Tuesday, May 28, 2013

The Heather Line

Well, Heather has given permission to show her designs—which is probably a good idea because even though school is out for me I have still been insanely busy, and I don't know how soon I could show them to her in person.

The project was to interview a real, live person, find out a little about their lifestyle, what kind of clothes they like, how much they might spend, etc., and design three outfits for them.  Heather was the first to volunteer, so she got the interview.  :-)

Heather's tastes seem to be very similar to mine (in fact, when she comments on my other designs her favorites are usually mine as well).  She said she was open to anything, which kind of makes it harder to design for her. 

I also had to find out if she had any body issues to work around.  Pretty Heather is six feet tall, slender, and in her early thirties (such a good age to be!); I had a hard time imagining that she would have any body issues.  But we all do and so does she; I will not, however, reveal her hang-up here because it is nobody's business. :-)  I will say that I researched "how to flatter . . ." online, and found some answers.

I was supposed to draw the line, return for a second interview, and make any changes that she would prefer—or even scratch it all and start over again.  But I ran out of time before the assignment was due, so I just turned it in.  Then the teacher had a baby and Heather never got to see these at all—until now.  So she can post her opinions, or maybe some day we can get back together and finish this assignment the right way. :-)

Anyway, here is the original draft of my "Heather" line: 
 
for date night, or for church

First we have an A-line skirt in a slightly heavier/stiffer medium-weight fabric like twill or denim (to help hold it's shape). It has a pleated front, high, wide waist band, and contrasting buttons. The top is a poly-lycra blend with ruching at the bust and the shoulders, and buttons in the center front help draw your eyes right up to Heather's pretty face.  (By the way, it is hard to try to draw the face of someone you actually know.) 


for every day, or a night at the movies
Next is a blouse made of a lightweight cotton in orchid with a white-striped yoke, cinched in lightly with a thin belt.  It is paired with white jeans. (This blouse looks like something my sisters and I might have worn in the late 70's or early 80's—probably in a more earthy color back then.)  I chose colors from this Spring's palette, but wasn't really sure about this whole look for Heather.  So I tried re-coloring it (in Photoshop) and I think it might be a better match for her:

Heather looks really pretty in bright colors, so I changed the blouse to red with another red tone for the stripes in the yoke.  Change the white jeans for khaki pants and the white belt for one in cream, and I like the look better. The real question is, what does Heather think?


for a night on the town

Once a year Heather goes to a semi-formal/formal . . . event —a fireman's benefit or ball or something like that—with her husband, so I designed this outfit with that in mind.  She has a green, asymmetrical top with a half-cowled neck on one side, ruching at the waist on the opposite side.  The top is made of a silky, lightweight, stretch ITY (a knit fabric which doesn't really wrinkle and drapes nicely). The "bling" pieces at the shoulder and side are actually bar pins that can be removed so the top can be worn with jeans or slacks for a less formal occasion.  The skirt is fitted at the waist and hips, straight to the knees with a flare down to the hem.  It's made in a black stretch velvet—or a slightly heavier ITY fabric—for lovely drape, ease of movement, and a very dressy look.

So there you have it.  The Heather line, and the last of my Illustration work for Spring semester; this was a fun assignment to do, but I really would re-do the whole thing at Heather's whim.

In the meantime, I have other big projects going.  I'll tell more about them as they unfold. :-)


Friday, May 24, 2013

Same Missionary Bake Sale, New Rules

I've been debating with myself whether I'd do this sale or not because, frankly, we have a lot going on and I don't know that I'm up for a 48-hour baking marathon.  So I've devised a new plan: 

This bake sale is running from now until Wednesday, June 5.  You can order anything on the list (below) between now and then—for whatever day you want to have it—as long as you give us 24 hours notice to get the ingredients and do the baking.  Then you can pick up on the day that you want it.

I will not bake for you on Sundays, but any other day is open. (If you want something for a Sunday, we can have it ready for you Saturday—with enough notice. :-) )

So, for example, if you want something on Saturday, June 1, (or Sunday, June 2) let me know by Friday morning, May 31.  I will work on it Friday afternoon, and you can pick it up Saturday.  If you want something on a Monday, you will also need to let me know the previous Friday.

Does that make sense?

Here's what we'll have:


Cinnamon Rolls
Slathered with cream cheese icing
$4 per plate
 

Potato (dinner) Rolls
soft and delicious
$3.50 per dozen

Home-Baked Bread
White,
Cracked Wheat and Oatmeal,
or
Honey-Wheat
$3.50 per loaf

Coconut-Cream Pie
for coconut lovers: a smooth, luscious filling made with real
coconut milk, and piled with toasted coconut
$9.50
 
Lemon-Cream Pie
my personal favorite, made with fresh-squeezed lemons for a perfect balance of tangy-sweet deliciousness!
$9.50

Chocolate Mousse Pie
a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate dream:  rich, smooth filling in a chocolate crust, and topped with whipped cream
$13
 
Peanut Butter Pie 
Total decadence!  Uber-rich, creamy filling with just the right amount of peanutty goodness, topped with Reeses crumbles
and freshly-whipped cream.  Yum!

$9.50
   
Banana-Cream Pie
Rich and creamy, studded with perfectly ripe bananas and topped with fresh whipped cream
(Lindsey not included)
$9.50
 
Key Lime Pie 
Tangy lime filling in a graham-cracker crust,
topped with fresh whipped cream
$9.50
  
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Three pounds of red, ripe, juicy strawberries. 
What more can I say? 
Fresh. Strawberry. Pie.

Last time this season!
$13 

Lemon Meringue Pie
Yum!
$13 


Angel-Food Cake
a beautifully white (and virtually fat-free!) cake that goes great with just about anything you can think of (strawberries and cream, or lemon curd are my favorites!)
$7

Pina-Colada Layer Cake
(sorry, no photo.  :-(  )
Rich coconut cake, layered with pineapple filling, frosted with coconut buttercream and coated with toasted coconut.  Beautiful and delicious!
$17

And . . .

Chocolate Eclairs
(sorry, no photo.  :-(  )
As marvelous as you'd expect:
creamy, gooey, chocolatey pastries. Yummy!
$8 per dozen 

Oooh!  I just realized that this is a great time to order your graduation goodies!  If you order by Wednesday morning,
June 5 you can pick up any time Thursday—graduation day!

If you want something for Memorial Day you need to order right now.   Literally,  RIGHT NOW! (Friday morning, Friday morning, May 24) :-)  And you will need to pick-up by 10 a.m. on Mem-Day—we have a family thing at noon.

Thanks for helping to support our missionary!!


p.s.  If you'd like to help Jason out, but you don't want the baked goods (go figure!) we are working on setting up a PayPal account for donations.  I'll post the link here when I have it figured out.
Thank you all so much for your support—you have truly been wonderful! :-)

Sunday, May 19, 2013

I can breathe easy . . .

All A's Again! (How alliterative!)

I thought this semester would ruin my GPA . . . thought I might get something terrible like a B . . . and possibly in more than one of my classes.  But all is well. >deep sigh<

Two semesters left. I am not quitting. I will have earned my two degrees of fashion in May of 2014, and I will walk.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Kaylie Turned Twelve Today!

Today was this beautiful girl's birthday. 


She came into the world screaming at us for treating her so rudely (when my mom came to visit us in the hospital, the nurse told her she would find us by following the sound of the very loud baby).







She is bright and clever and sweet and we are so glad to have her around.


Happy Birthday Kaylie!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

More Illustration 2

How could I forget this one?

We were supposed to exaggerate any one feature—hips, feet, nose, etc.—within a ten-head croquis framework; I decided to make a pregnant croquis. Here is the first design in my "Barefoot and Pregnant" line:

The teacher (who, you may recall, just had a baby) asked the class if they would wear this dress if they were pregnant and the answer was a unanimous, "NO!" 

I wouldn't either . . . not in hot pink anyway. ;-)

Actually it is a really cute maternity dress design that I copied from one I found online.  I decided to color it in a shade I'd never used in my class yet, so I grabbed the hot pink pencils without thinking it out further.  And that is how I came to draw "Maternity Barbie."  Think Mattel would go for it?