New Dress

Dress Y from the Japanese pattern book Stylish Dress Book. I'm so happy with how this turned out. Although I have to say, I found drafting the pattern more difficult from this book compared to other Japanese pattern books: all of the pattern lines are the same colour and the same pieces are used for variations, so sometimes I didn't know where the lines ended. And even though I'm using the next size up to accommodate for seam allowance, I still find it a bit snug around the bust/back, so for the next project I'll have to make some adjustments.

My craft room/office

A few people have asked me about the space I use for sewing and how I stay so organized and on top of things, considering I work full time, have two Etsy shops, have two retail consignment customers, do craft shows, and make a lot of my own clothes and gifts for people. Sometimes I think I'm crazy for taking on so much, but I'm not busy all the time, so I like to make sure I have projects ready to go for when I'm bored. I've been meaning to show off my space for a while but haven't had time to take pictures; it was a lot of work to get it the way it is, and even though it's not perfect, I'm very lucky to have a whole room to myself. I've been more productive creatively than ever before, which, as someone who has struggled with depression my whole life, is important.

In December 2009 I moved from a tiny downtown condo to a 1 1/2 story house in East York. This was a big deal to me, as it finally meant I had a dedicated space to work on projects - my condo was so small I used what kitchen counter space I had as an ironing board and would cut my pattern pieces out on the floor. I had little piles of boxes and projects all over the place. Not ideal. At my new place, I took over a small second bedroom and use it as my craft room and office. This is the before picture, but after we had already ripped out the carpet.


Here's the corner by the door. The small door is for a small closet - because the
house is 1 1/2 stories there is no attic, just a crawl space under the roof. My clothes are in there.

The dormer window (need to make curtains one day, I hate those plastic blinds!) is a bit of an awkward space, but I rescued an old metal card catalogue which fits perfectly. It holds all my photography, drawing, painting and card-making supplies, and other craft supplies (adhesives galore!). The white bin holds all my fabric: my rule is that I can't buy more than what can fit into the bin. And of course, because I'm a librarian, it's all sorted and organized in a very specific way.













This is my main workspace: it's actually IKEA kitchen cabinets and a counter top. All my tools, sewing supplies, mail and packaging supplies, Etsy inventory, patterns and current projects fit here (and yes, everything is labelled). The IKEA cabinets and counter tops were the only items I needed to purchase for this room (well, and the paint).



My two sewing machines (a domestic and a serger) sit on a IKEA countertop, which is on casters, making it easy to move out of the way in case I need to get to the stuff jammed in the corner (big rolls of cotton batting, and a big Rubbermaid bin holding all my craft show display items). The two windows let in lots of natural light.












And lastly, the "office" area. The crawl space closet holds all my junk - I need to make a curtain to hide it. Behind the desk on the opposite wall is a filing cabinet and my printer. I replaced a really awful ceiling light with adjustable track lighting, which is necessary for taking photos - the light bounces off the sloped ceilings and make weird shadows. Painting the room was a challenge because of the sloped ceilings, and one day I would like to put down new flooring, but for now it's fine.

Another top

Here's another top I made from the Japanese pattern book "Tunic and One-Piece". It's actually a pattern for a tunic, but I shortened it for a top, and altered the neckline. Because the Japanese pattern books don't include seam allowance, I've discovered that using the next size up is an easy way to accommodate for this.

New batch of coin purses

The other day I dropped off what may be my last batch of snap-frame coin purses at The Rage: the owner has announced that the store will be closing as of October 1st. This makes me sad, for several reasons. Not only is it a great store, but the positive feedback I received on my purses was a huge source of ego-boosting for me. Knowing that complete strangers liked what I made certainly helped improve my self-esteem, and making the items gave me a sense of purpose that a professional career doesn't always provide. I need to have a creative outlet in my life, and the store provided that for me. I'm really hoping that the business is purchased and continues, even if at a different location.


So, I am on the lookout for new retail opportunities to fill the gap. I've already contacted a few stores and hope to have something in place soon. If anyone has any suggestions, please contact me.

Top from Japanese pattern book

I'm slowly getting used to making clothes from the Japanese pattern books, so much so that I just ordered two more books. This top is from "Natural Fabric Summer Clothes & Goods" (ISBN 9784834725506). This book has patterns for household items, such as cutains and bags, along with clothes.




I altered the pattern a bit by lengthening the sleeves, and at the collar: I opted for a small V opening rather than button details. It will be a perfect top for the fall.

Purse for my mom

A while ago my mom asked me to make her a purse, and unfortunately it was a while before I was able to start it. It's now done; the outer fabric is Amy Butler, and it has a padded strap, inner and outer slip pockets and an inner zippered pocket.

Finally bought a dress form

For a while now I've wanted an adjustable dress form, but they can be pricey. I happened to be in a Fabricland this past week-end and noticed that they were on sale for 50% off, so I bought one. Originally, based on my size according to off-the-rack clothing, I got the smaller form, but the hips and waist didn't go high enough (!) so I ended up with the larger form, but the bust doesn't go small enough (!). I can't win! The dress form will certainly make sewing my own clothes a bit easier.