Solo Exhibit: AG Mode (With Giveaway!)

Few items have elicited the kind of overwhelming  response that AG Mode’s pink lariat scarf did when I featured it in my Tying Up Loose Ends exhibit. Let me refresh your memory:

The creative mastermind behind this and many other gorgeous accessories is Andrea.  Her shop’s tagline couldn’t be more appropriate:  Art to Glam.   Just look at this beautiful and delicate Carilo Lace Bolero.

While you’re being wowed by the artistry of the finished products,  take a moment to realize that Andrea designs all of them herself.  You’ll see from her interview that she is so open and generous, so it’s not at all surprising that she makes these designs available to you by way of PDF patterns both for knitting and crocheting.

Here’s a classically beautiful scarf  in a mocha and cream tweed yarn that would go with absolutely everything you own.  Yes, you.   Look how thick and gorgeous the texture is. That’s a result of a Tunisian crochet stitch which Andrea is helping to rescue from obscurity.

Violet loves scarves, but considering she once closed her scarf in the dishwasher door, a neck warmer is a smarter and safer choice.  This beauty is also made using the Tunisian stitch.

Violet isn’t the only one singing Andrea’s praises.  Just recently, this stunning dress  took  second prize in the 2009 Crochet Guild of America Design Contest, during the Summer Knit and Crochet Show held in Buffalo, NY!

Despite the fact that Andrea had to (as she so charmingly put it) “squeeze her vocabulary” to answer our interview questions, she gamely did so.  Read on to learn about her in her own words.

When did you first begin on Etsy? How did you decide to set up shop there?

I opened my Etsy shop about a year ago. I listed my first patterns on September and one of those was very successful during the last winter.

In your shop profile, you say you’ve been surrounded by fabrics, yarn, lace and more since you can remember. Is fashion a family tradition for you?

Yes, I grew up in a family in which needlecraft were part of our daily life. My mom was very handy with hooks and needles and had a pretty good eye when it came to creating either garment or accessories for me and my brother. Also my aunt was a seamstress; she had her own design studio at the back of our house. That studio was very inspirational to me; it was like having a treasury chest but just bigger. Fashion and pattern magazines, fabrics, notions, bags of scraps…, everything you can imagine had a space in that studio.

You got your degree in Fashion Design from the University of Buenos Aires focusing on lingerie. Could you tell us a little about your journey from lingerie to the work you do now? (And about your journey from Argentina to the Bay Area!)

Fashion Design as a career gives me the skills to focus throughout all the technical aspects involved in the design process as a business. I’ve been particularly interested in the lingerie process for a very long time; I chose to study it more in depth taking specific courses and after College I worked with the Product Development team in a lingerie company.
I focused on lingerie construction because of its very intricate look from the construction point of view, the fitting, fabric selection, the shape and the comfortability to name some aspects. Most important to me is how I can translate those qualities when I create another wearable piece.
Oh well… Living in the USA was quite a real change at so many levels of our lives. Living here opens up a new spectrum of possibilities, language, culture, food, architecture… it’s a delightful experience to say the least.

You are a member of CCCoE, Spanglish, and EtsyFAST teams. For those who might not be familiar with Etsy Teams, could you explain a little bit about what they are and how you benefit from being a part of them?

Belonging to an Etsy team gives me the advantage of bounding with fellow etsyans who share some kind of similarities with me. It’s a great community to network with; we share marketing ideas to grow our businesses, we discuss and plan strategies of how to bring our products to the cyber customers and more, in a very friendly environment.
CCCoE team is a California based team and has a big Bay Area/ Sacramento community. Spanglish team is a very special group. We share the Spanish language which for some of us is our first language and for other members is their second one. With Etsyfast team members I share the passion for the fiber as art, the textures, the colors…

What is your favorite item to make? Is it the process of creating it or the finished product that makes it so special for you?

I love accessories, they are fun to handmade and they could be either subtle or show stoppers, can be combined with different outfits, they are key elements in our wardrobes.
It’s both! It’s a rewarding feeling. I love trying different techniques in an unusual way to get a completely new look. Lately I’ve been focusing my attention on the Tunisian crochet; technique that has been kind of overlooked for decades and now is becoming more popular. Add also the fabulous yarns and threads that we can find at the yarn store and you’ll need more hours in the day to play with them…
In my case the first idea is not literally reflected in the final project. Design concept grows, evolves along the process, takes new shapes and stages and you adapt to them, is the design sometimes who “tells” me the direction that needs to be taken.

Now, before I announce this giveaway, I’m going to put on some earmuffs because I just know the collective squeeee coming from the internet is going to be deafening.  Andrea is giving away one of her pink lariat scarves to one lucky Stalker!  To enter, pop on over to AG Mode then come back here and leave a comment with your favorite item.  One winner to be chosen at random next Sunday, August 30th.

Happy Stalking!
Curator V.