| Oldies but goodies reappear
Amazon Dry Goods, a Folkwear dealer in Davenport, Iowa, just alerted us to the fact that they still have a selection of some discontinued and out of print patterns. Call them at 1-800-798-7979 or visit www.amazondrygoods.com if you are looking for: #115 Chinese Skirt, #235 Sporty Forties Dress & Sweater, #236 Sophisticated Lady, #241 Fifties Fit & Flair, #258 Town & Country Dress, #501 Algerian Suit, #506 Equestriennes.
New pattern progress
We are in the process of testing the designer's original Hanfu, but are struggling with some production issues that will delay further progress. The garment is voluminous and requires many large pattern pieces (more and larger than the average pattern), which probably means a higher selling price and cost to mail. Plus, the amount of fabric required to make it will be significant. We're not sure there are enough customers out there to warrant the higher production costs, so for right now the pattern is on hold while we try to envision some alternatives.
Meanwhile, we're moving ahead with the design and development of #269 1914 Metropolitan Suit (companion to the recently-published #269 Metropolitan Hat). The Suit will feature subtle pre-World War I military styling in a short jacket over a two-layer slightly hobbled skirt. The pattern will also include a very cute sailor-styled blouse to wear separately with the skirt. Our fingers are crossed for a late-year release.
2010 Folkwear Design Challenge
To tickle your creative fancy, we are inviting you to choose one of the patterns below, make it in an innovative way, and send us a jpg photo of the finished garment by the end of this year. Here's your chance to have fun experimenting with technique or to visualize a fresh interpretation of an existing pattern. Five winners will be chosen and each will win $100.
Design Challenge pattern options:
#104 Egyptian Shirt in the Caravan Collection - your choice of shirt or traditional full-length galabia.
#126 Vests of Greece and Poland in the Old Europe Collection - your choice of vest.
#242 Rodeo Cowgirl Jacket in the Frontier Collection - your choice of yoke and pocket version.
#266 Greek Island Dress in the Retro Collection - dress plus your choice of tunic or jacket.
When you photograph your finished garment, please put it on a dress form, mannequin, or human model. Avoid cluttered backgrounds and distracting interior details; try to photograph it against a plain background. Feel free to send front and back views or close-up shots that illustrate special details about your garment. Include a short description about the project: why you chose the pattern you did, the creative approach you used, techniques and fabrics, finishing details, etc. And don't forget to include your name, address, and email address. If you have any questions before starting your design challenge, or during the process, please contact kate@folkwear.com.
Email newsletter
About three times a year, we put together an email newsletter
that includes Folkwear news and informative tidbits from the
fascinating world of costume and fashion. We are also planning
some extra special offers that will be available only online.
If you are interested in receiving this newsletter, make sure
we have your current email address (visit the Contact Us page).
If you are not interested, tell us so we won't bother you with
unwanted emails. By the way, we don't share your info with
anyone else!
Doing our part to go green. As we add sizes to our pattern packages
(up to 7 separate sizes in each pattern) the amount of paper
required to print the multi-size pattern piece tissues keeps
increasing in both volume and cost. To lighten the cost to the
environment and cost of production, we are switching to a lighter-weight
tissue. Regardless of the paper thickness, we always recommend
that you trace off the size you want to cut out, using either
our S101 Pattern Tracing Fabric or gift-wrap tissue paper. That
way, you can make design or fitting changes to the traced pattern,
but the original remains intact.
Reminders for using the shopping cart
Every web site is different and it can get confusing to navigate
the different sites. Here are a few reminder tips about using
our shopping cart.
- Begin order. Click on an item to get to
its detail or information page, enter the quantity desired,
and click "Add
to Cart." This takes you to the shopping cart page where
you fill in your address and payment information.
- Back to Shopping. If you want to continue
shopping, simply click the Continue Shopping button. This takes
you back to our Pattern Index, where you can find patterns
by their number or name.
- View Cart. On the opening page of each
collection (e.g. Asian, Retro, Accessories), you will see a "View
Cart" button
that you can click to get to the shopping cart and see what's
there.
Have you taken liberties with Folkwear?
If you have ever started with a Folkwear pattern, and then taken a creative flight
of fancy with it to end up with a truly unique garment, we would love to know
about it. These patterns often beg for a fresh interpretation or stamp of individual
style, and the results are always inspiring! Please share your "refreshed" or "individualized" Folkwear
results with others. Take a digital photo (jpg file) and email it to mail@folkwear.com along
with some comments about the changes and liberties you took with the pattern.
We will post it in the Photo Gallery to inspire others.
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