Skoal!

My first press of 2009 (I think) - The ever-popular Anne dress got a lovely little posting on Love Is Near's beautiful blog, which you can peek at here.
Thanks so much, Tara! I am so honored. :)

Draping the Waitress Dress 101

Listening to: My Frenchie Playlist (April March, Camille, Stereo Totale, Edith Piaf)
Current Mood: Overwhelmed with sewing responsibilities

One of my 2009 resolutions is to return to my roots and spend more time crafting with others; it's inspiring and it also helps to keep me from just watching television all day (or reading Jezebel, not that there's anything wrong with that) instead of sewing.

I've been meeting with my friend Rachel to share ideas while taking the quizzes in Twyla Tharp's "The Creative Habit".

Besides learning that I am should probably pass some of the administrative worries over to someone else so I can get to sewing, crafting with others (and talking about crafting, which inevitably leads to talking about shopping, and then going shopping)is an amazing way to build community, share some knowledge, and pick up skills along the way. Right now I am trying to perfect my group-teaching skills for a class I will be teaching on how to make the Waitress Dress. I'm also trying to get it perfected so that I can take a bunch of them to Viva as Vegas this year. Here's hoping.

Dear friend Lauren came over to help me re-draft my pattern and teach Rachel the basics of draping, and Rachel brought Bing for some puppy socialization. The poor kitties had to hang out in the bedroom all day, which they only pretended to mind:

I first draped this dress in 2006, and I've been trying to perfect the pattern for it ever since. When I first made it I combined my pencil skirt pattern with my sundress bodice, which looked fine on the dummy (and a lot of people) but required a certain amount of fudging that I would rather not have to deal with every time I make the dress. I scrambled around in my sewing room but couldn't find the skirt pattern this morning so we're draping an entirely new one.

Because I like to bring out the girliness in everyone, and because my friends are perfect fit models, we decided to try it we decided to try the sample on first one body and then another to see what we needed to fix. :
It's cute, no? But still it needs a something.

Now that we've figured out that the waist is too long in the back and there needs to be more ease in the hips, it's time to block the muslin and get to draping on Blanche, my elegant and long-suffering dress form:



Should we do it as one long piece and shape it with the attached waistband, or make a bodice and skirt separately? Questions, questions.
And how much allowance to give the waist so that I can raise or lower it depending on the body it needs to fit?

We decided to give the waist a 1/2" allowance so that it could be raised or lowered and the darts could be re-positioned. We probably draped that waist dart for an hour - Lauren is obsessive about fitting darts, Rachel likes the entire process, and I wax rhapsodic about fabric, so we're a good team. When we finally agreed that the dart was laying flat enough (after much debate and a lot of prickling with pins), it was time to take the muslin off of Blanche and true the pattern, taking the fabric we draped and straightening up the markings so that we could transfer the whole thing to paper with my arsenal of rulers.

Lauren showed Rachel how to fix the waist darts while I ironed the muslin for our sample and ran around making endless cups of tea (did I mention that not only do I have the attention span of a hummingbird lately, but that I've also had a fever all day?) and wondering what to get for lunch.

After a quick call to Andy's for some veggie delights, we sat down to bean curd, broccoli, and the other thing I am trying to cut down on in '09, namely soda. I'd like to be in better shape for the wedding in August, so perhaps I should also cut down on the takeout food. One thing at a time.

Meanwhile, Rachel brought Lauren over for a closer look at the muslin and a couple of tips.
The ladies got to work on fixing the waist darts with the hip curve and putting in a seam allowance while I took a break to check on the cats (luckily Lauren noticed that I was only giving it 1/4" instead of 1/2" - like I said, I'm pretty feverish, so it's awesome to have friends who can offer good advice), who were completely unconcerned with what we were up to and just wanted to be left in their patch of sun. I can relate, especially today.

Now that we've gotten the pattern in a relatively happy state, it can be cut out of the fabric, a tightly-woven linen in pepto-pink which is strangely fetching, though it looks oddly like a big slab of bubble gum when it's all pinned together. We are nearing the 5th hour of our adventure and the darts are matching up, so it's time to sew, sew sew, and then back to the ironing board to check on the results of our experiment:

Which looks awesome so far. It lays perfectly on the dummy, and Rachel is happy, so everybody's happy! Next week we'll drape the back of the dress.

Happy New Year!!!!

I have decided to update my Etsy page, won't you surf on over and take a look?
Mignonette on Etsy!
I've been looking at my super-glam New Year's Eve photos and wondering how I can use them as inspiration for this season. Seriously, I have more ideas than I can shake a stick at, but lots of trouble organizing them in my pointy little head.


In the meantime, I will be updating this blog more frequently. I am planning part two of my wedding in Montreal, if you have any advice (seriously, we have NO IDEA what we are doing and neither of us has ever been there) I will gladly take it.

VOTE FOR MIGNONETTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh! Mignonette got nominated for the Craftiest Bastard 2008 contest! Vote for Mignonette (and then vote again!)! The polls are open until Oct 10th!

We’ve selected 10 crafty candidates to run for the Craftiest Bastard 2008!

You have the opportunity to elect your favorite candidate by voting on the issues: creativity of product, originality, use of materials and product construction.
Be sure to craft your vote today!

VOTE HERE!

the Styledash review is up!

Awesometown - we were recently interviewed by the fabulous Mallory from Styledash, AOL's fashion blog.
You can read it here or just scroll down (though I recommend going to the AOL site).

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

Today we'd like to introduce you to independent fashion designer Kpoene' Kofi-Bruce of Mignonette, which means 'cute girl' in French. Kpoene' recently launched her new bridal collection, which includes custom gowns.

Tell us a little about yourself and your company.
Mignonette Designs is a line of handmade custom and ready-to-wear dresses for sophisticated girly girls. I've been running Mignonette since 2002 when I first moved to Brooklyn. We've gotten a lot of press and been in a lot of stores and had a great time with it. I recently scaled back to work on the launch of Mignonette Bridal in June of 2008. This is a higher-priced (but still under $500) collection of dresses that can be modified for brides or bridal parties, and we're also offering custom gowns.

How did you get started as a designer?
I worked for a large company for a few months and realized that I really didn't want to work for anyone other than myself. Luckily, I moved to New York at the right time - Indie business, especially indie design, is really heavily encouraged there and it's easy to find other crafty entrepreneurs. In fact, I learned so much just in the first 3 years of running the business that i decided to start my own networking group, the Ladies Independent Design League, to work with other women who were trying to get their businesses in shape. It's not that I'm an expert, but I've been around the block a few times. :)

What inspires your work?
I am an unabashed Francophile so I love watching French movies, reading French blogs, and of course listening to the music of my favorite singer, April March (she's an American who mostly sings in French). I recently took up flower arranging, which is such a fun, random old-lady hobby, but it really helps to clear my head and think of new designs.

Who are your favorite designers?
Yves St. Laurent was a genius, and of course I also love Nannette Lepore, Catherine Malandrino, and Rebecca Taylor. My girlfriend gave me a Viktor and Rolf skirt for Christmas and even though it's more architectural than I am used to I like wearing it.

What are your top fashion & beauty must-haves?
I am a shoe fanatic. I have lots of different pairs of pointy-toed black pumps, and maybe nobody else can tell the difference between them, but I know.

For beauty I will take any concealer that hides my under-eye bags, which are enormous - lately I really like Cover Girl Trueblends. It's inexpensive and it actually works great. I also always need Pucci Vivara perfume or Mark Jacobs Daisy perfume or I don't feel ready to leave the house.

Any advice you would give to aspiring designers?
I would say that you have to really believe in your product. I'm repping a friend of mine who is a fellow clothing designer and she is the perfect example of what an indie business owner should be: She wears her designs nearly every day and really personifies the label. I think that's important. Refusing to take "no" for an answer is another thing any business owner should do. If Etsy isn't the best way for you to sell, create your own website. Can't seem to get into craft fairs? Maybe you should try boutiques. Since it's so hard for little businesses to stay afloat, you always have to look for new opportunities and they are usually in very unexpected places.

Where can people find your work?
Right now I am only online at www.Mignonettedesigns.com, www.mignonettebridal.com, and at Pandora's Trunk in San Francisco.

Anything else?
Please contact me if you are a new designer looking for advice! I can dish it for days!

New reviews and Etsy madness

Current mood: Frazzled! I've got two dresses to finish before I can go to the ball (i.e. Avani's wedding).

Hooray! Mignonette Designs got a sweet little plug from the fabulous Lilah over at Chateau Bizarre! It's normally a site dedicated to goth and steampunk so I feel that we're in some pretty illustrious company! The best part is that Mignonette Designs is listed under the "vintage and rockabilly, glam and drag" section. Hee.

Here's what they said:
"A small line of cute knee-length dresses sweetened with modernized retro elements, perfect for daywear-into-nightwear ensembles. Both the clingy and the swingy are presented with wrapping tops, puffed sleeves, mermaid hems, little belts, and other distinctive details of the forties and fifties. Custom is welcome."

You can see the write-up here.

Meanwhile, last week I did an interview with Styledash that will hopefully be up this week. I'm really excited because I love the Styledash blog, and I didn't realize before but it's an AOL-sponsored blog, so hopefully that will bring in some new shoppers.

In other news, the conquest of Etsy (well, I'm trying) continues with the Mignonette Designs Etsy page that largely features custom work. I'm also posting up random sample pieces, such as an Anne Dress in size 0-2 that is only $85! That's right, I said $85! If you want it surf on over there and pick up a serious bargain.

As you can probably tell just from the banner, the Mignonette Etsy site has a completely different feel than the normal Mignonette label - prices are lower, designs are more experimental, and there is a huge focus on custom, so if you've been afraid to commit to a Mignonette Designs piece, the Etsy offerings might be more your speed.

I was also contacted by the publisher of Gala Weddings today about a write-up for Mignonette Bridal! I can't believe they contacted me - It's a dream come true for a tiny bridal shop like Mignonette Bridal to be in the pages of a magazine like that.
I'm bursting at the seams with excitement and also freaking out - what pictures should I send them? What should I say? The fear of putting my foot in my mouth is palpable, I'm really much better at repping others (hello, Sarah Zins, anyone?) than I am at talking about myself. Phew.

Oh, and - If I said I would review your indie biz on the blog, don't worry - I'm getting around to it!
xoxo
KP

Mignonette all over the place

So...I took the plunge and joined Facebook - won't you be my neighbor?
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1354395711

Also, I've been merrily adding to my etsy shop so it's officially back up! Please check it out here, and, you know, maybe buy something. :)
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5038803

And in other exciting news, I recently unearthed another wedding dress that I made back in 2003. Geez, I didn't know I had it in me but it looks pretty great! So here are some pics. Enjoy, comment, etc. If you would like your own version, it is for sale on the Etsy page - it's the "Custom Spaghetti-strap gown".

I'm also really happy because the black shauntung Anne dress went home with its owner yesterday and now I get to work on the two houndstooth traditional Annes that I have in the pipeline, plus this afternoon I am fitting my friend Ann for an Anne. That name is very big in my life lately.

anyways, I will be posting up a tutorial on it so you can see how it's made! hooray!

I went to yoga yesterday with Anne and am horrified at how stiff and achy I am - it sucks. Everyone else was balancing themselves and sun-saluting all over the place while I lay there gasping for air. I'm too young to be this out of shape. Boo to me for being creaky.