I have been thinking about a lot of different subjects related to the theme of "continuing education" lately, so i decided to start a series of posts--maybe two, maybe three--of which this is definitely...photographs from my book !) for more of his photography unrelated to the NZ project. We're all excited to have Ryan back in the department lending his lensmanship to documenting our collections

Another student project, this time a period reproduction of a pair of late 19th c. ladies wool spats... left: antique spat from our archive right: reproduction in pumpkin-colored boiled wool by...over the vamp to accomodate high heels) detail of the interior construction and finishing of both pieces Jacki models her spats with the shoes for which she made them front view of same

Things are pretty busy round here, what with finishing up the semester and theatre season and trying to get everything battened down for the summer hiatus [1]. However, i've got some images to share: one...for all trims (had i a clear scan, you'd see for yourself) crocheted gorget by Amy A. Page, pictured with design research image [1] I'll be leaving NC for parts north...New York, to be precise!

I have two of my students' parasols to share with my readers today. I'm so proud! vintage frame with restored canopy by Jacki Blakeney Armin top view of canopy showing inset bicycle-print... Amy employed a Victorian handmade trim technique known as shell smocking using black velvet ribbon. She also made a thick pleated cockade to augment the parasol's spike from the same ribbon

In the course i teach this semester (Decorative Arts for costume production graduate students), my students are about to finish their parasol projects [1], so i've been preparing for the final unit, called...projects on this one. I know we're going to have at least one male-to-female and one "large buttocks" pad, possibly a pregnancy and possibly a fantastical alien body... [1] Photos forthcoming on this

Some of my students presented completed footwear projects today, and i've got photos to share! Machine-embroidered blue suede "trilingual" shoes for a four-year-old girl made by Randy Handley...spatterdash for a high-heeled shoe. She used the same variety of faux-croc as in the previous project. These spats are fully lined and have an elastic insert under the arch for ease in getting them on and off

Well, poop. I had planned to make available for free download a tutorial i've written on methods and materials for rubberizing shoe and boot soles. However, Filecrunch is undergoing maintenance so i guess...military gaiter from our archive right: 19th c. boiled wool ladies spatterdash from our archive foreground: navy lace gloves by Julianna Thomas background: "space gloves" by Julianna Thomas

My Decorative Arts students are moving on to their second unit, which is on the topic of footwear. We discuss not only shoes and boots (both soft and structured), but also other foot-related accessories...dry... vamp trim detail My last step was to add a little splurt of trim--ribbons and vintage buttons--to the vamp and voila! My hypothetical actress is well-shod to jitterbug with Elvis now

My students turned in their glove projects today for our first unit in Decorative Arts, and i'd like to share some of the results with you guys! simple glove projects Clockwise from top left...a dye paste application process). These gloves were made by Amanda Phillips. I'm so proud of my students, they've all done such lovely work! Hope you have enjoyed seeing the fruits of their labor

Because we are eventually going to be talking about macropuppet mechanisms in Decorative Arts this semester, I've been scoping around online for cool links and images and such to show my students. I came...just paging through all the cool stuff. PuppetVision has a group on YouTube where they've collected a whole host of over 100 video clips of puppet performances and construction how-tos as well