The Wearable Art of Pam Wells

Pam Wells in 1958 in front of her grandparent's Dry Cleaner Shop

Rewind to the mid 50s, and see a 12-year-old Pam Wells standing behind the register at her grandparents' dry cleaning business, ready to help customers. Surrounded by fabric, steam, and seamstresses doing alterations, she attests that sewing and fabric have always been a big part of her life. As the oldest grandchild, she was tapped for the job and enjoyed earning some money that way. Far superior to baby-sitting her three younger sisters!

The "Leaf" costume - 1955

She worked there until she was 17, and graduated from the cash register to pressing men's slacks, shortening pants' hems, and finally – the big deal – pressing silk dresses. Meanwhile, she was surrounded by a mom, a grandmother, and others who sewed, along with an industrical sewing machine at work and a treadle machine at home. “Back then, everybody sewed,” Pam exclaims.

Her mother encouraged her to try new things, too, so she altered patterns early on, and just created her own fairly soon. Her favorite things to make were Halloween costumes and prom dresses! Both allowed for some experimentation, which continued to increase her skill and proficiency.

Some background dye has been
applied to silk.  A stamp is ready to
add its shape and color to the surface.

In the 70s, she took a class in precision dying. “While the precision part didn't stick, the dying part was great fun”, she says. Pam began adding her own dyed fabrics to the mix and continues to this day. Of course she experimented with that, too, and now has a unique dying style that creates a subtle, mottled background for the surface embellishment she applies next.

Pam's large collection of wooden
stamps from India and Indonesia.

Having an avid interest in ethnic fabrics of the world, Pam began collecting wooden stamp blocks from India and Indonesia, used in the batik industry there. For batik, the stamp would be dipped in wax to stamp onto the fabric, preventing dye from seeping into it. Pam, instead, dips the stamp into dye and applies that to her already hand-dyed fabric. She has her own hand-made stamps as well, along with stencils and all manner of things to apply surface design.

Pillows are a nice canvas to show off her skills.
These include unique Korean wovens,
Japanese dyed pieces,
and her own stencil designs.

The combination of her own surface design, along with her love of unusual, handmade fabrics, has made her a collector of them too. Intricately woven silks with the pattern woven in with gold wire (“yes, it's really gold, too”, she points out), or Chinese silk embroidery and applique, or vintage Japanese kimono fabrics, and so much more. “I usually can only afford a tiny piece of these things, so walk out of the place with these little 6” strips of amazing cloth,” she says.

The design process - a little of this, a little of that...

All these fabrics and embellishments, along with her own surface applications, result in one-of-a-kind pieces of wearable art such as scarves, jackets, and now pillows. The design phase is her favorite part of the process, and she takes an intuitive approach. Some background fabric is laid out on a big table. Perhaps it's a solid color, or perhaps it's one of her dyed pieces of silk. Her studio is bursting with all these amazing strips of cloth and ribbons. 

Pam Wells models one
of her unique scarves.

 She'll lay some things on top of the fabric and decide if it works. No? Take one thing away and add something new. “Yes, that's it! But not that other thing... “ And so on, until all the components are gathered. Now, the pure technical phase of sewing everything together, and onto the surface, completes the picture. “That's the boring part,” she says.

Those of us who get to see the end result find each piece anything but boring! Each is unique, and comes with a story, too, of where each precious piece of surface embellishment came from, whether Pam's own hand or some far-off land.

Pam's signature "Dragonfly Wrap",
so named because of its shimmer and
movement, enjoys myriad
incarnations from Pam's imagination.
Here she's used black silk and silver metallic
fabric paint in the shape of dragonflies.

Because of her emphasis on surface design, the Japanese kimono lends itself beautifully. As many of you have come to expect over her years of representation at Manya Vee Selects, she has modified that shape into a very fluid and contemporary jacket that wears well on so many body types.   

Her simple scarves are another excellent canvas for surface design, and when worn over a simple top or dress, turn even a plain T-shirt into wearable art.

A new source of enjoyment takes the form of dying socks made of bamboo fabric. Ultra-soft, with naturally built-in antiseptic and moisture-wicking properties, Pam transforms a utilitarian white sock into something very colorful and fun – and affordable at $15 per pair! Her clever husband engineered her “sock machine” so she could dye a pair at the same time to get a good match.

Dying socks

New socks, wraps, jackets, scarves and pillows arrive on Thursday, August 16, at Manya Vee Selects when Pam is our featured artist. We hope you can join us!

And if you have a story of a special event to which you wore your Pam Wells wearable art, please share it with us! We'd love to hear it – especially Pam!

Artfully Yours,

Manya Vee

Manya's Fashion Philosophy

Comfort and style.  That about sums it up!  I like to look nice and feel comfortable.  I also like it if my clothing is pretty easy to care for.  So, naturally, that's what I look for when choosing clothing for Manya Vee Selects.  I think I'm in the minority about jeans.  I don't find them comfortable, and I don't think they're particularly stylish.  I think another issue is they are pretty ubiquitous.  Since I like to look distinctive, jeans don't fit the bill there either.

I had a chance to show off some of the comfortable and stylish outfits at the Edmonds Fashion Show last Thursday.  It was great fun putting things together, and finding two wonderful Manya Vee Selects customers to model them for us.

Kris Browne and Laura Hamilton
modeled for us at the 2012 Edmonds Fashion Show

Kris Browne shows off her
sassy outfit.

Stretchy waistbands are a must for me.  In fact, in Kris's first outfit, the waistband on her skirt is super expandable, which also translates to super comfy.  This is one example of the one-of-a-kind skirts made by California designer Marcia Bloom.  Each skirt is a full circle, making it swish sassily when you move.  She's paired it with a nylon cami from California's Luxe Junkie.  These are also super stretchy and comfy.  We've got women with 4 or 5 in their closets, and still looking for more because they come in a huge array of colors.  Also available as a tank, a cap-sleeve and a 3/4 sleeve.  Finally, she's wearing a pewter jacket of the softest cotton around, made by Testimony Los Angeles.

Laura Hamilton looks awesome

Laura's first outfit featured pants and a jacket from Testimony Los Angeles.  Made of cotton with spandex, it just doesn't get more comfortable.  But the style doesn't stop!  The jacket is their new design for spring.  She's paired it with a red tank top from Luxe Junkie.


Best of all, everything they are wearing can be washed in the washing machine.  Just turn it inside out while washing.  Hang it on the line to dry.  That will keep its shape and color in the longest-lasting condition.

I was so excited watching the cat walk that I forgot to go back behind the scenes to get photos of their second outfits.  Instead, Jeff was practicing with our new video camera, and so we'll have to watch a video of round two.

Manya in Testimony's
brown skirt and vest

For Kris in round two, we get to enjoy Testimony Los Angeles' rayon/spandex line.  She's wearing their new "gypsy" skirt in brown.  Later you'll see Laura wearing hers in black.  Kris paired her skirt with a brown suit vest (also Testimony's) and a coral 3/4 sleeve shirt from Luxe Junkie.  She's got her own brown boots with it, and it really looks smashing. Here's an image of me wearing that outfit, then click on the link below to see Kris in action.

Kris Browne at Edmonds Fashion Show 2012

Elana Kattan Jacket over
Luxe Junkie tank

Laura has gorgeous white hair and pale features, so bright colors look just great on her.  As you recall, in the first outfit we put her in that bright red top.  Well, for outfit number two, she's wearing the wonderful "gypsy" skirt in black from Testimony.  Her turquoise top is from Luxe Junkie, and with that she's wearing a gorgeous multi-colored mesh jacket from Florida's Elana Kattan.  This jacket is very versatile due to all the colors.  You can pair it with turquoise like Laura did here, or also fuschia, coral, lime green, black, white, mocha, aqua and more.  That makes it a very useful piece for travel.  Alas, but our novice video skills made this video not turn out at all.

Come on in and let us put together a comfortable and stylish outfit for you!  And know that every single piece is Made in America!

Manya Vee
ManyaVeeSelects.com

May 1, 2012

3 Scarf Ideas to Spiff Up Your Wardrobe

I bet each and every woman reading this post has several scarves stuck way back in a drawer somewhere that she never wears.  We seem particularly challenged in figuring out how to wear the darned things!

Learn this tying
technique by watching the
video below

If any of you have visited Paris, you know that every neck is adorned with a lovely scarf - no outfit is complete without one.


Let's try a few easy tricks with long narrow scarves in particular, and you'll be getting compliments on your new look in a jiffy!


First - stop wearing scarves like everyone else in the Northwest - doubled in half, then put around your neck and both ends through the loop.  It's ubiquitous.  That can translate to "boring."




Instead, try this nifty trick for an entirely new look that starts the same basic way.

Next, here are some simple and inexpensive tools to maximize your scarf potential.

The Grip

THE GRIP is the invention of Everett artist Dieter Moenig.  A simple plastic ring that looks suspiciously like a life saver, this $4 item comes in an array of colors, and totally transforms your scarf.

Wrap the scarf around your shoulders like a shawl.  Grab a little piece from each inside edge, at solar plexus level.  Make little pointy-dudes with the edges (yes, that's the technical jargon), and put them through the center of the grip.  Pull until it's nice and snug.


Wear it right in front, or pull it off to the side for an assymetrical look.

Scarf with Grip

Three notKnots

THE NOT-KNOT is another invention of Deiter's.  These stainless steel pieces are cut with a water jet, leaving the inside super smooth, thus avoiding any edges to catch and tear your scarf.  Available in two sizes and lots of shapes.  Small is $24, large is $28.  The small size works on light-weight, delicate scarves while the larger can handle thicker scarves.

Simply weave the scarf in and then out, and presto!  Your scarf is more like a piece of jewelry!

Those three notKnots in use

So get those scarves out of the drawer and start wearing them!  It's cheaper than a new outfit, and will have compliments coming your way all day long!  They are also an excellent gift idea for your pals who wear scarves frequently.  What a nice surprise for them.

Manya Vee

www.ManyaVeeSelects.com

Visit us today!

Manya Vee Selects

409 Main St

Edmonds, WA  98020

425-776-3778

Hours: Daily 11 - 6, Sunday & Tuesday noon - 4

Celebrating 10 Years

It's hard to believe we opened our doors 10 whole years ago.  Where has the time gone?  And I know for sure I personally haven't aged that much.  These rites of passage seem to lend themselves to some strolls down memory lane, so here we go.

Before opening our gallery, I was busy making jewelry and selling it at every opportunity possible - at craft fairs, farmer's markets, trade shows, through sales reps, and online.  It is rather exhausting work, but it definitely had its rewards.  But I was getting weary of lugging a tent around every weekend, only to be at the whim of the weather.  And we all know, we NEVER get rain here in Seattle....

But in the meantime, I had made many new artist friends.  Friends who made all kinds of beautiful things like pottery, glass, silk scarves, candles, and other kinds of jewelry.  I realized it was time to open up my own permanent art show!  Besides, I was fully devoted to helping others surround themselves with beauty and creativity.  What better way to do so?

Arizona artist Scott Johnson

And thus began the journey.  We started out representing only artists from Washington State.  But there are so many lovely things made in other states, that eventually I couldn't resist.  We now have works by over 100 artists.  About half are from Washington, and the other half come from other states, as well as two from Canada.

Manya in clothes from Bellingham

We have also expanded our wearable art selections, especially lately.  If you know me at all, you know I loves clothes.  I suppose it was inevitable that I'd find it irresistable to expand in that way.  We've had scarves, jackets, shawls and wraps for quite a few years now.  But this year, I got to add two new lines of my favorite type of clothing to wear - comfortable, attractive, drapey, and washable.  Just doesn't get any better than that!  One line from Bellingham enjoys eco-friendly fabrics.  Her T-shirts are a blend of organic cotton and a soy protein fiber - also known as the cashmere of the vegetable world.  They are the softest T-shirts in my closet.  And so pretty, too!  Her "posh pants" are organic cotton and hemp, and are very good looking and extremely comfortable.  I have to force myself to wear something else from time to time!

So here's to another 10 years!  Who knows how we'll grow and develop in that time frame.  It certainly is remarkable to think that when we opened in 2000, the economy was so rosy.  Then 9/11 happened, and the market for art shriveled up so much.  It sort of leveled out, but has never been as easy as we've heard other gallery-owners describe in the pre-9/11 years.  Now we're struggling through a recession, and doing our best to offer affordable, colorful, unique items in a very wide price range.  In fact, over the past 18 months we've increased the number of things under $40 quite a bit.  You should see our choices under $20!

Well, I'm sure I'll have more musings along these lines over the next few days, so stay tuned...

Manya

November 2010

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