Mercurial Knitwear Collection

 Hello hello from snowy Minnesota! This is a four-piece knitwear collection I made in my cut & sew knits class this semester. The class was pretty easy, for the most part... I've been sewing knits for years (remember those t-shirt reconstructions?), so I got to find new ways to challenge myself by using interfacing, pairing fabrics with different stretch ratios, and inserting all kinds of pockets. It was all kinds of difficult to find proper fabrics--in fact, it was probably the hardest part of the class. Surprise, there's not much to choose from in the middle of nowhere, Wisconsin!

I did find some gems, though; most notably, this beautiful printed rayon/spandex lofty blend. It is a total dream to wear! These are my portfolio pages, following. We do this in pretty much every class,  and it only makes sense to present the work we've done in a concise fashion. Ignore the empty boxes where my fabric swatches go! These are just the electronic version of the pages... in the actual pages, I cut out the squares and under-mount the swatches.

 
 It is very important for these to clearly be technical pages. Thus, we add pattern corrections, fit alterations, sewing call-outs, and pattern development.

I am crazy about this hoodie and these leggings. Honestly, I wear them ALL THE TIME. More than I should. So comfy, so not sorry.

 I think I am going to put this jacket in the fashion show. I'm not positive, because I don't know what else I'm making, but it's a nice piece and I'm not letting myself wear it, just in case. It was my most difficult garment in the class--getting the zipper in and clean finishing it with the bottom band was near-impossible, rather head-ache inducing, and required a lot of finagling.

Aaaaand sequence of operations, pattern manipulation, call out of using the coverstitch machine, a beautiful fancy industrial machine with an air compression system (!) that just whirred like it couldn't be happier. Can you tell I loved it?

It's been an insanely busy year, and next year is shaping up to be even crazier. I'll have two jobs in the spring, classes like Functional Clothing Design & Knit Design Technology (knitting machine, here I come!), and an incredible summer internship coming up. And after that, I begin my senior year of college. How time flies.

Thank you for checking this stuff out. What do you have planned for the holidays? I'm home as usual, with the family, looking forward to staying cozy by the fire, and perhaps venturing out for some cross-country skiing. Whatever you have planned, have a Merry Christmas!

Raindrops (In Front of the Sunset)

I have yards and yards of this wonderfully soft bamboo/lycra knit in an off-white color, and I've been making very good use of it lately! This cowl-hoodie was fun to make, for the most part--just feeling the bamboo under my fingertips is a delight! I spent almost five hours appliqueing the rain cloud and rain drops, though, because it was all by hand. But, you know what? It was worth it. (Although, maybe next time I'll just screen print it.)









The first line of the description on its listing is, "This is a sweatshirt for the stormy days when all you want to do is snuggle with a blanket and tea, but elegantly, of course!" It's so true--you'll want to curl up in this hoodie forever.

For sale HERE.

Space Hoodie

I was able to make a brief stop at the fabric store on my way home from visiting my 1st choice college, and I picked up this super soft, light fleece. It's so perfect for hoodies & sweatshirts! So I made this sweatshirt, giving it an immense cowl that can be a hood, and a cute little side pocket.











Of course I had to line the cowl in some of this amazing bamboo, and I love how it adds a splash of color! It's a little tight on me... which is very lucky for you, because I wouldn't want to sell it, otherwise! It's currently listed, if you're interested.

However, my shop will be going into Vacation Mode for the next week & a half, as I'm going to be out of town, away from my stock.

A quick update on my life, for the curious: I took the ACT (& it was awful, but I think I did alright--thank you all for the well wishes!), adored the college I went to visit (their fashion program sounds awesome!), & have basically just been busy with studying and college applications. Oh, and a super exciting and secret project you'll hear about in a few days!

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!!

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. :)

Arrrr, it's called Matey Couture for a reason!

Just because I've been sewing more everyday wear does not, by any measure, mean that I've lost my passion for costumes, historic and otherwise. I fulfilled a dream of mine this past week in making a pirate hat. I think I finally have my pirate outfit mostly complete, and I can't express to you how much that satisfies me. I've been working on it for a couple years, adding a piece here and making one there.

My friend and I were shopping at Ragstock when, on the Super Sale rack, we came across a bunch of brown fake leather pants for 3$ each. We immediately bought a pair each, and when I got home one of the first things I made was this hat. I used Corrine's Halloween Pirate tutorial from http://www.threadbanger.com/. (I'm sorry I don't have the direct link right now. I'll find it when I have more time), and while I had a bit of trouble with the rolling of the sides, it turned out alright. I still hope to make a proper styled one with wool felt and buckram, but until I've gained the millinery super skillz to try that, this one will work.


Out of this outfit I've made the pants, the vest, and the hat. The shirt came from the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, given to me from a friend, the sash is a window thingy, the coin belt from a local market, the boots from target, and the jewelry I found randomly around my room. The flintlock is entirely a prop-- from http://www.museumreplicas.com/.



I was asked by someone on Threadbanger to make a tutorial for my hoodie, so that's how I spent my afternoon. It took me 2 1/4 hours to make this hoodie, and just as long to make the tutorial. Go figure. I'm extremely pleased with this one, though: it's soft, stretchy, and a very fun print. Also, because it went so fast, I'll be able to keep my prices pretty low for these, which is good news for my customers!

The link to the tutorial is here. It was my first tutorial, and I'd taken about 40 pictures for it. Heh, I ended up only using 25 or so, but it's still quite a lot. I hope it helps people out!

Other Threadbanger news... I'd posted several of my projects in the forum, and I found out today that I'm going to be featured in their newsletter thanks to my skull hoodie!! I'm really honored. It comes out tomorrow, so I can't wait to see what it says!

I'm pretty excited about another thing... I designed a prom dress! For me! I'll post pictures of the sketch when I scan it, and then eventually the real thing. But I decided upon a wine colored satin for the color. It's going to rock. I really, really want to make this jacket to go with it, but I don't know how I'd sew a jacket and a prom dress in just two and a half weeks. Sounds just crazy enough for me to try, but the prom dress has got to come first. ;)