oohh, I don't want to see my next credit bill...
I spent yesterday and today at the CreativFestival taking sewing classes and spending dollars. I was so glad I went, it was pretty fun and I picked up some new sewing skills. I did the 'Yes You Can, Making it Fit' class held by Robert Wylie, a class about getting garments to fit well, especially in two common trouble areas, the bust and crotch. The class I took today was 'Sewing Shortcuts: Apronology' by Rosebud, a class that teaches speed sewing, industrial shortcuts and how to sew without needles!
I met the lovely Denise my first day at the festival. She was representing (and owns) The Sewing Studio and had a row of Janome machines for anyone to come along and do a little project. One of the first things I did at the festival was sew a little zipper pouch cuff with her. What a super sweetheart. For those looking for sewing classes, The Sewing Studio has some good ones, check out their site. She just saw me wandering around and asked me over to try out a project! It was nice to test run a Janome. I have a Huskavarka Viking at home which is my baby, but how come no one ever told me how fricking easy it can be to put in button holes and buttons?? The Janomes had a special foot that did it all!! The buttonholes came out perfect everytime. I used a Pfaff (I think) in class today, also another completely different machine.
Carolyn Rohaly has written on more than one occasion about where to get dressforms... affordable ones... If you are in the market and can wait around for the spring or fall CreativFestival, (this time around at least) MacFab had nice adjustable ones $100 off!! I so bought one. I've been wanting one for months. Even though Fabricland had a sale back in March or so, I just wasn't comfortable at that point shelling out for something I wasn't %100 sure I'd use and wasn't ready to use yet. Waiting for a sale is the way to go!
Galligator at Shoeblog.com recently wrote about Project Runway sketchbooks and illustration books that she found at Toys R Us. Apparently they have a whole line of actual sewing and design tools as well! This weeknd I saw Project Runway rulers, seam gauges, needles, sewing kits, tracing paper, french curves......
Other stuff I bought this weekend at the festival:
-machine needles
-A book on sewing called: The Complete Photo Guide to Sewing by Singer
-a fabric eraser (hate those marks all over my fabulous new clothes)
-some silk organza, to line a pair of pants and to use as a pressing cloth
-an instructional DVD on Industrial Shortcuts (part 2 to what I learned today in class) by Islander Sewing.
-a pressing stick (I didn't even know what this was before today! It's a rounded wooden stick that gets inserted into thin sewn strips (like apron strings or perhaps a tie or belt) so you can press your seam open before flipping it right side out.
-a project runway seam gauge
It's funny how something like a ruler... (or a seam gauge) can make a girl feel all giddy and special just because it says 'Project Runway' on the packaging.
I've also ordered another book a week or so ago called Concepts of Pattern Grading: Techniques for Manual and Computer Grading by: Carolyn L. Moore, Kathy K. Mullet, and Margaret Prevatt Young. This was one Carolyn advised to read on her blog.
Has anyone else seen Britney's new music video, Womanizer? Loves it. She's looking hot and the video reminds me of her Toxic video... I like the song too, of course. It's one of those songs I can listen to 100 times and keep enjoying it.
Apparently people like my fashion illustration... I am going to do some more soon and post them.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Learning to Sew in Toronto
If any of you lovely readers out there are also learning to sew or already do and you live in the GTA, you have got to check out the CreativFestival this weekend!! It's being held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and is already going on. There are tons of classes and seminars happening and there will be booth after booth offering fabric, notions, tools, you name it. I went to a seminar last night hosted by Ron Collins on Interfacings and Underlinings, it was pretty interesting to listen to someone's tips and advice on something they've done the trial and error game for years on. Maybe I will line those wool pants I was going to make...
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Summer Sewin'
At last I've finished my 'summer dress'! It's an autumn dress now. I think the colours in the fabric are a bit moody for warm sunny days anyway. It was left untouched for awhile but I've been sewing away in my scraps of free time recently, in time to have it completed to wear for Thanksgiving with my family and of course, the one-year anniversary of The Workroom. The Workroom is where I purchased the fabric. It was a pleasure to sew this dress, I am all the more eager to start new projects and keep learning. 
I learned how to do a blind hem and sew on buttons on my machine this time around. My buttonhole making skills have drastically improved. I know it's kinda crafty looking... It's not the sort of thing I would be drawn to in a shop although I like it. I am really interested in using all these project to learn to sew.
I learned how to do a blind hem and sew on buttons on my machine this time around. My buttonhole making skills have drastically improved. I know it's kinda crafty looking... It's not the sort of thing I would be drawn to in a shop although I like it. I am really interested in using all these project to learn to sew.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Nuit Blanche 2008
So much has happened since I last posted! Firstly, last night was Nuit Blanche in Toronto. The first thing I did was head out to Over the Rainbow to see Danielle. She was doing a bit of sketching and her demin art installtion was on display in the front window. A huge Globe made of denim pieces! There was a lot of texture to it, even a zipper here and there and it rotated from a wire attached to the ceiling.
Danielle and I (above)
A picture of Danielle's Demin Art Installation Denim Globe (below)
I had Stephen, Dan (my brother), Liz, (his g/f) with me so we tried to hit a bunch of events that each of us was interested in seeing. A really fun one was hosted by Bravo!FACT/The Music Gallery Sports Bar, it was a filming of a bunch of shorts. They were funky and cool, the venue was very interesting, all the films were being screened in a little church. I was happy to sit down for a bit and ended up entering the win a trip to Paris contest being held by Nuit Blance with my cel phone. Then a short came on called Roast Beef and the sounds and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen... I loved it.
Another event we made sure to see was Project Blinkenlights at City Hall, an interative light installation built inside Toronto City Hall. This project will actually run each evening from October 4 7pm - October 7 at 7am. You can learn more at www.blinkenlights.net. Different things were happening on the windows of the buildings, often a game of pong was being played, or perhaps an animation flashed by of an animal run cycle...
Another installation was titled Into the Blue and it hung from the ceiling of the Eaton Center. It is meant to be view from afar, where one may se the balloon levels reflect and refract light, as well as from underneath where it is to be experienced like an environment.
And of course I went to see Art of Fashion's Between the Lines Designer exhibit. There were several young designers collections based on the theme of Between the Lines. There will be a designers Trunk Show held at the Drake Hotel hosted again by Art of Fashion Thursday October 16 from 4pm - midnight.
Last weekend was The weekend of The Clothing Show. I had wanted to go on Saturday but ended up spending Saturday doing a fabric crawl around Queen West. So I made it out to The Clothing Show on Sunday. The fabrics I ended up getting were amazing/insane. A boiled red, blue, yellow and green wool I nabbed for some vintage 70's high waisted pants and a sheer, very soft and drapey I'm not even sure what kind of fabric, it's a bit net-like if you look closely is for a jacket I'm going to make. I was very happy to get the wool, I needed 1 3/4 yards and that was exactly how much of this fabric was left for sale! Apparently another customer had been in the store thinking of buying as well.
The CreativFestival is taking place October 17, - 19 this year and I've registered for a couple of classes and a Bronze pass. Going to pick up some new sewing knowledge and scope out the many sales and events.
The Workroom is having it's one year anniversary soon and and is hosting a party on October 14 from 6-9pm.
Danielle and I (above)A picture of Danielle's Demin Art Installation Denim Globe (below)
I had Stephen, Dan (my brother), Liz, (his g/f) with me so we tried to hit a bunch of events that each of us was interested in seeing. A really fun one was hosted by Bravo!FACT/The Music Gallery Sports Bar, it was a filming of a bunch of shorts. They were funky and cool, the venue was very interesting, all the films were being screened in a little church. I was happy to sit down for a bit and ended up entering the win a trip to Paris contest being held by Nuit Blance with my cel phone. Then a short came on called Roast Beef and the sounds and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen... I loved it.Another event we made sure to see was Project Blinkenlights at City Hall, an interative light installation built inside Toronto City Hall. This project will actually run each evening from October 4 7pm - October 7 at 7am. You can learn more at www.blinkenlights.net. Different things were happening on the windows of the buildings, often a game of pong was being played, or perhaps an animation flashed by of an animal run cycle...
Another installation was titled Into the Blue and it hung from the ceiling of the Eaton Center. It is meant to be view from afar, where one may se the balloon levels reflect and refract light, as well as from underneath where it is to be experienced like an environment.
And of course I went to see Art of Fashion's Between the Lines Designer exhibit. There were several young designers collections based on the theme of Between the Lines. There will be a designers Trunk Show held at the Drake Hotel hosted again by Art of Fashion Thursday October 16 from 4pm - midnight.Last weekend was The weekend of The Clothing Show. I had wanted to go on Saturday but ended up spending Saturday doing a fabric crawl around Queen West. So I made it out to The Clothing Show on Sunday. The fabrics I ended up getting were amazing/insane. A boiled red, blue, yellow and green wool I nabbed for some vintage 70's high waisted pants and a sheer, very soft and drapey I'm not even sure what kind of fabric, it's a bit net-like if you look closely is for a jacket I'm going to make. I was very happy to get the wool, I needed 1 3/4 yards and that was exactly how much of this fabric was left for sale! Apparently another customer had been in the store thinking of buying as well.
The CreativFestival is taking place October 17, - 19 this year and I've registered for a couple of classes and a Bronze pass. Going to pick up some new sewing knowledge and scope out the many sales and events.
The Workroom is having it's one year anniversary soon and and is hosting a party on October 14 from 6-9pm.
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