"Poiple Shoyt"

Ugh... this weather...

There needs to be a name for this season in clothing.  The thrill of winter has worn off, the "February blues/blahs" loom in the distance, and I want to simply cocoon myself, sip coffee, and design/sew wonderful stuff in my copious bursts of "free time" and "extra energy".

So, what do we call this weird stretch of winter? I know - I'll call it "Cruise".  Yeah, that's it. Then I'll pretend I'm going on one...

So, that's what I'm doing.  And... by the way, you might have noticed that I name everything.  Almost accidentally, really.  As I'm creating a garment, it decides it wants a name.  I can't stop it.  It just comes.  So, I introduce you to...

"The Poiple Shoyt"
("purple shirt", of course - but must be said in the accent of Bugs Bunny)

Maybe I can wear it on the cruise.

I felt the need to do a quick, messy drape on my form (literally a very rough, sloppy, drape), to create a shirt that would celebrate this cozy double-cloth knit fabric I bought from Elliott Berman in September.  One side is grape juice "poiple", the other side I would want to call call "Kool Aid chartreuse".  Funny thing is, the purple-ish color is much more midnight blue than "poiple", but I just can't stop calling it that.

Fabric from Elliott Berman Textiles - the layers are secured together at every "dot"

So, in a creative frenzy,  I draped a very messy muslin, skipped making a pattern entirely, cut the fabric directly, added a side seam invisible zip plan for less boxy shaping, drafted a sleeve, started the assembly...

Started doing weird things to it.  Yellow cord... festive buttons...

And how could I describe it?

Hmmm... Sorta artist's-smock-meets-Crayola-box-meets-kindergarten-teacher-meets-fun,-but-absolutely-not-sexy, -meets-not-for-grown-ups, with a bit of humor, well... that is...until I do hair, makeup and accessories, so you won't be able to tell whether I'm kidding or not...

But, as I was making it, something about it just didn't feel "right".

As I worked, something came over me, and I started to move more in the "clown" direction, but I liked that it also made me smile... even giggle a little.. so I went with it...

And then I added a tie. 

And here's a glimpse  of the (not ironed) result...

Perhaps it's simply an accidental subconscious homage to my favorite tie-wearing comedian, Paula Poundstone?

Interesting tidbit... she doesn't know how to tie a tie!

Wanna know more? After reading this...  

• Perhaps you are curious about the fabric store I mentioned, Elliott Berman?
• Perhaps you like humor in your clothing, too?
• Maybe you wanna see something else I've made? Funny things?  Weird things? Serious things?
• Maybe you want to fabric shop, too, but don't know where to go?
• Maybe you'll visit New York City, and wanna take a tour of the Garment District?
• Maybe you wanna learn how to sew? If not there, you can always go to FIT, or travel to Queens...

Click the relevant highlighted text for details...

Have fun!