21 November 2007

I am so excited by the new Goodwill/Nick Graham partnership. If you've missed the hoopla, Nick, who created, then sold Joe Boxer, is working with a team of designers and Goodwill to repurpose selected clothing items. They go in, find pieces they like, clean them, then cut, sew, add a dash of whimsy, and voila! Like new! They call it William Good.....get it? They've put in a little 200-square foot boutique area within the Fillmore & Post Goodwill, and you can also buy online within their E-Bay shop. Si and I had the best time yesterday while Ry rehearsed a block away for his chorus holiday concert.....she gave me fashion advice while I tried on several items. I came away with three things, including the big-eyed vest at left, which is, to put it mildly, the least favorite of Si's. The eye kind of freaks her out. Which is probably what attracted me to it. We have discovered, very early on, that our tastes are distinctly different. And we're okay with that. Anyway, the hope is that they will roll this concept out not only to other Goodwill locations (probably Chelsea in NYC next), but also to other retail locations. This has been a long time coming.....I love it and it inspires me to do this on my own. I can sew well enough to throw an eye, or lips, or words or ruffles on something! I can even rip something up and sew pieces of it on something else! Which just regenerates my interest in a sewing circle. Not the kind where you sit around with an embroidery ring and do little crosses and flowers. The kind where you have a few ladies around a table with sewing machines, all on different projects and helping each other with their knowledge. And of course imbibement most likely should be involved. And perhaps some snacks. And definitely music. These ideas are certainly not new. Just check out stitch lounge. These ladies rock...and have the kind of business I would love to have. Of course, you need the talent for it. They've written a couple of books - Sew Subversive and Subversive Seamster. For some reason I don't have a problem trying things out for Si....check out the skirt I just made her.....she picked all the fabric and trims, of course....and I have to say that it was definitely inspired by some fun skirts I saw at another very talented lady's shop -
Siobhan van Winkel on Telegraph Ave. So I got a simple pattern, and we now have two of these fun skirts....if you don't attach the fancy trim, you can knock out this skirt in less than an hour. So, anyone who might be interested in starting up an East Bay sewing circle, let me know.....I'll bring the wine.

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