The Process of Design

It is very intriguing to observe how the creative process unfolds.  An idea will be born that consists of a design and  fabric. Once that begins to materialize it buds forth into something more exciting than first imagined. The end result is always far greater than anything I first imagined.

Today my is machine buzzing away securing miles of ruching to the neckline, sleeve hem and sending it cascading down the front of the gown.  My Singer sits at a south facing window where I have a view over the roofs and activity below. As spring comes forth, I look up from my work and see the jonquils open. The wind whips through the still barren trees as if shaking them awake to spring forth their greenery. Then I notice the long cry of a red tailed hawk. "Tseeeeeeaarr" it sings, over and over. It found a draft and spirals heavenward. 

Right now I am like that hawk. I am connected to my work, my world, my spirit.

I love the process of design.

Ruching

Howie and I are settled again and I have a sewing studio where I can be creative. My  south facing window allows plenty of sunlight and inspiration.

Have you ever made ruching? It is such a fun addition to a colonial dress. Today I am sewing up 2" and 4" strips of ruching. The ruffly piles will look beautiful on a robe a'la polonaise designed for a garden wedding.

Faire Damsel from Main Street Exchange, Saranac Lake NY

Sarah is the faire damsel at Main Street Exchange. She is filling up her shop with a Medieval collection that is looking pretty good. I am excited to see how the designs are taking shape and Saranac Lake's Winter Carnival begins next week!

Here Sarah is wearing my black cotehardie with shimmering tippets and an extravagant hennin of purple and black!

Link to Saranac Lake Winter Carnival

Building an Ice Castle

The excitement is mounting in Saranac Lake as the Winter Carnival approaches. In fact, this week they began building the ice castle, the symbol of the longest running celebration of winter in the Eastern USA. I am really delighted to be here this time of year. This is my first winter in the Adirondack Mountains and I have found that inspiration flows freely here.

Howie and I stopped by the construction site and snapped some pictures, like the one of the raw materials are cut from the lake.

A crane is used to carefully placed each block on top of the other, guided by a man perched on the top of the wall.

Chilling, half frozen, slush are brought in buckets and hand rubbed into the cracks. I imagine that when if drops into the sub zero temperatures, this works as good as any mortar can! A job I would not like.

Impressive walls of ice rising up off the lake to form the massive castle.

There was an article in the newspaper that talked about the construction of the castle beginning. It said that it will have some "suprises" inside...tunnels, dungeons? Read about it here:Ice Palace Construction Begins

Finding a Fashion Model in the Adirondacks?

I can still remember the feeling, as if it were last year, walking the runway at Parsons Fashion Theater in NYC. I was wearing the timeless design of Ursula of Switzerland, a knit set of a neutral color. The theater was packed, the lights were bright, the air was charged with excitement.

That was in 1978 and those days are past, as well as my slender figure. Now I am applying myself to my own creations.

In the fashion business, having a good model is very important. Back in the 70's I was the Assistant Director of the Louise Boyka Studio of Stage Arts in Schenectady, NY. Little did I know what I learned then in training young women I would use with my own line today.

My daughter was a great help to me. She not only challenged me with technical sewing abilities with her own designing adventures, but was a prize for modeling my Colonial line. She is build just as I was, minus a few inches in height, and could make every article of clothing look fantastic. Of course, she grew up under my tutelage and was trained from a young age to have correct posture and walk the notorious "Straight Line Glide", something the Louise Boyka and Ruth Tolman, founder of the World Modeling Association based in NYC, were known for.

You may find more about Ruth here on Gwen Ford's page.

Those were the good old days of fashion modeling. With the influence of great designers like Coco Channel, who promoted the beautiful elegance of refined womanhood...awhh, to find the likes now....

Sarah modeled for me while she could. Now miles separate us and I am left to search for a suitable gal here, in the Adirondack Mountains. I am blessed to have found a young lady that is a natural. She slipped on my Rowena Cotehardie and held her arms out just as if she had done this a thousand times before. I can feel that this is a start of something fantastic.

A Playful Knight

One of the six boys tunics completed!

And a bold viking!

Medieval Tunics for sub zero

With the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival 2011 fast approaching, I am working to make clothing to fit the theme of "Medieval Times". Today I am creating tunics of a warm polar fleece to help out those who will be knights. I will post more details later, but for now I will say "good day" and must put aside the sewing to shovel some snow.

Maiden.s Dress in Blue

The exciting part of designing a dress is seeing what it becomes at the end. The stage when I sew the panels together, along with the loops for the ties, is usually disappointing. Sometimes we anticipate results before adding the embellishments.

At this stage a dress is not something that will catch my eye or looked attractive.

I cut 21 feet of one inch strips and began folding and folding again to make the ribbon ties. I was happily rewarded for all my tedious work when I placed them on the gown. The transformation was impressive. I fashioned the finishing touches of metal and fabric and the look is complete!

Yes, I can see this worn by a fair maiden.

The warmth of the color blue implies a pure heart and a gentle soul found among the stone walls of an ancient castle.

A Gown is Born

I have been working on a blue taffeta gown and am heading toward completion. This is an exciting place to be when creating a garment. I have the basic dress assembled and now the embellishments are coming forth.

Here is a sneak peek. As you can tell, I love the look of lacing!

First Medieval Gown Complete

Yesterday I was looking at my pile of fabric and dreaming of what I could create. One fabric in particular caught my eye, a golden brown panne, so I thought I would give it a whirl.

The fabric draped so beautifully that it had to be a long tunic that has a small train.

Because I have the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival in mind for these gowns, my goal was to make a dress that was versatile in size. I have heard that some where where the costumes during the parade while the temp may be at -30 degrees. A dress that could be worn over some insulated undergarments that would also fit without the undergarments is ideal I accomplished this by putting lacing over the shoulder so that it can be drawn up. I also added full lacing down the side from the bust to drop over the hips.

I was really pleased when I took it to the Main Street Exchange in Saranac Lake. Sarah, who works there, tried it on. The dress form is a size 12 with room to spare. But look how well the adjusters worked on Sarah, Her Majesty, a size 6.

Find it here in my Etsy

Dreaming

Today I am looking at my stacks of fabric and dreaming what to make. Since the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is only 5 weeks away, I must get busy cutting, sewing and trimming to make these costumes available for the festivities.

This is only a portion of the many wonderful textures I have to create with. Today's project will be with a golden brown velveteen. I will post pictures later!

Debbie

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival 2011

This winter I find myself residing in Saranac Lake, NY. I am very excited about the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival 2011 that will be in February because I am told that there will be people in costume for the Medieval theme. With that in mind, I am dreaming up new designs just for the carnival. Keep watching because I will be posting my progress on these creations.

Chandelier Earrings: My First Attempt

Over the past couple years I had been investing in jewelry making supplies with good intentions. But so often we buy all of these supplies then never take the time to really work it out. Just recently had a get together with some friends to relearn some techniques and it was just what I needed to "revive" my interest.

One style of earring that I love is those chandeliers that come from South America made of silver and beads. I was amazed to find out that the parts that make up these delicate pieces are all hand made by women as they sit on the street corners creating!

Armed with tools, silver wire, beads and a nail, I was ready to tackle my first pair.The spirals were pretty easy to make using a common nail rather than an expensive tool. I wrapped the nail 10 times with the silver wire, slid it off then flattened it.

From here I slipped a wire through the center to make it a hanger.
You can imagine that by now I am getting pretty excited! They were coming together nicely and it was fairly easy to do. So now I was ready to form the top.

I made a loop with two remaining post. These I beaded with twisted silver. Each dangle off the bottom was made of silver post, beaded and hung from a jump ring.

I wanted to hang a small pearl in the very center, but there was no place to do that from. I realized that I should have used a jump ring at the very top to hang the two side post from. That way I could have easily added the center embellishment.

Here is my finished product. After I quickly publish this post I am heading right out to the bead shop and fill my head with visions of the creative possibilities!

Some Sewing

Today's sewing project is a cozy bunting for my newest grand baby, Gypsy. This is a mauve double sided flannel with a herringbone pattern that looks just like wool. Maybe it will keep her warm and toasty this winter!


My other granddaughter, Pepper, likes to wear dresses. This jumper is a pretty simple pattern that I made up with 3 coconut buttons on a raspberry corduroy.


Next week, dresses!

Flower Power Pumpkin

Howie surprised me one day with a beautiful, bright orange gift. The problem was that he had just begun a recording project so our time together being creative and artistic was spent in the music room, not with knives in our hands.

Shea came to visit today with the Etzel kids which presented the perfect opportunity to have Mercy carve a pumpkin with me.

I had an idea to do flowers so we began carving the top. Next we tried to peel the design from the skin. This was the first time I've ever tried this and it was pretty exciting to watch the design break out of the hard skin. Then light ! It needed to have openings for the light to shine through.


I think that you will agree that this makes a cheerful and colorful lamp! What I like the best is the way the light plays on the walls. Plus it is 100% recyclable.

Now I am convinced - carved lanterns offer plenty of opportunity to be creative, artistic and functional.

The Moon at Dusk

Today is chilly and rainy. The leaves lay resting on the earth, wet and fragrant. The sky is cloudy and the sun is about to bring darkness. It's quiet, but there is a certain tension, maybe it's tiredness in my body right now.

This time of year
This time of day
This time of change
Reminds me of the uncertain future that we have here on Earth.

Knowing Jesus is a comforting warmth to my soul!

On a happier note, Howie is busy recording the "Good News of Christmas" CD. It is vibrant and exciting.

Christmas

A time of hope and the fulfillment of hope.

Today the moon is full at dusk

Road Food

Traveling for 5 months in a van can present some challenges for eating healthy. Oftentimes, people resort to eating in restaurants, or worst yet, fast food stops. We try to avoid eating out all together, replacing it with some natural healthy alternatives. Here are a couple things we have been doing:

Sprouts! Alfalfa, clover and radish seeds.
It is very easy to grow a jar of fresh sprouts in just a few days while traveling. All I need is 1) A big jar 2)mesh to cover the opening - I use bridal toile 3) cheese cloth to cover the opening and keep the sprouts from drying out 4) water!
Cost about 20 cents per jar

Sprouts are very nutritionally rich, because they contain much of the energy the plant needs to grow up. Alfalfa sprouts are high in vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, along with an assortment of antioxidants and amin0 acids. In addition, alfalfa sprouts contain substances known as phytochemicals, that to benefit your health - A perfect road food.


Yummy, fresh rolls (I grind the flour and bake during our stops at peoples homes), California grown organic fruits, and yogurt. I was given a culture last year that works at room temperature. We pick up a half gallon of hormone free milk and make fresh yogurt 2 times a week.

Sun tea!
These bottles have rooibos/spice in one and mint in the other. We can make fresh tea in just a couple hours on the dashboard of the van.
A word about rooibos: Research by Healthy and Natural Journal suggests that rooibos antioxidant qualities are up to 50 times more potent than green tea's.


My grain medley!
Actually, I shouldn't claim this as my grain medley because the idea came from Howie's mom. Green split peas, brown, green and yellow lentils, long grain brown rice, wild rice, millet, barley and quinua all mixed with onion flakes, garlic, oregano and celery leaf.


Of course it requires some cooking ~ that is what a coleman stove or campfire is for.

Of course we still take our vitamins. GNLD!

We are still exploring ways to enjoy great food in a van. I had this wonderful idea! When we upgrade to a larger vehicle, like a bus, it would be so cool to have a hydroponic garden. I was reading that the Aztecs and Incas amazed the Spanish conquistadors with their floating gardens. A floating hydroponic garden is easy to build and can provide a tremendous amount of nutritious vegetables, and best of all, hydroponic systems avoid pest problems commonly associated with the soil. We can build our own floating hydroponic garden $40.00. But then we will need to figure out a way to keep it stable in a vehicle.
What do you think?

Decending Custer Peak, SD

After being on the road for 2 months and traveling over 5000 miles we were feeling a bit road weary. It was good to take a couple days to ourselves.

We camped two nights in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The campground was very noisy, so Howie and I decided to spend our only afternoon there hiking a trail up Custer Peak. Not knowing how long the trail was and not having any food with us, we never made it all the way to the top. Instead, we took our time and found many adventures along the way.

A butterfly posed for us

Huge animal prints in the mud

A beautiful granite rock

We stepped up on a stump and I said to Howie, "Wither thou goest, I will go. Where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, there will I die also." He said to me, "You are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone, taken from my side. Therefore I call you woman. My woman."

Commitment Stump

With that we hopped off the tree stump and lite down the hill. Just rounding the corner we found a beautiful blessing. There curled into the brush was a baby fawn.

It smiled and wiggled its nose as we took it's picture.

It was a beautiful day in the Black Hills.

Jiaozi or Chinese Dumpling

When we were in Memphis, TN we worked with the Chinese community for 8 years plus. Our ESL students would often have us to there homes for "jiaozi" making parties. All would stand around the central table and using rolling pins without handles, we would make dozens of these dumplings. The idea was to make them beautiful. Beautiful is not a typical food description for the average American family, but it is one I have tried to adopt.

Here are my "beautiful jiaozi" neatly lined up for Feng Shui effect.

2 cups of ground turkey
1 cup finely chopped nappa
1 finely chopped yellow onion
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sesame oil

Mix well - put 1 tsp. into each dumpling skin. Use a dip of water to moisten edges and shape dumpling. Take care to make them beautiful and evenly pleated.
Boil 5 minutes.
Serve with hot black sauce.

This sauce is delicious! My friends from Linyi, China taught me how to make this.
In a sauce pan bring 1 cup of oil to "hot" in that you can see the surface begin to move - this in not boiling! Have prepared minced green onion and minced red chili pepper. Toss onion and pepper into the hot oil and cover immediately (be careful as the oil will sputter and if you have a lot of pepper fumes will make your eyes water - sometimes its good to take it outside at this point!). After a few minutes, add 1T. honey and 2T. Chinese black rice vinegar and 1 T. soy sauce. Drizzle over your dumplings.
Yum, Yum, Yum!

I love linens

I love linens. As a young girl, I began a collection of hand embroidered linens. These are so plentiful - nearly every thrift store and rummage sale has a pile. They hearken to a day when women produced beauty with their hands that was shared with others and had lasting value. After all, many of them are over 50 years old and they are still beautiful.

Spring is around the corner and feeling inspired I helped some old linens found a happy home, and these same linens seem to help create a happy home.