Its turkey time in the city

Well almost turkey.  It's what you get when you cross a pineapple with a turkey.  Ah, purkey, LOL.  Actually, its Larry the Las Vegas show turkey.  He shows up every year around this time and is such a gas.  His sister works with the rockets.  You outta see her sequins.

Here's his close-up.  If your going to do turkey glam you might as well do it in style and bust out the sequins, right.  Its not every day that a pineapple and turkey pull off the unthinkable and convince everyone they are a turkey.

Here's the turkey fixins.  You got your felt cut out to resemble turkey parts.  Your embroidery floss or thick thread, some stuffing and some wiggly eyes that you glue on.  My mom made the original version years ago and I copied it and here are some of the offspring in the works. They are fun to make.

I've also been knitting hats.  I found this cool yarn that is ombre dyed by Alex at www.alexcreates.us.  The yarn is wool and soooo soft.  As you knit from the bottom up it gives this dip dyed effect that is awsome.  You can buy the yarn and then get the pattern free from Alex's ravelry download off his page on ravelry.  The needles are size 10 double points.

Mom says, What ya doin out there?  I said, washin and hangin dog food bags.  Mom says, YOU GOT MORE DOG FOOD BAGS!!!  I say, YASSSSSSS!  LOL, :  ).  It was such a beautiful day today for Thanksgiving.  Lately the weather has been rainy and COLD, brrrr.  So when today turned out to be so nice I decided I better take advantage of it and get a bunch of these bags washed and dried. So that when the weather turns cold again at least I'll have a batch I can work on.  This is my least favorite part of the dog food bag creation process.  You got to turn them inside out first, Then I wipe them down with those disinfecting wipes - spray them with some window cleaner and then brush them on both sides and hose them off.  Then hang-em to dry.  If you don't do that and clean them up, they have dog food crumbs and this oily substance that is not very nice smelling to me but I'm sure dogs LOVE it.  So there will be more dog food bag creations to share in the future.
Here's hoping you had a beautiful thankful day.
TTFN

Stitch Happy : )

Here is a photo of some sashiko that I have been doing.  Thanks Kyle of vacuumingthelawn.blogspot.com for the inspiration!  I have been following her lovely work on some sashiko projects on her blog and decided to give it a try  :  ).  I got the supplies from www.snugglymonkey.com who sells sashiko supplies and kits as well as other craft supplies on Etsy.  I was able to get everything I needed from the Snuggly Monkey site  :  ).  If anyone has got a favorite source for supplies I'd love to hear about it.  The kit is a dragon fly pattern that is stamped on the fabric and as you can tell I decided to use a blue thread.  The kits info was all printed in Japanese and since I couldn't read it I relied on good old Youtube for some helpful info.  One of the things I learned browsing on youtube is how to prepare your thread prior to stitching so that you can use it without getting it all tangled up.  You take the thread out of the package and open it up which is basically like cotton embroidery thread so it is like on big skein of thread.  You cut open the loop/skein at one end and then gently braid the skein all the way down.  You can see the blue braided thread hanging in the picture.  So all you have to do is gently tug on one thread at the top loop (top of the braid) as you need it and pull it out of the braid.  This to me as a cosmetologist is already a winner  :  ).  So I think I'll be braiding all my embroidery threads like this in the future.  I couldn't resist the yellow and orange threads when I ordered the kit so those will be used on a future project.  Also, I got a thimble as you can see tacked up with a pic of how you wear it on your hand.  I didn't find that I needed it for doing the sashiko stitching but I'm sure it will come in handy at some point.  It's a clever thimble.

On the subject of stitching - I'm a big fan of embroidery and just plain stitching.  In the past I had taken Rebecca Ringquists embroidery classes on www.creativebug.com and when she came out with a book I was excited and had to get it.  I really like the book.  In the background is one of the samplers Rebecca has on her Etsy sight for sale.  The sampler uses all the stitches she teaches you in her Creativebug class.  Also, in her book she suggests using various types of textiles for your embroidery, such as old embroidery pieces, vintage napkins etc.  I like this idea so I've been gathering a few things I've found in the thrift to use for later projects.  Here you see two napkins and a hot pink pillow case to be used in later projects.

Here is a close up of the sampler using all the various stitches.

Here's a close up of the little flower embroidery I did that was inspired by the flowers in this years garden.  Its about 2 by 3 inches in size.  It's worked on a piece of felt.

 Here's what I've been doing to keep inspiration and design ideas at hand near my sewing machine.  I keep a photo album book by my desk.  The type where you can slide photos into the plastic pockets/sleeves.  Also, for when my bulletin board gets full of inspiration and needs to be organized from time to time I have somewhere to keep the bits of info etc.  You can even keep small pattern pieces in the sleeves for when you need them.

Here's a photo of behind the scenes at craftspacecontinuum  :  ) or should I say a HOT MESS.  There is a method to the madness, LOL.  Yes, I noticed the cobweb up in the corner after the photo had been taken and it will be attended to - soon  :  ).  This is how I like to store my patterns and muslin fitting stuff while working on it.  It's got to be parked somewhere and putting things into envelopes is so not me.  I'm more apt to work on things if they are organized yet handy for the reach when need be.  Me being a mood sewer/crafter and sometimes my energy level peters out sooner than I thought it would so storing things like this is a great help.  If I get a back ache, migraine or life calls me in a different direction I can just lay what I'm working on over the hanger, use a clothes pin if necessary to secure and there it hangs till next time.  There's been drawing, cutting, tweeking going on, soon to  be shared.

In closing - Just for fun  :  ).  I was going thru my project bag to gather the embroidery projects for this blog entry and look what I found.  A petrified/fossilized orange at the bottom of the bag, YIKES! The thing is as hard as a rock.  I know this thing has been in there since last march because that is when I packed the bag for when I went out of town at that time.  I think if it were a banana I'd have smelt it by now.  I always wanted to be an archaeologist.
Till next time,
TTFN  :  )

Dog Food Bags

This is a print that I got from an artist named Kelsey Pike www.kelseypike.etsy.com .  She even made the paper herself.  I love it! In honor of the, use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without motto, I'm going to post about how to make the dog food bags.  The yellow one is the bag I took with me to  New York for MPB Day.

 Here are two of the bags made from different sized dog food bags.  They are very sturdy and made from a 36 pound and 40 pound sized dog food bag.  I figured if these can hold 36 to 40 pounds of dog food then they can hold anything I could think of putting in them.  They are great for laundry.  I like keeping my knitting yarn in them.

Here's is a picture of the supplies I used in making these bags.  I forgot to include the wooden clothes pins which come in really handy for holding down the hem at the top, holding on the handles while stitching and while stitching the seam at the bottom of the bag.  So if you have clothes pins it will be like an extra pair of hands.  Also, when sewing the bag at your sewing machine make sure you have plenty of room for manipulating the bag as you sew.  The bag has little give and is stiff to work with so you will need room for moving it around while your sewing. It's kind of like feeding your sewing machine a piece of cardboard.  So keep that cup of coffee some where else out of the way unless you want to be cleaning up a mess.
A pair of scissors that are utility or old sewing scissors would be best because you don't want to ruin your fabric scissors.  The clorox disinfecting wipes are great for cleaning the bag before you work with it.  Dog food has an oily residue that is left on the bag so I recommend cleaning it and hanging it on a clothes line and airing it for a couple of days to get rid of the dog food smell.  The needles are singer, universal denim needles size 100/16.  The threads I used are Gutermann 100 % polyester M782 110 yards per spool and Coats Outdoor 100 % polyester 200 yards per spool.  The Coats thread is nice since it comes in several fun colours.  It would be advisable to practice on a scrap of the dog food bag material with the thread your using.  My machine had trouble making a straight stitch without me helping the dog food bag thru the machine.  I found for my machine that with the Gutermann thread in the bobbin and the Coats thread in the top and a large zig zag stitch it was much easier to work with and to achieve a workable stitch.  You can see how the zig zag stitching looks in the picture.  It was a workable sturdy stitch but it did get a bit wonky at times.  So practice to see what its like to work with this (specialty fabric) and what settings for your stitch and which thread works the best for your machine.  Also, its important to have a new needle since this is tough material and you want to have all the punch power you can get outta that needle.  When sewing around the hem at the top of the bag where the handles are attatched I stopped and used the hand crank of the machine to carefully sew over where they are attatched (there is a lot of bulk in these areas so slower is better) so as not to break the needle and that did great.
Basically your just making a simple bag but your just using a dog food bag to make it.  There are loads of tutorials and info out there for making a basic bag.  So here's basic info on how I made one using the dog food bag and hope it helps.  If you want to share any info or advice please do or a pic or your bag too  :  )

I thought it would be easier to write out the info rather than take a bunch of pictures.   What are you craft-cycling lately?

MPB Day was a BLAST!!! : )

Male Pattern Boldness Day 2015 was soooo much fun.  This is the second time I attended. I've been reading Peters blog for a couple years now and its great how he has helped to foster a community of like minded sewers.  Its easy to get overwhelmed with every thing and not get the photos you want or thought you got.  So I am posting a picture of Peter (creator of malepatternboldness.blogspot.com and host of MPB Day) and I from last year.  Don't worry neither of us has aged a bit.

Peter is in the red and white polka dot shirt.  Thanks Peter for hosting and making MPB Day such a wonderful time.  Also, thanks for telling me about Advanced Style and Iris Apfel.  I had never heard of this and looked it up when I got home.  Can't wait to check out the movie/documentary.  That is sooo cool what Ari Seth Cohen is doing by taking these ladies pictures and some gents too.

Here are some pictures of the event and items I purchased:

I got to NY a day early and walked around and made some fabric purchases, Ooooops.  Here you have, from left to right, some wild faux fur, a stretchy jersey type fabric that is reversable, a really cool cotton Egyptian print material from a vendor at a street sale, and some very light weight fabric with flower print all over it from the same vendor.  I've got a few ideas for these things so keep your eyes peeled.

Here are the actual MPB Day purchases.  Blue mesh fabric from Mood and got the Mood Rewards card - so ready for next year already  : ).  The vest pattern is from the pattern swap at Panera.  The silver attitude glasses, hair bob pins, and peace sign hair holder are from the Chelsea flea Market - love that place.  That little silver screw looking thing is a screw with a big easy to hold end on it that Marty gave me.  It's for making it easier to grab while changing your sewing needles on your sewing machine.  Thanks Marty!

Who's that in a fabric shopping mood at Mood?  It's Enrique in his me made shirt and tie.  Looks Great Enrique!

Hey Marty!  That's not a manakin it's Lisa.  Marty couldn't resist the urge to drape and Lisa was sweet to model.

I was excited to meet and talk with Kyle.  The creativity behind vacuumingthelawn.blogspot.com  HOW COOL IS THAT!  she had the bag she made from her blog and was wearing a luscious jersey dress she me made.  Also, she has inspired me to try out some sashiko by seeing how she has done some on her blog.  That's sash-ko when you say it - drop that i, tee hee. Thanks for the inspiration Kyle.  So look for some sashiko in a future project.

We 3 sewers of Bryant Park are pooped but you wouldn't know it by the looks on our faces - somebody show me more fabric will ya!  Tracey on the left (in modernist leaf print - forgot to ask her what fabric that was), Lisa (in rose print she purchase during last MPD) in the middle and me.  Arn't they glam in their me mades.  Love it ladies!

I also met Lynn from www.yousewgirl.blogspot.com she had on this jean/denim top she made that was to die for as well as her skirt and top.  It makes me want to make something too.  In fact everyone I talked with got me inspired and learned so much just by talking with everyone.  I just wish I had been better at taking pictures and writing down blog info.  I'll be better next time.

Look who found a free box at Parsons.  Tracey, Tomasa and Anne.  :  )

The lighting in the FIT museum exhibit just made us look so gooooood.  The Global Fashion Capitals exhibit was really nice it had some designers work from all over the world.

Just for fun I took a picture of this chevron pattern woven fabric at Mood Fabrics when we were there.  I loved the texture, colour and pattern of this.  Then the next day after Lisa and I had finished walking the High Line.  We were walking down the street and look what I saw, this -

Some body or some bodies had used old plastic bags and woven them into the chain link fence to create a chevron pattern.  I was like, this must be a sign.  Maybe there is chevron in my future project.  I'm inspired and amazed at the things people create out of what seems to be nothing sometimes.
Here's to creativity and a fabulous sewing community of fun people.  Thanks Peter for bringing it all together.  Looking forward till next time  :  )

Sew Happy : )

Isn't it delicious.  I mean have you ever.  I just absolutely adore finding new places to wear my threads.  Oh that Marilyn.  Shes just gotta be adorned/adored and what better way to do it than with a custom made thread holder/slash sewing catch all in honor of that Golden Diva.  It's made out of a left over plastic flower pot that was then MOD PODGED with magazine pages.  Did you know they also make sparkle MOD PODGE.  I didn't know it at the time because if I did I surely would have used it for this.  Then for the thread spool holders I used what are called Pin-On Hooks that you can purchase from the upholstery section of the sewing center.  They are these wire hooks (some how I just don't think that Joan Crawford would approve) that are for hanging curtains but i flipped em around and hooked them on the edge of the flower pot to hold the threads.  I did have to bend them a bit to adjust them so the thread would fit better.

the hook on the left is how they come in the package.  Using pliers I adjusted the shape a bit to allow for the spool of thread to sit on it.  I saw these being used hold spools of thread in an old sewing pattern for sewing accessories that was available on Etsy and thought, Hmmmm, that's interesting.  For so long I had been wanting to make a spool holder and had looked on line for differnt ways to do it.  Usually it involved a drill or a hammer and nails.  I just wasn't wanting to get all that complicated with it all nor did I want to spend too much money on it.  I was perfectly content on leaving the spools of thread right where they were in baskets and drawers until I saw this idea with the hooks.  The Pin-On Hooks cost all of $2.49 before taxes and other than having to purchase the Mod Podge it was all very inexpensive.  I've got another project using these hooks to show later.

So until then.  SEW HAPPY  -  HAPPY MONDAY  -  whats on your make list?

It's here, It's here! : )

The Male 3/4 Torso Dress Form Mannequin Display with hanging loop finally arrived, WOOT!  This was purchased on Amazon from Mannequin Maven for 39.99 with added shipping.  I think it came out to be about $53.00 dollars with shipping.  Here he is posed with the vintage lady mannequin that I used to keep in my shop.  I've been wanting to get a male torso/mannequin for a while now and have been shopping around.  Years ago I made a body double where you used gummed packaging tape as papier mache and covered yourself like a mummy (with the help of a friend) in the appropriate areas stand there till it dried, ARGH.  Then cut it off, slipped out of it, added more tape to strengthen it, and then coved it with fabric for an inexpensive alternative to a clothing form.  Well it worked for awhile but was never very sturdy and had a tendency to collapse on itself.
  Not wanting to spend a fortune on one of these I've been looking around and finally decided on this mannequin that was available on Amazon.  It took awhile to find one with the measurements I wanted since I wanted one that was close to my size but smaller.  I wanted it smaller since I can always pad it up to my size in the areas that need it.  Eventually I'll get around to making a cover for it so I can pin into it.  Ha, I will have to admit that I wish I had abs like that, LOL.  Maybe it will inspire me to - GET WITH IT - in the exercise department.  All in all, I'm really pleased with it and it will come in handy for photo shoots and with sewing garments.  It's cool that it has the partial legs because you can use it for shorts/pants.  It also has this sturdy wire hoop at the top if you want to hang it.  Its a very sturdy plastic.
So there you have it the beginnings of the sewing studio.  I've got a clothing rack on the back porch so that may be where all the photo shoots will take place.  There's nothing like early morning and evening lighting for pictures  :  )

Sweet Summer its here! : )

Summer has finally gotten here and, HOW SWEET IT IS, as Jackie Gleeson used to say.  Here is a pic of the top I've been working on.  It just doesn't feel good to crop your own head off of a picture but having a bad hair day (bed head) and bad lighting made it necessary, HA.  Getting pics of oneself isn't the easiest thing to do so I ordered a body double that is close to my body measurements for future photo shoots.  Also, pairing this top with camo shorts probably isn't that sylish, but hey it was a get the pic while ya can moment.
 So now that its sewn up, I really like how it came out.  It still needs some tweeking. As far as tweeking I'd make the waist hem a little longer with slits at each side and the collar about a half an inch less tall.  The collar is about 1 1/2 inches tall and has a bit of a wave to it so top stitching may help that but I thought it would be easier to make it shorter than bigger at the time.   Basically I'm happy with the pattern itself.  It fits well and this basic pattern can be used as a base pattern for other garments.  My goal is to use this as the base and then make other garments from it as I progress along on my sewing journey.  This basic pattern was made using the book, Design-It-Yourself Clothes pattern making simplified by Cal Patch and by following her pattern making class on www.creativebug.com .  The book is geared towards women but you can make a simple basic pattern and then man it up for the fellas or yourself.  Cal Patch also has a class for sewing your own leggings. Not that I want leggings.  But I've since been trying to get back into my yoga/fitness routine and thought I could make some of my own yoga clothes.  The legging pattern could be addapted to making the yoga pants I've seen people wearing in class.  Hence this big bundle of sturdy knit fabric I found at the thrift will be the basis for experimenting with yoga wear.

The colour of this fabric isn't really thrilling me but its a sturdy cotton type of double knit.  It would be perfect for yoga pants.  It's a purl type knit on one side and a chevron pattern that I think is called houndstooth on the other.

Here are some red roses from the garden showing their happy faces and a new plant from the nursery.  Not sure what it is but its a trailer and has these little yellow flowers on it.  Planning on using it in one of those little gardens that looks like you can camp out in it.  How does your garden grow?  Happy Summer  :  )

Seuss Couture

During the last two weeks I've basically put all crafting/sewing endeavors to the side to work on this.  A hat for a charity fund raiser art auction with a Doctor Seuss theme.  The MC for the event wanted to go as Oscars Only Orange Oiled Owl - I believe that is from the Seuss alphabet book.  As usual with a tight deadline I decided that a hat would get the message across and be relatively easy. The blue thing is the oil can and there is a amber bead for the oil that dangles over the owls head.  Ha, I think the owl came out cute.  She had sent for a cream coloured dress that had ostrich feathers all over it from  the waist down.  So I made a bustle type attachment that she could pin on to - kick it up a notch - in the ostrich department, LOL.  Then I made a feathered wristlet that she could wear on one of her hands to give it that elegant touch.  I find myself pushing myself to the last minute as far as getting these sort of things done.  And then you have moments like finding out that the glue you purchased the day before was no good. Then end up cursing myself for not checking while buying it because it is now 3 am in the morning (the evening before it due) and a trip to the store is NOT possible.  Which then ensues a frenzied hunt for the glue gun that is finally found after tearing through drawers and making a complete mess of things times 10.  None the less I got it done, Whew!  She made it into the salon the next day just in time for me to throw her hair up in an ostrich sort of updo and I gave her the rest of the plumage to be attached just before the auction.  I hope she got a picture of the whole getup.  

Do you ever find yourself putting things off till the last minute?  Or find yourself having to - Make It Work - as Tim Gunn says on Project Runway.  Either due to unforseen incidents or your own lack of planning etc.  I love the show Project Runway and in the midst of creating this I thought about just making it like one of the contestants crazy deadlines and had fun with it and Made it Work  :  )   

Kitschy Kitchen Crafts

I was in Michaels arts & crafts store the other day and wondering around after I had already found what I needed to just see what was there.  Low and behold this booklet caught my eye and brought back some funny memories.   Ladies from my past had these things on their dish soap bottles.  I also remember seeing them at church craft fairs when I was younger.  They were usually sewn, crochet, or knitted in various ways.  Just the thing for using up scraps or testing out a design theory, :  ).  One of the sales girls who I always run into while shopping at Michaels was there and said, Hey-what ya makin this time?  I showed her the booklet and she laughed and rolled her eyes. I said, Hey-I'm stimulating the economy with this kitsch, LOL, she's always fun to run into.  At first I was going to knit one but then decided to give it a go with some left over scraps and some ribbons. In honor of valentines day I went with the heart theme.  The ribbon at the edge is from the dollar store, the apron itself is out of black felt, the red hearts using red felt and black ribbon for the ties.  Maybe I'll knit one of these aprons up at some point but it sure was fun remembering the ladies I knew back when.  One of the ladies was Mrs. Shirley, the Polish lady that lived across the street who used to look after us while my mom was taking classes at nite for nursing.  She had a dog named Boo and she taught me how to make these layer bar cookies that are so dang good.  I wrote to her many years later asking for the recipe.  We had long since moved away and she sent me the recipe!   She always told me, Go on eat as many as you like.  Ha, that was the first time I ever remember getting a belly ache because I ate so many.  Her husband, when the weather was nice on spring days would blast his Polish music so everyone could hear it.  They invited us over to eat out on their picnic table several times and it was the first time I'd ever had eggplant.  They were such fun neighbors.  Have you got any memories linked to past kitsch/Crafts?  Here's to Kitsch and fond memories :  )

JEEPERS CREEPERS

Have you ever been working on a project and thought you had made a mistake and then went about redoing or fixing what it was only to find out you had done it the correct way in the first place?  That's what I call a JEEPERS CREEPERS moment.  I had drafted the stand collar for the top and thought I had taken the measurements from the cutting edge of the pattern instead of the seam line.  So went and remeasured from the seam line and then drafted a second set of patterns.  After doing so I compared the new with the old patterns and saw they were the same, ACK!  So apparently I had measured correctly in the first place.  So then I decided to pin the collar into the neck opening and check things out.  I'm happy with the results although I should have stay stitched the collar opening at the get-go.  I only decided to stay stitch the collar opening after I had tried on the top a BA-GILLION times.  So I'm sure there is some stretching that has happened and plus the top is pinned and not sewn on the accurate seam line.  Here's a pic of the collar test fitting.

This is the collar with the top collar and facing all in one.  Still at the front there is a gap of 3/8 ".  Which may be due to the collar partly stretching a bit before stay stitching as well as improper seam allowance pinned at the sholders . Once I actually decide on how I'm going to treat the neck opening Then I can decided on the final collar.

Here is a pair of pants that I've been hemming for quite some time now.  For what ever reason I had no problem volunteering at the opera and hemming loads of pants, hems and petticoats but when it comes to hemming my own jeans I'm a slacker, Ha.  These are being hemmed by hand with an orange thread.  I think its cool to use a contrasting thread on the hem of some pants.  I'm not sure what it is but when volunteering at the opera I really enjoyed being given a set of tasks to do (such as hemming several pants etc) and then taking the challenge to get it all done by the end of the day.  I think what I enjoyed the most was the social aspect of it as well as the having to meet a deadline.  For what ever reason I'm a slacker when it comes to my own sewing.  There are several times when I've worn things I've made that were either just basted, pinned or glued just because I couldn't wait to wear it.   Nobody knew the difference at least I hope they didn't.  A friend once commented that it was charming at how i'd leave the tails hanging from the crochet projects I had sitting around.  Funny I could see that I had left the tails hanging off these things but for some reason I didn't sew them in and it wasn't until he had said something that I thought maybe i should get around to that.  I guess i'm a bit of a sampler sorta guy trying this and that here and there.  Curiosity gets the best of me then I throw myself into something and then I sometimes find myself loosing steam.  I think what it is for me I've found community in the things I've learned and have been curious about and that for me its the high point of it all.  Wether I always come away with something that has been completed isn't always the case.  Now that I think of it, the first time I ever felt like someone really payed attention to me or encouraged me to be myself and try things out was in art class.  I remember when very young in art class we had all this big fluffy yarn and were supposed to pick a picture out of the colouring book and then glue on the yarn to make a yarn picture.  I chose an elephant with spots and then the yarn I wanted to use was this soft pink yarn and fushia coloured for the spots and blue for his eyes.  I heard several comments about me wanting to use pink.  Boys don't use pink, is what another student said.  Probably because someone told him that.  I still liked it and my teacher was the one who came over and encouraged me to do what I was doing and that there was nothing wrong with it.  I loved her for that.  Then there was the time we were in music class and our teacher had asked us to ask our moms for a scarf to bring.  My mom kept asking me what do you need a scarf for.  I wasn't sure but I said the teacher wanted us to bring one so she gave me one to bring.  One of those sheer scarfs with some sort of floral print on it was what she gave me to take.  So the day arrived and there we were in music class with our scarfs.  The teacher put on some music and we were supposed to all go around in a circle holding onto two ends of the scarf and let it float in the air behind us as we all danced around in a circle.  We were supposed to be butterflies.  All the girls didn't hesitate.  They all fell into formation and started fluttering around to the music.  I started to fall into formation but hesitated because I noticed none of the other boys were going along with it.  I stopped and looked back at my teacher.  She said go on be the butterfly.  So there I went into the circle with all the other butterflies. It was fun!  Just for that moment I wasn't being told that I'm not being who I should be or I don't fit what other people think I should be.  I felt so free :  ).  I haven't thought of that in years.  Perhaps its because all the things I've been learning and working on are all just part of a process.  A process of becoming who we are an evolution of the self.  I never thought that art/crafts could teach me something like that.  Every time I work on something or learn some new project I learn something about myself and the people I'm with.  That's what I like about blogs you can see the story behind the picture.  Every project, finished or not has a story behind it  :  )

ACK, I just wanna feel better

This cold/flu bug has been a doozy.  I just want to feel better.  Can I get some sunshine please.  I'm running outta tissues and don't have the gumption to get out and get more.  Wha, Wha, Wha.  Well, thank heavens for ginger, lemons and honey.  Did you know you can multi-task and give yourself a facial steam and hydrate your sinus's all while sitting over a large hot cup o tea.  It's divine I tell you.  My skin looks great and my hairs looking fabulous (all full and tosselled) from all the tossing and turning I've been doing while hybernating under the covers. I tell everyone that my pillow does my hair now, LOL.  Just wish I felt better.  Any who, in the meantime I've managed to work on some stuff.

   I've been working on the pattern drafting of this stand collar for the purple top.  I used 4 methods for drafting the patterns and decided on two methods from Adele Margolis's book, Make Your Own Patterns.  She gives two methods one for where you draft the collar with a seperate facing and the other is a one piece collar with the upper and under collar all in one.  I like the collar that has the upper and under collar all in one the best.  Above you will see a pic of the books I used as reference and then the two paper patterns created using the methods described in Margolis's book.  Note to self, make sure you take measurements for the collar from the sewing line and not the cut edge of the pattern before drafting the collar.  I had to redraft the collars since this was the mistake I made.  I made a mock up of the collar that is too small to just see how it worked up and here it is.

This is the one piece upper and under collar all in one pattern and I really like it.  I've just got to remake it out of the new proper sized pattern.  Then there was the matter of interfacing this thing or not.  After much reading I decided on a sew in woven interfacing.  I'll have to admit that I am a bit of a slacker when it comes to ironing and I probably should iron a lot more than I do when making a project.  Something about ironing glue into the collar doesn't appeal to me.  Next will be the opening for the shirt.  Some sort of placket.  Still not sure how I'll tackle that but stay tuned :  ) to see what happens with that.

Here is one of my favorite crafty tools that is so handy when working with patterns.  At least when it comes to collars and smaller pattern pieces.  It's an improvised light box.  A window works well too on a sunny day if you tape your pattern to the window you can see the pattern lines thru the paper and trace it off that way as well.  This is one of those scrapbooking paper keepers from the craft store. If you get one make sure it has a smooth flat surface.   It's approximately 14" by 14".  Holiday lights bought on sale put inside provide the artificial sunshine for helping you to see the pattern lines thru the paper.  This is what I used for the final collars when tracing them off from the drafts. I keep a roll of washi tape in the box so its there when I need to secure the paper to the surface before tracing.

  If that's not enough to keep one busy while stuck in the cabin.  Here's more  :  ).  Above is a sketching class I took by Lisa Congdon over on creativebug .  I love this class!  Above you see where she suggests using scraps of paper to encourage you to create your sketches from.  The paper pieces (recycled envelopes from the holidays) are cut and glued in various places and used as part of the design.  This class has really helped me to push past being intimidated by the blank page and Lisa Congdon gives several ideas for helping to get your sketch on.  I'll post more about the sketching class later.
Also, I've been channeling these ladies from my sewing machine, LOL.  I'd sit down to just doodle on the sewing machine and for some reason I get these ladies.  It's fun to find different ways to doodle.  Do you doodle?