Ann Williamson

Handmade Designer Women's Apparel

Real People

Real People

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I love photos of real people wearing my work! My clothes in the real world, what could be better than that?

For example, beautiful Niki, in one of my scarves. Behind her is the perfect background, a print of kimonos.

Look at this fantastic photo of Jane wearing her new outfit. She loves color and ‘Gold and Purple Swirl Jacket’ over a bright orange blouse was perfect for her big party. Fantastic!

A whole other look, she’s wearing a blue pieced jacket with the coolest print that fades from little white triangles to tiny dots. Wow.

What should the mother of the groom wear for the rehearsal dinner? How about a full skirt and jacket from me and a perfectly matched hat from another craft artist? Add the best accessory possible, a beautiful smile, and you are good to go. Gorgeous!

So you can get an idea of the whole look, a picture of the skirt, which is under the table in the picture above. She did an excellent job of putting all the pieces together! So beautiful.

For a party on a warm summer afternoon, Linda shone in this full skirt pieced from a fantastic kimono silk, with a matching vest.

Below, a detail shot showing the piecing in the skirt. The subtle directional shine of the fabric shows off the pieced fabric shapes.

Thank You Thank You to these fantastic women who sent these photos. Every single one of you is absolutely gorgeous!

Real People

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I love photos of real person in their real lives wearing my clothes. After all the time I take to design and sew a piece of clothing, it is fantastic to see it out in the world. What could be better?

For example beautiful Nina with her husband Clif, last September at the Metropolitan Opera’s 9/11 production of Verdi’s Requiem. She’s wearing the perfect top, a ‘Hitoe.’ Lightweight and soft, a comfortable addition over a knit top.

Nina is super about sending photos wearing my designs. Thank You Nina!

Recently, my friend Mary chose one of my scarves as a gift for her sister. Not too long after, she showed me this fantastic photo of Ann. ‘Not bad for 85!’ said Mary, I completely agree. Wow. She looks gorgeous.

And please take note of her shoes. Perfect.

The great thing about scarves, they make fantastic gifts. There are zero concerns about size or fit.

Below, the well known and celebrated sewing guru Sandra Betzina modeling her new scarf, a gift from a friend. She knew that red is most definitely one of Sandra’s colors. Gorgeous!

What an honor! Sandra is well known in the sewing community. Check out her website, Power Sewing, a fabulous place for sewing information, patterns, videos and more, here.

Looking quite stunning, Linda Hutchins, discussing her work with gallery visitors at her exhibit of drawings and etchings at Portland’s Nine Gallery.

She’s wearing my shawl collar coat in black and white, with a bright red under-collar. Fantastic!

Meanwhile, I’m sewing away on new pieces for the Smithsonian Craft Show. Coming up soon! April 20-24.

I can’t wait!

Real People

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I love to see photos of my pieces out in the real world and especially, on real people.

Below, handsome Dennis, wearing a pieced scarf sewn from [what else???] beautiful kimono silk. Dennis has a business making and selling fantastic sweaters. Check out his website here.

Another fellow textile artist, Jane, wearing one of my scarves. Can you see? She’s standing in front of one of her quilts. I love the Japanese designs in the fabric she used. A kindred spirit.

Back just before covid, when we could gather and listen to music together and not worry about a world wide pandemic, I snapped this picture of Linda. She was hosting an event and looking smashing in a bold black and white Shawl Collar coat. For a little bit of zing, I used a bright red for the under collar. When she moves or walks around, you see a flash of color. There is a little bit visible at the hem.

Beautiful Nina, layering a coat over a jacket over a blouse. Fantastic!

Then inside, with the coat off, showing the jacket and blouse. A lavender jacket and blouse with her red hair. Perfect.

And how about the perfect colors and patterns behind her? A happy accident that everything in this photo works together so well? Or carefully planned. Whichever way, I love it!

Thank you to Dennis, Jane, Linda and Nina for these fantastic photos.

Making Do

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We do our best, no matter what, to continue on with our lives. Despite physical distancing and staying safe by wearing masks, we all want to keep living our lives as best as we can.

I love this photograph that Susan sent from her outdoor birthday celebration with friends. She’s wearing one of my hitoes, sewn from such a beautiful and colorful kimono silk. Mask and all, making do.

Happy birthday Susan!

How about this snapshot of Linda? We’re in the middle of a fitting for a vest to match the pieced skirt she bought last December.

The corona virus put a crimp in our scheduled meet-up last spring, but after all this time we decided to go for it, outside, on the porch, with masks. And it was not warm! She wore many layers including her own knitted woolen hat, socks and under her pants, hand knit leggings.

A new style trend?

Her new skirt was part of a set that I had made a year or so ago. The pieced skirt was inspired by the pattern in the jacket.

I loved the look of these two fabrics together, but for Linda the jacket just wasn’t right. We decided a matching vest would be much better for her.

But that left the jacket. It was sewn from a gorgeous meisen kimono silk in a ‘turtle back’ pattern that I had appliqued with little blue squares.

What to do? I still had plenty of the ‘turtle back’ silk, so I pieced a skirt to go with the orphaned jacket.

I used a darker meisen and pieced it so it gradually got darker towards the hemline. And I appliqued more little blue squares to blend with the jacket.

A close up detail of the skirt.

We all do this: we look and we see that here is where we are, that this is what we have and that is what we want.

That’s our starting point. Then, we figure out what we need to do to make it happen.

Real People

10 Comments

I love it when my customers send photos of themselves wearing my designs. There is no better way to show how a piece of clothing can work than a real person wearing it. A real person in a real place.

So I was beyond happy when I received these fantastic photographs from Nina. In each one she is looking so beautiful. All elements, jackets, blouses, jewelry, curated perfectly.

Below, a jacket and blouse from a few years back. Still looking fresh and new. Perfectly paired with the right necklace and earrings.

Wow!

Below, a swing coat and matching blouse. She knows how to choose colors that work for her! Her complexion glows in the luscious, warm red tones.

We met a number of years ago, at the Baltimore craft show. She stopped in my booth and found a wool coat appliquéd with an antique paisley shawl. Ever since and over all these years and many, many craft shows, we’ve gotten to know each other and become friends.

It’s one of the very best things about the craft shows. You make friends.

Below, a pieced and appliquéd jacket worn over a matching blouse in the most gorgeous kimono silks and paired with a fantastic necklace.

What a wonderful tradition! A photo to commemorate an outing. Fantastic.

Each piece of my clothing is like a child. I create it, raise it, take care of it and love it. Then, when it’s matured and grown, it’s time to send it out into the world to live its own life.

And I want them to live good, interesting and fulfilling lives. So it feels so good to see that these pieces are living happy and fulfilling lives.

A jacket with appliquéd squares looking fantastic with a beautiful zig zagging, shibori blouse.

Thank you for sending me these photos Nina!

And a big thank you to Clif, your very own personal, paparazzi photographer.