New Trench Coats for Baltimore

I’m sewing up a storm, getting ready for the up-coming ACC Baltimore craft show. We have an extra two weeks this year, instead of the end of February, the show will be March 15-17. Thank you ACC folks! A few extra weeks is very welcome!

I’ve been working on some new trench coats for the show using gorgeous Japanese kimono silks, like this amazing shibori. It’s purple dyed on top of a light grey. The diagonal shibori squares are over 2 inches square. Shibori is tie-dye using heavy threads to tie off parts of the fabric. Because these are big enough, you can easily see where the threads wrapped around the sections of fabric.

I absolutely love the evidence of real people touching and working and leaving behind their marks. The subtle inconsistencies and variations are so beautiful.

A detail shot so you can see the patterns.

And because it’s a trench coat, it can tie at the waist.

Often shibori silks are quite light weight. It’s much easier to tie off small sections of fabric of a fine fabric than one that is heavy or stiff. This jacket is light as a breeze, perfect for a warm weather cover up.

Another purple silk, this one with traditional Japanese designs of branches with pink and pale yellow cherry blossoms and a meandering stream behind. So pretty.

With its belt.

I love how the princess seams down the front and the pockets at the sides break apart the front pieces into various shapes. It’s especially cool when it’s a big bold design that might be too much on its own. When it’s cut into pieces the designs become abstracted shapes and are less over powering.

The cottages in this village design were already broken apart, sort of like a piece of cubist art. When I cut out the two front pieces, the two sides and the two pockets it mixed everything up into even more odd geometric shapes. It’s still little cottages and houses, just not so obvious.

A detail shot, so cool.

OK! I am on it. It’s going to be full blast ahead until mid-March and the Baltimore show!

For more information, go here.