jill2day at work...

I have been in high production mode lately. I am getting ready for shows in Chicago (December) and Chantilly, VA (end of January) as well as the holiday season on Etsy. Boy has it been work and fun... Here is a little peek into my day(s).

I head down to my studio each morning and line up Nellie, Doris, and Evy (my three dress forms) and we get started. I have shelves of previously bundled sweater parts. So I decide what this particular day should be... a red day? a tweedy neutral day? or a multicolor fun day? Once my color appetite has been identified I grab the appropriate bundle.

I then spread the parts out and look for a starting point. Sometimes it is a unique collar structure, sometimes it is a pattern that has a particularly intriguing color combination, sometimes it is a unique "hand" that the fabric has. The I start sculpting the parts and pieces together. I don’t use patterns, because each reclaimed sweater is different and has different idiosyncrasies that must be honored and exploited! If I am using an existing bodice or neckline, that may determine the size… and which of my ladies gets to go first. If I am using color as my starting point, I have to decide what ratio of each of the different fabrics will go into the scheme… and sometimes hunt through my stash for the little extra dash of purple that wasn’t in my original bundle. Slowly but surely, the dress forms go from naked to covered with pins and pieces. During this process there is a great deal of stealing from Nellie to give to Doris, and the like…

Finally the ladies are prepped. One then steps up to the serger machine. The machine is threaded with the appropriate color(s) and the sewing starts! A seam here, a tuck there, a replacement here, a new idea there, the garment is still morphing through this process.

At the end of the day, or the next day, or the next… the garments are sewn.

Then it is onto the “proofing”… into the washing machine while I hold my breath. They tumble about in the Dreft detergent and the hand wash cycle for their allotted time and then on to the dryer for the delicate dry cycle. Most make it, some don’t. One of the hazards of using reclaimed fabrics is that it has had a previous life… if there were wear spots or tiny moth holes that didn’t show up before, they will be gaping after the wash cycle. Threads that were cut short grow in the agitation. And some stains actually appear after washing!

Once they are out though, they are soft and have a cohesiveness that just didn’t exist before the individual pieces had this shared experience! Then they are tagged and rechecked, photographed, described and then listed on Etsy or packed up for a show.

Then it is time to find them homes and get them on their way to their new life! These photos are some from some of my latest "litters"! Spicy is a great coat inspired by the color combo in the print panels. Bay is a shorter jacket that where the existing bodice and collar was the starting point.

My time of year!

If you were around here last year, you know my affinity for Fall. Some people love summer's heat, some love January as a new beginning, some can't wait for the first snow... but for me it is when the leaves change and the cool breezes flow all night!!

Sunday we had one of those perfect fall days. Warm weather you know that you don't deserve and blue sky that sets off every color with a vibrancy that contain just a drop of orange in every highlight and violet in every shadow.

I took a long walk and brought my camera with me... here are some shots of the things that inspire me and the reconstructed garments that are a result of this inspiration. They were all recently posted in my Sweater section on jill2day. Hope that you enjoy this brief look through my eyes.

For those of you who don't get to walk through the woods kicking the leaves as you go, here is a short video (be sure to have your sound on if you want the full leaf kicking experience!) of my trail:

Do you FACEBOOK?

I have found facebook to be so much easier to post in than this blog, that I am afraid I have been derelict here. It takes just a second to say "hi" or post something there, and I am on my personal page everyday keeping up with kids, grandkids and friends (real ones!).

I am just letting you know, that you are welcome to join the fun on my Facebook fan page (facebook.com/jill2dayfans). I will continue to post here too - I know that some people just do not like using Facebook, and I understand that.

I would really like some feedback from you about this... do you do both? Prefer the blog? I want you to be well informed and in contact! Thanks! Jill

Chasing the light!

Photography is always a challenge for on-line sales! It requires lots of photos, and they have to be well lit and show the product well. That would be so easy if one could hire professional photographers, but alas, that is not financially feasible for one-of-a-kind products. So that means it is a DIY project!

I am fortunate to have photo direction experience, but what that really means is that I have lots of experience telling experts what to do with all their professional equipment in their studios... not doing it myself. So Sasha, my mannequin and I have a good time struggling with where and when to shoot. Natural lighting is by far the best for shooting, but my house doesn't rotate with the sun.

That means that at one time of year, the loft area is perfect, but as the sun gets higher, Sasha, my tripod and I move to take over the bedroom. In the fall, the sun lowers, and all of the wonderfully indirect light there becomes flood lighting.

Last week, we decided to look for a new spot. At one point we found our desperate selves nestled in the bathroom!!! The lighting was great - we have solar tubes in there that create perfectly diffused light (maybe a bit too straight down though). After a shot or two, neither Sasha or I could take the humiliation anymore. It is one thing to have the pile of bills and printer just out of the shot (loft) or even the laundry basket or bed just behind the tripod (bedroom). Fighting the wind is also not too bad when we decide to shoot outside. But, neither of us thought the bathroom was dignified enough for jill2day photos, so we headed back to the bedroom armed with huge mirrors and smaller time frames...but I did take this shot to commemorate the try!

Virginia Beach Neptune Festival

I just got back from showing at the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival... It was great!
   Those of us in the Midwest don't get to watch the waves too often, so that combined with a full moon, wonderful customers, dolphins jumping, a hotel right across from my booth and great (even if hot) weather, made for a very enjoyable four days.
   The show was along the boardwalk of the beach, so with the back flap open, I could watch "the waves roll in and then watch them roll away again" as Otis would say! There were many artists there, and I got to meet a few of them. One of the heartening things was how many people had both heard of and go on to Etsy to shop! I met a person who was familiar with my blog ("hi") and best friends of one of my great customers.

   I was thrilled that even in 95+ degree weather people were open to the purchase of sweaters and scarves! It is so much fun to see people try on and discover jill2day garments. That is another thing I don't get to see too often because of the on-line shop. It is such a great way to get feedback on how I can make things better, or just what I should make more of for you all!!
 So now that I am home, I will apply all that learning to my new items!!