The 7th edition of the international and interdisciplinary fashion festival – FASHIONCLASH – took place last week from June 11th – 14th in Maastricht. The 4-day festival program complete with fashion shows showcased upcoming creative talent, exhibitions, fashion... »

Good Morning Everyone!! Last week was quite a whirlwind of a week. My husband and I had planned a trip to Big Sky, Montana. As it turned out, the week I was supposed to be in Montana was the exact same week of the sewing expo in Puyallup, Washington. Thankfully, I was able to do both. Isn't that mountain incredible?!! I actually went all the way to the tip top peak. It was a breath taking experience. On Friday of last week, I caught a plane out of Bozeman, Montana and flew to Seattle, Wasington where a friend of mine picked me up at the airport. It's always such a treat to have the opportunity to spend time with an old friend. Saturday morning the two of us made our way to the sewing expo. If you've never had the opportunity to attend, I hope you will as it is an incredible experience. And yes, I did buy fabric. Please don't tell my husband!!! When we arrived, I made my way over to the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital booth. All of our pillowcases were there. They had decided to leave them boxed rather than unpack them and pack them again for their trip to the hospital. When I arrived at the booth, I was so surprised to see the tally. As of 3:30 on Saturday afternoon, they had collected over 6000 pillowcases. Over 1000 of these belong to so many of you :) I was told that the number of collected pillowcases each year always runs somewhere in the 4000 to 4500 range. I was also told that we were a great inspiration for the project. They said that many people came by the booth and said that they had never donated before, but they saw here on the blog what so many of you did from all over the world, so they too wanted to contribute. The representatives from Mary Bridge said that you made the difference this year. All of you who contributed have so much to be proud of! Before I left for my trip, I received a note from Andrea of http://knit-knac.blogspot.com/. She said that she had her pillowcases cut and ready to go and wondered if it was too late to send them. I told her that if she could get them to me before I left, I would gladly take them with me. They made it just in time, so I put them in my suitcase and off we all went. Above is a picture of some of the 10 pillowcases that Andrea made. Just to prove that I really did make it, here's a picture of me with Mallory, the Mary Bridge representative. When I met her last year, she was a skinny little thing. She is now pregnant with twin boys!!! So wonderful! On the left is Susan, another representative from Mary Bridge. Wow, are they ever lucky to have her. Such an upbeat lady, so full of joy. Home and Garden magazine is promoting a campaign to make and donate 1 million pillowcases. The booth was humming away. I was told that by Saturday afternoon, over 900 pillowcases had been made at the expo. So our pillowcase journey comes to an end. They have officially been handed over. I didn't cry, for a change ;). It was much too happy of an ending to cry, even for joy. It has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I feel that so many of you have become friends and I so hope that somewhere along the way our paths will cross, but if they don't, please know that you will forever hold a very special place in my heart. As we put this project to bed, I'll share one last picture with you. For some reason, my friends enjoy taking pictures of me sleeping. Funny :) A blanket and a comfortable chair is a dangerous place for me!! Just remember, there is strength in numbers and when we come together, even what seems impossible is possible. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Rhonda

Like so many of you, I save a lot of pictures for inspiration. If you want to create beautiful things, it's important to look at everything you can get your hands on as you never know what will spark a little creativity. The first picture is one that I found last week and labeled it, "I Love This!!" I put it in Google images and tried to find its origination, but with no luck. I would love to see the finished garment, so if someone is a little better than I am about finding things, please let me know and I'll post the finished pictures. But for now, isn't this beautiful?!!! Be sure to take a minute or so and really look at the piece as the seam lines are so very interesting. A few weeks back, I did an inspiration post on buttonholes. I found this picture a little later, but I thought you would enjoy it nonetheless. Again, take a close look as the little bias pieces around the buttons as they are finished with thread arrows. What a gorgeous idea for a coat lining. Take a look at this sleeve. And this one. I don't know that I would ever do it, but it is interesting. This sleeve I will be doing. It is just so pretty and delicate. This coat is actually from the late 1800's. I would wear this today in a heartbeat, although I think I would prefer not to have the crocheted twists at the hem. I missed posting this dress when I did the 1960's post, but what a fun little dress! Not for everyone, but still fun. For those who enjoy repurposing, check out this top. It looks like 3 different sweaters were used to create this piece. I love the lines of this skirt. What a fun stripe project this would be. Vintage garments and patterns are always a great source of inspiration. Look closely at this piece. The top actually wraps around to the back closure. Beautifully done. Now, for one of the most disgusting things I've seen in a while...oh my goodness what was this designer thinking???? Sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you spit out your morning coffee ;) But then again, even bad design can spark an idea....maybe. Have a wonderful, inspiration filled week! Rhonda

Good Morning All!!! Playing around with darts is something I have enjoyed from the first moment I began to learn anything about pattern drafting. I'm sure you've seen pictures like the one below, interesting, but intimidating for sure. The picture gives ideas, but no instruction about how to actually move the darts around. It also seems rather dated. But, take a look at the picture below, a lovely vintage Vogue pattern, right out of the 1940's. The dress was lovely then and now. Now take a look at this dress. Same idea as above, but with a very modern take. Here's another idea on creating dart interest. Notice that the darts are actually sewn so that they show on the outside of the garment. The middle dart radiates to the bust point, but the other 2 are above and below the bust. Here's another idea of creating interest with darts. Once again they are sewn to the outside of the garment, and extra interest was added by inserting leather. To create the skirt below, the darts were incorporated into the princess seam lines. The darts along the outside panels offer nothing more than interest. The dress below shows how the darts of the bodice were divided and then formed to radiate from the waistline over the bust. The design was repeated in the skirt where the skirt waist darts were rotated to the side seam and then flared out over the hips. Here's another lovely example of radiating darts creating interest with this Decades of Style pattern. With the dress below, all of the darts were rotated to the shoulder and developed into tuck of flange, which works beautifully with the draped back. Below is a wonderful example of darts that create an illusion of fit. The top is a Marcy Tilton pattern. There is a slight amount of fit at the waistline, but the darts give the illusion of more fit than there actually is. Here's the flat drawing of the blouse. Just a lovely use of dart manipulation. You can find the pattern HERE if you are interested. It's a style that would look great on just about every body type. Here's another fabulous use of dart rotating. Darts were rotated to create the princess seam line and then moved into the neckline. A dress that at first looks very simple is really quite complicated. Great design! The dress is from the Reem Acra Spring 2013 collection. The entire collection, although 2 years is old, is lovely wand well worth a look. If you would like to give rotating darts a try, just google "dart manipulation" and you should be able to find how it is done. It's basically quite simple. Get a basic bodice, draw in a line where you would like a dart to be, cut on that line and then close up the existing dart. Like magic a new dart will open up! Hope your week is off to a lovely start! Rhonda

I love to wear skirts! They are so versatile. You can mix and match them with blouses, sweaters, or pair them with jackets. They can be worn with tights and flats or tights and boots. You can change the look by simply changing your shoes from flats to stilettos. Because I love skirts, I am always on the look out for an interesting design and I've found a few that I thought you might like too! I wish I could see a complete front view of this skirt. But regardless, I really like the asymmetrical hem and the side seam welt pocket. A wrap skirt is always lovely. I love how they played with the pattern on this skirt. I'm sure you've seen this skirt on Pinterest. It's a very popular pin. But it derserves to be looked at again as it is such a lovely and dramatic design. Okay, we need Bunny of La Sewista for this one, especially since she is a smocking guru. I REALLY want to know how to do this!!! I don't care for the little buttons, but I do love the technique. Simple, yet so graceful. Here's another interesting wrap. I think this is so pretty. Look closely and you'll see that inside the center of the drape is a zipper. Sadly the zipper looks a bit off, but it's a great idea nonetheless. Since this skirt is in white, it's a little difficult to see, but if you look closely, you'll see that it has very interesting lines. What a lovely take on a pleated skirt. A cute take on a kilt design. This skirt makes me want to throw my sandals on and head for Bermuda!!! It just screams summer. I love how the scalloped edge was taken around the hem and then up the center back to accent the vent opening. Such a comfortable looking skirt. From Eileen Fisher. I believe that Marcy Tilton has a Vogue pattern that is quite similar. I love everything about this skirt. Take a striped fabric and add godets. Lovely. Now for a little comic relief ;) I'll say this, it's interesting!!! I have some fabulous surprises up my sleeve for you this week, so please be sure to check back. Also, the voting for the Get Your Motors Running Contest ends tonight so be sure to get your vote in if you haven't done so already. Have a wonderful day and a great week!!!! Rhonda

I am a saver and I especially enjoy saving pictures of things that inspire me. I have notebooks full of pictures and computer files that I ...

#BoFW

This coat offers a unique style that combines a modern flare with vintage details. Made of burlap, this coat features an ankle-length hem and a flared fit that offers a structured silhouette. Perfect for any season, this coat will help you make a statement.

Embroidery fans, assemble! We’re huge fans of creativity, art, and making things with your hands. We wouldn’t be Bored Panda if we weren’t. And the r/Embroidery subreddit never fails to impress us!

Overgrowth is a new and ongoing artistic collaboration between photographer Parker Fitzgerald and floral designer Riley Messina. Inspired by a pursuit of beauty, Riley combines classically thoughtful botanical designs with Parker’s carefully considered film images in an expression of the multifaceted relationship between humankind and nature. The two artists contrast anonymous portraiture with sweeping landscapes […]

I am a saver and I especially enjoy saving pictures of things that inspire me. I have notebooks full of pictures and computer files that I ...

Citing the modern art movement, Excessivism, as a major influence on her collection, Choi aims to highlight the social issues of excess and consumer waste. In preparing for her collection, she studied the closets of her friends and family: “I decided that we have so much clothing, but we only wear a portion of it. Each stripe represents a garment and it’s multiplied so that excessiveness comes to life to symbolize over consumption.” Choi made deliberate design choices to use colors and synthetic materials that were most represented in the closets she studied.

So cute and colorful!

Enjoying beauty as well as human creativity is the limit, so the fashion industry has never been out

Dynamic proportions and crisp, clean angles make this lightweight jacket an elegant, easy-to-wear piece. It features the artist's unique arm awning sleeve design, which pairs a structured top and an open bottom to provide coverage without letting you get overly warm. All of Widuch's pieces are meant to be worn loose and move with and around you. The shoulders should fit comfortably, but the design will leave ample space around the waist.

Nicky Zeng photographs the coolest, wildest, and most stylish looks at Paris Fashion Week spring 2020 for the Cut.

Explore ggnyc's 8165 photos on Flickr!