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Same Old Same Old
These are interesting times. I don’t really like to discuss my personal life online AT ALL. Here will be no exception. Need to know basis. I’m secretive to a fault. Except for some things. I’ve been sharing my creative process with you for years. No trade secrets jealously guarded, because why bother? The internet allows you to look up just about anything; no mysteries there. I always like to show my work, because one thing that drives me absolutely crazy is when people say: “Oh, you’re so talented.” Like the hours upon hours I spend honing my craft of perfect stitches, and tiny lines, shaving off bits of curves to…
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I’ve Seen too Much Underwear Through Skirts or Wear a Slip
It isn’t me being prudish or slut-shaming. If you deliberately want the world to see your bright blue thong through your skirt when you are having lunch your dad, fine. But it should be a conscious choice. You are a modern woman, and you are free to do whatever you want. However, if you are unaware that when you leave your dark house without looking at your back in the mirror, and it’s really bright outside, well.. I want to advocate for slips. they used to be a staple of the women’s wardrobes; coming in many lengths, colours and fullnesses. Sometimes completely hidden, and there to add coverage for a…
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Cashmere Winter Coat
I had no intention to make myself a new winter coat, but sometimes serendipity happens in the form of finding gorgeous cashmere fabric at a sale for $6. per yard. This fabric treasure was unearthed from a pile of junky fabrics on an unmarked bolt at a clearance sale. I recognised it, because I made a jacket out of the same fabric in a different colour last year. That fabric cost something like $25. per yard on sale. So, of course I had to buy it; the deal was too much to pass up. And who in their right mind could let that fabric just sit there in their fabric…
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You Probably Forgot That I Actually Sew
So most of my writing lately has been about art. Art is that thing that I rebelled against for so so long, but have been doing an awful lot of this year. From my daily drawings calendar drawings to my collaborations with Brent Wear, that has been my public daily face on instagram for the last while. But secretly, I have actually been sewing. There are a lot of projects going on behind the scenes. I’ve been banging away slowly at new designs, some personal projects, and some secret projects as well. All and all keeping my head down and working on my holiday collection. Here is the first draft…
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Waiting Impatiently For Missing Pieces
I have a confession to make: I’m not working on anything. No sewing or knitting projects. I’m not reading any novels. I haven’t even sewn a single heart on my quilt this week. Or sewn a single stitch at all. It isn’t for a lack of things to work on or a lack of desire for a project. I have been obsessively browsing through Ravelry, and I have been sleeping with Quilting Happiness. I have a teetering stack of vague projects and quilting cottons waiting to be cut into; if only I knew what I was cutting out. In a different time, I would be suffering from the anxiety of…
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Crossover: Tying Drawing and Embroidery Together
This is a work in progress, and it is taking a long time. But one’s life work hopefully does take a long time. I have told you quite a bit about my Calendar Project, and I have a lot to say about craft when it comes to me attempting to translate what is in my head into a tangible thing. This began in music school with hours of practice to be able to produce the sound I wanted on demand. Same with fashion: from idea, to 2-d to 3-d with movement, flattering to the particular figure, and drawing the eye in a line away from and to.. So what does…
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What I did Last Summer
This summer was a bit unusual for me, as most summers are spent with desperate wedding deadlines. I have been in the process of retiring from weddings for the last several years trying to stop. This summer I didn’t take any custom dresses or major alteration/restyling/restoration projects save for a couple of accessory orders. I spent my summer tying up loose ends; finishing left over custom projects (some have been languishing for years for various reasons), doing some sewing for myself, and of course designing corsets! Here is some of my summer in review: This is the quilt I started before it’s intended owner was born, she is now 8.…
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As Long As I Am Sewing
It has been forever since I have written, but don’t think I haven’t thought about it. It gets harder and harder as the last post glides slowly into the past, and the guilt becomes more overwhelming. I make promises to myself that I will start, and post regularly, and plan ahead, and take photos.. I am very good on twitter, instagram, and even practicing my french every day at duolingo, but totally bad here. I am sure I have said it all before whenever I come back in a manic burst after a long hiatus, post here a few times and disappear again. I have spent most of the summer…
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1911 Corset Sew Along: The Finished Corset
I broke five needles flossing this corset, but it is finished. Well, almost finished. There are garters to attach to this. Garter that I had the worst time finding one piece of hardware for. But now that I have it, I am on the fence as to whether to use it or whether I want to add garters at all! Generally this type of corset doesn’t have removable garters. In the sew along we were given instructions for covered garters; which I was all set to make, but now I am not so sure. Since this corset is so clean lined, I hesitate to add such a foofy thing. Plain…
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1911 Corset Sew Along Final Fitting
Once I put the whole corset together, it is time to lace it up and try it on to see if I need to trim or cut off the the top and bottom edges. By the time of the Edwardian era, corsets had become longer in their lines, and had more of a focus on smoothing lines and the S curve rather than the hourglass waist. The top of this particular style of corset rises over the chest line without covering the whole bust. The bottom covers the hips. The boning ends at the top of the hip so you can sit down. I am pretty satisfied with the lines…
