I have been doing quite a lot of sewing lately and spending maybe a bit to much time on BurdaStyle which today has paid off as I have won a fashion designer sketchpad from Hokey Croquis through BurdaStyle.  I am really excited about this and it falls right inline with what I want to write to you about today.

I need to get something off my chest, I want to be a sustainable, eco friendly clothing designer.  Wow, that feels great and scary to have that out there!   I know I have a long way to go, and I mean a long way. But you have to start somewhere, right?  I am ready to move forward and I know that I am the one that decides if I succeed or fail.

I have already started to make unique pieces for myself to get my skill level higher and to build confidence in selling my pieces to others, which will be mostly dresses & skirts.   I have been collecting tons of fabric from wonderful Etsy and eBay sellers and of course, from my favorite local vintage/local designer boutique La  Gaillarde which has a basement full of re-claimed fabric!  Using fabrics that are reclaimed tickles me pink as I am so tired of the waste that we, as the human race, keep creating.  So I want to take a bit of the load off our land and our ocean.

I want you guys to come along for the ride with me. Some of you might just already be thinking of breaking out of the mold and following your dreams.   ’Hate regrets more than apologies’ say Fat Mike of NOFX and well I personally  don’t want to look back on my life and say to myself I should have done that, why was I so scared?  Just a little food for thought!

{source verypurpleperson bid dress}

I am going to do my best to share my creative process, sketches, designs and well of course the final product.   I have been drawing a lot of inspiration from Burda Style and from window shopping with my man who has an eye for design. Also from Ralph Pink, a London based designer who is creating a step by step video diary, fully detailing his research, design, development and hand production of his first professional clothing collection. Of course I draw inspiration from Very Purple Person, who has an Asian twist to her clothing that I appreciate and wish to incorporate in my work. She also has some wonderful tutorials.

I have been tossing the idea around of going back to school and I have looked into different designer courses, here in Montreal the fashion haven of Canada. I was also looking into Academy of Art University in San Francisco, but I’m not moving to San Fran anytime soon but they have amazing online courses for fashion. For now, I have decided to learn on my own. La Gaillarde boutique offers different workshops from local designers. I am thinking of taking the pattern making course. Since it’s something I am doing already, I thought it would be fun to be around other people that desire to learn as well. I think that is enough for me now.

Thanks for reading everyone! Any advice, comments, critiques and encouragement are very welcome along the way.  I will be launching a new design for my blog as soon as Paul and I can sit down together but have you seen the improvements in the side bar?

I want to leave you with a little eye candy from the Academy of Art University course catalog, it is so beautiful I spent a few days just touching the paper, looking at the designs, images and layout.  Clearly a very well designed book and makes me want to just move to San Francisco and go to school there! .

You are the one that decides when you fail & when you succeed.

October 17, 2010 : I think it is interesting how quickly I have changed my mind on being a designer when I looked into school and all the training and butt kissing that is involved.  I am just going to do my own thing and sew things for myself and see where that goes.