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The Bobbin's Year End Newsletter 2011

The Bobbin Slow Fashion + Sustainable Design Year End Newsletter 2011    Happy Hand made Holidays! It has been many moons since I've written a Bobbin Newsletter.  The Bobbin survived "The Great Move" and quietly celebrated another year-in-the-life as a small business in America. The transition from brick & mortar retail store to custom design studio has been quite the rollercoaster ride. After working my way through Planning & Zoning, navigating a name change, website change & re-brand, The Bobbin Slow Fashion & Sustainable Design emerged. As an official Vermont artists studio located in the South End Arts District, The Bobbin is available for custom design and sustainability consultations. I am so honored to be a participant in this year's 15th annual Women's Economic Opportunity Conference. I will be a panelist for the "Arts Go Online" morning workshop. The conference is in its 15th year and is sponsored by Vermont's own U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy. The morning keynote speaker is Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. This conference is free and open to the public. Childcare is available for those who pre-register. To learn more: CLICK HERE                                                              Radically classic custom clothing & accessories sustainably made in Vermont. The Bobbin's evolving slow fashion designs are well tailored & ethically hand made.      Playful. Empowered. Authentic.            As we have collectively learned that our food is not grown at the grocery store, it is now time to learn that our clothing is not sewn at the department store. Photo: Gyllian Svensson Bobbin sez... Eat Local! Dress Local! Buy Handmade! Do you know who sews your clothes? A Year in the Life of The Bobbin In January of 2011, I had the pleasure of participating in an episode of "Vermont Edition", our local VPR radio show. 2011 was declared "The Year of Making" through a call in show with Jane Lindholm, focusing on Vermonters growing interest in making things with our hands and a return to more traditional ways of living.   The prediction has certainly rung true for me... This "Year of Making" has brought forth not just one, but TWO Slow Fashion Collections; including dozens of new patterns created for sustainable textiles. I also created a series of Sustainable Sculptures and designed/produced custom jersey tanks for our local roller derby team, The Green Mountain Derby Dames!     The Derby Tanks are "Green Mountain" green with a black racing stripe down each side. The fabric is a super stretch athletic performance material, made right here in the grand ole' U.S.A.! It was a real treat for me to work on a local level and become a corporate sponsor of a fantastic team. The GMDD "Grade A Fancy's" certainly look fancy & fierce in their locally made custom tanks!    美国产品 Made in America     The first slow fashion collection of the year, "Made in America", was an exploration of the dichotomy between fashion & labor in China and America. Vintage velvets, velours & plenty of sweet stripes accent this sustainable line of ECHO tops, Swing Skirts, Art Jackets & fuzzy Vermont Panda hats.   Lake Champlain: After the Flood   The second slow fashion collection is inspired by Lake Champlain : After the Flood. The Collection explores the strength and resilience that help us move through mourning and overcome loss. The Lake Gowns' languid lines are broken by the rigid structure of the tailored pants and vests in motion. These original custom designs were created with all sustainable textiles including vintage silks and wools from the 1930's and 1940's.       Gyllian's Sustainable Sculptures - Art Hop 2011   I was also able to expand my artistic horizons this last year to create a series of sustainable sculptures created from found and recycled objects, including many sticks, stones, barks & branches scavenged from wake of Lake Champlain's Flooding & Hurricane Irene. Living on Lake Champlain will, I'm certain, continue to inspire my designs for decades to come.  The languid lines of the Lake Gown are the apex of the entire collection. A marriage of turquoise cotton & silver silk this gown explores the crossroads of strength crashing against mourning. Tom's of Maine Blog Posts 2011 brought along two opportunities to bring The Bobbin's message of sustainable fashion to Tom's of Maine's eco-friendly fans. In March, I wrote a post explaining the concepts and ideas behind Slow Fashion and its relationship to other "Slow" movements.   Photo: Kristin LaMonde Click this link to read post: What is Slow Fashion? In September, I wrote another post: DIY Let's Make Sustainable Napkins. A step-by-step tutorial (with fun pictures)     Wanna make your own sustainable napkins? CLICK HERE    7 Day's Presents: Strut VI!    This year marked the 6th year of Burlington's very own fashion show STRUT! A popular attraction of SEABA's South End Art Hop, this years show was the biggest and best yet. Sponsored by Seven Days and showcasing twenty designers, this years STRUT! really rocked the runway.     Photo: Eva Sollberger of Seven Days       In honor of 7days Newspaper's "Sweet 16" birthday. I designed this paper skirt. Individual panels are created from folded sheets of newspaper, specifically selected for their color & content. The panels are sewn together and hand-painted.         Buy Hand made & Sustainable this Holiday! EcoOwls, Swing Skirts, Art Jackets, ECHO tops and more! To learn more about The Bobbin, check out our Blog: The Bobbin Blogs On Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on the Facebook join our Fan Page Sustainably Yours, Gyllian Rae Svensson The Bobbin Slow Fashion & Sustainable Design, LLC 802-355-4264 [email protected] thebobbin.com gyllian.com

"she, said" Svensson Original Designs

Radically classic custom clothing & accessories sustainably made in Vermont.

"she will shrink for no one"

"she can hear the train a coming"

"she walks slowly into the big wild woods"

"her boots are made for talking"

"but, she said, I think I'm sweet"

"she resides within her own time zone"

"she could not even begin to not know how to answer that question"

"she divines water, while skipping ahead"

"she's always ahead of the next wave"

"she is forever nostalgic for the future"

"she knows that she is evolving"

"just because, she doesn't have to"

"her ears are ever open"

"she enjoys dressing smartly"

"she enjoys writing in an obsolete vernacular"

"she is becoming her most sustainable self"

"she lives beyond girls-just-want-to-have-fun"

    smart * sassy * sweet

Let's Make Sustainable Napkins

DIY: Let’s make sustainable napkins!

Posted on Sep 22, 2011

Posted by Gyllian Rae Svensson, Tom’s of Maine fan, Burlington, Vermont

There is a nip in the air and summer is waning here in our Queen City of Burlington, Vermont. Over this past season I have dismantled my brick & mortar shop moving my business, The Bobbin, home to the South End Arts District. Working from home allowed me to create my latest Slow Fashion collection while fully involved in the day-to-day questions & chaos of my noisy, creative family. My adjustment to working at home has also highlighted the many troubles my family has with storage, recycling and especially organization.

As the back-to-school frenzy of September is transitioning into new schedules and routines, I find myself unpacking the fall wardrobes, searching out the pairs of elusive wool socks and wondering what to do with some of my family’s most cherished clothing items. Particularly ones that I would prefer they no longer wear out in public! From paint stains to frayed sleeves and awkward mends, there comes a time in the lifecycle of our favorite garments when we need to let go. Some clothing (wrong color, wrong size, and wrong style) can happily be donated to local churches and thrift stores. However some special clothes, those well-loved memory makers, I believe are best kept for upcycling and sustainable sewing projects. Beloved dresses, delicate silks and precious baby clothes are perfect materials for fiber art wall hangings and memory quilts. However, those everyday clothes, the work shirts, the summer skirts, aprons and soft cotton dresses can be upcycled, given a second life as a new useful member of the household. One such use for these soft cotton garments is reconstructing them into unique and practical Sustainable Napkins.

Gather your Supplies

You will need the following items for this project.

Sewing Machine -and/or- Needle & Thread
Iron & Ironing Board
Paper Bag
Metal Ruler
Pins & Pin Cushion
Paper Scissors
Fabric Scissors
Seam Ripper
Marker

To Make 8 Sustainable Napkins- you will need any combination of four clothing items. Example: 2 shirts & 2 aprons or 2 dresses & 2 skirts
The larger the clothing item, the greater number of napkins possible.

Prepare your Materials

Once you have sorted through your clothing, gather together varieties of all cotton (woven not-stretchy) skirts, dresses, shirts, aprons, etc... and wash in cold water with eco-friendly soap. Have fun mixing and matching your patterns and colors. Remember, you are making napkins!

Hang your wet laundry on a clothesline to dry, and then steam iron to remove all wrinkles.

With your fabric scissors, or seam ripper, remove all sleeves, collars and side seams to open up the larger fabric pieces.

Create your Pattern Pieces

With your paper scissors, cut down one side of your paper bag and cut around removing the bottom of the bag.

For napkins created from just one piece of fabric, we will draft a pattern from the larger paper bag remnant. This napkin design is best for beginner seamsters. While using a marker and ruler, measure 19" in Length and 11" in Width out of your paper bag creating a rectangle pattern. One piece of fabric cut from this pattern piece creates one napkin.

For napkins created from multiple smaller pieces of fabric, we will draft a pattern from the bottom of the bag. This napkin design is best for intermediate seamsters. While using a marker and ruler, measure 11" in Length and 6" in Width out of the bottom of your bag. Four pieces of fabric cut from this pattern piece, sewn together, create one napkin.

Layout Pattern Pieces & Cut Fabric

Layout your pattern pieces on the fabric (be sure to line up with the straight grain). Trace around the edges of your pattern pieces on the wrong side of the fabric and cut out the pieces with your fabric scissors.

Fold & Iron & Pin Under all Edges

A single napkin is created first through folding, ironing & pinning. Once properly ironed and pinned the napkin is ready for the seams to become permanent through use of needle and thread, or at the sewing machine.

Sew Folded Seams with Running Stitch

For machine sewing, adjust for a straight stitch at a medium length. For hand stitching, choose a long heavy needle with embroidery or heavy-duty thread in a color of your choosing. If you want your stitches to show, use a contrasting thread; otherwise match the thread to your fabric colors.

Pivot the Fabric at the Corners

Hand stitchers have no trouble with pivoting their corners, but on a machine it can be a little tricky. Sew in a straight line keeping the frayed edge inside the seam. When you reach the corners, pivot your fabric around, keeping the needle embedded. Sew all around returning to your original corner and back-tack (or double knot) to seal in your seams. Trim your threads and you are napkin ready!

Center Seams for Smaller Fabrics

To avoid any frayed edges in the center of your napkin, create a wide center seam. After stitching together your wide seam, iron flat and double fold your raw edge under. Once the seams are ironed and pinned, simple top-stitching will make the seams permanent. This project can be completed entirely with hand stitching, but it will take longer than with a machine. A combination of machine and hand stitching can lend a nice design effect.

Set the Table!

The addition of these Sustainable Napkins to our family’s busy routine has allowed us to say Goodbye to paper towels. At mealtimes we embrace the story-inducing memories of our unique table settings. Hopefully this project will inspire you to give your beloved textiles a second life too!

All photographs by Gyllian Rae Svensson. You can find Gyllian here!

Sustainable Sculptures

"she divines water"

This year The Bobbin is an official site for the Art Hop. (Site #2 Art Hop Map) In addition to clotheslines plump with local slow fashions, the garden will be alive with sustainable sculptures.

Gyllian had super fun this summer mucking about in the yard with her two favorite kiddos, acquiring recycled objects, sticks, stones & pinecones for our sculptures. It will be such a treat to watch them transform throughout the coming seasons.

"she is always evolving"

"G is for girrl"

"she creates transition"

My aha moment

 

Sewing with existing fabic. - Gyllian

"My aha moment came during graduate school in sustainable business and communities when I realized the importance of slow fashion and questioning where our clothing comes from and who sews it."

This aha moment is from the Mutual of Omaha traveling airstream trailer, stopping in cities all across America to document our "aha moments -A moment of clarity, the aha moment is a defining moment where you gain real wisdom - wisdom you can use to change your life"  

It was a joy to participate in this collection of stories, I have particuarly loved watching all of the other videos from Burlington, Vermont.

To see more and learn about the "aha moment" CLICK HERE

Sustainable Fashions on Etsy

The Bobbin's April Newsletter 2011

The Bobbin Slow Fashion + Sustainable Design April Newsletter 2011    Springtime Greetings, C-C-C-C-c-c-c-h-ch-changes...   The Bobbin is Moving! April marks our last month in the Old North End storefront. My fabulous landlord, Champlain Housing Trust, has received a grant to remodel the building. I am sad to be leaving the 'hood, which has allowed my little local sewing studio to grow and evolve. However, I am super excited to renovate a green studio in the South End focused on sustainable design and slow fashion education. I will continue to teach students for private lessons during the May & June renovations. Look for EcoSew camps and group series classes coming in late summer/fall. I will no longer be operating a retail storefront. Bobbin products can be purchased online at Etsy or Artfire and locally at The Green Life on Main Street in Burlington and upcoming fairs such as the Queen City Craft Bazaar.  The April + May calendars are online.  Beginning students can practice their new sew skills learning to make dream pillows, SadBoy dolls, potholders, or legwarmers. Intermediate students can practice upcycling jeans or designing wrap-around Springtime skirts. Class sizes are limited to just 4 students. Register today! Call 802-862-7417 or email [email protected] to register for any Custom design services, classes, workshops, EcoSew parties, or private lessons.  The Bobbin is having a Springtime *moving* SALE from April 8th through April 28th from 11am-5pm. Stop by the shop and score some sweet deals on fabrics, fashions & fun.      The Bobbin: Slow Fashion & Sustainable Design is a Textile Upcycling and Sewing Education Studio. The Bobbin believes in educating our clients about the true material, environmental and labor costs involved with fashion design & clothing construction. When possible all of The Bobbin's Custom designs are created with locally sourced sustainable, recycled and vintage materials. Learn more about The Bobbin's Custom Design Services CLICK HERE or call 802-862-7417 to schedule a consultation. Photo: Kirsten LaMonde Bobbin sez... Sustainable Sewing: not just a hobby, it's a life skill! Project Runway Wants YOU!  It's that time of year again... Project Runway called!!! They are currently casting for their popular reality series. Aspiring fashion designers everywhere have only a little more than a week to get their applications together. Here in Burlington, Vermont the closest we get to NYC Fashion Week is SEABA's annual fashion show STRUT! But, let me tell you, Vermont designers: Project Runway has come a calling and they would like us to apply.   If you can cut & sew & drape & pattern draft & sketch & design PROJECT RUNWAY WANTS YOU!!!! Read more about Project Runway Casting Season 9 CLICK HERE  Green Mountain Derby Dames Superhero SLAM!!! Roller Derby Rocks! The Bobbin is thrilled to announce a new community partnership w/the Green Mountain Derby Dames one of Vermont's own skater owned and operated roller derby teams. Gyllian will be designing and manufacturing the teams custom tank tops over the next month. In the meantime, you can catch the dames next home bout this Saturday, April 9th from 4-9pm To learn more or to purchase tickets for this Saturday's bout "Superhero SLAM"  CLICK HERE It's a Green Life! "We created The Green Life to make it easier for our customers to buy products that are sustainable, recycled, upcycled or made of eco-friendly materials like organic cotton or bamboo. Buying green goods helps reduce the amount of waste filling up landfills, helps protect our natural resouces, and helps reduce the toxins and chemicals surrounding us."        Mike & Shannon Hassenberg The Green Life on Main Street in Burlington, Vermont is a locally owned retail shop promoting sustainable, upcycled & eco-friendly products. Recently, The Green Life starting carrying some of The Bobbin's unique sustainable Vermont made products. It's a wonderful pairing of two local Burlington businesses with socially responsible practices. Read more about The Green Life:  CLICK HERE Jump into Spring learning how 2 sew: EcoSew potholders, Wrap-A-Round Skirts, Intro2Sew and more! To learn more about The Bobbin, check out our Blog: The Bobbin Blogs On Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on the Facebook join our Fan Page Or, just stop on by the shop, next time you are in the Old North End! Sustainably Yours, Gyllian Rae Svensson The Bobbin Slow Fashion & Sustainable Design, LLC 299 North Winooski Ave @ Archibald Street Old North End - Burlington - Vermont 802-862-7417 [email protected] thebobbin.com gyllian.com Free pattern For the month of May: Free Vintage pattern with all fabric purchases of $20.00 and above.                  Buy Local! Eat Local! Dress Local! Offer Expires: 5/28/11

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Attention #VT Designers: Project Runway Wants YOU!

It's that time of year again! The snow is melting (theoretically) for us poor Vermonters, it is threating to dump 4-8" on our doorsteps tomorrow (seriously? April Fools for sure) The birds are chirping, the seeds are thinking of sprouting, and fashion designers everywhere are painstakingly working their way through a 25 page application for Project Runway.

Yes! That's right it's Project Runway time of year...

 

Here in Burlington, Vermont the closest we get to NYC Fashion Week is SEABA's annual fashion show STRUT! But, let me tell you, Vermont designers: Project Runway has come a calling and they would like us to apply.

If you can cut & sew & drape & pattern draft & sketch & design

PROJECT RUNWAY WANTS YOU!!!!

Project Runway is casting season 9--do you have what it takes to be the next top fashion designer? Do you want a chance to show your fashion designs during New York Fashion Week? Do you want to win $100,000 to launch your own fashion line? Project Runway is looking for the next great fashion designer.

The deadline to receive applications is April 15.

Applicants can apply at www.bunim-murray.com/prcasting or email us at [email protected]. Don’t miss the chance of a lifetime. Apply today!

Last year when Project Runway came a calling, (OMG! Project Runway called) my kiddos were a little too young to be without their Mum, but this year...

I must confess I have been devouring season's 1 & 2 recently and it would be such a dream-come-true to bring my Vermont aesthetic and Slow Fashion designs to the big apple. And, of course, the number one reason of all...a chance to meet & be critiqued by Tim Gunn himself. Perhaps, I will apply????

OKAY, so who's going to join me? Let's get the word out Vermonters: call on all your talented sister's, mothers & brothers. Let's bring our farmer's market & town meeting fashions out of our homes and unto the runway.

There is Only 14 days left to apply!!!! GO VERMONT!

Vintage Furs: A Sustainable Choice?

As I write this post it is a mere three days until the first of April and there is a steady adding insult-to-injury snow that is falling over my Queen City of Burlington, Vermont. APRIL FOOLS! the weatherman had this tweet to share:

 

 

Yes, that's right folks! Weatherman Dan is predicting a snow storm for April Fool's Day. I find myself unable to process that information. We have already had a record cold winter with unbelieveable amounts of snowfall. (My poor husband still hasn't recovered from the record breaking 3rd largest snowstorm in Vermont's history, we had just a few weeks back.) I swear, if I don't see some green grass soon... (mutter, mutter...mutter)

Instead of grumbling and muttering all day, I have decided to embrace the Winter and find solace in the warmth and beauty of vintage furs. Normally, I would have packed the collection up by now, but grounded in our current cold reality, I have decided to keep them available for sale a week or so more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bobbin sells only vintage fur and I only utilize vintage fur remnants in my Slow Fashion designs. I really have a lot of problems with the modern fur industry, from the inhumane treatment of the animals, to the environmental abuses and large scale manufacturing injustices. However, as the grand-daughter of a traditional trapper, hunter & fisherman, I have the utmost respect for the complex relationships that have developed between animals and humans over generations of cohabitation.

Although many Slow Fashion and environmentally conscious designers have chosen to not include fur in their collections; I feel as though vintage furs should be honored and worn with pride, rather than degraded, destroyed or sent off to the landfill. Properly stored and cared for, vintage furs are a luxurious high quality fabric that can be worn and loved for generations.

 

The Bobbin's March Newsletter 2011

The Bobbin Sew Bar + Craft Lounge March Newsletter 2011    Greetings & Salutations, I would like to start out this newsletter with a BIG Bobbin THANK YOU! to all of our wonderful friends and fans. Thanks to your active engagement with the newsletter and social media sites, The Bobbin has been named a   2010 Constant Contact All Star!   Less than 15% of Constant Contact members won this award. The Bobbin won because of YOU!   THANKS!       NEWS FLASH:   The Bobbin has taken a giant future leap forward this month and is now accepting credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, & Discover) Thanks to the tireless efforts of Aubrey Jarvis at Key Bank's Key4Women program, The Bobbin can now accept plastic for all goods and services purchased in the store, online, or at craft fairs. Thanks so much, Aubrey, you are excellent at your job!     The March + April class calendars are online.  Beginning students can practice their new sew skills learning to make dream pillows, SadBoy dolls, legwarmers, or juggle balls. Intermediate students can practice upcycling jeans, hemming pants or designing wrap-around Springtime skirts. Class sizes are limited to just 4 students. Register today! Call 802-862-7417 or email [email protected] to register for any Custom design services, classes, workshops, EcoSew parties, or private lessons.       This Wednesday, March 23rd CEDO along with the University of Vermont UVM-CDAE presents "How to Start Your Business" Seminar along with a panel discussion with local entrepreneurs. The panel includes: Hubert d'Autremont of Cycles d'Autremont, Gyllian Rae Svensson of The Bobbin, Tess Valyou from New Duds, and the charming Chef Papi.    Learn more about this event: CEDO's Website    Photo: Kristin LaMonde Starting to think about your Spring fabric needs?  Did you know that The Bobbin has an extensive inventory of fabrics, not just what is displayed in the store?  If you desire a unique range of vintage and sustainable textiles for your next sewing project, you can schedule a fabric showing. Let me know what colors/types of textiles you are seeking and I will provide an assortment of fabrics for you to choose from. 802-862-7417 for more information. Photo: Kirsten LaMonde Bobbin sez... Buy Local! Eat Local! Wear Local!  Tom's of Maine Blog: What is Slow Fashion?  Photo: Kirstin LaMonde Gyllian was thrilled to be contacted recently by Tom's of Maine to write a guest post about Slow Fashion for their blog Good Matters    The Bobbin's motto: "Saving the planet, one stitch at a time" speaks to the idea that we, as consumers, have choices and can effect change in many ways. We can return to the basics: learn to sew, mend, restore and upcycle our existing wardrobes. We can respect the textiles and the labor that predates us, by purchasing vintage and thrift store clothing. We can pass down our cherished textiles to the next generation.  We can also organize clothing swaps in our communities passing along our wrong-style/wrong-size wardrobes to new homes. Read more about Slow Fashion on Tom's of Maine's Blog CLICK HERE  Arts Advocacy Day 2011! Vermont State House Arts Advocacy Day 2011: Art Supports Me! This year's Arts Advocacy Day will be taking place on Wednesday, March 30th at the Vermont State House.  Join your peers and the Vermont Arts Council for our annual session focusing on arts advocacy, idea sharing, and celebrating the arts across the state. The theme will be "Art Supports Me".  Please join us for a great day of FREE events that includes: Guest speaker Rebecca Krause-Hardie, a social media/online marketing expert Our morning panel titled "Art Supports Me, Art Supports My Community" the premiere of our Art Supports Me video Networking opportunities and more! Gyllian was honored to be invited to participate in the afternoon panel discussion about social media tools for artists. To learn more about this Advocacy day for the Arts: CLICK HERE The Bobbin's Online Esty Store: Thanks to the Kirstin LaMonde and her fantastic photos of The Bobbin's slow fashions, our Etsy store has recently blossomed. Look for sweet swinging tie skirts, Up Dresses, panda hats and vintage velvet restored & inspired. New products uploaded weekly. If you wanna browse our Etsy shop: CLICK HERE Jump into Spring learning how 2 sew: SadBoy dolls, EcoSew gauntlets, Sustainable Textiles and more! To learn more about The Bobbin, check out our Blog: The Bobbin Blogs On Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on the Facebook join our Fan Page Or, just stop on by the shop, next time you are in the Old North End! Sustainably Yours, Gyllian Rae Svensson The Bobbin Sew Bar + Craft Lounge, LLC 299 North Winooski Ave @ Archibald Street Old North End - Burlington - Vermont 802-862-7417 [email protected] thebobbin.com gyllian.com

Save $5.00 For the months of March & April: Save $5.00 off any Bobbin class, workshop, or product valued $25.00 and above                   Buy Local! Eat Local! Dress Local! Offer Expires: 4/30/11