Sticks-a-GoGo

Nona, Roman Goddess of Textiles

As a result of fashion houses making the move to become more sustainable, while paying particular attention to circularity, an abundance of designer deadstock appears on the sewing scene as a way of “creative use” of deadstock. Back in August of 2022, I read an article in The New York Times, written by Dana Thomas, dated August 15 2022, about the fashion industry and the need to re-think past practices regarding fabric.

Romain Brabo, Givenchy’s fabric buyer, co-founded Nona Source, a showroom that collects leftovers from couture collections and makes them available to everyone. Brabo’s mission is to, “Incentivize creative reuse and do so at a super-competitive price.” He further states, “We revalue all our materials, so nothing goes in the trash.” Check out their website https://www.nona-source.com/pages/about-us

As a student of Fashion Design and Sewist, I am excited to have the same opportunity to work with affordable couture fabrics, and by creating with “deadstock” I am part of a bigger picture focusing on recycling with zero-waste as a priority. Deadstock is not dead!

Making

Presently, I’m attending an online travel class discussing Italian Luxury Fashion. Throughout the reading and watching videos there is a constant theme echoed by most of the fashion houses…the effects of the pandemic and re-thinking the importance of community, and our need to be together. Francesco Risso, Creative Director of Marni stands out in my mind.

In an interview with Tim Blanks, Risso mentions, “The power of the hand – things you can make with your hands are treasures that last forever. Objects from the past are for the future creating a life of objects. Making things by hand preserves craft.”

Pictured above are garments sewn using sticks-a-gogo Art Cloth. The proofs are the latest fabric designs added to our collection. Its amazing how well the fabric works together collaborating on a new visual narrative.

It Started With The Brownie

“The mimesis of amateurism began around 1966; that is, at the last moment of the “Eastman era” of amateur photography, at the moment when Nikon and Polaroid were revolutionizing it. The mimesis takes place at the threshold of a new technological situation, one in which the image-producing capacity of the average citizen was about to make a quantum leap. It is thus, historically speaking, really the last moment of “amateur photography” as such, as a social category established and maintained by custom and technique.

The above-referenced quote was taken from an essay written by Canadian artist, Jeff Wall, “Marks of Indifference”: Aspects of Photography in, or as, Conceptual Art, reinforced my definition about images captured using a cellphone camera as art, taken by a photographer.

This image was taken while sitting under a tree. I mentally placed the image in my mind, and voila, I snapped the photograph. Various technological options were used to manipulate the photo. The cellphone photograph was used to create a narrative on fabric. This piece is from the sticks-a-gogo Art Cloth Bokeh Collection: Landscape found in my store spoonflower.com/profiles/sticks-a-gogo_art_cloth

Sew was an experiment using the Adobe Photoshop Camera App.

Two Designs for The New Year

Here at sticks-a-gogo Art Cloth, we begin the New Year with two new fabric designs. Beginning with Absinthe, an advertisement on the side of a building in Prague advertising Bohemian-style or Czech-style absinthe.

Succulents, captures raindrops on plants outside our office space window.

Today, I captured an image with my cellphone, soon to be another sticks-a-gogo Art Cloth fabric design.

©Mary Lou Fall 2022

These and many more designs can be found at http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/sticks-a-gogo_art_cloth

Sticks-a-GoGo Art Cloth Welcomes The Bokeh Collection

Here at sticks-a-gog0 Art Cloth, I am pleased to introduce the collaboration between our current collection with the Bokeh Collection. These two collections work together creating an aesthetically pleasing art form. An art form viewed on fabric for the discerning sewist/designer.

©Mary Lou Fall The Bokeh Collection: Trees

©Mary Lou Fall The Bokeh Collection: Trees with Streets of Prague

©Mary Lou Fall The Bokeh Collection: Trees and Here and There

Along with the new collection, I am excited to be a part of the Shutterfly/Spoonflower collaboration.

Bokeh Collection

In short, Boke is a Japanese photographic technique that produces an aesthetic quality of blurring. “In 1997, the English spelling bokeh was popularized under the direction of Mike Johnston of Photo Techniques Magazine.” Wikipedia

I am excited to introduce the Bokeh Collection to the line of sticks-a-gogo Art Cloth.

©Mary Lou Fall 2021- Bokeh Collection: Here and There

©Mary Lou Fall 2021 – Bokeh Collection: Sunflower

©Mary Lou Fall 2021 – Bokeh Collection: Golden Leaves

View my Bokeh Collection http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/sticks-a-gogo_art_cloth

Fashion Plate Designs

What began as printing cellphone images on fabric, has developed into my own clothing line. I am thrilled to use fabric from the sticks-a-gogo Art Cloth collection in conjunction with garment design.

The first in the collection is a T-shaped coat featuring sticks-a-gogo Art Cloth Frosty Morning, Vintage Landscape and Ornaments On A Tree.

©Mary Lou Fall 2021

©Mary Lou Fall 2021

©Mary Lou Fall 2021

The neck and front facing are in process. The other pictures provide a closer look at the Art Cloth, and the stages of development.

Visit my shop at http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/sticks-a-gogo_art_cloth to view more of my work.

Natural Landscape

A few years ago, I discovered the positive effects of hiking. On those many outings, I would carry my cellphone and chronicle the flora and fauna in my own backyard, so to speak. I wanted to share the images with others, so I started posting to Instagram.

After positive comments regarding my images, what was my next step? How could I reach a broader audience? Just by coincidence, I overheard a conversation about print-on-demand for fabric. This could be a perfect vehicle for sharing the natural landscape of my local park trail with others. Did I mention, I also consider sewing one of my passions?

Sample Proofs of sticks-a-gogo Art Cloth Trees2

I decided a jacket designed by Wiksten provided the perfect canvas for my Art Cloth.

Viewing The World Through A Different Lens

In previous blog posts, I’ve mentioned using the lens of my cellphone camera to record my narrative in images absent of words. My visual diary is not hidden in a book locked with a key, its present for all to see.

My story is told to a wider audience through surface design on fabric. For me, it’s gratifying to share my talent to the world looking for an informed collective that appreciates my talent .

After researching various resources for print on demand, I selected Spoonflower for this endeavor. I’ve participated in design competitions with Spoonflower, but have not won, yet! My designs do not look like everyone else’s, and it’s a good thing because my visual diary stands apart from the rest. I like being unique…

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” – Coco Chanel

Some of This

My special place for creativity consists of books, yarn and fabric. I don’t favor one over the other because color, texture, and print are wonderful companions for me and each other.

Recently, I finished knitting a Long Cardigan designed by Jane Yu found in Noro Magazine Issue 15. Noro’s bouclé yarn, Kanzashi, creates a bouclé fabric reminiscent of the Chanel Jacket. Bouclé yarn is an uneven yarn of three plies one of which forms loops at intervals. Hence, French meaning “to curl.”

My long cardigan compliments the Cher Knit Dress by Style Arc Patterns. I’ve recently discovered Style Arc Patterns from Australia.

“Some things never go out of fashion. Jeans, the white shirt and the Chanel jacket.” – Karl Lagerfeld

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: