Category Archives: Sophster-Toaster Brand

Shutterbug Skirt Two Ways

Posted on March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

I know I say this a lot, but I think this new skirt is my favourite thing I’ve ever made. I saw it as a shorter length skirt from day one but I was nervous about making such a full skirt hemmed about knee length, and I started to doubt myself. I ultimately decided to trust my instincts, and I’m so glad I did! I actually love the cut, drape and silhouette of this vintage cameras print skirt in the shorter, mini length so much, I decided to give it two photo sets: one with light pairings and one with dark.

Figuring I’m in a unique position of being able to make two nearly identical outfits in opposing colours with my natural cotton and black coloured Coffee Tees, I took the opportunity to try both out and see which I preferred. I definitely felt more confident and more like myself in the black – believing it to be more my colour – but I think I actually like the light outfit better when looking back at the photos.

Skirt Sophster-Toaster
Light Tee Sophster-Toaster
Light Shoes ModCloth
Dark Tee Sophster-Toaster
Dark Shoes ModCloth

All photos by me.

Spring Bloom: the Margaret Dress

Posted on March 1, 2018March 13, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

I wrote, earlier in the week, about my new design process. Basically, I’ve decided to no longer sacrifice anything for speed and efficiency, to keep the end cost down, and instead make all new clothing this year true to my vision. This means more sizes, more fabric, more interesting t-shirt inks, more everything. The second piece to come out of this year’s new philosophy is the new Margaret Dress and I’m absolutely in love with it.

I’ve also decided this year, to reduce my four seasons of annual new designs to two, alternating spring and fall one year with summer and winter the next, to spend more time focusing on each. I’ve been planning this spring season since Christmas but I just started sewing and making new print screens. I’ve felt so inspired, creative and charged with positive energy since I started bringing these new pieces to life a couple of weeks ago, that I feel like I’m blooming right along side the snowdrops in my front garden. I have one more skirt, one more dress, a t-shirt, a tank, and, for the first time, a children’s t-shirt in the works for spring, then it’s on to getting a jump-start on fall designs. I couldn’t be more excited for all the work the lies ahead of me.

Dress Sophster-Toaster
Shoes ModCloth
Ring old

Pepper’s Bandana Sophster-Toaster

All photos by me.

Tea Rex Skirt

Posted on February 27, 2018March 13, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

I’ll be doing things a little differently this year. Instead of trying to keep all of my new designs under a certain price point, and sacrificing exciting options and features to accomplish this, I’m going to make things the way I want and let them cost what they cost. With my first new skirt of the season, this meant doing things like using more fabric to make a fuller skirt, taking more time to line the skirt with lots of voluminous voile for a fuller, softer silhouette, and improving my patterns to include 2X and 3X as size options. In other years, I may have skipped the lining, or offered a more limited size range, to keep the cost of my materials and labour down when it came time to determine how much I need to charge for my work; this year, I’m doing things differently – and I’m so pleased with how this piece turned out!

Of course, all of my older designs will continue to be available at their original price points and I will still strive to make a variety of items that range from lovely, but labour intensive dresses to high quality, screen printed tees to the accessories that I make with fabric salvaged from the leftover scraps of those dresses. I hope that new and returning customers and admirers alike will see the benefits and the importance of this type of ethically minded, eco-friendly slow fashion and be there with me as I hope to make some of my best work yet!

T-shirt Sophster-Toaster
Skirt Sophster-Toaster
Shoes ModCloth
Necklace Craft Arts Market / Emery & Opal
Earrings old

All photos by me.

Winter White

Posted on January 11, 2018March 13, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

I never quite know what colours to love in winter. All the soft sundresses and bright blouses of spring and summer have been put away for the season. The deep, rich mustard, maroon, navy and emerald tones of fall are getting tired. Warm, winter clothes seem to only be made in dull, muddy colours that match the slush outside the door – and get boring so quickly.

It’s this time of year, that I always start to flirt with winter white and the first pastels of spring. It’s like hitting refresh on your wardrobe, starting back at the beginning and getting ready to begin sneaking the spring clothes back out.

Dress Sophster-Toaster
Tights ModCloth

All photos by me.