A bit about what I'm working on

I'm very busy with school at the moment. The college fashion show is April 11th and I've been working very hard on my line. I've got a lot of things to sew, but I think I'll manage.

Since I don't have many completed garments yet, I thought I'd share some pictures of the studio.

Me at the cutting table.

My desk.

My inspiration board.

My sketches.

And some pictures of the rest of the studio.

Racks full of patterns, and one of the ironing tables.

 The ironing tables are so much nicer than regular ironing boards.

This iron has a boiler, supplying it with infinite steam.

This is the machine I usually use.

Patterns.

The fitting room.

One of my coat patterns.

One of my coats being cut out.

I will post more pictures when more thing are sewn.

Asexual Flag Pirate Sash

I just finished making a sash. It's a pretty small project since I've been busy with my line and haven't had much time to work on my own clothes.

Now, I've never had any cause to bring it up on this blog before, but I am asexual. That means I don't experience sexual attraction to anybody at all. You may not have heard of it, since it's one of those orientations that gets literally no media representation. I recommend checking out Julie Sondra Decker's youtube channel to learn more.

This is the asexual flag:

Nice colour scheme, isn't it?

A while ago I came across this asexual pirate joke and thought a pirate sash in the asexual flag colours would be a fun project.

Here's my sketch.

 I cut 4 strips of silk dupioni. One in black, one grey, and two in cream because I didn't have anything lighter. I dyed one of the cream strips purple and sewed all four together lengthwise.

 I flat felled the seams.

 I changed the top and bottom thread colours with every seam so that the thread always matched the fabric it was on.

 I hemmed the two long raw edges by machine and the short ends by hand.

A short end partially hemmed.

 The finished sash measures 43.5 cm by 3.2 m, making it long enough to wrap around my waist twice and leave some decent tails.

 Look at how high the snowbanks are.

I'm squinting because the sun is in my eyes.

I realize that I haven't done a post yet on the line I'm working on for school. I should do one soon.

2014 in review

Hello. I realized recently that I had missed the 2 year anniversary of this blog, so I apologize for posting this late. As usual, I've been busy with school and neglected this blog even though I have no shortage of posting material.

So, here's some of what I made in 2014. (I'm not counting unfinished projects this time, and unfortunately I have a lot more unfinished projects than finished ones.)

 My denim frock coat is awesome and I love it, but I wish I had used a more slippery lining for the sleeves.

My spiral pants are nice enough, aside from the fact that I messed up the pattern alterations and the waist is a uncomfortably tight. I've worn them maybe five times.

 I am not happy with these watch fobs and will probably take them apart and re- make them.

 This corset has pretty fabric, but it doesn't fit properly at all. Not that I care. I'm never going to wear it.

 I love my linen shirt very much! A couple of the button holes have stretched a little, but that's the only complaint I have with it.

 Not much to be said about the white cravat. I wear it fairly regularly and should make a couple more.

 The buttons are popping off my fur trimmed waistcoat! Their old fabric backs are tearing through and I need to replace them. It's bulky and weird, but very warm.

Curse those horrible chest lumps that ruin the line of my waistcoat.

 I love my silver waistcoat, but I haven't worn it or my frock coat much yet because I don't have any proper breeches.

 I wear these plain black pants almost every day, and they're starting to wear out.

 This cotton shirt is probably the one I wear most often.

Looking at all my finished projects together, it seems pretty pathetic. I really, really need to finish the things I start sewing. My unfinished project pile is getting out of control. Of course, I have been sewing a lot of things for school (mostly mockups) and will have to have 7 complete outfits made up by April 11th.
I'm taking a bookbinding class too! It's fun. We're only three classes in, so we haven't gotten to hardcovers yet.

Tiny little cemetery book.

Slightly larger book with buttons.

It has Gothic arches with bats on the inside cover.

I've done a fair amount of drawings too, though have not posted them anywhere.

Me in 2013 vs me in 2014.

 It may have been a bad year for unfinished projects, but it was a very good year for hair.

Now I need to go work on the waistcoat that's been sitting on my chair for a month.

Big Black Tailored Overcoat

One of the classes this year was Tailoring, and I am making a coat. The class is over, but my coat isn't quite finished yet. I gave my pattern a very big collar and lapels.

The mockup.

Since it's such a long and involved process, I'm not going to go through every single step of making it.

The sleeve being sewn.

 My fabric is wool melton, and my lining is rayon bemberg with blue & burgundy threads.

The back lining.

This is the canvas interfacing I used for the front. The assignment only required fusible interfacing, but I wanted to use canvas, much to the delight of my teacher. The black line is a bit of cotton zig zagged over the hole where the dart is, and the grey stuff is wool, which is also zigged to the canvas.

 Here's my under collar.

 And here it is with some of the pad stitching finished.

 Pocket flaps. They're lined in the same black cotton as the pocket bags are made of.

I did a prick-stitch around the edge of the pocket flaps.

The dart in the front stops just above the pocket.

Attaching the welt and pocket flap.

 After sewing the pocket bag on I had to attach the canvas to the front piece.

 I cut a rectangular hole through the canvas so the pocket could sit on the other side of it.

Cross stitching the pocket allowances to the canvas.

The top of the pocket bag, with the allowances nicely secured.

 Lots of temporary basting.

 The lapels with lots of pad stitching.

 Tailor's tape on the roll line.

The allowances of the canvas trimmed back to the stitch line, and fusible tape put all around the edge.

 Putting the shoulder pad in.

The cross stitched edge is the front one. The back edge hangs free.

 The shoulder pad basted in.

From the back.

And from the front.

Prick stitching the seam where the lining is sewn to the facing.

Here's the front with the facing sewn on.

 It's been pressed, but still looks a little baggy because the edge hasn't been prick-stitched, and the lining isn't all attached.

 This is what the coat looks like at the moment.

 The collar isn't together yet, but the sleeves are.

I can't proceed further without instructions from my tailoring teacher, so I'll finish this when I get back to school. I'm really looking forward to wearing it.