Sunshine Filled Pots Of Lavender And Blueberries And...

Fourteen dazzling new coats…

Antique silk crepe "maple leaf" kimono coat, belt and tab lightly padded and lined with 1950’s dotted swiss.  
Liberty of London silk bias crepe binding.  
Vintage silk stripe trim.  
Japanese hand-woven belt-loops.  
Celluloid Deco-style buckle.  
Hard Plastic buttons.

Indigo Shibori silk coat and tab lightly padded with Bomaki Shibori liner.  
Ikat belt.  
Batik binding.  
Vintage braid belt-loops.  
Antique French silk velvet ribbon and soutache embellishment.  
Hard Plastic 1938 buckle.  
Bakelite button.  
Hard Plastic 1938 buttons.

Heavy textured Baumwolle (German cotton) rayon backed coat and tab.  Cotton with Grain Sack backing belt. 
Black and white stripe rayon belt-loops and binding.  
Mother of Pearl buckle.  
Celluloid black, beige and Mother of Pearl button.  
Celluloid black and cream button.

Vintage French Grain Sack with maroon stripes coat.  
Antique silk crepe “maple leaf” kimono belt and tab with silk crepe vintage necktie trim and hand-crochet embellishment.  
Japanese braid belt-loops.  
Metallic binding.  
Hard Plastic buckle.  
Bakelite button.  
Extraordinary layered button.

A wee glint to spark your curiousity…

Shy In Shibori....

Hemp/cotton with bright green print Shibori coat and tab.
Pendleton wool belt.
Rayon brocade binding and belt-loops.
Lightly padded cotton Ikat lining.
Hand-woven Italian lace trim.
Lace embellishments.
Hard Plastic buckle.
Bakelite button and Hard Plastic button.


The "Talent" seems a wee bit moody...must be lap time...
Thank you, Fi...

"Butterfly" aka The Pearl On The Mohair Chair...

Yuzen print silk coat and tab.  

Obi belt.  

Crepe with embroidery jacquard silk binding.  

Vintage gingham trim in black, lilac and brown.  

Hard Plastic buckle.  

Bakelite with added silver metal bar design button.  

Hard Plastic “shell” design button.

"Circus"

Remember Mode O' Day shops?  As a young teen in the ‘60’s, I certainly do. 

While helping to clear out the  attic of an old Island home, I discovered a cache of vintage women’s clothing.  Sifting through the archeological find, I uncovered a fabulous Mode O' Day frock…truly a stunner.  Thankfully, my professional dry cleaner was able to remove decades of dust and moth balls, bringing it back to its original sheen.  I delivered the freshly sanitized, once-in-a-lifetime-dream-come-true to Dana, who with artful precision, gave it new life as a JoeysCoat gem…

Mode O' Day cotton print with gold coat and belt.

  Leopard print tab. 

Vintage Wright’s gold binding and belt-loops.  

Hmong embroidery. 

“Tortoise shell” buckle. 

Laminate with gold glitter button. 

Gold and black design metallic button. 

Kasuri Dyeworks Revisited....

Silk may be the best known Japanese textile due to its historical importance in the creation of the Kimono, however in pre-industrial Japan only the upper classes were permitted to wear silk clothing.   The rural classes wore homespun clothing made from hemp or cotton.  This style of clothing is called Noragi, meaning work clothing in Japanese.   I can only speak to this with modest understanding now, for JoeysCoat has opened up a whole new world for me brimming with materials and their history.  I learn to value and appreciate more and more each day the evolution and artistry involved in the creation of those things I have but admired from a distance.

I first happened upon Kasuri Dyeworks, a small store filled with traditional Japanese hand-dyed silk and cotton fabrics, while visiting friends in Berkeley in the mid-70’s.   Last year, with a trip scheduled to the Bay Area, I mentioned the store to Dana and my plan to stop there in search of vintage fabrics that might be useful for JoeysCoat.  To my surprise, Dana knew the store well, for she had visited it during the 1980’s.  My plans were dashed when looking up the address of the shop.  I discovered that after thirty years in business the store had closed, and the family relocated to Wyoming. 

One year later, while attending a sewing expo east of Seattle, I found myself chatting with the daughter-in-law of the original owner of Kasuri Dyeworks amidst the beautiful silks and cottons that I remembered after nearly four decades.  Divine intention - perhaps…stroke of good fortune - definitely. 

I sifted through remnants of beautiful fabrics knowing that once in Dana’s hands, the significance of the history behind the designs would be honored by her talent. 

Hemp/cotton with bright green print Shibori coat and tab.
Pendleton wool belt.
Rayon brocade binding and belt-loops.
Lightly padded cotton Ikat lining.
Hand-woven Italian lace trim.
Lace embellishments.
Hard Plastic buckle.
 Bakelite button and Hard Plastic Button.  

Hemp/cotton with indigo print Shibori coat and tab.
Indigo Ikat belt.
Japanese indigo stripe binding.
Vintage embroidery trim and belt-loops.
Bakelite buckle.
Bakelite button and Hard Plastic Button.

Hemp/cotton with dark green print Shibori coat.
Silk batik belt and tab.
Lightly padded cotton Ikat lining.
Gingham binding.
Metallic gold belt-loops.
Hand-woven Italian lace trim.
Enamel Deco-style buckle.
Celluloid and Hard Plastic buttons.

Kasuri is a Japanese word for fabric that has been woven with fibers dyed specifically to create shapes and shadows in the fabric.

Lovely indeed…

Seattle's Own Neighborhood Markets...

I’ve blogged about my adventures shopping on Vashon Island and the amazing flea markets in California, I have not, however shared the bountiful number of hip neighborhood markets that exist within the Seattle city limits.  Multiple communities that surround the City host Saturday or Sunday markets, some seasonal, others year-round.  The goods sold at each of the markets are dependent upon the neighborhood in which it is located, for each community evokes its own very distinct personality. 

The Fremont Sunday market is one of my favorites.  Just north of the City, Fremont is surrounded by the neighborhoods of Queen Anne, Ballard, Wallingford and Lake Union.  It’s a fairly small community, funky, diverse, filled with intellectuals and artisans, hippies and healers.  Smack dab in the middle of the community is a larger than life-size statue of Stalin.  Stalin is in good company with a  statue of yet another famous public figure, none other than JP Patches, a Northwest icon near and dear to every baby boomer born and raised in the region.  In addition to the two great men, an impressive concrete troll calls the underside of the Aurora Bridge home; in his mammoth left hand he is clutching an actual Volkswagen Bug.

On a recent visit to the Fremont market, I stumbled upon a lovely woman with a plethora of neckties, some new, some vintage.  I will make certain to visit her often before season’s end…

A Diamond In The Rough...

Hunting for “cast-off” materials for JoeysCoat is always a pleasure.  I never venture out with an agenda, instead I keep and open-mind, trusting that I will stumble upon something brilliant.

My criteria for the “perfect” item deserving of a new life is: it must be old, no longer desirable in its original form, its uniqueness must spark my interest, in other words, it must be perfectly imperfect.  Once satisfied with my findings, I deliver them to Dana’s studio and the design process begins.  When I meet with Dana to pick up the completed “product” I am always surprised and delighted by what she has created from the sad little bits I've brought to her.

This past week’s collection is particularly special - all beautiful, all masterfully sewn, one with an exceptional history, for while disassembling a vintage neck-tie, complete with vintage stains, Dana found the original label that read Lilly Dache PARIS-ROME-LOS ANGELES.  Dana knew the famous designer immediately, I, on the other hand, had to do some research.

Lilly Dache is described as “a leader in the fashion world”.  Born in 1896 her career spanned from the 1920’s to her retirement in 1968.  Best known for her hats, she was considered to be the top Milliner in New York with clients that included Audrey Hepburn, Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich and Carmen Miranda (Lilly Dache designed the famous fruit-filled turban!).  “Great heights of chic and absurdity were achieved by the milliners of the day – Dache’s hats were amongst the most outrageous of all”.

Japanese silk-crepe jacquard coat and tab.  

 Lilly Dache silk satin binding. 

Tapestry belt with vintage stripe binding.  

Antique silk velvet belt-loops and trim.

Vintage French buckle.  

Japanese shell buttons.