i kind of treat my clothing line like it is my bastard child. i don’t mean to, really, but sometimes i feel like the amount of money/effort that i put into what i make won’t get much of a return when it’s time to sell – i mean, yeah, i know that there are people ~out there~ who will pay $150+ for a simple cotton sundress, but they ain’t shopping on my rack. LOL. hence why i spend the majority of my time supplementing my already-gigantic wardrobe. i rarely bring stuff to the shop & i’m sure they hate me at this point. I’M SORRY.
anyway, i was invited to participate in the next local honey fashion show at the end of this month. nevermind that i have to move within the next month or so (did i already mention that? i think i already mentioned that. my amazing roommate was accepted into the peace corps! she is leaving the country in september, so i gotta bust ass & find a solo apt! eek!), oh and i’m still making junk for the tomato art festival. i will find the time! i am actually using this as an opportunity to do a gigantic stash-bust.
see?
i doubt i will use *all* these fabrics, but i just love leaving them all over the table while i’m working. it inspires me, and also motivates me to move my butt & finish so i can clean it up!
here are my palette swatches. lots of gingham & cool summer blues. some pieces i only have enough for trims (like the eyelet), some i have giant yardages of (like the florals). like i said, i am stash-busting to the extreme – my obligatory trip to the fabric store only yielded more interfacing & a piece of red twill. that’s it! and lucky whoever ends up with this stuff – my fabric tastes tend to run on the expensive side, so most of this is leftover from previous LT projects. really high-quality stuff. ooh la la!
i am thinking high-waisted shorts, crop tops, bikini tops, high-waisted skirts, sundresses & rompers. i need at least 8 full outfits & i want everything to mix & match.
a couple peeks at what i’ve got so far…
red high-waisted shorts! my favorite!
these are quite similar to the red high-waisted shorts that i made for myself. i used the basic pattern block & made a bunch of alterations to the design. i didn’t get a picture, but the pockets are red gingham 🙂
aren’t the buttons fun? i found them in my button stash (once again… bustin’ forreal y’all). they are different sizes but i actually like how it looks a lot.
pretty blue seersucker top… still a WIP. remember what i said about my expensive fabric tastes? i think this seersucker was like $20/yard. i barely had enough leftover to squeeze out this top.
it is amazing how much stuff i have amassed for my, er, collection. i have buttons & trims & zippers & bias tape & thread & dear god where did all this come from. hopefully i will be able to utilize what i have without making a bunch of trips to the fabric store.
in other slightly-related news, i have decided to start tagging my handmade clothes. buying little embroidered “handmade by lauren” tags is not in my budget right now, nor do i have time to machine-embroider a bunch of them, so i made a stamp:
i plan on stamping it on muslin, using screenprinting ink. which, yes, i have plenty in my stash 🙂
LLADYBIRD 
Love your stamp!!!!
Good idea with the stamp. I cannot wait to see what you have for your line, you put so much detail and time into everything you post on here!
I love the stamp idea! I might have to try that myself. Have you had any issues with the ink bleeding when you wash the clothes?
naw, as long as you use screen printing ink (i use speedball), you won’t get any bleeding. i don’t heat-set my ink because i’m lazy and it barely even fades. i’ve been stencilling & stamping various fabrics for yeears with this stuff & it definitely holds up great in the wash. i love it!
Thanks, good to know. I’m going to give this a shot on my next project.