Virtual Hugs From Readers This Week

          In one of those fluke amazing and cool things at the same time, this past week I heard from a reader off the blog who found one of my grandfather's coats in a thrift store in Greensboro and stumbled across my blog while doing research in the company he and my grandmother used to run. Even more amazing they reached out to me. This week, I got pictures and a note. A lot of people ask me why I sew or pattern make, and it's for notes and stories like this from customers. Hearing that a piece of clothing spoke to you. That we changed or improved your life for the better, giving you a hug from my hands to yours that though you may never see my face, but you will feel my hands. Helping bring joy, beauty, and laughter to your life. Even if we never meet in person, I still want you to feel my love. For life, for living, for being you. Because life is an amazing gift. And it's worth sharing with those around us. Especially the love and beauty of it.

                 As anyone whose met me in person can attribute, I'm rather blunt and fairly introverted so this inner happiness does not translate over well. I often struggle to express my basic like of people in ways they can hear without being overwhelmed by too much stimulation. I think that's actually fairly common in the trades, but it makes me treasure the notes I get so much. Any I love seeing this coat being enjoyed years later from my grandfather's hands 25 years later. Knowing he would be smiling in his grave at the idea of having made a future customer he hadn't yet met warm would tickle him. So, this has been my virtual hug for the week. Have any good news to share?

Part 3: Tooling Leather For The House Of Dragon

           Alright, this part TOOK way, way longer than I expected. I realized doing this project how spoiled I've gotten not having to hand-tool leather on a regular basis. All the leather pieces were cut from the pattern in part two, then wetted and had a dragon pattern hand-cut into them with a mallet and chisel. That's a lot of beating things with a metal stick. A lot of people think that this is an instant process instead of a couple of hours per piece.
             The best part of this process though, was it gave me a chance to use one of my favorite old school pattern drafting tools: my light box. To use a light box, take your original photo, outline the major lines with an ink pen, trace and copy onto hard oak tag, and press the final pattern into the leather with a punch. The carve A LOT. A swivel knife is popular for this point, then the 3D pattern is beaten into the thick leather with a rubber mallet and stamps. Sadly, since it's all the same color it's hard to see the detail before dying. Tomorrow...looking at the finished product dyed before it's burnished and sealed with beeswax. I was going to do a leather tutorial on this, but without access to a light box...I really don't see this being something most people can do.

Website Overhaul

Hey guys, I am pleased to let you all know that Nash has finished the first of several upgrade overhauls to the website for our customers to better use the site. I must admit we have a horrible tendency to abuse  this as it doesn't really pay the bills so it tends to get bumped to the bottom of the honey-do-list. You getting any summer cleaning done? Please note, our e-mail is still sorting itself out. If you sent us an e-mail Monday or Tuesday we probably did not get it due to a server glitch. Please resend.

Whoot! Nash's Design Won First Prize in the Father's Day Contest!

             Hey everyone, we've been so flattered with how much you all like Nash's design and tutorial for the ice blanket. We've hit a little over 9,000 hits in a week and a half! Also, in a surprise win Nash won 1st Place in the Instructables Father's Day Contest.

                I think we get a free t-shirt and some books, but hey...bragging rights is bragging rights. Sometimes we forget to stop for a moment and look at what we've accomplished. In other news, next week I have some more custom projects to post (we've been getting a slew of them lately) that I've been working on which may or may not interest you our readers. One is a cool new design for a bar remodeling.....oh you will just have to wait to see it next week. :-)

How to Make Fabric Buttons

Wow, we broke 200,000 views for the blog yesterday. Pretty awesome and kinda crazy.

To celebrate we're posting another Instructable on How To Make Fabric Buttons.

This is a classic tailoring tool for making custom women's suits. You don't see it much any more (probably too labor intensive or vintage), but I thought I would share a bit of classic knowledge.

Have a lovely day everyone else and may your day be full of wonder!

Maker-Faire NC Recap

                      Hey guys, back from a weekend of making and refreshing the creative juices. Maker-Faire NC was WILD this year. Nash and I volunteered as ticket takers and generally wandered around having fun. For those of you who aren't familar with the Faire, I like to think of it as if you suddenly had a backstage pass to all the mancave and garage workspaces in the area. So much raw fun and creativity.
                     There were some obvious trends this year: legos and 3D printers were super popular. Also, we saw a lot of fun costuming and reenactment/cosplay guilds. Nash kept dragging me away from the shiny tables of cool crafts I'd never tried before. Take this lovely red leather outfit from the 105th squadron. Also on display were a lot of neat projects I hadn't considered making. Take these AWESOME Rock'em Sock'em Robots from Spark Con. Or the 40 foot tall whomping willow pumpkin thrower.

                     Pretty cool weekend overall. I always like seeing stuff I hadn't planned on or dreamed about. A definite sense of wonder. It reminds me of the 1910-1920 world fairs. As we get into the 4th year, I must say I am enjoying seeing everything grow and change. Go guys. Alright, to next year and a lot more fun.

Hand-Hemming Tutorial Live On Instructables

              Alright, after much delay, the next post in our series on how to do professional alterations by hand: hemming. I generally only do this type of handwork for theater/higher-end clients. That's normally whisked out of my hands the moment it's done, so took some time to finish a skirt and top with more traditional elements for you to enjoy seeing. They will be available for sale in the Etsy shop (The online shop is alive again and slowly growing).
                I have so many pieces to list, thankfully I'm getting some help there so by the end of the month we should be back up to full steam. I have some wicked new leather bags to show off and cute outfits. You'll get to see my new working lightbox for rainy days and close up photographs on the smaller one of a kind pieces in my shop. Lots of fun! Have a great day everyone.

Plushie Animal Tutorial As Promised

                Hey guys, thanks everyone who helped with the classes over the weekend. As promised the asian teddy bear tutorial is live on Instructables. I hope you enjoy if you needed more time sewing or wanted to try this out on your own. Also, if you missed getting to donate to the Red Cross over the weekend and would like to do so, the link is here. Please feel free to take this class and remix as
your own for party or fundraiser.

Whoot We Helped Raise Over 6k For The Red Cross!

                                 Sometimes you get a win. This past week, Nash and I guest lectured at Animazement. We sold out the first hour both days on our classes and helped raise over $6k for the Red Cross. What a nice surprise. Also, got to share table space with our Plastibot friends Charlie and Luis. It's nice to share successes with fellow designers. To another great week!

Fun with Cirque du Soleil Costume Designer Jesse Dawson

              One of my favorite type of textile designers to run into are costume designers. They have such an amazing combination of zen calm and interesting skills. No two I've EVER met have the same specializations so I love chewing the fat with them. You never know what fun thing they will be working on or new project. It's also a business with a love of handwork and technical skill so the competition/paranoia doesn't exist on the same level as manufacturing because your skills rest in your hands, not the tools. It allows one to enjoy the fact that custom work is beautiful and unique. Like watching snowflakes.  Which brings me to Jesse. I LOVE watching his work as it seems to evolve every year. He's worked as a cosplayer, a costumer for Cirque du Soleil, and now services high-end night clubs in LA with custom works of art. Something amazing is always coming out of his hands. And solutions to problems I never even thought to ask. I don't know what the next year will bring for him or his art, but I hope to his long and beautiful career ahead of him. To his next work of magic may it be as much fun as this costume of him here.

Artist Room: Animazement

      Hey everyone! It's Animazement time. This year Nash and I didn't have time to run a booth so you can check out our art work in the Artist Room. We did 3 pieces of fan art this year, 2 custom leather bracers and a red wool and leather messenger bag inspired by My Little Pony.
       Happy bidding!
     

Up-dating E-mail Address: Dara Page

       Hey everyone, I know this news is about 7 months overdue since the wedding was in October, but I am officially posting on the blog that my new e-mail address is now: DaraPage@lisashay.com. You will still be able to reach me at my old e-mail address: dsmcginn1@lisashay.com, but the website/facebook, etc. have been updated to reflect the changes. Yeah, married life paperwork. Also, Nash and I are switching out sales duties (He took over that position last year while I was doing wedding planning) to give him more free time in his new design shop (Affectionately called the "man cave".) which is only fair after a year of him doing it. I can't wait to see what fun and twisted metal and wood creations come out of this.
        Have a great week everyone and may your life be full of joy and change. Also, today's photos are curtsy of my good friend, Mike Miller, who did the photography for our wedding.These are photos from my speed sewing session to throw together a last minute wedding dress in an hour and a half. I'm still a little amazed it all came together. While I've never been one for bridal as that niche was always filled by my grandfather and aunt when I came along, the experience has made me think some about adding it to my collection of custom services I offer one day.
         Mike's photos look so amazing, if you need a wow photographer, may I suggest him? His rates are reasonable and he's a lot of fun to be around. Plus, Nash and I just love him. Happy living today!
        

Textile Fabric: Sheer Fun

           Sometimes you see something so awesome you just have to share it. These bags are one example. The most wicked thing I've seen to in a year for $60-80, these biker bags from Vaude Rucsacs are self-healing. That means if you're on the trail and you puncture them, they release plastic to self-repair on the spot like the human body...only much much faster.
         I'm not much of a biker, but I love German technology. Personally I'm a big fan of leather or heavy weight cordura as I prefer my bags to be puncture resistant, over lighter-weight, but it's exciting to see different solutions to the same problem of making a durable bag. And the video is just awesome!
        Happy Friday! May I have spread a little joy to your day!

Textile Friday: How-To-Sew-On-A-Button

               Hey guys, welcome back from a great Easter weekend. As promised, the first of our tutorials, professionally sewing on buttons by hand. This is actually an old French tailor technique, but still a goodie so I'm passing along because it's so easy and quick to do that you can do button repairs in a minute or two without fancy equipment or breaking the bank. And your buttons will look perfect and hold up in the wash! Thank you so much for being our customer and we hope this helps you save money around the house. We so appreciate you!

4 Free Tickets to The Brementown Musicians

          Hey guys, it's that time of month again where we give away free tickets for the upcoming play. This time we are giving away an entire family's worth of tickets so both you and the kids can have a night out. Four free tickets to the Brementown Musicians. This is a classic retelling of a Grimm Fairy Tale. I'm so excited over the costumes.

           The show date is Thursday, May 2nd from 7:30-9:00 pm. Simply leave a comment on the blog or facebook to enter. We will have a drawing for one lucky reader on Friday, April 5th.

            Have a great week!

Advanced Hand-Sewing

               In response to requests the past week, I'm posting a resource in the blog on where to go if you are interested in doing advanced hand-sewing if you're not on a time budget: Alabama Chanin. She has a great class on Craftsy for learning traditional sewing techniques for $49.99 which is one of the few online sewing classes which actually delivers as promised.
               Most of what I'm going to teach you is speed sewing to fix clothes you've bought to make them fit you better. I'm a whole under 15 minutes or it isn't practical kinda gal. But I know some people like the whole making from scratch, not just altering so I'll give you my favorite resource for doing beautiful high-end work when time isn't an issue. These are weekend projects, doable, but not something to whip up in a night. Natalie also has several books out, but I'd start with the videos myself as I'm a visual person. 

New Commercial for Rogue Gunfighter Vests

                       Hey guys, I don't normally show private label work, but got permission from my design boss as the commercial is in the public domain to give people a little taste of what I do behind the scenes for my military and law enforcement work. Rogue Gunfighter recently released a snazzy new commercial about a new vest series I helped sew for OEM manufacturing out in RTP. The video is a little over the top, but hey...most military stuff is.
                       These vests are locally made here in North Carolina in the Triangle (some by me!) and the Southeast at 2 other plants. The prices are competitive, Berry Compliant, and all the gear is made to hold up to serious abuse. I love stuff that is manufactured in the US because of the huge jump in quality. One of the great advantages you have as a buyer purchasing locally is significant improvements in fabric quality as good heavy weight fabric is expensive to ship over long distances and one of the first things to go under the ax of competitive pricing. If I'm a cop, I want to know my vest will actually stop a bullet, not just look good. Anyways, hopefully you will be entertained for the day.
                       Note, I don't release pictures or video of private label work I do without express permission after the product has already been finished and in public domain. Patterns, flats, and other technical pieces are never available out of respect.

Behind the Scenes Look at the Importance of Being Earnest

                                   Hey guys, thought you might enjoy a small behind the scenes pass to the upcoming Raleigh Little Theater Play, The Importance of Being Earnest. One of the great things I love about theater is you get to create over the top pieces there's no way you could sell for a living. Take this over the top yellow number. All that yellow and pink! Crazy. I'm trying to put together a behind the scenes tour for people who are not familar with a theater costume shop to enjoy. There's something about this process which is a little like weaving together magic.
                                    I love how this place shakes the cobwebs of my daily routine from me and let's me just experience a small sense of wonder. Oh and this photo comes to you courtesy of my friend and patternmaker, Heather Meadows. I always forget to take pictures. If anyone is interested in hiring her for costume/patternmaking work, feel free to e-mail me at: dsmcginn1@lisashay.com.

Spring Show Artisan Guidelines

             Hey everyone, it's spring! It really is! And our group is getting ready for our semi-annual Arts and Crafts show. This season it will be in downtown Durham during the Spring Art Walk, April 13th  from 10 am- 5 pm. If you are member of the local group and interested in being in this year's show: go register here through March 21st.
           
We will be partnering this time with:

The Durham Store Front Project and
Cocoa Cinnamon at

420 W. Geer St.
Durham, NC 27701

to bring you some spring magic. Nash is standing in the lovely stone courtyard they are offering us for the day.

Each artist will get a table, chair, and table cloth for the event, plus paid advertising.

Set-up is at 9 am (All artists are expected to arrive by 9:15 at the latest) with the event starting at 10:00 am. Break down begins promptly at 5 pm and generally takes 30 minutes. 

We are so excited to be doing the Durham Art Walk this spring with everyone! We love Durham's strong artist vibe.
           
As a side note for artists who may not have done an arts and craft show before remember to bring:

Smile
Business Cards
Plenty of Product
Square/Cash Box to take Money
Bags or Gift Wrap for Customer Purchases
Clear Pricing (Each Item MUST be marked)
Bottled Water/Snacks

Nash and I will be offering vendors space coverage every 2-3 hrs. for 15 minutes so that you can do your own browsing, grab a bite of lunch to eat, or quick pop to the facilities.

Can't wait for another great show! Have a lovely day everyone! And a warm thanks to Jess for making all this possible. You rock!

The Produce Box: A Local Triangle Treasure!

               So this week, Nash and I finally got to sign-up for this year's Produce Box. We're both struggling with the battle of the bulge and it's been past time to change our lifestyle. What's the point of having great clothes if you're too fat to wear them? As someone who has grown up with this Triangle, NC staple, I thought I would share a local edible treasure with you, my readers that we are putting to use. Neither of us have any excuse for not doing it beforehand except sheer laziness. We know we should eat local, fresh fruits and veggies to keep us healthy, but not all of us have time to shop at the local farmer's market on Sat. Or to be frank will-power. May I suggest the lovely Produce Box if you're trapped for time and money on a budget like us?
                For those of you who aren't familar with the service, it is a local produce delivery service that drops off a weekly variety of fresh fruits, veggies, plus optional add-ons for $18-24 a week. $18 for a single person, $22-24 for a typical family from online orders. Many people I know who are single will order the family box and then can, freeze, or jam the extras for the cold winter months or parties. The Produce Box will come to your work or home provided you live in the area. You can change out foods or add others at will each week for picky eaters and special treats. This is less than HALF any other service I know of and fits even slim college budgets with a wealth of food. It's amazing! It's local! And it's making a difference here, locally in your neighborhood.

             In your home. We like to think that better eating and health begin somewhere far away, but really it starts with each and everyone of us. So make a difference in your waistline and life today, sign-up if you haven't already. Nash and I will try to post up pictures and recipes from stuff we get to hopefully help inspire you to improve your health too.