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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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| 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 . |
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| Styled with an armful of metal bangles, gold platform shoes, tousled hair and a coordinating head wrap, Mary gave the look something completely modern. |
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| And what's more modern than flying? I ask you. |
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| Speaking of flying... The flutter sleeves were achieved by isolating the pattern of conjoined circles in the print, finishing them with a satin stitch. |
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| And so the sun slowly sinks on wacky tacky summer fashion |
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| "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!
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| 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
