Obsessed with Embellishment

This week on CNN.com I read with nostalgic regret that CBGB, the legendary NYC punk club, had finally closed after 33 years. I was in college during the late 70’s and fully participated in that music scene, and it was one of the most exciting times of my life. Great times, great bands, and I feel lucky to have been able to be part of a true scene. If you were on PatternReview.com from 2002 to 2004 it was the same type of thing; that special feeling of being really hip and happening and watching the rest of the world catch up.

However - I have to make a public comment to John Wands of Verona, NJ. John posted on the CNN story that his fondest CBGB memory was the night the Sex Pistols played there, and Sid Vicious spat on him from the stage. I must say to you, John Wands of Verona NJ - IT NEVER HAPPENED. The Pistols never played NYC, they never even got close. On their single US tour Malcolm McLaren, their manager, booked them into redneck bars in Austin and Atlanta, and then they played one gig in San Francisco and broke up. Sid Vicious moved to NYC and lived at the Chelsea Hotel with his American girlfriend Nancy Spungen.

I do believe that John Wands of Verona NJ did indeed see Sid play a solo gig in NYC, and I’m sure Sid (or much more likely, Nancy) spat on him too, but it was at Max’s Kansas City and not CBGB.

I’m not dissing John Wands of Verona NJ - everyone partied a lot in those days, and maybe his memory is just a bit hazy. I just want to set the record straight, and the info above was verified with friends of mine who worked in radio at the time. So trust me on this one:

Here are some detail photos of the tiny bags I posted to the The Sewing Divas blog. The “Chanel” bag has a silk twill lining and the fringe is a strip of bias cut fabric stitched to the flap.

The Asian bag is made from a remnant of indigo dyed cotton. It has a silk twill lining that is s scrap from a vintage kimono. A wonderful littel company called Ah Kimono! They sell color cooredianted packs of authentic Japanese silks and cottons.

The folk art bag is made from wool felt and is embellished with machine embroidery. No lining is needed with wool felt but a stabilzer for the embroidery is still a good idea.

If you’d like a free PDF pattern & instuctions for this tiny bag, just email the Divas at thesewingdivas@hotmail.com and I’ll send you a PDF of the pattern and instructions.

*cough* (adjusts glasses and takes a sip of chai)

Hello!..This is the first entry in my blog, which is part of The Sewing Divas universe.

I love to sew, but my purest love is embellishment: embroidery, trim, lace, beading, fringe, buttons, applique - any type of adornment for clothing - it doesn’t matter if it’s a haute couture embroidery from Lesage, a Cuna Mola, or traditional Polish folk clothing - I love them all equally, just like it’s impossible to love one of your children more than the next. I don’t know why I have this obsession - maybe it’s because I learned to embroider before I learned to sew. Every time I see an 18th school girl sampler, or a piece of modern wire bullion embroidery from India, I feel this powerful connection to the person who made it, even though I will never know who they are.

Fashion right now is pretty exciting for someone like me - we’re in a fashion cycle that has lots of embellishment, and I think fashions from this era will be highly collectible in about 15-20 years. Hold onto your good stuff!

So in my blog I’ll be sharing with you my embellishment projects, fine examples of current couture and RTW, techniques, and exceptional folk embellishment examples from around the world, and also good sources for trims and supplies.