Tuesday, January 24, 2006


Juki DDL-555

By Bliss Man


Meet our Juki DDL-555. This is one of our two industrial sewing machines. Without it we would not be able to produce a fraction of the monsters that we do. It’s so good, it’s bad-ass good. Despite being able to do only one type of stitch (straight) it has the ability to do it well, consistently, and for a long, long time. Let’s just say it’s no sissy machine.

The Juki DDL-555 was a gift from my stepfather, Joe. I got it while I was in school studying fashion. At the time I didn’t appreciate having my own industrial sewing machine and opted to use the machines at school instead. Little did I know that I had a gem of a Juki just sitting in my living room.

Soon after school ended my mom threatened to sell it at one of our garage sales since I had been neglecting it. I was able to plead my case and promise to start making better use of it. Coincidently that’s when we started making monsters. And that’s when I discovered that I had the BEST machine ever! It’s true, we love it, our interns love it, it sews like a dream…and that’s just the way we like it. Thanks little Juki, we love you!



This Juki is old school. It was even made in Japan. Newer versions aren't anymore...they're made in China.


Juki even has a face.


Adam took this shot. He's much taller than me. This gives me a bit of a different perspective.


Dave chills out with me while I sew.


These markings help guide us while we sew. Our favourite is 1/4"seam allowance.


This is what I look at before I start sewing. Let's go!

I hope you enjoyed my little segment. I love my machine...it makes great monsters.

--b

Sunday, January 22, 2006

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Kimonoed!

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by Rhya

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“Choose one”

It was Sunday night, and I was thankful to be in the comfort of Yumiko’s warm apartment in Toronto’s west end.

“I can choose anyone? “

We were standing in front of a large chest of drawers in her living room. The second drawer down was open and filled with layers of beautiful textiles ranging from black and white hounds tooth, to deep denim, to printed silks and cottons. Had I not known better, I would have thought I had found a kindred fine-fabric collector in Yumiko, but I did know better. I knew that stacked and folded neatly in the drawer, was a lovely collection of kimonos.

You see, Yumiko is a professional Kimono Dresser or a Kitsukeginoshi, who has brought her business to Toronto after four years of Kimono dressing in Japan. I was over that evening to act as her kimono “Judy” of sorts, so she could give herself a little refresher in dressing, for some upcoming gigs she had booked.

I have always been a fan of the kimono, so when Yumiko mentioned that she needed a little practice, I was more than willing to help out. In fact, I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to try one on, especially since until that moment in Yumiko’s living room, I had only seen a full kimono in either movies or photos; and seriously, who wouldn’t jump at the chance to get fully decked out in such a wicked outfit!

“So which Kimono do you want to wear?”

It wasn’t an easy decision, but in the end I chose a vintage silk, wine colored kimono, that Yumiko matched with a beautiful hand painted purple obi. The entire dressing took around fifteen minutes, and I must have been her worst customer ever, since I kept squirming around every other second to try and see what she was doing. There were so many more steps than I had imagined: under dressing that added accent colour to the kimono near the neck and under the sleeves, padding to smooth out curves, and tons of belts to hold everything together.

When all was tied and tucked sufficiently into place, she brought out the mirror so I could see the finished product. I was totally taken aback. It was awesome! Admittedly a little tight around the diaphragm area and I had to take much smaller steps to dance about, but the obi kept me sitting and standing very straight. My posture has never been so perfect. I felt extremely elegant, and feminine. Yumiko had done a great job!



Getting out of the kimono was much quicker, and while Yumiko was folding all of the pieces back into a pristine pile, I had a chance to talk with her a little more about being a kimono dresser and her love of kimono in general.

Yumiko took her Kimono dressing classes in Kyoto, Japan, and then found an agent who would find her dressing jobs around the city. The reasons you might hire a Kimono dresser is to dress you for more formal occasions, such as weddings, funerals or the Seijinshiki, a Coming of Age ceremony, celebrated in Japan, when you turn twenty. To her own Seijinshiki, Yumiko told me that she wore a green Kimono that had intricate embroidered embellishments.

I was curious to find out if there were rules to follow when dressing someone in a kimono. Yumiko explained that there were not as many when it came to more “casual and modern” styles, but the traditional kimonos worn for more formal occasions, especially for weddings and funerals, came with many important steps to remember. She told me that as a Kimono dresser, one of the biggest mistakes she could make would be to fold the kimono collar in the wrong direction; a kimono that is folded with the right side over the left is for the dead, and the left over the right is for the living, to mess up this detail would be very bad.

She pointed out that the kimono style would also vary for seasonal reasons, for example a summer kimono or Yukata is made of much lighter material than a winter kimono and is usually worn with a thinner obi. Your marital status is another variable that might affect the style of kimono you wear. Single women wear a kimono called the Furisode, which has very long sleeves. Once married, women wear a style of kimono called the Houmonji, which has much shorter sleeves the Furisode.

The dressing time varies greatly as well, from 15 minutes, which is the time it took to dress me, to a half an hour for a more ceremonial kimono with a fancy obi knot, to around an hour for a wedding or uchikake kimono, which can require up to two people, with someone also doing the traditional hair and makeup. As for rates, I forgot to ask what Yumiko charged per dressing, but when I later looked on line I found prices that dressers that charged between $150US to $1000US per dressing.



By now, Yumiko had finished putting everything away, and had brought out some books for us to look at. One book was full of hundreds of different ways to tie the obi, such as the cho-cho obi, which is in the shape of a butterfly, or the “O Taiko” obi, that Yumiko had tied on me, which looks like a drum. She told me that as a kimono dresser, tying the obi is where you can sometimes take creative liberties, folding and sculpting them into incredible pieces of knotted art!

Yumiko also showed me a couple of books that demonstrated the differences between traditional and modern kimonos. The traditional kimono’s were indisputably gorgeous, covered with classic Japanese patterns, but it was the modern kimono’s that really made my head spin, especially those by kimono maker Ms. Mamechiyo. Mamechiyo has designed a whole new spectrum of prints for her kimonos and obi’s, using retro 60’s kitsch patterns like poodles to simple patterns of playful polka dots. Her updated and less formal kimono look, has begun a whole new resurgence of young people wearing kimono’s for fashions sake rather than just for the traditional occasions. Yumiko showed me her very own Mamechiyo obi, that had a fun pattern of a cat printed along it, and then let me borrow the Mamechiyo book.

Yumiko let me see a few more of her own personal kimono’s and explained that she really loved simple patterns and muted shades for her kimono’s, preferring the snaps and accents of colour to fall out from underneath the inside sleeves and to pop up from the collar. Choosing which colours and patterns to combine is one her favorite parts of putting together a kimono. She has already been out a few times in Toronto, sporting some of her stunning creations. When asked why she likes to wear Kimono’s so much, Yumiko replied that when you wear a kimono you can not be hurried, you have to relax, you experience time in a whole new way, since everything takes longer to do.

This statement really hit home for me, especially with the rush-rush pace of Toronto life. I love the idea of choosing an item of clothing from my wardrobe that would physically slow me down, making a Saturday stroll an even more splendid occasion.



It was at this point in the evening that I realized I was officially hooked on Kimono (especially since in my head, I was already scheming how I could get one of my own) and that I had completely lost track of time, and I had to be heading back out into frigid night, towards my own home.

“Hey is there such thing as a down Kimono, because I could certainly use one for the Canadian cold.”

Yumiko said she had never seen one. Hmm…maybe the Monster Factory can collaborate with Yumiko in designing some heavy-duty winter kimono’s, wouldn’t that be excellent? But I until that happens, I look forward to this spring and my Kimono date with Yumiko, where we will both be hitting the town fully decked out, right down to the tips of our zoris (a kimono sandal), and hopefully helping spread a little Kimono fashion fever right here in Toronto.

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Photo Op


Yumiko's collection of zoris and getas, the sandals that are worn with a kimono. I did a little research and it seems that the difference between the two is that the geta sandals, which were named after the "clack clack" sound they make, have a separate heel, where the zori sandals have a flat sole.


A collection of padding and Koshi-Himo belts, used for shaping and tying the obi into place.


Yumiko folding up the Koshi-Himo belts.


Yumiko's favorite pair of zori.


The sleeves that are attached by hand to the Hanjuban, which is like an wrap around undershirt worn under the Kimono.
The light sandy green coloured fabric belongs to the Susoyoke, which is the wrap skirt that is also worn under the kimono.
One can also wear a Nagajuban, which is essentially the Hanjuban and the Susoyoke combined.


The collar attached to the Hanjuban.


The hand painted detailing on obi done by Yumiko.


A close up of the vintage wine coloured kimono fabric, I wore.


Yumiko folding up the obi-age, a sash that ran along the top of the obi.


Obi-jime belt that is tied on around the obi.


Hint of colour peeking out of the kimono sleeve.


The O Taiko Obi.


Mixing it up.


Officially hooked on Kimono!


An example of Mamechiyo modern spin on the kimono.


Another example of a Mamechiyo kimono.

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Links

The Kimono has a very rich and full history, which is well documented on line and in your local library, but here are a few fun links I found interesting:

www.mamechiyo.jp
www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20050918x3.htm
www.japanesekimono.com

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

New Monsters on the Go!

Okay, it’s pretty early in the process but it’s safe to say that new monsters will soon be on their way. We are spending time this week working out some designs for new monster families. So far we are thinking “hearts and teeth” but beyond that we’ll just have to figure it out as we go along. If all goes well we plan to launch the new series in time for our winter studio sale. It’s going to be happening from February 11th to 13th so we will have to work quickly to meet the deadline, but ideally there will be three or four new additions to the monster world. We’ve attached a sneak peek of what direction the new line is going in:


Monday, January 16, 2006

The Monster Factory Year in Review.

January:
The Monster Factory spent last January recovering from our busy Christmas season, including our first One of a Kind Show. We lost little time starting up our production for the spring OOAK and by the end of the month we were in full swing.

Lucy the monster was featured in The Magazine Not for Adults.

February:
February was highlighted by our Valentine’s Day window display that we did for the store “Propaganda”. The store’s owner Regina, who we are all quite fond of, had seen our monsters during the winter and invited us to create something for her shop. We had a fun time displaying Mitch, Otis, and Lucy in and amongst several dozen plush hearts.

March:
Full steam ahead on One of a Kind Show production. We also were able to squeeze in just enough time to design two new monsters: the lovely Penny and the gigantic Philip. The spring OOAK began on the 24th and ran through Easter Weekend. The OOAK was definitely a great success. In stark contrast to the Christmas show there were actually enough monsters to last the entire show. Lucy and Otis were the big favourites, though we were proud of all our monsters.

April:
In retrospect we didn’t get much done in April, though we did buy our button maker.

May:
The big news of the month was our opportunity to move our studio into the Toronto Business Development Centre. This led Adam to decide that it was time to join Bliss as the second full-time monster partner, so he left his job at Moriyama & Teshima Architects. He’d been with the firm off and on for the past 11 years, so this was a big change. By the end of the month the Monster Factory itself had taken an equally big step and officially moved the studio to 1071 King Street West, Suite 106.

June:
Signing the lease was one thing, renovating the new studio was another. By mid-month we had finally wrapped up the long process of sanding, building, and painting so that our new home was ready for business.

No sooner had we settled in than Bliss was off on the Monster Factory’s first official business trip. She made a whirlwind visit to New York to attend “the Licensing Show”. If you get a chance, be sure to ask her about getting back home after her flight was cancelled.

July:
The beginning of the month was spent scrambling to get all our new monster prototypes designed and constructed for the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit. The show ran July 8th,9th, and 10th. It was our second year in the show and we had a great spot this year. There was a warm reception to many of our new monsters. From these prototypes we developed many of our new series, including the Substitutes, the Rangers, and Kevin and Dave.

July was also notable because it saw the beginning of this very blog. The first entry was posted on the 15th, documenting the TOAE.

August:
By August we had finally got our new digs into a state worthy of an “office warming” party. On August 19th our friends and family dropped in to celebrate our new home.

The rest of the month was spent working on the new monsters and preparing illustrations for our first t-shirts.

September:
September saw the Monster Factory officially add fifteen new monsters to our roster: the Rangers, the Substitutes, the Sugars, Kevin and Dave, and the Monsternauts all had their patterns sent off to the cutters.
Bliss got a serger for her birthday which we plan to make good use of.

We were also pleased when several monsters were featured in the covet section of Dose.

October:
October was a busy month. We were invited to speak to the first year fashion students at Ryerson University about operating a small business. Shortly thereafter we welcomed two workstudy students from Ryerson’s Fashion program into the studio. Xandra and Najeha have been wonderful additions to the Monster Factory and we wish that they needed even more workstudy hours.

We also met another group of students from Ryerson’s Image Arts program who asked us if they could work with the Monster Factory as part of their fourth year New Media studies. Katy, Ping, and Anita are right now working on two new websites, one dedicated to the Sugars and one to house Kevin’s Sketchbook.

A real highlight of the month was an interview that we gave to Jakob Tanner from the Toronto Star’s Brand New Planet section. We all found Jakob to be quite charming and enjoyed answering his questions.

The later part of the month was focused on getting ready for our October 26th launch party. All the new monsters and our first t-shirts and buttons were revealed to the world at an event at the Gladstone Hotel. The weeks leading up to that night were nerve-wracking because we were using an unproven (to us at least) silkscreening process on all the new monsters. We were so glad to see that the printing worked out even better than we had hoped for.

The new monsters we launched were: Douglas, Kyle, Kevin, Dave, Bobby 5, Dr. Bog, Mr. Munk, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Chow, Patty, Paula, Francine, Matthew, Bengie, and Troy.

Immediately following the launch party we turned our attention to the busiest task of our year: preparing for the Christmas One of a Kind Show.

November:
November was a very focused month. There is not too much to report other than One of a Kind madness. Two exceptions were the November 10th publication of Jakob’s article and our construction of the “Little Drips”. We made the drips for a company called Splashworks as their holiday giveaway. They saw us at the Outdoor Art Show and commissioned 175 of the little critters.

November 24th finally saw the start of the OOAK. We were not as prepared as we would have liked, but we were better off than last year. All in all we made over a thousand monsters for Christmas and we would not have been able to do so without quite a bit of help. The monster heroes of the season were:

Our workstudy students, Xandra and Najeha, who did a great job sewing monsters, both we very quick learners. They have been a great fit at the studio so far.

Bliss’ cousin Diane who transported monsters to the show everyday and did anything else that needed to be done.

Our new friend Yumiko who is the world’s greatest stitcher-upper and who gave us all great haircuts one day.

Adam’s brother Matthew who helped us numerous times making trips to the cutters and screeners.

Adam’s mom Pat who flipped and stuffed innumerable monster arms.

Bliss’ family - Mary, Joe and Adrianna – who spent quite a while cutting monster parts.

Rhya’s sister Kaurel who helped us stitch up monsters and gave a hand driving our stuff around.

We also received help from Rhya’s boyfriend Kyle (who is always looking out for the MF), and our friends Carly, Dimitris, Caley, Jen, Cindy, Lindsay and Tomislava.

Oh, and we almost forgot. Somewhere in all the madness we had time to make a series of five monsters for C1 Art Space’s show the “Shelf Project”. The “Field Life” were conceived in a mad weekend rush, though we were all quite pleased with how they turned out.

December:
December 1st was the opening of Magic Pony’s Partridges and Pear Trees show. We made “Beatrice” the monster for the occasion and we were happy to hear that a monster fan took her home for Christmas. It was a very nice show that included work from some of our favourite artists.

The OOAK wrapped up on the 4th, giving us just enough time to catch our collective breath and prepare for the D.U.D.E. show. Taking place at the Latvian House on College, the D.U.D.E. is one of our favourite shows of the year. This year’s installment was a lot of fun and would have bee a nice way to end the Christmas season… except that one of us had the idea to hold a studio sale on the 19th & 21st.

On December 10th Lucy the monster appeared in the Globe and Mail in an article about cool toys.

And finally (thank goodness) on December 21st we wrapped up our last official day at the Monster Factory for 2006. It was a good year for the MF. We would like to thank everyone who helped us along the way and everyone who loves monsters.


Preview for next year:

Drawings, music, Sasquatches!

Saturday, January 14, 2006


The Monster Factory Likes Sasquatches.

The MF has decided to incorporate more Sasquatch in our daily operations. We think it's a very wise decision.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Robbery at the Factory!

Today is a dark day at the Monster Factory. Our office is currently a crime scene. A bunch of our stuff is no longer our stuff. Drats. It's good luck that we take our laptops home otherwise we would be in serious trouble. Nonetheless we're pretty bummed out. Our most noticeable loss was Adam's Wacom tablet screen, which won't be replaced anytime soon. There were also several monsters who did not survive the incident. They were unfortunately resting in front of the window that was broken into and are now covered in glass and dirt. We were going to post our official crime scene photos but after we took them we realized that the usb cable for our new camera was stolen (as was our old camera) so that post will have to wait until we can get our pictures on to a computer...

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

The Monster Factory Returns from Vacation.

As anyone who has attempted to reach us for the past couple of weeks already knows, we actually took a few days off over the Holidays this year. That snapped a streak of 64 consecutive days at work for both Rhya and Bliss (Adam got lazy and took time off with the flu). So the rest was well needed, and hopefully well deserved. We would like to thank everyone who made this past year so busy for us by taking such an interest in the monsters. Later this week we will be posting a 'year in review' / 'preview of the year to come', but for tonight we would just like to let everyone know that we're back in action and looking forward to a new year of monsters.