It's kinda slow right now. I've done a few things. I signed up on etsy. I haven't got much traffic on that site. It's probably because there are about 10 billion shops that open up daily. The best piece of advice given to increase hits to your shop is to keep relisting products. It's only $0.20 to list, but that gets a little pricey after awhile. I've researched other sights like artfire.com, supermarkethq.com, and ebay. Artfire is interesting. You can list for free or pay something like $10 a month with no charge after a sale, and no contract. But, it seems like the $10/month shops get the most sales. Supermarkethq.com is a very hip site. I don't know much about it. I think I might have to contact them to find out more information, or if I even qualify to be on their site. Ebay? I'm not so sure. I don't even like to purchase from that site. I don't get the whole auction thing.
So, I've decided that I want to have my own craft fair. The fairs here are very traditional. And I mean traditional. Quilts, quilts, and more quilts, some aprons.... Need I say more? The good thing is that I've cornered the market. The bad thing is that consumers are bargain hunting, even haggling. The idea is to attract a market of late 20 to early 50 year old women. I believe they are willing to spend money on themselves as well as their children and grandchildren. The concept is to "sip and shop". I'm currently in search of a bar/restaurant to hold my event. I have a few friends that I've made during my craft fair circuits. I've assigned one the job of jury. I just can't tell people no. So, for now, I'm going to take my time to find the right place. I'll keep you posted. Any suggestions?????
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Let's make a skirt part 5: Elastic casing
You can use whatever width elastic. Just keep in mind, the longer the skirt, the heavier it will be. If you use too thin an elastic, it may not be able to hold the skirt up. For this skirt I used a 3/4 inch elastic.
The casing will need to be 1/8 inch wider than the elastic for wiggle room. The seam allowance should be about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch. I decided on an 1/4 inch seam allowance. That means from the top edge of the skirt to the bottom of the casing will be 1 1/8 inch.
Press 1/4 inch from the top of the skirt. This will be your seam allowance.
Turn over another 7/8 inch and press.
Now you'll sew. I like to start about a 1/2 inch from a side seam. Don't forget to back stitch to secure the seam. Sew all the way around stop about a 1/2 inch from the beginning of the seam. Back stitch.
As far as how long you should cut your elastic, just cut it 1 inch shorter than the actual size of your waist measurement. You'll take the cut piece of elastic and put a safety pin through one end. This will help you thread it through the casing.
Just shimmy the elastic through the casing.
Pull the elastic out about a couple of inches, leaving a tail of elastic at the beginning.
Place one side of the elastic on top of the other. This gets a little tricky because you want to make sure the elastic doesn't twist inside of the casing. Pin, and sew. I realize this isn't pretty. There are other ways to do this, but this works for me. Sew forward and backward on the elastic.
Shimmy the elastic into the casing, now you'll have a little hole in your casing.
All you have to do is close that hole up. Just make sure you pull the skirt straight and tight.
The last thing you want to do is to "stitch in the ditch". This means that you want to put a couple of stitches in the side seam. You do this to keep the elastic from rolling and twisting inside the casing. It's very annoying when it does. Stitch in the ditch of both side seams.
You're done!!!!
Remember, you don't have to stop at just 2 tiers. You can do 3, 4..... As many as you want! Have fun, and I would love to see your creations!!!
The casing will need to be 1/8 inch wider than the elastic for wiggle room. The seam allowance should be about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch. I decided on an 1/4 inch seam allowance. That means from the top edge of the skirt to the bottom of the casing will be 1 1/8 inch.
Press 1/4 inch from the top of the skirt. This will be your seam allowance.
Turn over another 7/8 inch and press.
Now you'll sew. I like to start about a 1/2 inch from a side seam. Don't forget to back stitch to secure the seam. Sew all the way around stop about a 1/2 inch from the beginning of the seam. Back stitch.
As far as how long you should cut your elastic, just cut it 1 inch shorter than the actual size of your waist measurement. You'll take the cut piece of elastic and put a safety pin through one end. This will help you thread it through the casing.
Just shimmy the elastic through the casing.
Pull the elastic out about a couple of inches, leaving a tail of elastic at the beginning.
Place one side of the elastic on top of the other. This gets a little tricky because you want to make sure the elastic doesn't twist inside of the casing. Pin, and sew. I realize this isn't pretty. There are other ways to do this, but this works for me. Sew forward and backward on the elastic.
Shimmy the elastic into the casing, now you'll have a little hole in your casing.
All you have to do is close that hole up. Just make sure you pull the skirt straight and tight.
The last thing you want to do is to "stitch in the ditch". This means that you want to put a couple of stitches in the side seam. You do this to keep the elastic from rolling and twisting inside the casing. It's very annoying when it does. Stitch in the ditch of both side seams.
You're done!!!!
Remember, you don't have to stop at just 2 tiers. You can do 3, 4..... As many as you want! Have fun, and I would love to see your creations!!!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Let's make a skirt part 4: Sewing the fabric
First, you'll need to line up the side seams and make sure the right sides are facing each other. Make sure to check that you have the patterned fabric facing the same way.
Pin the side seams together.
Now you're ready to sew. On your sewing machine, it should have seam measure guides. My sewing machine shows the measurements in 1/8ths. So, because I'm doing a 1/2 inch seam, I'm sewing at the 4/8ths line.
If you're using a serger, like I am, the seam measurements are on the machine.
Sergers are great because they make really clean seam edges. But, never fear, you don't need a serger to make this skirt. After sewing your side seam, go over the edge with the zig zag stitch. All basic sewing machines have this seam. The wider the zig zag, the better.
Once you've sewn up the side seams for the top tier and bottom tier, it's time to ruffle the bottom tier. First, stitch a 1/4 inch from the edge of the top of the bottom tier in the longest stitch length your machine has. Do the front side only, then the back side. Do not stitch the entire width of the fabric or you'll be sorry. I have and was sorry for doing it.
Do this again, 1/4 inch from that stitch.
To start creating the ruffles, you'll take the threads that are underneath, (the bobbin threads) and start to pull the threads together while gathering the fabric and shimming the gathers down the stitch. Do this until you have gathered the entire front of the skirt, then do the back.
When you attach the top tier to the bottom tier, make sure the right sides face each other. Line up the side seams and pin together.
After this, pin the bottom tier to the top tier and spread the ruffles evenly. If you need to, pull the threads to lessen the width of the bottom tier, or spread the fabric along the stitches to lengthen.
It's time to sew! You're going to sew between the stitches. That is where the 1/2 inch seam should be. You can serge or use your standard machine.
Perfect! You'll notice the second stitch is visible. Pull that out.
It's at this point I notice that I have sewn the bottom tier upside down. How do I know? Because the skulls are staring at me upside down. WAAAAAAAAAAA! I take out my trusty seam ripper. Which we should all have, and get to ripping.
After composing myself and sewing the skirt right side up......... Top stitch the top tier along the seam between the top and bottom tier. This really gives the skirt a refined finish.
You're almost done! All you have left is the hem and elastic casing. For finishing the hem you will use the rolled hem technique. Basically you will roll the fabric 1/8th of an inch twice and sew.
You're almost to the finish line. This is what your project should look like. Or at least close to it. Next, you'll learn how to make an elastic casing.
Pin the side seams together.
Now you're ready to sew. On your sewing machine, it should have seam measure guides. My sewing machine shows the measurements in 1/8ths. So, because I'm doing a 1/2 inch seam, I'm sewing at the 4/8ths line.
If you're using a serger, like I am, the seam measurements are on the machine.
Sergers are great because they make really clean seam edges. But, never fear, you don't need a serger to make this skirt. After sewing your side seam, go over the edge with the zig zag stitch. All basic sewing machines have this seam. The wider the zig zag, the better.
Once you've sewn up the side seams for the top tier and bottom tier, it's time to ruffle the bottom tier. First, stitch a 1/4 inch from the edge of the top of the bottom tier in the longest stitch length your machine has. Do the front side only, then the back side. Do not stitch the entire width of the fabric or you'll be sorry. I have and was sorry for doing it.
Do this again, 1/4 inch from that stitch.
To start creating the ruffles, you'll take the threads that are underneath, (the bobbin threads) and start to pull the threads together while gathering the fabric and shimming the gathers down the stitch. Do this until you have gathered the entire front of the skirt, then do the back.
When you attach the top tier to the bottom tier, make sure the right sides face each other. Line up the side seams and pin together.
After this, pin the bottom tier to the top tier and spread the ruffles evenly. If you need to, pull the threads to lessen the width of the bottom tier, or spread the fabric along the stitches to lengthen.
It's time to sew! You're going to sew between the stitches. That is where the 1/2 inch seam should be. You can serge or use your standard machine.
Perfect! You'll notice the second stitch is visible. Pull that out.
It's at this point I notice that I have sewn the bottom tier upside down. How do I know? Because the skulls are staring at me upside down. WAAAAAAAAAAA! I take out my trusty seam ripper. Which we should all have, and get to ripping.
After composing myself and sewing the skirt right side up......... Top stitch the top tier along the seam between the top and bottom tier. This really gives the skirt a refined finish.
You're almost done! All you have left is the hem and elastic casing. For finishing the hem you will use the rolled hem technique. Basically you will roll the fabric 1/8th of an inch twice and sew.
You're almost to the finish line. This is what your project should look like. Or at least close to it. Next, you'll learn how to make an elastic casing.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Let's make a skirt part 3: Cutting the fabric
Before we start cutting. I want you to understand a few things about fabric. For this pattern, woven fabric works best and is, in my opinion the easiest to work with. Woven fabric can be cut in 3 ways, on the grainline, on the crossgrain, or on the bias. This is important to know because this will affect the drape of the garment. Drape meaning how the garment will hang on your body. Most patterns are cut on the grain.
I always wash, dry and iron my fabrics before I do anything to them because it's a bummer when you've done all this work and it doesn't it fit right anymore after the first wash. I obviously washed and dried the fabric, but neglected to iron because I was in a rush to add this tutorial to my blog ;)
The white edge of the fabric is the grainline or selvage. If you pull on the selvage, you'll notice that there is absolutely no stretch. If you pull across, or on the crossgrain, where the frayed edge is, there is some stretch. The pen and the direction it's placed represents the bias, if you pull the fabric in that direction, there will be maximum stretch.
Now, you'll need a few things to get started:
This is wasteful. So, what I do is cut out each piece individually.
I realize it doesn't look like you've saved a lot of fabric, but, believe me there are a ton of uses. Maybe squares for a quilt, a matching doll skirt, a pocket detail for another skirt or pants, the list can go on forever.
You'll proceed with the other pattern piece in the same manner. Some important things to add. When you place pattern pieces on a fold, it is usually implied that it is on the grainline. There are occasions when a fold won't be on a grainline, but, that's usually indicated on the pattern piece. (If you're using a commercial pattern.) If you're using a fabric with a pattern as I have, take note if the pattern is directional. The skulls on my fabric face one way, so I have to make sure when I sew the pieces together, that they're facing the same way.
Next, is putting it all together!
I always wash, dry and iron my fabrics before I do anything to them because it's a bummer when you've done all this work and it doesn't it fit right anymore after the first wash. I obviously washed and dried the fabric, but neglected to iron because I was in a rush to add this tutorial to my blog ;)
The white edge of the fabric is the grainline or selvage. If you pull on the selvage, you'll notice that there is absolutely no stretch. If you pull across, or on the crossgrain, where the frayed edge is, there is some stretch. The pen and the direction it's placed represents the bias, if you pull the fabric in that direction, there will be maximum stretch.
Now, you'll need a few things to get started:
Pins
Your fabric
Good fabric scissors (it does make a difference)
This is wasteful. So, what I do is cut out each piece individually.
I realize it doesn't look like you've saved a lot of fabric, but, believe me there are a ton of uses. Maybe squares for a quilt, a matching doll skirt, a pocket detail for another skirt or pants, the list can go on forever.
You'll proceed with the other pattern piece in the same manner. Some important things to add. When you place pattern pieces on a fold, it is usually implied that it is on the grainline. There are occasions when a fold won't be on a grainline, but, that's usually indicated on the pattern piece. (If you're using a commercial pattern.) If you're using a fabric with a pattern as I have, take note if the pattern is directional. The skulls on my fabric face one way, so I have to make sure when I sew the pieces together, that they're facing the same way.
Next, is putting it all together!
Finishing the pattern part 2
Once you've got that done, add the length of the top tier.
Finish up the rectangle, label it and don't forget to write fold on one end of the pattern piece.
The bottom tier pattern will be wider than the top tier for ruffling. The more you add to the width, the flouncier it will be. But, it has to be at least 4 inches wider total. Which means that if your top tier pattern width is 8 inches wide, your bottom tier pattern width will be 10 inches wide. (Remember, you will be folding the fabric under your pattern piece). The length of this piece is totally up to you. Don't forget to label this pattern piece. When you have finished drafting these 2 pieces, cut them out, take a break, and we'll start cutting out the fabric.
Let's make a skirt, part 1
I thought it would be cool to make a skirt together. Today, we'll make the paper pattern. You'll need a few things:
Butcher paper or newspaper will do.
Pen, black works best.
Paper scissors. (There is a difference between paper and fabric scissors!)
Straight see-thru ruler that measures at least 18 inches. If you don't have one, you can buy one at your local craft or fabric store.
Measuring tape. If you plan on making the skirt for yourself, you'll need to have someone help you.
For this particular design, the skirt does not sit at the waist. I find that it creates a muffin top effect for most. I like to have my skirts sit just above my hips. You will have the option to alter that detail. Let's start with a 2 tiered skirt. It's really simple and you can create a lot of different looks.
First, sketch the design you have in mind. This is really helpful because it will help you when creating the actual pattern pieces. Try to be as detailed as you can. Include notes, I've forgotten all kinds of design details when constructing a pattern because I forgot to include notes.
If you notice, I noted the topstitching over the second tier! If you look at the sketch, there is really only going to be 2 pieces. Simple! Now for the constructing. You're going to need 2 measurements. The hip and the length that you want the skirt. I'm making a skirt for a 4 year old and figured the hip to be 24 inches, the length approximately 14 inches. The shape of the 2 pieces will be rectangular. At this point, you can make the skirt really flouncy, or just kinda fluffy. I decided on twirlable.
Remember our old friend arithmetic? This is where we use it. If the hip circumference in 24 inches, we need a front and back. Front is 12 inches, back is 12 inches. These numbers will be the width of the top tier pattern piece. Usually, a pattern piece won't be 12 inches wide, so if we were to fold that 12 inch piece, we would now have a 6 inch wide pattern piece. But, we also need to include the extra width to the hip to give it the twirl factor. This is where you would add for flounce. I decided on adding 2 inches. Now the pattern piece is 8 inches wide, but the actual front of the skirt will be 16 inches wide. You'll see later.
I decided that I wanted the total length of the skirt to be 14 inches. Here you can decide how to add up the lengths of the 2 tiers. I am going to make the length of the top tier 6 inches, including the elastic casing, (which we'll get into later) and the seam allowance. Usually, seam allowances are 5/8th inch, but, I do a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
Monday, March 7, 2011
My experiment with embroidery
I love looking at all things homemade. Once I saw how cool embroidery was, I had to try myself. I didn't realize that there were so many different stitches! I got a lot of ideas checking out craftster.org. If you are a crafter in anyway, you must become a member. People make the coolest stuff with various craft disciplines. Quilting, embroidery, appliques, crochet, knit, the list goes on and on. Embroidery is perfect for those times you're in front of the TV, after a hard day at work and need to unleash your creative self. I started off by using felt I bought at the local craft store and made some hair clips... I didn't use any templates, just drew my designs right on the felt and started to use the blanket stitch with black embroidery floss to outline........and voila!! Here are some of my projects.
 |
| Of course, this is my husband's favorite. |
 |
| This one is close to my heart. I tried making her a few times. The flash washed out the bright colors. But, this one is my absolute fave! |
 |
| Little girls gravitate to this cute bear. I did a white bunny, but, sold it before I thought to take a picture:( |
 |
| This was the first hair pin I made. I freehanded 10 blossoms, sewed them onto a black piece of felt, and cut out the black felt to create a border. Then I cut out another piece of black felt the same size, cut a slit in the center back and inserted the hair clip. To finish, I sewed both pieces together using a blanket stitch. |
Starting my baby clothing line
I love to design clothes, tattoos, cook, bake, and craft of any kind. I have 2 daughters. The oldest is 21 months, and the youngest is 7 months. I love them, so I make clothes for them. Then I decided, I shall make clothes for the masses. Really, it's a very small population, as I can only sew so much. The name of my baby clothing line is pintsized. I started it in fall of 2010. Since I live on the island of Kaua'i, I started to do local craft shows with a modest profit. I just placed my garments in a local consignment shop with a 50/50 split. Most shops I approached offer a 60/40 split favoring the shop owner. I realize that I don't make as much money keeping some of my inventory in the consignment shop, but, it's last season's designs. This upcoming season is all about desserts. Cupcakes, ice cream, and candies are all the rage thanks to Katy Perry. (I don't even know if I spelled her name right). This onesie is made with a Micheal Miller fabric. I put accent ruffles on the bottom and chest with halter straps. I also put snaps at the crotch for quick diaper changes. It's the cutest thing to see the ruffles bounce when she runs!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)