De-stashing

The remnant collection in The Lair is getting out of hand, so a little de-stashing was in order. I’ve been meaning to try making infinity scarves, so seized the opportunity to make something a little new (at least to me) and tried one. Hmm, like many new things I try, making infinity scarves turned into a little obsession and before I knew it, I’d made five! They’re fun and fairly quick to make, just a long tube joined at the ends to make a loop. Next time, I’ll try putting a twist in the tube and turn it into a mobius scarf. They can be worn as a long scarf or wrapped to make a cosy cowl snug about the neck, and their beauty is that they stay in place and don’t unwrap themselves at inopportune moments.

Find them here: http://www.rethreading.etsy.com

My delving fingers first encountered the pink and purple strata of the remnant pile (I tend to work in colour themes, usually because it’s quicker than rethreading the sewing machine with another colour: hmm, what else do I have that I could sew with pink or purple thread?), so the first couple are a patchwork of those colours. I also had some lovely long strips left from a couple of saris; the border prints make a very pretty scarf. Only four pictured, the camera batteries ceased cooperating.

After five I made myself work on something else 🙂

O frabjous day!

Callooh, callay!

Perhaps I shouldn’t be crowing – once again, I succumbed to the siren call of the fabric shop and bought new stuff. I didn’t mean to, really. The errand was for some bias binding, hooks ‘n’ eyes, maybe some thread to finish a couple of projects; odds and ends I wasn’t able to furnish from my studio. I could be strong, turn a blind eye to all the lovely, luscious, delicious prints and colours and textures calling out to me to come admire, fondle, BUY.

Yeah, not so much 🙂

I regret nothing!

Here are some of the resulting garments, now up in my shop at http://www.rethreading.etsy.com

To market, to market…

I had a stall last Sunday at A+ Market, a market dedicated to clothing (and accessories) in size 16 and up. Whoo! Lots of ladies, heaps of lovely wearables, it was all a bit overwhelming. As was the weather, 37 degrees Celsius, thank the goddess for an airconditioned venue. I almost melted when hauling all my stall stuff back to the car and by the time I drove home in a vehicle with temps approaching OVEN, I was all but a puddle. Rehydrating was the first order of business! I have finally unpacked all the stock I brought home, tidied The Lair (trashed in the lead up to going to market), and regained my even keel. At least, as even as it ever gets around here 🙂

Now I can get back to the bit I really enjoy: creating.

The market was a worthwhile exercise. While I didn’t sell as much I’d hoped, I did sell some, gave out lots of business cards, received a lot of useful feedback (some intended, some merely eavesdropped! People are very free with their comments…), and talked to some lovely people. Working from home, conversations are few and far between some weeks, and it was great to interact with some customers/potential customers.

And I got the most useful tip: some of my garments were slipping off their coathangers, and a shopper told me about winding an elastic band around the ends of the hangers. I tried it yesterday when re-sorting everything and it works a treat! The elastic band provides enough traction to keep the sliding at bay. Thank you, anonymous tipster 🙂

Here are some photos of my stall:

And a bonus street piano:

Milestone

I’ve been making this style of tunic for a few years now, first for myself, then for sale on Ebay and now on Etsy. The soft grey and cream one below is number 250 in that series! I know because I’ve kept all the “holes” cut out for the neck, counted them a couple of months ago and have been keeping a tally since. One day I will make something with all the roundels of wildly varying fabric 🙂

Available here: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/220585489/tunic-caftan-plus-size-1x-2x-3x-4x-5x?ref=shop_home_active_6

To celebrate, I made myself a new pattern from the old, which had become a bit grotty and torn after being pinned 250 times.

And now the tally is 252 tunics and counting…

Fabric scrap reduction? Not so much…

I’m working on another obi belt, in a blue palette this time.

My aim is to have as close to zero waste when I’m sewing as is humanly possible. These obis (or is obi one of those words that are both singular and plural, like moose, or sheep?) are a gesture towards that, using bits and bobs of fabrics from other projects, a pinch of this, a length of that, plucked from the scraps that aren’t big enough to make a whole other thing on their own.

And yet, my collection of fabric scraps never seems to diminish. How does that work?

Notes to self

Notes to self, when using fabric paint:
1. Remember to wear your apron!
2. Don’t lean over the wet paint
3. If you must lean over the wet paint, acquire a smaller set of boobs
4. Learn to accept paint smudges over (too much of) your clothing as
a fashion statement
5. Remember to wear your apron!

I’m painting, or rather, painting on, a black linen skirt. Here’s a little look:

A study in blue

I’ve been making more brand labels for my garments, this time in blue ink on pale blue cotton fabric. The process requires some forethought and a commitment of time. I even have to take the weather into account – too warm and the ink on the stamp pad and letter stamp dries too fast, too humid and the stamped fabric takes forever to dry properly. I gathered up all the ingredients: letter stamp, kitchen sponge and icecream container lid (to prevent ink bleed-through), fabric ink, sponge stencil applicator, souvenir spoon for decanting ink (the metal spoon pleases me more than a plastic one), paper towels for spills and smudges (inevitable), clear space on the table in The Lair (this last is something of a challenge). With all the elements co-operating, I finally spent an afternoon creating labels. The inked labels festooned every free surface while hanging to dry, then the next day I ironed them to heat set the ink and cut them apart with the pinking shears. Now I should have enough to last for a good while, even though I said that last time I made them and then ran out!

Inking up every second time I stamp results in a variable intensity – I like it. I think it took me almost as long to remove the ink from my hands/nails/face as it did to clean up all the tools. And I still found a splot of bright blue ink under my hair on my scalp the day after…

Making and making

I’ve been busy making new things for my Etsy shop. Garments and bags and belts and collars, oh my! – too many ideas, too little time. Not all have been listed as yet but here’s a little selection. Want to see more?

http://www.rethreading.etsy.com

I’m trying out some new styles: halter tops, obi belts, hand painted garments, quilted clutch bags. The obis were the most fun to make. So far I’ve tried black and white, purple, and red. Hmmm, what colour next? Maybe blue? I foresee a session of dragging out remnants to audition, and making a glorious mess doing so, coming on. Shame there isn’t anyone but me to clean it up afterwards…

Labelling

I spent the pre-smoko afternoon today making labels for my garments. I ordered some a while back, but when they arrived – despite being marketed as soft – the material they were printed on was so sharp I sent them back. I’m the sort who cuts labels out of clothes if they scratch or irritate, so I didn’t want to inflict that discomfort on my customers. From a letter stamp set, I made up my business name and stamped a length of calico using purple fabric paint. Now I’m waiting for the paint to finish drying and I’ll iron the labels to heat set the paint, cut them out with the pinking shears and begin sewing them into garments. I like the results! Kinda large, but I like that, too:)

Future reference

I’ve been busy making more business cards. As I was working on the “substrate” (collage and sewing on an atlas page base), it occurred to me that said substrate would make an excellent background for a print, stencil or even a drawing. Filing this information away in my visual diary for future reference…