Summer approaching

With Summer pretty much on the doorstep I keep thinking about how great my last summer ended with getting married and our amazing whirlwind honey moon to London, Paris and Rome.
As I daydream of the fantastic time I had I am avoiding the reality of things that will be this summer, the kitchen renovation.

Everyone looks nice and dandy right? Wrong....... when we did the Tear out the cabinets were from 1948 shipped from California and made proudly in the USA by Union workers. The oven is failing, 2 of the three stove top burners are no longer working and there is no dishwasher. The counters and cabinets are also too narrow to fit in with modern appliances. I loathe the vinyl flooring so that will be replaced with the same Bamboo throughout the rest of our first floor.  We are also getting a wall demolished to open the area up, moving the window by the oven to the opposite side and installing a half bath.

In other news the beginning of summer also means the start of summer classes for me to teach.
Over at ye' olde stomping grounds of CCAD for teaching I'll be doing Pattern Drafting and Sewing Construction per usual, then my favorite Summer program College Preview teaching another summer of heart wrenching fashion elective! Sadly my Draping and Fabric Manipulation class did not have a large enough enrollment to happen this summer. I love teaching draping, it is just more my style and such a fun loose class to get creative in.

I also will have a few classes over at one of my favorite local stores Wholly Craft. I'll be teaching beginning crochet and also an Amigurami class for a little Jelly fish doll.

I'm trying to work on some new pieces of art and just jewelry in general that I'd like to sell on Etsy. It's very annoying to be out of my element and without a proper work space. I'm making do as much as I can with just the small handicrafts that I can transport around with me. It is seriously stressing me out not to be able to sew and work in fabric freely when ever I want. Today is just Monday so hopefully the rest of the week turns around. Tomorrow is my first day to teach with the summer class so that'll be exciting to meet some new people and find out why they want to learn basic pattern drafting.

Cheers!

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!

In the Works

I know I don't update as much as I should.  unfortunately my life only seems to be exciting once a month?

I do have some very promising things going on.  I am making lingerie for a Local Lingerie and Shoe Boutique called "Undone".  It is super exciting for me because they will be the second person that has ever whole sale bought from me and the First who has whole sale bought from me that is actually clothing!   I am also going to do a trunks how there once I get more of my stuff together and organized.

I am also meeting with a potential connection to have my clothes in a commercial Photo shoot for some new shoe company and to possibly provide the clothes for their runway show in November.  There is the possibility of me being a Part of the next Agora which is very exciting to me.  

I am still searching for a Male Fit model that I can use that is dependable.  I really want to start to get into menswear again.  I think I may just have to give up and use the male mannequin body that I have.  

Also in CCAD news this summer will be QUITE busy for me!  I am also very excited to be teaching so much.  I will be doing two summer workshops and I think I am going to make it almost all challenge projects like "Project Runway" or just stuff I remember doing in College that made an impact on how I design and look at Fabrics.  In addition to the Work shops for high school students I will be doing the Advanced Pattern Drafting and Construction class for Continuing Education and College Preview for the High School students.   I will be so busy this summer and it will be AMAZING!!!

I just love to create, teach and collaborate!

Speaking of Collaborate I did a custom order on Etsy a while ago and the Artist always said he would name the ring after me if he kept making and selling them.  I thought he was just being polite and yanking my chain a little but he actually did!  The Esther Ring!