Drop Cloth Suit

I had the great pleasure of collaborating with fellow artist and friend Hugh O'Rourke on a super fun project. Hugh is a painter and sculptor here in NYC, you can view more of his work here. We met during my thesis art exhibit at NYU, as he works at the 80WSE gallery where I exhibited my installation.  He knew my passion for sewing clothing and asked me to collaborate with him in making a suit out of his drop cloths from his studio. The idea of the suit came from famous artist Joseph Beuys' own sculpture Felt Suit.

The most challenging and most creative part of making the suit was laying out the pattern pieces. I had to find interesting areas on the drop cloth to create an interesting pattern effect on the suit. I kept Hugh's own work in mind while selecting which paint glob to use for the lapel or where to use the glued on pieces of newspaper.

I liked imagining what pieces of Hugh's art made the drops, splatters, and smears of paint, glue, and mixed media on the drop cloths.

Spaces Between Studio Show courtesy of Hugh O'Rourke

In the end I think the suit turned out really great! I made the suit to Hugh's measurements but the piece is meant to be hung on the wall as pictured below. Hugh was very excited when I brought the finished suit to him, I cannot wait to see it in one of his gallery shows, or maybe a fun photo shot of him wearing it! This project helped remind me of my interest in the meaning of clothing and the emotional response humans can have to sentimental clothing. This suit is a portrait of a painter, a garment made of the leftovers in the art making process. Anyone need a garment made for them from their own scraps?

posted by Sarah

Sweet handmade gifts for your sweetheart: Sneak Peek!

We are making fun new Valentine-inspired gifts for our Etsy shop and are excited to share a sneak peek with you!  Maybe you'll find something perfect for your sweetie (or yourself!).

Sarah made the perfect BFF gift. Two pairs of pink & purple heart earrings, one for you to keep and one to give to your BFF! They are super cute and now available on Etsy!

BFF Earrings on Etsy

Sarah also made a pair of heart and chain earrings perfect for your rockstar darling. Sweet -- and edgy!

Sweetheart Pink Heart and Chain Earrings - coming soon on Etsy

Christa has been busy creating new items from materials she has been collecting. Her current project is sweet little magnets made from bottlecaps and greeting cards.

Upcycled Bottlecap Magnets -- in our Etsy shop now!
Check them out, and watch for new designs coming soon.

posted by Christa & Sarah xo!

Still Life With Iris is coming to life!

I feel like my life has been consumed by the world of 'Still Life With Iris' and I love it! I am designing the costumes for this magical play being performed at the Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo, MN. If you are in the chilly state in February you must go see it, it will warm your heart and dazzle your eyes!

STILL LIFE WITH IRIS
February 3rd -26th, every Thursday-Saturday 7:30 and Sundays at 2:00
To Order Tickets Call 763-493-8733
yellowtreetheatre.com

The costumes have been so much fun to design, you can see my costume renderings here. I started by doing a lot of research of images that created the feeling I wanted to convey through the costumes. The director Andy Frye and I met often to look at images and talk about each character. I then did my drawings to refine my vision and be able to start my search for each costume piece. I found a lot of costumes at my parents house (thanks for never throwing anything away!) and a variety of thrift stores in St. Cloud, Hutchinson, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Paterson, NJ! All of the clothes needed some sort of artistic tweaks or total reconstruction, but I would say 85% of the costumes are recycled, reused, or found materials. I feel really good about keeping my design eco friendly, which also adds to the charm of the clothes. Here is a sneak peek from the fittings I had with the actors...

Iris actress Mary

Leaf Monitor actress Sheila

Memory Mender actor Bruce

Mozart actor Nathan

3rd String actor Ryan

You can also watch a darling video Jason Peterson, artistic director, made of the costumes on Facebook. Thanks for the support and I hope you can see the show!

post by Sarah

New Projects & Products for the New Year!

Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones and are enjoying the beginning of 2012!!

We are so happy we were able to donate $36 to the Make a Wish Foundation on behalf of everyone who made a purchase from our Etsy shop this holiday! Congratulations to the winners of our 12 Days of Christmas celebration and thank you for supporting SophiaFredricka, the handmade items on Etsy, and Make a Wish.

image from wish.org

Sarah and I are excited to bring some new ideas and projects to life in 2012 and look forward to unveiling them to you here and on Etsy! A few things in the works already are Sarah's amazing designs for Still Life With Iris at the Yellow Tree Theater in Osseo, MN which opens February 3rd, sweetheart refrigerator magnets by Christa, and beer/wine/coffee/tea cozies by Sarah. Stay tuned for pictures and more previews!

posted by Christa

Thank you for a fun 12 Days of Christmas!

Happy 2 days before Christmas everyone! Thank you so much for a fun and festive 12 Days of Christmas celebration! We loved reading the posts and sending out the items everyone won. Thank you for the compliments on your new SophiaFredricka items!! We hope you have a happy and safe holiday filled with love!

image from christmaswow.com

xo Christa & Sarah

12th Day of Christmas: FREE Portrait Session

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Today is the 12th Day of our Christmas celebration, which means it is also the last, and that Christmas Day is in 2 days! 

Today we are celebrating by offering a second FREE photo portrait session to one lucky winner. Yesterday's winner was Jeff W! Congratulations Jeff, I'll email you with details!

Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

Family portraits from this fall.
See more in my Flickr sets.

Rules for today's free photo session contest:

• Anyone can enter (even if you've won a previous SophiaFredricka contest).
• Winner may select from the following portrait sessions: kids, family (kids + parents - may also include grandparents), graduating senior, engagement, pets, and others are available, just ask! 
• Winner may choose to apply a $200 credit to a half-day or full-day session (such as a wedding). 
• Session must take place in June-December, 2012.
• Includes up to 2 hours of photography. If the session lasts longer than 2 hours, extra charges may apply.
• Includes locations within 50 miles of Chanhassen MN but I am willing to travel farther. Extra charges may apply. 
• Includes a small print package, one to six of the following sizes: 4x6s, 5x7s, wallet sets, and 8x10s. More sizes and quantities may be purchased. Books and other printed products may also be purchased. 

posted by Christa

11th Day of Christmas: FREE Portrait Session

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas celebration! Today is the Winter Solstice (least amount of sunshine for us, turn on those Christmas lights!) and the 11th Day of our Christmas celebration!

Today we are celebrating by offering a FREE photo portrait session to one lucky winner. Post a comment below to enter the contest. The winner will be announced and contacted tomorrow morning. If you don't win today, we will be giving away a second session tomorrow so be sure to enter again! Good luck!

Recent session with my little friend Jackson!
See some of my other portraits on Flickr.

Rules for today's free photo session contest:

• Anyone can enter (even if you've won a previous SophiaFredricka contest).
• Winner may select the following portrait sessions: kids, family (kids + parents - may also include grandparents), graduating senior, engagement, pets, and others are available, just ask! 
• Winner may choose to apply a $200 credit to a half-day or full-day session (such as a wedding). 
• Session must take place in June-December, 2012.
• Includes up to 2 hours of photography. If the session lasts longer than 2 hours, extra charges may apply.
• Includes locations within 50 miles of Chanhassen MN but I am willing to travel farther. Extra charges may apply. 
• Includes a small print package, one to six of the following sizes: 4x6s, 5x7s, wallet sets, and 8x10s. More sizes and quantities may be purchased. Books and other printed products may also be purchased. 

posted by Christa