sew is your face! » heart

the pink vest:

micheLLe — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:13:13 +0000

sew, i decided to stay in and sew last night instead of going to a hoop jam. sometimes that’s a really tough choice for me but look what came out of it! this is the cutest, PINKEST, vest ever. it’s a size medium with the flexibility to fit many body shapes (up to a bust size of 38). it’s the classic waffle back that seems to be popular with the ladies. i used a thick, pink, yarn-like thread and a really cute stitch, that is shaped like hearts, to pull this valentine-themed vest together. instead of using my usual thrift store-harvested, metal hardware for the closure, i went a little more simplistic and used the small ends from two of the ties to tie the vest closed in the front. this allows the vest to be more adjustable in the fit and, in my opinion, makes the vest look a bit more feminine. nothing says “I Love You” like a pink valentines day vest sewn with little hearts all over it! this vest is a one of a kind (as are all my vests) and will be for sale at Trunk @ 544 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA.

take off your pants!

micheLLe — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:09:45 +0000

in my never ending quest to find clothes that fit, i just plain give up! it’s so hard finding ready made comfortable clothing that i decided it’s time to take matters into my own hands and make my own clothes. yesterday, i made a top that needed a bottom. sew today, i made the pants. i took a pair of culotte’s that i already owned (way too long for me, i’m vertically challenged) and took a pattern from them, shortening the legs by three inches. i also lengthened the fold down waist band by four inches. they came out pretty good considering i’ve never made pants before…let alone on a serger! speaking of the serger (i think i’ll name it “the beast”), this sewing excursion taught me sew much! it took about an hour to adjust all four tension settings correctly and i can see it in my loose seams. but all in all, i’m thrilled that i can wear my new pants and say that i did it myself =)

p.s. sorry about the bad quality photos, my photographer had the day off…

what i made today…

micheLLe — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:09:10 +0000

ok, sew i made it yesterday but i was too lazy to post about it! i didn’t take before pictures because i forgot to. i need a personal assistant but that’s another topic…

i’m always on the hunt for cute tops that i can hoop comfortably in. their are many considerations in choosing the right hooping clothes: sweating, bare skin needed for grip, comfort, cuteness, and sew on. i really love cotton tank tops because they breath when you sweat, are comfy, and leave my shoulders bare (which is essential for shoulder duck outs) but they are a bit plain and remind me of gym wear. i wanted to make some hoop tops that were cotton, comfy, AND cute. that’s how i came up with this adorable, tank-ish style top.
i used two cotton tee shirts, scissors, pins, ruler, chalk, needle, and red embroidery floss. the gray tee shirt has 5% spandex which makes it hold it’s shape more than plain cotton and is fitted (size xs) on me. the red one is ribbed and stretchy. first, i cut away the sleeves on the gray shirt while being very careful not to cut the collar. then i turned it inside out and drew a heart pattern across the chest and marked the heart with lines one inch apart. next, i tried slashing the lines with a razor blade but couldn’t get a clean line out of it. it looked jagged and seemed to want to make the cotton run. instead, i used my sharpest, pointiest, deadliest scissors to poke little tiny holes and then smoothly cut the slashes across the heart. at this point, the top was pretty cute but because i had cut the sleeves out to bare my shoulders, i wouldn’t be able to wear anything under it to cover my parts. sew, i decided to insert the red material (which was just a square cut from another shirt) and hand stitch it together with the red floss. and viola! i know have a cute, comfortable top that is perfect for shoulder hooping because just enough skin is left bare!