Author: heather parlato

sewing class

| heather parlato
tote bag
sew LA's tote bag class project

well, i said it and i meant it, i just finished my first project-based sewing class where we completed a simple yet very cute lined tote bag. i really enjoyed taking my time and doing everything right. this is easily the cleanest, strongest item i’ve ever sewn, due in part to having such a solid machine. and this print is so cute, i think i might have to find an excuse to buy a couple yards of all the prints i’m in love with and make a bunch of pillow cases.

i’m currently taking classes with sew LA, a cute fabric shop originally from silver lake which just moved to atwater village, offering classes in the back half of a boutique fabric shop. next month i’ll work on a simple skirt and a dress, and beyond that i’ll see if i’m up for pattern making. it’s so fun!

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

atlas of remote islands

atlas of remote islands
atlas of remote islands by trent edwards, image: designworklife.com

thanks to designworklife.com for featuring trent edward’s project to redesign and illustrate judith schalansky’s atlas of remote islands. these are beautifully technical, curios 2-color illustrations that lend an enjoyable flair to the map-as-art genre. see the collection here.

khuan+ktron

khuan+ktron
khuan+ktron, image: thefoxisblack.com

this is one of a series from khuan+ktron for the good life. from what i’ve seen so far, they bring a colorful, dimensional quality to the places they illustrate, whether mapped from above, or shown in depth scale. see the feature at thefoxisblack.com.

growing up: a landscape

growing up: a landscape
growing up: a landscape, image: emilymcdowell.com

this map adds a scale of hilarity to a sense of place, something you can only enjoy by going to the post and studying the close-ups. i love the idea of overlaying a map with life stories, and emily’s encapsulations say just enough, like “high school isn’t everything street” and “that used van was a bad idea gorge.” see more of her fantastic work at emilymcdowell.com

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

foodie type

the foodie alphabet by vidhya nagarajan
the foodie alphabet by vidhya nagarajan, image: thefoxisblack.com

taking hand lettering a step further into full illustration, this foodie alphabet by vidhya nagarajan is both beautiful to look at and a great reminder of some ingredients you might not be using every day. see the whole alphabet at thefoxisblack.com.

heavy metal

heavy metal
heavy metal by tom davie, image: feltandwire.com

one for the things made of stuff files, this latest release from tom davie is part of a typographic poster series available at feltandwire.com.

letterpress daily

here there be monsters
here there be monsters, image: letterpress.dwolske.com

i recently found a blog worth sharing for typophiles everywhere: the letterpress daily, where you can not only find great examples of letterpress and wood type prints, but all kinds of specimens of the blocks themselves next to the prints they make. amazing archive!

friday fun

| heather parlato

T-RECS – Night Skies from T-Recs (Timelapse Recordings) on Vimeo.

here’s a beautiful time-lapsed film by t-recs of night skies in various places, with callouts of planets, stars and constellations. truly beautiful!

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

jazzatlan
jazzatlan

this week, we’re looking at jazz-themed design. doesn’t this menu for mexican nightclub, jazzatlán look like it’s straight out of great 60s album cover design? so swanky! see the spread at art of the menu.

blue note legend
blue note legend

this is a beautiful piece for a proposed specialty sub-label of blue note: blue note legend, a modern twist on traditional blue note style. see the whole identity system here, i love how the letters break up, like notes in the air.

the jazz scene
the jazz scene

one of many great typographic covers from penguin books by alan fletcher. i love the big, bold, overprint type. thanks to book worship for this find!

160 years of singer

| heather parlato
antique singer machine
antique singer machine, image: imprint.com

so cute to see this antique singer sewing machine, nearly identical to the one my great grandmother used as a seamstress after coming to america a century ago. my mother still has the machine in her home, which folds away into a side-table. this machine would have been made when she was just 2 years old. today, the singer company celebrates 160 years in business, and print magazine looks at their products and aggressive advertising over the years here.

i learned to sew from my mother and a few friends who did a lot of sewing at home, but i was impatient and cut a lot of corners. after years out of the game, i gave away my machine to save space, and for some years, i didn’t really miss it. lately, however, i’ve thought it would be nice to have a machine again, and a few projects have come up that i either had to pass on, or do by hand. when i finally had some canvas chairs to repair, i sat down and thought about it seriously, asked around about hiring out the help, and finally did some research on machines.

singer stylist
singer stylist

i’m happy to say, after looking through how far the newer machines have come, and having a great new fabric store with sewing lessons nearby, i decided to dive back in and picked up a singer stylist. i also signed up for some classes with sew LA so i can undo all my lazy seamstress ways and replace them with good, solid garment construction. my first class is this week, and i’m already overwhelmed with all the cool fabrics to choose from. and of course, thinking about pattern design…!