School killed it

My last post because university did what I think it was always meant to do – completely destroyed me from the idea of ever pursuing a career in fashion.

Amusingly, I found much more solidarity and interest in law and business than I did fashion. That was another nail in the coffin of my hopes and dreams.

I’m focusing on my illustrations, which were always better anyway and one of the reasons I figured I would be a successful designer to begin with.

I guess that technically means I’m expanding my scope before I narrow it down again. Sewing will now only ever be a hobby. It can’t be anything else after the motivation (ha) school gave me to make it a career.

Good freaking work all of you who did though. What a mess.

I’ve been so busy!

I wish I had time to blog because then I could look back someday on all the stuff I’ve been doing and think “Wow, I really did a lot when I was younger! Look at that hideous sewing! What was I thinking???”

But I have been doing things! First off I made my friend a vest and pants set which I need to make a HUGE blog about. Then I made a couple of shirts and vests for a photoshoot that needed to happen in a day…only to have it not happen anyway.

A shirt I made for a photoshoot. I hate the sleeves and will probably take them off or replace them with tighter white ones. I liked my idea of contrasting stripes but the fabric for the sleeves was a wool suiting and the body was a stretch twill. not my most genius combination; especially since the yoke is a quilting cotton.

This is a pattern I’ve used before for a refashion I made at the very beginning of last month for the Refashion challenge. I never blogged about that either! Im giving way more content to a site I pay for than my own self!

I also have at this point a tnt as all hell tank top pattern. I think I’ve made it like I don’t know 15 times. it’s from a McCalls pajama pattern and is a total sleeper so I also need to blog about THAT.

And

AND

Since I’m going to school I decided to seasonally ‘curate’ my closet. This season is SUPPOSED to be gray and navy as my neutrals and teal, coral and yellow in that order but that’s not really working for me especially since I changed from yellow rimmed glasses to leopard print ones. (two kinds!)

I decided to hang fabrics where I needed clothes. I’m really wanting for a decent wardrobe actually. I noticed other than my plethora of shorts; I barely wore anything I owned.

I scored a doona cover that I only saw the navy side of and loved the print as well as a few $6/$1 patterns. I wish I bought them all! There were a few 80s designer Vogue but I just won’t need those things! I’ll probably regret this as seriously 6/$1.

I wanted to make my partner and I matching navy shirts but now I think I’ll mix it up and use both sides. There’s enough fabric for two shirts each.

Theres also a plaid wool and a denim in there! And some great vintage patterns.

I can really see myself using this one a lot! It’s a little too big but LOOK AT IT. it only needs marginal changes and then I can make four for each of us.

“Recommended for knits”

Ah 1973.

What? No updates?

Whoops! I’ve been making so much and not posting it here. I have a serious backlog of diary reviews to do!

I’ve been doing the upcycling competition on PR when I got a TON of orders in due by April 8. Including tailored vests, so I had to drop my work.

I made sure all the linings are still from my salvage. I have the BEST linings collection.

I haven’t bought a single one – all of those linings were salvaged. the bin is completely full! I fold them but they slip so readily I just gave up. I love my lining box!

Speaking of; I just finished the lining of the second out of three vests I need to do.

Oh yeah that’s a lot of creases. I am having a nightmare ironing it out. I’m going to steam it later. lovely steel storm gray my partner picked for their vest.

Mine is not finished yet either. my machine hates buttonholes on the fabric so I’ll have to hand do mine. I have a nice large gold shield type button that’s perfect.

I’m also going to be using Simplicity 2700 to death this month.

I have more; but I don’t have it all together to talk about

Oh and randomly making a blue pinstripe blazer. who knows when that’ll be done!

Pattern and Fabric haul (not salvaged)

Recently the closest of our salvage sites decided to lock their bins. Apparently some people were being messy about it. Don’t be messy you ruin a lot of chances for others.

And even if I do salvage that doesn’t mean I can’t buy new patterns or fabric and put them together. Actually it would probably show that you can mix and match fabric you loves and bought with fabric you loved and found. Without further ado:

I go to Make It Fabrics in Underwood. the owner Paula knows me – fun fact – if you get to know her personally you get loyal customer discounts!

I walked in and she said ‘You don’t like Polynesian prints do you?’ honey i like aaaaaallll the native prints. Give me something indigenous to that country and I’ll wear the sh*t out of it.

So that was four metres sold. I already had grabbed the blue tshirt knit and pink sweater knit (both poly cotton, mostly cotton though! It irons well) which were in the $2 bin. That was another 5.5 metres. Then the pink which is for a lining of a vest I’m making today – which is 1 metre. All fabrics are 60″ wide. (What I like to call ‘double width’).

Simplicity 2148 and 2155 were both bought for the cardigan appeal. I had ONE cardigan pattern and it was a Vogue. Nice but still a lot of work for an Easy pattern. You know how vogue is.

I only paid $50 for the 10.5m of fabric and two patterns! This will make at least six shirts, one or two cardigans, a few vests and a jacket and pants. (Four yards? Why did I do that I only needed two. Maybe I’ll make and sell a dress.)

Cutting out a lot; sewing nothing

I got a new tracing method recently since my plastic finally ran out. I use a wax paper + pin prick method now. So I have been spending a lot od time retracing all of my favourite patterns and cutting the largest sizes on all my tissue pieces so I can fit them all in the envelope.

I find if I do this prep work I am much more keen when it comes time to make something

So I managed to pull a few out and cut out some of my favourites:

Simplicity 8523 in a printed seersucker. View E. (Purchased at a charity shop – $1)

Kwik Sew 3120 view A in a burgundy cotton stretch. (Purchased at a fabric shop $2 metre)

Simplicity 2189 – View B in a gray and metallic wool and acrylic. I tried making the top in a blue linen but the centre pleat is an awful design. It’s growing on me though. Maybe in a softer fabric or over time with the linen.(Salvaged fabric, made a pair of shorts out of this before.)

Simplicity 8009 top 2 in a blue and white checked linen. (purchased – $7 metre)

Kwik Sew 3315 jeans view B made into shorts in a Sevenberry salvaged fabric. (Salvaged fabric; made a pair of shorts out of a contrastic fabric by the same company found in the same trip. My favourite shorts!)

Kwik Sew 3756 in a thick gray cotton double knit. View B. (Purchased $2 metre).

I shouldn’t really begin any of these as none of them are from previous clothing, even the salvage was salvaged as fabric. So it doesn’t qualify for PRs upcycling contest.

I also have two more patterns set aside to cut. I love this bright orange and purple cotton I have!

OOP McCalls 2707

You know I’m not actually sure 2707 is OOP but knowing my stash it is. I don’t think I own anything in print! It’s the sewing community; I’m certain someone will correct me if im wrong :p.

This is a pattern I got from a local small time charity shop that a single man runs out of his home. He gives rooms out of his own house to the homeless and uses the funds for food! It’s all above board – just one man doing what he can with his house. Yay!

For this project I did a bit of a cop out. I had wanted to do this pant in a plaid I got from the same charity shop AND in a pieced denim but of course I didn’t want to use my pretty plaid or work on denim strips just to have it not fit. So I used a sheet.

There’s a competition on Pattern Review for using old textiles and upcycling them into garments so I took a before photo. It’s a sheet. I think as long as it has hems it’s considered an actual item vs a piece of fabric? Idk but I had enough fabric to make 3 really but I didn’t want to be exact (wasn’t in the mood to fold perfectly or save scraps) so I only have enough fabric left for another pair. Or a vest I think. The cotton worked surprisingly better than I thought for pants!

I thought I’d share with a funny photo! This is Marley, he’s a yellow sided green cheek that surprisingly we’ve only had for little over a week! He’s already super bonded with me; so a photo shoot had to happen.

What better prop than a cuddly bird??

(He really loves cuddles; even more than sunflower seeds!)

Back to the pants…

I cut a size 10; the legs taper a bit so I don’t think its a great pattern for plaid matching. It would match horizontally but not vertically I don’t think. (you know what I mean; if you go to that level right?).

The pattern includes pocket flaps but I lost it! And I could draft one but was tres lazy.

The pattern is for a straight waist banded inch below waist height pair of cargo shorts in different lengths. I chose length D but instead of making cuffs I put the hem of the sheet at the D Hemline so it would be the same length. I wanted to see how this pattern fit.

In the future I would do a shaped waistband; especially since these pants look better with a cropped top. that shirt I paired with it a few days ago just DID NOT make me look like I like.

(It’s blurry but dang it my abs look good! All I need is a good blur apparently.)

Both the sheet and the yellow piping were salvaged. They both came from Salvation Army’s rubbish bin. (Not donation bin). The yellow piping is a little special because I found it in a box with a bunch of sewing supplies and bits with patterns from the 60s/70s and a note about the new hospital and a baby. The new hospital was built in the late sixties! And the piping isn’t a tube of fabric with a cord in it – it’s woven into the shape of the piping itself. It’s proper proper piping – from who knows how long ago!

It makes me sad to think that someone’s mother passed away and this was donated in her honour and Salvation Army just threw it away (no price tag; didn’t even try to sell it; it was in the donation bin the day before).

The zipper instructions on these pants was horrible!!! I used the Kwik Sew method because this figured you could topstich the entire fly just as is. I mean I’m all for shortcuts but yikes. Good luck!

Also the advice for how to turn a pocket is screwed up. I wrote a note on it but didn’t write HOW. Good job. If I recall it asks you to just fold a rounded corner. No ease stitches nothing. Just fold and topstitch.

I mean; I’m glad they have faith in me but yikes.

They wrinkle a little but it comes out fairly quickly and never wrinkles past a certain level (in fact they straighten a bit if I put them on super wrinkly. I didn’t iron them and wore them twice since I made them and these photos and just used he steam of the shower to straighten them out).

I like the pockets but I think next time I’ll pick a pattern with flat pockets. these are meant to stick out. I’d also add back pockets just because cargo pants should be FULL of pockets. as badly as I want plaid cargo pants I Do Not Think This is The Pattern for My Fabric. so that stinks.

My test for school admissions is tomorrow! Panic mode.

Ahh Marley just ate my necklace off.

New Look 6025 and McCalls 2707

I /still/ haven’t finished my black linen button up but I did finally remove the sleeves and bind the armholes. My partner unpicked my awful hem for me. I don’t like the order. I’m starting to think I should hem before adding the button band. I don’t like the folded hemmed button band thickness.

I did finish New Look 6025(viewB with no tabs) and McCalls 2707 (View D – kinda). I made the first out of a scarf and the second out of a sheet.

I would be reviewing them later and separately. They look like an older outfit together! But they look good with different garments.

I’ll be taking new photos tomorrow morning – but that’s where I’m at now

Oh and I started this:

Haha you can see me wearing the other outfit in the mirror.

Underneath:

Peter pan collar?

I’m going to school!!!

What a wonderful week. We got the details sorted for me to go back to school. Unfortunately there is a confusion on which semester I can sign up for because the Q code isn’t working on the main application site.

It seems I’ll either be just in time for Semester 2 in which case I’ll need my portfolio by June (!!!) Or sadly WOE I wont start til 2019.

I picked which courses I’m taking and I chose to get a double degree (four years) of Fashion Design and Business. I’ll be Mastering in economics. :). Doesnt that sound so fancy!?

The first year of school seems the most drudgery. Lots of legal and business talk. But I’ll need that. I’m really interested in my year three fashion economics and macro-economics classes.

I could have chosen International Fashion Design(that’s a degree on its own??) but the fees were 3-7 thousand dollars PER YEAR in trips for those classes. How do you even make your other classes?

I want to see about doing more years if I enjoy the business side (I might; I have a literal brain). There’s a few law classes in the mix so if I like law I want to work on becoming a business textile lawyer working to preserve ethics and economics.

So even if I don’t become a fashion designer maybe in 15 years I can become someone who helps pass laws to use more recycles materials!

I’ll find a way to get my word out!

At least I’ll actually be forced to sew now.

New Look 6105

Hello non existent readers! What have I been up to, none of you ask?

Well, as usual, finishing NONE OF THE THINGS.

Well I did get about this far in my linen button up

Its hemmed soooo badly and I hate the sleeves. I am just mad at it so it can sit on the mannequin for awhile while I sulk at it.

To make myself feel better I finally tried New Look 6105. It’s a dart less collared loose blouse.

I have a burning hatred for New Look and I don’t have a very good reason. Everyone tells me they love New Look! Well, everyone who is narrow shouldered and a bit rounder in the body than I am. (Some people are made of circles, some of triangles and some, like me, are made entirely of twigs and used gum.)

New Look and I have been fighting for years. Yet I keep trying them. And cursing them. How dare they tempt me with such pretty pattern covers only to have enough ease to sneak the entire snack bar into the theatre. And the shoulder slope of a worn pillow. I SAID IT NEW LOOK. EVEN THOUGH YOU TOTALLY HELPED ME. I AM UNGRATEFUL.

No really, New Look the company (I thiiink owned by simplicity now?) was real sweet about my seething hatred, offering me replacements for my discomfort and everything. I am truly ungrateful.

moving on!

I had this salwar I got from the rubbish bin at my local Vinnies. They threw an entire bah of salwar and kameez away; a lot that matched. This one didn’t have a pair but I managed to give away all the ones that did.

I have a few left and most are really beaded so I thought I’d try New Look 6105 with something just heavily embroidered instead. Better!

I had to cut a size FOUR because the ease is ridoculous. At least this time the shoulder is meant to be dropped so it actually fit me normally (ha!) so I got a cute top in the end. but this is EIGHT SIZEZ less ease than it tells me to cut for, people!

I made the collar from the leftover side seams instead of the one provided, mostly cause I cut the collar on the wrong fold (doh!). I tried it anyway but it bubbled so I had to scrap it. sad panda! The scraps off the sides were perfect for a Mandarin-esque collar. I only lost two inches of embroidery because of that!

The embroidery was THICK! I’m glad I didn’t put the collar band deeper in the embroidery. Also this pattern has an awful method for finishing the neckline. I didn’t mention that in my review. oops. I have NO idea how youre not supposed to not pinch the fabric into a non existent seam by the method they describe. I hand sewed it down and hid the stitches in the embroidery to make it work.

Now I’m on a pair of McCalls 2707

But the zipper directions are HORRIBLE.

You have got to be kidding me….

Fees for Friendship

I am upset and it’s sewing community related. I know exactly what the arguments in reply to my complaint is; and I still feel justified in being upset.

The local spoolettes group has a lot of meetups. The cheapest meetup I could find was $10 and when I asked if I could swap fabric there I was told to wait until a fabric swap event. Which was then announced to be at a $55 event. I asked if swaps would be available to those who can’t afford it and I was basically given a long winded answer that amounted to ‘well this is how its done so no; also for some reason we need to hire venues and pay insurance for fabric swaps’.

I’ve been a member of this group for two years and have managed to meet one person. I have posted asking for friends to sew with who said to PM them…and never replied.

I have only met one person because until now, I could not afford events. And if you can’t afford events I guess the answer is ‘well sucks for you’. Nobody wants to go to your house and watch movies and sew and gossip. No one wants to just meetup five or so for coffee and chats.

I bet if I were to attend events I’d be able to make friends to see one on one. But I can’t afford be events to make the friends to get them to see me.

And it’s classist.

It makes me feel like I’m not allowed to participate in even being anyone’s friend unless I can afford their minimum standards. Hint: being told something is cheap for what it is doesn’t magically mean someone has the money for it!!! It also doesn’t mean I don’t agree it’s good value. A lot of things I can’t afford are good value!

And the thing is – we have money now – theoretically I could afford to attend these events. Heck. I could afford to buy one of their so called venues outright.

But if they wouldn’t meet me halfway for coffee (I even offered to go entirely to them;a drive of an hour for me) when I was poor; why should I entertain the notion of their friendship now that I can AFFORD TO BE THEIR FRIEND???

It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the excuses. The long winded ways of saying no but trying to make it sound reasonable. As if you couldn’t grab a blanket and ten pieces of fabric and have fifteen people meet up at a local park or something.

The sewing community is classist and of course it is – fashion is. Colours have been illegal for the poor. So I shouldn’t be surprised when it costs money to even be friends.

But you know who I’m going to give my money to? The people who gave me their old clothes for fabric, the ones who gave me food when I was hungry and the ones who spent time with me when the only thing I could afford was time.

I want to hang out with people who will work to try to make things accessible.

They’re not even sure if the venues are wheelchair accessible! They DONT ASK.

Maybe I will buy a venue.