Recently, Robert Allen | Beacon Hill showroom at the San Francisco Design Center participated in a student project aligned with the “Fall into Fabrics” program sponsored by IIDA.  Students were challenged to design kimonos with fabric provided by showrooms at the SFDC.  Their creations were then to be part of a Silent Auction with proceeds to go towards the students’ tuitions.  We invited “our” student, Corey Caballero, to be our guest blogger today.

Corey Caballero

I'm in my last year at UC Berkeley Extension in the Interior Design Interior Architecture Program.  I will graduate next Fall 2011.  I grew-up in Southern Louisiana in the Bayou country near New Orleans.  My grandmother was a dressmaker in our hometown of 4000 people.  She made all of her clothes and dresses for all of my five sisters.  I spent summers with her and she taught me everything she knew about sewing, construction, and pattern making.  I have used those skills throughout my life working my way through undergraduate school doing alterations for men's clothing stores.   It has been many years since I have formally taken on a sewing project.

Laurel Sprigg and Lauren Shelby

I am passionate about residential design and have made it a goal to become expert in residential soft goods design.  This is why I asked to do my senior internship this past summer with Laurel Sprigg, whose business is fine sewing for the interior design trade.  Laurel asked me if I’d like to be part of the Kimono Project after learning about it from Lauren Shelby, president of IIDA.  I said “yes” right away --- I saw it as a great opportunity to combine design and sewing skills.

I decided to feature textiles in shades of orange, red, salmon, gold and cream white from the new Robert Allen “Room Palettes” collection the showroom was featuring.  I wanted to “spotlight” prints of various scale and work toward harmonizing them in pieced construction.  After studying the prints once they arrived, I wanted to work with the direction of the prints.  The body of the Kimono is cut from one continuous piece of fabric (Bondo in Sunset) such that the cherry blossom branches "grow" up the back and down the front.  Much like it might be used to upholster a chair.  

I used Bondo, the larger Ikat print, as a band around the bottom (as it might be used to border curtain panels or a bed skirt).  The Kimono is trimmed with a woven flange cut in 1 1/2", 3", and 6" pieces to increase harmonious proportion.  I used many interior design soft goods sewing techniques to show how the textiles might look and perform in a home setting.  I always think good design needs an element of surprise.  So I lined the Kimono in an unexpected soft textile (Satin Lustre in Petal) and trimmed the bottom of the lining with the reverse side of the Cherry Blossom Branch print (Pender in Mango), showing the versatility of these textiles.  Something about a room should draw you in.  I wanted the lining of the Kimono to do that.  

The Kimono is machine pieced and topstitched, and closed with hand stitching.  The lining is hand stitched.  The Obi belt (Spunky Weave in Mango) is quilted and the collar has a soft interlining.  In keeping with the transitional style and feeling of the textiles, I designed the Kimono to be inspired by tradition, but modern in its versatility and use.  I constructed it much like a robe with closed three quarter length sleeves and belt loops.  And much like a special occasion coat with flange trim, top stitching, and interlining.  It could be a luxurious dressing gown or a coat for the Opera.  Mostly, I hope its just beautiful fun for whoever might want to wear it.  I certainly had fun designing it and making it.  

This photo shows how few scraps I had at the end of this project.  I have decided to do my design work "earth smart," and one way is to minimize waste in creating and fabricating a project. This requires learning how to calculate fabric yardage in all soft goods design.   It can be as simple as doing a few quick calculations and choosing a smaller scaled print over a larger one.  The desired effect will be the same but the amount of textile used will be significantly less, as the vertical repeat of one is smaller.  With the Kimono, I challenged myself to work with two yards of each print and only one yard of the woven textile for trim.  It meant that in some places on the kimono I would be able to pattern match and in some places I would need to "pattern coordinate.”

I want to show you some of the designs of the other students in The Kimono Project. This one is by Hannah Yeager and Sierra Nichols.

Here’s one by Sarah Baker

A non-traditional Kimono by Meghan Carozza, Heidi Schwarz, Tiffany Kramer and Doug Poulson

Liz Berel and Yessica Grandelli designed this Kimono

Here is a design by Eunide "Dede" Dory

My new friends at the Robert Allen showroom were perfect partners for this project.  My partner, Randy Bancroft, and I are shown here with Showroom Manager Valerie Harrison.  Special thanks and appreciation to Valerie, Laurel Sprigg and, of course, Grandma.  Best Wishes for a Happy Fall!

Corey M. Caballero
Bancroft+Caballero Design Studio
San Francisco
Corey@BancroftCaballero.com
415-717-5353