Saturday, September 8, 2012

Georgia O'Keeffe and the Artist Smock


Tick tock tick tock. It's getting closer to the craziness that is my September, one of my favorite months of the year. (I was one of those annoying kids who liked going back to school.) I love September, but this is an especially busy one.

Thanks so much for all of the input on preparing for Design Outside the Lines (DOL). I feel much more focused now. However, rather than actually prepare, I have been indulging in my form of procrastination.

I sewed.

I decided I needed a smock.

What a rather ugly word. Smock. Smock. Smock. Is that a horse coming down the cobblestones?

I do not own an apron or smock of any kind and I am planning to participate in some messy-ish activities at DOL. Rather than bring any disgusting, worn out garments I would usually wear for a messy activity, (or a leaf bag in which I would cut a neck hole and arm holes), I decided I needed a smock.

A flattering smock.

Margy sent me some URLs of reasonably priced smocks, including some inexpensive hairdresser-type smocks. But, no, I have fabric, I have patterns. And nothing I could buy would be remotely flattering.

I started with the same Adri pattern I used for my "casually elegant" jacket. I made a few modifications: reducing the CF overlap so it's a regular overlap, converting the neckline to a round shape, drafting neckline and front facings, and lengthening the hem by 20". I used bust darts in the armscye and at the side seam, but none in the waist area.

At first I planned to loosely gather the long sleeves at the wrist, then I decided I'd rather leave them plain so I could roll them up. I added deep side slits so walking would be easy.

I wanted pockets. At first I drafted a gathered pocket similar to the one Margy used on a recent jacket. But I didn't like how they looked - the proportions were wrong. I had very limited fabric remaining, so I used an elasticized bellows pocket and only one, on the left side because I'm left handed. It felt suitably funky.

The black fabric used for the gusset is from a scrap of knit - from a project I can't even remember.

For the closure I used 7 snaps. These are size 24 (5/8") snaps installed using the SnapSetterwhich also requires the size 24 adapterto use the size 24 snaps. On their How To Use Tools FAQ page you will find instructions on using this tool, including a video by Nancy Zieman. It's quite easy! I last used these snaps on my Au Bonheur raincoat.

At 7am this morning it was me, some hardware, and a hammer. Very therapeutic.


You can see the double darts, especially on the right. I pin those on the body to ensure proper fit and sew the darts and then side seams, almost at the last.

The fabric is an inexpensive striated woven 100% cotton from fabric.com. I bought it over a year ago and I just barely squeezed out this smock. If I were to make this again, I'd used a "slipperier" fabric, because the cotton woven grabs the clothing I am wearing underneath. I wonder if there's a silicone spray that would make it easier to wear...

Georgia O'Keeffe


I mentioned I am interested in Georgia O'Keeffe because I'll be in her stomping ground at DOL. I ordered two books, which arrived yesterday.


Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Collection

I bought this table top book to see a wider variety of Georgia O'Keeffe paintings and drawings. I was mostly familiar with her flower and her skull/bone paintings, but Diane Ericson had told me that she had some amazing landscapes and that the unusual colors she used (in the sky, for example) really depict the colors you see in Taos. I looked through each page in this book and found myself most drawn to her trees, particularly trees she painted while in the north east. It figures, I am such an autumn girl at heart, much more than I am a high desert girl.


How Georgia Became O'Keeffe: Lessons on the Art of Living

I have to thank Brenda, who left a comment on my last DOL post. She mentioned a book she had recently read called "How Georgia Became O'Keeffe" by Karen Karbo. I checked out the reviews on Amazon and wasn't sure about the book, which is described somewhere as a self help book. But I think that description is inadequate.

It is a chatty, informal book about Georgia O'Keeffe's life filtered through Karen Karbo's views and anecdotes. It's like reading a friend's opinions and views, if she were very cool. It contains "life lessons" that she draws from Georgia O'Keeffe's life, which is, I guess, where the "self help" description comes from. It's more loosely written than a conventional biography, and she gives plenty of historical context to show how and why Georgia was such a unique character. Here is an example towards the end of the book:

O'Keeffe never lost her spunk, or her conviction that what she was up to at any given moment was somehow less important because she was older. This was also true of her fellow extreme seniors Katharine Hepburn and Coco Chanel. ... Like O'Keeffe, they were skinny, busy, and irritated until they declined a bit, then died. They were active, didn't eat a lot, and followed their interests. They never let anyone tell them what to do. They were always a bit pissed off. I can only assume that this is the real recipe for longevity.

I can relate to this, especially the grumpy bit.

I started reading in the late afternoon yesterday and finished last night in the wee hours. Very entertaining and I feel like I now have a meaningful glimpse into Georgia O'Keeffe, the person. As a bonus, the author described staying in the Mabel Dodge Luhan house in Taos, where Georgia stayed back in the day. It is now a hotel and conference center and where Design Outside the Lines is held.

This book is the last in Karbo's trilogy of books "about kick ass" women, the other two being about Coco Chaneland Katharine Hepburn.What a great idea!


Now, if I were really channeling Georgia O'Keeffe, I wouldn't have bothered with a smock. While she did sew her clothing, even her underwear, she was famous for painting in the nude.

34 comments:

  1. I really like the picture of you in the smock and the beret! I'm also stupid because I never thought to check the snap site for their FAQ section. Duh! Thanks for another resource for the snap installation.

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  2. Really like the smock! You look cute with beret an d smock. I love my snap setter and should think about using it more.

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  3. I LOVE this smock and the proportions are great. Seriously. Bravo, Ms Shams. I have also loved the Snap Setter, in fact designed a product line around these snaps and banged away, sometimes for 8 hours a day, days on end, in utmost precision. Very therapeutic in a factory setting. LOL

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  4. What a smart idea, to make a smock to wear to DOL. At first, I couldn't imagine needing one, because I'm the type who wears old clothes to paint in. I guess that wouldn't look so hot at DOL, so you are right on track.
    Your info on O'Keefe is very interesting (especially the last bit!). I visited her home in Taos a few years ago, and still remember it well. Such a different town from the New England one I inhabit!

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  5. Wonderful way to prepare for DOL. Can't wait to hear more about it.

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  6. The gusset pocket is such an interesting and useful detail. Great idea.

    Is that sunshine I see in your photos? Finally.

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  7. Oh I loved that passage form the book, and yup, describes me pretty well too :)
    Terrific "smock", although I think you could wear this to the opera and look suitably formal and grand enough; it's almost too fabulous for any messy work.
    Thanks for the comment on Cassie's coat, and yes the fading is in large patches and so it is quite subtle, not really very obvious :)

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  8. Apparently smock is an old anglo-saxon word for shirt. Yours is definitely a bit hipper! I like the stand out pocket a lot and the pretty fabric you used. It seems to pretty to work in and risk getting dirty!

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  9. Oh this is great! Smock seemed like too low of a term for it- we need a new fancier term for such.

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  10. Your smock is so cool.I am instantly inspired to throw out my horrible old clothesfor messy jobs, and make one - or maybe that is a bit ambitious ;)
    I hope you have a great time at DOL.

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  11. Love Geogia O'Keefe. Sure the giant flowers were great but they never turned me on. The on a visit to the Museum of Fine Art in Boston I saw her landscapes. They took my breath away and I have been an avid admirer ever since.

    Totally love this duster! Great fabric and execution. You will have a fabulous time at DOL.

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  12. Think LARGE FLOWERS while channeling:)

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  13. Your smock is absolutely adorable! I love it. Also love your beret.

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  14. I stayed at that hotel when we were in Taos a few years ago. I didn't get to stay in her room but it was wonderful to see it.
    Okay, when you said basic smock, I was picturing basic. I was right with my first impression, not basic at all. You are going to have a wonderful time.

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  15. smock looks great and I am very interested to see what you create at the seminar.

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  16. Shams

    Have a wonderful time. I was just up in the Angel Fire area at work, about 23 miles east of Taos. Took every weekend to putt over to Taos and enjoy it. It is so very special, and there is always something special to see and take in around every corner. Thought of you while I was there. We all look forward to your report.

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  17. You are a true artist! But isn't your 'smock' too good to get messed up? Wear slippy clothing underneath is it's catching

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  18. Your smock is too cute and looks great on you. I agree it's too nice to mess up. Have fun at your workshop!

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  19. You rock the smock with the beret on top - LOVE that look! :)

    I'm in the camp that says creative "work" clothes should have the freedom to get artistically, beautifully, messed up - the more paint splotches the better!

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  20. Such a nice smock, Sharon! The fit is excellent and flattering, and the stitched-down neck facing adds a bit of no-nonsense, I-mean-art-business flair. The whole effect, to me, is an artist expressing "Let's get to work." When dyeing fabrics, I wear an apron (made from my deceased, beloved father's work pants) that makes me feel ready to take on creative challenge; may you have such a salutary feeling, too!

    Mabel Dodge Luhan is fun to read about; she was rather a scandalous woman for her time. I've visited her home, but stayed nearby, at the "Laughing Horse Inn" that still had (back in the 1980s) packed earth floors.

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  21. Bunny's got a good idea--this could be a "duster" rather than a "smock". Somehow I think of a smock as being mid-thigh length or shorter. But of course you can call it whatever you like! It looks fabulous and from the photos looks worthy of a promotion to "fashionable garment." Even if you wear it for function, you will also be looking very "Shams".

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  22. Wish you all the best at DOL in Taos. I visited the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in New Mexico in '09 - she was a very interesting person.

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  23. The smock is so right on! Wonderful on you and will be so useful to boot. It is my grail trip to attend DOL someday, most likely when my daughter is through with her education, then I can play!

    I've studied Ms O'keeffe's works for many years, ever since art school in the 70s. I've never lost my fascination for the woman, her paintings and her lifestyle - she was just phenomenal in all respects. Have fun!

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  24. Your smock is too nice to mess up! I would make that pattern into a lightweight coat for fall. Nice.

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  25. Oh, you are definitely ready for Taos! :-)

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  26. Smock looks so you, IMO. Thanks for info on the O'Keeffe books. I must read that last one you spoke about. I know I would enjoy. Have a blast at DOL! Can't wait to hear from you about it.

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  27. What a great smock. The fabric looks quite nice, but I hear you about grabbing fabric. Have a great time at DOL.
    Marcia

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  28. That smock is too nice to get anything on it. Be careful!! Did you see the movie with Joan Allen playing O'Keefe? As I recall, it focused on her relationship with Stieglitz.

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  29. Re "grabbing" fabric: consider an iron-on interfacing, as slick and sheer as possible, ironed onto the inside of the hip area and anywhere else it grabs. Won't look ideal from the inside but would help with the grabbing problem, which can be really annoying!

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  30. Smocks rule. Better than aprons for messy activities! When it gets totally trashed, frame it or cut out the best parts and display on stretchers. Your smock looks great and makes me want to make another.

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  31. One great pocket is perfect for a smock (which is a very sweet wordtl to me). Two pockets doth a housecoat make.
    Have a great time and don't aim for product, but rather the journey, and have a blast!
    Anne k

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  32. Those lines and proportions flatter you to the max ... I'm taking notes for sewing for my petite, busty daughter.

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  33. I so like the things that you make, they are so flattering for you. This gives me much hope. I wonder how women get other women to see their blogs. I'm sewforreal-mamafiore.blogspot.com I love the fabric that you choose and how it hangs on you. Sometimes looking at your stuff makes me quit procrastinating, and I sew something.

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  34. Oh wow - I love that pocket! I found this post searching "Georgia O'Keeffe sewing" after I read that she made her own clothes. I am on the search for more information about that - do either of those books cover this side of her life?

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