Notebooks past

Over the years, I've kept a number of project notebooks and sewing diaries.  This blog is one of them.  I'd mentioned in my last post, ever so briefly, that I was putting together a new notebook for my projects.  It has gone hand-in-hand with reorganizing my sewing space and getting a handle on what I want to do.  It is built in OneNote (because I'm a nerd) and is designed to scale as my work changes and grows.

Before I talk about it, though, I want to talk a bit about the prior notebooks I've maintained for sewing.  They range from an old spiral notebook filled with really terrible ball point pen sketches, to formal design line notes from school, to sprawling business management tools.

What now?

I was busy for a while.  I spent most of my energy for a good part of the last two years helping run someone else's business.  No regrets - I gained a lot of experience and knowledge there - but it meant that while I was creating content for their social media, and garments for shows, and doing other business-y stuff on their behalf, I didn't do much for myself.  Such is the cost of engagement in a project.

Lastwear was worthwhile.  I really did learn and grow there.  I was burnt out by the end, but I'm still sorry to see it go.  I wish my friends there the best in their next endeavors.

That said - I have time to do my own work again.  Including blogging about what goes on in my sewing room.  And I have some ideas about what I want to do next.

Cosplay Adventure!

So - I got asked to make a dress for cosplay.  In return, I got to go spend a weekend at Emerald City ComiCon with my friends from Times Past Entertainment.

The new group cosplay they were putting together was from Maleficent.  I was making Aurora's blue dress.  Since I don't own the images and... well... Disney.... I'll link you out to the better of the reference images here.

I was given a budget of $60.  I said to myself,  "I can make this for $60 and anything I already have in my sewing stash."  That turned out to be exactly right - my trip to Jo-Anns ran me $61 and change.  That included the pattern, which I'd bought on sale ages ago.  And then I paired that up a whole bunch of trim I'd gotten a while back, which would have been the expensive part.  Keeping the cost that low was hard for me - I am accustomed to spending many hundreds of dollars on projects.  It was good.

I'm pretty pleased with my results - see the finished product and further notes on its making behind the cut!