Ann Williamson

Handmade Designer Women's Apparel

Scarves

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.

New Scarves

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All of you who sew know that scraps tend to pile up. For years I tried different ideas with what to do with them. A friend suggested scarves. It’s obvious, isn’t it? But it took me a while to figure out exactly how to make them. After many attempts, I came up with a design that I was pleased with. [a good sign!] My customers at the craft shows agreed.

In the beginning, most of my time was spent sewing jackets, coats, tops and skirts. I needed help with the scarves. At first, amazing Angie helped to sew them, then Beate and now wonderful Kimberly and my long time friend, Becky.

But covid! And no craft shows! So we slowed everything down and Kimberly and Becky went on temporary hiatus.

With no in person craft shows, I shifted my focus to my online shop.

Then, when the American Craft magazine offered ad space, I thought, why not? I put one together about scarves.

Scarves are perfect for our new online reality. Each is a one of a kind piece of art-to-wear. Plus, one size fits all. A scarf adds a bit of color and pizazz, something we’re all looking for these days. A bit of pizazz.

It worked! Between the ad and the Smithsonian virtual show my scarves were finding homes. I needed more. Which is why one of things things I’ve been doing lately is sewing scarves.

It is so much fun! And relaxing and meditative. And compared to the coats and jackets I’ve been working on, quick. No beads or hand appliqué or complicated clothing construction.

I was able to use the little pieces of leftover kimono silk from my stash.

Those gorgeous little bits of kimono silk that I cannot throw away, but are way too small for anything else.

From the bright and bold to the soft and pretty.

As I send them off to their new homes, I’ll continue to add more.

Check them out at my shop here.

Organizing

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I’ll admit it, it’s what I love to do, organize.
Everything else may be out of control, but here in my studio, all is order.
The reds are together here and the blues over there, sheers on top, solids and patterns, so many ways to categorize.

Which is why I had such a good time last week.
The first step to make one of my pieced scarves is to put together fabrics that go together. And even better, go together so that each piece enhances the next and will look beautiful as a whole.
Looking through my leftover scraps of silk, laying them out into some sort of order, following along, led by accident to new combinations and connections.
After a while, what was once an odd, disorganized pile of scraps is now orderly stacks of color coordinated fabrics. Instead of leftover odds and ends, they are almost, not quite yet, but soon, brand new scarves.