Well, Time To Try Out My Fashion Industry Wings

I'm a little scared, about working with my first client but I'm currently looking for a designer to work with so I can work as a pattern maker, then, after a couple years with that kind of work, hopefully with more than one client, I'm planning to start my own line of fashion or get a job as a fashion designer. Got to be flexible because you never know where the greater opportunity lies.

So here is my ad, let me know what you think:

I'm a beginner pattern maker looking to partner up with a freelance, entrepreneur or student fashion designer to offer my pattern making services so I can further develop my skills while gaining experience in the field of fashion pattern making.

For anybody willing to give me a chance I'll do the first five garment patterns for free.

What I have in mind is to develop paper patterns for my partner/client (you) and mail them out to (you) in return for these services I want to get credit for the pattern drafting of the design (not the actual design itself). Along with a signed designer's sketch or illustration of the intended garment and an 'after production' photo of the garment on the intended wearer or dress form.

I'd also prefer that if professional photos can't be provided that they be taken in good (complimentary) lighting against a plain background.

After I've fulfilled my 5 free garment pattern commitment, my fee for each garment piece, depending on the complexity will be between $10 - $30 for at least 6 months.

If anybody is interested in my offer please email me at stylistwithacause@gmail.com

I'll be looking forward to hearing from you,

thanks and have a wonderful day

Ayisha1978


The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

Slow Progress, But That's How Things Are

Okay, so I've gotten into fashion pattern making now, I'm still doing freelance writing on the side because I'm not getting paid yet for my drafting gigs. If you teach yourself and you've got no experience and credentials, that's reality, you've got to do work for free to prove yourself. If you're dedicated it's not a real problem, but you still need to make money to live, especially important if you've got 2 kids and 4 cats, they don't stop needing stuff, so I'm choked. But, ONWARD! You know what Benjamin Franklin said? "Up with ye sluggard, there's time enough for rest when you're dead." I just love that, don't you? Goes hand in hand with my "Just do it!" motto I live by.

Wish I could keep up with my blog like I want too, nothing much has happened so far really, well, that's not quite true, I've managed to:

- land a few non-paying clients (everybody likes free labor don't they?" one in Illinois, a girl in Florida and another one right here in Vancouver, all by using the fashion industry network and craigslist, hmm, didn't think to use kijiji though, I'll do that too

- come across this awesome site for designers to upload their fashions, get exposure and even get their garment made and sold (and earn a profit from it, too cool huh? the site url is: http://www.garmz.com/ great team, great quality site, you got to love them and check it out

and I've come to realize that I better get Connie Amaden Crawford's book "pattern making made easy" so I can further professionalize my work, the lutterloh pattern making system has some nice "blocks" you can work from, but they're pretty poor on marking and labeling so I need another resource as well, I'm thinking Connie's book should do it. Maybe I should have done that first, but I'm starting to shun procrastination big time and wanted to get started. Face your fears, let nothing stop you, when you jump out the plane you've got to hit the ground running!

Anyway, wish me luck, I want all of you to succeed in your dreams, let's make a happy, eco-friendly world!

Eco Friendly Fashion Designers Resources page

Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

Seemingly Repetitive Pattern Practice

With over 250 pattern blocks to draft in Connie Amaden Crawfords book "Patternmaking Made Easy" and a desire to start work as a fully trained patternmaker, I was tempted to skip doing the pattern blocks that looked a lot like the previous ones I'd already drafted from earlier in the manual. My recommendation, don't skip anything. I felt a little bad about the temptation to skip these seemingly repetitive practice pieces so I did them anyway and I have to say, there's something very important about doing this, a few things actually. They are:

1. it helps to crystallize techniques in their different forms and usages
2. this helps you to remember them better
3. this also creates more confidence in your abilities to a degree of almost comfort

So no matter what comes my way with Connie's book, I'm going to do it because it's all for the best.

Now the bad thing here is that I started this blog post almost a month ago, I get times like that because I've been in the middle of having to make some cash while struggling to learn patternmaking. Unfortunately, my cash cow (a skinny, anorexic thing it is) is my freelance article writing and it's been soaking up my time like a dry sponge on a hot day. So I've had to hang onto my hopes and dreams with a mere thread of perseverance. (I always do that, I'm working toward better days)I do wish I could get paid to teach myself patternmaking though, anybody know how that can happen?? Any way, I've just opened up my first facebook shop this morning, where I'm selling the first of my free to sell ebooks on art and craft related subjects. Check it out: "28 Fashion Templates" The-Free-To-Sell-Renaissance-Arts-Crafts-Shop

Or if you'd like to order Connie's book to learn pattern making (I highly recommend this over all other patternmaking books) you can get it through my fashion squidoo lens at: Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

Tell Yourself You Can Teach Yourself Patternmaking No Matter What

Improvise, Compromise and Keep Thinking and Working

I was working on my patternmaking studies on the kitchen table, a couple months went by and the surface of the table never saw the light of day. Was my husband happy about it, no way, he didn't say anything if he seen me working on the patterns, but not having a place to comfortably eat is not okay.

So my patternmaking came to a dead stop more or less, learning how to do it was left up to the desire in my head while I struggled with my article writing. Quite frankly making me more depressed as time goes on. I would love just to focus on learning patternmaking and make oodles more money from that later on. That's my hope and part of my dream, but not convenient reality.

I had this little motto running around in my head, echoing at me through lost time, "you make time for the things that are important to you..." and Shawn Connery's line from the Rock, "Losers always whine about their best..." Don't you just hate that? But it's true I guess. So what did I do, took me a couple more painful sad months to think of the idea. I took 4 boxes and an about 3.5' x 3.5' piece of laminate board and laid it on top, viola! I've got my worktable. Than I thought I might be able to get started getting serious with my patternmaking studies. No more having to set it all up and then putting it all away.

It didn't work out, I still had no time, I needed another table for my patternmaking supplies as well as my art supplies so I stacked another 2 boxes and laid my brother's framed Chinese painting over it, voila! Another table. This spare bedroom is now my studio too. I still had no luck with my time though, so another few months went by and I hadn't yet been able to get back to my patternmaking.

This is basically what I've got to deal with, regular family housework, keeping up with appointments so I can take care of my little sister, feeding (including breastfeeding my daughter at any time of day or night), changing, dressing and consoling my two little kids, taking care of my 4 cats, shopping, article writing (not so great source of income) and then find the time to do other things, like reading or patternmaking.... "NOT" happening, especially with 5 hrs average sleep...However, a solution did come to me a little while ago (just a few weeks ago actually), but that's for another post on my blog. Till my next post....

Have a wonderful day,

Ayisha

The Time Doctor, Setting Priorities And Patternmaking Practice

Okay, so there's only so much time you can squeeze out of a busy schedule. However, remember that you make time for the things that are important for you, we don't always like to face up to that. However, setting priorities and especially with something technical like patternmaking and making a commitment to laying one brick at a time, will allow you to reach your goals.

I'm already a quarter of the way through my patternmaking book and it's thanks to a great little program called TimeDoctor. It's free and what it does is help you stay focused on you're real priorities, not all your distractions. You'll be able to keep track of how you spend time on the computer and different tasks you list in you current schedule that way you have a little reminder and a way to get a bit self conscious about letting yourself swerve from the things you're supposed to do.

Well, I use it for sticking to my article work and when I've got milestones for article work completed that's when I'll use any bit of extra time to get busy with my patternmaking. Every little bit helps.

And a wonderful thing happened a few weeks ago, when I was working on developing the panels for the princess panels for the torso blocks, I discovered how to create the pattern for one of my own designs. This was a pivotal moment for me similar to how it felt when I first realized the secret to making successful cream puff dough. Or how to save your computer on your own from a virus. The knowledge of how to create something from scratch is very empowering and it definitely has increased my resolve to complete my study of Connie Amaden Crawford's "Patternmaking made easy".

Don't Be Afraid Of Challenges

Okay, if you're like me you may be doing both a job you don't like and working toward learning how/doing one you love. For me this means being a freelance writer for hire while really wanting to pursue/indulge and dive into a fashion career. Somedays, I can't work on patternmaking, it's true because deadlines, articles need to be done at certain times. Being a ghost writer too, means that you're letting more than one person down if you don't complete your deadlines. Your direct client and their client, no a good thing.



So when you need to make the money with the job you don't care for, you need to face up to the fact that this is about daily/weekly priority fluctuations. You've got to be patient and avoid being reckless with your time. Think about your time priorities, if you've got an extra tight deadline to meet (4 articles need to be done by the day after tomorrow for example) then get those out of the way before working on your heart's desire (patternmaking practice). However, when you have a breather in the form of no current projects or a distant deadline, don't go slack. DON'T PROCRASTINATE!



If working on patternmaking or anything else that you really want to do that takes time and effort, don't steal time away from your dreams by taking it easy. Get up and fight for what you love and get busy working on it. The little problem that keeps us from doing that is wanting our undesirable work to be easier right? Like, if we just relax and take some time off doing nothing, than the 'other work' won't be so depressing and stressful right?



If this is happening to you, put your foot down with yourself and remind yourself that if you work on what you love anyway it's the only right way to invest in yourself and your dreams. Even if by doing so you keep your not-so-fun work on a constant fairly tight deadline, at the end of the day, you still know that you're working toward your goal, you're getting somewhere. It's like what they say in the fitness industry, "no pain, no gain".



If you'd like to find out more about the fashion industry, schools, work, inspiration or anything else related to fashion visit my site at:



Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources



If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:

The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

Back From Pattern Making Dormancy

Well, it's been hard, the truth is my last post done around 2 months ago was also the last time I practiced patternmaking at all... I know, that's bad.

With all my strategy, timedoctor and disipline and things, it wasn't enough when some family issues cropped up on top of everything else and my patternmaking went and flatlined for a while. I was trying to find a way to get back on board, but it was happening though. Thanks to the advice of a friend of mine, she told me that "you have to make time for yourself and do the things you love, you can think better when you're rested and happy" well, she was right, so although I could have spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday writing web content (and being 'responsible') I devoted those three days to patternmaking practice, spending a little extra time with my kids and trying to be happy.

It was a good decision because, today I've already finished my quota of writing work having completed nearly all of the web content for one site (this was only two pages to cover) and an article on quilting for beginners, I may even have time to do some more patternmaking practice today. Cross my fingers there though, I've got house work to do and should read a bit more with my son.

I think the key to this situation is being responsible is about taking time out to do the things that are truly important and useful to yourself as well. For example, my writing may make money right now, but my patternmaking practice is an investment in the future, I have to stop passing it up so much.

Also, just because you love something, doesn't make it useless or just a dream, it's quite possible to love doing something that is financially practical.

Any way though, thanks to several days devotion, I'm now almost half done with the blocks in the book. When I'm done I'm going to re-make the main 24 pattern blocks in poster board. While working with these blocks during practice though I noticed that it's a lot easier and more accurate if I cut away all the seam allowances before transferring them for another pattern block, I can just trace them as I need them quickly and easily without using tape and just leave the transfer to the darts and other details. It's worked out good.

Next time, whether today or next weekend the latest, I'll be working on drafting a shawl collar for starters, something I've been wanted to learn for years.

I don't know if I posted this before, but for all of you who need an affordable dress form I'd like to recommend Dave's surplus, I'll be able to get my size S dress form there for just $85 and that's not bad at all. You can check it out here: http://www.davessurplus.com/mannekin/manq2f.htm

Okay, I've got to go right now than, got a bunch of errands to attend to.

If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources


If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

Chapter 12 Kimonos and Raglans or Chapter 13 Sleeve Drafts pattern making practice?

Another patterm making weekend, study/practice that is. I just completed chapter 11 dealing with drafting collars and hoods. Chapter 12 of Connie Amadon Crawford's Pattern Making Made Easy is dealing with Kimono and Raglan block construction, however, the next Chapter (13) is dealing with sleeve blocks, which I need to draft the Kimono and Raglan blocks, so I've decided to do Chapter 13 (the sleeve chapter) first. Looks like there's a really neat new way to draft sleeves too. The tecnique is based on a arm size measurement table, love those kind of guidelines. I also love learning all these different processes to drafting patterns. I remember thinking that patternmaking was some kind of illusive, magical art, which maybe a cute, sometimes inspiring way to look at things, but it can become a little daunting when you actually try to develop patternmaking skills without having proper instructions to follow and that's not really a good thing. Thanks to Connie's book I see pattern making as an adventure in practical geometry, based on clothing the human figure, all math, curves and a welcome comfortable logic. Lots of nice rules to follow to help you along too, taking the guess work out of the picture and of course laying the foundation for experimental changes and alterations.

I thought I was going to be able to just buy my dress form in a few weeks or less, well, I'm not going to be able to do that, however, I've started saving a little of all the money I make off my writting gigs :) to put toward my dressform. I can't wait to have the beautiful thing in my home. I'll have to mark it on my own but that's okay, I even like the idea (I might even decorate it, hehehe). What I've done is just started leaving 20 - 30 dollars what ever is a bit more than my usual $100 + writing project (usually a whole batch of article re-writes) and I am pretty close to what I need, just got to make sure I've got enough for shipping and handling for my dressform as well. I'm thinking I may be able to buy it at the end of the month which ain't really bad at all.

I want to make something clear to all you readers out there that may be wondering "but if she's already making patterns without a dressform, why is she buying one anyway?" Well, just let me square up about the situation, I have sewn and made my own clothes for quite a few years (since I was 13 or so) however you can imagine how errored those patterns were :(, I couldn't help it though, I just had to do it right? Well same thing here, my familiarity with basic pattern shapes helped me draft a bodice without a dressform, done just well enough as an educational tool to continue developing the rest of the blocks in the book. But these blocks are a bit distorted, and I don't like that. So, to get my patterns drafted perfectly, I obviously need what they all say, that lovely dressform. Working on the book ahead of time has just cut down my preparation time to be able to create ready to use patterns. When I'm done with this practice, I'll make the 24 or so basic blocks over again from dressform bodice draft and I'll be good to go. Just thinking about this is very exciting :) Any way, I got to throw some bread pudding in the oven and get started with my sleeve drafting practice. .

If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources


If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

If You Know You're Passionate About Patternmaking Invest In Your Tools

I can't emphasize this more, if you know you've really wanted to get into fashion design and patternmaking, like if you've really wanted to since you were a kid, get the tools you need. It's not fair to your potential progress to deprive yourself of the things you'll need to make it. I know because that's what I've been doing to myself for years. This is one of the bad things about having too many interests, you don't always know which ones you really want to see through till the end, or rather, through to the actual pursuit of a career. Also if you're one of those people that find this inner voice making you feel like you're irresponsible if you spend money on a skill you enjoy developing and working on, don't listen to that voice, kick it in the bud right away and spend that money, wisely. I'll give you my example: it's taken me years to finally get Connie Amadan Crawford's book, Patternmaking Made Easy, then, instead of getting a dressform, french curve for sleeves, buttonhole marker and things like that, I put it all off saying to myself "I don't want to spend all this money, just incase I don't make it" Well, a very good thing has happened because of this though, I've had the opportunity to find out just how serious I am about acquiring my fashion design and patternmaking skills because for every problem I inevitably run into, I find myself willing to fight to over come it. That's pretty nice.


So here's my new problem, I temporarily skipped the Raglan and Kimino blocks over the weekend in exchange for doing the sleeve blocks first, only to find out that I can't really complete the sleeve block procedure because they don't match up to the incorectly drafted bodice blocks, on account of the fact that they weren't made from a dressform. I'm not going to let that stop me though. One nice thing about the sleeve chapter, is that I discovered that I was already quite familiar with the various sleeve drafting concepts, puffed cap, bishop sleeve, cuffs, leg'o mutton sleeve from previous sewing and researching experience :) very nice. However, I learned a beautiful way to draft a fitted sleeve from which these variations are made. I've got artists french curves that I used to shape the cap, didn't quite work out the way the book suggested though, and I was of course un-able to "walk" the sleeve into the bodice armholes to check for accuracy. So what do I get out of this imperfection? I'm still more familiar with the sleeve drafting process than I would have been.

Well, yesterday I was 'lucky' enough not to have any writing assignments to work on, so I didn't take it easy, I went back to check out the Raglan and Kimino Sleeve Chapter, see if I could do it. Turns out that I could, I finished working on the Kimino block as I found out that I didn't really need a sleeve block to complete it, and even though, I don't have an accurate shirt and shirt sleeve blocks to work with I'm going to wing it with the Raglan block anyway, either today or this weekend. That is, depending on my writing work load.

Now a little bit about career and interest confusion. Years ago, actually since I was a young child I felt driven to get into film and fashion, it was so engrained in my heart, so early, that I can't really remember which came first. It started like this: everytime I watched a movie I liked, Star Wars, Dark Crystal, Legend etc, I would think to myself "I want to make it go on". I would then imagine an ongoing story or scenario for what ever film. This interest/passion went right into my teen years where I started getting my father to take me to the downtown library so I could pick up every book I could get my hands on that was about filmmaking and screenwriting. I halted my homeschooling and purchased a typewriter with the gift of $50 given to me by my mother's dearest friend and started working on film screenplays and treatments. Well after about 15 years of perpetual discouragement from my father, constant noise and interuption from my younger siblings and too many responsibilties, family instability, getting married, becoming a parent and a family break up (between my parents) I lost my zeal for the dream. Of course it didn't help any not to have any friends or contacts to network with and films took on a new charactor, at least the ones that someone brought home from time to time. I didn't have time any more to watch movies any way.

Where does the fashion come in? At the same time, from earliest memories of childhood to now, I've loved beautiful clothes, my mom would buy patterns from Woodwards department store where we would sit for hours looking at pattern books from Vogue, Butterick, McCalls and others. I could just die for how beautiful the illustrations were. I wanted to do everything I was looking at, the sewing, the cloths design, the illustrations. It was all so beautiful. These times make up some of my happiest memories. My mom would pick out some nice fabric too, back in the 80s they had some awesome prints, I'd have to see and touch as many as I could while my mom looked for the deals. And it didn't stop there, she would lay out all of these things on the living room floor and cut them out then sew them on her manual Singer sewing machine which she later handed down to me when I was about eleven years old. Every time I seen a dress or costume I liked in a cartoon, movie or comic book, I'd always dream about being able to make it myself. This turned into me eventually making my own patterns, they were terrible of course, but some of them were actually wearable and I did wear them, outside even when they were good enough. For years I made the mistake in thinking that if a person truly had a talent for something, they would be able to somehow just 'know' the skill without going to school (my parents were against formal education). I thought that a person wouldn't have to be taught and they would simply be able to develop the necessary skills on their own, lol. The problem with that, is it's true, however, it will take a very long time to do. And this time is unecessary thanks to books and schools. My father always taught that schools were for people who weren't really talented and didn't have an imagination, I laugh at that now as it's ridiculously unfair and so untrue.

Oh, oh, time is slipping here, I've got to attend to other things now, before my babies wake up. Blogger has taken away (only temporarily I hope) the spell checker, so I apologize for any typing errors.

If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

An Adventure Awaits In Patternmaking

Hmm, sometimes you got to jump in headlong, don't wait around and think too much. That's if you can actually take action though. Turns out, a friend of mine has offered to give me her dressform, I'm very thankful for this. And it also means that I'll be able to get started much sooner than I expected. This Wednesday my brother is going to pick it up for me and I'll start working on my 'master block' set made from the dressform. Because I think I better try to get some writing work done as I'm switching over to patternmaking, this process may take me a month, but that's okay. I'm going to start putting together my patternmaking ad, a new that is, and than think about a delema I'm having.

I've done a bit of work for two designers now, with some really great pictures from one of their completed collections. With permission of course from the designer (Joneien), I'll see if I can post links to the garmets I worked on for her as examples of what I've done. What I'd love to do though as well, is draft the patterns of my own designs, sew up some muslins of them and take photos to post as examples of my work as well. And there's the delema, which is really about time and money I guess. I'll have to wait to get a new camera as my old one is hopelessly broken and wait till I've got enough money made to buy eco-friendly, organic cotton muslin fabric for my designs. I'm just not going to buy anything that isn't eco-friendly. For now than, I'll just have to settle for those links and pray I can get permission to use them. I think she'll let me though.

A while back I put together a great little squidoo lens on eco-friendly fashion design resources, nice list of shops, however, I've got to add another online store that happens to provide a nice range of organic fabrics, and not just cotton either. It's Fabric.com, I typed in 'organic' and chose quilting to narrow my search, than sorted by 'prices (ascending)' and came across an olive green fabric for just under $6 a yard, sale price. Soon as I get a chance to buy some fabric, I'll see if I can get a bulk order of something like that for my muslin samples. And they take paypal too, so that's totally awesome.

I want to learn Industrial sewing techniques as well, so my samples will be professional. What I'm actually planning on doing, if I can squeeze in some time, is to cut out some great Lutterloh patterns for myself, use my old fabric stash and refer to the step by step instructions in my book "Sewing Secrets From The Fashion Industry" and check out Threads DVD on Industrial sewing techniques that they have at the Vancouver Public Library. You've got to love your library if you have one, such a wonderful resource.


If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

Working With A Dress Form And Plotting A Course

Well, I had another rewarding educational experience,  my dress form wasn't marked with the usual princess seams and neckline,  waist,  bust and hip lines so I had to draw those in.   Took me all evening to get it right,  but I just had to get it done (the same evening I brought the dress form home)so it would be ready to use.    First I drew in the 'rough' lines with a pencil,  using Connie Amaden Crawford's dress form illustrations in her 'pattern making made easy' book as a reference to how they're supposed to look.   Then,  when I was satisfied with my line work,  I darkened the lines with a blue sharpy and here are the results:

So that wasn't too bad,  than the next morning,  I just had to drape the basic front and back bodice blocks,  I loved it and unfortunately got so carried away I forgot to take pictures of it with my cell phone :(,   I did take a shot of the fabric blocks afterward though and here they are:

 I haven't trued them up or anything,  they clearly need it.   I've already traced them on paper and I'm going to true them up this morning.   I then want to make a seam allowance copy,  sew it up and test it on the dressform.   If it fits like it's supposed to then,  Voila!  I've got my perfect set of basic blocks then I'll be able to get to work on the rest of the master blocks that are built from these two.   I'll just draft all of them on paper first then transfer them to poster board to make my durable working copies.

As for my sewing and fashion illustration skill development,  I've come up with a practical plan.   Just like how I tried to practice my pattern making whenever there's been a dry spell in my article work (and on weekends),   whenever there's no pattern making to do,  I'll practice my sewing or illustration skills.  Just build on one thing at a time like Will Smith's "brick wall" principal.  For all of you who aren't familar with this reference,  check out "Will's Wisdom" on Youtube,  he's a very inspirational/motivational speaker.  (Thanks again for that one Philippe).

I'll keep you guys posted.

If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

My First Sewn Pattern Block

Okay,  I managed to draft the basic bodice,  make a copy to add seams and sew it up to see if it fit okay on the dress form.   I trued up the pattern blocks really nice and then I sewed them up,  just wish I would have remembered to align the shoulder darts in the front and back.   Other than that it was perfect :)   Oh yeah,  and I used old flannel diapers from my kids to sew it up,  lol,  how's that for eco-friendly?   Okay,  well of course I wouldn't wear something made from old diapers,  but it's okay for a pattern test.   When I'm ready to do my designs,  I'll get some organic muslin from Fabric.com or one of those other online stores listed on my eco-friendly fashion designer's resource page (don't worry I put the link below).

My machine wasn't working well either. I t was my bad though,  the thread tension was out of wack,  I adjusted it after and tried again and it worked fine.   Actually the shoulder seam didn't come out exactly the way I wanted because it was 1/8 inch narrower than I wanted (my sewing is rusty from not having sewn in a few years and my son was trying to take over the machine,  not good)  That's okay though it worked out great otherwise and I'll be starting work on developing the rest of the master blocks from this bodice's flat pattern.   So cool.   

Now however,  the real world dictates that I need to work on my freelance writing,  got another 12 article project from one of my old clients,  that will be some of next week's groceries.   And I also have to start working on my friend's new book,  I'm doing the illustrations for.   The second installment of a children's salat book (I illustrated the first one too actually)   I'm just hoping that my kids will let me actually get the work done for the rough story board.   I think I'll be able to find a way.   I also have to write the text for it,  shouldn't be too,  too hard though.   

Got to keep those patternblocks coming so I can start working on getting my patternmaking business started.  Slowly but surely.   I want to be up and running before the year is out.   I'm hoping to get my hands on a button hole ruler and a flexi curve ruler though,  that'll help me out lot once I get started.  I'll be getting those from Gold Star sewing supplies online.  They're cheaper than a lot of other stores.

If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:

Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

Getting The Master Pattern Blocks Complete

Going through the master slopers again like this is proving very useful.   Pattern blocks have to be perfect,  as a matter of fact,  if you haven't been called a perfectionist more than once in your life,  than you may want to pick a different form of work.   You kind of want to be the sort of person that feels perection is a kind of beauty in itself. 

I'm doing the sleeve patterns again right now.   and I want to get them right.   Because I didn't have the dressform when I first started studying patternmaking,  I didn't actually take too many precaustions toward accuracy since there was no way for them to turn out right.   Now,  however,  I'm paying attention.

There are varying amounts of fullness that's drafted into the top of the sleeve cap to create that "cap" effect when the sleeve is sewn into the armhole.  However,  once I 'walk' the sleeve into the front and back armscye slopers,  I'll have to make sure the 'center line' on the sleeve to be sure there's 1/4 or so more for back portion of the sleeve as compared to the front.   And that's fine,  but there's no ease in the wrist area and I don't like that so I think I'll add some to the master pattern,  think I'll make that an 1" or 1 1/2".   Then I'll be doing the shirt sleeve and then the raglan pattern blocks.   (sweater dress patterns,  here I come :).

Now when I have to draft another pattern block from the basic bodice blocks I don't have any pattern weights to keep it in place,  I've thought of a neat idea though,  I just take the square off sleeve curve ruler and lay it on top of the pattern to hold it in place.

If I have something larger to deal with though,  I just use my little square books "Arts and Crafts" and "Art Nouveau" from Flame Tree Publishing.   Nice as that may sound though,  I'm thinking about getting some real pattern weights along with a flexi-curve ruler,  a replacement sleeve and neck line curve ruler because the fairgate sleeve curve ruller I have right now is too narrow,  and the one shown above (it's actually cracked in two places) I can't find any where.  I'll keep looking though.  It's too good not to have.

If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:

Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

My Lack Of Patternmaking Tools - I Can Cut It

Working on those patternblocks,  aiming to having everything (at least my slopers) complete by the end of December.  

I'm taking stock of which tools and rulers I use most often and I have to say that my curve square and L ruler are in biggest demand when I'm drafting my patterns.   If I had that flexicurve ruler though I think that may change depending on how well it keeps its shape.   For now I'm just stuck using my trusty old tape measure.   I'm going to get that curve square replaced though as the one I have has a few serious cracks in it.   If you don't know the tool I'm talking about here it is:

I consider this delicate thing indespensible and the only place I can find it online is at this UK store,  here's the link:
http://www.sewessential.co.uk/Category.asp?CategoryID=776&NumPerPage=5&Page=1
You'll find it at the bottom of the page and it's not called a "Sew Easy Curve Square".

The other thing I wish I had was that thing called an awl,  a little hole poking device for marking dart points and 'walking' sleeve blocks into armholes.   Instead I use a soap smoothed point on a safety pin to facilitate dart transfer like this (I usually have two fingers supporting the raised paper underneath while I'm making the hole):

I manage to 'walk' my sleeves by taking what ever bodice/torso block and 'walking' the sleeve onto it tiny pinch by tiny pinch.   This can be a distance of about a 1 cm to 1 inch depending on the curve area.  I'm making due alright.

Was doing a little 'window' shopping online for what I've got in store when I want to make patterns for my own collections.   As I'm not going to use non-eco fabrics for my designs (or their development)  it leaves me with a number of pricier options.   I'll probably get most of my fabric from Near Sea Naturals,  they've got dyed and plain organic cotton wovens for around $10 and up and organic cotton knits starting from $12 and up.   Not great,  but not too bad either.   If I want to get cruelty free wool,  they've also got that (not at all an easy thing to come by trust me) it'll be quite a bit more costly  with their most affordable options being their black and fawn solid color wool wovens for $55 per yard.   Now if I want to get some satin,  I'll have to go to GreenFibres and get their undyed cotton product for around $26 a yard (13 GBP that is).  

Well I've got an idea of the price range at least.  It'll be a while till I can get started to be sure,  but it will happen.   Just got to some patternmaking work and experience with clients.

By the way,  when I 'shop' for fabric,  I just go straight to my Eco Friendly Fashion Designer Resource Page.   One of the reasons I made it,  when I need materials to get started with my collections I'll have everything there in one place and in a great way that everyone else can use it too with it's selection of eco fabric sources,  dying informatios,  eco-friendly fabric paint,  notions and more.  Here's the link if you're also interested:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:

Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

Using Delays As A Time For Planning Ahead

Okay,  it's time to work on the knit wear pattern blocks.   Actually,  I'd skipped those chapters during my studies on account of just not being able to do them before.   (The whole selection is strictly drafted using a dressform.)  I'd actually forgotte about these,  that's okay though,   I'll read through them over the next few days and get this area of patternmaking tackled too.   Can't wait to discover what's different about drafting for knit designs.

When I have the time I like to read,  but when I don't have time,  reading can be a painful chore even if it's to learn about something I'm really interested in like these instructions for drafting knit wear patterns.  I've always loved learning how to do things.   The way I take on the task though,  is simply to read the material aloud,  preferably into a recorder,  but if I don't have one,  without works okay too.   The recorder just helps me remember better even if I don't actually listen to the recording after.  

Now the other day I was talking about organic and eco-friendly fabric resources I would use when I start drafting my own patterns.   I forgot something though,  a buddy of mine and myself had been working on a quilt and fabric project site a while ago (the site has to undergo some repairs before we start working on it again mind you) but he'd introduced me to a great online fabric store a while back,  called Fabric.com and I thought I'd go see what their new organic and eco friendly fabric section had to offer.   (I thought I might have seen some better prices but I'm wasn't sure)  Turns out if I order my fabric from them I can get atleast a dollar or more off per yard of material than I can any where else online.   So their eco friendly inventory is every bit a part of their hallmark trait of great fabric deals,  real nice.

Now I just have to be sure to add Fabric.com to my squidoo pages sometime so my readers there can use that great resource as well.   For anyone who might be curious about our above mentioned quilt and fabric project website though here's the link  (mind you it's meant for home sewers and crafters) and we've got our affiliate links to Fabric.com there as well:

http://www.buyfabriconlinehq.com/

As for my patternmaking endeavors,  turns out I won't be able to buy my poster boards to transfer my master blocks until the end of this month,  no problem though,  I am going to make the best use of my time and start typing up my ads I'm going to put up at the Fashion Industry Network,  my blog here and the Sewing Mamas forum.   I just wish I could put up an ad on The Fashion Spot too,  for newbies or something,  that would be cool.   I'm planning to offer a discount patternmaking service as a novice patternmaker.   I'm so excited about it,  I'm shooting for the end of December/beginning of January to launch my ads.   I just have to get my master blocks/basic slopers completed and ready to work with for when I get my client's projects.   I'll try like heck not to let anything get in the way.   I better get done too because my brother is talking about moving out in a while so I've got financial needs to prepare for as well.  

 If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page



 

Only 6 More Pattern Blocks To Go

Well,  here's what my patternmaking progress has been the past several days,  I read the stretch knit pattern block chapter,  I've got the dressform alright,  but I really needed to have some stretch knit fabric to drape onto the form directly in order to make a proper set of blocks,  I don't have any stretch fabric to speak of.   However,  as always I couldn't just let it go at that so I adapted some of the directions for completing the pattern blocks after draping them,  here's what I did:

1.  traced the basic bodice and removed all ease

2.  removed the shoulder dart,  redrew the shoulder seam and lifted the shoulder/armscye corner to the height it would be if the dart is sewn then re-drew the armscye curves

3.  calculated the width of the waistline without the dart

4.  removed a 1/4" from the armscye/side seam corner and tapered to nothing at the side seam

5.  drew a line from the hipline measurement up to the waistline/side seam crossmark

6.   then smoothed the ugly waistline corner with a curve

And here's the result:

According the Connie's book though,  the pattern blocks for a knit garment pretty much have to be remade before for each different pattern due to fit variations and differences in the degree of stretch between one knit fabric and the next.   So technically speaking,  my little (perhaps,  sorry excuse) pattern blocks up there I would only try for a fabric with minimum stretch capacity,  because these blocks are made to measure,  there was no stretching involved in their construction as there would be with a correctly produced pair of pattern blocks that a gently stretched and smoothed over the dressform.

Needless to say,  soon as I get my hands on a bit of knit fabric those blocks are going to get made.

Aside from that little set back,  I went on (the same day) to construct all three skirt slopers for the double dart skirt,  single dart skirt and the flared skirt and they turned out perfectly.

My next patternmaking exercise was to draft a pair of pants blocks.    Unlike the skirt patterns I messed up the first attempt at drafting my pants blocks due to some bad measurement decisions and actually forgetting to use the three different length measurements for centre front back,  front and side seams.   It was a discouraging disaster.  But that evening I looked back and decided to re-work the math in my head and plan what I would do the next day.  

Like I thought,  re-drafting the pants was a breeze thanks to the planning the night before.   However,  when I was done evaluating my pants blocks,  checking if the inseams,  side seams and grain lines are parallel in both shape and distance from each other,  observation revealed that although these new pants blocks were very well done, they still needed some work because the back pants block flare slightly at the hip and waist areas.  The instructions for fixing this kind of issue aren't complete in the book so I decided to email Connie about it from her fashionpatterns.com website and she wrote me back with a set of instructions I'll be implementing over the next few days.   I'll post the results in my next blog entry :)

Hopefully I won't make anymore errors though because I down to my last little bit of paper on my roll and I don't want to get my brother to pick me up another roll till I've got my first client.   I've only got about 5 or 6 master patterns to go so I'll cross my fingers.

If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

Patternmaking Trouble With Jumpsuit Block And The Solution

Okay this morning I'm re-doing the traditional jumpsuit pattern blocks.   They didn't turn out right at all yesterday.   See that's the thing about practice,  if you mess up you've got to know you're going to try the same thing again tomorrow,  but that's tough right?   Here's how I handle it,  I'll look over the problem till I find out or atleast have a ligit theory as to why the 'thing' didn't turn out right.

So this morning my jumpsuit pattern blocks aren't going to match up at the side seams and I'm at the end of my roll and have yet another jumpsuit master pattern to do.    Before cutting anything out,  I checked the angles,  they are wrong.   So instead of cutting anything out (because when you've got a budget it's okay to erase pencil lines) I laid the back pant and torso blocks on the front jumpsuit section :)  aligning the side seams to see what would happen.   Hahaha,  solution found,   what I'm going to do then,  is cut out the front jumpsuit pattern block,  transfer all the hip and waistline markings and create the back jumpsuit block.

It's got me to thinking though,  I want to transfer all these paper master blocks to poster board.   I don't want to have a bunch of in-accurate blocks.   I think I did everything right,  but this just seam as easy as it sounded like in the book.   I assume that everything should have lined up without any adjustment.   (Or is that just the perfectionist in me voicing it's concerns?)  In any case I'm just going to go over these blocks,  one by one,  to see if I did everything exactly as it was supposed to be done.   Pattternmaking is the art of perfection applied to foundation of clothing construction,  it's got to be just so.   When I'm sure everything is as it should be,  I'll go ahead and create my good poster board copies.   I want to step forward into service providing with absolute confidence,  armed with perfect master blocks.

I can't wait to make those master blocks though,  these curly little paper patterns are driving me crazy.   I've tried to keep them flat with my chunky books,  but they're trying to keep that curl.   That reminds too,  I'm going to look up and see what pattern hooks look like and make myself some of those out of my heavy grade paper clips by using a nice little pair of pliers,  that's an affordable way to go till I can buy the right stuff (that is,  unless the paper clips work just fine).   Then I'm going to hang my poster board patterns on a nice wooden hanger in the closet to keep them safe and in perfect order.

If you'd like to read more about fashion, information on the industry and online schools check out my site at:
Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

If you're a designer or home sewer and you'd like to find some cool eco-friendly fabrics and more check out my resource page at:
The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page

I Did It! Now For The Patternmaking Ad...

I completed the last patternmaking exercise,  well the last master block that is.   I woke up this morning and felt the strange sensation of having just become an entry level professional :).    I've got to do some research before I put up a patternmaking service ad though.   I noticed that many pattern makers offer other services as well,  pattern grading,  cutting,  sample sewing,  computerized/digitized patterns, even fashion illustration,  classes,  etc. 

Ahh,  how I would love to be able to do that as well.   No problem though,  I've already planned to Connie Amaden Crawford's book on pattern grading because I know I'm going to need it big time.   There are some sewing dvds I've been having my eye on as well,  just got to make the money to get them.

As for this computerized thing,  any patternmaker has to realize that people need time on their side,  digital patterns can be emailed to clients in a blink of an eye as well as edited and altered with ease so this isn't something I can ignore,  or want to for that matter.    I found out about the WildGinger company years ago and like their affordable range of patternmaking software packages.   I will definitely invest in those programs as soon as I get the chance.   Not to mention the fact that I really can't wait to see how they work,  hehehe.

First thing's first though,  the ad,  I'm a new "green" professional,  so should I say novice again?  I wonder,  maybe not.   I don't have those other cool services to offer so I think I'll offer a great (temporary) deal instead,  like a grand opening discount patternmaking service.   Buy three patterns get the fourth one free,  each for only $35 a piece.  (That's about a third of the price of regular service).  If I was a designer looking for a patternmaker I would love to try it out.  Also,  I'm going to email my previous clients for a possible qoute I could use as "client reviews" for my ad,  that will be great too.

Anyway,  here's my patternmaking work station/ storage area by the door:

Mind you,  I don't (and can't) draft the patterns on this thing,  that's done on the kitchen table,  so my first priorities are perhaps a foldup work table,  small computer desk and a clothes rack which I'll place in my bedroom (my husband probably won't mind).   These are things I'll get after I get a multiple button hole marker and a flexicurve ruler.   Actually I better make sure I have a hole punch too,  not a pattern notcher,  I have that.   But a single hole punch for the poster board master blocks and client's patterns,  so I can make the hole and hang them up with those pattern hooks I want to make.  That's not too impossible,  I found a picture of a simple pattern hook I think I can twist real easy out of a paper clip,  check it out:

It's the one in the top right corner.

This month though,  I'm going to have to buy a role of paper and those poster boards.   Wish they sold the paper rolls at the post office too,  that would make it real easy for me to get,  otherwise I'll have to go all the way to Staples in Downtown Langley.

One of these days I've got to update my Squidoo fashion lens.   I want to re-write my Lutterloh pattern content.  Great little system,  but speaking as someone who just learned how to make patterns and as a designer I wouldn't use them to create new patterns from if I didn't need to.    They're awesome if you just want to save some time on sewing some new garments for your wardrobe though.   Something I'm planning to do for sure.

Anyway if you'd like to check out my fashion or eco friendly fashion resources lenses here are their links,  feel free to drop me a note if you like what you see/read,  I'll be happy to hear from you:



Budget Online Fashion Design Schools and Resources

The Eco-Friendly Fashion Designer's Resource Page 

My Patternmaking Ad Is Up And Running!

Yes,  after a few days work at it,  to get it just right :) I've posted my ad in 4 places on the Fashion Industry Network (got to love that site),  facebook notes,  Craigslist and I'll have it here on my blog as well.   I've got to pay to put an ad up on the Sewing Mama's forum,  but it's not to much so a few clients in and I'll put an ad up with them as well.   Now I was wondering if I could put an ad up on Squidoo at all,  I might have to email them about the ins and outs,  dos and don'ts,  but I hope it would be okay as well.   I'm going to have my ad here on the blog as well.   So wish me luck,  hope I get a client or two really soon so my hard work this past year and a half (think it's been about that long) will start to slowly but surely pay off.  

Right now though,  I'm really screaming with excitement inside,  eeee,  I can't wait to get started and busy working on some really great designs and post pictures of them (with my designer client's approval of course).  That's going to be awesome!  Anyway here's my ad,  feel free to send me any suggestions or comments if you have any,  I'll be glad to hear them :)

Patternmaker Offering Discount Services

Buy 3 Patterns Get The Fourth One For FREE! (Offer Ends March 30, 2012)

Have you designed a garment or collection and don't know where to begin?

Or are you looking to supplement your staff during high demand?

My name is Ayisha and I'm an entry level patternmaker looking to impress designer and industry clients with great patterns and timely service.

Whether your designs are simple or complex, traditional, contemporary or fashion forward my goal is to create patterns that will produce exact replicas of your fashion sketches and concepts.

Simply provide your sketches or illustrations, information on the seams/trims/closures required, the fabric to be used and the completed size and measurements form (I'll email this out to you along with my reply) and the process of drafting your first patterns will begin.

What to expect:

All single garment patterns regardless of complexity will cost a flat rate of $35 USD each (price is negotiable).

- As soon as your pattern or, patterns have been drafted, I'll send them to you in the mail for approval and correction (payment for services rendered does not include shipping costs as this is free to all clients between now and March 30th, 2012).

- If any necessary corrections are needed you may either return the pattern(s) to me with the corrections marked and noted on the pattern (or) take a digital photo of the marked corrections and send it to me by email at: stylistwithacause@gmail.com and your patterns will be adjusted accordingly and returned to you again by mail.

- If you have any questions or concerns feel free to ask me and if I have any questions in regards to your design's requirements, intended styling details and fit, etc, I will be sure to inquire about them before proceeding with your patterns (email correspondence may include illustrations highlighting the subject(s) in question)

- New clients must pay upon receiving patterns or multiple patterns in regards to agreed upon milestones.

- Established clients may pay within 10 days of receiving goods.

In return for the discounted fee, clients must also agree to provide good quality, well lit, or (preferably) professional quality photos of the finished garments produced from the patterns.

Email me today and see what I can do for you, email address: stylistwithacause@gmail.com

Waiting For My Prospective Pattern Clients

Well,  I posted my ads on Friday,  this is a good and bad thing.   It's good because people have already contacted me who,  I'm guessing will get back to me sometime this coming week (Yeah!!!) the bad side though is the waiting,  but I always make the best of that.

I wanted to update my squidoo lens but there are some bugs not allowing me to do that at the moment so I'm waiting for the squidoo team to return my request for help about that,  so I'm got to focus on something else for now.

Two patternmaking books I've read over the years now are Helen Joseph Armstrong's and Connie Amaden Crawford's.   Connie's book wins out with me because speaking as one who didn't know enough about patternmaking when I first bought Armstrong's patternmaking book  I was terribly intimidated.   The instructions seemed unapproachable to me and I never plucked up the courage to get past drafthing the initial first block (I think this was the bodice block,  too many years ago to remember).

The thing that made me take the plunge and buy Connie's book though was that I'd heard her book was replacing Armstrong's book in the fashion schools,  that's big time.   Now,  however,  after successfully learning Connie's Amaden Crawford's Patternmaking Made Easy,  I kind of regret selling my Helen Joseph Armstrong book because now that I actually know my way around patternmaking I realize Armstrong's book would be great to have on hand as reference for different kinds of pattern blocks.  Or maybe it's just my subconscious desire to now closely compare the two books to see how many ways they differ.

One of these days I'll look into it.   For now though while I'm waiting,  I'm going to review things here and there in Connie's book and probably some of my other books as well.   I've got a regular little library now,  here's a group of photos of some of my favorite books I've studied/read/bought so far that I would highly recommend anyone interested in design to check out: