eureka!

i am so happy! the coating worked on this beautiful textured hemp fabric. if you look closely, you can see the underlying herringbone weave of the thick hemp fabric. it looks rich with texture of the coating layered on a texture. i am so happy but my happiness is tempered with uncertainty... i am concerned that i may not be able to order this fabric reliably in bulk and i am SO worried that it will not run in production the same way that it tests. please, a couple more holiday miracles, and i will be on my way to produce some lovely bags!

dust bag

100% bamboo dust bags for packing atelier nunu bags are in. i'm very happy they turned out well. i would be a little more happy if i could hurry and finalize the main material of the nunu bags. i'm very impatient...but i've decided it just wouldn't make sense for my lesson in patience to end with the fabric not working. :) the souped up fabric will work sooner or later. and when the time comes, i will have all other components and packaging ready!

working it out

i've been researching and experimenting for weeks to develop a non-toxic waterproof coating. i almost have a formulation that works well and looks good! also, the coolness is that i can create all different colors with this coating. further experimentation this week, and i am going to develop samples with my formulation as well as the textured superfabric.

trolling around websites

i am working on webpage layouts so that when i have product and am ready to work with the very talented web (and jewelry) designer, elizabeth (www.24karas.com), i have ideas on what i want to portray. i have a long list of inspirational websites and brands that i love. i know little to nothing about web design, such as number of clicks or whatever is used to test efficiency, so my views are mostly aesthetic. but here are a few of my favorites:

http://www.vanessabruno.com/en/ - i love the opening video - the clothes, the imagery, the music, the model, the muted colors and mood... very pretty and feminine.

http://www.lepetitatelierdeparis.com/welcome.html - very simple, delicate and hand-made

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/06/this-is-why-ill-never-be-adult.html - this website has nothing to do with fashion. but she tells great stories through the use of hand-drawn, simplified illustrations and words. plus it's hilarious.

http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/about/who-we-are/ - i love the hand-drawn illustrations, the recognizable blue bottle picto-icon (dont know what else to call it off the top of my head) and the story behind the brand

http://www.mina-perhonen.jp/ - the textile archives on the website are beautiful. finally got around to special ordering his books... cannot wait to receive them.

http://www.lelabofragrances.com/ - the look of this website is very unique. plus i aspire to the authenticity and craft of this brand.

leatherworking apprenticeship continued

i'm continuing my apprenticeship in hand-making leathergoods to sharpen my design skills while waiting for the coating testing. east williston's town hall was pretty and festive in the daylight. it reminded me of stereotypical romantic comedies set in the northeast during the holidays.

i was supposed to start with a simple coin purse. but when i saw the pattern, i decided to change it to fit an ipad. fortunately my instructor (should i call him sensei?) still thought it was do-able as my first project. today, i learned how to make a pattern, cut the leather with a rotary blade, afix snaps, mark my stitches and saddle stitch with waxed thread.

painting the office... yellow!

received some fabric swatches today to pass on for testing. heard that the fabric paint is helping the coating so i painted all of them for testing. probably cannot see it in the photo, but every swatch is a different texture and weight of hemp or hemp/organic cotton blend. hemp and cotton make beautiful fabrics.

best package

Cookie Family Walking

Purple Scribble

Untitled

Mango Family

it is so rainy and windy today in nyc that our apartment is creaking. it sounds like a squeaky rocking chair. scares me because we are in a modern building, not an old house, and because we are on the 30th floor!

so... one of the highlights of my day is picking up packages from the mailroom. i usually get packages of fabric or interesting hardware or some random thing i've ordered online. but, today i received an especially special package! a box of homemade chocolate chip cookies from my niece and nephew! AND purple drawings from my niece with hilarious titles such as 'cookie family walking,' 'purple scribble,' and 'mango family.' i love that one of the mangos has eyelashes! they are definitely getting what they want for christmas from me! :) now it's time to eat cookies and get back to work.