Bad Blogger!

*EDIT* If you read the Blog before this then you will see I truly am a bad blogger repeating myself in my excitement. D'oh!   if not then read this and forget the one before hand.  Sorry my thoughts are everywhere *END EDIT*

I'm trying really hard not to fall into that but I have been working furiously since Thursday on my DIY class schedule that I am launching in the next week!

I am super excited and this is really going to be interesting!  I'm trying to teach DIY classes for sewing, knitting, crochet that no one else in the area is doing.  It's very delicate to not step on the toes of other local store owners who also teach classes.  I am gearing mine more towards adults and making all classes BYOB to help enforce the age range I am hitting.  So far a lot of my boutique owner friends have been super supportive and think it will fill a good niche for the Short North.  I  have so many fun ideas and then of course I want to have basic classes every month.  I'm sure some projects people will want to do over but I'll wait and see what the wait lists if any are like on those.

Some of the things I'll be teaching are:
Making your own leggings
How to use a serger
Stitch N' Bitch Mimosa Sundays
Mohawk Hunter Hat
Beginning Knitting
Writing your own Knitting pattern
Amigurami
Beginning sewing
Stained glass ( I know it's not sewing but it's still a Craft that I can share that I know pretty well)
Sewing Panties and Boxers 101
and lot's more..................

Sorry this was a bit wordy but I promise in this next week you will have a Project Runway review or two, OTD's, Truth and another tutorial on DIY!

What's your color?

I know that everyone has a color they are drawn to, even if it's not your favorite.  Mine happens to be Green.  I feel it is a power color for me because when I see green I feel refreshed and energized.  Things that are green just make me want to touch and feel them.

Some of my green daily items are my Purse from UO by Poverty Flats

Generic Green Digital Camera Case

Knuckle Biter Green monster Camera Case by Abby Did

Lime Green Dell 13" Laptop

And on a Completely Different Story I just wanted to share a little bit of something personal.

If you were aware of this or not I have been extremely unhappy with that seamstress position I had.  Suffice to say they were just insulting to me.  I also found that I could not get all those things done I had originally wanted to with this blog about making my own clothes.  It seemed fantastic at the time but I can see now that it was only hindering me.  I was so unhappy with it that it actually made me shop more and I had less time to myself and sewing machine.

To remedy all this I officially quit Wednesday and picked up my check today.  I have never felt more Liberated in my LIFE!  Since then I have been happily working on my pet project and spending a lot of needed time talking to friends and fellow crafter's and boutique owners.  They are all so wonderful and encouraging!  I know it isn't going to happen over night but I still can't wait to make it public!

In essence I am going to do the two things I love!  Sewing and Teaching.  I am creating a program of DIY fun classes for the more fashion forward and adventurous. It is going to be a combination of unravelling the mysteries that some people feel are pattern making, sewing and knitting/crochet.  All my classes will be BYOB and themed Cocktail Demos.  Like doing a Serger Demo and serving PainKillers (the fruity coconut drink with rum).  Also having simple things like a leggings class and curiously funny like panty sewing.

My Ending words before the weekend are Remember to do what makes you Happy.

If you are upset and bitter it will carry onto the other parts of your life and it is simply 

NOT WORTH IT!  

I know not everyone can just up and leave their job but take the small steps to make you smile like keeping fortune cookies in your desk to crack open when you need a life lift or put fuzzy stickers on daily items to give you a soft reminder.

On the Shelf - The Art of Manipulating Fabric

If you are seriously interested in making some fascinating textures then you NEED this book. It is one of the most fantastic books I have had in a long time by far.  It explains everything so clearly and has loads of step by step images and diagrams.  I am hoping to get approval for teaching my Draping class and incorporate this book into it.  Eventually I want to get the approval to teach an entire college course on this.

 

Making yo-yo's is just one of the fun little things from the capture in gathering.  Even though I have made these a million times before it is just so fascinating to read more about them. 

In doing all this reading it makes me feel more and more that I need to pursue Graduate School this year.  As always the big debate is either for Art Education K-12 at OSU or following my passion with a Master's in Fine Art and exploring fashion and body modification by Fabrics at CCAD.

Well Recieved

One of the best unexpected Christmas presents from a friend this year was this amazing T-shirt.  She got it in Chicago during a craft show.

"KNITTA PLEASE"

I looked up the seller and they have a Etsy site.  My friend also gave me that lovely pin that came with it which I feels really epitomizes me!

OTD Cherry Red and Warm

Not the most flattering photo of me but I am trying to work with what I have for now.  Also trying to find a spot at work is really hard since I can't get into the dressing rooms right now.  It is very surprising how many girls have already started to look for their prom dresses!

I am wearing Gold Medallion Earrings from Express 2007

24k Gold Heart pendant from my mother

Cherry tomatoe Red Sweater from UO Sale

Donna Karan black Cami

Black and Gold Leopard Belt from Deena & Ozzy UO Sale

Sweet Stella Lemon cake Ring

Black Lace Panel Skirt By Corpus UO Sale

Black ribbed leggings from American Apparel

Black boots from Walmart 2009

Criss Cross makes me JUMP JUMP

I had seen these tights posted by Style Bubble and instantly fell in love with them.  Who can seriously afford tights that will snag and ruin eventually that are over a hundred dollars?  Certainly not me. Contemplating this I figured how one could potentially make them on your own if you were so inclined with a masochistic fetish for sewing and pattern work.

The shoes on the other hand I would buy in a heartbeat if I had the income!

The easiest way to do this is getting a skinny jean or legging pattern and then dividing it into your separate sections.  Don't forget to either notch, number or code them in some way so you know how it all pieces back together.  This is all of course with no seam allowance at all (since you are using 4-way stretch materials).

**I would avoid using a wide fishnet in this but if you are DEAD SET on making it the most difficult stretch project ever my advice is use water soluble glue to glue the edges to water soluble facing so that you have something to sew on and then it will dissolve when you wash it or make some 1/4" or less binding for those edges out of a solid 4 way stretch to match your thread.**

  I would avoid using actual tights but getting 1/4 yard pieces ordered from House of Spandex or Spandex World.  As new tights have been manufactured in the round and are not suitable for being cut up and old tights are already stretched so the fabric would not be even.

The Final step is sewing it all together on your serger not sewing machine.  For this project the only thing to bind all these stretch fabrics together is using a 3-thread rolled edge with Woolly Nylon in all the loopers and I would even go so far as the needle.  There is not good way to thread it except with tweezers, needle threader tool and lot's of patience.  There are other stretchable threads advertised but in my experience Woolly Nylon has been the best.  It just has more stretch in it then any of the others I have tried.  not only are they separated nylon strands but they are also loosely braided together to also give a much better finished edge.

Holiday Blitz!

Wow this holiday has really kicked my ass!  I barely got anything done fashion related except some excellent shopping at Sales from Urban Outfitters and Forever 21.

I'm excited for this New Year because it has a lot of good things going for it already.  I've put myself back out into working on photo shoots with people I trust who are on the same level as me for quality in their own art forms.  Here are two photos.  Hair and Makeup by Epixa, Photos by Chip Willis, model is Taylor from Wings Modeling agency and of course clothing by me.

In this New year I promise better posts, more truths from my twisted little nerdy mind and better OTD's