Aspen Collection FINISHED!

Hey everyone! I cannot believe that I am writing this post but I am finally done with my Aspen Collection! The 10th look was completed today and I decided to go with one of my original sketches instead of switching designs as I had previously wanted to do. This look is a cape/shawl top with a high-waisted straight leg pant. I used this cozy brown knit for the top and a brown suiting material for the bottom. Both pieces also have the teal suede-like fabric as the quilted details. I am in love with the way that the teal and the brown went together! It looks so rich to me and is a color combination that I can honestly say that I have never worked with before. I photographed the pants on a table because as before, they just don't look right on the dress form and I also took pictures of the top so here they are!

These past few months have absolutely flown by and looking back I still cannot believe that I have managed to design, pattern, illustrate, flat sketch and construct 10 complete looks and 9 different accessories. I am so excited to go back to Cincinnati and photograph them all on my model! I still have an accessory or two in my mind that I might make up quick, but those will only add to the collection at this point. I know I originally wanted to use gold heat sealed studs as accents on the quilted details of each look, but now that the pieces are done I am really happy that I didn't. I think that they would have been distracting and hard to place so that they made sense with each piece. Being being a designer means coming up with a ton of ideas and knowing how and when to edit them down into something that really works and I think I really was able to accomplish that with this collection.

I will be packing like mad and traveling the next few days back to Cincinnati but within the next week or two, once I am able to fit and tailor the looks to my model, I will be photographing them and putting them up on here so make sure you check them out! As always, thanks for reading!

-xoxo Hillary C.

Final Illustrations Done and Updated Technical Flats!

As promised, I have finished the final marker illustrations of all 10 looks. These are the best way to show what the completed collection will look like when it is shot on a model so I thought it would be a good idea to show you them all together. I have edited these sketches to include any changes that I have made to the original sketched designs when I constructed them. I decided not to include any of the accessories in these illustrations because I want to mix and match them and see how they look with each look so I'm not yet sure exactly which accessories will go with each look yet. So here are the sketches!

 

I have also finished the final technical flats of each look. These flats include seams, stitch lines, normal folds that appear in the garments, zippers and quilted details. I've been slowly updating these flats from the originals that I posted in the beginning of my co-op as I have completed the looks. I still have one look in the process of being made, but I was able to get the flat done as well. I was really excited because with these flats I played a lot with making prints and patterns and turning them into swatches that I then used with live paint for the quilted details as well as using brushes in illustrator for the trims and details. My flats have definitely come a long way from a year ago and i am really happy with them overall.

 

Something that I wanted to try and learn was how to do technical flats of accessories and this was the perfect time for that. I was lucky enough to have a set of fashion brushes with trims for illustrator which came in handy when it came to the chain details. I was also able to play with making beads and fringe and shading on bracelets and I came up with a style that not only goes with my garment flats, but that is also detailed enough and interesting to look at. 

  

 Within the next day I will be finishing up the final shawl/cape look and I will try to get the photos and info uploaded as soon as its done, however I am also in the process of packing everything up to move back to Cincinnati so if I am not able to get them up by Friday, look for them that following Monday. Wish me luck! Time for me to put my head down and finish up this whole process! Thanks for reading!

-xoxo Hillary C.

Look #9!

Hey, so it has been a little longer than usual since my last post but I have been working on a little bit of everything this past few days. I am almost done revising all of my flat sketches for both the clothes and the accessories that I have made and I have one more to go on my final sketches. I also finished the 9th look as well!

I'm pretty excited about how I am so close to being done! The look I just finished is a cigarette pant and a long sleeve paneled and quilted top. I decided to use the suede-like beige material for the pant because it has a really nice weight to it and it adds a pop of texture to this look. The top is made from white jersey and quilted light brown textured stretch material. As before, the pants didn't photograph that well on my dress form so I took pictures of them flat on the table. This look is a simple silhouette but the details in it really make it pop. The pieces in this look can be mixed and matched with other pieces in the collection which was something that I really wanted overall. I think the ability to combine pieces from different looks to create a whole new look makes that collection that much more wearable and marketable as a whole. Here are some pictures!

With this look done I am in the home stretch with 1 look left to complete and a handful of things to finish up! This next week should be a good one so make sure you come back and check it out! As always, thanks for reading!

-xoxo Hillary C.

Eight Looks Done, Two to Go!

Hi everyone! I have managed to keep on track and focused on my collection (which has been hard since I only have a few weeks left until classes start up again) and I have managed to get another look done. That brings the grand total to 8 finished looks with only 2 left to make! Needless to say I am pretty excited about that! The look I just finished is a cowl-neck top with a wide leg pant. As always, I took some quick pictures of the finished pieces. I tried to get a good picture of the full look, but since my dress form has no legs, the pants look weird so I also took a picture of the pants flat on the table. Here they are!

I used an off-white jersey knit for the top with the suede like material that I quilted for shoulder accents and the waistband of the pants. I love how this top turned out and I cannot wait to see how it looks on my model when I get back to Cincinnati! As far as accessories go with this look, I think that I will keep it simple and use some of the bracelets layered up with it. I think it will be just enough and let me bring a pop of the teal color into the look as well.

Up next, I am going to work on the next pant look and after that the final look! I have changed the last look from another capelet to a comfy top with quilted panel leggings. I can't wait to start working on that, but I am going to save it for last so I end on something that will keep my interest. I have also decided that if I have time left once I get all of the looks done that I am going to make a braided belt to go with the collection. There's still a lot more to do so make sure you check back later this week to see it all happen! Thanks for reading!

-xoxo Hillary C.

Another Look Done, 3 Left to Make

So I am really excited to say that I have finished yet another look which makes a grand total of 7 completed looks. This one was one that I had originally sketched and stayed pretty true to it. I used the white wool as the majority of the look and then the teal suede as the quilted area. The dress is princess seamed and knee length and I decided to add a full metal zipper the entire way down the back for some extra pop. Check it out! 

 I also wanted to see what this dress would look like with one of the accessories that I made so I added the two-tone fringe necklace to the look and took a picture of it to show all of you. I really liked the way the necklace overlapped the quilted pieces of the dress and the way that all the colors worked together. I definitely think that when I take the final pictures of this look I will use this necklace with it.

 

I am in the process of sketching everything out and I have a few done but I've decided to not show you them until I have finished all of them. That way you will be able to see the collection completely illustrated as a whole. I will be getting that to you all in the near future and will also be starting the next look, a pant look with a cowl neck top, tomorrow if all goes well! As always, thanks for reading!

-xoxo Hillary C.

Done With All of The Accessories!

Hey everyone! I am so happy to say that as of tonight I have finished all of the accessories to go with my line! Pretty pumped about that I must say, and knowing myself I will probably keep coming up with more and more but me making them will depend on time! I have less than a month left before I head back to Cincinnati for classes and meet with my co-op advisor to show her everything I have been working on these past few months so this is definitely crunch time for me. With the main accessories completed, I have 4 looks left to complete so fingers crossed, I should be able to get it all done!

As always I have taken pictures of the most recent accessories that I have finished. I am really lucky to have a family that has been sewing and doing all sorts of crafty things for as long as I can remember because I have access to endless amounts of trims, cording, and other fun things from it. It seems like everyday I find something new that works perfectly with what I am making and a lot of these finds went straight into the accessories for my collection.

First I figured I would show you all the fringe necklace that I started a few weeks ago. When I finished the first part, I thought that I would dye the fringe to give it an ombre effect.  However, pnce I began experimenting with ways to get that look, I found out that the fringe I was using would stiffen up once i began to color it which made the end result look heavy and just not appealing haha. I was able to find a black fringe that I instead applied to the necklace to give it the two tone look I was originally wanting. I really love this piece as a statement necklace and cannot wait to see what it looks like with the garments!

I also finished the second purse that I have been working on for a few days now. I originally thought of making it a tote bag, but once I got the body of the bag put together, I just really wasn't liking how it looked, so I changed it up! Originally I was going to have a flap closure, but I instead used these huge grommets all around the bag and then wove a cording that I braided through the grommets. I then secured the braid together with this big wooden button I found in my mothers stash haha. This gives it a pull closure and makes the bag feel fresher. This turned out to be one of my favorite accessories and I hope you like it!

I knew from the start of this whole process that I wanted to make a ton of bracelets that I could layer and just have fun with so the final two accessories that I made were bracelets. The first is this awesome gold loop trim my mom actually found in the stash that I hand-stitched on to a piece of the white vinyl that I used on other accessories. I then beaded the length of the bracelet. This is a double wrap bracelet with snap closures.

The second bracelet I made came from the same cording that I used on the white and brown purse. I loved how the braid turned out on the strap of the purse so I wanted to use it in an accessories and decided to make another double wrap bracelet. This one is thinner than the other double wrap and can be layered with even more pieces.

With the accessories done for now I have made 2 purses, 2 necklaces, 1 pair of earrings, and 4 bracelets that can all be mixed and matched together with any piece in the collection. I am really happy that I was able to get them all done and even more excited to get refocused on the clothing and finish up these final looks! I am going to finish up the last dress within the next day or so and then start on the final pant looks so make sure you check back and see how I am doing!

-xoxo Hillary C.

Another Dress Done

Hi guys! I have gotten another dress done and I could not be more excited! This is one of the new sketches I had talked about last week. When my collection was really coming together I just didn't think one of the original dresses would work anymore so I changed it up. I wanted something that was a little fuller on the bottom but kept the interest and some of the details that ties it into the rest of the collection. 

I choose to make this dress with a gathered skirt bottom with a quilted waistband and zipper down the back. The bodice of this dress is fitted through the front with an open back and a snap closure at the top. I wanted to bring the quilted element into the sleeves of this look as well so I quilted the top portion of them in a contrast color. This look is all neutral colors of brown, black and white which I plan to pop with a teal accessory, possibly a necklace or a purse. Here are some pictures of the finished look! My model does not have as broad of shoulders as my dress form so once I get the final pictures done in Cincinnati it wont look so tight across the top.

With this look completed I have 6 done and more than three-quarters of the accessories complete as well. I am going to work on the final dress of the collection next and then begin on the pant looks. As promised I am also slowly working on the final sketches too so there is a lot going on as always haha! Wish me luck! 

-xoxo Hillary C.

The Accessories Are Coming Together!

Hi everyone! These past few days I have really focused on the accessories for my collection and have made a lot of progress on them so I figured I would share with you where I am at with them.  I have narrowed down all of the final accessories and have sorted out the millions of ideas going on in my head at this point haha! I have also finished a few so this post will have lots of pictures to show you them all! A few weeks ago I told you all that I had decided to turn away from my original thought of doing all knit accessories and instead make more polished and mixed material accessories and after finishing a few I am really happy that I went with my gut and made that decision. When all is said and done the accessories will have elements of fringe, gold chain, floss and metallic thread and leathers and vinyls. These materials all not only compliment and enhance my finished collection, but they also work really well together. I stayed within the same color pallet as my collection as well which I think helps to tie everything together and not distract from the collection.

Up first are two of the bracelets I have finished. The first is made from the same leather and vinyl that is used both in the collection and in some of the purses I am making as well. I found this really awesome technique of braiding the materials without cutting through the ends of them, sounds a little confusing I know, but once I figured it out, it really helped to give a polished finish to the bracelet. I then wove through different colors of the same material and stitched it onto a wider piece of the vinyl that I backed with black jersey. It has a double snap closure which not only helps to secure it easily to the wrist, but also allows it to fit on multiple different wrist sizes comfortably. 

The next bracelet uses different sizes of gold chain joined with a jump loop at either end and a spring ring clasp closure with multiple loops for sizing as well. I wanted to include some of the vinyl in this piece as well for some interest and decided to use the teal for a pop of color so I wove it through one of the larger chain pieces and secured it with a hand-stitched tack. 

I really like how both of these pieces turned out individually and am even happier with how well they go together when they are worn at the same time. 

I have also finished one of the necklaces that I had been working on. I have been seeing the bib-style necklaces everywhere it feels like these past few months and they have really interested me, but I hate things that are tight around my neck and most that I have seen have been just that, so I decided that for this collection I wanted to do a bib inspired necklace but put my own spin on it. This necklace has the gold chain base which I hand stitched a bib piece that I sewed individual beads to. I wanted to create a herringbone effect with the gold and black beads and broke it up with a vertical line of brown beads. I kept it longer and added an additional drape of chain on top of the beaded piece for added interest.

Once I finished that necklace, I wanted to keep in the same color scheme with the gold and black so I made a pair of drop earrings. These were super simple to make but the overall effect turned out awesome. I found this cording in the jewelry section of Jo Ann Fabrics that was heavier and had a thin wire running through the middle which really helps it hold whatever shape I put it into. I put this cording onto a loop and attached it to the earring. 

The final piece that I am really excited to show you is an across the body, fold over purse. Last summer on co-op in NYC a few of my friends had these awesome fold over purses. They are really cool because they look like a smaller purse, but they can hold a lot. I knew immediately that I wanted to do one of these purses for my collection. I decided to do this out of the teal vinyl and line it with a black stretch material. I brought the gold quilted detail in from the clothes in the collection and did this technique on the bottom portion of the purse. There is a simple magnetic snap closure on the inside of the bag and a gold chain with a black leather trim woven through it as the strap. This is probably one of my favorite accessories that I have made up to this point. 

I still have a few more accessories in the works. The fringe necklace that I wrote about earlier still needs to be completed as well as another bag and possibly some more earrings and things. I am going to switch back to clothing this week, but the accessories should be completed very soon! I hope you all enjoyed the pictures and like the accessories! I will be posting in the next day or so about some more garments so make sure to check back. As always, thanks for reading!

-xoxo Hillary C.