BEYOND + BACK PODCAST is an interview-based podcast about creativity. Producer & host Krissy Teegerstrom talks with musicians, artists, writers & creatives in person about the creative process, where inspiration comes from & why they do what they do.
I delivered them in time for the four live shows they had booked in southern California in early May, three of which were with Los Lobos and The Blasters. (What a lineup.) The bandanas were a hit, and sold out by the end of the last show.
Here are some friends & X fans wearing their X bandanas:
Henry & me
Designing a Bandana for X
May 03, 2016
Show notes
Since the bandana I designed for John Doe has been so popular, it made perfect sense that X needed a bandana.
X bandana designed by Featherweight Studio
I pitched the idea to their manager & he loved it, so I set out to make a bandana design worthy of such an iconic band. I used motifs from their xeroxed songbooks that they've sold at concerts in the past. I've also always wanted a piece of merch with all their names on it, since they have the coolest names.
X bandana designed by Featherweight Studio
Their manager asked for two colorways. I sourced a local printer & cotton bandanas made in the USA. The results are super soft.
I am very tempted to make a zine of the different ways to wear this bandana. My friend Annie was playing around with it and came up with these styles.
I accidentally got the skull to show in the knot the other day, and if you wear it bandito style around your neck you can sport the logo front & center.
If you're headed to any of X's shows with Los Lobos & The Blasters this week, get to the merch booth because I'm expecting these to sell out!
If you need me to design a bandana for you, your band, your company or for any creative reason, contact me.
PRE-ORDER The Golden State tee
Apr 25, 2016
Show notes
Last weekend my friend Katie who owns Solid Gold in Austin sent me this photo of three girlfriends looking fresh in the SOLID GOLD TEXAS tees I designed:
Yes, that's Maya Rudolph
I've designed variations of this tee for Solid Gold, Atomic Garden Oakland and Wrong Marfa, and they've all sold really well. I get comments from ladies saying it's their go-to shirt, and I get emails asking how people can buy one when they're sold out in other shops.
So when John Doe asked me to make a version for his song (our song) "The Golden State," I thought it was a great idea. It's an ode to the great state of California, but also to feeling golden where ever you find yourself.
You can pre-order yours in the Featherweight shop. Get ready for your favorite tee of the summer.
Welcome to Fashion Revolution week!
Apr 18, 2016
Show notes
I'm so pleased to participate in Fashion Revolution week from April 18-24th.
Fashion Revolution is an initiative inspired by the tragedy in 2013 when 1,134 garment workers were killed in#Bangladesh when their unsafe workplace collapsed. Big brands outsource their manufacturing because it's cheaper. But at what cost? No human being should suffer or die so that we may have fast fashion.
One way I'm participating in #FashRev is by answering the question #Whomademyclothes? I get my Featherweight sweatshirts manufactured in San Francisco & have them dyed in Marin County, so I can visit the facilities in person.
Who made my clothes?
Every T-shirt that I've made under the Featherweight brand has been made in the USA. When I design and produce T-shirts and apparel for clients, I guide them to choose made in the USA or Fair Trade apparel.
It takes more time and more money to source from reputable companies, and sometimes I'm unable to find the made-in-the-USA products I'd like to use. As a one-person business, it would be WAY easier to source cheaper, more questionable products. But I have to live by my values, which include seeing all humans (not just Americans) as having a right to life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness. I also believe in sustainability in design and manufacturing, because I plan to live a long happy life on the Earth! For the most part I don't have the funds to create the quality, sustainable, beautiful products I'd like to see, but I keep designing anyway, embracing upcycling as another way to source raw materials.
Fashion Revolution encourages you to look inside your clothing labels & see where they were made. The brand that you gave your money to - do you trust that they're doing GOOD business, or just cheap business?
Clothing should be fun, not fatal. There are better ways to get dressed.
This is a huge passion & influence of mine, if you have any questions please ask!
Featherweight Custom-Painted Suit featured in another John Doe music video
Apr 15, 2016
Show notes
John Doe is wearing the vintage western suit I custom painted for him in another video, this one for his song "Sunlight".
It's so cool how he's made this suit and my arrow design part of the iconography of his new album The Westerner, out April 29th.
NEW in the shop: HANDMADE UPCYCLED ZIPPER POUCHES
Apr 13, 2016
Show notes
I'm having a lot of fun with styling my web shop photos! I grabbed a bunch of my stuff and played around with it.
Just added some new upcycled leather and suede pouches to the web shop. I started making these a couple years ago, and have a few that I use for myself all the time: a small version for art pens, a small version for makeup, and two large versions which I use as clutches for going out at night. They've held up well over the years. I've also made a few as gifts, but this is the first time I'm selling them.
Here's my first attempt at stop-motion animation, to show off how roomy & versatile the pouches are:
Upcycling is dear to my heart. It means that I'm using existing, discarded leather and suede. I find damaged or hideous vintage pieces, clip them up and make them into something current, useful and (I think) beautiful.
Custom-Painted Yap Wrap for The Gov
Apr 07, 2016
Show notes
My dear friend Eve recently adopted an adorable 5-year-old rescue dog whom she named The Governor, or 'The Gov' for short. She needed some new items for him, including a couple of harnesses that would fit his small frame and keep him comfortable as he adapts to his new home and lifestyle.
As the proprietor of Backyard and Beach, Eve is a bit of an expert on caring for dogs. She loves harnesses, or Yap Wraps, made by YAP USA which happens to be based here in the Bay Area. (Eve buys almost exclusively made-in-the-USA products for her pets, which is awesome. I told her she should write about it!)
Here's a video of me painting it by hand. I've started uploading videos to a Featherweight Studio YouTube channel, if you'd like to follow along.
From shirt to dress: upcycling & transforming an Eileen Fisher linen shirt
Mar 24, 2016
Show notes
At the thrift store a few weeks ago, an unlikely piece caught my eye and spoke to me. Sometimes this happens to me: I see a piece of clothing that I would normally overlook, but it grabs my attention & won't let me ignore it.
This time it was an oversized navy linen button down blouse by Eileen Fisher:
BEFORE: The thrifted Eileen Fisher blouse. It's hard to see the scale, but it was a very baggy fit on me.
This shirt is not my style and it didn't fit me. It made no sense to me why it wanted to come home with me, but I bought it on faith for $3.99. I did appreciate the beauty of the linen; the navy is a really rich shade in person, and the linen itself has a softness and drape that felt really good. I don't know if it's part of Eileen's collection using organic linen, but the quality of the fabric is beautiful.
The shirt sat in my studio for a few weeks untouched. I have been really busy with projects & I was getting work wrapped up in time to depart for SXSW in Austin, TX. I love Austin and I always look forward to the warm weather there, especially since it's been raining so much in the Bay Area where I live. I also love to make myself a new outfit before I go on a trip, but I really didn't have the time.
Again, the shirt insisted.
The Sunday before I left, I stole a few hours to myself, to create a dress out of the shirt. My goals were:
make an easy, wearable, comfortable dress for warm weather
make a dress I could wear a belt with (my sweetheart had just bought me a leather belt from an antique shop & I wanted to wear it)
I started without a plan. First I basted the side seams to narrow them. Then I cut off the sleeves. Then I attempted to add length, piece by piece. I would baste, try on, adjust, stitch, then move to the next design decision. It was a bit like jazz; I know the rules and techniques of sewing and fitting a garment, but I was improvising as I went along.
I ended up using almost all of the fabric from the original shirt. Here are my leftovers:
LEFTOVERS: Collar & a few bits of the sleeves
When I tried on the finished dress, I decided it needed some arrows. The last step was to hand paint gold arrows on the front and back.
I wore my finished dress in Austin and I loved it!
I made this dress from a button down shirt. Boots by Cobra Rock.
I hand-painted metallic gold arrows on the back.
It's hard to see some of the details in these photos, but I sewed the cuffs from the sleeves onto the bottom hem of the dress. I sewed the front button placket shut with a criss-cross pattern. When I narrowed the side seams for the second time, I took the seam allowance that I cut off and sewed it onto the hems of the sleeves. A lot of the edges on the sleeve and hem are left raw.
This was such a fun project and it gave me the opportunity to do some of my favorite things: sew, transform, upcycle, create, paint & wear something one-of-a-kind!
Welcome Cindy Wasserman to the Arrow Corps!
Mar 23, 2016
Show notes
My beautiful friend Cindy Wasserman commissioned me to paint her Schott leather motorcycle jacket. I'm not gonna lie, I held my breath through most of the first coat of paint I put down. It's such a beautiful, soft leather that I didn't want to mess it up!
I love how it turned out:
Here are a few photos of Cindy wearing it at SXSW:
Cindy & me at the beautiful Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin, TX, during SXSW
Cindy Wasserman & John Doe performing at SXSW - two key members of the Arrow Corps
Late night piano & mezcal sessions with Davíd Garza at Church House Studio in Austin, TX
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