brrrrrrr

sorry I've been away so long dearies, I've been working away. It's freezing here in the big "O" as usual, so another winter, here we come. I've been so cold in the morning while going out to the jeep (4 wheel drive is really amazing, this is my 2nd winter having it!) Really, how did I ever live without it? Anyway, I'm thinking of making a wrap skirt like the ones I sold last summer to wear over my dress pants so I can be cozy, since my coat is kind of short. I'll have to add a lining though so it's not clingy. I'll let you know how it comes out :) Maybe it will give me a chance to use some of my preeeeeety fabrics!
also, I finally got a chance to use some of this chevron print from paula prass on one of my draft stoppers:

these are really flying out the door now, people are freezing - at least in the midwest. Many orders come from Chicago, Minneapolis, and all of those reeeeeeaaaaaaaallllllllyyyyyy frigid places. hmmmm, how many words can I come up with that mean freezing cold?
to continue the wintry theme, I FINALLY got my white christmas tree!!!!

I've been looking for a long time, and decided to decorate it in a silver-aqua-burlap- maybe a touch of gold here and there, and even got crafty and made a burlap tree skirt with a ruffle last night.

The other tree skirt that I made a few years ago had lots of deep reds and greens, and that just wouldn't do! Plus it looked really tiny under the new tree, because the diameter (or circumference?) is a lot bigger than the old one.
It still needs lots of ornaments, which have yet to be made, but I keep adding bits here and there, like a magpie would to her nest :) K says this tree will probably stay up until June since I seem to love it so much.
and it was a craigslist find!

fall day

probably the last photoshoot of the season today, a little bittersweet. woke up at 5 am and sewed 2 dresses.
photography by my sweet daughter :)

beautiful day, although a bit windy, but who can ask for more than gorgeous golden sunlight and warm temperatures on a november day in nebraska?

recent fun!

I can't remember what my friend called this, but something like 'saloon zombie bustle'? So, I was happy to oblige. She said she would add fake blood later :) I didn't make the corset, that she purchased. I just added some tattered lace, and made the bustle. I rarely use red for anything, but that is what she wanted.


mine will be slightly less gory, as I am opting for either Scarlett O'hara or Marie Antionette. The time consuming parts of both of those would be the dress of course, so I may be lazy and be a peasant or something!
also I have a new friend who is an amazing talent, and she is joining the craft mafia with us. Her name is Terri, and she's a designer transplanted from LA. Unbelievable creativity!

she makes clothing also, vintage inspired and reconstructed- hey, no wonder we became fast friends!!

aaaaaaaaand we're done.

omaha fashion week 2010




omaha fashion week 2010

it's crunch time people!!!

sorry for the sparse posts as of late ... but it's crunch time.
major dilemma about what I'm dressing myself in for omaha fashion week, no time really to make anything for me, and models are a lot easier to sew for. Less body issues.
I've been gazing at this lovely creation in my dreamland lately:

Butterfly dress by Luly Yang
so awesome.
well, I'm sure in a few days there will be major picture posts after the show and after I catch up on my sleep :)
wish me luck!

multi-tasking

managed to get this key necklace done in between games at Sasha's triple header softball tournament yesterday:

(I think it needs a few more keys...)
She made a sideways dive and caught a fly ball, and it was pretty awesome! She has several games a week right now, varsity softball in your senior year is no joke people. I'm incredibly proud of her, and no matter what is going on in my life (less than 2 weeks to go until fashion week), it is more important that I attend these games and be supportive. I fully believe that these things make a huge difference in your childs life. So even when schedules are crunched, we continue to be 'superwomen' or 'supermen' and do it all. Priorities, priorities, priorities. She's getting her senior pictures done by a local artist/photographer tomorrow, and it's going to be fun for me to be the stylist on the shoot!
Still have 4 or 5 dresses to finish for the show, including my own!!!

more dyeing

or is it dying? I think with the 'e' is right. anyway, you just can never go wrong with vintage pink undergarments hanging on a clothesline...

19 days and counting to the biggest fashion show I've ever been a part of!
300 feet of runway, over 6,000 people expected, I hope I get it all done!!

tattered princess dress

tattered princess dress
Originally uploaded by ♥ellene mcclay♥

another photo shoot

sorry dear readers... all I ever seem to post anymore are pictures from photo shoots or sneak peeks of omaha fashion week progress. such is the fabulous fast paced life of a fashion designer... le sigh.
I do love how the hair turned out, curled, teased, but still lovely.

I tied vintage ribbon bows at her ankles, and everyone thought they were part of her shoes. The word "adorable" was used a lot. And that's just fine with me :) I looooooooovvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeee adorable. Especially when you say it in a really high pitched voice! But they are adorable little dolls. The eye shadow was my own, and I brought it just in case the make up people didn't have anything bright enough, and I'm glad I did. For the actual show, the eyes will pop even more - aqua, green, purple, and pink eye shadow on all the models, depending on their eye color we will do something contrasting.

but seriously, this model is to die for. Such a sweetheart too, she even gave me a ride home :)

"hawt"

just a few pics from the hottest photo shoot I have ever been a part of. Hot as in temperature, I think I sweat gallons that day.
The model still managed to look gorgeous despite the heat. I think we all came home, showered, and passed out from exhaustion.
I of course was not the photographer, but these are a few I snapped.

more antiquity

new work for the september omaha fashion week-


I'm also working on some mother of pearl button accessories... no pics yet though.
This show is going to be such an unusual combination of victorian Marie Antoinette inspired feminine details and childish, whimsical doll stylings. Hopefully viewers will understand a bit of my vision... maybe?

alternative quilting

this is kind of like 'alternative music' I think...

I've never quilted anything before, but I think that's what this is.
I overlaid this shimmery bubble organza over cotton, and then used silver thread. This is an underbust corset (I call them casual corsets, because I don't really use all the coutil and traditional stuff. Just interfacing and flying by the seat of my pants.
But it's not like my models need a traditional corset, I just like the look :)

I'm liking it!

tones of taupe

just a little eye candy for tonight :)

inspirations...

sorry I dropped off the face of the earth there for a minute :) I've been resting, thinking, trying to work, but sometimes the pressure of creating puts me into a funk. Usually I'm never at a loss when creating, but it happens occasionally. I think there have been too many ideas actually, so trying to nail down a specific inspiration... I'm thinking about victorian dolls and the girls who played with them for the omaha fashion week collection~

aren't they sweet? what do you think?

weekend plans

the flourish of creativity continues... these are some of the items I've been working on this week:



I thought about keeping the slip dress and wearing it to go dancing last night, since it was friday and my favorite dj was spinning the music, but my feet were killing me because we had a field trip to the forest yesterday at school. Now as much as I love the forest, because of all the rain we've had, the bugs were having a hey day sucking all of our blood. And to top it off, I was spraying bug spray on all of the kids, and as I squirted a big gust of wind came by, and it blew right in my eyes.
Luckily it did not blind me, but I had to go find a bathroom inside the nature center to rinse them out. Unable to remove the resulting undereye mascara, the kids kept pointing at me and telling me I had black stuff around my eyes. I only remove that stuff with the proper sponge and cleanser, so I was not about to rub hard and risk making my eye wrinkles worse. Anyone in their 30's understands what I'm talking about.
(Unfortunately I will only be able to say I'm in my 30's for a little bit longer, so I have to insert that into as many sentences as possible.)
Even with the bug spray, I told the kids our activity while riding the bus back to school was to count how many bug bites we all had. Who doesn't love a sticky, sweaty, humid field trip, right? We actually did have fun though.
So tonight is date night, but my feet are still aching, so I think I'll opt for movies on the couch instead of dancing, plus it's like 96 degrees outside, so thank goodness for netflix!

sun and sea

as much as I'm enjoying teaching summer school, I can't help but gaze over at my beach calendar by my desk now and then, and daydream about being on the beach. Still obsessed with sunny yellow and aqua, I made another embellished tank last night.

funny thing about my obsession with yellow: I bought this cheery tank for myself, and then bought another one exactly like it about a week later without even realizing it. So I figured I might as well redesign the second one!

that lucky husband of mine gets to be the color tester, and watch as I hold up different bits and pieces next to eachother. He is surprisingly good at this, and even when we disagree, at least it helps me make decisions, because then I realize how much I don't agree with his choice!
maybe soon I'll find a beach somewhere, or at the very least a beautiful aqua pool!

neo victorian

I am always inspired by historical fashion, and I like to modernize it for todays woman. Today I played with one of my all time favorite fabrics ( I know I say that about so many!!!! but seriously, this is in my top 3!!!)


this would look so effortlessly cool paired with jeans or could be a little bohemian chic with a flowy skirt. More of these to come, I have a bit of an obsession with tanks, so this gives me an excuse to buy more - available here!
hope everyone is getting in a little crafting time this weekend, and oh, I'm proud to say I did a ton of food prep and grilled out all of our meat for the week to come, and baked a bunch of potatoes and put them in the freezer for later. I feel so accomplished!!! It's amazing what can get done when there aren't tons of prom dress orders piled up on my work table :) :)
What are your must have simple to wear fashions for the summer?

breezy weather

aaaahhhh, a sure sign of warm summer breezes at my house... dyed slips hanging on the line.

there's something about clothes hanging on the clothesline that makes me remember the big green yards of the south where I spent a good part of my childhood. Gorgeous quilts sewn by hand with colorful patterns were normal decor. The lady down the street from us had chickens so we could buy fresh eggs from her for a quarter. Moms and grandmas taught daughters how to sew and bake, and how to enjoy working hard. "elbow grease" was a term I heard quite often. I have that pioneer spirit in me for sure, where pies were made from scratch, as were dresses, and family was cherished. DIY was part of everyday life, and I still watch Little House on the Prairie whenever I see a rerun on tv.

No matter how busy we get, and all of our running from here to there, I hope we can all make a little time this summer to relish in the domestic chores that would otherwise seem mundane. True honest work, that is done well, is something we should be proud of. I'm planning to do some actual cooking, which is not an area I'm especially creative in, because I feel like it's important to spend some time and energy on something real.
So let that dryer collect some dust for awhile, and get those aprons out girls!

color splash!

I know, I know, that name is already taken by the amazing David Bromstad, who you all know I love so much, but that's all I could think of to describe what's on my work table right now:



hmmmm, I see a theme emerging here? :)
lots of new hair accessories, some wedding-worthy, along with a ton of other little beauties that can be used in different ways.
I'm having a great time so far working with color this spring, especially after such a white winter.
We are also planning a graduation trip next summer to Alaska!! I don't travel that often, so we are starting to save now. I have never been there, so I need to research how the weather and temperatures will be during the summer months. If you've ever been there or if you live there, suggestions on places to visit and see would be greatly appreciated. I know there are train trips you can take too, so I'm looking in to that as well.

I'm looking forward to a special trip with my special girl when she finishes high school- ahhhh!

8 days and counting...

hi all! hope everyones' summer is off to a beautiful beginning :) Just want to remind anyone in the Omaha area about the 'etsy success workshop' that I teach. I've had several requests to have another one, so I found a lovely creative space in Elkhorn, called 'CREATE'. What a cool place!! Hopefully the mafia can even have a meeting or fun artsy/ craftsy get together at some point!
The owners have created such an awesome place for all kinds of crafts - scrapbooking, mixed media, tie dyeing, etc. They have tons of cool, state of the art technology tools that people can use while taking a class or working on a project.
My workshop will be Saturday, June 19, at 10 am, and it will last about 2 1/2 hours. Maybe everyone can go have lunch somewhere afterward with all the new friends you'll meet!

I show everything I'm doing on an LCD projector, and it's very interactive. People can ask questions about their own shops and we can discuss promoting, marketing, branding, you name it!
please contact me through my shop if you're interested in registering. You can also leave a comment and I'll contact you.
Cost is $25 and you will have a ton of fun, and take lots of new ideas for your shop with you !!
Ellene

ch. ch. ch. check it.

so happy my tattered dress and my most favorite model made it to the front page of the Omaha Fashion Week blog this week!!!
oh yeah!

progress

feels good to get this one out of my head finally!

I've had this weirdly dyed fabric for at least 2 years, and it was unusual and challenging to work with it. This still needs a lining, but came pretty close to the idea I had for it :)

even though it's beautiful outside, I've got to finish some of these pieces for the presentation for Omaha Fashion Week - let's hope I get enough things made before next week!!

another fashion video

thanks dan richters again for providing this! This is from the Fashion in Salvation show in January 2010, I'm the 6th designer on this video

FIS2010 part 1 from Dan Richters on Vimeo.

Upcoming Etsy success workshop

ok guys I finally got a spot in my schedule to teach another Etsy Success Workshop!
It is scheduled for June 19 (Saturday) at 10 am. Should last about 2 - 2 1/2 hours. It will be held at the lovely Create in Elkhorn. This place is so cool! They have a lovely space where people can go and use their awesome tools and do scrapbooking or other kinds of art. I still need to explore everything they have to offer, but I am so excited for a place like this in Omaha! :)
$25 and you'll learn a lot and have some fun!!! I love sharing everything I've learned over the last 3 1/2 years selling my handmade items online. You will leave with lots of inspiration, knowledge, and take some tangible items with you with printed information for you to refer to later. If you have already started a shop and would like to increase your sales, or if you are still at the 'setting up shop' stage, we will go through everything.
Please comment if you'd like me to contact you and get the registration to you!!! This is going to be so fun :)

finally!

today is the first day in about 4 months that I've had time to work on new things for Omaha Fashion Week. (except for the 7 day marathon over spring break - which didn't give me a lot of 'thinking time')
so what to do on a cloudy Friday at home alone?
make a couple of leather bustiers of course :)



should be fun putting this together :) don't worry, dear readers, I promise this will be more romance and vintage inspired than biker chic, you know me too well!!!