Robyn L. Coburn

Movies with sewing, textiles and fashion design (as a plot point or setting, not just cool clothes)
in no particular order:

Howl's Moving Castle
The Princess and the Pauper (Barbie)
Stepmom (1998)
The Devil Wears Prada
Norma Rae
Funny Face
Bratz: Rock Angels (they start a teen fashion magazine together)
I Can Get It For You Wholesale
Middle of the Night
Wanted (2008)
Pret-a-Porter - Ready to Wear
A New Kind of Love


More later, I have to go.

Robyn L. Coburn
www.Iggyjingles.etsy.com
www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
www.allthingsdoll.blogspot.com

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Jenny Cyphers

I'll add one of Chamille's great inspirations for fashion
Party Monster

Not really a "kid" movie, but it touches on the 80's drug scene and night club scene. It has Macaulay Culkin in it and it's based on a true story and book. It has nudity and bloody stuff in it.... but still very interesting costumes and lifestyle that Chamille was hugely fascinated with for a long time, she moved on to Jeffree Star who is a more 21st century gender bending fashion drama music queen. Although, she hasn't liked him as much since his latest music video which didn't have blood in it, and too many crotch shots of hunky gay guys.

Chamille and I have always liked period fashion movies and tv. So that kind of fit in with what she's always liked. We watched Queen Margot, mostly since it's her sister's name, and that queen was all about lavish fashion. I remember once having a fairly long conversation about cod pieces after watching a period movie, which led to a conversation on sexually transmitted diseases, since it's been theorized that Henry the 8th wore them because he had groin issues from a sexually transmitted disease. Cod pieces became really popular because of him and then went out of style when Queen Elizabeth came to power, no surprise there! Then, that led to make-up and the chemistry of make-up and what that white face stuff is made of and why it made people sick.

Other period pieces led to learning about wigs and legal dressage. That's fascinating too, and ties into making hair pieces, which is something else that Chamille and I do. In fact we are going to make tie in dread locks tonight to fix into her mohawk, and we are making them out of synthetic hair.

I'll add

drugs
dance clubs
80's fashion
wigs
legal dressage
make-up
cod pieces
sexually transmitted diseases





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Sandra Dodd

-=-Other period pieces led to learning about wigs and legal dressage. -
=-

Dressage has to do with horses doing ministry-of-funny-walks stuff,
doesn't it?
So by "legal dressage" are you thinking of sumptuary laws? What was
legal or legal for different classes to wear in classical Rome and
Renaissance France and like that?

Sandra

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Jenny Cyphers

***So by "legal dressage" are you thinking of sumptuary laws? What was
legal or legal for different classes to wear in classical Rome and
Renaissance France and like that?***

No, but that's interesting. I was thinking about what judges and lawyers wear, what people in the position to make and define laws wear. Like the white wigs, judges cloaks, that sort of thing.

I wasn't sure how else to call it. Dressage is for horses, right. That's interesting too, what horses and their riders wear and have worn in history.





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Sandra Dodd

-=-I was thinking about what judges and lawyers wear, what people in
the position to make and define laws wear. Like the white wigs, judges
cloaks, that sort of thing.-=-

Judicial robes, for judges. I don't know what it's called for lawyers
and demiwigs and such in the U.K.

Sandra

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cathyandgarth

My daughter loves designing clothes so I am always on the look out for shows dealing with fashion and designing ... here are some of our recent finds:

Movie:
Coco (the story of Coco Chanel) We both REALLY liked this one! I now silently thank Coco every time I put on pants and a comfortable shirt made out of jersey.

TV:
Launch My Line (a competition reality show, but really shows the design process) -- we bought the season pass from iTunes, so Maggie goes back and watches specific episodes when she is thinking about how to create something she has in her mind.

House of Jasmine (MTV reality tv show) -- we have been trying to catch new episodes on MTV.com, I don't know if the show got discontinued because there haven't been any new ones for a while, but the show is about a teenager trying to get her own line of clothes into the LA Fashion week and boutiques, etc.

Maggie also enjoys Cake TV, we have season 1 on our Netflix instant play queue, and it gets watched over and over.

Not on sewing or fashion and yet a little bit about both, we have been watching the documentary series How Art Made the World. Fascinating and has us all riveted (except my youngest 5 yo boy) when we put it in.

And thanks so much for the links to the Duct tape dress form ideas!!! I have actually been looking for a junior-size dress form, but they all seemed too big.

Cathy

alexandriapalonia

Barrister's robe/wig.
:-)
Andrea


> -=-I was thinking about what judges and lawyers wear, what people in
> the position to make and define laws wear. Like the white wigs, judges > cloaks, that sort of thing.-=-
>
> Judicial robes, for judges. I don't know what it's called for lawyers > and demiwigs and such in the U.K.

Robyn L. Coburn

More:

Coraline
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Alice in Wonderland (2010) - milinery oh yes! and the cutest bit of
miniature doll dress making (big happy laugh from the audience) - just see
the movie - it's cool.
someone mentioned Pretty in Pink
Enchanted
Roberta (1935)

More TV:

The Fashion Show (similar to Project Runway, hosted by Isaac Mizrahi)
That's So Raven
Wizards of Waverly Place - Harper's home made whacky clothes

Robyn L. Coburn
www.Iggyjingles.etsy.com
www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
www.allthingsdoll.blogspot.com

Jenny Cyphers

Coraline was made in Portland, OR where we live. A few years back, during the early production of it, Chamille was in Girl Scouts. One of her leader's husband worked there and gave the girls a tour. They showed us some of the pre-production and during production sets of that movie as well as the video short made for that movie. Chamille and I wanted to see it from the moment we saw that short! It was amazing miniature scale models with incredible details!

I love that one of the central themes are buttons for eyes, something that people have used for many years to make doll eyes!





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Katherinev

In response to some of the great sewing suggestions, thanks a lot! Heidi and I decided to first deconstruct a blouse and think about how it is put together. And along those lines, one thing I noticed about my attempts to unschool in the past is I ran ahead of my kids at times. You know, run out and get books and materials,line up field trips, only to see the interest was whimsical. Now though (and I am older and more patient than then) I wonder if I just ran ahead with too much preparation and not enough timely interaction. I would be disappointed that the "interest" disappeared and felt that I was wasting resources on something that didn't pan out. I wish there had been resources of unschoolers back then to discuss these issues with. Now, I'm trying to pay attention to where Heidi's level of interest/skill is. Has anyone experienced a situation like that and what do people think?

Thanks Kathy

Sandra Dodd

-=- I would be disappointed that the "interest" disappeared and felt
that I was wasting resources on something that didn't pan out. I wish
there had been resources of unschoolers back then to discuss these
issues with. -=-

Back how long ago? We've been here a long time. <G> Many of us were
other places before that, for fifteen years and more.

-=-I ran ahead of my kids at times. You know, run out and get books
and materials,line up field trips, only to see the interest was
whimsical. Now though (and I am older and more patient than then) I
wonder if I just ran ahead with too much preparation and not enough
timely interaction. I would be disappointed that the "interest"
disappeared and felt that I was wasting resources on something that
didn't pan out.-=-

I hope that long LONG list of ideas and resources doesn't cause you
some sort of disappointment too, then. Maybe go for short answers and
quick ideas. One youtube video. One wikipedia page. One magazine
article. Maybe that will be the end of that question or interest.
Maybe there will be more.


All the ideas and knowledge each person has tie together inside that
one person, though. So thinking that an interest is "whimsical" is
too much of a put-down too. I might be curious about the money of
Zaire but it doesn't mean I want to travel there or get a degree in
international finance.

Sandra




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Robin Bentley

On Mar 6, 2010, at 12:58 PM, Katherinev wrote:

> In response to some of the great sewing suggestions, thanks a lot!
> Heidi and I decided to first deconstruct a blouse and think about
> how it is put together. And along those lines, one thing I noticed
> about my attempts to unschool in the past is I ran ahead of my kids
> at times. You know, run out and get books and materials,line up
> field trips, only to see the interest was whimsical.

Maybe it was "whimsical" because your kids felt pressure to then use
those books and materials and go on field trips. Nothing extinguishes
an happy interest more than expectations and pressure.

"Strewing" materials should come with no expectations. You can do
that, bit by bit, with little expense. You can leave things around
without pointing them out. If Heidi comes to you with a specific idea,
you can say "hmm, I picked up x - that might be helpful" or "well,
let's find what you think you might need." Ask questions. Don't assume.

Buy some stuff that appeals to you, too, that might be related to her
interest. Then, if she doesn't use it, *you* can. I've picked up
knitting again and worked on beading like I did when I was teen,
because I picked up some stuff, just in case.

Robin B.

Katherinev

--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote:
>
> -=- I would be disappointed that the "interest" disappeared and felt
> that I was wasting resources on something that didn't pan out. I wish
> there had been resources of unschoolers back then to discuss these
> issues with. -=-
>
> Back how long ago? We've been here a long time. <G> Many of us were
> other places before that, for fifteen years and more.

But I was ideologically isolated by then -- the barrier was huge! I did manage to find one group of unschoolers who were professed Christians, but the group folded rather quickly. By then I was just doing my best to keep my head above water.

> -=-I ran ahead of my kids at times. You know, run out and get books
> and materials,line up field trips, only to see the interest was
> whimsical. Now though (and I am older and more patient than then) I
> wonder if I just ran ahead with too much preparation and not enough
> timely interaction. I would be disappointed that the "interest"
> disappeared and felt that I was wasting resources on something that
> didn't pan out.-=-
>
> I hope that long LONG list of ideas and resources doesn't cause you
> some sort of disappointment too, then. Maybe go for short answers and
> quick ideas. One youtube video. One wikipedia page. One magazine
> article. Maybe that will be the end of that question or interest.
> Maybe there will be more.

Oh no, the list is a great reference and reminder -- I had forgotten how relatively easy it was to access tons of information --

>
>
> All the ideas and knowledge each person has tie together inside that
> one person, though. So thinking that an interest is "whimsical" is
> too much of a put-down too. I might be curious about the money of
> Zaire but it doesn't mean I want to travel there or get a degree in
> international finance.
>
> Sandra
>

True, but from the perspective of my effort at the time, that's what it felt like to me. I think I thought of interest as some sort of thing that pre-existed inside the child -- I was looking for the "real" ones.


>
>
>
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>

Jenny Cyphers

***Heidi and I decided to first deconstruct a blouse and think about how it is put together.***

Does she want to deconstruct a blouse and think about how it's put together? That, to me, sounds incredibly boring unless it was something that I really wanted to do. It's tedious to deconstruct clothing, it involves stitch ripping, ever done that? If Heidi has a blouse and she is wanting it to look different for the sake of fashion, deconstructing will be interesting, or a means to an end, either way it will be her process. This example is still about teaching a skill, not following a passion.

***And along those lines, one thing I noticed about my attempts to unschool in the past is I ran ahead of my kids at times. You know, run out and get books and materials,line up field trips, only to see the interest was whimsical. ***

You were probably right, you jumped in with too much. Letting kids gather up what they want as you go about life, letting things graze their brains while other things stick and not holding onto expectations of what those things might be. Passing interest and whimsy are very important to unschooling! Little connections that build onto other little connections turn into a bigger sphere of knowledge. Knowing what one isn't into, is just as important as knowing what one is into too.

***I would be disappointed that the "interest" disappeared and felt that I was wasting resources on something that didn't pan out. ***

Margaux is taking a class at the rec center right now. It was a big deal to fork over the cash to do it, because we are very cash poor right now. She really wanted to do it. She's been to half of the classes, which, if divided up is something like $20 per class. Is it still worth it? Sometimes, the way I've looked at stuff like that, is I've paid for the option and availability, rather than the actual class. It helps me to not be so tied up in it's monetary worth.





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Katherinev

--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote:
>
> -=- I would be disappointed that the "interest" disappeared and felt
> that I was wasting resources on something that didn't pan out. I wish
> there had been resources of unschoolers back then to discuss these
> issues with. -=-
>
> Back how long ago? We've been here a long time. <G> Many of us were
> other places before that, for fifteen years and more.

Oh I get that, but I was isolated ideologically, and the divide is quite a barrier! I wish it had been different!


>
> -=-I ran ahead of my kids at times. You know, run out and get books
> and materials,line up field trips, only to see the interest was
> whimsical. Now though (and I am older and more patient than then) I
> wonder if I just ran ahead with too much preparation and not enough
> timely interaction. I would be disappointed that the "interest"
> disappeared and felt that I was wasting resources on something that
> didn't pan out.-=-
>
> I hope that long LONG list of ideas and resources doesn't cause you
> some sort of disappointment too, then. Maybe go for short answers and
> quick ideas. One youtube video. One wikipedia page. One magazine
> article. Maybe that will be the end of that question or interest.
> Maybe there will be more.
>
>
> All the ideas and knowledge each person has tie together inside that
> one person, though. So thinking that an interest is "whimsical" is
> too much of a put-down too. I might be curious about the money of
> Zaire but it doesn't mean I want to travel there or get a degree in
> international finance.
>
> Sandra
>
>

In my view at that time, interest was something that pre-existed "in" children, and you had to find the real ones vs the momentary ones. In your view, what is the origination of interest?

Sandra Dodd

-=-In my view at that time, interest was something that pre-existed
"in" children, and you had to find the real ones vs the momentary
ones. In your view, what is the origination of interest?-=-

Curiosity. Fascination.

Katherinev

Curiosity and fascination granted, but what is of interest to one child is of little interest to another. What do you think accounts for the difference?

Kathy

--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote:
>
> -=-In my view at that time, interest was something that pre-existed
> "in" children, and you had to find the real ones vs the momentary
> ones. In your view, what is the origination of interest?-=-
>
> Curiosity. Fascination.
>

Sandra Dodd

-=-Curiosity and fascination granted, but what is of interest to one
child is of little interest to another. What do you think accounts for
the difference?-=-

What do you want the answer to be?

Sandra

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Robyn L. Coburn

====> Curiosity and fascination granted, but what is of interest to one
child is of little interest to another. What do you think accounts for the
difference?===

They're individuals.

Robyn L. Coburn
www.Iggyjingles.etsy.com
www.iggyjingles.blogspot.com
www.allthingsdoll.blogspot.com

Pam Sorooshian

On 3/6/2010 2:54 PM, Katherinev wrote:
> In my view at that time, interest was something that pre-existed "in"
> children, and you had to find the real ones vs the momentary ones. In
> your view, what is the origination of interest?
I wouldn't mind having an esoteric discussion of the origin of
interest, but, really it is not a practical or useful thing to do to
help you or others unschool.I say this because it really doesn't MATTER
what the origin of interest is - our role as unschooling parents is to
observe and support and offer lots of potentially interesting options,
not to figure out where it comes from.

Instead of thinking there are real interests versus momentary ones (as
if those momentary ones are not also real or true), our time and energy
are better spent encouraging and supporting the interests that our kids
actually do have.

Picture a large piece of paper with circles of all sizes drawn all over
it. Each circle represents an interest. A kid moves from circle to
circle - they are like stepping stones. The child creates his or her own
path by moving from one stepping stone to another.. Some are part of a
path that goes straight to some ultimate goal or achievement, others are
part of paths that meander and let the person have a variety of
experiences. Some are part of paths that twist and turn. Sometimes the
kid sits on one of them for a really long time. Sometimes the path leads
away from the current interest to something seemingly unrelated. And so on.

Looking back, we can often see the path pretty clearly. But we can't
look ahead and know what the path is going to be.

I know a guy (he's in his late 20's, maybe even 30) who was
homeschooled, mostly unschoolishly, and he loved history. LOVED it. His
family used to go to garage and estate sales and library sales and he'd
search for history books - one of is favorite things to do was read
about one period of history, in history books written at different
times, and compare their treatment of that time period. He was super
into all this for many years. And then he just dropped it in his late
teens and decided to pursue engineering. He studied a bunch of formal
math, on his own, and got into a prestigious engineering college and has
had a wonderful career already.

Where did his interest in history come from? Where did his interest in
engineering come from? Does it matter?

My own daughter, who spent all her teen years very focused on ceramics,
working in a ceramics studio and in a clay and glaze manufacturing
company, got a college degree in recreation and work running programs
for adults with developmental disabilities and now is in the process of
applying to grad school to become a marriage and family therapist. I can
see, looking back, how one thing led naturally and logically to another
- but certainly could never have predicted the path.

My daughter always loved to play in mud and sand and water. I made
homemade playdough very very often - once or more each week - when she
was a kid. And I put weird things in it - oatmeal and pineapple
flavoring, etc. She fingerpainted with pudding in the bath tub. Where
did those interests come from? I don't see why it matters. What matters
is that playing around with clay and playdough and fingerpaints and
other goopy, soft stuff gave her pleasure so I offered more
opportunities to do more of it in lots of different ways.

-pam


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