Sew What?! 1930s African Loungewear

I take quite seriously the requests I've received asking me to include more sewing/design posts into the mix.  But ever since Mary started her new career as an air hostess, I have been hard pressed to wrangle that gadfly, rarely able to find a time when schedules can be coordinated for fittings, finishings, and photo shoots.  Lest you think that Mr. Tiny's Workshop has taken down its shingle, please be assured that I have continued to slave away at my trusty Bernina, churning out multiple new looks just waiting to be captured on camera.  So, be not dismayed; finally, the stars have aligned, allowing for Mary, Mr. Tiny, and Fabian to all be in the same place at the same time!  Here is a Sew What?! about which I think all involved can be proud.

See!  What a proud moment...
Behind the scenes is sooooo glamorous.

In last year's mania for African-themed ensembles (see here, here, and here), I picked up four yards of a beautifully-printed African cotton at the thrift store for less than one-dollar per yard.

Wanting to avoid full-blown African overload, I sent this lovely, if temporarily
woe-begotten, fabric to the foothills of my fabric Kilimanjaro for a full calendar
year until it was ready for a return trip to the summit.

Making the ten-minute trek from our house, we did our best to scout a location that would be a suitable Serengeti stand-in (bonus points for not requiring those pesky antimalarial injections).  In the glow of Southern California's late-afternoon sun, Fabian worked his mystical, moody photographic magic.

The two-piece ensemble consists of a six-gored, maxi-length trumpet skirt and a cropped,
bateau-neck top with flutter sleeves and an oversized, self-fabric rosette at the neck.

The pieces were created with a definite nod to both the silhouettes of 1930s loungewear and the economy of '30s-era sewing; four yards sounds like a fair amount of material but not as much when one considers that a full-length skirt on Mary measures fifty-two inches long .

Styled with an armful of metal bangles, gold platform shoes, tousled hair and a
coordinating head wrap, Mary gave the look something completely modern.

And what's more modern than flying?  I ask you.

Speaking of flying...
The flutter sleeves were achieved by isolating the pattern of
conjoined circles in the print, finishing them with a satin stitch.

And so the sun slowly sinks on wacky tacky summer fashion

"Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer?"

Um...we did.

With a huge vote of gratitude for artist and model, I anxiously await our next collaboration.  You can bet that there is at least one autumnal ensemble in the pictorial pipeline!

Hip-Hip-Hooray!!!

As is custom, we concluded the day with our usual jump shot.  I'll give you three guesses which one I am.

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Sew What?! Mexicali Folk Couture

For no significant reason whatsoever - besides the life-spice that is variety - I am always reticent to put two posts of the same category one immediately after the other.  In this instance, however, an anxiousness to share the beautiful fruits of a successful group effort has me abandoning my stance and bringing you a very special "Sew What?!" 

My mentailty in design is best diagnosed as schizophrenic; one day I'll be appliquéing an angel fish silhouette to a beach ensemble and the next day I'll be hemming a bias-cut evening gown or sewing pom-pom trim to the hem of high-waisted capri pants.  Were I ever to create a cohesive collection, I know that the inspirational through-line would be found at the intersection of ethnic and bohemian fashions - a little corner that I like to call "Folk Couture."

Transcending time and place, the richness, simplicity, and

femininity of folk couture are the true heart of my favorite looks.

Just to prove that we aren't afraid of trying something new, we decided to collaborate with our good pal, Fabian Fioto (remember that name), to see if we could elevate my humble stitchery to something a little more refined.  With no particular destination in mind, we loaded up Fabian's '55 Buick and started scouting locations for a day of photography, featuring the latest from Mr. Tiny's workshop.

With Mary as model, Fabian behind the lens, and Mr. Tiny as stylist and PA (I'm a whiz at holding a reflector), we found the perfect setting at Los Rios Historic District in the shadow of the Mission San Juan Capistrano.

I'm still in the beginning stages of learning to be flexible when it comes to a rigid adherence to my original color story; after so many vain searches for something that only exists in my mind, I am getting more limber - creatively speaking - with every project.  Failing to find the perfect buttercup yellow for the skirt, I settled on a green taffeta that I found for four dollars per yard (a definite splurge by wacky tacky standards).  For many, four dollars per yard is not a price too dear; in fact it might seem downright cheap; it has always been my feeling though that a guaranteed way to make inexpensive fabric look luxurious is simply to use lots and lots of it!  The peasant blouse is made from an ivory lace remnant that was a hand-me-down from my grandma, with ruffles finished in a tatted trim found at my favorite hole-in-the-wall, Mexican fabric store.

I once passed up a lot of vintage millinery flowers at a local swap meet and I kick
myself  to this day.  With my genuine distaste for most of what passes as silk florals
these days, those bygone, vintage flowers haunted me as the only things that I could
imagine affixing to the neckline.  I was surprised to find a bunch of passable, red
poppies at the craft store and cut down the stems to make my own little bouquet.

I don't know if the experience is unique to me, but I am genuinely excited about everything I sew...until the project is finished.  Once a garment has been completed, the momentum is gone.  It is then that I begin to pick apart all of the imperfections and acknowledge the astounding lack of technique.  This ensemble, however, is one of my favorite things that I've ever sewn for Mary; it probably has as much to do with the feeling that I've embraced my favorite design sensibility as it does with finally seeing a finished project fully realized in beautiful photographs.

Would you believe that the combined length of this skirt includes no less than 45 yards of fabric?!?!!
Counting the length of each tier, I figure that I gathered 135 feet of green taffeta!!!

Do you believe me now?

Well, what do you think?  Are you a fan of folk couture?  How do you think we handled our first attempt at a proper photo shoot?  I knew that good lighting, solid camera equipment, and a skilled technician would make a substantive difference from our usual last-minute, front-yard snapshots but I was not prepared for just how significant that difference would be.  I am so impressed with Mary's modeling (she apparently reserves her effort for professionals) and Fabian's camera work (a great director and visionary).

How very quickly it went from this...

...to this.

A huge thanks to my wacky tacky compatriots for making this lone wolf feel like a real collaborator!!!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Sew What?! What's Black and White and WILD All Over?

There are two kinds of people in this world, Wanda Jackson fans and Janis Martin fans.  Although, perhaps it is too strong to characterize it as an issue of mutually-exclusive preferences.  Speaking in generalities, however, most folks familiar with the music of both artists fall firmly into one category or the other.

Wanda vs. Janis

Whose side are you on?

(clink on images for a link to the source)

In all honesty, I happen to enjoy the music of both performers but if I had to choose, without question, the choice would easily be Janis Martin, "The Female Elvis."   I just prefer her mellow, smooth, country-tinged voice to Ms. "Queen of Rockabilly" Jackson's well-known, raw, box-grater-in-a-blender vocal stylings.  

The disappointment I experience over never having seen Janis Martin perform while she was alive is only assuaged by the fact that musicians, like Mary, are carrying on her musical tradition.  In keeping with the style and tone of Janis Martin, I made Mary a dress that is, to coin a new phrase, a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n roll. 

To call this the "latest" from Mr. Tiny's workshop would be an out-and-out lie.
This dress has been in the back of Mary's closet for nearly a year waiting to
make its debut.  Luckily, the opportunity arose last weekend in the form
of Wild Records' Young & Wild Weekender.

Very much channeling the young Janis Martin

Don't you think?

More often than not, I stay away from a black and white color scheme.  For one thing, it becomes a trite and hackneyed story amongst a sub-culture dominated by an obsession with the pre-color-television world.  For another, I just prefer sewing in interesting and vivid colors and, in general, Mary prefers wearing them.  Though when we found this fabric, we new it had major possibilities.

Made from a screen-printed, brushstroke, border print cotton that I picked up
for only $0.99 per yard, Mary said the dress was a hit!  I turned the black border
 to the top of the skirt and the bottom of the bodice so that the brushstrokes
radiated from the waistline.

Wearing black, baby doll pumps and black & white bangles,
Mary added the black, cowhide belt for western flair.

The Fujiyama Mama & Mary
Wait a cotton-pickin' minute...

Okay, okay, so as usual, I may have overstated my case just a tad.  Maybe it isn't such a black & white issue; there might be room in this world for folks who truly are fans of both of these legendary performers...even though legend has it that Wanda and Janis were pretty bitter rivals.

Putting rivalries aside, this dress is a kind of hybrid of the sweet, rockabilly darling (demure, tea-length full skirt) and the raging, rock 'n roll wild child (stark color story and brushstrokes printed with apparent abandon).  It bridges the gap between the "Female Elvis" and the female Elvis took out on the town.  

The very same guitar with which Mary is pictured above (one on
 which she played a couple of Janis Martin covers) is signed by
none other than Wanda Jackson.

Well, what do you say?  Between Wanda and Janis do you have a favorite?  Is there another female, roots rock 'n roller that strikes your fancy?  Do you create such elaborate and/or polarizing interpretations of the clothes you make and/or wear?

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Silly Cinema: Los Wild Ones

Wowee!!!  I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Phoenix, AZ, and boy are my....  I guess I can't use that one because we drove a rented Sentra.  The wacky wagon has provided semi-reliable transport to many of our adventures but I just didn't trust it to not konk out on the side of the highway in the middle of the desert; as the saying goes, "Ain't nobody got time for that."  

The very last thing that I needed to do was rent a car and spend any money on an adventure weekend, but Los Wild Ones, the documentary film about Wild Records, the label on which Mary is set to record this week, premiered at the Phoenix Film Festival.  Such a great opportunity to catch a wonderful film filled with familiar faces, and get a chance to explore all the wacky tacky that the greater Phoenix area has to offer, I simply could not refuse.

The film's world premier was a few weeks ago at SXSW in Austin, TX.
The poster makes me laugh because as soon as it was posted on the "Los
Wild Ones" Facebook page, Reb Kennedy, the founder of Wild Records
commented, "Can't wait to see the real poster???" and "Is this for a
 1980s Elvis movie?"  Priceless.
(Source)

Los Wild Ones - SXSW Trailer

The film centers on the complex dynamic between Reb Kennedy and the talented, young stable of musicians he has signed to his Los Angeles-based record label, Wild Records.  It addresses the paternal nature of his relationship with many of his proteges and his stubborn resistance to embrace modern media in building the label.  Covering moments of heartbreaking vulnerability and exhilarating live performance, Los Wild Ones is, at its core, a film about people earnestly pursuing the thing they love most - music.

Mary & Reb
Mary set a goal of getting her picture made in front of the "word wall,"
and danged if she didn't pull it off.  Pictures of Mary and Reb together
always end up being some of my very favorite photos.

The biggest record label of its kind, Wild Records has a somewhat dubious reputation in Southern California.  With a headstrong Irishman at the helm and a mostly-Mexican talent roster (Mary being one of the glaring exceptions), Wild Records often gets dismissed as a niche label, even within the rockabilly community.  But high-energy music and a passion for that "wild" sound has the record label thriving all over the world.  I have born personal witness to the reception Wild bands receive in Europe; one would think it was the second coming of Elvis!

Our tickets

Mary, Mr. Tiny...and David getting ready for the film to start.
Mary was especially anxious bout her part in the film - that is
a nervous smile if ever I saw one!

Mary had absolutely no reason to be nervous.  The film was a triumph and had the whole audience vascillating from fits of laughter to silent tears (in almost equal measure).  We were surprised and excited to see that Mary was one of the film's featured artists.  She felt very honored considering the wealth of gifted musicians and her relatively-recent commitment to the Wild Records label.  I was just as excited to see that even Mr. Tiny had an "if you blink, you'll miss it" moment in the film (Mary blinked).  Where is my IMDb account???

See the very top of the photo?
 One of three times that Mary got screen credit!

The screening was followed by a Q&A session with the director,
Reb and his family, and the Wild artists who were in attendance.
It was all so film festival-y.

Mary poses in the "Party Pavilion."

Mary & Elise
Elise Salomon is the talented filmmaker responsible
 for creating, writing, and directing Los Wild Ones.

There were three successful screenings of Los Wild Ones during the film festival; following the Saturday showing there was a Wild Records revue in Tempe featuring The Delta Bombers, The Rhythm Shakers, and Mary (please visit the Wild Records' website to hear more from these great acts).

The Delta Bombers

The Rhythm Shakers

Mary
(photo by M. Stadnick)

At the end of a excellent weekend, we got even more excellent news; we learned that Los Wild Ones took home the prize for "Best Documentary" at The 2013 Phoenix Film Festival!!!

Woo Hoo!!!
(photo by E. Salomon)

Congratulations to Elise, Reb, and Wild Records!!!  The film was awesome!!!  It was thrilling to see Wild Records' non-traditional family captured so truthfully and with such dignity.  A particularly poignant moment in the film was underscored by the legendary Roy Orbison; he may not have been "wild" but his impact on Reb and on Los Wild Ones was profound.

"In Dreams" - Roy Orbison

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

p.s. We packed A LOT into less than 48 hours in Phoenix; stay tuned for more Arizona-style fun!!!  Remember, we are getting extremely close to 200 followers.  With your help we'll get there and you'll be rewarded with an exciting GIVEAWAY!!!  Thanks!

Doin' the High Rockabilly Low Down

Hello friends!!!  I'm so conflicted about being home that I really don't know how to get back into the normal swing of things.  While I was glad to reunite with family and friends, I just wasn't quite ready to return to our land of waving grain and purple mountains' majesty - especially since our last day in Barcelona was magical!  Why am I so emotionally suited for the life of a bon vivant all the while hindered by the meager bank account of a very poor whatever the opposite of a bon vivant is...

Truly, I am not sure where to begin as we saw so many wonderful things and had so many splendid adventures.  I guess the best way to begin is to tell you that I saw Greenland!

Greenland!!!

It never occurred to me that our flight home from Spain would include a fly-over of that mysterious and giant island.  Like dipping my toes into the Mediterranean Sea for the very first time, I took particular delight in seeing a cartographer's view of the land of myth and vikings.

Remember, the camera adds ten pounds...to each toe.

I have it on good authority that I am partial to sharing too many photos.  Even family and good friends seemed to get a little bored at the 1,000-photo mark in my slide show.  Before we left, everyone said, "Take loads of pictures."  Although, in fairness, they never finished that sentiment with, "And then be sure to favor me with a three-hour show-and-tell including a detailed explanation of each and every photo."

I figured the best way to handle this is to take the enlightened, new-age approach and write until my soul feels that there is nothing left to be written; which, taking into account the crazy jet lag (I'm awake by 4am every day), should be in pretty short order so hang in there with me.

As I'm sure that you are still reeling from the second-hand thrill of Greenland, I guess I'll give you a moment of pause to collect your thoughts before I share the highlights from...

I must say that Jose, the man behind High Rockabilly, really does an amazing job in terms of coordinating flights, itineraries, bands, accommodations, etc.  As a total hanger on-er, I felt pretty special with my all-access, aqua wristband AND my all-you-can-eat, purple wristband.  We were treated extremely well and it made our trip not only easy, but fun and affordable too.  Even with thirteen years under his belt, I don't know how he does it but he takes the logistical nightmare in stride, and is a great host.  My experience at High Rockabilly is best broken down into three parts - the beach, the music, and the people.

THE BEACH 

We arrived in town early the day before the official start of the festival.  Apparently, the town of Calafell is not too averse to the idea of all these tourists descending upon their quiet beach community.  In fact, banners all along the strand welcomed our motley crew - in multiple languages, no less.

Not only were there banners, but many of the shopkeepers tried to appeal to
the crowd by dressing the mannequins in front of their shops in
"rockabilly fashion" - only sometimes a contradiction in terms.

Install plumbing and I could live in the incredible
 lifeguard towers.

I was going to try and get some good outfit photos of the things
 I made for Mary, but all my motivation was applied to walking
 along the beach and engaging in that most wonderful of all
Spanish pastimes, the siesta. 

A cool shell mosaic on someone's beachfront home.

Impressive sand sculptures on the beach

When supplied with a bucket of water, the Gromit look-
alike on the left was fully functional and filled the pool. 

Another attempt at an outfit photo was interrupted by
Mary trying to save me from getting hit by a truck.
As we came to learn, there is very little distinction
 between street and sidewalk for Spanish drivers; the
 lights, signs, and rules of the road are accepted merely
 as a loose framework of guidelines.

Did I mention that I broke my self-imposed ban on shorts and went
swimming in the sea only to find out later that it was the tail end of
 JELLY FISH SEASON?!?!?!

THE MUSIC

Pretty much by the second of five days, I was growing weary of rockabilly music.  I love the music but everyone has their saturation point; mine came when on the third day (for the third day in a row) I woke up to the music being blasted by the pool party DJs.  Nevertheless, there were some awesome musicians that kept my toes tapping all weekend long - The Tin Stars, The Rip 'em Ups, The Ladykillers, Miss Mary Ann & The Ragtime Wranglers, Rusti Steel & The Star Tones, The Delta Bombers, and many more.

Our room was perfectly situated to get great aerial views of the pool party shenanigans.

The Rip 'em Ups
This band is awesome!!!
We ended up being on the same flight from LA with these
guys and they were so cool - showing us the ropes and showing
us how to put on a KILLER show.  Definitely one of my
 favorite bands of the weekend!

I don't recall the name of this band but their western swing sound was a welcome relief!

Rusti Steel & The Star Tones
A great band and full of generosity; they played their own
awesome set on Saturday and backed Mary up for her set on Sunday.

Mary - even with her eyes closed it was easy to see that big
things are happening for her.  This was the opportunity of a lifetime!!!

THE PEOPLE

Being preternaturally shy, I let too many opportunities to meet new people pass me by.  Fortunately, this blog has opened some channels for me and I got to become acquainted with a couple of folks who follow my blog.  One Aussie minx in particular became - in four short days - a mentor, a chaperone, and a friend.  The most rewarding part of blog writing is connecting with  new people and I count myself very lucky to have made a new pal.  We ended up meeting and spending time with a bunch of great folks and got a world view of the United States; I was surprised and entertained by the foreign fervor for American politics.

Michele, Mary, and Raina
The most fortunate part of the weekend was reuniting
 with old friends and meeting new ones.

I wish I could say that I was that quick on the camera trigger,
 but there is no way I could have planned this photo;
I honestly don't even know what my subject matter was.
Superbly dressed and light as a feather on the dance floor,
  I show this picture not to embarrass, but to ask if you think the
face was for my benefit OR if I just benefited by capturing the face?

The tricolor Swedish fish - Elsa, Sara, and Teresia
Some of the most fun people you'll ever want to know!

Rusti Steel & The Star Tones shining a little light on Mary and Mr. Tiny
Stewart, Andy, Mr. Tiny, Mary, Rusti, and Lloyd

My absolute favorite moment of the weekend came when the only Swede I love more than the Swedish Chef, Sara, performed her most infamous dance move - THE WORM!!!  It's has been two years since I've seen her perform and I am overcome with joy every time. 

Well, that's about it for now.  I'm sure there is plenty I forgot to share with you, but I'm all tuckered out.  Please stay tuned for more Spanish-flavored adventures coming soon and don't forget to like us on Facebook if you haven't already (which I'm sure you have).

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny