...and the winner is...
Donna
who said
Where did my comment go? I love the fabric, the way it's put together and the bag's size. Laura, you are so talented.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Giveaway Bag
I finished the bag for the giveaway on Thursday evening, but I was hoping to take a picture of it Friday morning in the sunshine. Of course, I didn't get it done before we left for the weekend. So here it is Sunday and I am finally getting it done! Because of this I am extending the deadline to Thursday, March 24th, so go enter!
Click on the picture to go to the giveaway post OR
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Giveaway!!
THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
Okay, here it is! I am giving away a tote bag. This bag is approximately 13 inches wide, 16 inches tall, 4 inches deep, with 21 inch handles (making it a 10 inch drop). It will have a pocket inside. I was going to have a picture of the bag I made for my sister (same style but different fabric), but I don't have it yet. The bag for the giveaway is under construction at the moment- I just finished fusing the interfacing to all of the pieces. I will post a picture of it as soon as I am done (which will be by Friday afternoon).
Okay, here it is! I am giving away a tote bag. This bag is approximately 13 inches wide, 16 inches tall, 4 inches deep, with 21 inch handles (making it a 10 inch drop). It will have a pocket inside. I was going to have a picture of the bag I made for my sister (same style but different fabric), but I don't have it yet. The bag for the giveaway is under construction at the moment- I just finished fusing the interfacing to all of the pieces. I will post a picture of it as soon as I am done (which will be by Friday afternoon).
This is the fabric. The pieces are all cut out and ready to be sewn together. The blue fabric is the outside and handles. The green is the lining. This bag will be perfect for a myriad of uses; carry your laptop, books, use it for shopping or work, as a travel bag, take it to yoga, use as an overnight bag or diaper bag, or a church bag. It's up to you.
To enter the giveaway just leave a comment on this post OR the giveaway post at my personal blog- no need to leave a comment on both, though. If you don't have a blog please leave an email address (you may leave it as address(at)mail(d0t)com if you would prefer). Sorry this is only open to US residents. I will announce the winner right here on this blog on Thursday, March 24.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Blogiversary= GIVEAWAY
This month I have been blogging for four years. I started out on my personal blog on March 3, 2007. A Make It Yourself Mom's Diary also shares March as its blogiversary! I am doing a giveaway in honor of this. I will post the details tomorrow, so be sure to look for it.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Jacket Muslin
I gave up on the Simplicity jacket I was working on. I wasn't sure I could get it to fit right. I decided to go with a different pattern instead. I picked Nancy Erickson's 1945. So far, the muslin fitting is going well. It is slow going, though. I've had quite a bit going on. Then I fell (down two stairs) and I tried to sew later that day, but my back, neck and shoulder were hurting so I didn't get as far I wanted. I am hoping to get the muslin fitted this week. I would love to start working on the jacket in the fashion fabric soon. March would be a great month to finish a jacket- just in time for the weather to warm up here! I will post pictures of the muslin when I get it completed.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Stepping up your sewing (in other words making it look not home made)
Do you ever feel like you spent so much time sewing something but in the end it just looks home made? I know many people who have this issue. I used to until a few years ago. Home made is great, but I don't want people to look at me and think my clothes look home made. I my clothes to look like something you would buy at a store. So I'll tell you the secret to professional looking sewing.
The secret is in pressing while you sew.
Press (not iron) every seam as you go. Yes, there is a difference between pressing and ironing. Pressing is putting your iron down and then picking it up and placing it in another spot. Ironing is sliding your iron over the area. If you wait until you are done sewing the entire project, it will be too late.
Here are some links that will explain exactly how to press and why. Sew-It-Yourself.com has a great explanation. Gorgeous Fabrics gives a great explanation on her blog as well. She links to an article from Threads magazine about pressing which shows the same shirt made with pressing as you go side by side with it not pressed til the end. It is really enlightening and you should check it out if you aren't convinced yet!
You also need the right tools when pressing. Tools are listed in the sew-it-yourself.com article. I do not have a seam roll and I really feel that I am missing out. Pressing sleeves would be so much easier! I do have a pressing ham, pressing mit and presser/clapper. These were all tools my mother never had. I really do feel they make a difference. I would also love to get a really good steam iron and a pressing table (custom made by myself and my husband of course). In Cool Couture by Kenneth King, he recommends a pressing table be made from wood, covered in cotton batting with a canvas cover. This is what I intend to make eventually. Don't be fooled- the shiny teflon ironing board covers are not the best thing for your pressing needs!
I am still learning the art of pressing. I think there is always more to learn when sewing. I am definitely learning much just making my first jacket this year- which is still in the fitting stage! If you have never done this, try pressing your next project as you go and see if it makes a difference for you.
The secret is in pressing while you sew.
Press (not iron) every seam as you go. Yes, there is a difference between pressing and ironing. Pressing is putting your iron down and then picking it up and placing it in another spot. Ironing is sliding your iron over the area. If you wait until you are done sewing the entire project, it will be too late.
Here are some links that will explain exactly how to press and why. Sew-It-Yourself.com has a great explanation. Gorgeous Fabrics gives a great explanation on her blog as well. She links to an article from Threads magazine about pressing which shows the same shirt made with pressing as you go side by side with it not pressed til the end. It is really enlightening and you should check it out if you aren't convinced yet!
You also need the right tools when pressing. Tools are listed in the sew-it-yourself.com article. I do not have a seam roll and I really feel that I am missing out. Pressing sleeves would be so much easier! I do have a pressing ham, pressing mit and presser/clapper. These were all tools my mother never had. I really do feel they make a difference. I would also love to get a really good steam iron and a pressing table (custom made by myself and my husband of course). In Cool Couture by Kenneth King, he recommends a pressing table be made from wood, covered in cotton batting with a canvas cover. This is what I intend to make eventually. Don't be fooled- the shiny teflon ironing board covers are not the best thing for your pressing needs!
I am still learning the art of pressing. I think there is always more to learn when sewing. I am definitely learning much just making my first jacket this year- which is still in the fitting stage! If you have never done this, try pressing your next project as you go and see if it makes a difference for you.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Photography- My best advice...
... read your camera manual and try things out as you go. Now I haven't completely done this. I don't really get my camera out if it isn't for a photographing something specific. I also go through spurts of camera use. I will have it practically attached to me for a time and then I will forget all about having a camera for a bit.
I discover the most about photography when I am messing around. I have made it almost halfway through my manual. There are times that I am curious about a specific function so I pick up the manual and look it up. Unfortunately, the manual is kind of boring and it doesn't always make sense when just reading it. One of the best ways to understand is to read a section and then go out and try out what it is all about. For instance, when trying out the white balance settings I shot the same subject in the same light on all of the different settings. Then I can compare them to see what the settings are doing.
Here is a sample taken in my living room at night with regular light bulbs (tungsten). These are all SOOC (straight out of camera) with no flash unless noted.
What I gather from these pictures is that the best light comes from the tungsten setting. I can tell because I know the true colors of these things in the room. The card in front is almost the correct green, the label on the bottle has the most correct coloring, and the background is lit. The flash setting (with the flash on) brings a fairly close color on the tissue box, but the background isn't lit and there are pretty bad shadows.
If you really want to understand white balance, try this out in several different types of light, photographing the subject using each of the settings every time. Yesterday I was taking pictures of Ashley's doll. I was trying to get a good white balance. I was shooting in the house with the lights on, the shades open allowing sunlight to backlight it. When I tried the tungsten setting the picture was very blue. With the daylight setting it was just a bit too yellow. I don't remember which setting I ended up using (maybe shade) but I edited it slightly in Photoshop to make the color a little better (it is still off). In this case, a gray card would have been ideal to set a custom white balance. I don't have one of these, but maybe one day...
The point to all this? If you are just reading what is in your manual, you might not understand it. You might get bored. By trying out what you are learning, you will probably comprehend it better and you might think it is a bit more fun! I don't have it all figured out, but I'm working on it.
I discover the most about photography when I am messing around. I have made it almost halfway through my manual. There are times that I am curious about a specific function so I pick up the manual and look it up. Unfortunately, the manual is kind of boring and it doesn't always make sense when just reading it. One of the best ways to understand is to read a section and then go out and try out what it is all about. For instance, when trying out the white balance settings I shot the same subject in the same light on all of the different settings. Then I can compare them to see what the settings are doing.
Here is a sample taken in my living room at night with regular light bulbs (tungsten). These are all SOOC (straight out of camera) with no flash unless noted.
daylight white fluorescent white light fluorescent
daylight colors fluorescent daylight
shade cloudy
tungsten flash (flash not on)
flash (flash on)
If you really want to understand white balance, try this out in several different types of light, photographing the subject using each of the settings every time. Yesterday I was taking pictures of Ashley's doll. I was trying to get a good white balance. I was shooting in the house with the lights on, the shades open allowing sunlight to backlight it. When I tried the tungsten setting the picture was very blue. With the daylight setting it was just a bit too yellow. I don't remember which setting I ended up using (maybe shade) but I edited it slightly in Photoshop to make the color a little better (it is still off). In this case, a gray card would have been ideal to set a custom white balance. I don't have one of these, but maybe one day...
The point to all this? If you are just reading what is in your manual, you might not understand it. You might get bored. By trying out what you are learning, you will probably comprehend it better and you might think it is a bit more fun! I don't have it all figured out, but I'm working on it.
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