Ann Williamson

Handmade Designer Women's Apparel

Photo Shoot 2023!

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Photo shoots are so much fun! Everyone’s attention is on making my clothes look as fantastic as possible. What could be better? The model, her hair and makeup, her movements and poses and especially the way the clothes look and hang, how the lights hit, all working together to emphasize my work and make it look its very best.

I contacted Mario Gallucci, a photographer new to me, whose gorgeous pictures on his website confirmed he would be right.

Also Kerrin Birchenough, a stylist I had used before and knew from experience that she would be perfect.

And beautiful Flo, an aerialist [!!!] who was eager to model. A few moments on her instagram page and I knew I wanted to work with her.

At the shoot, first thing, work out lighting and mood with Mario. Next, get Flo ready. Stylist Kerrin and her assistant Lilly on the job.

The ritual cleansing of the feet. We were all doing our best to keep the paper as pristine as possible.

Camera settings adjusted.

At last, lights camera, action!

Flo was on fire! So good. After many beautiful poses and impressive movements, we moved onto the second piece.

For this one, a new look. A blond wig! Below, in mid-prep, working through a 1980’s big hair look.

Hair and makeup complete, dressed in my long coat, the ‘wind machine’ [otherwise known as a fan] blasting. Flo channels a hot, dry and dusty desert wind.

Moving like a dancer, she struck pose after pose. On the monitor you can see how the lights flash a yellow color for each shot.

Number three had a beach-ocean feeling.

We were on a roll, all working together with gorgeous results.

With only an hour to go within our scheduled time, we started on the last look. We were going for the look of a deep, dark, renaissance painting. The photo assistant adds a bit of reflected light for extra shine.

And done! We did it! So many fantastic photos to choose from.

Thank You Beautiful Flo! Expert Kerrin! And especially the very talented Mario Gallucci, photographer extraordinaire.

Next up, before they are ready for viewing, I’ll go through all the shots and choose my favorites for Mario to process.

Stay tuned.

Piecing On My Own

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Finally! I’ve been wanting to start a piecing project for a while and after much thinking, rethinking, putting it all aside, switching to an appliqué idea, then back to thinking about the piecing project and what it should be and finally, after all the false starts and questions, I began a new coat.

Why is it so easy sometimes and so difficult other times? My piecing muse abandons me. She takes a vacation and goes to a little village in a forgotten corner of Uruguay and leaves me on my own.

In my studio with piles of fabrics and little idea of how to proceed, I spent forever choosing which silks to use. There were a lot of ‘No!!! those do not not look good together!,’ there were a few ‘maybes’ and finally a ‘Yes! Perfect! Gorgeous!’

Until the next day and it was ‘No way! Start over!!!’

Finally, finally, I arrived at a group that worked.

I did have a design plan, rows of stripes that grew narrower, but how many rows? How far apart? What size? I sat with my pencil and ruler calculating. I carefully made notes as legible as possible so that I could decipher them the next day and not stare in confusion as to what those words and numbers could possibly mean. Yes, that has happened. More than once.

Next, the shape of the coat, what size, what kind of a collar, how long, all decisions that, remember, I was muse-less, needed to be made.

Finally! Once again, finally, I was ready to cut. And piece.

That’s where I am. Finally! Finally!! Finally!!! In the midst of piecing.

Although,… this morning, I’m rethinking the width of the mint green strips…..

Stay tuned.

Applique, Fabric Sale and a Fancy Watch

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I am absolutely ready and eager to start a piecing project. I want to pull scraps from my stash, cut fabric up and start rearranging, sewing and creating something new.

But when I wander into my studio, instead of piecing, I find myself working on appliqué projects.

For example, this coat. I found this amazing kimono silk and wanted to appliqué skinny gold strips to emphasize the wandering steam design. No waiting around, no first I’ll piece a new jacket. Nope. Instead it was Appliqué.

Now.

Below, the strips pinned in place and ready to be basted.

Just before the black and white stream piece above, I was working on another appliqué piece, a wide shawl collar for a coat. It’s is from another amazing kimono silk, this one a shibori design in red and white.

Shibori, it’s the impressive Japanese tie-dye. In the detail you can see where the threads were tied tight around each of the circles. The little squares I’ll appliqué are also from a shibori, this one with tiny circles instead of big.

The woven red silk I’ll use for the coat has a classic design of overlapping pieces of fabric.

If you are anywhere close to Portland, I hope you or any other fellow fabric fiend will come to our big fabric sale. Several friends and I will be going through our stashes and offering fabric, notions and other sewing related things to sell at greatly reduced prices. I have way too much! And will be selling silks, wools, a few cottons and even some of my kimono silks that I can’t use. In addition to fabrics there will also be Elisabeth Gillem’s shibori pieces and Marla Kazell’s sample garments. And lots more!

Next Saturday, June 24th. I hope to see you there!

And one other thing. A friend sent this link and I can’t stop thinking about it. It is so cool.

I have never paid any attention to fancy watches. I knew they existed, but never had a thought about them, until I saw a little video about the making of a Patek Phillippe Grandmaster Chime watch. I was mesmerized. The craftsmanship is so impressive. Check out the video here.

Next up for me? For real. A piecing project!