Featherstitch Avenue

The Limit Benefit

11.10.2019 by Tracey //

Do you watch Project Runway? I’m sure a lot of you reading this have seen at least a few episodes, if not every season. Have you noticed with some of the designers that they excel with the challenges, but when it comes time to design their collection it’s a disaster? I’ve noted this pattern frequently. It’s like their creative brain works better when they are constrained by the parameters of the challenge. And conversely, when they are given a big budget for fabric and the freedom to design whatever they want, it’s just a big mess. Maybe it’s because when the sky’s the limit, the choices are too overwhelming.

I know there’s truth to this because I’ve experienced it myself. In art school, I was one of those nerds who loved to get challenging assignments. The more restrictive the better. One of my favorite assignments in photography class came when I was asked to make landscape-like images without leaving my home. What does that even mean? I wasn’t sure but it sure did get the creative juices flowing when I was trying to crack the case.

It was kind of a shock to the system after graduation when I could make whatever I wanted. I found that I made the same mistakes that I see Project Runway designers making. I’d get stuck and not be able to do anything. Or I would take every idea I ever had and throw it all together like it was going to be the last thing I ever made. I discovered that the only way I could get myself out of this rut was to give myself limits.

This top is a product of a design challenge that I gave myself. I bought the black crochet bib on a whim after browsing on Etsy. I thought it was so pretty. But when it arrived, I realized that I truly had absolutely no idea what I would do with the thing. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, came to mind. Okay. Now I have to figure this out. My challenge, should I choose to accept it, was to make a garment using the crochet bib and additionally using only fabric and trim that I already owned.

I tried it with Liberty Lawn and I tried it with crepe de chine and just could not get excited about anything. I was so ready to break my own rule and request some samples from B&J. It was only when I was cleaning up my sewing space that I casually tossed the bib on top of some lace that I picked up in Dublin. That’s when my other favorite kind of creative breakthrough happened. The happy accident! Without the self imposed limit and acceptance of the challenge, the serendipity couldn’t have happened.

It’s almost become automatic for me now to create some kind of structure to work within. I find it helps me come up with things that I never could have pulled out of thin air. Try it for yourself and see.

Pattern, designed and drafted by me

Fabric, Limerick Lace, Cloth Dublin

Crochet Bib, Etsy

Ribbon Trim, Mokuba

Photography by Santiago Vanegas

Learning Curve

04.24.2019 by Tracey //

Hello Everyone. I know it’s been awhile since I last posted, but I’m still here! My friends sometimes call me a turtle. Not only because I tend to work slow and steady, but also because I have been known to retreat into my shell. A close friend who used to live next door to me would joke that there were periods of time when all he would see of me was my forearm pushing the door open to get my pizza delivery. Funny and true.

I have a very good reason for retreating lately. I’ve been nurturing an idea. I don’t know about you, but when I have a creative project that is newly born, it needs lots of protection and care. So I’ve just been quietly doing my thing over here.

And like many creative adventures, there’s a steep learning curve. It’s kind of tough to push yourself to the next level because it requires leaving behind your proficiency and coming to terms with the fact that there are a lot of mistakes and missteps in your future. But what else are you are going to do? If you don’t take that step, you just stay stuck.

I’ve been doing a lot of lying awake at night, designing clothes in my head. The trick is to be able to get those ideas down on paper before the self-sabotaging thoughts get in the way. It’s all fine at 2 am but by morning I start to tighten up.

The best way to get good at something is to practice, practice, practice. The more you flex the muscle the stronger it gets. So I just play a little head game and tell myself when I sit down to sketch that I only have to come up with five bad designs. It is so much easier to get started when all I have to do is make bad drawings. The pressure is off and no matter what I come up with I’ve met my goal. Regardless of the result, I feel good.

This top is a product of one of my “bad” designs. And I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I wanted to create something that had a modern Victorian feel. The seaming and the hem are reminiscent of a corset. The collar comes up higher on the neck. In some ways it’s a modest top as it covers up a lot of the body, but the close fit and the peek-a-boo at the back lend it a bit of sexiness.

Don’t even ask how many times I tweaked the muslin to get it right. My pattern making skills are a work in progress. But I’m getting there! Slow but sure. (I told you I am a turtle.) All of the ups and downs were totally worth it because I have a top that is exactly what I want it to be. The first time I wore it, I had someone ask me where they could buy one. I was so proud to tell her that I designed it and made it myself. And bless her, she said that I need to hurry up and start making more to sell. Who knows? That may be in my future.

Pattern, Designed and Drafted by Me

Fabric, Liberty Lawn, B&J Fabrics

Photography by Santiago Vanegas

Oh, Silly Me

09.12.2018 by Tracey //

Hi guys! Welcome back! The kids are back in school and I can get my head together just enough to sit down and compose this blog post. Wahoo!

Today I want to talk about a good friend of mine. We’ve known each other now for a long time and this is how our friendship began. On our very first coffee get-together, she told a story on herself that I will never forget. She said that she had recently had a morning that she woke up full of confidence. She looked in the mirror and decided that she was having a “cute day”. You know what she means—it’s one of those rare days when you look good and you know it. So she put on her special vintage swimsuit and took her kids to the pool. While she was there, she noticed a young couple who were looking at her. And she thought, “Yep, I knew it. I AM having a cute day. Even the twenty-somethings are looking at me.” She had one of the best days at the pool ever. It was only after she got home that she realized that her tampon string was hanging out of her bathing suit.

I knew right then that we were going to be very very good friends. For me, there is no better quality to possess than the ability to laugh at yourself. It’s a trait that a number of my friends have, which is no surprise, because I find it so endearing and attractive. I wish I could say I’m drawn to people like my friend because I’m like that too. But the truth is I’m attracted to people who don’t mind embarrassment because I’m the exact opposite. I mind it A LOT.

I have been actively working on cultivating the ability to laugh at myself for years and my thoughts on the subject kind of clicked into place this summer when our family was on vacation. The kids decided they wanted to try water-skiing. Before they went out, my mom and I both tried to tell them that it takes a lot of practice to get up on water skis and it may not happen on your first time out. The oldest of my nephews brushed it off. He’s a natural athlete and wasn’t worried. But when he came back, he announced decisively that he would NEVER water ski ever again. Oh man, this child is so much like me.

I worked so hard without much success to convince him to try again. I told him the story of how I learned to get up on skis. My grandfather wanted to give us some practice before we got out on the lake. So my sister and I put on our skis in the swimming pool and he got out the ski rope. Then he ran poolside holding the ski rope and pulled us on top of the water, which worked fine until we let go of the rope. At that moment, he would go careening face first into the lawn. And we would all crack up laughing. His willingness to risk not only embarrassment but life and limb to teach us to ski will always make me smile.

The truth is that most creative pursuits (or athletic or academic ones) will eventually lead you out of your comfort zone. And if you are so worried about embarrassing yourself that you stay in safe territory, you will end up cutting yourself off from a multitude of opportunities and experiences that can really open up your world. I speak from experience. It’s too bad that I wasn’t wiser when I was young. It’s only after many years of practicing tolerance of embarrassment that I learned to do things that have become deeply satisfying to me.

Creating this blog is surely an example of this. When I started to build my website, I called tech support often. As I listened to the recording “This may be recorded for quality assurance purposes”, I’d think, “Yeah, you may just want to record this to play for your friends so you can share a good laugh!” But hey, I got through it with my ego only slightly bruised. I’m more proud that I stuck with it than I am worried about how the tech support guy must have found my lack of knowledge hilarious. There’s some personal growth for you!

And just to really drive the point home, I’ll tell you another story. That same friend who is impervious to embarrassment mentioned to me that I had a chin hair that I may want to pluck. Good God, y’all!! This thing had gotten so long, I swear it curled like a pig’s tail! There! See?? It’s just like my mom says, “I’m living proof that you can’t die of embarrassment.”

Pattern, Panel Tank, Alabama Chanin

Fabric, Organic Cotton Jersey in Peacock

Details, Featherstitching in Button Craft Thread in Dogwood

Photography by Tracey Hogan and Santiago Vanegas

Video by Santiago Vanegas

Location, Inspire Health

Okay, time for some details about my top. The panel tank is part of Alabama Chanin’s Build a Wardrobe 2018. I stitched the seams to the outside, opened up the seam allowances, and then featherstitched on top. (About time I showed some featherstitiching on Featherstitch Avenue!) I used the stitching template from The Geometry of Sewing to get my stitching nice and uniform.

In keeping with the theme of this post, I had to overcome a little embarrassment to pull off this photo shoot. The best Pilates studio in Atlanta, Inspire Health very generously allowed Santiago and I to use one of their workout rooms. We both work out there. Our photo concept required me to ham it up in front of Inspire’s big mirror while snapping the photos myself with a cable release button. That’s what I’m holding in my hand in case you didn’t know. So, here I am, acting like a goofball in front of the mirror while the other clients are walking by, giving me very strange looks. These are people that I see regularly, so I can’t even console myself by saying that I’ll never see these people again.

And lastly, given how I put myself out there, Santiago decided he would too. What you have here is his debut as a composer and performer!! The music score of the video is a Santiago original. And just so you know, you can see more of Santiago’s videos on his You Tube Channel. Please check it out!