Spandofashion takes a look back at the 60's through a modern lens. Peace, dude.

small updates to rowwest.com

Just added the padded shorts (finally) to a new Dragon Boat section of Row West.  On the main site, the menu is on the left.   Shirt info to come soon.

Also added a Quidditch section with a bit of info and some products to come soon.

Coming soon - Row West Designer Unis

Here's a quick preview of the first design that I'm going to offer in the unisuit section of rowwest.com.  I'll be working on new ideas all the time and posting them once I feel like they're good enough.  Next uni up will be "The Grid" (previewed already in this blog) with flourescent base tone.

I know that dye printed stretch gear has been growing in popularity and I'm happy to be able to do it.  I think that some uniforms are still best suited to cut and sew paneling, but dye printing opens a world of possibilities.   I don't want to just make 'crazy' spandex gear.  I want to make cool designs that are specifically tailored to the clothing - ie the difference between making a uni out of a crazy printed material vs actually designing where on the uni each element is going to go.   It's not an easy process and involves a lot of computer work but the end results will hopefully be worth it.

This is a front photo of Spirotechnic.  Will be available in two tone of your choice or full rainbow.  Centre of circle placement to be determined (still deciding what will look best)

Manufacturing! An inside look into the making of a Quidditch jersey.

Carleton Quidditch is unleashing the Raven and I'm happy to help them do it.

There is a whole other world out there on the water...

 I'm working hard to meet all my deadlines and get those web orders out the door, but I slipped in a quick dye-sublimation experiment today.   Guess what happens when you print black on top of flourescent?  Pure nerdy coolness.  Can't wait to do some more!  

Shawnigan head race - prelaunch

Early morning from the deck of the Shawnigan boathouse

Manufacturing Materials

Ideally I'd like to post a tour of my workshop on this blog but it's really too messy right now.  Instead, I'm posting  some images of the nooks of my workspace.

 This is the storage shelf for vinyl.   The long rolls are for decals - applications include lettering for vehicles or boats, decals for any smooth surface.   They work well for blade striping or adding a team logo to paddles and oar blades.  UVic Men use them on their oars.

These are some of my zippers for jackets and vests.   I use YKK zippers these days , after some bad trials with lesser brands.   It's pricey ordering hundreds of zippers at a time!   Right now I'm thinking about some cool jacket/zipper colour contrasts I saw at Mt Washington ski resort.