Saturday, September 26, 2009

my friend, fashion is danger


"Aurora" shrug back
Originally uploaded by I Will Fly design
Just a quick note to let everyone know that if you are looking for I Will Fly on Facebook the page is here!
I've just completed a new shrug, this one was made using a lovely 100% linen fabric that my mother (whom I have written about before) hand dyed. The colors and pattern reminded me of the ocean, or the northern lights. What does it remind you of?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Autumn falling


Irene capelet
Originally uploaded by I Will Fly design
We're hoping to break away from the craziness of everyday life next week and visit our favorite piece of coastal redwoods. In honor of those cool breezy days with the mist in your hair (and of course the upcoming change of seasons! I can't wait to say goodbye to 100*+ days!) I created this capelet from wool herringbone.
This is one of those designs that came about because of a certain fabric. In this case the inspirational fabric was the dark chocolate brown plaid cotton I used as a trim. As soon as I saw it at the fabric shop I knew I wanted to make a Sherlock Holmes inspired cape. It took me over a year to decide what fabric I wanted to pair it with, though! After a lot of searching and some serious consultation with my in-home design consultant (my husband) I chose this lovely wool herringbone shot with subtle colored threads.
To draft the pattern for this capelet I started by draping the design on a half-scale dress form (I didn't have quite enough spare fabric to drape it on a full size form) and then scaled it up using the grid method to enlarge the design. I made a mock-up from an old table cloth I had around to see how it would turn out and I was pleasantly surprised! I liked it much more than I had thought I would, I even liked it in the musty old red tablecloth fabric with big 70's patterns all over it! I've decided to make more of these in the future, I like it so much. I am thinking maybe try it out in velvet? Maybe some more lovely wools? Lots of possibilities to work with here.
I impressed myself by mitering (a special way of turning corners so they form a pretty little point) the trim at all the corners, which turned out really nicely and looks very slick and tailored. I am always glad to pat myself on the back after a job well done ;P