Tag Archives: clothing

A Group of Charming Cuties

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Adri H. | Comments Off

Last week, I had something very interesting happen. I had a kind of cute-splosion. I started illustrating for the children's apparel market so I can begin to pitch my work. I did some short research by looking at my son's clothes and picking out my super-top favorites.... and then it all just flowed.

It was remarkable. I just worked on Illustrator and out came these characters and their back-stories and little lives. I kept wanting (and still do) to keep on drawing them and their accessories and interactions...

Next, I want to develop each character on their own! What do you think?

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Tagged baby, characters, clothing, Color, cute, dress, illustration, patterns, seamless, stationery, surface patterns, textile

A Group of Charming Cuties

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Adri H. | Comments Off

Next, I want to develop each character on their own! What do you think?

Comments Off on A Group of Charming Cuties

Tagged baby, characters, clothing, Color, cute, dress, illustration, patterns, seamless, stationery, surface patterns, textile

Review: Unexpected Cables

Posted on October 20, 2015 by --Deb | Comments Off

First, the facts:

Title: Unexpected Cables: Feminine Knitted Garments featuring Modern Cable Knitting

Author: Heather Zoppetti

Published by: Interweave Press, 2015

Pages: 127

Type: Clothing and accessories

Chapters:

1. Unrefined
2. Lace
3. Abstract

The In-Depth Look:

The first sentence of this book resonated for me right away:

“One of the things I love most about knitting is the endless opportunity for learning.”

I so agree with that! Because, while I love that my favorite hobby leaves me with warm and cozy and beautiful things to get actual use out of, if that was all it was, I’d be bored by now. Knitting the same old shapes in the same old techniques … that might be fine for the sock project permanently living in my purse, but when I knit at home, I want to try new things.

Even better, I love applying old, well-known techniques in new and different ways.

Not everyone wants to sit with a book talking about technique, though. A lot of knitters learn best by actually trying things out—and considering how complex some patterns get, sometimes you need to just take a leap of faith and follow instructions. There really are times when over-thinking can get you in trouble.

So what better way to take a fresh look at something as basic as cables than through a collection of patterns?

The author writes:

“Cable knitting, like lace, is both beautiful and somewhat magical. When many people think of cable knitting, the first images that come to mind are big, boxy fisherman sweaters. This is exactly NOT what you will find in Unexpected Cables. The goal of this book is to update the cable from heirloom to modern in unexpected ways. “

The book is split into three chapters.

Refined (six patterns that “employ the humble cable in a refined way”)
Lace (six patterns that “feature lace that ranges from all-over to a simple sprinkling of eyelets, as well as balances the openness of lace with the denseness of cabling”), and
Abstract (projects that “feature cables on the canvas of unexpected construction” to keep things modern and edgy)

Now, this is not the first book I’ve seen that promises to ‘update’ cables from the old-school view of bulky Aran sweaters, nor is it the first to use cables in a light, modern way. So for that reason, I could probably argue with the title, that these are hardly “unexpected,” but that doesn’t mean they’re not good. You’ve got sweaters, wraps, gloves, socks, hats … the usual blend of project types to keep you busy and inspired. There’s not a lot by way of instruction or explanation—this is solely a pattern book, not an educational one, but that’s not a bad thing. Beautiful patterns are practically the soul of knitting, after all—right after keeping cozy and warm.

You can find your own copy at Amazon.com.

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press. Thank you!

My Gush: How can you not love a good book with cables?

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Tagged cables, clothing, heather zoppetti

Review: Top Down

Posted on October 5, 2015 by --Deb | Comments Off

First, the facts:

Title: Top Down: reimagining set-in sleeve design

Author: Elizabeth Doherty

Published by: Quince & Co., 2015

Pages: 116

Type: Patterns and Techniques

Chapters:

Set-in Sleeve Basics
Patterns

The In-Depth Look:

Knitting books sponsored by yarn companies can be hit-or-miss. They’re main objective, after all, is to sell yarn, so they’re not always overly concerned for the quality of the patterns, or a well-thought-out process, so long as the finished designs photograph well.

And then there are books that make you nod and say, ‘Yes, that’s how it should be done.’

The purpose of this book is to explore different ways of knitting top-down sweaters with set-in sleeves. Pam Allen writes in the forward, “Knitting a sweater from the neck down isn’t new. Barbara Walker wrote her revolutionary book Knitting From The Top Down in 1972. But… Advantages aside, not everyone wants a raglan sweater. Some prefer the tailored look of a sweater with a classic set-in sleeve. Elizabeth Doherty, fan of both top-down knitting and set-in sleeve structure, has, through painstaking experiment, tweaked Walker’s basic picked-up set-in sleeve method to create perfect seamless sleeve caps that look and fit as nicely as any knitted from the cuff up.”

Well, as a knitter who loves knitting top-down, one-piece sweaters, this is practically a siren call. How could I resist?

What follows is Elizabeth Doherty’s exploration of sleeves and sweaters. What does a set-in sleeve need to do, how does the cap need to be shaped, how does it need to fit? For that matter, how do you fit a sweater with set-in sleeves properly? She answers all these questions with words and images to help the knitter visualize exactly what needs to happen for her own sweaters–and what she might need to tweak as she goes.

This followed by actual sweater patterns, six of them, cardigans and pullovers alike. Some are quite simple, others more complex, all are lovely, with details nicely photographed.

About my only complaint with this lovely, informative book is that the landscape-orientation is going to make it really hard to fit on my bookcase, because, yes, I plan on keeping this one around.

You can get this book at your local yarn shop or order it from Amazon.com.

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Quince & Co. Thank you!

My Gush: Informative!

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Tagged clothing, Elizabeth Doherty, Reference

Review: The Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting

Posted on September 21, 2015 by --Deb | Comments Off

First, the facts:

Title: The Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting: Techniques, Stitches, Projects

Author: Faina Goberstein & Simona Merchant-Dest

Published by: Interweave Press, 2015

Pages: 175

Type:

Chapters:

1. All About Slip-Stitch Knitting
2. Traditional Slip-Stitch Patterns
3. Woven Slip-Stitch Patterns
4. Fancy Slip-Stitch Patterns
5. Reversible Slip-Stitch Patterns

The In-Depth Look:

Slip-stitch knitting is one of those techniques that is very simple to do, but often misunderstood, because it seems like it’s hard. (It’s not.) What this technique is, though, is versatile.

Faina Goberstein and Simona Merchant-Dest have compiled a collection of both slip-stitch stitch patterns and patterns for sweaters and accessories using them.

I love collections like this because they give you the knowledge to create your own things–how to do slip-stitch patterns, what to do with it, why you want to use it, what its advantages are, and so on. But then, just in case after reading all that, you’re feeling a bit tired or lazy, they just go straight ahead and put it all into ready-to-go patterns, just for you.

The designs are great, too. Some are simple, some are complex. There are large things like sweaters, but also small things like hats and scarves if you want to carefully get your feet wet. There’s more than one thing in here that I would be happy to make, but that doesn’t surprise me. I’ve liked Faina Goberstein’s patterns for ages and they hit a nice balance between “innovative” and “classic”–my favorite combination.

You should definitely check this out. You can get this lovely book at Amazon.com.

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press . Thank you!

My Gush: Clever and stylish.

Other posts for this author:

Casual, Elegant Knits

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Tagged Accessories, clothing, Faina Goberstein, simona merchant-dest

Sew Many Dresses, Sew Little Time

Posted on August 5, 2015 by --Deb | Comments Off

I don’t review sewing books, as a rule (or, well, ever), but since Potter Craft was good enough to send me a copy of “Sew Many Dresses, Sew Little Time: the Ultimate Dressmaking Guide,” by Tanya Whelan, I wanted to at least mention it–if only because it’s as impressive as hell, even to somebody who hasn’t tried sewing her own clothes since high school.

This book is not only 208 pages of thorough information about, well, everything you need to know about dresses–bodices, necklines, sleeves, skirts, fitting–but it comes with paper patterns you can use to make them. (I’d never really thought about that before–what an advantage knitting books have because they can just tell you the pattern and all you need to do is supply the yarn. But for sewing, of course you need something to lay on your fabric to get the shapes right.

Like I said, I haven’t done any serious sewing (i.e., clothes) in years–the most my sewing machine does these days is liners for knitted bags and the occasional hem. I do still have a decent number of books about it, and this one impressed me a lot. Lots of detail, lots of variations, lots of useful information–all with good photos and clear illustrations.

It might not be my usual kind of book to review, but if dress-making is something you’re at all interested in, you should definitely check this out.

You can get Sew Many Dresses, Sew Little Time here at Amazon.com.

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Tagged clothing, tanya whelan

Tasting and Spilling On The Vineyard …

Posted on June 14, 2015 by mvobsession | Comments Off

With the Taste Of The Vineyard Gourmet Stroll coming up on June 18 and The Taste Of The Vineyard’s Patron Dinner & Auction on June 20, 2015, I’d like to tell my story about the one and only time I went to this lovely and delicious event 22 years ago in 1993.

My daughter Deb and I decided to treat ourselves to The Taste of the Vineyard, we’d never gone before and it seemed like a fun and different thing to do. Off we went to the Vineyard for a glorious long weekend of eating, shopping and tasting. The weather turned brutally hot all along the Eastern seaboard, it verged on 100 degress which is unusual for mid June. A few hours before the Taste was to begin welcomed thunder storms rolled in and dropped the temps about 25 degrees. The evening was cool and clear and perfect.

We donned our new outfits and headed over to the grounds of the Preservation Trust which are located at the Dr Daniel Fisher house in Edgartown. The house is a beautiful Federal style home surrounded by lush gardens. It’s gorgeous.

We gingerly and hungrily entered the tents where all foods and drinks were on display. Lots of eager tasters were already there. We got our dishes and start wending through the crowds. We found seats and set about our tastings.

The tables were set with crisp white tablecloths.. in the middle of the tables were mounds of sand with seashells and rocks scattered about and a large hurricane lamp with candle sitting in the middle of the sand. Simple and tasteful, much like the occasion. The bite sized portions of appetizers and entrees were just satisfyingly enough. Had to leave room for the abundance of dessert samples after all.

But… the thing that mostly interested me was trying for the first time the Frozen Cappuccino from Espresso Love one of my most favorite places on MV. I returned to our table with my cup, eager to taste what smelled and looked delicious. I set it on the table… or at least I thought I had… but no, I had sort of placed it precariously near the edge and it landed in my daughters lap, almost the entire cup of cappuccino!!!!! On her new skirt !

(The part of the original skirt is now being portrayed by a stand-in)

Deb loved the skirt and had hoped to wear many, many times. I felt awful, I still do… it was an accident. I mean after all I myself had gotten a drop or two on my new shoes. We cleaned her up as best we could and I believe she went and got me a second cup of frozen cappuccino. I set it down on the table and… it hit the rocks and there before our eyes it oozed from the rocks and sand onto the table cloth. It looked like the tide had come in… it wasn’t pretty and it was embarrassing. Could it be that maybe the third time would work! I had to find out so off I went for the third cup of frozen cappuccino. I walked carefully back to the table, avoiding being bumped or nudged. I approached the table… Deb grimaced… I held the cup tightly in both hands… I bent to set it down… and… I did it, I made solid contact with table. I then raised the cup to my lips and actually got to taste the frozen cappuccino and I have to tell you… it was good, it was very very good, it was joy to my taste buds. I loved it and I still do, I try to have one at least once during every trip to MV. And of course I feel compelled to apologize each time to my daughter for her long lost beautiful skirt.

This blurry picture of the two of us was taken at the end of the evening. At least we’re laughing because no matter what, we always enjoy ourselves on the Vineyard.

(PS.. apology #27..I’m still sorry about the skirt)

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Tagged clothing, dining, Events, Family, food, Martha's Vineyard, Photographs

A Mystery T …

Posted on June 5, 2015 by mvobsession | Comments Off

The mystery unfolds …

I spotted this t-shirt in the window of a store in Edgartown about 20 years ago. I liked the cartoon depictions of MV landmarks and also the cute characters enjoying themselves. It seemed like a perfect shirt… I wanted it badly but alas it was around 8pm on an early May evening and the store was closed up tight. I obsessed on this shirt all evening… I could see it in my minds eye… the Flying Horses, the cliffs at Gay Head, Martha’s Vineyard spelled out in semaphore flags, the airport, the lighthouses, the ferries, the gingerbread houses… just about everything was there.

The next morning we got to the store just as it was opening. But wait, the t-shirt was not in the window… where was it ? We dashed inside and I explained to the ladies there that I had seen a certain t-shirt in the window less then 12 hours before and now it wasn’t there. They looked perplexed ! Neither of them knew what t-shirt I was talking about, they’d never seen a t-shirt like that before and would certainly have remembered such a different sort of shirt. I wondered if I’d entered the Twilight Zone ! They reiterated that it couldn’t have possibly have been in their window… they closed the store up the night before and had been the only ones working in the store all day ! I know my dreams are vivid but I didn’t think I was that good.

Oh well, as long as we were there we decided to browse. With a sigh I headed off to half-heartily look around. Cute stuff but… hold on a second, something caught my eye. It wasn’t even with the other t-shirts, it was mingled in with, I don’t remember what, all I knew was that I had found IT. I grabbed my prize and ran to show it to the ladies. They were stunned, they had never seen that t-shirt before !!!! So, I ask you, was it in the window the night before… did someone move it out of the window and onto a rack without their knowledge… is this story made up and… does the t-shirt exist for certain !!! Stay tuned to find out !!!!