Last of the Summer Wine

Thank you to everyone who came to West Elm this past Saturday in Seattle. It was a great turnout and beautiful weather to boot! As a result, I am nearly sold out on leather cuffs and appreciated hearing the feedback on the brand-new leather notebook cover.

The SIGIL studio is currently in full restock mode in prep for Fall and we will be taking a short break in September to travel to Iceland for some much-needed inspiration and travel time. Upon my return I will be gearing up for the HP Lovecraft film festival taking place in Portland, OR in early October. If you live in the Northwest I highly recommend attending.

Speaking of travel, look out for another new addition to the SIGIL family specifically to house and protect your passport…

As we look to Fall, expect some exciting updates including production of the long awaited tote bag.

Until then…

-Anita / SIGIL

Happy Belated Solstice

It’s been a very long time since my last blog post. We’ve changed seasons, Solstice has come and gone, yet here in Seattle, the summer has been blissfully cool so far (great for working in the studio!) Creating is the excuse for not blogging, and I’m stubbornly sticking to it.

Some developments are on the not-so-faint horizon, most notably the newest SIGIL campaign, TRIBE. I am keeping the details unwraps for the moment, but I’m finalizing three key pieces that will drive this exciting collection. Expect a release date this Winter and more news as this exciting project unveils. This is by far the largest endeavor for SIGIL this past two years, and I feel so much has been leading up to this moment. Stay tuned!

I have dropped prices of a few of the original SIGIL carry-all pouches and cinch sacks featuring Pendleton wool on the Etsy site. This will mostly affect the previous season plaid, as most of these are no longer available. Eventually the wool and leather pouches will be kept to 2-3 colors to make room for newer SIGIL styles, so get them at this new lower price while still available.

Lastly, a brand new SIGIL bag is being sampled as I write this that will ready to release by next week at the very latest.

Thank you for joining us and watch this space for summer developments!

Best,

Anita / SIGIL

April 2016 Vending Events

As we enter spring, there are a few chances to catch SIGIL in Seattle in the flesh! I will be vending with the one and only Seidr Studio on Sunday, April 10th at Fremont Sunday Market from 10am – 4pm. We were forced to cancel March 13th due to stormy weather, so come on down and see us on the 10th.

SIGIL will be up on Capitol Hill at the Sole Repair Shop on Sunday, April 17th 1pm – 4pm as part of Seattle Makers Market. Check out the event page and details here.

SIGIL joins Seattle Made

SIGIL is proud and honored to be awarded membership into Seattle Made. Seattle Made is an urban manufacturing alliance started by a collective of Seattle-based producers and manufacturers with a mission to support and provide valuable networking opportunities to grow as independent makers and strengthen the community.

Check out the SIGIL profile online! http://www.seattlemade.org/manufacturers/sigil/

Anita

Spring ’16 SIGIL Updates

Some updates for Spring ’16!

SIGIL will be expanding the line to bring you wearable art.. Perfect for warmer days and lighter evenings..

I will also be creating a line of one-off versions of existing designs, using fabric and hide combinations that are very limited in quantity. A fun, experimental twist to existing styles.

Look for these and more developments in March and April!

Anita

Spring Colors vs Holding onto the Dark

There is a real struggle for any woman of the dark when warmer days arrive and the time comes to not only lighten ones wardrobe in fiber count, but decide whether to lighten up in color too. Fortunately, black summer dresses are a safe option, but in the process of creating accessories, as winter sheds its heavy coat, I’m noticing a desire to experiment with lighter shades while adopting the challenge of maintaining brand identity. Can this be done?

The key to this, as with any brand, is allowing the stretching of ones’ wings with a little experimentation and room to breathe new life into an established framework to prevent stagnation. SIGIL is a new brand, but even new designs need freshening throughout the year.

True to the inspiration of SIGIL, I concluded a turning of the soil builds strength and freshening up is therefore in the works. The key is pace and a steady progression is the recipe.

Check out the Etsy store for new, lighter shades as the world slowly wakes up and sheds its outer layer. 2016 SIGIL has many bold plans in the horizon, but it’s time to ease into these ideas by taking “bold” tiny steps away from the dark.

-Anita

Tea Staining & Collaboration

SIGIL just celebrated one year last Fall, so come November it was time to embark on the first artist collaboration.

Jason Soles, also based in Seattle, has many years experience as a sculptor and creator of resin replica skulls (if you are unfamiliar, take a look at his work at his Etsy store).

Being that I have a background in apparel yet primarily now work in leather, I was craving an outlet for using fabric, coupled with leather and harder textures to create a wearable landscape previously not explored by either Jason Soles nor I.

Taking a look at our individual skill set, we distilled aspects of our distinct styles and designed a pair of Extra Large linen scarves in black and tea-stained, the latter of which was an adventure in old-world techniques. Sticking to SIGIL’s focus on natural fabrics, we chose a medium-weight cream linen and researched natural staining methods. To obtain the deep neutral tone that you see in the photograph above, we added coffee and went thrift shopping for the largest cooking pot we could find. Not to mention 40 tea bags…

Letting our “brew” steep overnight on the stovetop with a low heat (the kitchen smelled divine), the following morning we pulled the 2 yards of very wet, but fantastically tanned fabric (see above). Now what to do?

Yes, squeeze and ring out every possible drop (it felt like 5lbs..) – not as easy as it sounds.

We left the damp fabric to drip dry another night, then folded it over a towel rail to settle. The variations in the hues showed themselves as the fabric slowly dried.

Next up: preparing the leather, measuring the fabric, ironing (numerous times, thank you linen) and constructing the pieces. In addition to collaborating on the fabric:leather designing, Jason contributed (and hand-drilled) resin replica quail bird skulls for stitching on one end of the scarves as a “fringe”. Gives a new definition to “Dark Boho”.

 

After a full day of construction, Voila! We have the SIGIL/Jason Soles collaboration of a one-of-a-kind Fall/Winter designer scarf, hand-dyed, bearing a respectable weight and length at a finished length of approx. 1.5 yards x 12.5″ wide.

You can find the finished scarf on the SIGIL Etsy store as well as the black linen companion we did.

More collaborations are in the works for 2016! Stayed tuned…

Anita / SIGIL