Backing the picture train up, Part 2

And here are the ribbon straps for the sundresses.

Backing the picture train up

Here are the skirts I finished a week and a half ago. If you're interested (and local) the pink swirl will be on the floor at vive later this week.

And back to skirts

I'm back on skirts this week. I managed to procure more of the tone on tone red print I posted about early on, so I'll be using that this week for the current skirt incarnation.

Dresses, Round 1

Last week I put 1 dress style in 3 fabrics on the floor - a brown floral print, a lime green with pinks and white flowers, and a turquoise and green Hawaiian floral stripe. I added cute ribbon tie straps, but you'll have to wait for a picture of those.

Here is a pic of the brown floral print on one of the dress forms.

On the Dockett

I got another round of skirts on the floor at vive last friday - in the pink and blue prints I previewed in the last post. I received a supply order earlier than I expected, so this week I'll be making some kicky little sundresses , kind of like this....

Still in the bag

Waiting to be brought to the studio...

Next steps

Since May 8th, a couple more skirts have sold, including an aqua one that was photographed for potential use in an article in a local publication... I'll let you know on Thursday what the word on the street is.

I've also received and cashed my first check from vive la femme. What a Thrill! Thus far (hey, it's really only been a month) I've had a really positive experience and am VERY motivated to forge ahead with this whole thing. Good thing, because it looks like I'll be quite consistently busy for the summer. Stephanie has ordered new skirts to be ready for every Friday thru August!!!!!

First step... let's go shopping!


Stay tuned for a little fabric preview.

Whirlwind!

So... The first round of 14 skirts were all on the floor Thursday May 8. The store was beautiful...


I saw lots of lovely ladies trying my skirts on....

And by the end of the night, half of my skirts had sold... so I'm feeling pretty great about my new venture!

multi directional scarf

multi directional scarf
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

So, in between sewing, I've been working on my first multi-directional scarf. I used Noro Silver Thaw in Color 2 - purple, greens, pink. It's a very easy pattern, great for the bus, and I REALLY dig how the long Noro color runs work with the pattern. I will have used 2 hanks when it's all done, yielding a cozy, long scarf.

The scarves I make for myself - very few, surprisingly, tend to not be the long cuddly kind. Once finished, I'll get to pine away for it until it gets cold in the fall :)

SOLD!

SOLD!
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

So, Tuesday, May 6 vive la femme sold two Redskew skirts. Here's a pic of Mary, the very first person to buy one of my skirts! She was kind enough to let me take her picture with the skirt. YAY!

Skirts, round 2

Turquoise floral fabric
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

This turquoise floral fabric has been sewn into skirts already, but you'll have to wait until after Thursday to see it all done up. I'm onto my third fabric in this skirt style and looks like I'll be quite ready for the party on Thursday.

Skirt on Body

Steph modelling
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

This is the lovely Stephanie Sack, owner of vive la femme, modeling the yellow floral skirt with a magenta Schaart canvas jacket.

Skirts, round 1

Yellow floral fabric
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

This is the fabric I chose for the first round of skirts. This fabric ( cotton with a little lycra for stretch, typical for this design) is a sunny yellow with magenta, tangerine, pink and lime floral.

Revamp

Patterns
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

So, last week I got some very good advise from another designer, which resulted in revamping my approach to meet my deadline. The first skirt has been simplified and I made sturdy chipboard patterns to cut from. Onward ho!

Almost ready to sell....

Almost ready to sell....
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

I'm still working out some kinks in the design, but I should be ready to go by the 8th. A lot of sewing got done last week, and I figured out the hang tags for the first run. I'm waiting on a fabric order. I'm anticipating 2-4 different colors/fabric patterns to be available in the first round of this straight forward A-line skirt. For sale beginning May 8th at vive la femme.

First Fabric

First Fabric
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

Here is the first fabric I'm preparing for my skirt line. It's a two tone red floral print, cotton and lycra.

The patterns

The patterns
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

Here are the muslin patterns, hanging in my studio, from which I make the skirts.

So, here's the story

I realized this morning that I haven't really explained what is going on. Short version - after my mom died in February (from an aneurysm after 6 months of treatment for pancreatic cancer), I was laid off from my architecture position in a small firm. That was the 2nd time in about a year that I had been laid off from jobs I was less than happy in. I took it all as giant billboard on the road of life to take the exit I've been dreaming of and planning for on the back burner. After discussions with my husband and closest advisors, I decided to start my own clothing design business.

Redskew, LLC was offically born (in the state of IL), April 16, 2008. I'm currently in design and development of my first line of plus size (12-24) skirts, which I've been documenting here, and will continue to. They will be for sale at vive la femme, 2048 N. Damen, Chicago, IL beginning May 8, 2008. If things go well, I plan to sell on etsy.com and surely expand my market from there.

Knittingwise, I've been doing more theraputic projects since mom passed - my second clapotis, a short row hat, both in Noro Silver Thaw, and a couple of easy, pretty gifts to have on hand. Check out the pics at flickr

So, that's the story. Stay tuned for regular updates...

vive la femme front desk

vive la femme front desk
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

I was quite busy at vive last week. I worked with Stephanie to get some accents up at the store. I completed 4 floral arrangements for the storefront and the front desk. They're SO pretty and really make the place pop.

Storefront

vive la femme storefront
Originally uploaded by redskewknits

Here's a shot of the vive la femme storefront. 2048 N. Damen, Chicago, IL. Starting May 8, you can find Redskew skirts here. Stephanie Sack is the awesome owner of this boutique, specializing in sizes 12-24.