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January 21, 2022
Like a lot of you, I've got some projects in my head that I can't let go of. Some are some fabrics and some are some ideas. But where to start.
Usually I start with some simple project which is a great way to start, but this time I decided to go with the more "corporate" way of being creative, much as I really hate thinking of creativity as corporate, I'm at least willing to give it a try.
  
MONDAY - Research
Working perusing Pinterest and some of my boards to see what I can find that will work with the project I have in mind. Usually I don't allow myself this sort of luxury of just going through designs and having Pinterest refresh my feed over and over. It's a lot of fun watching what Pinterest comes up with. But the truth is that this is one of those black holes that sucks time out of my schedule, so I'm very careful about how long I allow this time thief
to go on. So this was sort of an evil treat on Monday!!
 
TUESDAY - Organize
Since I didn't try to pull anything together on Monday - (that's what Tuesday is for), now is the time to pull some thoughts together.
I'm really looking for two things - one is a comfy warm, light-weight night gown, and have the perfect fabric for it, but at the same time don't want it to be too frou-frou, but certainly not tailored. This wasn't all that hard, as I've had a definite style in mind, and knocked it right out in a sketch. This is the modified Egyptian Shirt - where the shoulder seams actually tapers in to fall right over the bust point, hence a nice fit and line for the whole
garment, and then making that underarm seam to the shoulder/hem seam a side bust dart. I've already done this, so this isn't that big of a deal. And it makes for a nicely flattering silhouette that doesn't fit tight and gives lots of room for sleeping or relaxing.
The other is a top and I've been obsessed with one collar or look on the collar with a body to go with it. And with some organizing and sketching - mostly sketching a design popped up, leading to...
WEDNESDAY - Ah-Ha
I actually hit this for both garments on Tuesday as I just drafted and sketched till I was happy with what I got and hit that "ah-ha" moment. So that leave some extra time for Design. On Wednesday I sketched out my patterns for the top.
THURSDAY - Designing
Actually this is the easiest part now since I have the sketch I can draw from. This is my knit core pattern, drafted up like the pattern on Monday with the collar that I love. This is a pull-over top, so that means I really don't have to close the collar, which means I can work at making it very stable and have the look I want.
FRIDAY - Tweaking (aka sewing)
Now what's left to do is cut and sew with a little "tweaking" on the collar. Lately I've been making this core pattern with an extra tall collar which makes it very luxurious and full around my neck for the winter time. I'm thinking seriously of doing the same thing here only leaving the very top open so that it looks like it buttons.
Not only did this process come out so much easier that what I've used before, but it's turned out much more enjoyable. Seeing definite progress at each step, then moving to the next step without too much effort, has really made me re-think these stiff ole corporate types - like they might have some really interesting info that they can actually share with we creative types!
This should take long to make up and I can not tell you how long I've been mulling this over. To finally get it on my back is going to be a relief!
On to the next creative idea!
For the first of the year, after things have settled down, time to start thinking about new projects. But what to do? Here you are with all this time and BAM! Your memory and creative juices have all dried up. Why is that?
Where do you start?
It's all about Steps...
It's not that hard, and it's not that big. Let's take this in steps, and just like any big project, when you break it down in to steps suddenly you see how to go about doing this.
Easier as you go along...
The fun thing here is that as you start, it's slow, but as you get going, it gets easier and easier, and finally when you get close to starting your project, you're so pumped it's hard to stop!
As usual these are all offered separately, and at a nice discount, but an even bigger discount for the whole package. If you have some of these already, no worries, cause you don't have to get it again, that's why I do these all at a discount.
Inspiration - this is a great guide on getting you through blocks, explaining what they are, and it includes the new "The Artistic Process" which is more up-to-date information and guidelines for whipping your creative juices into action.
Arranging Your Studio - is just as vital as those steps toward creating your project. Without the right environment, it can be a real task to keep going. With the right environment, you will naturally feel good about your space and want to be in it creating.
Time Management is key for getting through this process without going down those time-steeling black holes, and again corporations have studied this up the wazoo, and there's no reason we can't use their techniques and methods to make our precious time spent as well as possible.
Sketching - This is like an artist's cheating secret. With sketching it's so easy to work through one design after another, after another.
My Favorite Inspirational And Idea Books - There is nothing like great books that are filled with ideas that become your go-to resource books. As well, it's great to understand the concept of creating and what we can do to better create - here's my list of these books I have used for decades. Some are out of print, but the
used versions are just as good.
The Whole Creative Inspiration Package is here. This contains all these resource from the SewingArtistry Library as well as some bonuses - like Space Dynamics in better designing your studio space, lists of my favorite inspirational and idea books, list of my
favorite inspiration and idea books which will really get your creativity juices running and some other gems.
As usual these are all at 20% discount but the Inspiration Package is at a further discount with extra goodies.
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