More use of advanced illustration class skills

George and I are working on a graphic for the Puyallup 2016 Sewing Expo.  It's possible I may be a speaker (yeah!) and I need to send in a graphic for the catalog

 in case I get in.  

Update 17Nov15, I'm in!  I'll be teaching and have a booth. Look for the final image in the Expo catalog to find my class.

Ann Sagawa, my contact, suggested a combination of Paganoonoo pattern, starting shirts and finished garments.  Great idea!

George, with his extraordinary photography skills
captured all the elements.

However when the graphic is shrunk to the catalog size 
(smaller than this) the shirts get a bit lost.

So I decided to try an outline around the shirts and blouse.

which helps some... but still seems to blend in a bit too much.

So I thought a background from the opposite side of the color wheel might help.  It does, but is a bit too light.

So I darkened the background just to get the feel
of how it would look.  I also darkened the line around the pattern. I like it.  

Here is the whole progression.  The background probably would not have occurred to me without the training I received in Advanced Illustration last semester.

And yes, this is almost as much fun as coloring!

Here is the final version.  I printed all the elements out at the highest resolution possible.  I then cut out each item on the outside line.  Those images were positioned on a piece of blue wallpaper from FABMO (in addition to fabric they have wallpaper and tile samples). It was then scanned, turned into a jpeg, and then cropped.  

Hopefully Paganoonoo will be at Puyallup and I will meet you there in 2016!

Antoine, Guest Blogger from Vavavida, Artisan Sourced Jewelry

Being ethical is capital

Hi, my name is Antoine owner of Vavavida and I am honored to be able to share my story here. Michelle’s mission for social justice and passion for social entrepreneurship are very much aligned with mine. Both she and I work hard to bring you beautiful, fair and sustainable fashionable products with a story to tell.

Let me tell you the story of a girl I know. Sana is a young woman from a rural and very poor part of India. Being a woman in the rural, severely underprivileged northern part of India is difficult, to say the least.  India ranks 158th out of 168 countries on the gender equality index. 

For Sana growing up, opportunities were bleak so she left school and went to the city as a tween to work and help her family survive. She joined her father and a group of mostly female artisans in a metal casting workshop in the heart of Old Delhi and started working as a jewelry maker for local tradesmen. It’s a physically demanding and delicate job in the best of circumstances. It requires a great deal of skills and hard work over long work shifts. The shop where she worked was small, poorly ventilated, cramped with other artisans and generally unsafe and unsanitary due to a lack of equipment and funds. They were routinely mistreated by their clients, forced to working in unsafe conditions for minimal wages and pressured into delivering tight deadlines. 

Unfortunately, this story is a very common one in India. But where Sana’s story differs from most others is that she was able to find a solution. In 2009, Sana searched and found an Indian importer-exporter of fair trade jewelry with a base in Texas who appreciated their work, skills and designs. 

Sana and her colleagues decided to change their business operations and partner with the importer on a permanent basis. Since applying the fair trade principles to their business model, their lives and livelihoods has tremendously improved. After a few short years of constant personal and professional growth, they were able to take the next step in sustainability and created an evening education program for their members. Sana is now enrolled in that program and she will be the first woman in her community to go to college. She plans on gaining the professional skills that will help her to one day take over her aging father’s place as the head of this successful co-op. 

The reason I know Sana and her story is because we work with her and her family. Although Vavavida does not have a production facility, we work with many artisan co-ops across several continents by purchasing their wares and retailing them. This is why we do what we do. We want to make this success story the rule.

Many studies have demonstrated the importance of women’s access to education for the success of a community. With Women Equality Day just behind us, it’s important to remember that about 70% of the world’s poor are women. In countries like Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, women and girls make up around 70% of the apparel sweatshop workers and are often treated as property rather than as human beings. The Noble Peace Prize winner and Pakistani education activist Malala took a bullet to the head because she wanted to be independent and was outspoken about her right as a woman to go to school.

Breaking away from this situation and replacing it with empowered and educated women may be the most important thing we can do to help a community, a nation and the world grow. Even though women are the most affected by poverty, they are also more likely to raise a community out of poverty. Many developing countries stunt their ability to thrive because girls and women are mistreated, preventing their access to basic education. Sana’s success is a reality and fair trade can be part of the solution.

The simple act of purchasing products from companies that promote women’s rights and education can have a tremendous ripple effect down the line. 

I encourage you to change your shopping habits and be mindful of tag on the item. 

Nowadays, looking good and changing someone’s life for the better has never been so easy.

Nick and Nora PJs sacrificed for dog scarf

It is national dog day today!  

My husband is a cat lover but I prefer dogs.  
Hmm... unconditional love v.s. "You may exist in my presence.....for now" is an easy choice.

In honor of national dog day I have a project to share.  
I was thrifting (surprise!) the other day and found an adorable 
Nick and Nora pajama top. 

I can always spot Nick and Nora PJs because the graphics are so great.  I bought the top thinking I could embellish a scarf.

I've been finding really nice viscose and pashmina scarves at my local Goodwill lately.


So while we were driving to LA a few weeks ago I harvested the dogs using pinking shears.

It looks like a dog chewed it, LOL.

Then I hand sewed the dogs onto a white viscose scarf
 using a running stitch.

Totally adorable.
The small circle is to cover a stain on the scarf.





Love it with  black outfit.

I'm going to have to step away from the computer and go out in public to show it off!  Happy National Dog Day!

Fruits of Advanced Illustration last semester

Last Semester I had the pleasure of taking my second illustration class with Professor Kathleen McCarney at Canada College in Redwood City, CA, USA.  I've been using what I learned to revise my pattern covers and make sure there is some uniformity between them. 

Here I am revising the Patti Cover. It initially had flat renderings 

and I want a bit more lifelike representations.

I generally start with a photo.  

Which I then reduce to a line drawing.  It can look quite different than the photo but I find it helpful to start from a photo.  Here I added in some shadowing for a more 3D look.

I then started to audition color combinations

Not liking the blue and brown much.

This combo wasn't bad.

The pink and brown is a bit more appealing to me. The numbers written on the pages are the pen color numbers.

The final (I thought) version.
Then I realized it was too long,
not representative of how
 the pattern would turn out.

So I shortened it. Subtle
but more accurate.

It is wonderful to have control over the process. Some of you are laughing because you know I am a control freak, albeit a messy control freak.

The downside is it often takes a tremendous amount of time before I am satisfied with a drawing.  Thank goodness for the training I received!  The more I exercise my skills the faster I become and hopefully better. 

No I'm not actually at the beach now, but in honor of the (almost over) summer I've posted one of my favorite ever vacation photos from a couple of years ago.

We were in Mexico, warm sand, lovely breezes and the hotel cooked up a fish feast.  

I found this lovely dress at Goodwill right before I left.

It was on this trip that I started seriously thinking about an upcycling business.  A friend strongly encouraged me and I felt like I was not ready yet but it got me thinking about what it would take for me to be ready.

Thank you Pamela for your vision for me.  Thank you to all my other encouraging friends and family!  

In progress, the Rebecca shirt dress

I've always been partial to shirt dresses. 

I think they look great. When I feel cranky about what to wear a shirtdress is my go-to item. I feel polished and they are comfortable and easy to wear.

I've been experimenting for a future pattern (The Rebecca Dress).  So far I like knee length which looks good with flats.  I don't know about you but I can't do heels anymore. 

I'm using sleeves for the skirt and most of the sleeves are not quite long enough to go from waist to knee so I'm supplementing the length at the bottom.

Check out the price on the shirt!  ($5.39)

Most dress shirts in my area sell for between $5 and $9.  So for a three shirt dress - $27 max, such a deal!  

Upcycle sewing is green and economical. Plus, you get a garment that is unique, almost guaranteed. 

Happy Upcycling!  

New Pattern,The Sandy Blouse

JUST RELEASED:

  The Sandy Blouse is created (upcycled) from three dress shirts. 

Set yourself up for success with this Paganoonoo upcycling pattern! 

Save yourself time and aggravation; 

we've worked out all the kinks for you.  

Each step of deconstruction and reconstruction

is clearly defined and illustrated. 

What Paganoonoo customers say about using the patterns:

"Great directions - easy to use. 

I've made two of these shirts so far and 

have received lots of compliments!"

"Absolutely brilliantly clear & concise instructions"

"Amazing inspiration along with 

wonderfully helpful technical details."

Purchase your copy today!

New Pattern! Double collar instructions.

Adding a double collar to an existing shirt gives it instant flair!

Take the guesswork out of the equation and save yourself time and aggravation. Leverage upcycler fashion designer Michelle Paganini's proven methods. 

This Paganoonoo pattern will guide you through every step of harvesting a collar from and existing shirt and transferring it successfully to a new shirt. Includes instructions for mismatched collar sizes.  

Upcycle sewing made simple. 

Purchase your copy today!*

*Already included in the Peggy pattern so no need to buy this if you have a Peggy pattern.

The complete Paganoonoo collection.

Cashmere in July? Ashlee Blouse

Cashmere!




Off season is a great time to pick up out-of-season goodies like cashmere at the local thrift store.  What to do with it?




In this example the ribbing from the bottom of a sweater was used to form the band specified in the Paganoonoo Ashlee Blouse Pattern.  It was also used for the sleeve cuffs.



The color play is very subtle between the shirts so the addition of texture spiced things up a bit.



Happy upcycling!

I did it again, red and cream oxfords! Happy Forth of July!

While I was in New York for the FIT Sustainable Fashion Summer Institute a couple weeks ago I went to Grand Central Station.  Breathtaking!

I was wearing a pair of Born oxfords that I'd painted red, leaving the original cream color for part.  Lo and behold I found a shoe shine stand that sold colored waxed laces.  I purchased a number of colors.  Here I am with one of my red laces on, one to go. 

 I was wearing grey, black and white so my red oxfords really popped.  All I need with them today is blue jeans. 

 Happy Fourth of July!

I painted the oxfords "Sassy Feet" style using Lumiere paints. 

In the studio - testing new patterns

We are having a great time in the studio, 
preparing to release some new patterns. 
Here are a couple of test run samples for the Rebecca Dress.  

 It's a shirtdress that buttons all the way down the front. The top is unaltered except for the addition on a double collar.  The skirt is made with sleeves and plackets from other shirts. 

 It will be a terrific pattern for hourglass and pear shaped ladies. 

Coming your way soon!

Upcycled Paganoonoo Ashlee blouse, mango colored version for summer

 

Summer is here!  




I love the tropical colors and use of Hawaiian print in this in this version of the Ashlee blouse.  

Have you made your first upcycle blouse yet?

Paganoonoo patterns are a set of instructions (no actual pattern pieces) for how to deconstruct and reconstruct ready-to-wear into a new fashions.  This pattern starts with 3 collared shirts.  In this case one was a rayon Hawaiian shirt used for cuffs, the double collar and one side panel.

Give yourself an upcycling advantage with Paganoonoo pattern instructions!  Upcycle sewing made simple. Etsy Shop.