Ann Williamson

Handmade Designer Women's Apparel

applique

2 New Videos

2 Comments

I have two new 30 second videos finished and ready for viewing. So exciting!

The first, a ruana with appliquéd red and white stripes. You’ve seen this in progress. I finished it just in time for the ACC on-line show last week.

It was the same with the video! Finished just in time.

And what a difference between seeing it in still photos and seeing it moving and in action.

For some mysterious reason, I can’t link to YouTube. To see the video, please copy this address and paste it into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfFSz7vL6x8

The second video is of the pieced coat I’d been working on. I’ve been posting the long process while I worked on it. Now, see it in action!

Check it out here.

Iivy wearing a navy and white pieced coat

The pieced coat video is listed on my website in my new section, ‘Video’. We’ll eventually put up the ruana video there too. But for now it is viewable in YouTube. [ahem, ……technology…… ]

We are having so much fun working on these videos! Seeing my clothes in action and motion, what a wonderful addition to the still shots.

I’m looking forward to making more! Stay tuned.

In Process

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I love the idea of a cape. A loose wrap of fabric that you drape over your shoulders and leave either loose and flowing or pull tight around and over your shoulders. It’s like a scarf only more of it.

I’d been wanting to make a new cape, especially with this cool black kimono silk with waving red and white lines. I added my own red skinny bias strips to mimic the lines in the fabric. It’s an amped up version of the original.

Here, the strips pinned in place on the wall.

And below, the strips basted in place and ready to be hand stitched.

Next up, after a series of appliqué pieces, I was ready to move on to a pieced project. I wanted to make something similar to the quilt I made last year, only this time as a coat, randomly pieced from high contrast dark and light fabrics.

So here it is, half way in. Dark navy and white kimono silks, in process. Showing the blocks slowly coming together.

I keep saying this, but it so true, I love this work! It is way too much fun. Deep dives into variations, colors and patterns. What could possibly be better?

Keeping Busy

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A couple weeks ago we had the craziest, most awful, heat wave. 113 degrees said my phone, but the official temperature was 116.

I mean. Absolutely, no question, it was way too hot. It was like being in an oven. Above 100 is very rare here, so above 110? Just not ok.

So I stayed inside, hiding from the heat. AC blasting away, fans blowing. The silver lining? I had time to finish some projects.

Like this two layer coat. I’d shown pictures of it in process, it is now finished. A sheer layer of appliquéd and beaded strips over another coat appliquéd with more waving strips.

And, below, a pieced and beaded coat, in different textured white kimono silks, with white and cream pearl beads sewn along the seam lines.

Right now, I don’t have full-length shots of these pieces, only these snapshots. I’m holding out for professional photos. As soon as I have some taken, I’ll be sure and post them.

Next up, on my wall, little square appliqués pinned onto what will be a collar for a new Shawl Collar coat.

I wanted to disrupt the evenness of the dot pattern fabric that I used for the base, so I chose a meisen kimono silk with a graphic design that fractured into odd shapes when cut into smaller pieces.

Below, my process. I cut the fabric into strips, turn under two sides, then cut those strips into smaller pieces and fold the two remaining raw edges under. Voila! Little squares with no raw edges.

After the pieces are pinned onto the base fabric, I lay it out on my table so I can baste them in place.

Below, basted and ready to be hand stitched.

I’m now onto another applique piece. You can see it behind the first picture at the top. It’s a black kimono silk with waving red and white lines. I’m adding my appliquéd red strips between the printed ones. Can you see them? Behind the coat, on the left side of the picture, a piece of the silk as it came. Next to it, red strips pinned in place.

Stay tuned.