Step 1: Coffee.
Step 2: Sew a shirt.
Step 3: Prepare for the AAPS online career fair.
Step 4: More coffee.
Yesterday, I cut out the Aberdeen top from Seamwork Magazine. This will be my second time making it. First time through I made a straight size medium and it's too big through the shoulders, so this time I graded between an XS (my bust measurement = 34") and the M (my waist = 30" and hip = 40"). I can tell from looking at the graded pattern that the shoulders look closer to what my RTW clothes look like, so I cut it out in some black interlock yesterday so I could sew it together this morning.
I'm really nervous about the AAPS career fair that's scheduled for Wednesday. I've never been to a career fair before, much less an online one, so I'm doing a lot of reading online and I'm going to be organizing my desktop later today and rewriting resumes and cover letters so they're ready to email out if any of the companies are interested. Currently there aren't a ton of companies who have their booths set up, but I'm really interested in at least one of them, so here's hoping that seeing my cheerful face and getting to talk to a human for a change will improve my chances.
Good luck in your endeavors today!
Monday, March 23, 2015
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Sewing Machines and a Brief History
When I was looking at sewing machines last year, I found posts from other bloggers about what sewing machines they used to be extremely helpful. I'm currently using a Janome Skyline S5 sewing machine and a Brother 1034D serger, but that wasn't always the case.
I first learned how to sew on my mother's Husqvarna sewing machine. I have no idea what year or model it was, but it's existed my whole life. My paternal grandmother (Granny) had a nearly identical model that my sister now owns and uses to make quilts and blankets. My maternal grandmother had a Singer 3102 which I used occasionally as a kid, but which I saw way less frequently than the Husqvarnas.
My childhood experience with sewing machines was mainly making doll clothes (though I preferred handsewing those since they were so small), doll blankets, and pillows. I abandoned sewing during my early adolescence, and returned to it in 2007 when I discovered the hobby that would consume my life for the next 7 years: Dagorhir.
Dagorhir is a historical/fantasy live-action combat game based on Lord of the Rings. I attended my first Ragnarok (XXII) in 2007 and loved all aspects of the game almost immediately: there was fighting with padded weapons, a thriving nightlife, a ton of friendly people, and (omg) the costumes. For Dagorhir, there are two ways of going about creating a garb wardrobe: you can buy things (either Goodwill or Etsy or independent craftspeople) or you can make your own.
Naturally, since I was a 19-year-old college student, I couldn't afford the garb I wanted to wear so I set about re-learning how to sew and made tons of perfectly terrible garb that I loved unconditionally. Poofy pantaloons, peasant tops, tunics. I remember that Butterick B4929 View B was a particular favorite of mine during that era, though I didn't follow any of the instructions. I was a "thanks for the pattern pieces now leave me alone" kind of sewist at the time.
I came and went from the community (I was in pharmacy school after all), and eventually joined a unit, ran for and was elected Coordinator for my realm, then my unit fell apart and I graduated from college and had to find that all-important first professional job, which meant scrubbing Dagorhir from my existence (or at least, my Google search results). I wasn't particularly sad to go, as the community wasn't what it used to be, so I took my randomly collected sewing knowledge and left.
When I say that my sewing knowledge at that time was random, I mean that I knew how to set in a sleeve but not how to set in a zipper. I could sew a button-hole, but I had never in my life evened a hem. I had sewn with faux fur, but had never, ever even considered using a lining. None of my seams were finished and I was continually frustrated by how crappy they looked on the inside (and eventually the outside once those seams started to fray and threads went everywhere).
I eventually found a desk job, and during the down time I returned to a blog that had inspired me when I'd first started sewing garb - Coletterie. And I began to ponder if there were other people doing what Colette Patterns did, but in a different way or with a different style. Finding and reading the archives of other independent designers became my pastime during downtime at work. I soon discovered Grainline Studio, Closet Case Files, Megan Nielsen, Miss Make, Clothing Engineer, Deer and Doe, Cloth Habit, By Hand London, Cashmerette, Gertie, Lladybird, Ginger Makes, and a ton of other bloggers who were either designing patterns to fit an aesthetic, or who were blogging about sewing and putting out tutorials about how to do different things.
I encountered the Lean Closet movement, The Wardrobe Architect, and Overdressed. I reduced my closet to 1/3 of it's former volume, then a few months later in half again. I looked at what I wore and why, and found patterns to match. I learned how to finish seams, how to properly hand-finish, how to set zippers and the importance of linings. It was a great period of time in my life, since I hadn't been learning anything for months since graduation and it was nice to gain proficiency in a new discipline.
Since work was a roller coaster - starting with notice that our grant funding hadn't been renewed in June, to the audits we still had to complete in July and September, to being told I'd have a job in the clinic I worked in (but not for) in October, to notice that I wouldn't in early January, and finally being let go in mid-March following the official closure of the non-profit I worked for. Fortunately, I had spent some time and money stocking up on the fabrics I liked to use during the Fall and early winter - mostly because I wanted to sew things but didn't have time - so now I have some materials to work with.
In the coming months, I'm planning to update my wardrobe with me-made garments in preparation for Me-Made May. I'll also be job-hunting, but I know from past experience that you can only apply to so many jobs a week, and I'll need something to fill the rest of the time.
I just finished pattern-testing Megan Nielsen's soon-to-be-released free skirt pattern (Veronika), but I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet (the area where I live has the most overcast days per year of any city in the U.S.) and frankly I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post them yet. Or at all. I am thrilled with how Version 2 turned out, and I definitely plan to post that one eventually.
What's on your sewing agenda? Did you arrive at sewing as a hobby by atypical means?
I first learned how to sew on my mother's Husqvarna sewing machine. I have no idea what year or model it was, but it's existed my whole life. My paternal grandmother (Granny) had a nearly identical model that my sister now owns and uses to make quilts and blankets. My maternal grandmother had a Singer 3102 which I used occasionally as a kid, but which I saw way less frequently than the Husqvarnas.
My childhood experience with sewing machines was mainly making doll clothes (though I preferred handsewing those since they were so small), doll blankets, and pillows. I abandoned sewing during my early adolescence, and returned to it in 2007 when I discovered the hobby that would consume my life for the next 7 years: Dagorhir.
Dagorhir is a historical/fantasy live-action combat game based on Lord of the Rings. I attended my first Ragnarok (XXII) in 2007 and loved all aspects of the game almost immediately: there was fighting with padded weapons, a thriving nightlife, a ton of friendly people, and (omg) the costumes. For Dagorhir, there are two ways of going about creating a garb wardrobe: you can buy things (either Goodwill or Etsy or independent craftspeople) or you can make your own.
Naturally, since I was a 19-year-old college student, I couldn't afford the garb I wanted to wear so I set about re-learning how to sew and made tons of perfectly terrible garb that I loved unconditionally. Poofy pantaloons, peasant tops, tunics. I remember that Butterick B4929 View B was a particular favorite of mine during that era, though I didn't follow any of the instructions. I was a "thanks for the pattern pieces now leave me alone" kind of sewist at the time.
I came and went from the community (I was in pharmacy school after all), and eventually joined a unit, ran for and was elected Coordinator for my realm, then my unit fell apart and I graduated from college and had to find that all-important first professional job, which meant scrubbing Dagorhir from my existence (or at least, my Google search results). I wasn't particularly sad to go, as the community wasn't what it used to be, so I took my randomly collected sewing knowledge and left.
When I say that my sewing knowledge at that time was random, I mean that I knew how to set in a sleeve but not how to set in a zipper. I could sew a button-hole, but I had never in my life evened a hem. I had sewn with faux fur, but had never, ever even considered using a lining. None of my seams were finished and I was continually frustrated by how crappy they looked on the inside (and eventually the outside once those seams started to fray and threads went everywhere).
I eventually found a desk job, and during the down time I returned to a blog that had inspired me when I'd first started sewing garb - Coletterie. And I began to ponder if there were other people doing what Colette Patterns did, but in a different way or with a different style. Finding and reading the archives of other independent designers became my pastime during downtime at work. I soon discovered Grainline Studio, Closet Case Files, Megan Nielsen, Miss Make, Clothing Engineer, Deer and Doe, Cloth Habit, By Hand London, Cashmerette, Gertie, Lladybird, Ginger Makes, and a ton of other bloggers who were either designing patterns to fit an aesthetic, or who were blogging about sewing and putting out tutorials about how to do different things.
I encountered the Lean Closet movement, The Wardrobe Architect, and Overdressed. I reduced my closet to 1/3 of it's former volume, then a few months later in half again. I looked at what I wore and why, and found patterns to match. I learned how to finish seams, how to properly hand-finish, how to set zippers and the importance of linings. It was a great period of time in my life, since I hadn't been learning anything for months since graduation and it was nice to gain proficiency in a new discipline.
Since work was a roller coaster - starting with notice that our grant funding hadn't been renewed in June, to the audits we still had to complete in July and September, to being told I'd have a job in the clinic I worked in (but not for) in October, to notice that I wouldn't in early January, and finally being let go in mid-March following the official closure of the non-profit I worked for. Fortunately, I had spent some time and money stocking up on the fabrics I liked to use during the Fall and early winter - mostly because I wanted to sew things but didn't have time - so now I have some materials to work with.
In the coming months, I'm planning to update my wardrobe with me-made garments in preparation for Me-Made May. I'll also be job-hunting, but I know from past experience that you can only apply to so many jobs a week, and I'll need something to fill the rest of the time.
I just finished pattern-testing Megan Nielsen's soon-to-be-released free skirt pattern (Veronika), but I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet (the area where I live has the most overcast days per year of any city in the U.S.) and frankly I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post them yet. Or at all. I am thrilled with how Version 2 turned out, and I definitely plan to post that one eventually.
What's on your sewing agenda? Did you arrive at sewing as a hobby by atypical means?
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Linden Sweatshirt
Yesterday afternoon I finished my second Linden Sweatshirt, designed by Grainline Studio. I used gray non-stretch sweatshirt fabric and black ribbing (both cotton/poly blends). This is a straight size 10, even though my bust measurement is two sizes smaller. I left it because the fabric has zero stretch whatsoever, but I really wanted to use it because it looked best with the black ribbing. Both fabrics came from Joann Fabrics, and I assembled the whole thing on my serger except for that fancy topstitching at the neckband (which I'm pretty proud of).
I haven't posted an updated picture of my work room in a long time. Updates include addition of another table - so I can have a dedicated cutting/ironing station. My mom got me a Janome Skyline S5 sewing machine for Christmas; previously, I used a Janome 3125. The serger is a Brother 1034D that I got on Black Friday last year. My grandmother gave me her Singer last year as well, which I still use occasionally. On the left-side of the picture is a clothes rack that I picked up at Big Lots where I hang things that need to be altered as well as patterns that are currently in use. My Dad gave me the toolbox in the corner for my birthday, and I store my sewing machine parts and tools in there.
The Maker print is the newest addition. It's a little thank-you gift from Megan Nielsen for pattern-testing the Veronika skirt pattern (coming soon) that I framed yesterday and hung up. I can't wait to find more prints/decorations for this room. I love working in it - it's so peaceful and everything's so organized!
This is a pretty bland post. I'm trying to get back into the swing of blogging after years of inconsistency. I've made several other garments in the past few weeks - Hemlock tees, the Aberdeen top from Seamwork Magazine, Mabel skirts in different lengths. I'm super excited to test the Veronika Skirt pattern - it's at the top of my sewing list at the moment - and I want to make the Osaka wrap skirt from Seamwork as well.
I very recently lost my job as a clinical research coordinator because the non-profit I was working for lost grant funding and was forced to close. The next few months will be fairly chaotic - I'll be looking for another job and potentially relocating - but I definitely want to use some of this time to update my wardrobe and prepare for Me-Made May. I love my me-made garments and tend to reach for them before I reach for RTW, and I'd love to have more options.
On today's itinerary: trace the Veronika pattern pieces, cut fabric, apply for jobs, brew kombucha, mix some bread dough, and do some laundry.
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