Melanie (Melly) Testa

A New Day, A New Week.

I opened my mail last week to find this CD, sent by Meg Cox. The woman who heads the band is also a breast cancer survivor and although this is not the type of music I gravitate to, this album is really good. It is uplifting, danceable and has been on rotation since its arrival.Continue reading “A New Day, A New Week.”

From Messy to Clean and Back

I don’t know how it works for you but at Casa Melly, the studio gets messy as all get out, I can’t stand it anymore, I can’t clean while in the middle of project. Then, just when it is driving me batty, I clean it up, spic and span. While my studio was clean andContinue reading “From Messy to Clean and Back”

Finding Inspiration

Textile Design and its history is fascinating to me. I would love to gather more books on the topic, but in the meantime, I would like to share a few books with you just in case you haven’t heard of them before. Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European and American Patterns Organized by Motif,Continue reading “Finding Inspiration”

The Wonders

This weekend my Mom came to town and we hung out and, come on! Neither of us brought our cameras! I can tell you we went to see Porgy and Bess, I have been humming the tunes all weekend- we loved it. We had a glass of wine at Morrell, went to Nintendo World (whereContinue reading “The Wonders”

Mom is in Town!

My mom is here in town and we are doing a dinner and a show. I will bring my camera and document my day in NYC, stay tuned!

Stitched for Texture

For whatever reason, I have decided to change the BigBoxy Japanese pattern up. Mods! I am making mods (modifications). Rather than a 1/4″ clean finish hem, I have doubled the sleeve, using the fold as a finish technique and I am stitching the sleeve to give it texture. I hope this gives the sleeves someContinue reading “Stitched for Texture”

Not Only That

Alongside making clothing from patterns I am also using spontaneity, whim and ingenuity to create artful clothing. I have created two rules to work with, all artful clothing much be fully washable and it must fit my body appropriate to its design. I do not need to use ‘real’ patterns, tried and true construction techniques,Continue reading “Not Only That”

Facebook, Friends and the World Made Smaller

So, I posted to facebook my pure joy at finding a Japanese Pattern Book and wanting to sew from it. Cricket piped up that Masako might be able to help me interpret the pattern book! Um, excitement. Masako speaks and I presume writes in Japanese. I have lots of questions and we have made aContinue reading “Facebook, Friends and the World Made Smaller”

Sleuth Work!

I think I have figured out that I can purchase the pattern online and print them out on paper. I have an acquaintance who speaks and reads Japanese. Now, I don’t want to a pesky, but. I am on a mission with this shirt. It contains surface design possibilities. Here is a helpful pdfContinue reading “Sleuth Work!”

How To Make

Last week I went to Kinokuniya books with a friend. She, of course, knew where the sewing magazines were. Me, I knew where the sewing and textile design books were, but being ignorant of the Japanese language, I have no idea what magazines are what (and they are wrapped in plastic which is problematic). IContinue reading “How To Make”