I am not a fan of giant bags, but this makes for a good alternative to the backpack I’ve been carrying around for weekend trips.  It’s somewhere between a backpack and a small suitcase.  I’ve heard of some people using this bag for a sewing machine carrier.

Well, the pattern rode around in my car for a month or so.  I thought about making the bag, but I couldn’t decide what I wanted to make it out of.  Skip to last week.  Jessica wants a bag to take to Portland for collecting swag.  I offer to make the bag as part of our original deal.  Then the bag proceeds to take over my sewing room and a major chunk of my “free” time.  I was obsessed.

Since I was planing on teaching a class I decided to use as many of the recommended materials as possible (Shape Flex® SF-101 by Pellon®, 20″ wide Peltex® #70 by Pellon® , Heavy Duty Template Plastic from Prim-Dritz ™).  I only used one sewing machine (things move so much faster when you set up 2 machines with different feet/thread).  I used the every day machine (Babylock 1550) instead of my Necchi work horse.  The one “specialty” item I would recommend having is a good zipper foot.  Not the snap on kind, but the adjustable kind.  You will need it to sew on the piping.  It’s a good investment piece.

A few key things before you start working on this bag.  Decide what modifications you want to make.  The internet is full of suggestions on what to do with this bag.  These are a few sites I found to be super helpful:

• unschool plus
• jenandfranz – tips on how to make the cording and zipper installation
• stitches and scissors – adding secret zipper pocket in the front panel pocket
• colorsquiltscrafts- adding d-rings for a detachable strap

The mods will dictate the order in which you assemble the bag.  So planning is key (this is why it took me a week off and on to finish the bag.

Other tips to speed up assembly

• Read the instructions before you sew.  I skipped this part and made a few “mistakes” along the way.  I went rogue on pattern layout and I had to piece one of the top panels.  I also sewed the bag up without attaching the peltex to the side panels at the beginning.  It made for easier construction, but I had to hand baste them in at the very end.
• Make continuous bias.  I used a similar tutorial to this one online and managed to make 7 yds of 1.5 inch bias tape. You need 5 yards for the piping.
• Follow the jenandfranz instructions for making the piping.  It requires having hem tape on hand, but it’s worth it.
• Cut down the lining by 1/4 inch before attaching the side panels instead of using the 3/4 inch seam allowance that they say to use in step 12 F.
• You can machine stitch the lining to the bag using the top stitching line around the zipper as a guide.
• I don’t know that these things sped up assembly, but it helped to have some instant gratification projects while working on this thing.  I made zippered pouches, and a cross body strap.

What I did to trick out the bag?
Exterior-  purse feet, id holder, d-rings, padded cross-body strap, zippered front panel pocket
Interior- zippered pocket under the false bottom, padded laptop pocket, separated panel pocket, zippered interior pocket

I plan on making this bag a few more times before the end of Summer.  I’m sure I will figure out more ways to change up this bag. Here’s the slide show on my week with the Weekender.

It hung in the doorway at Amelia’s for a really long time.  It was damaged, it had a 22 inch waist, but it had one or two good parties left in it.  I knew that it was mine to restore if I wanted to.

Fast forward a few months or was it a year?  I get a call from the shop saying that someone bought the dress and was coming to see me about making it fit a normal sized person.  I was a little worried.  Who was this girl?

Turns out the girl was someone I knew.  Devaki Knowles of Fun Loving Photos.  Someone who’s work I greatly respected.  Someone who’s taken some really good shots of my work.

It was meant to be.

I spent a few months restoring the dress and bringing it back to life.  Glue (hot glue, spray glue, super glue) , spray paint, eyelets, blood, sweat, you name it.

We started with a new dress to use as a base and I did a full transplant of the embellished tulle.  Incorporation of the original bodice was tricky.  The original dress had a side zipper and the new dress had a back zipper.  I ended up going with a corseted side on the bodice.  It solved the closure and size issue.

Mid-way through the project, I was hired to make the headpiece.  I don’t usually make them, but I had been saving up bits from the dress and it made sense to forge ahead with my arsenal of glue.   We were low on time so I decided to spray paint the birdcage netting antique gold instead of trying to track it down online.

Here’s the slideshow of the project from start to finish.  I don’t sketch so I took a lot of pictures of the dress in project so Devi could see how things were going.  The photos from the actual wedding are by John Leach.   As always, Devi makes my work look like million bucks.

Tub Dying

It’s that time of year where I take all my faded black clothes and add a little more color.  In the past I would have tossed them in the washing machine with a bottle of RIT, but I’ve learned that dying in a front-loading washer can be tricky.

The next best thing to the washing machine is a plastic tub inside my bathtub (it’s much easier to clean up after than in your sink).  Add water, mix in dye and salt,  toss in clothes, and mix them around every few hours.  I let mine sit over night.  On the next day, change out the water and add a little detergent.  After this you can put them in the washer to remove the leftover dye particles.

This concept of freshening up one’s clothing isn’t a new thing.  Before there was bleach, people use something called “bluing” to freshen up their whites.

As far as cleanup goes, bleach or Oxyclean will remove the dye stains in your bathtub.  Or, they will just fade away over time.

“Microsuede Jacket” on display at Fabricker

Now most of you are probably thinking,”No way! I remember the lining, but that camel colored fabric wasn’t at the swap.  Look in the upper right corner of the photo. I bet you remember a roll of unsightly upholstery fabric at the swap.  I went a little “off book” with the pattern. I lengthened the sleeves and added slash pockets.  I went with real buttons and buttonholes instead of snaps.  I also took a different approach when it came to installing the lining.

Denim Jacket on display at Fabricker

I was also on a mission to clear out some of my stash. I was gifted a mountain of denim and I scored some lovely brocade at the Fabricker swap in May.  The jacket is constructed in the same manor as the “microsuede” one. The brocade was a little tricky to work with.  Once you cut it, you want to handle the raw edges as little as possible, this stuff will fray.  Serge or zigzag the edges as soon as possible.

I am not sure who the makers of office wear are sizing for but it is not the average Jane/Joe.

In any case, I’ve got you covered. A basic blind hem on a trouser is $12 (plus tax).  Men’s suit separates are the most accommodating to alterations.  They are built for change.  Ladies office wear can be tricky, but I’ve been able to help out most of my clients.

I recently timed myself on blind hemming skirts for a client.  I can  hem 1 inch  by hand in about 30 seconds. A cotton dress with a hemline of 2 yards will take me about 36 minutes.  You pay around $18.00 (plus tax).

I am still working on the web site redesign so you will have to go to the .pdf for a list of prices.  Consults are free, stop by and we can discuss your project and I can give you a quote.  Phone/email estimates are available, but I can’t give you a true estimate without seeing/touching the garment.

Terri Meyer Postcard Clock

Last night I stayed at the shop sewing until 10ish.  I was finishing up the epic restoration project (I promise there will be pictures soon).  It dawned on me that most people out there, myself included, are not early risers unless it involves a child, getting paid, or something amazing. While learning how to sew, or upping your game behind the machine is amazing, it’s not 9am amazing for many of you. So, I have decided to add a few evening classes.  For starters, Beginning Sewing will be held the weekend of September 15th (Sat/Sun) from 6-9pm.  I also plan on putting together some workshops and seminars on Saturday evenings.  The first topic deals with Textophobia – Fear of certain fabrics.  Specifically the sewing of silk and finer fabrics.

Keep an eye on the Classes page for new offerings.  If there is something that you would like me to teach, send me a message, I am always open to suggestions for new classes.

Austin Fashion Week – Photo by Jeffrey Fry

So it’s been a while since I shared what I have been working on.  May was all about wedding dresses and re-invintaging for a few stores.  June was recovery from wedding dresses and helping out a few friends with their projects (solving the problems of others is often better than tackling one’s own). July was  a complete hodgepodge of vintage, menswear, and everything under the sun  (Everyday is an adventure in my workroom) . August involved more troubleshooting with designers, a massive restoration project involving a 1940′s cape  and 2 dresses that belonged to a famous singer, teaching a class, and attending few fashion week events.

The dress I am wearing in the photo was re-invintaged. I made it back in April.  It started out as a very small maxi skirt from the 60′s (I think).  I managed to salvage enough fabric (there were a few stains and a hole) to make a sheath dress.  The dress was a hit Thursday night at the Driskill.  I told my friend Anslee that I would wear my fanciest dress for her runway show.

Stay tuned for the details on a few of my long-term projects. For those of you interested in learning  a thing or two about re-invintaging or upcycling garments, I am teaching a class called “Creative Hacks” on September 2nd.

In much the same way that decades of plummeting food prices have led to both grim industrial practices and an overall decline in our health, the demand for ever cheaper clothing has choked off our garment industry, created mountains of waste, and destroyed our relationship with our own self-image.

…over the last two decades, consumers have learned to fetishize and seek out the cheapest clothes. We’ve lost sight of clothes as material goods as things that are made. They’re now symbolic. We’re buying either low price or we’re buying a name. The name of the game is just paying as little as you can.

As a consumer, what can you do to stop the madness?

• The first thing we can do is demand better made clothes that are affordable. Support any line or brand you feel is making an effort to make quality products that are fairly priced.
• Host clothing swaps and refashion secondhand clothes. It’s great to buy vintage and secondhand; it’s even more fascinating that people are going to Salvation Army and getting clothes and rebuilding them into something different and new.
• Learn how to sew. It makes you a better consumer. It makes you able to recognize quality and craftsmanship, and then you know when you see it.

This article is why I do the work that I do. “  The path that the fashion industry forges ahead on is not sustainable. “ “  Every garment I alter and mend, is another garment that doesn’t enter the waste stream.  I had planned to take the Summer off from teaching but instead I’ve added more classes so you can educate yourselves and be better consumers.

You can sign up for classes by heading over to Brown Paper Tickets or stopping by Fabricker and the lovely April can sign you up

Note: Registration closes the Wednesday prior to class.

Beginning Sewing Clinic- 2 day class on Getting to know your sewing machine
Sat/Sun, July 14-15, 2012 from 9-12
Sat/Sun, August 11-12, 2012 from 9-12

Creative Hacks – Recycle your wardrobe
Sunday, July 8, 2012 from 1-5 PM
Sunday, August 5, 2012 from 1-5 PM

Zipper Clinic -Everything you need to know about zipper installation and replacement
Sunday, July 22, 2012 from 1-5 PM
Sunday, August 19, 2012 at 1:00 PM

If there is a class you would like to take and I am not offering it, send me an email.  If class times don’t work with your schedule, I offer private lessons.