A thing or two and a link or two!

Of course. I run out of fabric (no, seriously!) right as the rush to get things made for Christmas starts in.

Go figure.

I had my things at a Christmas Sale last weekend, and sold a few pieces to lovely people, and met more lovely people! Crafty folks are really the best sort.

Note to self: Christmas presents and things for the shop are more important than things for your own closet. Okay?

Ah, but the lovely thing of being able to sew is that you get to keep all your prototypes for yourself. Thus, I am mastering new techniques just as an excuse to keep things all for myself. Oh, yeah, and to learn the techniques. This last month, I've learned how to make a cowl neck, split cowl neck, and just today I did a yoke. It looks like a bib. Next time I'll go more square and less...bib shaped. But it's all part of the learning process, right?

So, things I have made:

Threadless T-shirt Recon! Long sleeves, puffed sleeves, cowl neck. Penguins rock!

I generate a lot of scraps. Sometimes I just throw these away, but other times they are definitely large enough to keep, because if I throw them away I get this huge guilty feeling--I am supposed to be recycling fabric, and besides, it costs money! Why should I throw away perfectly good fabric?? To help ease the guilt monkeys, I made this tank top!

That's right, you probably recognize most (all?) of those fabrics. It's pieced together with electric blue thread!


Last minute I used leftover fabric from the hoodie in the post below this to make a short sleeved pullover hoodie. It features puffed sleeves, small side pockets, and three hand appliqued hearts!

It's all for sale here: http://www.mateycouture.etsy.com

I have so many more pictures and projects I have been working on, but it's late so I'll save it for another day. I will, however, leave you with a couple links.

Where is a seamstress without her inspiration? Or, say, a person she obsesses over because they're just that good? Or really really pretty clothes she wants to buy? NOWHERE. That's why I have a bunch of crafting sites, etsy sellers, and....Gibbous. May I present to you folks, the ultimate in avant garde & alternative fashions? Based out of San Fransisco, CA, Gibbous fashions is a line of clothing put together using incredibly detailed and beautiful quilting techniques. They have bits of everything in their clothing--I've seen keys, chains, and flowers. Please. Check it out. Your life, as mine was, will be changed.

Also, it took me three tries but I finally got a treasury on Etsy! It's filled with beautiful pieces of artful goodness, all gold themed. Please check out these awesome artists and their amazing work! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=35993

I leave you with that: the amazing art of people much more talented than I! But, if you do want to buy something from me, there's FREE SHIPPING ANYWHERE on anything red in my shop... hurry, it ends Monday at 11:59 pm!!

More Hoodie Goodness! (And a Happy Thanksgiving to you!)

Alrighty, folks, it's been a little longer in coming this time. But I come bearing photos! I have been very busy lately, and definitely sewing up a little storm. Unfortunately, being a ripe 1:00 in the morning right now, I'm not sure how much I can post and how much I will have to save for later. But here goes, anyway! I'm posting right here the INCREDIBLE hoodie I recieved from my swap partner! She did such an awesome job, and, actually, I'm wearing it right now. It's soft and cozy inside, and the sparrows are so, so beautiful. She has stencilling skillz, man.

Oops, dorky expression alert. But trust me, nobody will notice the look on my face because this hoodie really takes all the attention away from me.

I LOVE HOODIES. Need I really say more?

I had my first Etsy buying experience (something I really should have done long ago: I'm a seller, after all, and should understand what the transaction is like from the buyer's side of things!) recently. I have been searching for anchor-printed knit for a really long time, and finally it occured to me to search usin the Supplies section on Etsy. Voila: Anchor/Heart printed French terry fabric! I purchased two yards of it promptly, recieved it three days later, and two days after that I had this hoodie.

When making this, I had a small dilemma. I wanted to make it a zip-up, but I had two choices in my zipper collection for seperating navy zippers: 18" flat metal, or 26" chunky plastic. I decided to work around the challenges of a shorter zipper and go for the 18 incher. I am super pleased with the result: a scoop-necked hoodie! The hood IS on there, trust me, I just didn't post pictures with it up. It has nautical tabs on the side with anchor buttons, contrasting hood lining and trimming, and a little pocket on the side. It's comfy, super long, and definitely one of a kind.

It's, um, also for sale here: www.mateycouture.etsy.com. Don't forget about the free shipping all weekend, starting midnight tomorrow and ending at 11:59 p.m. Monday.

I'll be definitely posting more pictures soon! I also recieved my order from Threadless T-shirts today (www.threadless.com) --they're having this huge holiday sale with 5, 10, and 15 dollar t-shirts. Act fast, because they sell quickly. Lucky for me, sizing didn't matter so much since I'll just be cutting them up anyway, but I got four awesome shirts with beautiful artwork on them and will be reconstructing, listing, and posting them all soon! In the meantime, go check out the website.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Black Friday Weekend: Four Days of FREE shipping!

As we all know, Black Friday comes with long lines at the mall and a huge rush to try to get your best sales--all supporting big-ticket companies who already have millions of dollars, and some that have their clothing made in sweatshop environments where the workers on underpaid and mistreated.

Now, why would you want to be a part of that? This whole holiday season, why don't you swing over to Etsy, and buy some handmade goodness? I'm not just talkin' my shop (although, really, you should. Free shipping ANYWHERE on ANY ITEMS November 28-December 1st. www.mateycouture.etsy.com)--support indie designers and artists, and buy unique, one-of-a-kind gifts.

So, yes, free shipping. Anywhere in the world. Buy some lovely clothes.

I'll be posting more updates as to sales here on my blog and at my Etsy shop--so check back during the holiday season!

I know I ought to be posting photos, but just wait. They're coming soon.

Hoodies!

I participated in my first swap ever-- it was a hoodie swap!! My partner was so awesome. The themes I used of hers were cherry blossoms and sock monkeys. So here's the hoodie I made her-- it has a three-part stencil on the back (I'd never done any stencil that extensive, but I'm super happy with how it came out), contrasting cuffs, pockets, and hem, and the hood is fully lined. I had so much fun with it, especially on the stencil. I love surface design. So anyway, pictures:

I also made a pretty pretty hoodie out of my favorite fabric EVER-- it has a scrolly design and pink chains all over. I want to keep this one so much, but lucky for whoever buys it, it's listed on my shop (www.mateycouture.etsy.com). It has pleats up the zipper and up the back, a really long cut, long sleeves, a lined pixie hood, and a zip up the front. On these two pictures I played around with colors/exposure/contrast/brightness at this site I found, www.picnik.com. What do you think? The first one, obviously, has a lot more done to it than the second.

Okay, off to do productive things. :)

Skirts!

I've been on a huge Etsy kick lately (it's about time!) and have been trying to list things regularly. For now, I'm succeeding! A tripod has now cured my photo-taking woes, so no longer will I be perching a camera precariously on a stack of books and boxes with pillows on the floor in case it falls. (Yes, most of the photos on this blog have been taken like that. And yes, my camera is still in tact, thankyouverymuch.)

I love skirts. Who doesn't? For a period of time (see: ages 8-14) I stopped wearing skirts for some insane reason, but now I adore them. I really only get to wear them on Sundays due to practicality issues, but I have a fantastic excuse to make as many as I like because of the shop.

I do NOT love tulle, however. Sure, when the it's already finished and made into something, it's fantastic, but actually working with it is painful.

The first skirt pictured below was ridiculously time consuming and extremely difficult to make, simply because the tulle would NOT cooperate. Honestly, I sewed it on and took it off three separate times (and pinned it in several other ways, trying to make it work) before I gave up and made an underskirt. I think I spent at least ten hours on this. It's when you do the math and realize you're paying yourself less than three dollars an hour for something that you know you're doing it because you love it. Except, unfortunately, I didn't love making this skirt. I loved the outcome, though, and that makes it all worth it!

I LOVED making this skirt, though. I've been hoarding the fabric since early September, not able to decide what to make with it. Finally, I had an epiphany and realized that a two-layer circle skirt would be amazing. Everything else, bows included, came in an afterthought of "hey, wouldn't this be cool?" just like most of my designs. I love spontaneity.

Lemme tell you, this skirt is wonderful. It twirls so awesomely (see first picture), hangs even better, and did I mention that it's silver? (Oh, yeah. They're both for sale. http://www.etsy.com/)

In other, non-sewing related news that I'm sure you all care SO much about... my room is green! I'll get a progress-picture up later, but you can see a wall in some of these pictures. The green is so much more green in artificial light, but I like it both ways. Although, it's much prettier in person.

Clearly, I'm procrastinating on my novel. But with a new CD (Taylor Swift's new album Fearless! It came out today and it is AMAZING and you should go out and buy it NOW, okay?) to listen to while writing, I should be alright...

More updates soon to come!

Edited to say: HOLD UP. Did I just update twice in the span of one week? Is the world going to stop revolving around the sun or something? Because posts that often have got to mean something life-altering!

Sailor shirt

I can't write much right now, but I am finally getting my shop in order and listing items. I would be modeling things, but my set up is a little difficult and it's just easier at the moment to have Doris do it.

Sailor shirt out of striped cotton jersey. Tabs, pretty buttons. Particularly proud of the even stitching on the neckline. (Check out the listing at http://www.mateycouture.etsy.com! Shameless plug? Me? No way. :P)

Sorry, I know this is a pretty impersonable post, but all of my words have been going towards my novel. 6444 words and counting! Oh, yes, I'm two thousand words behind where I should be. You can check out my profile: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/139532 The excerpt is... well... unconnected to the rest of my book, but I wrote it on the first day before I even thought up a plot and yes, I realize it's extremely angsty and emo. No, despite appearances and the title, the novel is not actually like that.

Yet.

Off to write--wish my luck!

A sheet dress

So a few weeks back (or longer, haha), I posted a medieval style dress I'd made out of sheets. Normal clothes, too, can be made out of sheets too, as you will see below.

I love this dress! It's a crossover-styled top with elastic in the back for a variable fit. My favorite part would definitely be the long sashes, because it can be worn in totally different ways. It's like an infinity dress out of non-stretchy material! Oh, and do you happen to recognize the material? Back... um, February? March?... winter, at least, I posted about how I'd dyed some sheets. That's right, this is the top sheet!

I know, I know it's low cut and shorter than something I'd normally wear, and it's certainly the wrong time of year to be making a sundress, but it's so cute and worn with, say, a slouchy cardigan, tights, and knee-high boots, it's perfect for fall. Or winter, if you live in one of those crazy places where it doesn't snow much, and it gets warm and spring-like in March. Trust me, that never happens in Minnesota!

Anyway, onto pictures:

Empire waisted:

The back, with elastic:
This is my favorite way to wear it-- it's quite Grecian and waist-defining:

Although this one is for me, I am planning on making a few to sell on Etsy (which I'm going to update any day now, I swear!)-- some out of sheets, some out of this lovely printed rayon I picked up sometime during the summer.

Also any day now, I'll be taking proper photographs of a few things I keep meaning to list on my shop, so I'll be sure to show you those. And, of course, my lovely jeans (which, while styled to my specifications, stretch out right away and get really baggy, haha).

During the next month, I promise I'll try and post more often (I always say that!), but if you only get a post with pictures, you'll have to excuse me: all of my writing will probably be going towards my novel, as I'm again participating in National Novel Writing Month (http://www.nanowrimo.org/). For the sake of my fingers and the carpel tunnel I'll be getting, don't complain! Just kidding. :)

Ron Paul shirt & Wrap skirt

September 2 I went to the largest Ron Paul event thus far-- The Campaign for Liberty held its Rally For the Republic, an all-day event with many notable speakers and entertainers that all led up to Ron Paul speaking for liberty and about his campaign, what he stands for, the grassroots supporters, and how the C4L will help restore the GOP to its roots and bring back constitutional values in our government.

It was awesome and I'd post pictures from the actual event, but I forgot to bring my camera with me! I do, however, have pictures of the shirt that I made specifically for the event. It's a t-shirt recon, with puffy sleeves, a v-neck, and hand-stenciled text on the front.

I also made the skirt (not to wear to the event) that I'd been planning for a couple months. I saw this amazing, flattering wrap skirt in a store, but it seemed simple enough to made so instead of buying the skirt, I bought fabric. :) It's a light rayon and is extremely comfortable to wear. It also doesn't really wrinkle, so it's perfect for travel! It's huge; it goes around my waist twice.

Photos of newer stuff will be coming soon. Not to hint or anything, but I made jeans. And they pretty much rock. =D

Typical Busy Fall

During which my laptop needs a clean-up and is therefore currently out of service, I decide to again participate in National Novel Writing Month (http://www.nanowrimo.org/-- that's for YOU, Dana! I'm just in the planning stages right now...), I work on bringing my Etsy back to life, store up some stock for the holidays, and we decide to paint the entire upstairs of our house. (My floor and walls are going to be GREEN! It will be amazing.) Oh yes, and I also muddle through my junior year.

Because my laptop is waiting to be picked up from the technician's, I won't be able to show you pictures until after Sunday. But I figured I would quickly update at least to let you know what's been going on. And when I do post pictures I should have some good shots from a photo shoot with fall colors, along with my lovely low-quality self-timer ones taken with a sheet backdrop in my sewing room-- don't we love those?

Ren fest costume!

I went to the Renaissance the second weekend of this month with my friend Sophie. It was awesome! Unfortunately, I never did get a chance to make a costume from Prince Caspian like I'd been hoping, but I improvised with what I had to make my outfit. While Sophie was at school the week before we went (I was staying with her for a mini vacation), I made this dress out of a couple twin-sized bottom sheets. I'd meant to grab the larger size topsheets, but I made do quite well.

The white chemise was extremely simple-- I make it huge and then gathered the neckline with elastic. The sleeves are also extra large, gathered at the top to fit the armhole, and gathered at the bottom with elastic. When pushed up to my elbows, it poofs out over, creating an awesome look. The skirt wasn't very full, but since it was just an underskirt, it was okay in appearances-- just annoying to the wearer. :)

The over dress was loosely based on a bodice Sophie'd purchased at the festival a few years back. I made it smaller, lengthened it for the skirt, and added only two bones, on either side of the lacing. The fit is pretty good, but I do need to correct the back. It worked perfectly for the day, though, although my footwear (black and white polkadotted converse...) was probably not appropriate. :P

Epic action shot!!

I wish we'd remembered out cameras-- and as of yet I do not have a photo of Sophie's costume, but I can describe it because it was awesome. She went as a faerie, and we made wings with coathangers, tights and ribbon using the tutorial at Threadbanger. She put her bodice over a poofy sleeved shirt (styled much like my chemise) and a tie-skirt for her underskirt. The overskirt was a cloth belt we pinned a billion scarves and fabric scraps to, making it very full and poofy. She had the best ideas for the costume, it was awesome. I'll bug her about sending me pictures, how does that sound??

I'll be posting every-day wear soon, so keep checking back!

A couple older t-shirt surgeries

Because, no, I still have not found the camera cable, I'm still posting a couple older pictures. It's really not much, but still fun.

First, a corset-like shirt. I resized it, cut slits up the back, and stitched in hand-made eyelet tape. Of course, later I found out that fabric stores actually sell premade eyelet tape. Go figure. To cover up the logo in the front I put a patch printed with a jolly roger-- my hand carved stamp.

And then this is another thing I made when I was just learning about all this t-shirt reconstruction stuff. I made Snow White sleeves for this top, and added a white hood. The sleeves turned out a little wonky due to bad technique, but I still love it. It makes me feel like a princess! Haha. :)

Ron Paul button! Oh yeah.

This is it for now, but there'll be more to come soon. ^^

Blast from the Past

I can't find my camera or my camera cable this time, so I'm resorting to old photos. I know it sounds like I'm making stuff up every time I "lose" my camera cable, but seriously, I can't find it. Not even kidding. ;)


I never realized summer could fly by this fast! In a week it'll be August, and then school will start and my jobs will be over. If you're hoping for a litte update on my life, look no further! Before I get to the good stuff, I'll bore you with my entire life story. Won't this be fun?

Joking aside, my summer is going really well, albeit quickly. I love working at the stables, and I decided that for now, three days a week is just right. I can only get up early so many times! But I do love the horsies, and even the poo scooping isn't that bad. I'm sad that there's only five or six weeks left! Other things worth mentioning: scooping ice cream at my other job is ah-mazing, and blueberries make the world a lot nicer. That is all.

Okay, what you've all been waiting for: pictures! As you know, I'm super into costumes, and have made quite a few. Here are a few that I've done...

A huge, pink, cupcake dress (with a hoopskirt underneath!) from Phantom of the Opera.





My Halloween costume last year, which was inspired by Elphaba's dress in the musical Wicked. I made up my own version, drafted the pattern, hand painted the cheesecloth for the embellishments, and hand gathered the strips and strips of the cheesecloth. It didn't really turn out exactly how I envisioned--- I wanted a lot more embellishments and for it to look like things were growing off of the costume, almost like black moss or something. Sorry for the blurriness of the pictures!

Okay, and finally this is the first dress (pretty much the first thing, actually) I'd ever made. It's a tan cotton peasant's dress, made with a Simplicity pattern (although I can't recall which one). I stitched my finger when I made this dress, too, but after putting a band-aid on it, I continued sewing. :) A few months after I made the dress I drafted the pattern for the green/gold bodice from a friend's bodice she'd bought at the Ren-fest. So, first thing I'd made, first pattern I'd drafted. It's a pretty monumental costume. ;)

I will post more pictures soon, I really will! I mean, recent pictures. Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Several Things...

I know it's been a month since I posted, and I don't even have a bunch of things to show this time around... just a few. I'll get some pictures taken soon and post the rest. Unfortunately (but as expected), I haven't had as much time to sew this month. I started a new job (working at a stables! I love it, by the way.), and of course, there are all the normal busy summer things happening around here. Still, I've gotten a couple things made, and after a over a week without internet I can finally post here and update my Etsy shop.

This one is a jumper top out of strawberry-patterned yellow jersey knit. I love this fabric! I wish I'd gotten more of it, but I have enough to make a couple other things out of it. In fact, Doris (my dress form) is currently wearing a fancy tanktop that is in the works, also made out of this fabric. The jumper top here is modeled by my lovely friend Sophie who was very willing to help me out one day.

Another jumper top! I had quite a bit of this fabric, so I played around with it. I really love this one and don't want to sell it! These are going faster, and I really like making them.

This dress was a bit of a headache, but I'm fairly pleased with the result. Fairly being the key word. I made it up as I went along, and it turned out really well for not having done a mock-up before hand. It's just that it didn't turn out precisely as I invisioned, which is always a little irritating. Because I just estimated sizing, it's a little too small on me. But anyway, about it: I used up almost all of this light blue fabric, giving it a cross-over top, crossed spaghetti straps, a fitted drop waist, and a handkerchief hem. I added silver buttons and a black lace/black jersey insert in the v of the bust. It's extremely flattering and elegant, and as always, I don't believe wrong can be done with this fabric.

In case you were curious, my pop can tab dress is coming along well. I have three recycle shed sources that I can raid now and again, and I currently have 7 inches of the front piece, and about 500 loose, unwoven tabs waiting to be put to use.

And that's it for now. Of course, I have other things to post, but I'll save those for a later time. Sorry it's been so long! These things will probably be up for sale this week, so if you want to check out my shop... www.mateycouture.etsy.com!