Art Deco Style Swimsuit

This swimsuit has been a long post in waiting.  I made it way back last summer, and I just now got around photographing it.  I took the swimsuit with me to California, and decided to do a last minute photo shoot the day that I had to leave.  I was really glad that I made time for it, because there aren't too many sweet looking pools like this where I live - at least none with palm trees. 

I wanted to recreate this amazing Abaete swimsuit that I saw while reading Vogue once.  I made a few slight adjustments, but they're pretty small, and still hold pretty true to the design that I saw. 

As for the construction, this is probably the most in-depth garment that I've ever made.  So much time went into hand sewing, and making sure that all of the design details, and the fit was correct.  For the fabric, I used a stretch linen (for those of you seamstresses who are wondering, the linen has held up great in water!  There's no shrinking at all.), and cream jersey lining on the inside.  I drafted the pattern using my own measurements, except for the bottom portion.  I cut up an old pair of well fitted underwear to use as my base pattern for the bottoms.   

There's boning in the bodice, and all of the white lines are bias tape that was top stitched onto outside of the suit. The bias tape was all hand pressed and made from an old, twill, satin skirt that I had.  The halter straps are made from that same fabric as well.

The lining took the longest to work on.  I only had scraps of jersey from other projects that I had worked on.  At the time I didn't feel like going to buy more, so I just used what I had, and pieced the lining together from scraps.  Although looking back I wish that I would have waited to buy more fabric, because so much time went into hand sewing the inside!  Because I only had small pieces of jersey, all of the seams had to be hand sewn down using a whip stitch to keep from bunching.  I also hand sewed ribbon, and bias tape to cover some of the seams as well (as you can see from the zipper and waist area).  Overall around 40 hours went into sewing this swimsuit. 

All photos taken by myself

I have one more shoot from California coming up and then I'm back to posting Indiana photos.  I'm working on a fun short video right now which I'm really excited about and can't wait to share.  

More to come later this week, and I hope you're all enjoying your summer! 

The Seaside - Vintage 60s Swimsuit

Hello everyone!  I found this beautiful swimsuit at a thrift store a few years back.  It so retro 60s which I absolutely adore!  It was most likely made in the 80s, but it's still beautifully mod in my eyes.  This is my first time wearing it though, because I was saving it for the right location (am I the only one who does that?).  I made my sunglasses from an old book cover and a plastic soda bottle.   You may recognize them from this post that I did a while back.  They're pretty flimsy so I mostly save them for special occasions when they can really add to a look - like in this shoot for instance. 

This swimsuit is for sale in my vintage section on Etsy!  If you're interested you can check it out here.  

All photos taken myself

This shoot was inspired by one of my favorite scenes from Sweeney Todd (such a fantastic movie in so many ways).  I think a reason why I like this scene so much is, because it seems so out of place compared to the rest of the movie.  The theme of the whole film is so dark, and melancholic, yet this scene is the complete opposite.  It's so quirky and upbeat, which is creating this really fun out of place atmosphere that I adore and find so inspiring.   

What's your favorite Tim Burton movie?  I don't think I can choose, but I love hearing which films other people  place as their favorite!

The west coast has the sunshine

More California pictures!  I took these while I was on my way to spend some time at the beach.  The resort that I stayed at was over on the bay side, which was about a 10 minute walk from the beach.  There's a road and a tunnel that I had to go through to get over onto the beach side.  Right before the tunnel there were all these colorful bench tables that was a perfect setting for a photo shoot.  As for my outfit, I made the skirt that I'm wearing.  It's actually acting as a cover up in these photos, since my top is my swimsuit (I was on my way to go swimming).  The skirt is also now for sale in my Etsy shop!  If you're interested you can check it out here.

Top:  Asos swimsuit.  Skirt:  Esther from the Sticks  Sandals:  Aldo.  Sunglasses:  Drugstore
All photos taken myself

More pictures from my trip are coming later this week! 

Ohana Flower Print Dress

This was one of the first photo shoots that I took while in California.  I made this dress over a year ago and I was waiting for the right place to photograph it.  I've been saving it, because it doesn't really fit any location in Indiana (cornfields and soybean fields don't really fit the "beach" vibe). It's just a simple halter top with a gathered elastic waist and straps that tie.  When I saw the lines of palm trees, I was immediately glad that I waited for this location, because it fit right in.

Etsy Shop update:  

This dress is for sale in my etsy shop.  A few of the clothing items that I shot while in California I'll be putting up for for sale in my shop, once their posts go up.  You can buy this dress here 

All photos taken myself

 Also looking back on these photos I think that I was subconsciously channeling my childhood movie obsession of Lilo and Stitch.  What do you think?

Have a happy Saturday and more California pictures to come! 

The West Coast: Coronado CA

This last week was an exciting time of traveling and working!  I was hired for the fun job of photographing Dr. Fuhrman's Summer Health Getaway near San Diego, California.  My mom works for Dr. Fuhrman so she was there as well last week (she lost 90lbs 5 years ago!), and it was fun to spend that time with her.  We arrived last Tuesday and flew out this past Tuesday night.  It's so strange to think that just the other day I was in California, and now I'm back to the flat lands of Indiana.  On the last day my mom and I went into the town of Coronado to explore.

^photo taken by my mom

The energy of San Diego is so cool and laid back.  Everyone is friendly and there's a strong sense of community, even though a lot of the people are tourists.  There are little packs of 10-year-old boys riding around on miniature skate boards everywhere; ready for any type of adventure that might be waiting next.   It made me automatically think of Rocket Power only in real life form.  The street style is brilliant as well!  Everyone either looks like they're straight out of one of the local boutiques that line Orange Street (the main hub in Coronado), or from a Vans lookbook.  The more I travel and check out the different styles the more I realize that I want to travel everywhere just so I can collect these fantastic images in my head for future references.  It's so inspiring to go into different cities and collect the different vibes from the environment and people.

During the breaks in my work schedule I took a few of my own photo shoots along the beach.  I'll be posting them all throughout the next couple of weeks so stay tuned!

I hope your summer is lovely and warm!  Also happy 4th of July!  

Boogum Now Baby - 70s inspired bell bottom pants

The 1970s!  I have fallen in love with the carefree style that resonated all throughout that era.  Hair was natural, make-up was sparse/inferior to the tone of one's born eyelash color.  Everything was loose and comfortable, and the colors were vibrant hues of mismatched prints and patterns (and not to mention that the art was fantastic!).  That decade has been popping into my head as inspiration all week, and I'm absolutely smitten. 

I made these pants by drafting out a pattern using an old pair of pajama bottoms.  I haven't learned how to draft pants yet, but I've been learning by cutting up old pants, and taking notes on their construction.  I can't wait till I can finally take a pattern drafting class at SCAD and learn the correct way!  For now though, this has been working.

I used the pajamas as a basic start pattern, and then I changed the measurements to create the shape that I wanted - well fitted bell bottoms.  The fabric is a printed jersey knit that I found in the $1.50 section of Wal-Mart.  Because I wanted the waist area to be well fitted I used an invisible zipper, instead of inserting elastic around the waist band.  That way I could get a more well fitted look at the top so it exaggerated the flared knee even more.  These are the most comfortable pants that I have ever worn, and I'm planning on making more in different sizes to add to my Etsy shop later this summer.

All photos taken myself

Also I made a new e-mail for anything blog related.  If you have any inquiries or would like to send a note you can reach me at: estherfromthesticks@gmail.com
I usually reply within a day or two. 

I hope you're enjoying summer!  

There's a sunset brimming over the sky

Late spring is always my favorite time of the year!   School is usually out by May and June, and the evenings are long.  It's always such a refreshing time, and it reminds me of my tomboy youth when I would run around the garden for hours.  During those times, I never had anything specific to keep me entertained; just enjoying the outside kept me occupied enough.  I was outside the other day, enjoying the weather when I decided that it was the perfect settings for a photo shoot.  It's strange to think that in just a couple of months I'll be in another state with a completely different environment.  

All photos taken myself

Outfit: 

Denim shirt:  Gap - gift

Overalls:  Thrifted

Converse:  Thrifted

Right now I'm in the middle of working on a dress for a client.  I'm hand drawing these Sharpie doodles all over the dress, and it's taking me longer than I expected.  I'm excited about it though, because it's different than what I normally do.  I can't wait to post more photos soon! 

^Preview on instagram