Sunday, March 30, 2008

Ode to the road trips

I finished up another fantastic hoodie yesterday. The base is this wonderful stretch corduroy, so it isn't lined. I guess that way you can also get more use out of it since it wont' be TOO hot. Here's the back applique. I'll post more pics after I get my inventory together for my upcoming show--in just 3 weeks!!!


It has patchwork involved with it, along with another applique on the front--not nearly as elaborate but just as cool. :) The inspiration came from a memory from one of my previous road trips. Those highways that straddle the mountaintops and the desert life I find so beautiful.

Check out this beautiful little girls wrap skirt I made last week. I goofed (A-gain!) on the waist size and it isn't nearly big enough for ladies. I had originally intended on it being a short ladies skirt, but, alas, this IS what it is.



It is made from hemp/organic cotton muslin with a beautiful purple quilt shop print for the bias border & waistband. That is a hanging pouch pocket with a butterfly applique. Awww!!!!

If you didn't see this past week's website update, you really should!!! I listed another hoodie:

You might recognize it from what I talked about a while back regarding stretch fabrics. I did it! And I think it looks great!

Well, that's it! Maybe another post this week since this one is a bit rushed.

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Cradled in Soy

Last week I stitched up some panties for myself. I have such a hard time finding panties that fit me well. I NEVER remember what size I am in panties, so usually they don't fit right just because they probably aren't the right size. Or if they do fit around the waist I have baggy ass. I finally found my favorite kind, and sadly they are wearing thru. I cut the pair up that was in the worst shape and used it as a pattern. I've always wanted to make some--I remember reading about how easy it was to use an old t-shirt and existing panties as a pattern in Sew News or something similar years ago. When I was at the quilt shop a while back I picked up 3 packs of stretch lace in the sale bin that was just SCREAMING out to be panties. They are made of soy/cotton/lycra jersey

Here are 2 pairs:


The first pair aren't perfect. I should have trimmed the outer fabric flush with the lining fabric, which is Hemp jersey. I figured it's anti-bacterial qualities would be perfect for the coochie area. See how the elastic didn't quite catch on the lining?? Gotta fix that. But let me just tell you, folks, those are THE most comfortable panties I have ever put my fanny into. The way the soy stretches and just "cradles" your bum--oh you would just love it if you felt it.

*note* this is my WORK table--and sorry it's kinda scuzzy--and those are wax drips.

I would like to start making these to sell, as they are a perfect way to use up the scraps of leftover jersey. I think hemp jersey would make a great pair, too, although a bit more bulky. Imagine a pair of bamboo fleece panties?? OMG, your booty would be in heaven!!! Let me know who wants some!!!!

I got my first sale on etsy! Woo-hoo! Thanks to my dear friend Kelly, I believe I may have the ball rolling. I replied to an Alchemy post and was accepted, so that will also count as an etsy sale. Awesome! Might just get 2 positives in one month! Alright!

I was also discussing with another fellow crafting friend of mine, it is REALLY depressing to see such low ideal prices in the requests on Alchemy. Most pricing on Etsy is fair-n-square, as far as I'm concerned. They reflect the same pricing you'd find in the sellers own shops or booths. Quite the contrary to eBay. So you would think that those same sellers would be looking for custom products that reflected the same pricing scales they do--fair-n-square, right? Nope! Many, if not most, of the requests have quite low ideal prices. Seems those who want good prices for their own products aren't willing to turn around and do the same for others. Etsy reminds you to be realistic when choosing your ideal price, but my, oh, my is it interesting to see what others think your product is worth.

Well, on to my own business. I do have a few things completed to add to the site. I've been procrastinating, but maybe this update will get some action. All the fees are due within the next month or two for vending packages and I am getting slammed! It'd be nice to sell some older inventory to help me prepare. Ah well, I'll have it around for a while I guess. Sell it now, or sell it later. I guess it all comes out the same in the end.

I made a great skirt last week out of some hemp jersey scraps. It's something I have been wanting to do for a while and finally sat down and cranked it out within a day. Working on projects over a course of several days kind of irks me. It makes me feel like the project took me forever, and usually, that I'll never get paid what I should for it. Keeping track of time is something that can easily be overlooked and misjudged when it comes to sewing, selecting fabrics, preparing them, drafting patterns, etc.

Here's some quick-cook barley (not as good as the "real" kind!) with homemade pesto, and roasted brussel sprouts I had last week:

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Saturday, March 8, 2008

Out with the old, in with the new!

I have felt a bit bored lately. I think both with myself and the dreary, still cold days of Winter. But my new serger brightened things up a bit. With it, I made a brand new corduroy hoodie--something I haven't made in a LONG time.



There it is, purring along. It has a more complicated threading system, but with my expertise level of patience(haha!), I managed to figure it out just fine. Rumor has it that the seams sewn with a 5 thread serger can easily come undone, if any stitches are skipped. Well, this one is threaded CORRECTLY and is stitching just beautifully! I can't wait to see how the jerseys stitch up--just as soon as I figure that out!

On the subject of machines, I am so glad to have dropped my ol' baby off at the shop to get fixed/be sent off for repairs. I had such a hassle last year in trying to get it fixed, that it sat here in my living room in its' box for over a year! I'm hoping it won't cost an arm and a leg to get back to me, but it sure does feel better knowing that she is going to work again some day soon!

But back to the latest completed project. I am really in love with this new hoodie. The main attraction is the large landscape applique on the back. The jacket looks fairly simple, but to be honest, I probably put about 8 hours into the darn thing. The darn GOOD-LOOKIN' thing!!! I don't want to let it all out of the bag just yet, so I will give you guys a couple of sneak peeks. This one is being set aside for upcoming festival inventory.



The orange corduroy is almost the last pieces I have leftover from my NYC fabric shopping trip with Heather and Jessie. On the back is where i put this landscape scene. I had so much fun doing that tree with tapered width satin stitch for the stems. The rest will be revealed at a later date.

I'm working on inventory for the upcoming festivals I have planned. It feels weird to be making summer clothing when it's still cold out. But it will be here before we know it. Summer is such a busy time for me, that it's nice to get a large amount of product done ahead of time.

I always tell myself this, anyways.

Then I procrastinate, get ALL these ideas in my head of all these wonderful things I could make, and my mind gets distracted. A couple of weeks before the festival, I'll begin my mad dash towards making "another rack of clothes" to get more inventory made. What can I say? I work well under pressure. I've always done this.

The best meal I made this week was last night. It was Thai red curry with tofu and veggies. I can't believe the yummiest meal I forget to photograph! Maybe I'll snap a shot of leftovers later on. . . . which are already calling my name!

Another note-worthy meal was on Wednesday, which was Broccoli Rabe and spaghetti. You boil the broccoli rabe in water for a few minutes, then sautee with garlic. Add some of the cooking liquid to make your own "sauce" in the pan. Serve with shredded cheese on top.


On Tuesday, I was craving some good ol' comfort food. Mashed 'taters and gravy. Then I remembered I had some Tofurkey in the frig that needed to be eaten. I had some bread that had been around for a few days that I opened a couple days after purchase. The meal was just okay, because the bread was kind of stale and I think I just don't like Tofurkey slices anymore. Each packet I've purchased as of late hasn't been consumed in it's entirety, only to be thrown into the freezer. The bread had to get tossed just two days later--as I noticed the early white-ness beginning of mold. Awesome! $4.50 down the bucket and I didn't even get to enjoy it! The mashed potatoes and gravy were the bomb, which I ended up scraping every last bit of this yummy mushroom brown gravy from the tofurkey and bread slices.

Saute up some onion and mushrooms, and add minced garlic once the veggies are all cooked up soft and nice. Add a couple tablespoons of flour, coating everything and letting it cook a minute or two. Add vegetable stock (1-2 cups, depending on how much stuff ya got in the pan), and stir it all up well so the flour gets incorporated into the stock. Add Braggs Liquid Aminos, or soy sauce to taste, and allow to thicken in pan for a few minutes. This can be re-heated, but you may need to add more veg. stock to thin it out.


This morning I discovered that you can download podcasts. of MORE BLOGS! Yes! Now I can sew and listen to more people talking about sewing or listening to even more people!

I'm going to go do that now.. . while I cut out the bits for my next project. That one will be kept under lock and key, as the future owner of this piece is reading this very blog! (Hugs, Odessa!)

**over and out**
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