imitating mcqueen

so, we had our draping exam and here's the garment that i'm supposed to copy. it's from mcqueen's 2009 collection, i think. my version is made using muslin, and it's not even sewn on. it's being held on the dressform with pins. i like the way it came out and i can't wait to sew it. too bad i'm busy with making pieces for our fashion show and in writing my thesis proposal. just a few more months (hopefully) and i'll be graduating. please please please, let school be over soon.

intersecting darts

draping is so much fun. i love it more than pattern making. it's a little stressful but i have no choice but to finish all the exercises due today. i did well on our first quiz. so fun :-)

flowers on a dress

finally done with my floral dress. there's an invisible zipper at the side. you can't see it because it's invisible.

i was thinking about making it a dress instead of a top, but i ran out of fabric. i only bought 1 yard of this last year. it's cotton voile from kamuning market. it's the first time to sew an empire cut garment using my pattern making skills. congratulate me. it fits me perfectly :)

unfortunately, my tripod lost its camera mount device thingie. now, i can't use it because i can't place the camera on the tripod. i had to do it manually, and my camera's so heavy. the weather wasn't cooperating with me either. it was dark, so i had to increase the ISO number. at least the noise didn't ruin the pattern on the fabric. i don't really like floral patterns, but i'm happy with what i came up with

stab and pull

i realized that embroidery is really easy when you have a loop that holds your fabric taut. So, i rushed to the mall and bought one that's really cheap but still serves its purpose. i also realized that there are a lot of stitches that can be used but a lot of embroidery involves satin stitch and its variations because it gets the job done fast. It uses up a lot of thread, but it's alright with me. Several other styles of stitches, like the cross stitch and its variations, are used to fill in spaces. In the future, i might try to explore other techniques.

here's a picture of the very hungry caterpillar. Eric Carle is the illustrator of the popular children's book. He makes use of tissue to create very interesting textures. Now, I'd like to interpret his work as embroidery.



Hopefully by tomorrow my artwork will be done.

macrame earrings

Macrame, yes, it's the technical term for those friendship bracelets. Who would have thought there's a science to friendship bracelets. I didn't realize that there's more to it than just knotting thread around and making patterns. There's a whole culture revolving around sailors who didn't have anything to do but macrame.

all the accessories i could ever see myself using are bags and earrings. I just like earrings because it's so effortless. just put them on and forget about them. maybe it's because I don't like giving emphasis to my thin wrist and fingers, and because I had a bad experience with double-layered necklaces that I just gave up on them. I love earrings because I make beautiful earrings (or at least my friends tell me that I do. pls refer to http://malayadesigns.blogspot.com/2012/03/earrings.html).

I learned about friendship earrings from my sister. She saw a tutorial on http://craftgossip.com/ and shared it with me. Now, I can add it to my portfolio of accessories. I might try playing around with patterns, but for now, the inverted chevron will do.

I want to be able to make a whole collection of macrame earrings, I just don't know if there's any sense in doing that. I get to spend a lot of time making them that I get so attached. I have a hard time giving them away to friends or to clients. Sometimes we have to learn how to let go of our babies. Aww...

woven earrings

I really wish I had a loom, then I'd make my own shawls. For now, I make earrings!



It's made using cotton crochet thread, and woven using a plain weave. Only the warp being seen because of the way I pulled and pushed the weft. I might try weaving with a design in mind, but I'd rather train myself and master the technique. We have to crawl before we can walk.

distressed

I made a leather pouch. I gave it a little personality by sanding it and applying acrylic paint. Distressing fabric is an interesting technique that requires little technical know-how. Just scrape the surface with any abrasive device, in my case I used scissors and sand paper, until it's just right. Just make sure that the fabric is strong enough to withstand the torture.



Just like in life, we have to be strong enough before we should expose ourselves to possible danger. The only way to be stronger is by training and working hard. And that is why I'm practicing my sewing skills :D yey!

still playing with yarn

finally done with my bag project. I think I have to cut the strap short because of the lack of yarn. I'm planning on sewing on a lining, for practical reasons. I wouldn't want my ballpens and coins falling out of it at random (true story).



For this bag, I used a ball of cotton crochet thread and a 5/0 needle. I started off with a long chain, then three triples plus a single chain on the next layers. It's a variation of the granny square, which I learned from my mom's Coats newsletter way back in the 90's. Once I was done with the length, I folded it in half and connected the back and front with chain stitches, with slip stitches every 4th on the spaces.

I love crochetting because I get to create some sort of skin for my projects with just a ball of thread and a handy needle. It's more portable than a loom, and more decorative. There's an instant texture that varies with the type of stitch used. The usual stuff that could be made using woven or knit fabric can have a unique personality once they are made by crochetting.

Here's one of my first few crochet projects that I wear as a bra or as a bikini top. I've made at least a dozen of these, but I gave them away or sold them. I even made a bandeu style that didn't work. It lacked support. Function over aesthetics, right?

playing with yarn

I'm half way through my project! yeah! everything will seem slower from this point onwards. I think this is what you call relativity.

baby owl

I love owls! They're just so cute!

I learned this from a tutorial. Get it here --> http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/cutesimple-owl

earrings

Performing in front of a large crowd without earrings is like leaving your house without shorts on.

I love making earrings :)

dresses

Took me half a day to finish and I was able to wear them the next day. Email me if you want a tutorial :)