Motorcycle Jacket Love

I have a new painting project, but it's in its very earliest stages.  I'll let you know more once it's gestated a bit.  But the idea behind it is to spread some positivity around, cause we need it.  The world really needs it!

My next sewing project is equally exciting!  I saw this lovely motorcycle style jacket by ttnora, and fell in love.  And was inspired!



Rachel happens to be in the market for a jacket, and I thought this would be perfect, if made from sweatshirt fleece!  That's what the wool reminds me of in these images, and that's probably Rachel's favorite thing to wear.  So, I'm buying the pattern today. :)  Excite!

Ritual Reset

The beauty of having a dedicated work space is that all of your supplies can be out, within arms reach at any time.  You can throw scraps of fabric on the floor, leave your easel set up, leave brushes and paints out, so you don't have to spend an hour prepping for work the next day.  But when the project is complete, things tend to look a little.... chaotic.  I find that this state of disorder makes it nigh on impossible to start a new project.  I get distracted by the mess, or the old thoughts.  To solve this, I have a little ritual I call "resetting."

By reset, I mean clean.  I don't like it, but it helps.  See, I really do like when things are tidy.  The process is not enjoyable, but the result sure is!  So things look nice and fresh and inviting when I go into the studio.  It also clears the residue of the last project, physically and mentally.  Taking a break from the creative process lets my brain rest, or start planning the next project.  And in those difficult starting phases of a new project, there are fewer distractions.

In my last reset, I found some missing nail polish, a box of Redbull, and a couple of missing sketchbooks.  It's like finding treasure!

What sort of rituals have you found in your work?

Black as Night, Red as Blood

Hello readers!
I've been busy sewing on a deadline.  This latest piece was commissioned by a friend of mine, to match the band Steam Powered Giraffe.  The deadline snuck up on me a bit, but I was able to complete it in time for her to attend their concert.  It's name is completely unrelated, however.  Because of its colors, the fact that I completed it Halloween night, and I STABBED myself more than I have on any other project of any kind, I call it Blood Sacrifice.

When I fitted the muslin, I installed a zipper in the front.  She wanted to keep it, instead of a busk.  In order to give it extra structure, I inserted a half inch bone on either side of the zipper, and it worked just fine.  Later, I also found countourcorsets.com, selling corsets for serious tight-lacers, many of which had zipper closures.  I had been worried that a zipper wouldn't handle the tension well, but that site disappeared my worries there.

I used Ageless Patterns #1042.  These patterns assume that you know a bit about corsetry, and a good deal about sewing.  Other than the slight confusion about which seams matched, I didn't find the minimal instructions to be a problem.  It turned out quite well, actually!  And my friend was pleased enough that it made those many, many, MANY pin-pricks worth it.