Fashion Sketching

At the moment I am working to improve my basic sewing skills and how to follow various patterns etc. in order to make clothes. Eventually I would like to be able to design my own clothing though so I need to learn how to draw fashion figures. I must admit that I love sewing and learning about fabrics and pretty much everything else that is part of learning to design clothes but I hate drawing. I have a theory that there is something missing in my brain that explains how to make lines fit together to make shapes. Needless to say, the idea of having to learn to draw these figures is a little daunting, and frustrating. Luckily, I found this tutorial on fashion sketching for beginners that has been making the process a little easier.

stone&honey

I'm really feeling this line of Brazillian agate jewelry called stone&honey made by the smallthings studio. The natural beauty of the stone, coupled with interesting geometric designs make each piece modern, yet timeless. I intend on getting my fingers in one of these crystal rings as soon as humanly possible.

A(r)mor Jewelry

I stumbled upon this lovely jewelry collection on www.paper-doll.com . It's very simple and minimalist, but plays with some really modern design concepts. I love it. A little on the pricey side for my change purse right now, but once my student loan comes in I intend on splurging. : )

Check it out: www.armorjewelry.com

Waffle Scarf

I finished another scarf today. You may be wondering, why all the scarves when winter just ended? I'm just trying to get a jump start on Christmas presents so that I am not rushing around like a mad woman come December (like last year). Plus I just really like to knit. : )

This is another simple one to knit, a little more complicated then the garter stitch but still super easy.

I used 3 balls of Bernat Roving wool for 6.5 mm needles

Cast on 26 stitches

Row 1: *K2, P2. Rep until last 2 sts. K2

Row 2: *P2, K2. Rep until last 2 sts. P2

Row 3: Knit

Row 4: Purl

Repeat until you reach desired length

Peepshi

So it's Easter sunday and I'm mad procrastinating watching The Mighty Ducks and looking up recipes when I really should be studying for finals.

Anyways I found this lovely recipe for PEEPSHI (peeps + sushi) I imagine they taste awful but they sure look cute. They are made with peeps, rice crispy squares and fruit by the foot.

Check out the full recipe at: http://www.seriouseats.com/

Easter Outfit

Dress by BB Dakota >> Cardigan by The Gap >> Clutch by Goldenbleu

I absolutely love Easter. There's no huge fuss leading up to it like other holidays and the weather is just starting to get nice. You almost forget about it and then WAM Easter is here and you get four days in a row off. Pretty sweet. Not to mention mini eggs.. and pastel dresses. I love it. This is what I will be sporting to my fam jam's Easter dinner tomorrow evening. Happy egg hunting.

Garter Stitch Scarf

My appologies, it has been way too long since my last post but school has been crazy and I haven't had much time to work on any new projects. Spring is finally here and daylight lingers longer so I've been finding more time to knit and sew and what not. I finished a scarf a couple of weeks ago. It's long and wide and beautifully simple!

This is an extremely simple scarf to knit, what makes it interesting is the colour combination. You'll need 2 balls of grey yarn, 1 ball of purple and 1 ball of green (or which ever colours you like). Pick a soft yarn which requires 5mm straight needles.

Cast on: 50 stitches
Knit every row

Colours:
50 rows grey
6 rows green
18 rows purple
6 rows green
repeat until you reach desired length (I repeated 6 times)

The Basics

I had my first official success last night as I was finally able to get my sewing machine to start sewing! After I knew I had all of my tools ready and working I did some reading up on fabrics.

I bought this book, called Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe (by Wendy Mullin with Eviana Hartman) a few weeks ago and I'm hoping it will help me learn the basics of sewing. The second chapter of the book is all about different kinds of fabrics and I have to admit I am feeling a little overwhelmed. My brain is still swimming with words like warp and weft, herringbones, moleskin, gabardine, selvage... the list goes on.

The most important thing I read was probably about prepaing fabric for a project. For example, you are supposed to wash your fabric before you use it (especially cotton because it shrinks). Also, you have to check the grain to make sure that it's not leaning a certain way otherwise your project will end up looking wonky when you're finished.

So, my plan is to finish reading up about fabrics and patterns and then start Chapter Four which is a crash course in sewing.

Daydreaming Spring

Love, love, lovin' the spring/summer collection from SHABD!!! Yessss tye dye. I'm inspired. I think I'm going to tye dye my bed sheets.

Check it out:

http://www.shabdismyname.com/2010spring/2010spring.html

First Thing's First

I got a new sewing machine for Christmas (Singer Inspiration-- thanks Santa!!) and last night I decided to take it out for the first time and set it up and all that jazz. NOT as easy as I thought it would be. At first it was fine. I went through the instruction manual and made sure I was familiar with all of the parts and functions of this machine, then it came time to wind the bobbin. No problem. Threading the needle I had no trouble with either but when it came time for me to catch the bobbin thread I was lost. The needle thread kept looping around the outside of the bobbin and getting jammed. I had to rip out all of that thread and I was terrified I was going to rip out the guts of my sewing machine!! Finally, I did catch the bobbin thread and bring it up and I was ready to sew-- right? No. I think I set up everything right but when I tried to sew a bit, the fabric didn't move, and all the thread just got jammed up in one spot. There is a Get Started DVD that came with the machine so I'm going to look at that tonight and see if I can figure out what I've done.

It's a little frustrating that I've already run into problems and I haven't even tried to do anything yet. Looks like I'm still a VERY long way away from designing my own wardrobe.
Boo.

Welcome

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Welcome to my journey into the world of sewing, knitting, needlepoint and beyond!! This is intended to be a space for me to share the pretty little things that I love and how I am coming along with my own creations. At this point I am just a beginner at everything but I hope to be able to create beautiful clothing one day. Please feel free to post ideas, tips, tricks or whatever you feel like. Thanks for reading!