...to wash away the rain...

Black hole computer!  How do I go from changing my website settings around one moment to 4 hours later looking up fonts? Argh!  And now I want to look up the lyrics to “Black Hole Sun”.  MUST FOCUS!!!  Ohh, so look at this!

Piss & Vinegar tastes better when you serve it with kindness!

Oh life, why can’t you be as cute and loveable as Zooey Deschanel? I mean really, look at her NAME? Could it get any cuter or more fun to say? Well, this mouthful (Michelle Lesniak Franklin) needs a bit of a vacation. Warm weather? Sandy beaches? Heck no. I need a road trip, white tank, black bra, dirty jeans, chips and guac and a salted beer at a hole-in-the-wall-in-the-middle-of-no-where kind of vacation.




Who’s with me?

Did ya ever see the Rain?
Blame it on the Rain…ya ya.
Rain, feel it on my finger tips...
It’s raining it’s pouring the old man is…
Umbrella Ella Ella eh eh eh…

Well, today is looking to be as blue as ever, blue skies that is! And with those blue skies and spherical sun goes my ambition for the day.

What I was planning to do:

• Finish my raincoat
• Edit my raincoat pattern
• Design raincoat hood
• Pattern hood
• Buy snaps & toggles for raincoat

 

What I will end up doing:

• Dogs on a nice long walk
• Messing around in the garden

I need to at least finish sewing my darn rain coat, because this sun won’t last for long!
Now where did I put that sunscreen and bag of cookies?

 

Project Runway Application Season 9

Over the past week I have been working to get my Season 9 Project Runway application together and mailed out by TODAY, April 12th.  The process has taught me many things, but before I delve into what I have learned, here are the application requirements:

• Head shot & full body shot of the designer
• 3-5 minute video/interview piece that shows your point of view
• 10 design photographs both hard copy and digital
• Pictures of sketches
• Pictures of patterns
• 25 page application

My dad has been making movies lately so he offered to take on the roll as director and editor.  The video turned out great.  I wanted to have a time lapse piece in the video showing how I work and a good friend and paparazzi guru Brian Tobin helped me set up the camera and lighting.  I am super stoked how not only the video turned out but the time lapse piece within the video.  The filming for the video took place over 2 short days as well as the time lapse portion.

What I learned from this experience:

1. Always rent your equipment for 1 day longer than scheduled. You NEVER know what can come up last minute and take precious time.
2. Always check digital photo file sizes.  They may look great on your tiny laptop screen, but when printed out in a 8 x 10 can look like SHTIE!
3. Double check any file transportation device to make sure your data is on said device.  For example: re-insert Tumbdrive, Hard Drive, CD to make sure your files are on them before leaving and driving across town.
4. After a photo shoot, be on top of getting your images from the photographer or studio.  Time slips away fast, and scrambling to get those images 10 months/2 years later can be a hassle for all parties involved.
5. Once receiving these portfolio photographs, store them in a file labeled "Portfolio" for easy retrieval, and for hecks sake BACK THOSE FILES UP!
6. Don't be afraid to ask for help, you will be amazed how many people will lend a helping hand.

Well, let's cross our fingers folks.  I think I may just have a chance!

Berlin Bag

It has been a while since I have made a handbag. Over 4 years. Yes I have started them. I have thought about them. And that is that.


Needing a carry-all and having no cheddar forced me to make on. Well, that is a bit extreme. I wasn't forced to make one, but my necessity for one, nit-picky ways AND lack of cash made me make one. This bag is a FAR departure from what I made in the past. I enjoyed the process and know what I would do differently in the future.

Will I make them again?

I guess if I was getting paid. So, yes.

Project Runway Challenge #6: You can Totally Wear that Again….today

12 gore, mermaid style, backless, iridescent baby pink/purple, 87% Rayon, 13% Polyester, strappy Jessica McClintock bridesmaid dress… I don’t even know where to begin.

I have 12 hours, $50 budget and can only by 2 yards of fabric. Can I do it? OH GOLLY I HOPE SO.

Photo Shoot on Friday

I am a little swamped.  Need to finish the leather cape.  Re-hem grey dress to make it shorter! Find two pairs of shoes for the talent.  Source jewelry...  Perhaps I can buy some time at the local clock shop...

Project Runway Challenge #6: 'You can totally wear that again!'

The 'something blue' is covered, but I don't think they got the 'something toothfairy' right...

Ahhh the bridesmaid dress, worst feared by friends of future brides, often made of polyester, ill fitting, terrible solid colors and way too expensive… were those brides really your friends to begin with?

Three of these things just don't belong here!

Well, I have never been a bridesmaid; in fact I have only been to 4 weddings, one of which was my own. I didn’t have bridesmaids and those friends that did tie the knot, knew better not to have me in a poly frock standing next to them. So when I saw the Project Runway episode that aired on September 9th, I was already pretty disgusted.

Why do these ladies have their bras on over their dresses?

I have been working in the Alterations business since May and have had my fair share of wedding dress and bridesmaid dress alterations. Most of the time the dresses are made from cheap, plastic looking and feeling fabric, can you even call this crap fabric? Shiny. Rough. GLUED?!?! No, those embellishments aren’t hand sewn on by a couturier in France; they were spray glued on in China! And you paid HOW MUCH FOR THAT?

These Yoga Bridesmaids are ready to do some sun salutations!

Blows my mind and my spirit.

I am very excited to repurpose a dress, a dress that was purchased for a one time only wear. A dress that has sat in someone’s closet for too many years waiting to make it to its next stage in life: a thrift store and then a landfill.

Orange you glad your not a banana?

I will take you on poly-extravaganza and turn you into a Tony-Danza! (Errrr maybe not).

I get the dress Thursday night and start sewing Friday. Are you ready bridesmaids around the world? Are you ready to strike in the name of One-Time-Wear-Landfill dresses?

Ok, it was the 70's but I would rather see a wide lapel white suit!!!

Project Runway Challenge #5: ‘There is an I in Team’ FIN

Ahh the sweet, sweet steaming iron of success!

I just finished challenge #5, a little under 10 hours spread over the course of 2 days, and I LOVE this dress! Let’s get into the details, shall we?

Challenge #5 was a team challenge, where each team chose a concept and a textile from a list of Fall Trends Tim Gunn provided. I didn’t have the luxury of having team mates (if you can call working in a group of head-strong designers a luxury) nor the $1000 budget, but I did have the help of friends and family that chose my wonderful concept and textile for me!

My parameters were:

½ hour to sketch

$75

12 hours to sew

My Concept: Minimalist
Textile: Metallic & Lace (there was a tie)

I took on the challenge needle and thread strong. I even added to my challenge by trying to use two textiles, since there was a tie between Metallic and Lace.

Going into the sketch I thought about what Minimalism in design means to me. I had visions of 1960’s short, mod dresses, architecture, and the designs of Mary Quant (British designer noted for popularizing hot pants and the mini skirt). The dress would have to look effortless and would need to be sewn impeccably.

Purchasing fabric was easy. I found a delicious wool coating, (wool coatings are thick fabrics that protect the wearer from the cold and damp). Because wool coating is so thick, it drapes nice and stiff over the silhouette and requires minimal seams and darts; for the more fuss in the design of the garment the more bulk you get with such a thick fabric.

Being more inspired by metallic then lace, I found my metallic element quickly. PVC baby! You got it! Poly-vinyl chloride, stamped to look like sequins no less!

Patterning and sewing was a breeze since I had a strong vision to begin with. I was slow and methodical, making sure every seam was stitched and pressed to perfection, seam allowances trimmed down, armhole facings weren’t bulky, and so on.

Although this garment was very time consuming to make, it wasn’t difficult sewing, the only element of construction that gave me a hard time was the PVC. PVC sticks to the presser foot and plate of the sewing machine. Unlike fabric, it doesn’t want to glide under the needle. PVC is also easily marred by pins and so can not be pinned down to the garment before sewing. PVC can’t be ironed, so getting a crisp edge is difficult. PVC is a pain.

I think this dress is Hawt, Hot, Haught, Haute! And is perfect for when you are smuggling chinchillas. The giant 14” single welt pockets are dreamy and deep and the exposed zipper is very utilitarian. Paired with tights and sky high boots or little ankle boots for fall a gal couldn’t go wrong!

When I make this garment again, and I will for it is a must have in my closet for fall 2010, I will need to invest in a Teflon or Roller foot for my machine ($17-$40). This will speed up my PVC sewing, unless I can find a better textile for the effect.

As for the lace? Well, the design couldn’t handle metallic, heather wool, exposed zip AND lace and still be Minimal… so she is packing a hanky in one of her pockets… or wearing a lace thong… or ____________________. (You fill in the blank).

September is National Sewing Month

Did you know September is National Sewing Month!

The next 4 days I will be celebrating.

YES!

Sketch - Challenge #5

Minimalist to me is simple, clean lines, lots of structure, no frills, very limited color palate.  So I am thinking of Navy, or Grey, or White even with flects of metallic gold...and lace?  I don't know how I am going to throw that into the mix, but I am just going to have to make it work!

Exposed zipper is a must.

Really long, exagerated, deep whelt pockets in the front.

I am worried about the metallic in this challenge, because most metallic fabrics you can't iron, and to get a clean, crisp minimalist look I am going to have to figure something out.  I have ideas in my head, but won't truely know what avenue I am going to take until I get my fabric!  Off to the store!

(And yes, I know she doesn't have arms, and a REALLY long torso....)

Results are in, 25 voters total, this is how they threw their stones:

Concept:
Minimalist: 10 votes
50’s Retro/Ladylike shapes: 5 votes
Menswear for Women: 9 votes
Military: 1 vote

Textiles/Color Story:
Gold/Metallic: 7 votes
Camel: 0 votes
Leopard/Cheetah Prints: 6 votes
Plaid: 5 votes
Lace: 7 votes

Going into this project I was really excited to have my friends and family act as my team-mates and choose the direction I would style my ‘Fall Trend 2010’ garment after. I truly thought they would be kind, rewind my VHS copy of Cool Runnings, and choose a concept and textile that reflect me as a designer.

Did they? Looking at the voting results, I think NOT!

I love to do vintage inspired 50’s style garments! And Menswear for women! COMEON!! Can’t you just picture a pair of wide leg plaid trousers, blousy, feminine top and smoking hot tight leather vest? I CAN!! And don’t get me started on the Military look!! Who remembers the jacket I designed after my brother returned home from the military where I used one of his name patches? HELLO? Voters, art thou not my friends?

On the upside, the Chico’s voice was squashed and I shall not have to deal in leopard! And what is wrong with Camel? That is probably the biggest trend for fall, which is a bummer because I Good Willed my camel coat years ago, and it was stunning! Oh, and then there is plaid. PLAID!!!! My favorite, most used textile of all time!!! Only 5 votes?? But no, my friends and family want a look that screams ‘Bardello’! Hooker chic with a minimalist twist!

Well good friends, I will take your challenge and turn it up to 11. Oh yes, I am not only going to rock a Minimalist garment, but will use both Gold/Metallic AND Lace. WOA! (I just blew your minds a little.)

½ hour to sketch
$75
12 hours to sew

Thank ya’ll for your help. I will post my sketch before shopping!

Project Runway Challenge #5 ‘There is an ‘I’ in Team’

In this challenge the designers were teamed up in groups of six and create a cohesive collection that is on trend for fall 2010. Easy? Well working with other head-strong designers is never easy, but another loop was thrown, where each team had to choose a concept and a textile from the “2010 Trend Board.”

Here is how it works; there are 4 concepts the teams were to choose from: Minimalist, 50’s Retro/Ladylike shapes, Menswear for Women and Military. And there were 5 Textiles/Color Story concepts to choose from: Gold/Metallic, Camel, Leopard/Cheetah Prints, Plaid & Lace.

By narrowing down each team’s concept, it allowed the designers to use their own voices in design, but helped keep the collection cohesive… at least that was the goal.

I don’t have the opportunity to pair up with 5 other designers and sewing a collection over the course of the day, nor do I have the $1000 budget for fabric, but I DO have your help! Altering this challenge to fit my parameters I will have $75 and you will choose my Concept and Textile! WEEEEE.

Starting now through Friday at 9am you, my dear, handsome/attractive, smart friend will choose one Concept and one Textile from the 2010 Trend Board and post your choice here on my blog, email it to me or Face book your vote to me. At 9am on Friday, September 3rd, I will tally all the votes and the Concept with the most votes and the Textile with the most votes will be my inspiration to create a garment to go in Fall 2010 line.

Are you up for it?

Let’s GO!

Concept (Choose ONE):

Minimalist

50’s Retro/Ladylike shapes

Menswear for Women

Military

Textiles/Color Story (Choose ONE):

Gold/Metallic

Camel

Leopard/Cheetah Prints

Plaid

Lace

Your time starts NOW!!!

Challenge #4: ‘Hats off to You’ FIN

A little more than 12 hours later, I am done. How do I feel? Wiped. Good. Wish I had a bigger budget and 2 hours more time. Would I do it again? Yes.

When I started sketching this morning I knew I wanted to create something Tim Burton-esque, dark, brooding but with a hint of whimsy. Oh yes, I typed it, WHIMSY.

I hit the fabric store with $75 and a pretty good idea of the color palate I was going for: acrid green, sallow yellow, moonless sky navy, oil slick green/brown, and dark as my soul black. While I was fabric shopping I picked up some fabric markers to create my own pattern, since all of my fabrics were solid.

I started to tackle the cape first, which was really the only thing I sketched that came out the way I had originally planned, with one exception, I wasn’t able to get any leather. My budget was so small (I believe the Project Runway contestants received $200 on this challenge) I couldn’t afford a medium to heavy weight leather. Instead I had to buy a thin polyester version, which doesn't have the drape or weight I was looking for, but one gets the idea of my design. I cut leaf/feather shapes out of the fabric using an Exacto knife. I was hoping to give a wink and a nod to the feathers in the hat, as well as give some nice movement in the garment, also a wink and a nod to the hat. Wow, I have been winking and nodding all day.

Now on to the dress. Oh wait, in the sketch it was a dress. What happened? I’ll tell you what happened. I made a dress and did not like the fit. I knew I wanted the bottom half of the dress to look like a modern 1950’s skirt, with lots of fullness and swing. The dress ended up looked like a sausage that was left on the grill too long and the middle exploded, which I don’t care how smoking your body is, it isn't flattering!

What did I do? I ate the exploded sausage and ripped the dress apart. Since I spent so much time making the print on the bottom portion of the dress, I ba-blammed it into a skirt, complete with horsehair braid to fill out and shape the hemline. I love the print I made, and would rock this skirt, you know why? Because it has pockets!!!

By the time I was done with the re-design I only had an hour left and whipped out this cute little tank. All together I think it is pretty successful, and would wear really well with the ‘Winged Toque’ hat. Picture this outfit with platform shoes, white lacy ankle socks in a wickedly-cool photo shoot… what? You don’t have a good imagination? Well guess what? We are going to make this photo shoot happen for you.

LUCKY YOU!!!

Oh wait… before I forget… was I successful? Did I end up in the bottom 3? Did I sneak by in the middle of the group? Or, gasp, did I win this challenge?

Challenge #4 “Hat’s Off to You”

The challenge starts now!! These are my parameters:

Sketch for 15 minutes
Shop for ½ hour with a $75 budget
Design a garment using the hat provided as inspiration
12 hours of sewing time

Before I run off and start sketching I want to give a bit of information about my inspiration piece, Pinkham Millinery’s ‘Winged Toque’. A toque is a hat with a very narrow brim, or can be brimless. These types of hats were very popular in France and in Europe throughout the 13th to the 16th century.

(side profile)

Dayna Pinkham, the milliner behind this exquisite piece, found this vintage wing and knew she had to show it off in its full glory. She mounted the wing to the toque using a wire, so the wing doesn’t touch the hat at all, but bobs and sways as the wearer walks, making the hat give the appearance of taking flight.

The wing, thought to be upwards of a 150 years old, has been pieced together using many different types of bird feathers and is a myriad of colors, although my photograph doesn’t do it justice. Blue, teal, black, grey, brown, white, silver, cream, tan, green is just the start of the list. Vintage netting pulls the moody look together, dramatically shadowing the face all the way to the chin.

This hat is dark, brooding, moody, handsome, romantic….Did she place it upon my head? YES!!! Did I want to take it off? NO!

I love hats. I love beautiful things, and this beautiful hat I could only dream of having in my repertoire. For more information on this hat, or any of the other hats in her studio go to www.pinkhammillinery.com


Noon I will start, Midnight the needle stops. Are you in?

One down, 78 to go

Last night we cut into the first pie of my ‘Retro Pies: A Collection of Celebrated Family Recipes’ challenge. And boy oh boy was it a doozie!

#78: Three-Alarm Chocolate Pie wasn’t hard to make, it just had a lot of steps and took a good 2 hours to complete, which is crazy since there is only 12 minutes of baking. There was multiple whipping steps (egg whites and cream) multiple folding steps (egg whites and cream), stove top time, chilling time, grating chocolate time… and in the end it was a beautiful looking Diner pie. And guess what?!? I didn’t take a picture.

I followed the recipe right down to the amount of semisweet chocolate you grate on the top of the pie, since a part of the challenge is to follow the recipe, which I have a hard time doing in my life recipe!

If I were to make this again, which I am sure will be requested in the future, I would make a few adjustments. More chocolate in the crust, or a crust made of cookies, and I would definitely flavor the whipped cream.

So 12 lucky pie faces answered my post-pie 5 questions, and here is a sample of their answers.

1. What is your favorite pie?
Chocolate, Pumpkin, Banana Cream, Apple x 4, Lemon Meringue, Cherry, Blackberry, Mixed Berry, Sheppard’s

2. Rate the Pie (1 being the lowest, 5 being the highest): 3.99 was the average score.

3. What was the most successful part of the pie?
Texture, Consistency, All about the crust, The filling, Filling as silky as a virgin’s vagina.

4. What was the least successful part of the pie?
Plain crust, Not Sweet enough, Not a fan of the crust, Density: Wanted it more Dense YO!, Whipped Cream, Wished there was more Whipped Cream.

5. Would you eat it again?
Yes x 5, Hells Yes x 2, Fuck Yes x 2, Every Day, Fo Sho & Does Dolly Parton have a bad back?

All in all, pretty successful! Next time I must take a picture.

Manny chooses my next pie…. I wonder what it will be….

PIE & HATS... both for your face!

In honor of a best gals' birthday, I am baking my first recipe from 'Retro Pies: A Collection of Celebrated Family Recipes' today.

[I blogged about it last month, baking my way through the 79 pies in this book over the course of the rest of the year (and probably beyond), and sharing my experience (and pies if you are lucky)].

I asked her what her favorite pie was, hoping she would choose #11 (Mystic Seaport Clam Pie) or #30 (Deep South Peanut Butter Pie) or even #57 (Virginia REAL Whiskey Apple Pie- she loves to hit the Whiskey!). But alas, she went Berry and Chocolate. I'm not feeling very inspired by baking a berry pie, so I am going CHOCOLATE!!

#78: Three-Alarm Chocolate Pie

The filling includes:
- instant coffee
- eggs
- unsweetened chocolate
- semi sweet chocolate
- sugar
- whipping cream

This is only 6 of the pies 15 ingredients! The author notes: 'this pie is very rich and well worth the work.' YES!!


I will have a little note card for people to fill out if they want to participate in the feedback for my pie cook-off challenge. I think questions will include:

1. What is your favorite pie?
2. 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest, how would you rate this pie?
3. What was the most successful part of this pie?
4. W hat was the least successful?
5. Would you eat this pie again?


These questions might evolve over time, but for now K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid)!
Let me know what pie questions you might have!

NOW, down to the next order of buisness. I NEED A HAT!!!! And not just any ol hat, a fancy, pantsy, daring, elegant hat to base my next Project Runway Challenge after. I will probably sew Wednesday and Thursday... so I will need a hat before then. Any suggestions? Any hats ya'll?

Hats-capade!

Speed bump!

I just finished watching Project Runway Challenge #4: 'Hats off to you,' and I have run into a snag.

So far the last three challenges I have be able to modify quite easily, but this one is going to take some work. I need a hat, and yes, I can go and buy a hat, but that would take the surprise element out of the challenge.

Who's got a hat stash? A fabulous, wonderful hat stash? If you do, I need your help. If you don't I have these options:

- Go to a Vintage shop and have an owner choose one
-Find a hat shop that will let me take one out on loan

I can't tackle this challenge until tuesday, maybe even wednesday of next week...
Let me know your thoughts!

Project Runway Challenge #3: FIN

Party Store Challenge: Was it a party?

I think not. I enjoyed getting outside of my comfort zone, but wouldn’t choose to work with these materials unless it was Halloween, because even without trying, it looks like a costume. I also wasn’t too keen on using a glue gun. Glue gun boogers are the pits.

My inspiration was Katy Perry going to a Valentines Day party at Liza Minnelli’s house.

I suppose my inspiration was quite costume-y to begin with, choosing a woman who dresses sexy and slightly outlandish with out being too Lady Gaga, so I shouldn’t beat myself up about the garment looking like a costume, even though Nina Garcia would say it. I can hear her voice now:

‘It is cute and girly… (pause, pause, pause) but it is a little costume-y. However, (pause, pause, pause) the style lines are lovely and very reminiscent of a heart, which goes with your inspiration.’

Would Katy Perry wear it? Hells yes.
Would normal Nancy? No.
Am I happy with the outcome? Hells yes!

Let’s get into the details. For this dress I used balloons, plastic plates, tickets, napkins, streamers and a touch of tablecloth, and by a touch I mean about 12 x 2 inches. I built an interior bustier structure for the bust section out of plastic plates, having them act as boning. What is boning? Boning, which used to be made of bone, hence its name, is now constructed out of plastic or coiled wire. Boning is strategically placed in garments to provide gravity defying structure. Boning is most often found in bustiers and in strapless formal wear to keep the boobies up, but it is not limited to these garments. Many couture designers use it in hems, style lines, sleeves, etc. to create very dramatic lines.

For the outside of the garment I then used the plastic plates again to create very dramatic and modern lines around the bust, filling in the free spaces with peacock-like tickets. The further and further progress I made the more and more the tickets looked like feathers, and aesthetic I really enjoy. For added flare I created a fringed effect on the bottom of the dress with napkins, tablecloth and a touch of streamer for some sparkle.

What I like: the matte tickets, the structured top of the dress, the color palate, the whimsy of it all.

What I don’t care for: the costume aspect of the garment, the lack of something to make it pop, and my (pause, pause, pause) accessory. I said it. I know ya’ll were thinking it.

Part of the challenge was to create an accessory. Did I, yes, don’t you see that magnificent yellow star ring? Is this accessory a cop-out? YES. I waited to the last minute to come up with something. And by last minute, I mean I had 10 minutes left on my count down timer.

Would I be kicked off Project Runway for my garment? I doubt it.
Would I be in the bottom 3 for my lack of effort on an accessory? Possibly.

The real question is, when it comes to dressing, who do you most relate to?
a) Lady Gaga
b) Katy Perry
c) Normal Nancy

And would you wear this dress?

Sorry Ya'll

You know that saying “When life gives you lemons…” Well, sometimes life hands you lemons and there is no fucking way you have the spirit or energy to make lemonade in a timely fashion and that is what has happened to me.

There are three things that I hate:
1. Death
2. Ugg Boots
3. Heat*


Well this past 4 days has handed me two of the three, and I wish one of them was Ugg boots. The worst of which was the unexpected death of my dear beloved Timmy cat, a sewing companion that I probably have cursed more then praised in the studio. (He had a penchant for getting into my thread)!

Due to the problems above I have been on a time delay that will end tomorrow morning starting at 11am. I will have 5 more hours to finish my Project Runway Challenge #3, and I think I will channel Timmy for this one. He is such a party guy!

So sorry about the wait, fucking life lemons got in the way, and you can never prepare yourself for fucking life lemons. Nuff said.

*And yes, there are more then three things that bug the shit out of me… sample list:
1. Death
2. Heat
3. Ugg boots
4. Flip flops as formal wear
5. Muffin tops
6. Dead fish handshakes
7. Muffin boob tops
8. Scented Candles at a dinner party
9. Mayonnaise
10. Waiting in line

(these are just some of the top few… feel free to add your own).