Garter & Asp

One of my favourite Canadian designers, Jennifer Ann Gilpin, has a new collection out now. I am so excited! Originally designing under the name Re-Gen, she then produced a few seasons under her own name. SS08 was the last I saw of her amazing designs as she made a move to Berlin - can I say I wish I were in Berlin? Now I have discovered she has re-surfaced with the design label Garter & Asp. Her collections are often highly conceptual, but she aims to bridge the gap between conceptual fashion and wearable art - a goal I believe she succeeds in achieving. Her designs have proven once again to be interesting, elegant and sleek, with a bit of bite.

http://garter-asp.com

I Am A Mestiza

Working on a project for an upcoming art exhibit at the Kapisanan Philippine Centre. Taking inspiration from a page in a Philippine history encyclopedia, my selected entry is on the "Mestizo" - literally translating to "mixed-blood." It's an interesting undertaking so far, looking forward to seeing my final product. Traditional Filipino design with a modern and personal twist. Progress posts forthcoming.

Birds On The Wires

Fantastic. A lovely example of music's inexplicably ubiquitous presence in the cosmos.

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

Union Special 39500 FA

A good friend of mine, Jodee, has recently been doing some great work at the Kapisanan Philippine Centre. They have a crazy old industrial serger there, which he asked me to come in and take a look at. Googling this machine it appears that it is a "streamlined high speed overseamer." Oh.

I spent a couple of hours, without proper tools, trying to thread the damn thing. Anyone who has ever threaded a serger will understand the frustration that often accompanies such a process. This machine, which I am yet to triumph over, is at least 30 times worse than threading any modern day serger.

Machine parts do not move out for easy access to loopers, fingers must attempt to fit in tiny holes and corners, thread must travel in awkward directions in order to pass through the tiny holes necessary to thread the machine. At one point, I had to thread a hand-sewing needle, tie a loop in that thread, and feed the eye-end of the needle through a tiny hole in the serger. Then, using a long metal utensil, I pulled the looped thread out from the tiny crevice it had recently been pushed into, tied the actual serger thread to that looped thread, and then retracted the hand-sewing needle, pulling the looped thread, and then serger thread through the tiny hole that was otherwise IMPOSSIBLE to thread!

It's absolutely absurd. This really can not be how this was done in a factory. Anyone with an industry secret, please do share. Holy wow! This thing better work well...




















Page one of instructional diagrams








From sewusa.com where such diagrams were available. You'll need more than lots of luck.