Necklaces Necklaces Necklaces.

My quest to become a master solderer continues. It's surprisingly tricky. I'm not exactly sure how the explosion of soldered glass jewelry has happened, since it seems like it takes a lot of practice! Anyway, here are some new soldered peacock feather pendants. When my skillz get really good, I'm start producing round ones, since round glass costs more. I really like the fabric chains because I have PLENTY of extra fabric from making clothes and I think putting fabric behind the feathers works better then paper.

I don't like to toot my horn too much but this necklace made from a Smuckers jelly lid is simply wonderful. It is. I cut out the cross stitching from one of the handkerchiefs I bought at an estate sale and glued it inside the lid, then hung a little green glass heart that I had soldered earlier. I'm in love with it.

And then there's these bird necklaces.  I'm pretty stoked about them too. Having an etsy store has been so fun because it gives you the opportunity to see where your sensibilities and others meet, or don't, as the case may be. For example, when I made these earrings  I really wasn't crazy about them and didn't think anyone else would like them. They are my most popular item, by far. Conversely, (inversely? reversely?) I thought these earrings would be an instant fashion sensation, but nobody gives them a second glance at all. So, I'll be interested to see what catches on. Either way, it doesn't matter, the Smuckers necklace is bad ass.

Tango of the Tablecloth

This may be my favorite skirt yet. So if nobody buys it, I may just have to keep it to myself! The red and white checker and ruffle are both from tablecloths from my mom. The pocket is made from the same table cloth that went into this skirt. The gold trim around the pocket was taken from an extra large african dress that I picked up at the salvation army here in Bedstuy. The great thing about these skirts is they can also be worn as dresses.

The other great thing about these skirts is they look so cute with high heels! I rarely wear high heels because a) they hurt and b) I'm already tall. If wearing high heels puts you over the 6 foot mark, it's hazardously unstable, in my opinion. But it does look good in photos.

On a side note, I'm feeling more and more confident about this-a here skirt   business of mine. I think I'm going to continue to refine my design sense, making these skirts one at a time before I really expand. I'm a little intimidated by the idea of drafting up a business plan, getting a loan etc. plus I really just don't have the room right now. As it is I've taken over part of our roommate's living space with my ironing board and after all the earrant bits of lace and polka dot fabric that gets everywhere, I understand a person can only be polite for so long.  Perhaps I'll focus more on the peacock feather jewelry, since it takes up less room. Sigh...patience...it's a virtue.

New Skirts and a New Design

I love a denim skirt AND I love applique. Denim is so satisfying to sew. So well-behaved, predictable and substantial. And the seams always come out of the serger looking perfectly cut and stitched. This is one of my very first attempts at applique and I must say, it looks darn fetching. I know there's different schools of applique: so people believe hand stitched is best, some people don't fully finish the edge so it starts to fray, which is something i've never understood. They always say, "the applique will fray over time, adding to its' charm." Really? I don't really think that anything becomes more charming as it frays. I think that means, it's going to look cruddy and cruddier. Oh well. Either way, I like my applique tightly and neatly zigzagged with NO fraying. It is painstaking though, which is why I'm charging more for this skirt. Who knows? I may grow to like the frayed "charm" the more applique I do. This denim is taken from an enormous western style dress that I bought a while back at the Fruita Thrift Store.

                                                                                                                                                                                   I'm really a fan of this one. I love black floral fabrics and of course, gingham. If the gingham becomes too much, I hope somebody will intervene. There's something somewhat Anthropologie-y about this skirt. At least that's what I like to think. I love Anthropologie. Curse them and their beautiful, expensive things! I have some other skirts to show that I'm extra excited about, but I'm going to do that in a seperate post since I start to get a little nuts when shifting around all these pictures in blogger.

Sunday's child is full of grace.

Or is it Tuesday's child? Who knew skirt making could bring up such confusion regarding old timey nursery rhymes? Not me. I've got some new skirts to share. And you're gonna like them. My mom sent me a bunch of supercute 50's kitchen towels with day o' the week appliques on them. I've been hanging on to them, mostly because I couldn't figure out how to incorporate them into a Teablossoms skirt, since the towels are all white and Teablossoms skirts are BOLD, BRIGHT, and FLOWERY! But then I said, "hey, what about pockets?"
Jeff and I went to the park under Brooklyn bridge for this shoot. We like to keep things interesting. We raced against the clock as the sun set behind the Manhattan skyline. I've also been experimenting with garment tags. I know I could cough up 50 bucks and get some prefabricated, but I am a die hard do it yourselfer, plus I like working with gold fabric paint.... your thoughts?

5 Lovelies.

It's funny how themes come out when you make things in batches sometimes. 4 of these 5 skirts have a red and green and/or flowery theme. I've just got nature on the brain. Nature and Christmas. This first skirt is made from a vintage table cloth I found at the thrift store. It's been barely used and is so colorful! It also has this cool woven, slightly nubby texture that is very charming. This second skirt incorporates a vintage bird tablecloth that my mom brought me. She's really become my agent in the field when it comes to vintage linen reconnaissance and I'd say she's doing pretty well! The last three were made from repurposed linens that I found here in Brooklyn. I'm expecially fond of the bright, paisley one in the third skirt and the gold in the fourth. One of the cool things about living in our neighborhood is that there's a large African population, which means cool fabric and dresses sometimes show up in the thrift store. I found a huge African dress made out of this woven gold fabric and I thought it would look just darling with the different blue linens. Kind of like an embossed china teacup. The waistband and one of the fabric panels of that skirt are from a repurposed Martha Stewart sheet. It's just terrific! All these beauties are available in my Etsy shop and are one-size-fits-most, so come on down!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TeaBlossoms

PEACOCKS!

The people have spoken. They want peacock feather accessories! Well, it just so happens that my parents have about 25 pet peacocks that dump their decorative tails every summer. Aren't we in luck? My peacock feather accessories are special for more than just being free-range Colorado-grown. I've made the dangley kind in the past and I just feel that the feathers get kindof beat up and what makes them so pretty is that BLUE EYE. SO! I back all my feathers with felt so their sturdy, AND the feather stays nice and intact....you're welcome. This first picture, I call owl eyes. I've sold two of these pairs already. People seem to really like the blue eye surrounded by just the brown.












I'm really excited about the combination of gingham and peacock feathers. Maybe more excited than everyone else at this point but I believe that these will catch on. Gingham is big this year and peacock feathers are timeless. I just gotta send a pair of these to Cindy Lauper or someone and they'll take off. Wait a minute, I actually know someone who knows her. I better get busy!




Two more inventions: Peacock feather rings! I just love them! You can't scrub dishes with it on but you can be the belle of the costume ball! Last but not least, I'm very excited about the prospects of combining peacock feathers and stained glass soldering. This pendant includes origami paper and blue feather eyes, sandwiched between microscope glass and then soldered together like stained glass, which my momma taught me how to do. I will be making some more of these soon and I'm selling my wares on Bedford ave. in Williamsburg every weekend. People have been requesting more hair accessories so I'll have more of those for sale on the Etsy too. http://www.etsy.com/shop/TeaBlossoms

This last picture is our roof as we scramble to snap a few more pics before the sun goes down.

Happy Customer

This is Lindsay and she's my best customer. She is the proud owner of two Teablossoms skirts and I dare say, if I ever get my butt back to Colorado, she is going to be my official Teablossoms model. Nothing like a marathon runner's body to make a skirt look good, eh? There's also nothing like a Boston Terrier to make a skirt look good. This picture just makes my heart glow and it provides some unexpected market research: Dogs also love Teablossoms designs. Could Dogblossoms be a spinoff business? Hmm....



Lindsay bought one of the first skirts I made, the Just Bee skirt and liked it so much that she snapped up one of the Table for Two wrap skirts fashioned from a vintage table cloth. I urged Lindsay to exercise restraint and not go broke buying Teablossoms skirts but she assured me that she needed them for work. It's so exciting to know my creations are versatile enough for frolicking and productivity. Thank you for the love, Lindsay! You look fantastic.

The tablecloth that dreamed it was a skirt.

WELL! It's been too, too long since my last post. I'm really going to try harder to make them a weekly affair. But between all the skirts and now the peacock feather goodies and the fact that time management just isn't my strong suit.....I suppose this is what interns are for. I know this sweaty city is just teaming with wide-eyed 20-somethings just dying for a chance to boost Teablossoms sales and show off their newly acquired webmarketing skills. If only I can find the time to write that craigslist ad.... Here are three skirts that I made from two vintage tablecloths that my mom brought from Colorado last month and I'm happy to say that 2 of the 3 have already sold! This first skirt was made from one tablecloth and Lauren in Austin, Texas said it was keeping her cool and that it was the best-fitting skirt she owned in 10 years. Go me! Lindsay in Denver, CO bought the skirt with the green sash. I really like all these skirts and might just keep the one with the white sash (unless you fancy it of course). I cut them as your standard circle wrap skirt but then included and cute little ruffle piece at the top which I'm quite fond of. I think that ruffle will definitely become part of the signature Teablossoms look.

I would also just like to take this moment to offer a shout out to my fiance' in taking these pictures. These pictures were taken using some new, fancy and HUGE lenses that he bought for his videographing. I don't normally brag about his lense size online like this but just look at the depth of field in this pics. It just makes such a difference.

Work with what your momma gave you.

My parents just visited from Grand Junction and my mom brought me a whole suitcase of vintage linens!! This is excellent for a number of reasons: 1) you get to rock some killer new Teablossoms skirts in the near future 2) I get to drool whilst making said killer skirts and 3) this shows my mom is slowly overcoming her hoarder's complex. For my mom to relinquish this many old linens, linens that indeed may be old enough to be worth money to someone and to relinquish them knowing her daughter is going to have her way with them using scissors, pins and gold rickrack is a bold, brave step towards a neater linen closet. Thanks Mom! And I'm proud of you.....
This bird tablecloth is pure porno for someone like me. So cute and and bright and delightful! I'm already working on some skirts with these babies.. I have some old fabric I bought in China years ago but never seemed to know what to do with it. It's gonna look fabulous with these birds.

I know. It just doesn't get any more freakin' adorable than this. I got a tea towel for every day of the week with little ladies in different colored calico dresses. These dresses are each hand-appliqued on with separate pieces for the skirt bodice and hat and yet they're totally rugged, and machine washable and iron up beautifully.


I need a cold shower.

Teablossoms first photo shoot

Hello! Welcome to my first blog post on my blog devoted to my latest scandal: Teablossoms! It's handmade clothing, it's freerange peacock feather accessories. It's....a state of mind. I've always wanted to make clothing for a living and be self-employed and have an excuse to have fun and frequent photo shoots starring ME! And I was recently fired from my lame office job, so it seems god is closing a door and I'm opening an Etsy store. Quick disclaimer: I've been a very fairweather blogger in the past, but I'm gonna do my best to produce the all-important content and photos!! Without further ado, let's see some sexy pix from my first photo shoot featuring my first three Teablossoms...Yes, it's true. With my very first Teablossoms skirt, I reveal the seedy truth about myself: I'm an Amy Butler WHORE! Just like the rest of you. It is pretty though, isn't it.

Girl makes some pretty fabric, what can I say? You know what else I discovered? Ladies love skirts you can wear as shirts! Jeff (my fiance') , who was snappin photos was like "No, don't wear it like that." But every female who sees this photo is like, "Oh, I LOVE that you can wear it as a shirt!" I know what girls like. Perhaps I'll snap some with it on my head and the Nun community will be signing up on etsy. The best part is that I get to use the tags "whore" and "nun" for this blog post.

Try as I did, I still managed to flash some folks during this clothing change. Good thing Jeff was around to protect my honor. I called this the Just Bee skirt on my etsy store. Which is here, by this way. And I have bad news (for you): it's been sold. To my friend Lindsay. She loves it and hopefully I'll have some pictures of her wearing it to share. I have a prediction: Bees are going to be the new Owl which has been the new Black of fashion this summer. You heard it here. Let's see if I can find a detail of this Bee fabric cuz it's just Beeautiful!

Here we go. This is good because you can behold the bees as well as my design m.o. Teablossoms is all wrap skirts all the time! (with the exception of the Amy Butler one above, that's just an a-line). Wrap skirts are one-size-fits-most. Whether you're skinny, curvy, preggers or just want your kids to be well-dressed siamese twins for Halloween, chances are there's a Teablossoms skirt for you.

I call this skirt Tropical Shimmer, Be a Hawaiian Goddess or Just Look Like One. I'd say the biggest challenge of working with this fabric was trying to get the color right in photoshop. Sheesh! It's really bright and quite shiny. I'm not sure I ever really did it justice. Oh well. It's silk jacquard. Which I think maybe means fake silk because you can machine wash and iron this baby just fine. Not at all possible with 100% silk. Perhaps it's a blend. Anywho, here I am rocking the tropical shimmer in front of the Revolutionary War monument in Ft. Greene park in Brooklyn.












That's all for now! Stay tuned for some juicy peeks at a suitcase full of vintage linens that my mom lugged all the way from Colorado last week as well as my foray into soldered glass pendants. This was a fruitful photo shoot and I'm super grateful to Jeff for his fashion photography skillz. If you're curious what Jeff does when he's not directing me Austin Powers-style, here are his webisodes starring food critic, Josh Ozersky.