KLoZHAUS Clothing & Textile Design Studio
161 Stanford Avenue East V9P 1M4 Parksville, BC, Canada

Sunday morning upgrade in my quest for a zero waste life, where I enjoy a challenge to recreate, repurpose, and extend the life of an item! My favourite gardening shirt was wearing through along the back and I’ve been envisioning leaves as a repair. I decided to go tonal in colour, but green would have been nice too. Freeform appliqué stitching. This upgrade took me about an hour including photographing it.

My Thread Colour Wheel - A great project for a stormy November Saturday. My thread board had become a crazy disaster, so I decided a revamp was in order. Little did I know I was going to take myself on a mini adventure with my colour wheel as well. ... It’s been a while since I studied colour theory in design school. I mean who remembers off the top of their head that adding blue to red-orange gives you the colour of ochre thread needed to hem many jeans? haha! I store my cone thread on a peg board, and I’ve always wanted to have it organized in a logical way - like a colour wheel. So I started by removing ALL the thread. Then I added some pegs to the pegboard, ‘cause as I’ve acquired more thread colours, the existing pegs were too full. (I found buried colours I had been looking for! lol) Then I had to figure out how to organize all the colours according to a colour wheel. Where do browns and greys go?? Lol I laid out all the cones on my cutting table in a circle, while consulting my colour wheel. That was FuN! They looked more like a colour wheel when they were in a circle on the table, than when I put them on the pegboard in a rectangle - but I kept the colours grouped in order as much as possible. (I wonder how long they’ll stay that way?? lol) I have unequal amounts thread in each colour so things weren’t gonna work out symmetrically either... no biggy. Small thread spools are organized by major colours in clear upcycled salad clamshells - seen in the photos up the side and along the bottom. (You’d be amazed at how many colours of thread are required to do good colour matching on alterations!) In the end, this was an entirely satisfying exercise that definitely sparked my creativity. This renewed awareness of colour theory will inevitably come up in my work whether the creative (fibre arts like weaving, & fashion & accessory design), or the day job lol (bread and butter alterations)! Looks like I also miss writing. Happy weekend. PS I would love to upcycle your salad greens containers (ie. Earthbound Farms) - especially the big ones. Please don’t wash them, just dump them out, and drop at my door. (If they get wet I can’t easily get the labels off). Tia!

So many creative fibre artists!!

A look at native weaving. https://www.facebook.com/events/2325050591042504/?ti=icl

Anyone seen these for sale? I wanna make a purse out of the packaging! :)

Jeesh, the paparazzi is after me lately! https://www.pqbnews.com//parksville-artist-aims-to-produc/

I was interviewed for TV today about my Dryer Lint Art!! Woot woot. <3 <3 Click the little link below to watch (not the big CTV box :) ) https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/parksville-woman-creates

I thoroughly enjoyed teaching a class on dart manipulation pattern making for fashion design today!! I must do more of this type of thing.

To my friends who know me and my work, my aspirations, and dreams around it - textiles, weaving, fibre arts, design, upcycling, circular economy, eco fashion - if I had to describe a focus 6 months long project in an application for a grant, what could that look like??? Ideas and brainstorming welcome!! Post here or pm me please! I need more brains working on this with me. (I do have some ideas, but need to flesh them out) Of course, the clock is ticking!

Shockingly informative article. I have been operating my business within a circular structure for many years, and I have plans in the works for an exciting new direction for the biz. https://www.vogue.com.au//b0b0f8b39e667923d088b159ddc/amp

OMG these dresses are gorgeous!! http://forreadingaddicts.co.uk//french-designer-cre/25132

On weaving - and it’s growing popularity in the diy and maker movements. Me included.

Gift Certificates! (Sale Dec. 21/22 only) Happy Happy Ho Ho!

Sew Sew Sew

Prom/Wedding Alterations/Designing Time To Book Your Appointment! New York Trained Professional Fashion Designer - 26 years in Business - KLoZHAUS Clothing Design Studio & Margie’s Sewing. Alterations & Re-Designing. Wedding, Prom - All types of sewing, alterations, re-designing available. Hours: Tues - Sat 10-6, by appt. or by chance (appt preferred). Phone or message for appt. 250-248-6682 - PM on Facebook (link below) Also, Custom-made from scratch & Upcycling Vintage; and sewing lessons, and gift certificates. https://www.facebook.com/margiessewing

You can appreciate it so much better when seeing it up close!! https://www.facebook.com/businessoffashion/videos/10155432371602428/

The renewed embrace of fiber.... :)

Queen Elizabeth ll definitely has style! (and who wouldn't with a budget as hers?) Enjoy. <3

Gothtacular all right! Make 'em eco=friendly. https://makezine.com//make-these-totally-gothtacular-batw/

Took a little trip down memory lane to read about a former boss of mine, Linda Wachner, who is quoted on Wikipedia this way: "In 1993, Fortune magazine listed Wachner among the seven "roughest, toughest, most intimidating bosses". I remember showing the Scassi Sleepwear line to her in her NYC apartment, and feeling remorse after that I didn't have more balls to speak up more. I was 27 yrs. old. Feeling pretty proud of myself looking back on that now! <3 Sure would love to reconnect with her! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_J._Wachner

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to create with freestyle weaving! Woot! <3

This chilly winter has got me working a lot with knitting designs. This one is my own design, in-progress. <3

Playing around - learning all the time love to hack traditional techniques <3 #upcycledholeysocks #klozhaus.design.studio #knittedmagic #afterthoughtheelsubvert #fingerlessglovesfromsocks

Haha! Happy New Year everyone! 2016 was a great year with all it's stupidity, intelligence and humour! <3 https://www.theguardian.com//how-do-i-cut-my-sleeves-off-2

Have I ever said how much I LOVE weaving?? <3 This is about Harris Tweed.

Show with some of my work at the McMillan Arts Centre Parksville - opening December 1st. Woot! <3 http://mcmillanartscentre.com/fibre-wood-and-stone-dec-exh/

This is awesome! <3 The boots with the plastic strips is very ingenious and could very easily be an upcycle. :)

This is what I do in my studio on a smaller scale with the waste from my sewing business and various other sources --> upcycled into fibre & wearable art. <3 https://www.facebook.com/HuffPostLifestyle/videos/354471511563669/

I am a professional fashion designer, and fibre artist, and I'm getting ready to teach a series of kid's classes in my studio. They are small group classes with a maximum of 4-5 learners per class. I love to work with children who have a passion for creating things with their hands - specifically with textiles - fabric, yarn, thread, raw fibre, and notions. The focus is on the process of creativity, and the exploration of a variety of mediums like stitchery, weaving, kni...tting, crochet, felting, etc. This could involve wearable items, but is not specifically for this. I focus on sustainability & recycling/upcycling. All projects are original, and are created in conjunction with each learner. The children can learn to use sewing - by machine, and by hand - in a variety of creative ways to produce original "art". If you know of any children who would be a good fit for these classes, please contact me to set up an interview. I also have a student gallery wall to view. In addition, I teach private, or semi-private sewing lessons which are specifically for making clothing or accessories, and cosplay (manga costumes) items. Adult classes and lessons available upon request. :)

I saw the screening of the movie Freightened at the Vancouver International Film Festival on Friday. I knew that all the freight shipped around that world was very polluting, but this was a real eye opener! Somehow this industry has slipped under the radar of people speaking up and taking action to save and protect the environment. Tens of thousands of poorly secured shipping containers 'fall off' the ships every year in the high seas, and the working conditions are deplorable for those who 'have' to work the ships for 10 months straight. The "flags of convenience" flown in the high seas, are not the flags of the country of origin of the ships, and the flags they choose are chosen so they can avoid regulations of ALL kinds. So awful. :( https://www.facebook.com/events/1295540070478401/

I saw the World Premiere of RiverBlue at the Vancouver International Film Festival last night in Vancouver. Have you ever wondered about the true cost of those cheap jeans we have here in North America? They are costing people their lives! :( They are finding the same chemicals from the denim processing plants in China (where they dump the chemicals in the Yangtze River) in polar bears in the Arctic! The rivers of Bangladesh, and India are all polluted with the chemicals used to make jeans!! (dying, sandwashing, etc.) The clothing industry is one of the top polluters of our global water supply. :( There are choices available, so please read labels, ask questions, find out where your clothes are made, and under what conditions! https://www.facebook.com/events/120466725080487/

Outdoor Installation Cross Stitch Awesome! :D

French luxury goods designer Hermès is giving Vancouverites a close and intimate look at what it takes to produce their goods with a free exhibit, Hermès at Work. The pop-up event will take place under a glass-walled space at Jack Poole Plaza from September 21 to 25, accommodating several hundred people at a time. http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/hermes-at-work-vancouver-2016

Makers will get this. haha! <3

Anyone wanna go with me? :)

This was an awesome show last year by Wearable Arts Vancouver! And it rained... :)

Article about our Vancouver Island Surface Design Association member's Current Threads show in Sydney, BC - coming down tomorrow afternoon. My piece was the only 'woven' piece mentioned in the article. :)

Recycling and Fashion <3

It's on now! <3