I haven't updated in a long time, but I have been so busy! I started interning with Cynthia Rowley last week, and it has been really great. It's a very hands on internship, and I spend a lot of time making patterns, cutting fabric, and sometimes even contributing my thoughts/creativity towards designs for the Fall 09 collection - which will show on Feb 16th! I also run around the garment district a lot, picking up fabrics, trims, etc. For the most part I go to places I am pretty familiar with such as Mood, B&J, etc - but every now and then I get to discover a new hidden gem I didn't know about, that will come in veeeeeeeeeerrrrr handy in my future as a designer - such as Global Leathers! They are located at and have so many thousands of different leather skins. I'm not a huge leather person, being very pro-animal rights, vegan, and all that - but I'm not totally against using it for fashion, I do own a pair of leather boots - and appreciate it's beauty when used in the right garment. It's an issue I'm torn on I guess. You'll never see me doing a full leather collection or anything, but I'm not totally opposed to it - that's what I mean. I love that at CR they get most of their stuff from the garment district instead of ordering online or something. It's really important to support these small businesses in New York - where all this started. It makes me happy to be lifted up 10 stories in a rickety elevator - sometimes accompanied by a doorman cranking a wheel - sometimes left to my own devices to find my way up there - to find a floor packed full of beautiful fabrics and some old polish man handing me my stuff in a plastic bag. It's amazing.

Before I came back here, I spent 3 weeks with my family and friends in Michigan for the holidays. I had a lot of fun, but also did some work. I did a photo shoot with Lisa Belzak as my model, Josh Band took my photos, and Sandi Alfani did my hair and makeup. We arent totally done editing the shots, but here are a few of them!


















I will post a bunch more very soon - we took 550 photos and have to edit them down. :)
It was such a blast and Josh, Lisa and Sandi were a true dream team to work with. I plan on working with them in the future!

I'm on this kick of recycling men's flannels and dress shirts...

I know the collar thing is probs getting old, but what can I say, I love a big collar to duck behind when needed.



More fitted.... made to fit me. :)

Whew, where has time gone! I have one more week of school, but today was the last day of Draping, my most important and most challenging class. Here are photos of my term garment!

(And I got an A on it. ) Even though the faux leather and the studs on the jacket kind of reacted weirdly. The pleather kind of stretched in a weird way on the collar. But my prof was awesome about it and said I never could have forseen that, and that my design was fantastic. She even got all misty-eye'd today saying she was so proud of us and couldn't believe how good we've all gotten. Awe, it was cute.

Anyway the outfit,

It looks waaay cuter on a person. And tomorrow I get to see it on a person who isn't me! I was selected as one of the designs to be worn by a real model from basic model management in a photo shoot being put on as a final project by the photography majors tomorrow. :)

dress front

The leopard is actually a crinkly taffeta-silk. the photos don't do it justice. And the boob part is like a pinstripe black and white....then the brown is the faux leather.



dress back



Dress w/jacket
Jacket is ultra suede + Faux leather and is fully lined on the inside with the same pinstripe as on the bodice on the dress. The studs are the real deal, and are really heavy.



2 rows of studs on each sleeve + studs all the way round the collar. The killer was that I actually had twice as many studs on the collar, but then didn't like how it looked, removed them all and repositioned them. And that my friends, is why I have bloody stumps for fingers.

But man, that A was WORTH IT. haha.

Models, Photographer, make-up/hair artist needed! MICHIGAN location.

I'm looking for a photographer and MODELS and possible hair/make-up artist for a fun photo shoot, that will take place in Michigan some time around the end of December/early Jan. You do not need to have any modeling experience, but not be shy - interesting looks/personalities preferred. ;) Email me at kellylynnetinsley@gmail.com for more info and if you have any questions about this excellent opportunity for fun and fashion fabulousness. For links to recent work check out
http://www.kellylynne.com/blog/blog.html or
http://flickr.com/photos/kellylynne/sets/72157606203432224/

Recycled fashion! My dad gave me some of his old flannel shirts. On this one I cut off the sleeves and turned one of them into a collar. Then I cut the buttons off the center of the front, and sewed them on the back. I took in the sides and put pleats in the center of the front and back and wa-lah!

Alot has been going on, so I haven't been able to update. My grandma, Doris Bednarczyk passed away at the age of 89 on Saturday. It was very very sad, but I was glad I was able to be in Michigan that weekend and see her and talk to her before she passed. I will miss her forever. :(

On the bright side, On Monday I was hired as an Intern for Cynthia Rowley! I'm super excited! Cynthia is a very successful business woman, as well as an amazing designer. I only recently discovered the "Swell" line of towels, soaps and other cute things sold at Target are hers! I had no idea! I know I bought some of those products while I was living in Michigan.
And then there are beautiful things going down the runway at fashion week such as these babies from Fall '08.....

Things are going to get a lot more exciting in my little studio!

My mom and dad got me this beautiful baby for my birthday this year!
Fun times to come...

vintage halloween

I have been collecting vintage halloween stuff... there is more on my flickr site. I also went to the NYPL pictures floor and checked out 60 old photographs that i'm going to scan. I just think they are fantastic.

My midterm for draping is tomorrow. We are supposed to drape a halloween costume. But we can't tell anyone what it's going to be. We are graded on the drape, which we do in a fabric that is not the actual costume...then we take the drape home and make a costume, fully sewn, and bring it in next week for a Halloween party. This is the most fun final I've ever had at FIT. The most non-serious final, at that. We have to turn in a sketch of what we are going to do to the teacher. Here is mine. I'm going to be IVY from the Batman Comics. I have never worked with spandex before, I'm a little scared! I know I can do it though. I have faith. ;)

sleepless nights

Some of the project I have to do at school don't involve actual sewing, but more art design. Here is a project I just finished. It took me soooo long to do. The hardest part is the rendering of the fabrics. Its really hard to draw houndstooth when you have to cover an entire jumper! But I'm proud of the way it turned out. It gets graded today, so we'll see if my professor thinks the same.
The cover page is the fabrications and mood/inspiration page, followed by a 12 look line. This is essentially my dream sportswear collection - lets hope I have the funds to make these one day!