Going with your gut

Yesterday, I just felt the need to create something new. I get this urge on a regular basis, but I had an idea that simply wouldn't go away.

I have this fascination with working with squares to create interesting pieces. I think they're oft overlooked in pattern making, due to harsh corners and the like. Either that, or they are very stark, geometric things with pointy corners that scream "I will hurt you!" or somesuch.

I love taking squares, and finding ways to soften them, but still keep the simplicity of angles and shapes in them. I am discovering, over time, that I really am a designer that likes things to be elegant, but look simple, until you really look at it (if that makes much sense).

I am also kind of a minimalist. I absolutely adore ruffles, don't get me wrong, but they seem to never find a home in my designs unless it is specifically "girly" or "frilly." Those designs that I think represent me, as myself, at a given time, tend to be ruffle-less, or detail-less. I'm not sure why, but it may have something to do with this perception that adding those "details over the top" is just a way to hide shoddy construction (this is probably due to one instructor in college who thought that that was truly the solution to any problem for a stage production, which, if you can guess, I didn't get along with very well...).

However, I do not agree with that philosophy. I don't like "hiding" things and hoping that they look okay. If something is not done correctly, I will rip it up and redo it. Hiding is not an option. Now, I know not everyone who does that is trying to hide a mistake, and I am sorry if that is what it comes off as. It is just a personal thing, something I do not like.

And something that surprises me is that I have just come to that realization. I actually am developing, at this time, a "design voice" of my own. I have heard fashion students talk about their "voice" before, and usually just kind of laugh it off - to be honest, most of the time I see those as knock-offs on something else, or really not very original. However, I am starting to understand that. See, my education focused on the construction, patternmaking, and all the other details that go into creation, not the designs. The designs are something given to you by the Costume Designer - your job is to realize the designs, not critique them, not impose your own ideas on them, unless it is the only way to actually take that drawing (and usually a very sloppy drawing at that) and make it as a garment.

It is interesting, then, when I found myself yesterday playing with a skirt idea I had, and just... thinking critically about it. Not from a "does this match the original design" critical thinking, which I am very good at and very used to doing, but more from a "is this me?" angle, which is something very new still.

I spent about an hour playing with the drape of one side of the skirt, just trying to get it right. The back had already dictated the design (which was absolutely nothing like I had originally envisioned when I started) and the front needed to compliment it. The back was totally what I think of when I think of "Sam" or "Taeliac" but the front needed something.

Well, long story short, I redid it many, many times, and it was worth it to explore, however, the first one that I truly liked, I wound up marking the placement with safety pins, and it was what wound up being the one I was most satisfied with.

So. When designing, play around. Experiment. But, let your gut tell you what is truly you. Don't be afraid to rip it out, play some more, but if nothing avails, come back to that 'gut' moment, and take a step back. It seems to be your gut telling you that this is you, and go with it.


I do hope that made sense, too. Rambling away and all ;P

Utility Skirts!

Long time, no update, I know, but things have been rather crazy here. I've been bouncing from sick to not sick to a different kind of sick, so sewing has really gotten a little lax. Not to mention, we have just about finished remodeling yet another part of our basement for me to expand my sewing studio, so I have been working to keep things sorted in the transitional period until it is all completed.

That said, another angst was that the silk noil I use for my Utility Skirts was on backorder for a very long time. Unfortunately, while silk noil is easy to find online, it is exceptionally expensive, and as it takes approximately 5 yards to make one skirt, if I were to order it anywhere else, I would have to charge even more to create the skirts than I already do. Which is something I would really prefer not to do, if at all possible. I had used up all the silk I had on hand for one custom made piece, which I'll have to ramble about in a moment...

However, a pleasant surprise awaited me last Friday - a box! A rather large box, at that. And, inside, was my last back-order of silk! Enough to make only two skirts, true, but that was what I had on order, so I was really happy and quite giddy. Called them and found out that yes, indeed, they had gotten all of their supply, too, and would be able to keep offering the noil for sale.

I am so happy!

So, I created two more Utility Skirts over the weekend, which will be up on Etsy as soon as I sort out my other problem.

As some of you may remember, I worked on a production at a local High School that my husband teaches at as the costume designer. It was hard work (and I still get a little dizzy thinking about how much work went into those dresses!), but I had loaned my main non-industrial machine to the students who made up the costume crew to use. Well, they broke it, which isn't too big of a deal, since the school agreed to fix it for me.

Now, I am really miffed. I haven't really used that machine much since it was fixed - I rely mostly on my industrial straight, as it is insanely fast - except for a few little things like buttonholes.

I bet you can see where this is going.

I go to use it the other day, and for some reason it feels like a belt is sticking. No big deal, I figure it's a new belt, and needs to just be run through a bit to get it stretched and whatnot. Well, it finally starts working decently... until I try to do a zig-zag (one of those vital stitches for creating buttonholes *sigh*) and nothing is catching. I test it out for about an hour, trying different settings, and the machine starts going slower and slower, and then speeding up again.

I have no idea what actually is wrong, but I know it's not working, and that is causing a huge pain in my ass, as all I have left to do on all of these utility skirts is the damned buttonholes on the ties! And, seeing as each set of ties requires 8 buttonholes, I'm sure you can see how much of a pain this really is.

So, no idea when that machine is going to be fixed, and I'm dreading the bill - since I didn't notice the issue within 30 days of the repair (since I don't use it all that often...) I'm probably going to have to pay for their shoddy work. Unfortunately, it's the only repair place in the area, and, after consulting with a few sewing friends who have had to have work done on their machines, the quality of the work there has just started going down the toilet. Depressing, since they used to be just plain awesome.

Anywho, that's what's been going on with me lately! Also, Etsy orders have been rather crazy thanks to Halloween coming up, which is always nice. We're looking at some holiday art shows, but who knows how that will go. Just going to keep on putting one foot in front of the other and see what happens.

Not sewing related at all...

Sorry, guys, but I need to post this and ask if anyone out there can help me with a bit o' writing.

I'm completely stumped. I need to come up with a name of an organization, here is a rough summary of it. The world setting is fantasy, high fantasy (magic, but not like everyone shoots fireballs and can fly on carpets magic, but just kind of some people can do magic, most can't... think "Dragon Age Origins" if that helps) The organization is evil, a kind of "dark" organization, almost vampire-like. It is a series of families that kind of rule behind the scenes, Mafia-style, but I need something to collectively call them - I can't just refer to them as "Families" or something like that :\

So... anyone have any good ideas? I'm out of them...

If a naming convention helps, here are some things I have set out: my main character is named Ceinwyn (kane-win), another is Siorus (shoy-russ). Cities are things like Et Sharov and An Kimor... so I'm completely all over the board!

Edit: Thank you so much for the help via Twitter, and to my husband, too! We took some of the ideas and went around a corner with them, and the organization now has a name :3 "Abadon" is what we decided on!

Thank you!! <3

Is it really the middle of September already?!

Long time, no see?

I've been horrible about keeping up with my emails, but on top of that, I got hit with the worst cold/flu/cold (yep, it when through those phases so far... I hope the second cold is the end of it!) that I've had in ages - and one that everyone here in Wisconsin seems to have. Not cool.

But, I've been busy none the less. GeekKon was awesome this year, I loved the hotel (even if the Internet situation sucked) and loved the layout of the vendor/AA room, the hotel itself, the video game room --- it was all just awesome! I cannot wait to be back next year!

So, leading up to GeekKon, I was making more and more Steampunk jewelry to sell, and the few things that didn't sell at the convention are now up on my Etsy shop, if anyone is interested (with more to come, too!)

Other than that, I've been busy remodeling the other half of my sewing room. See, a few years ago we redid half of the basement to become my workspace, to be more light and bright and easier to work in. Well, in a matter of a few years, I've outgrown the space (so much so that I'm still looking for a retail location, but that's becoming a little more difficult as it's getting harder to get loans now...) and it was becoming horribly cramped.

What we did, then, is my mother graciously re-arranged her half of the basement, to give me another chunk of it for my cutting table and more fabric storage. She's moved around her work benches (she does a huge amount of home remodeling and building big things, so she has space for all of that in the basement and a good chunk of the garage, too~) to give me more room to work in.

Now, we finished building more cabinetry (thank goodness for Target and their cube storage thingers - they're life savers, because I could actually put them together with only minor injuries!) and have to start unpacking bins and bins of fabric and reorganizing it, but I have a lot more room!

The down side? Until everything is all done, I'm even more tight on space than I was before. Hoping to get it all finished soon, though! I'll post pictures instead of just rambling at you all shortly - I don't know if I have any "before" pictures that do it justice, but I'll see ;P

So, the point of this ramble? Not much, actually. Just that I have been busy, sick and now, busy and sick.

Oh, and I've found I really enjoy writing, when I have a good spot of inspiration. Go figure - the one art I thought I'd never be able to do, and I find myself enjoying it. I'm kind of afraid of what could be next - maybe Sam acting???!!! At this rate, it just might happen... :O

Days of Sewing

I just thought I'd post a little random tangent for the heck of it.

Ya know, I really do love sewing. So much so, that it's actually a surprise how much I like it when I haven't done it for a long time.

I am currently battling my way through a stack of Kimona Wraps - some on order, some just because I have the fabric. I have ten of them sitting almost-completed in a heap, and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside to actually get to make something like this, how lucky I am that I get to do this, even if I can barely pay my bills.

Because, I truly believe that if you're not happy with what you're doing, it's not worth you doing.

So, today, I am happy. And that is all :3