Category: Dress

03 Oct

Tasmanian Blues Robe Dress and Nigella Blues Smock-2

FEATURES:  Collar is of hand dyed silk, from natural Tasmanian eucalyptus tree bark dye  then painted over.  Silk sample designs see here. [add link]

APPLIQUE DECORATION:  Nigella Seed pod designs from my drawings of dried seed pods in my vegetable garden:  see seed photos on photography site resonant-visions Beige lace has a similarity to the thin casings of the pods as they break down.

BLUE Patchworks

Abstract with text print blue/white cotton-viscose.

Feather print navy-white cotton.

Navy blue lace lined on gold.

Stylised flowers blue-gold-navy cotton print.

Gold embroidered cotton.

PLUS :  Gold plant dyed silk. Leopard print blue-black-grey. Chinese Bird of Paradise with gold texture cotton.

Applique - Seed Pods of Nigella 'Love in a Mist'

Robe Dress has applique lace pod dyed in eucalyptus dye bath after the collar piece. Colour took well, which is a guide to fabric content being cotton or silk. Dark centres to seed pod designs are cut from eucalyptus dyed silk (iron modified).  Light centre to pod is from bundle steam died silk with seeds and petals.  Nigella blues has variable on same pod idea.  A motif is a good means to join over a seam (smock left top). Also provides contrast to break up a solid dark or light area.

NIGELLA BLUES Smock Top Dress

When there are enough patches prepared, another garment can be made.  Size and shape was dictated by the blouse used as an underlining, the colours of which were a perfect match, being cream brown and pale blue.  Short sleeves made in dark blue lace.  Coconut buttons with bound buttonholes.  Applique patches again created with eucalyptus dyed lace and bundle dyed silk.  Back hem is drooped lower.

AVAILABLE :  £85.00 - Direct from maker

Nigella Blues Smock – Bound buttonhole sewing – Click to enlarge

Tasmanian Blues MAKING PROCEDURE

02 Jul

Abalone Diamonds Dress

Amelia Hoskins / Dress / / 0 Comments

Summer smock styled dress with lace neck feature and diamond patchworks in abalone themed colours of fine fabrics.

Summer dress or over-top is light and cool,  Lace neckline yoke feature with gatherings of lightweight floaty patchworks under yoke.  Back neck button but not needed as dress fits over head.  Model is about size 10 to 12 (UK).

Dress on dummy shows additional yoke decoration and scalloped flap inserted between yoke and dress patches

 

Five different patch pieces used when joining the diamonds together in diagonal rows, stitching on the 'straight' (not stretchy) edge of a diamond.  Using a strong paper template, place one edge on the 'straight grain' to draw around and cut out. Stitch the 'straight grain' sides together when joining a strip diagonally.

 

Yoke lace is taken from a blouse, and lined with a fabric which has transparent blue roses (seen in the patches); which holds the entire yoke firm.  Same lining fabric is neck edging turnover.  Bottom of yoke open to insert patchwork portion; gathered at bust curve-over area.  This works well - see model.

Matt blue from blouse is used for decorative 'cover' over front yoke seaming, and as 'flab edging' over bust line. (not shown this photo).

This unique dress Abalone Diamonds: max bust.   back neck to hem.   hem circumference

£140.00.   Shop to be integrated 2024:

03 Feb

Bluebird Kimono

BLUEBIRD - Modelled by Giorgia.   Simple one front button.

Kimono BLUEBIRD uses totally unique combination of nicely hanging fabrics: silk, polyester, polyester voile and viscose, for easy leisure wear, as dressing gown, or beach dress.   Front welt edge which forms kimono styled collar is identical to lining as a floral black/blue/yellow viscose shirt was used as a base to build the garment on.  Lining garment was extended with black fabric with turquoise flowers seen where extended to front to form 'hem'.

SIZE:  Loose all-size fit.  Three quarter length sleeves below elbow.  Up to 41inch bust. (105cm)  Back length 36.5 inches (92 cms)

No pockets.

BLUEBIRD available £175.00 :  direct from maker.  Price reflects one-off silk painting and full viscose lining.

(new purchasing coming soon...)

 

SILK PAINTING :  Front middle panels on left and right sides.  The silk painting was originally done independently, then blue coordinates were chosen from materials stock recently to create this garment.

Inspirations from Hopi Pottery of birds and seeds, from which I amalgamated an abstracted design. The blue bird-like image was from a stylised maize shooting from seed.  Hopi designs of birds and seeds had similarities of stylisation.

09 Jul

Summer Pinks and Butterflies

Amelia Hoskins / Dress / / 0 Comments

Summer Pinks and Butterflies patchwork mini dress with sailor collar, front adjustable lace up tie, flared sides and inset flares at lower back.  Viscose, polyester and cotton.

Bust adjustable 34" - 38".  Model Anna is quite tall, so suitable shorter women, if worn as dress.  Sides are shorter than front. Front is (measure?).  Back is ?

Making tip:  Use a vest top to start or a sleeveless dress (this one has a pale abstract print sleeveless dress as a base with deep V neck).  Attach joined lengths of patches at high waist position of base top, continuing down; leaving space between lower patches to insert flares for overall flared dress result.  Attach triangular piece behind centre V to allow lace up loose.  Sailor collar is cut to fit, with straight grain across shoulders, and needs to be back faced or edged with contrasting binding fabric as this one.

SUMMER PINKS dress £55.00 available direct from maker. (new purchasing coming soon...)

29 May

Dress Design Adaptations

Asymmetrical Cuts - Two dresses with diagonal cut features which enable panels to be joined at angles to flare the skirt section

Purple Electric Asymmetrical Dress. (Sold)

Inspiration was two prints; white linen with lilac flowers and white cotton with abstract lilac illustrations.

Coordinating purple salt-splashed dyed silk top forms the soft bodice top.  Linen and cotton prints cut into rectangular panels joined to the top silk diagonals front and back.  Slashing the purple top diagonally gave a bias edge from which to attach the lower cotton and linen print rectangular sections which form a flare over hips as fabric falls.

The sleeve outline was followed but floral linen sleeves are added to shape contour.  Hem is therefore made integrally by this method, as a 'handkerchief' style with angles as a style feature.  Purple piped edges holds all the pieces together and purple linen is repeated in hem pieces.

(See Making Gallery bottom post)

Design Construction: Top with added panels

Often there are pretty tops which can have lower panels added to make a dress.  Shapes can be cut from tops and dresses, to create the princess front and back points.  Fabric from dress, or frills and lace can be added to top 'V' shape edges, with panels sewn behind.  Front centre lower panel is ecru linen embroidered. Black and cream print panels. Side panels are hand painted silk with grey rabbit designs.  Neck shape was original with top, but a contrast print could be used.     [Rabbits dress SOLD]

Mushroom and Black 'V' panelled long dress

Asymmetrical cut bodice top with added linen 2 inch border with black picot seam insert.  Skirt section of cream and black print panels, with embroidered linen front piece.  Side painted silk panels with rabbits.

02 Mar

Silk Painting dresses Kokopelli and Persian Piri

Two dresses featuring silk paintings of mythical figures from two different cultures.  Piri from Persian art meaning beautiful and graceful girl, or supernatural being similar to angels.   Kokopelli the flute playing seed spreader from southwestern Native Americas.

Persian Piri - Dress with 'Piri' feature silk painting

We get our word fairy from peri/feri winged spirit in Persian mythology. Fairy comes to us from Arabic which has no 'p'.

Dress modelled at Exeter Cathedral Green Craft Fair before crimson sash was added.  The sash echoes the sash in the painting. Dress began life as a short top without sleeves, collar, or lower frills: from an earlier created range with the Piri silk painting rectangles. A deep teal blue version was sold.  After finding the yellow ocre lace blouse in exact colour match; the collar, sleeves and frill were added.  The lower cotton abstract print frill was also added; which links to the Piri colours and gives a weight to the dress.

   PERSIAN PIRI available direct from maker: £120.00 - (new purchasing facility coming soon...)

Kokopelli - flute player features in silk painting with feathers, hand and spirals

Motif outlines were made with wax batik technique. Melted wax applied with a tjang gives a very fluid line and must be moved rapidly before wax cools, or causes blobs.  The feathers are outlined in nomal gutta resist for silk.

After applying dye, silk is steamed, and washed to remove any wax or other gutta resist paste used in the outlines.  Embroidery is used to give definition to motifs.

Habotai silk stretched on a frame.  Motifs of feathers, spirals, Kokopelli flute player, hand outlines. Resist outlines stop dye from spreading when applied.

Predominantly Kokopelli as a ‘fertility deity’ is a bearer of seeds and the flute could have been used to help the plants grow with music, or simply announce his coming.  Its quite likely such characters travelled for trade through South America and North America, as is believed from the rock petroglyphs.  Images show either head feathers, or antennae; some with balls on the end, which almost look like a map to the stars; which might indicate planting time, as recognised by star positions.

     Kokopelli (koh-koh-pell-ee) is a deity and symbol of fertility recognized by several Native American groups in the Southwestern part of the country. Like other fertility gods, Kokopelli is known to preside over both agriculture and childbirth….survived from the ancient Anasazi    Indian mythology. Kokopelli is also a prominent character in Hopi legends.

A Native American video explanation of how Kokopelli as a man, not a god, brings all the seeds from the previous world. The ‘flute’ maybe a medicine pipe.  He could be a simple seed seller, or it could even refer to past colonisation of earth.

   KOKOPELLI is available.  £95.00 Direct from maker.  (new purchasing coming soon...)

02 Dec

Garments Available

HANDMADE ORIGINAL CLOTHES - A variety of leisure, fun and decorative ladies' patchwork.

Aldebaran

Uniquely shaped, with deep kimono styled sleeves and collar extended to hem.

Red-Pink-Black-Cream patchworks.  Knee length with lace-up adjustable front to adapt bust size.

Shamanic Nights FOLKSY Shop (to be added)

Purple Shimmers

Kimono styled below knee dress, (same style cut as dress Aldebaran) in panels of purples, navy and floral prints.  Close fitted back top, with skirt section gathered slightly below bust into high waist.

Unique adjustable front lacing.  Front lower skirt stitched closed but can be reopened to customer's preference for open lower dress below lace-up.

Shamanic Nights FOLKSY Shop [ to be added]

Cappuccino

Two dresses in coffee/cream/black patchwork: multi styled with stretch cotton bandeau top which performs dually as a dress bust hold up, or cummerbund if worn as a skirt.

Two variations: Black lace hem, lined in nylon knit with coffee coloured feature patchwork print 'Love Never Dies'.

White fringed hem version, unlined, no feature coffee patchwork; just cream and black.

Shamanic Nights FOLKSY Shop [ to be added]

Tropical Parrots

Lose fit large shirt dress in olive green/black/bright pink with parrots print back, and beige green orange passion flowers front printed panel. 

Lined in black viscose shirt with orange flower print: allows dress to be worn in reverse.

SHAMANIC NIGHTS FOLKSY Shop [ to be added]

Tasmanian Blues

Robe dress in blue cotton and viscose; below knee, with unique seed pod applique decoration.

Collar is silk painted, on hand dyed gold collar, from maker's eucalyptus bark dye session.

Shamanic Nights FOLKSY Shop [ to be added]

Nigella Blues

Short sleeved large smock top in same fabrics as Tasmanian Blues robe-dress.

Front buttoned, floral print lined.

Shamanic Nights FOLKSY Shop [ to be added]

Cherry Fluzzies

Two patchwork panelled dresses with bright cerise knitted buttoned tops.

Two variations:  An A-line knee length; and a flared wide skirt with frilled hem on knee

Both have same knitted top. 

[Add to ETSY]

Hopi Birds  Dress

Adaptation of scarlet red linen skirt, with linen and viscose back panels using Vogue pattern.

Ornate front polyester print patterned applique.  Maker's hand silk painted lower tie-back panels of 'Hopi Birds' on black, and white.

Name derived from abstract bird designs on Hopi pottery.

Shamanic Nights FOLKSY Shop [to be added]

Hopi Birds Grey  - Post

Pinafore dress with full silk painted bib front, and panels of thick grey cotton with silk piped

edgings.  Silk painted front panel of 'Hopi Birds', from Hopi potter designs.

Slim fit hips 34-35: model Marian

Shamanic Nights ETSY Shop

 

Butterflies and Pansies

Frivolous tea party dress in pink and maroon silk, with silk (bundle dyed) sleeves, pink-mauve shot taffeta and cotton with pansy print.

Silk painted front panel of nigella seed pod with butterflies and banana leaves.

SHAMANIC NIGHTS FOLKSY Shop [ to be added]

[Add to ETSY when sash added]

Kokopelli

Shirt sleeved button fronted smock top dress in grey and lilac, with lower section gathered at bust line.

Lilac/white long striped sleeves have pre-existing turn up tab to elbow.  Muted grey/white viscose rose print front and back. 

Front has large silk painting one side, featuring Kokopelli design from rock carvings.

Shamanic Nights FOLKSY Shop [ to be added]

Persian Piri Dress

Dress converted from mustard yellow cotton/viscose tunic top, with pink/green abstract print lower frill.  Lace lower frill, sleeves and collar.  Extra long featured two toned pink sash.

Maker's appliqued silk painted panel of 'Piri' figure from Persian illustrations.

SHAMANIC NIGHTS FOLKSY Shop [ to be added]

[to be added to shop 2021]

22 May

Butterflies and Pansies Silk Dress

Amelia Hoskins / Dress, Silk Painting / / 0 Comments

Pink Champagne Tea Party Dress

Delightful summery patchwork fun tea party dress in pink, plum, lilac and pansy prints.

Pink silk top from a blouse has a bias cut across the weave grain so stretches across variety of bust shapes without other shaping.

Side zip under arm enables dressing.  Shot-taffeta changes from plum pink to lilac in light.

Author's unique Ahimsa silk painted front panel has butterflies and pansies, with centre design of Nigella seed pod and added embroidery.  Old rose lace is appliqued over corners which covers greener palm leaves on silk beneath.  Background of silk painting is logwood dyed batik.

 

A long pink silk sash was added to dress to fit smaller sizes at the waist: same silk as front bodice.

Fabric Inspirations

Pink/purple shot taffeta and pink silk were the starting inspirations.

Back centre panel is plum silk.  Brown/beige cotton print adds contrast; also multi coloured cotton pansy print.

The old rose lace lightens the effect over the long pink/lilac shot taffeta panels, and links with lace applique on front panel.

Sleeves were an added after thought from fine bundle-dyed silk sample. Lower frills are from a blouse.

Pink silk sash available.

BUTTERFLIES AND PANSIES available £165.00. direct from maker.  (new purchasing coming soon...) 

Fabric Coordinates and Background to Silk Painting

Choosing fabrics to go with the logwood lilac dyed batik Ahimsa silk

Partial painting butterflies and nigella seed pod motifs

Pansy print used to copy pansy colour ideas from

Purple, plum, and pansy print coordinates

 Silk painting with coordinate fabrics

22 May

Hopi Bird Silk Designs Dresses

Amelia Hoskins / Dress, Silk Painting / / 0 Comments

Hopi Bird Silk Designs - Three Dresses

Dresses Available

Dresses with silk painting of stylized Hopi birds

Opaline Rose dress has tier of grey silk painting with Hopi birds and embroidered Native American quotations

Red Hopi dress has two front silk panels with stylized Hopi birds - black/red on white, and red/white on black.  Patchworks uses a red linen skirt and black viscose print in long red dress design.  Vogue pattern used: V1234 by Sandra Betzina.

Grey Hopi pinafore has front silk panel of Hopi Birds with feathers and native American sayings combined with grey cotton panels from a Per Una skirt. Winter thickness. Slim fit: (UK size 8 bust, UK size 10 hips)

All dresses modelled by visiting Spanish teacher guest Marian

Grey Hop Pinafore - Design Motifs

Bird designs are 'curved' exactly as the originals on Hopi pottery, but applied to a two dimensional surface of Habotai silk. Feathers were added around the birds together with a selection of embroidered Native American quotations.

Printing Experiment:  Texture of gold on grey is made using cardboard print block.  Dried corn cob leaves which have fine narrow ridges were glued onto a cereal packet cardboard, varnished (acrylic water based) 3 layers.  The maze leaves fibre formation has quite pronounced ridges, which resulted, when printed, in natural looking printed lines.  I used epaissisant thickener with gutta as a printing paste applied to the cardboard printing block, then pressed on to the silk, and dried before adding the grey dye.  The end result after steaming was mostly a blur, but still provides an interesting painterly background texture, which could be developed with different colour overlays, where overlapping lines would create extra colours.

    Native American Quotations embroidered on silk: 

"Walk lightly in the spring: mother Earth is pregnant" ~ Kiowa

"Plants are our brothers and sisters; they talk to us and if we listen we can hear them" ~ Apache

"After dark all cats are leopards" ~ Zumi

"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave ~ 

Red Hopi Bird silk painting

Dress side panels show red/orange/black on white ground, and red/orange/white on black ground.

The vogue pattern facilitated side extended pieces which hang well in silk. Red linen bodice is made from a skirt.  Polyester red/orange print used for upper and center panel.

I've always been intrigued by Native American culture and found images of abstract bird designs of the Hopi Indians applied to pottery. They reached a height of decorative abstraction, adapting bird designs to fit over any curved pottery surface; a brilliant applied design, in natural pigmented black, terracotta and cream colours.

RED HOPI LINEN DRESS side view. Lower contrast pieces are as the Vogue pattern. Dress is shaped wide at lower hips, then tied to fit hip size. Black sleeves are model's own garment.

RED HOPI LINEN DRESS back view. Beige cotton back piece, with black spotted viscose lower panels.

Hopi Bird silk painted design in russets, orange, pinks with embroidered Native American sayings

Autumn colours pinafore.  - Brown, russet and pinks of silk painted stylized Hopi bird sections.

Coordinating with brown fabrics.  Pattern taken from a dress bought in France. (Sold)

Images copyright Amelia Jane Hoskins Please email for use permission.