Tuesday, September 28, 2010

One month later!

It's been a very full month, if a little anticlimactic. I'm still wearing mostly my own handmade clothes but have been reveling in the cornucopia of shoes I now have to choose from. Also, I'm probably more excited about designing than I have been all year but mostly because I know that I don't have to wear my designs later that day. I thought I'd post a few things here today.

My friend Zoe introduced me to subtraction cutting by Julian Roberts, which is kind of a random and improvised form of pattern cutting. I didn't have anything to wear to my award ceremony on Monday (British Columbia Creative Achievement award - Yay!) so I used the technique to make this dress. It was pretty fun to try out but I have to say it is not the most comfortable dress ever invented. Also, because I didn't line it, it's almost impossible to wear it the same way twice. The way I'm wearing it in this picture looks wholly different from how it looked on Monday.

I also made these black "tulip" pants that are slightly less "tulip-y" than the grey pair I was wearing during the project. I'm still trying to decide which style works best.

This draped top looks a bit like I used the above (subtraction cutting) technique but it's actually just tucked and stitched with sort of random darts.

Well, that's it for now but I'm in making mode so I'll try to post a few more things in the next week or so.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

1 week later, 2 weeks later

See the article here

1 week later:

It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride for the past week since I've finished the project. It has taken some adjusting, some work to 'get me sea-legs' back. The first day was a bit of a disaster. I was so uncomfortable all day! Everything felt too small and my brand new bra had a prickly little something or other in the strap that I kept trying to find but it was not actually visible to the human eye. And I felt like an impostor in those clothes. Looking at the picture now, I think, who is that? And what a bad outfit she's wearing! I guess I have figured out a few things since then but honestly, I'm having a hard time trying to come up with some semblance of style. As a result, for most of this past week I've worn my same old makeshift stuff. Yupp, with the exception of shoes, it's been pretty much back to the old wardrobe that I've become so well acquainted with.

A friend of mine asked me what permanent changes I thought have occurred as a result of completing the project. And now after a week of being back, I think that wearing things that fit well and are comfortable will be permanently very high on my list of priorities. I thought I had always rated it high on that list but now, back in my old faves, I'm realizing that I was deluding myself.

2 weeks later:

I'm starting to feel a bit more like myself and am finally rediscovering my "style". It seems to be a precarious combination of a few key things that I made for myself this past year, some choice accessories and special pieces that I saved from my life before makeshift (It seems I didn't really keep very much stuff) and whatever "ready made" shoes will work with my look (the fun part, since I actually do have a lot of shoes).

I most often reach for my own handmade stuff but it is very satisfying to now be able to wear things that I didn't always have handy:

sunglasses!
oven mitts!
a kitchen apron!
a motorcycle helmet! (It was handy, but now I can wear it guilt free)
gloves! (I want to try to make a pair)

Also, I think I am going to buy some running shoes today. The time has come at last!

Some other things have happened too:

On Friday, the show Kizuna opened at the Japanese Canadian Nataional Museum. It is a show of four artists, commemorating the museum's 10 year anniversary. My piece is a path made of rocks that I have wrapped and sewn old clothes onto. I will be giving a talk there this Thursday (the 16th) at 7pm.


Also, I had fun DJ-ing at So Warm, the SWARM afterparty at VIVO on Thursday night. Thanks for coming out if you were there. If you missed SWARM, check out the show that just opened at the Contemporary Art Gallery. It's a gooder.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Day 1 - of my new/old life!

I got a lot of requests to see what I would wear on my first day 'back to normal' so here is my outfit. I thought I should wear at least one thing that I'd made, to kind of ease into things, so I'm wearing a black 'makeshift' t-shirt with my favourite Filipa K cardigan. I can finally wear the silver sand dollar earrings that my sister gave me for my birthday in June and also the jeans (Earnest Sewn) that have been my favourites for a long time. I am also wearing a thrift store belt that I've had for eons and a pair of underwear and bra that I bought the week before I started the project because I had some store credit that I wanted to use up and I new it would make me really happy on this day. I forgot to bring a box of stored shoes home from my studio yesterday but luckily I had these shoes (that my friend Kim had recently given me) at home. I wanted to go for extreme comfort in the shoe department but the more I went through my mental inventory of shoes I own the more I realized that maybe I don't even own a really comfortable pair of shoes anyway! Which leads me to some other points. First of all, I certainly don't feel more comfortable today than I have been all year (as I had anticipated). My cardigan is smaller than I had remembered it and my jeans don't stretch at all - I could barely bend over to do up my shoe straps! Also, it's been a long time since I've worn earrings (even though I made some earrings during the makeshift year) and I'm sure I'll get used to it but it was not fun trying to get them on. Plus I was looking forward to not having to 'get used to' things anymore! I feel like I spent the entire year 'getting used to' things - seams in socks, armholes that were too high, underwires digging in etc. At this moment, the most comfortable thing that I have on is the t-shirt that I made. Funny, no? Anyway, I guess my point is that we are always adapting and today, as I am adapting to my new/old life, I am begining to realize that I may have romanticized what this day (and "normal" clothes) would be like. Comfortable or not, I am pretty glad that I won't have make everything now. And I think that it will be fun to try to cobble together some sort of style that isn't All Me, All the Time. Maybe I'll report back on that in a week or so. Ok, over and out.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Day 365 - My Last Day!

Well folks, it has been swell. I thank you very much for following , commenting, engaging. I will still be occasionally posting with new thoughts and handmade things but I will probably be wearing a few things that I didn't make myself from now on. I am pooped.

Please feel free to email me at makeshift@huntandgather.ca or continue to leave comments on the blog. I will possibly be making some of the more popular items available on my website (huntandgather.ca) so please check in once in a while or email me if you have any specific interests.

See you out in the world.

yours,
Natalie

Monday, August 30, 2010

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Day 362!!

I admit I'm running out of steam. I really am counting the days now, so looking forward to putting on some comfortable shoes. I'm not even sure it's comfort I'm after but maybe just variety. Um...I just put my shoes on again and I take it back - it's definitely comfort I'm after. I'm thinking of all of the things I've missed this past year and in a way when the makeshift year comes to an end I will kind of be starting from scratch again. I mean, I have things that I've saved from my 'previous life' but I can't even really remember what they are. I guess I should be looking through that stuff now. I do know that I don't want to just rush out and buy a bunch of new stuff. And even though a part of me would like to put all of my makeshift clothes into a big heap and light it on fire, I'm not going to. Mostly because I will likely still be wearing it all. A few things I would like to buy sometime in the near future are: socks (without seams!), underwear and running shoes. I also look forward to wearing a pair of silver earrings that my sister gave me this summer and a pair of shoes from my friend Kim. It does seem like an appropriate season to starting sifting through things; clothes, junk, thoughts, ideas. Maybe now that things are coming to a close I will be able to gain some perspective on this whole crazy ride. And hopefully find some treasures while I'm at it.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Day 361!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Day 360

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Day 359 - One Week Left!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Day 358

Monday, August 23, 2010

Day 357

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Days 355 & 356 - final countdown!


Friday, August 20, 2010

Day 354

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Day 353


Do you like to burn stuff? Why not spend a day helping out with this incredible public art piece? Internationally renowned UK artists Ivan and Heather Morison are hand-milling beach logs, charring the wood and building a structural sculpture (curated by the Vancouver Art Gallery) that will be on view at the Shangri-La in Downtown Vancouver from the end of September for 6 months. It is a huge undertaking and they could use some extra hands so if you are handy, have some spare time and are interested in traditional Japanese building techniques and/or contemporary sculpture please contact kritter@vanartgallery.bc.ca or call 604-662-4700 x204.

And yes, that is me wearing some safety equipment and feeling slightly guilty about it. I know this is something that was okay-ed way back in January but in fact, I still have a hard time doing it (and have been refusing to wear a bicycle helmet this whole time despite your unanimous approval.) I was literally messing with fire though... I knew I had to draw the line.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Days 351 & 352


Monday, August 16, 2010

Days 349 & 350

My niece, Tedi, sneaking into my blog picture!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Day 348

Friday, August 13, 2010

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Day 346

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Day 345

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Day 344

Monday, August 9, 2010

Day 343

Today is practically a repeat of yesterday. Sorry.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Days 341 & 342

Yesterday's sale was a big success! Thank you to everyone who came out. It was a great pleasure to see you all wearing the clothes that I have been labouring over for the past few weeks and I hope you will come to future events.


Friday, August 6, 2010

Day 340

smoky forest fire haze

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Day 339 - clothing sale this weekend!


For those of you who live in Vancouver, you may be interested to know that this Saturday, from 3 - 7pm, I will be having a Clothing Sale! I have been very busy for the past while making clothes but not for me - for YOU! There will be dresses, skirts, tops , pants, samples, and other odds and ends. And not only that, it is taking place in Lindsay Brown's incredibly beautiful Church that has been converted into a studio/living space in Strathcona. It's would be worth coming to just to enjoy the space! (By the way, Lindsay has a very cool blog called OUNO which is loosely based on Vancouver architecture and design.)

Here are the details for the Sale:

Time: 3 - 7 pm
Date: Saturday, August 7th
Locations: 636 Keefer St in Strathcona (across from the Elementary school field)

refreshments will be provided!


Strathcona can be a bit tricky to navigate by car since there are a lot of obstacles and funny road shifts so if you are coming from downtown or the west side Keefer will go straight through from Chinatown. If you are coming from East side, just remember that Jackson is the magic street that goes all the way through from Prior to Hastings and if you get onto Keefer from Jackson you are on the right track!

If you get lost, call 604-216-1103 for directions

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Day 338

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Day 337 - Super! Surprises! revealed


A lot of people have requested that I do one more Super! Surprise! so this is really it folks- The Final Makeshift Super! Surprise! Unlike like the last few rounds which had 3 different surprises for 3 different prices, this round will only have one kind for $50. Click HERE to sign up!

And since I haven't revealed Round 4 or Round 5 surprises yet, here they (finally) are:

Round 4
Nugget Surprise - the Circular Cinch Pouch


The Yay! Hooray! Surprise - Silk Scarf with Leather Belt



The Luxurian Surprise - Necklace with Quartz Crystals, Jade Star, Jasper Bear and Lace - Agate Triangle.


Round 5
The Nugget Surprise - Blue Popcorn Earrings


The Yay! Hooray! Surprise - Reversible Silk and Linen Sun Hat with Shape-able Brim.


The Luxurian Surprise - Linen One -Sleeved Sweater/Shrug