I'm finally getting so so excited about my dress because I'm finally making progress! I have my dress form all dressed up in what I've made so far, and it looks like a real dress. It makes me a little giddy as I gathered a bunch of info from a bunch of different resources and just started making the dress. Nothing I've done with it so far is directly from any commercial pattern. (the one I used was altered, and only used because an A-line skirt is easier to just steal from a pattern)
So apart from that, I've recently gone with the Sons of Turner on tour number 2: Savannah, GA. It was a relaxing time, and for me, it ended up being a break from all the stress that's been building up since I left school. And I got to paint again! I only had enough energy to get one done (I was sick with a sinus infection during the first half of the trip, boo) but all in all, a nice break from life. I've been very neglectful of uploading photos too, so that will have to wait until another post.
I have 2 months left until I'm married and move up to WI, and once I do that, I'll be a sewing and painting fool. I've been pondering the sewing business and wondering if it'd be something I want to offer to people. I still have a lot to learn about sewing, but I'm bursting with this need to create my own designs. After making this wedding dress to my own design, I think I'll have a lot more confidence. At any rate, stay tuned and you may be able to get your very own garment made to your specific measurements made by yours truly.
That's all for now, sorry for the lack of pictures. I promise to load up tons of photos of the dress in progress after the wedding, and the little itty painting I did on my vacation.
:)
5.30.2010
2.28.2010
Sewing is in my brain.
So, as most of you know, I'm working on my wedding and sewing a dress so the whole drawing/painting/art thing is put on hold...
Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to say that I LOVE sewing. I really should include all the stuff with sewing on this blog too... why not? So here goes... :)
Recently I've been getting all kinds of books about making patterns and garment construction in an effort to teach myself how sewing works. I definitely understand things a lot better after sewing a lot in the last year and one of the biggest lessons I've learned is to not try to cut corners and spend time with each garment instead of blasting through and trying to just get it done. Quality is important, and clothes wont hold up for very long if they aren't finished properly. I have some jeans I made, but I left most of the seams unfinished, and it's raveling like mad on the inside.
But anyway, my most finished and involved thing I made exactly a year ago this month is my winter coat. I learned a lot with this one too. As I tend to just go for the big project and challenge myself (to keep in interesting, mostly) A lot of things could have been different. The collar could have been bigger, I should have used a different lining, and the facing would have been better in a different fabric.
But enough with the dull details of my sewing projects past and on with some fun links!
First up is the website of my choice when it comes to finding anything and everything to do with sewing. Patterns, blogs, how-tos, and endless member projects to gather inspiration and share talent:
www.burdastyle.com
Next will be a list of books that I've found to be a little above the rest:
Building Patterns the Architecture of Women's Clothing : A bit more expensive than the beginner friendly, fun sewing books that don't always give you all the information.... Actually none of them really do, but this one is great if you really want to know how to make a pattern. I'd suggest getting to know ready made patterns and learn a lot about sewing and how to construct a garment a bit before you go straight to this book. There's a lot of good info and helps you visualize how things work.... plus it tells you how to measure people, draft seams and darts, every type of pocket, and much much more! The thing it lacks is things an advanced sewer would know anyway like seam allowances, how to cut the fabric, and how to construct the garment after the pattern is made.
Twinkle Sews: I think this book is pretty great because it's a bit edgy, much more modern than a lot of books on the market and it has less of a DIY mom who wants to make diaper bags and pajamas and "quick and easy" clothes feel to it. The thing I like the most is it has a range of projects easy-advanced, and doesn't assume that every person touching the book is a complete idiot/beginner. Now to the not so great things about it... It does come with patterns, HOWEVER... you have to print them out on copy paper and tape it all together to even make what you want. And not only is that cumbersome enough (actually the fact doesn't bother me as much because that's how burda style does their patterns, but they at least usually include a file you can print at a copy shop) when the pattern prints out, it's too big for the printer margins and cuts off the markings where you line up the papers so your pattern isnt all screwwy... plus they are all Japanese style patterns (which means that you don't cut the fabric while it's folded, which is slightly annoying for it wastes more paper for things that could be cut "on the fold" and more time because you're spending time cutting things out twice when you could have done one cut and had 2 identically opposite pieces. Helpful when you have 2 sleeves to cut out.) And lastly, the cover dress is basically the only thing in there with any shape. Most of the clothes are oversized t-shirts that are supposed to pass off as a dress.... I guess long story short, check it out in a bookstore to see if it'd suit your style or not. In spite of all the bad stuff I just said about this book, I still really really like the clothes. I haven't made anything yet though because of the all the bad stuff I just said about the book. :)
Lastly, and I'll keep this one short:
Built by Wendy Dresses
This book is nice because it's very pro altering patterns. It includes 3 basic patterns that all the dresses are based off of. It's great because it's a good step towards pattern-making and gets you comfortable and familiar with how patterns work. The first section is good at explaining how to do some basic sewing as well. What I don't like is how it's pretty much an oxymoron. It really is a beginners book, but at the same time it's not. A beginner would probably have a harder time trying to figure out how to do half the things in the book, especially since it's not very clear on how to add seam allowances (since none of the patterns have them to begin with, which is a good thing) and it leaves out some important info like the words "cut on fold"
But this is all from someone who considers herself to be "intermediate" I'm still no expert and there is plenty I still don't know. But I try, oh I try.
Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to say that I LOVE sewing. I really should include all the stuff with sewing on this blog too... why not? So here goes... :)
Recently I've been getting all kinds of books about making patterns and garment construction in an effort to teach myself how sewing works. I definitely understand things a lot better after sewing a lot in the last year and one of the biggest lessons I've learned is to not try to cut corners and spend time with each garment instead of blasting through and trying to just get it done. Quality is important, and clothes wont hold up for very long if they aren't finished properly. I have some jeans I made, but I left most of the seams unfinished, and it's raveling like mad on the inside.
But anyway, my most finished and involved thing I made exactly a year ago this month is my winter coat. I learned a lot with this one too. As I tend to just go for the big project and challenge myself (to keep in interesting, mostly) A lot of things could have been different. The collar could have been bigger, I should have used a different lining, and the facing would have been better in a different fabric.
But enough with the dull details of my sewing projects past and on with some fun links!
First up is the website of my choice when it comes to finding anything and everything to do with sewing. Patterns, blogs, how-tos, and endless member projects to gather inspiration and share talent:
www.burdastyle.com
Next will be a list of books that I've found to be a little above the rest:
Building Patterns the Architecture of Women's Clothing : A bit more expensive than the beginner friendly, fun sewing books that don't always give you all the information.... Actually none of them really do, but this one is great if you really want to know how to make a pattern. I'd suggest getting to know ready made patterns and learn a lot about sewing and how to construct a garment a bit before you go straight to this book. There's a lot of good info and helps you visualize how things work.... plus it tells you how to measure people, draft seams and darts, every type of pocket, and much much more! The thing it lacks is things an advanced sewer would know anyway like seam allowances, how to cut the fabric, and how to construct the garment after the pattern is made.
Twinkle Sews: I think this book is pretty great because it's a bit edgy, much more modern than a lot of books on the market and it has less of a DIY mom who wants to make diaper bags and pajamas and "quick and easy" clothes feel to it. The thing I like the most is it has a range of projects easy-advanced, and doesn't assume that every person touching the book is a complete idiot/beginner. Now to the not so great things about it... It does come with patterns, HOWEVER... you have to print them out on copy paper and tape it all together to even make what you want. And not only is that cumbersome enough (actually the fact doesn't bother me as much because that's how burda style does their patterns, but they at least usually include a file you can print at a copy shop) when the pattern prints out, it's too big for the printer margins and cuts off the markings where you line up the papers so your pattern isnt all screwwy... plus they are all Japanese style patterns (which means that you don't cut the fabric while it's folded, which is slightly annoying for it wastes more paper for things that could be cut "on the fold" and more time because you're spending time cutting things out twice when you could have done one cut and had 2 identically opposite pieces. Helpful when you have 2 sleeves to cut out.) And lastly, the cover dress is basically the only thing in there with any shape. Most of the clothes are oversized t-shirts that are supposed to pass off as a dress.... I guess long story short, check it out in a bookstore to see if it'd suit your style or not. In spite of all the bad stuff I just said about this book, I still really really like the clothes. I haven't made anything yet though because of the all the bad stuff I just said about the book. :)
Lastly, and I'll keep this one short:
Built by Wendy Dresses
This book is nice because it's very pro altering patterns. It includes 3 basic patterns that all the dresses are based off of. It's great because it's a good step towards pattern-making and gets you comfortable and familiar with how patterns work. The first section is good at explaining how to do some basic sewing as well. What I don't like is how it's pretty much an oxymoron. It really is a beginners book, but at the same time it's not. A beginner would probably have a harder time trying to figure out how to do half the things in the book, especially since it's not very clear on how to add seam allowances (since none of the patterns have them to begin with, which is a good thing) and it leaves out some important info like the words "cut on fold"
But this is all from someone who considers herself to be "intermediate" I'm still no expert and there is plenty I still don't know. But I try, oh I try.
12.17.2009
the count is now... ONE!
Hey there! I'm finally done with school! Tomorrow is the very last day I have to come in. All I have to do is wrap up some loose ends, and clean all my stuff from the various parts of the school... And I'm outta here! :) It feels good to be done and to move on to a new part of life.
And with that, I'd like to share my final painting for the semester, and my school career. After this, it's my own work... for better or worse, we'll find out...
This one is about me as I relate to my fiance Andrew. I'm the blunt one. :)
Thanks for looking, I hope everyone has a great holiday! I know I will :)
And with that, I'd like to share my final painting for the semester, and my school career. After this, it's my own work... for better or worse, we'll find out...
This one is about me as I relate to my fiance Andrew. I'm the blunt one. :)
Thanks for looking, I hope everyone has a great holiday! I know I will :)
12.10.2009
Fun Fluff and Stuff
Hey everyone! I've got a nice shinny new painting to show you (actually 2 but ill save one for another post) This painting is a self portrait with just objects this time. My adult self vs. my child self. This is a tiny one, only 4"x4" and it's just so cute, don'cha think? :)
Both the bunny and the monkey were handmade by me. Bunny when I was young, and Wendall a few months ago. Hope you like it :)
Both the bunny and the monkey were handmade by me. Bunny when I was young, and Wendall a few months ago. Hope you like it :)
12.03.2009
Process: Cupcake
The cupcake was a fun one to paint. First it was fun because I wanted to make a cupcake that would last me the few weeks I needed to be able to paint it. So I looked and looked for a good recipe of artificial ingredients and constructed this cupcake with it. I fooled a lot of people and had to warn them it was fake so they wouldn't eat it :)
Step 1: Draw it out
Step 2: Fill in base background color.
Step 3: Block in colors and values of objects.
Step 4: Fine tuning the frosting.
Step 5: Fine tuning more details.
Step 6: Get that foil to look right
Step 7: Finish the foil and final touches.
Detail of the foil.
looks good enough to eat! (but don't... you'll get sick)
Step 1: Draw it out
Step 2: Fill in base background color.
Step 3: Block in colors and values of objects.
Step 4: Fine tuning the frosting.
Step 5: Fine tuning more details.
Step 6: Get that foil to look right
Step 7: Finish the foil and final touches.
Detail of the foil.
looks good enough to eat! (but don't... you'll get sick)
12.01.2009
14 days...
I've made it to the 14 days left of school mark. (that only counts actual days of school weekends are a bonus!) I've finished 2 paintings and one is underway. I'll get those posted very soon (probably by next Tuesday). Things are all in a whirlwind of activity! I have a final presentation and an exit interview to do within the next few weeks. If all goes to plan (and I hope it does) Ill have everything ready by December 14th! And everything includes my business cards, post cards, 3 printed portfolios, 3 on a CD, a power point presentation, artist statement, resume, list of 50 possible contacts for the future, my website will be done, statement of career goals, and a spiffy outfit for my interview. whew. That's a lot. Good thing I've already started on more than half of those...
Wish me luck!
Hope everyone's Advent started well :)
Wish me luck!
Hope everyone's Advent started well :)
11.21.2009
Official Website!
Hello!
I just wanted to let everyone know that I have an official website!
katie-fowler.com
I will still be posting things here, and telling everyone why and how I come to paint the things I do. Thanks for the support!
Katie
I just wanted to let everyone know that I have an official website!
katie-fowler.com
I will still be posting things here, and telling everyone why and how I come to paint the things I do. Thanks for the support!
Katie
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