.qui illustrated

a while back, i came across this great artist. i was so impressed with his skills that i asked him to do something for me to use on my blog. and this is what he sent me! i am so in love with this! as soon as i have the time, i am going to change my blog around and add this as my header. thanks again Justin!!

EDITED......

as tired as i am and as early as i have to be up, i really should be sleep but something won't let me rest. the last few nights, i've found myself thinking more and more about my clothes. i've realized a few things and came to a few conclusions. i've come to realize that i am a little too hard on myself. i really don't give myself enough credit for the clothes that i make. i mean, i'v had NO school training, and i don't use patterns. one day i asked for a sewing machine and got one for xmas that same year. i got some fabric and looked very closely at a shirt that i loved and figured out how it was made. i can look at a garment and tell you how many pieces it took to make it and sometimes i can put something together in just a few short hours with no flaws! so why am i my own worse critic? i've even thought about ending this blog because i think it lacks what people are interested in. with the kind of month i've had, it could be just stress taking over. so i wish everyone who reads this, HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND PLEASE BE SAFE!

.so hood

this is not what i planned on making but the idea kept jumping at me. so here it is

.business

i apologize for my absence. between being slightly addicted to the sims2, making clothes, and daycare, i've had very little time to do anything i really want.

i caught a lot of words Thursday just off the shirt i had on. i heard everything from "thats a God given talent" to "don't be mad when you realize how much money you could be making". i never really looked at my clothes that way. sure i do want to have my own boutique in the near future but i never realized that people loved the simple things i make for myself! i decided to take the advice i was given when i received a phone call from my future brother-in-law. something about what he said got to me. now i'm working on a few things and putting a price on it as a test trial. if it works out, looks like i'll be selling my creations.

i shall return with pictures!

.quick shirt

i made this from scratch for thanksgiving and it only took me a little over 3 hrs. a simple shirt right? to my surprise, everyone loved it! i got so many compliments and i caught so much slack for not making clothes to sell. i don't know. would you buy it? (* the sleeves are even, they look off because my dress form was not on leveled ground)

.busy week

for the last week, this has been what i've been up to. my first time every making a jacket!

.inner conflicts

for some time, i sat and looked at this and recked my brain over what i was going to make. the funny thing is, i have 5 different garments that had that "wow factor" to me. once i was behind my sewing machine, the feeling was gone. all of a sudden, i wasn't satisfied anymore. i ended up making a bubble shirt that hangs off one shoulder but i am so displeased with it that i refuse to post it! i don't know why i am so hard on myself! i always seem to get great comments about the things that i make but being my own worse critic, i am never happy. i've even had a few people ask me to make them something but me being me, that self confidence and cynical thinking holds me back. i can't explain why i am so hung up on this feeling like people should look at what i make and ask "how did she do that". i guess i shouldn't look at that as a complete problem. at least i'll always push myself to do better.

i am stuck in this "make dresses" phase. high-waisted skirt dresses, ruffled dresses, shirt dresses... you name it, my heart is telling me to make it. so why not make them?? because i don't want to be known as the chick who only makes dresses! plus they all seem to look alike to me!!

maybe i need to sleep on it.

.tee to trendy

this was one of my very first D.I.Y projects. the stripe shirt was a 1x shirt that my step-sister never wore. when it was given to me, it still had tags on it. since it was ugly with no real shape to it, i cut it up and made a mini turtleneck dress. LOL i know i look like something out the 70's!

what i did::.


1. cut off the sleeves.(i didn't but it looks better if you do.) then i put the XL shirt on inside out and pinned it so that it fit my breast and back but still gave myself breathing room. i marked 2inches below my breast so i knew where to cut.

2. after i took the shirt off, i placed it flat onto a table and cut just below where i marked. sew up the sides. careful not to sew too much of the arm holes.

3. put the shirt back on and measure from right below the breast to where you want the dress to stop.allow 2 extra inches for the seam allowance. also measure around the body for perfect fit, pin and sew. sometimes it is easier to just cut according to the length and wrap it around the body, pin and sew. the lazy way. lol

4. at this point, you should have a top and a bottom. put both pieces on inside out and attach with pins. carefully take it off and sew.

5. you can either use the sleeves that you cut off or create new sleeves. to create new sleeves, measure around the arm and the length from the shoulder to where you want your sleeves to stop. again, 2in seam allowance. using a fabric chalk or washable pencils, mark the fabric according to the measurements you came up with. cut. fold the fabric one time and pin down one side of the fold. if you put the pinned fabric on, it should fit the way you want. if not, move the pins in a little further for a tighter fit and sew. hem the bottom. repeat for other sleeve.

6. with the dress inside out, turn the sleeve inside out and place the sleeve through the armhole from the inside so that the room left for the seam allowance matches up. pin and carefully sew. repeat.

7. cut around the collar. measure the width of your neck and the length you'd like. mark onto fabric but make sure you leave enough room for the seam allowance and so you can get it over your head. with the fabric laying flat, right side down, fold the top (across) to about an inch. sew across. fold the fabric so it forms the collar. pin and sew. before you attach it, make sure you can get it over your head. which you should if you are using stretch fabric.

8. like the sleeves. place the collar (right side out) into the dress (inside out) matching the seam allowance with the edges of the neck hole. sew half and inch to an inch below the edge of the fabric.

9. before turning the dress right side out, hem the bottom and you're done!


sounds complicated but it really wasn't. side note *** you can use a shirt that its you but it leaves very little room to fix your mistakes. any questions or concerns. let me know.

use a shirt that fits but that leaves very little room to fix your mistakes.

.a fresh start

the other night, a good friend of mine sent me a conversation he was having with a friend of him whose in the fashion industry. he then asked me was there a way other than myspace where she'd be able to view what i've made so far. with the e-stalker and negative bits of bull that i was feeding into, i realized that now would be a good time to close that chapter for good and start over. i'm not longer going to acknowledge this female or anything else with a negative vibe. the whole point of my blog was to journal what i go through as a single mother trying to live out my dream of becoming a fashion designer. i went off topic quiet a few times with the things that i let get the best of me. this time will be different.

i noticed from my stats on the old blog that people were googling certain things like "how to fashion sketch",and "how to make..." and google brought them to my blog. being the people pleaser i tend to be at times, i'll do my best to add tutorials of my own and by others.

so welcome to my less personal journal/portfolio/tutorial blog.