Obsession du Jour:Masks

Girl with Mask Print by Kiki and Polly

Owl Mask by Monpetitfantome

The Masked Ball Print by The Little Chickadee

Black mask by TotusMel

A few snapshots around the studio

Vintage Children's Pattern Book

I found this great children's pattern book on Ebay a few years ago.

Love these photos!

Check out this playsuit. Love that shiny polka dot fabric.
Love the adjustable sun hat.

Feedsacks

Here at Baby Bean we make a lot of our dresses with vintage cotton feedsacks. I love the history of the feedsack. Feedsacks were first made of heavy canvas, and were used to obtain flour, sugar, meal, grain, salt and feed from the mills. The story starts in the early 1800's when North East Mills started using inexpensive white cotton fabric instead of the heavy canvas and farmers wives started using this feedsack fabric for dishtowels, diapers, and nightgowns. Manufacturers of the feedsacks decided to offer the sacks in colors and prints as a marketing ploy to get the the wives to pick the sack by print or color, instead of the brand of feed. Also it took three feedsacks to make one adult dress so the farmer would likely buy more. Flour was the most popular item sold in these feedsacks.

Magazines and pattern companies began to take notice of the feedsack popularity and published patterns for the feedsack prints. A 1942 estimate showed that three million woman and children or all income levels were wearing print feedsack garments.

So manufacturers started to compete with each other to provide the best prints and some came with preprinted patterns for aprons and dolls.

Here are some of the feedsacks we have collected over the past few years. Most of them have been made into dresses and shipped to stores or customers. The prints are so amazing and sometimes I just can't cut them up for dresses!

Information written found here at Quilt History.

 

Inspiration for our fashion editorial shoot

Sometimes I do a little fashion styling. My husband and I will be shooting a fashion editorial for a local mag here in Dallas and here is some of our inspiration.

The movement that Richard Avedon captures is beautiful. 

I love the Spring/Summer Collection from Charles Anastase. The denim, the socks with platforms, the delicate clown collar and especially the glasses. 

HELP SAVE HANDMADE NOW!

Please help to save Handmade Toys in the USA from the CPSIA. Read about it here and to find out how you can help go here.

A few things I will be making for Christmas Eve

Hot Buttered Rum

Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Artichoke Dip

Baby Bean Fall 09 Photo Shoot

We photographed the new line in our living room.

Miette styling my flat shots.

Some new styles for Spring 09

Esther Summer Daydress

Daisy Drop Waist Daydress

Lucille Sundress

Etsy Holiday Gifts

I bought these Vintage Woodland Fairies bookplates from Oiseaux

Alice in Wonderland

Little Red Riding Hood

and these papercut prints from Elsita.

vintage fabrics no.2

Here are some of the vintage fabrics I used for my Fall 09 samples.

a little snow in Texas.

miette daydress in small

love this illustration by The Black Apple in the Winter Issue of Small. I always try to sneak one of my pieces into the fashion illustrations of the mag! 

still obsessing.

can't stop listening to this record.

bow tie tees

miette models a new style

totally her idea to do this pose. 

Baby Bean photo shoot

We have just scheduled our photo shoot for the Fall/Winter 09 collection. I ordered these boots from Minnetonka for my little models. I would love to use these tights by Pop-up Shop.  

via Babygadget.

Lettie Daydress

Today I am sewing my Fall 2009 samples. This is the Lettie Daydress. 

playing as I work today...

The Rural Alberta Advantage 

found some old sketches.

could work for Spring/Summer 2010...

Back from NYC....

We have some dresses, tees and leggings left and will be listing them in the Etsy Shop Friday December 12th.

If you are NYC this weekend

come see us here for 40% off our Fall/Winter 08 Collection.

vintage fabrics no.1

Fifi wears Baby Bean

my favorite piece of press thus far...via Small Magazine