Tag Archives: flower

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BAGUA PAINTING

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My latest painting project at Regeneration Springs is also my biggest. The deck surface is 16’ square, although there is a large hole in the center which cuts down on surface area.

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by Julianne
This cold tub was built behind the massage studio, as a relaxing alternative to the swimming pool. All of the water comes from a well, and is wonderful to drink and bathe in. I stood in the pool to paint, though occasionally I climbed out and sat on a dry section of deck, or stood on the ground around the platform. I’d been concerned about my posture, but this variety of positions allowed me to adjust and be comfortable (so long as I worked in the shade).

My client supplied the themes of each panel and some references, while I designed the imagery and the aesthetics followed my previous work at the site. The core of the design is the Toaist bagua, supplemented by Native American and local symbolism, as well as centrality of the navel. It was a very peaceful project to work on!

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by JulianneFire, heart, purpose: The flames catalyze angular lines into sinuous smoke. The water in the background is the lower drainage pond.

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by JulianneInner earth, stomach, sense of self: There are many layers between the core and the outward self, but they can be connected.

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by JulianneMetal / lake, lung, emotion: The smoke plumes are deep sea vents that release minerals into the ocean, the jellyfish abides.

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by JulianneHeaven / metal, maturity, presence, security. The step up to the deck is behind and below the sun. This deep blue/violet represents cosmic life energy in my work (it’s the first color I ever ‘hallucinated’ and Oliver Sacks backs me up, though I’m not full indigo here).

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by JulianneWater, kidney, instinct, endurance and transformation. The water’s flow and fluidity is the red lines. This pipe normally has a stronger flow of water but was turned to a trickle during the work.

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by JulianneEarth, support, change: The arms protect and nurture the circle’s transformation, like an egg floating in the uterine universe.

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by JulianneWood / thunder, nervous system, elder tree: The hollow core of the elder tree allows the energy of the lightning and dendrites to move inward and outward.

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by JulianneWind, liver, problem solving: The red neuron blossoms into an elder flower, the leaves are ideas that are shared in the wind.

Transformation is a constant theme in every panel. The lines change and evolve, but are still connected to their origins and are always beautiful, so long as you can accept the change.

I took these panoramas from the center of the pool.

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by Julianne

Regeneration Springs deck painting, made by Julianne

And some in-progress shots!

work in progress, made by Juliannework in progress, made by Julianne

work in progress, made by Julianne

work in progress, made by Julianne

work in progress, made by Julianne work in progress, made by Julianne work in progress, made by Julianne  work in progress, made by Juliannework in progress, made by Julianne

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YELLOW FLORAL BIRTHDAY DRESS

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My computer has recently revived from a 3 week hiatus, and yet I’m still just using an old post. Haven’t got quite everything back up and running, and the laptop was really just an excuse to not blog. Maybe I’ll write about it later, but does anyone really care? Long story short: I’m busy sewing all day, working really hard, and also prioritizing my time off. I haven’t really done any personal sewing, and I’m waiting for photos on several large projects for clients. Theoretically I’ll be able to post every day in May.

So in the meantime here’s a post that’s all about eventually getting things done. Pictures were taken in July 2014, when I had an incredibly short cut and was still deep in platinum mania.

 

Happy birthday to meee… from 2013. I bought this fabric as a birthday gift to myself, but between other projects and design uncertainty, wasn’t able to sew it up until 14 months later. Luckily it was worth the wait!

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

The yellow floral poplin in from the Lisette line at Joann. I immediately fell in love with the color combination and the paisley-inspired print. But it was that print that got me turned around. Brightly colored flowers… would that be too juvenile? I hate the idea of being ‘cute’ or saccharine, and so the fabric was folded and left in my cabinet…

Would I use a Laurel-esque shift pattern (this was right around the time that design was sweeping the blogosphere)? What about a vintage sleeveless dress? Maybe I should copy a 2005 H&M shirt dress I still wear: even with the heart print and slightly puffed sleeves, the sleek seams and short hem made me feel powerful.

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

In the end, I combined all these elements. I made a complete pattern of the H&M dress, but eliminated the sleeves and collar. I used a placket inspired from my vintage pattern, though I constructed this one myself. I copied Laurel’s clean neckline, and from there added my own details.

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne The raw edges are serged and topstitched. The neckline and arm holes are bound with self-made bias tape, which I sewed on the front using my machine, and then whip stitched the inside and back. yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

I feel like the coral binding creates a neat outline for the wild print. The mustard thread for the buttonholes doesn’t actually match any of the 7 colors of the fabric, but it still felt like the right choice. And the gold shank buttons… somehow, I didn’t even consider that option as I imagined the perfect buttons, but they jumped out at me as I was browsing the Dill racks.

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

It’s been a great summer dress so far, and of course it will do well in cooler temperatures with a cardigan and leggings.

yellow floral shift dress, made by Julianne

I already bought fabric for this year’s birthday dress. I’m not sure if I’ll have it done in time (3 weeks!) and I’m not even sure what design I will use. Perhaps I’ll make a blog post all about that… I should have it published in about 4 months!

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YELLOW JACKET RECON

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Last winter I found this yellow coat at a thrift store. It’s part of the Liberty of London collection for Target, and I liked the color and fabric, but wasn’t nuts about the cut. The two-piece notched collar does not work for me at all.

Here’s the original coat:

liberty coatliberty coat

But luckily my jacket doesn’t have that awful print repeat in the product photo. There would be no saving it then.

yellow jacket, made by Julianne

 Not exactly the most flattering shape, plus you know I can’t just wear something off the rack.

First thing I did was to cut off the collar, which necessitated binding the raw edge. I also added a faux-yoke for aesthetic reasons. I put in two new buttonholes so that the coat could be buttoned all the way to the top, replaced the black ball buttons with silver plated flat buttons, and I added an extra pleat at the back. I wore the jacket around rainy Richmond VA for my cousin’s wedding, and then forgot about it for a year.

yellow jacket, made by Julianne

yellow jacket, made by Julianne

yellow jacket, made by Julianne

Round 2 of renovations began with opening the lining and re-doing that CB pleat. I added the band to lower the empire waist down to my natural waist, which is so much more flattering on my body. The fabric is silk dupioni from my wedding skirt, and I love the way it plays off the yellow cotton.

yellow jacket recon, made by Julianne

I tapered the back seams to eliminate some of the cocoon shape. The sleeve caps were lowered at the same time I narrowed the shoulders, and I took in the bust of the jacket about 1″. I eliminated pleats at the front and inserted pockets into the seams.

yellow jacket recon, made by Julianne

I’m pretty impressed at the quality construction of this garment. I don’t know what the Target retail price was, but even their designer collections are inexpensive (I paid $20, which was my entire thrifty budget for the excursion). The sleeves are set in with a braided cotton tape to prevent warping, the stitching is all very even and careful, and the fabric feels like a quality cotton.

yellow jacket recon, made by Julianne

The front binding needs some ironing. It had been machine stitched on, but the bias warped and looked cheap. Instead I used a whip stitch in red thread, which is what I’d always wanted to do. yellow jacket recon, made by Julianne

I’m not quite finished though. As much as I love the floral print, I think it’s a little overwhelming for a whole coat. I’m thinking about replacing the set-in sleeves with raglan sleeves, probably a similar color to the belt. I have some bright orange cotton twill that could be toned down by a quick dip in a black dye bath, but California is in a serious drought and I don’t feel good about how much water will be required to wash out black dye. I dunno, it’s wearable with the current sleeve, so who knows when the raglan will happen.

Also those silver buttons are just temporary; I’m on the hunt for 1″ gold buttons!

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