Need More Brain Power

Have you ever had so many things going on in your life that you feel like you've just ran out of brain power? You know, kinda like when your computer's RAM is max out and can no longer process new data.

That's where I am right now. It's different than stress 'cause I like all the projects I am working on now. It just involves a lot of thinking, planning and remembering.

Anyway, here's a pic of my computer screen while working on my design flats.

Lulu Packed and Ready to Go!

Right now I am living out of cardboard boxes. We are in between apartments and will be for the next 3-4 months.

The one month "buffer" I built into my schedule has already been used up. Of course I hadn't planned on moving, selling, buying and renovating a new apartment.

My designs are done now, I am almost finished with the flats. Now I have to go look for a pattern maker ... actually, I need to revisit my fabric vendor, 'cause I wanna get heavier fabrics for fall.

Thank goodness for DVR! I am not going to have any time to watch any of the new shows!

Why am I Moving !?!

I say this to myself every time I move. It always seems like a good idea at the time, until the actual move is happening.

So much time is spent on the phone with all the utilities companies, the moving companies, the supers in both buildings to reserve the elevator, etc.

This is all after all the time I spent running around looking at rental apartments. Sometimes I think it's good that I have my own business so I can do all this stuff during "business" hours ... gotta set up that day-long appointment with Time Warner to hook up cable. And I can do that without using up a "vacation day".On the other hand, I am so distracted with all this "stuff" that I haven't done much this month. So of course now I am falling behind schedule. Luckily I had built in a month buffer so I am still okay. But I think after I finish moving I should rewrite my schedule (maybe while I am waiting for the cable guy) so I'll be back on track.

Working the Cowl

Just trying out different cowl necklines with different fabrics.

This is Silk Crepe de Chine.Double Silk Georgette

Silk Crepe de Chine again, draped on the back.

Working the Style Lines

As part of the design process, I like to drape all sketches. I find that I work better on the form. It also gives me an opportunity to think about the construction of garment, which works better on a 3D medium.

Here's is the finished style lines for one of the designs. This design varied a lot from the sketch, but that happens. I also started to do the pattern for this design, but I found it to be too time consuming so I am going to have to hire a pattern maker.

One Month Hiatus

It's crazy to think that almost a month has already gone by since I last posted. I'll try to catch you up on everything that's been going on the last month. Unfortunately since I am moving out of my apartment at the end of this month, I am not going to have that much time to post.

Here's a little peek into what I've been sketching lately.

Speaking of Shopping

I've been shopping a lot lately, must be all of the end of summer sales. But one sale I am really looking forward to is the Prada Sample Sale.

I've been once before and I found a really cute pair of shoes, a belt, and a skirt or two. That was a while back, now they have this whole system of reserving a spot, etc. Which is way better than waiting in line for an hour.

My appointment is for next Wed. at 3pm. My partner in crime, Aphrodite, is going to go with me. Luckily she was able to squeeze this shopping trip in right before she flies off to France for 3 weeks.

Shop 'Til I Dropped

Every once in a while, the stars align and a couple of my good friends don't need to go in to work in the middle of the week. So of course we get together for a day of lunch and shopping.

We had lunch at Alice's Tea Cup. You can't get any girlier than that. It is such a great place to go with your girlfriends. After a long lunch where we ate small bits of tea sandwiches (okay, I had big bites of steak salad) and sipping cups of rose tea, we were ready to go shopping.

Time flew by so fast. We were only able to visit a couple of shops within the 2-3 block radius.

Believe it or not, I went to all new stores. I bought some great finds from Searle, pookie & sebastian, and Lingerie on Lexington. I am not sure why I've never been to these stores, maybe they are more popular with the upper eastsiders.

At Searle, they were having a trunk show, so we helped ourselves to complimentary glasses of wine. After a glass, I had to get out of store, before I moved from the sales rack to their new fall merchandise.

Another Colorboard

Yes, I have another colorboard. This one is based off the most recent mood board.

According to my schedule, I should be designing right now. I looked over the sketches I have for S/S '08 and I didn't like any of it. At least not enough to bring over to A/W '08-'09. Is it totally normal to just not like your designs after a while?

I thought I can at least bring forward a couple of designs so I wouldn't have to drape everything over, but I really want to produce a design I truly love.

So I am going to start another intense session of sketching and designing. And maybe this time I won't drape everything, just the ones that are hard to describe on paper. We'll see ....

Mood Board A/W 08-09

When I was working on S/S 08, I didn't have a mood board, 'cause I was just rushing through the process. Now that I have given myself more time, this is my mood board for A/W 08-09.

I can see how a mood board can be beneficial in the design process. It is an inspiration and an anchor.