that this is good and it what's called getting into the artist's zone:  you're having so much fun that time flies - that sort of thing.

Anyway, to make sure my studio has just the right karma, I have a wonderful little card a client sent me:

Yep, St. Clare of Assisi is the patron saint of needle-workers & embroiderers!  How about that!!!  Now St. Clare advocated a life of poverty and abstinence, and I can not say I have that in common with her, but I do love needle-working.....

and love having it above the entrance to my studio.

So here's my little video of my studio.

Enjoy.




My Summer Classes

I'm really looking forward to this....

A set of classes at my local Bernina store.

What's so fun is that I have a wide variety of students and so there will be a wide variety of garments at the end

So I'm out of pocket for a couple of days, but....

Pictures forthcoming!

Have I told you about my favorite designer?

Oh, I have!  Well, here's some more on him....

This is just the start of this guy's creativity

Look at those clothes...and hiding in all those magical lines are darts and fitting mechanisms that even the most full-figured gal would love.

Actually the great criticism of Beene was that he designed for women who were toothpick thin...Nan Kempner, Pat Buckley, and the like, but I find them full of possibility.  I remember being in NYC once at Le Cirque (the old one not Cirque 2000), and in walk Pat & Nan to have lunch.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven as this was the one of high society's doyennes' fav haunts for lunch.  Of course they were meticulously dressed.  I miss that about today's fashion - being dressed up in a killer suit, or jacket and pants, all neat and collected, and of course fitted to the nines!

All those inserts and seams are just ripe for fitting and easy as pie to do.  And although the criticisms are right, that the designs were made up for painfully and unhealthily thin persons, they could easily be adapted for more normal shapes.

I don't like sewing for the skin and bones set, as they not only do not represent the more-normal figure, but they also don't represent a healthy figure - let's not talk about promoting a lifestyle and body shape that is completely impractical.  But that's another subject...back to Beene's designs - here is a lovely jacket with some unusual trim and a gorgeous ball gown that is still good today.  I think these are some late 90's or early 2000's fashions.

This jacket line was one of Beene's favorites, but his variations seem to really be more than variations - more like complete works of art that stand on their own.  His bolero idea was one of the most elegant features of his designs -  particularly in his later collections.

And as if his designs were fun enough, then he got into this color and pattern thing that was absolutely fabulous.

I will be found eyes glued to computer screen viewing this CD for a while....