Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Burning the candle at both ends


From Drop Box
Wow this summer has barely started and already I feel it moving so quickly by me.  I thought I would handle all my classes, new job and outside work a little better but I'm not doing so hot.  I feel super strung out and particularly zombiesque.

Not that it is affecting the quality of what I teach.  It's just by the end of classes I have nothing left for myself, boyfriend or Kilala the cat.  Yesterday was supposed to be my "free" day, which was spent slaving away in the basement catching up on sewing for clients, prepping patterns for CE classes and organizing my lists for this coming week of High School Fashion workshop.  I thought I would veg out with Buffy do a little crafting for the 4th of July but nope after all that stuff I was hooked onto my computer prepping my submission for the Hand and Lock and not to mention Updating my Model Mayhem while I was at it which I couldn't even finish the credits which will have to be another night since I replaced nearly half the photos.

Anyways next summer I probably will not be doing the Highschool workshop since It would take away my vacation days.  Instead I will just do College Preview and my normal CE classes hopefully not clumped together into one month.

So here are the Final photos that I am about to Submit for that "Hand and Lock" Competition.






Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Just a personal Note and "Billy Would"

Nothing serious just very excited for my trip to Toronto this weekend to visit Cousins.  I have a lot of cousins I think I counted around 21 first cousins on my Dad's side alone.  I am probably only going to be seeing 8 or 9 this weekend not to mention their kids and spouses.  It always seem to be a mix of extremes between families, where you either love your cousins or you just don't care very much or loathe them.  Even i feel this.  I love love love to death my Cousins on my Dad's side but on my Mom's side it get's very hairy.  Some of them I enjoy while others just make me wonder how in the world we are related whatsoever.

This is going to be a very happy trip though!  For the first time in a long while I am going up to visit without my parents or brothers and driving up with my cousin from Columbus Christina whom I never get to spend time with even though we live in the same city.  It is also for once not a Wedding nor Funeral so we can relax and be ourselves and not worry about what our parents, aunts and Uncles are thinking of us and what we are wearing.  There was a bit of controvesy at my Grandma's funeral.  My make up was too bright, I should of worn something more conservative instead of a maxi dress and my Uncle from Vancouver had no suitable dress clothes according to his sister in law my Aunt in Niagra.  It was sort of silly to watch hime get re-dressed and sighs of disapproval even though it was his twin brother's clothes.

Up till my Grandma's Funeral I had no inkling of what my Cousins in Vancouver were up to.  They were always the mystical Chung's that were off in that far far away land.  Then we I finally got to re-meet my cousin Adea I found that Art does run in the family more then I had expected.  Her father, my Uncle Tom is a woodcarver in the Yukon and I've always known this.  I met them once before that I can remember.  He was on this ridicuolus road trip from Vancouver to Mexico to Ohio then I think they went to Toronto and back to Mexico before going back to Vancouver.  At that time I only had two cousins by him Adea and Ian.  I remember them bringing us the most random awesome presents, Mexican woven wall hangings, bear skin rug and various other trinkets.  My cousins were learning Violin and had to sleep in this weird semi lifted space that my Uncle made in the back of the van but the only way in was a trap door unless the back doors were open.  It was a bit terrifying, not for the claustrophobic at all.  But those were my only memories of them until Grandma's funeral.  We were over 150 Chung's strong in representation at the Funeral.  That alone was amazing almost like a family reunion. 

Whilst there I find out that my Cousin Adea has her own reclaimed wood jewelry company called Billy Would and like me she is very into the craft scene and her sister's and other brother whom I never met also have a bit of the Art bug.  AMAZING to get to know them this way.  I look forward to getting to know them more in the years to come and making a trip to Vancouver in the next two years.
 Selections from Adea's Website "Billy Would"

Monday, June 14, 2010

Things to learn

I feel like there are so many things out in the world that I want to learn still that don't even neccessariliy have to do with fashion at all or clothing.
I've been purusing my favorite Japanese book resource and it just inspires me to get in touch with the smaller crafts that I used to do such as beading and making little toys.  I found that I really like to do some paper art too but nothing to sell just for scrapbooking and cards for friends and family.  I feel like there are people that do a much better job at paper craft such as Poshta a local Columbus friend and member of the Craft Cotillion.  Aside from all that I still want to learn to do paper cutting!

These are from Famille Summerbelle

It is such a beautiful and delicate art.  I can do the origami but this is so vastly different.  It reminds me of a mixutre of pattern drafting and drawing.  On a whim this weekend I stopped into Utrecht and bought some random supplies.  Two small square canvas' maybe 8x8", paintbrush cleaner jar and a nice new razor blade by Olfa!   Olfa is an amazing company for cutting utensils.  I have a few of their rotary blades, rulers and self healing pads for my sewing/fashion supplies.

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

All the Shorties

With summer pretty much here I've been on the hunt for some shorts that are not "short short" something a little more grown up and classy looking. The hunt has not been going so well suffice to say. At least not in my budget range. I was fortunate enough to pick up these sweet Seneca Rising Shorts (which you can find here) In a foam green color. I was lucky enough to get them also locally at Brigade in the Short North During their 40% off flash sale at the most recent Gallery Hop.



Aside from these I haven't found anything that I am dying to buy. For some reason shorts have gotten shorter. The ones I do have look silly with my oversized dolman shirts and long shark bite tanks because you can't see them and it looks like I am wearing nothing for the bottom. I've tried to go the bike short route via American Apparel but I can only do that so much without feeling like a broken record from the early 90's.

So as you can guess I'll be making some shorts for myself this summer. Hopefully I will have the time and strength to accomplish this between my classes so that I'll actually have things to wear. I'm taking a lot of inspiration from the descriptions of riding skirts in this book I have been reading "A New Spring" by Robert Jordan (yes let's all laugh at the fantasy fiction geek). Anyways here are some pictures I found that I am taking inspiration from.


All of these shorts were found at Shopbop

I love the drape in all of them and I've noticed that there isn't a lot of structure in the sewing as shorts normally have had.  Which is very good for the drape to get that nice flow to the fabric.  I also like that there is a lot of elastic for the waistbands to help with the gathering.  Also because I'm lazy and I get annoyed having to unbutton and unzip shorts since they are already much less fabric to work with.  Not to mention doing button holes in a drapey garment are a big pain and all that interfacing to calculate in is completely the opposite of easy breezy summer sewing.
Oh and I had this really weird blogger nightmare/dream about Sea of Shoes and her mother.  I was hired to be a Nanny for the weekend and just kind of hung out with them and went to do their errands like picking up food and helping picking accessories for their blog shoots and playing with the dogs.  No idea why.  I didn't even read her blog yesterday at all!

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

June Riots!

Sorry I have been behind on the blogging and especially on OTD's but as I mentioned before with lack of camera it has been painful.

Also I have been extremely busy with my teaching at CCAD.  Let me tell you when it rains it pours but in the good way for me.  I am teaching both the Beginning Pattern Drafting and Construction class as well as my newly approved Draping into Pattern and Fabric Manipulation Class.  Both of which are completely full with waiting lists once again.  It's no joke with the waiting lists either.  Today is the second night teaching and first night of the pattern class and I had someone drop this afternoon and a few hours later the spot was filled.  I am supposed to be maxed out at 15 students but I have 16 in each one!  It is madness in a most delightful way.  I even have the pleasure of using a TA which they don't usually allow for Continuing Education classes.  Even more Lucky for me it is my FAVORITE T.A. Tosha who has her own fabulous blog called The Pop Bang Fizz
On the down side I will not have a life for the next month as I work my 8-5 monday-friday and then immediately teach 6:20-9:45 monday-thursday.
Back on the bright side I was approved for two sewing machines for my classes exclusively!  I got them both from Westerville Sew N Save (whom I will do a little intro post later).  I got two Brother Innovis 80's.  Something about these electronic machines are easier for the high school students to understand and work with. 

I got new cards ordered from Moo.com again.  I had been dragging my feet on it and thankfully so since I was able to hold out for another photo shoot with the fantastic Mr. Chip Willis (NSFW).  I also have some reprints from Adam Leigh Manuell and one from my first shoot with Matthew Roharik

Since I can't get a lot of sewing accomplished while I focus on teaching I might be able to get my website updated finally after ummm.......... 7 years? ohhh that's been a while.

From the Rare Book Room


A co-worker at the library shared with me this lovely little treasure of books/magazines we have at the State Library of Ohio in the rare books rooms called "Godey's Lady's Book" The one pictured is actually a new collected works copy which you can find on my favorite book store Amazon (insert monty python holy grail animation of flags apathetically saying "yah").

These books are far from an apathetic "yah" they are a crafter's and sewer's delight! 

Once again you must excuse the uber craptastic photos since I am still official camera-less and using my DS and Droid to do what I must.
From Drop Box
From Drop Box
From Drop Box
From Drop Box
From Drop Box
From Drop Box
From Drop Box