Enjoy!
I’m taking a leap and going back to promoting my pattern work once more. It’s been 6 years since I stopped actively talking about my love of my dolls and the patterns I’ve done. During those years I have accomplished many things but had my passion and love of sewing for my dolls on the sidelines. I have only bought 1 (!) doll in all that time and she sits above my computer looking down at me wishing for clothing. While I have a number of projects already started for myself, the house and kids I plan to work on some of my UFOs for the dolls as well!
You will note that individual patterns have all but gone away (Super Size Barbie and the 1″ scale dress forms are the exception) and have been replaced with Pattern Lines and Pattern Kits in addition to the books Pattern Making for Dolls and Pattern Drafting for Miniatures!
Keep an eye on the NEWS area! Also be sure to keep up with the best stuff on FaceBook, Twitter @STCDolls, or Pinterest!
OK so originally I was going to build a nice small 12″ wide folded table that would serve as a sewing machine surface… instead my beloved decided to expand the project just a little bit……WOW! For Christmas week we spent time building the basic table so I could sew presents at the last-minute. My end result was a much larger table that I absolutely LOVE. It is 30″x48″ folded and 60″x48″ with the “wing” out. It is about 36″ tall and doubles as a cutting table as well as being my sewing surface.
Anyway here are a couple of shots of it finally completed with the last touches on it…. a pull out shelf for projects and tools. My fabric collection is on bottom and will eventually go in a “Bento Box” style storage system allowing me to have a “neat” appearance to at least my fabric shelf. We’ll see when those get done!
The Sew Essentials Cutting Table you can get at JoAnn’s is a major waste of money. I bought one 3 years ago and the welds gave out on it tonight as I NEEDED it for a project. I bought it because it was at a better height for cutting out projects of which I did cut quite a few out but the longer I had it the more wobbly it became. I kept the screws tight on it but they never held. Finally as the welds have broken it will go out in the yard for the next dump run. It was a WASTE of $60. For that amount I have the supplies I need to build Anna White’s “Sewing Table for Small Spaces” which is for me all wood 3/4″ thick, with large wheels and space to store my machines. It’ll also fold down to about 12″ wide! I can hardly wait to start on it in a week or two as I need it for various projects I plan to attempt to complete by birthday/Christmas this year!
When I complete my new table I’ll be sure to post photos…. it’ll be one of the first projects I do with the new circular saw I now own out of sheer necessity!
Please note that the above is PURE opinion but fully the truth as my former table is in pieces! 🙁
There are many ways to track projects. Everything from task lists to online trackers to spreadsheets. I use a combo of various methods based on the project I’m doing and if there’s a deadline to complete it.
For sewing projects I tend to use a hand written list occasionally transcribed to a spreadsheet which lets me add information about where I am in each project. I’ve also created custom project sheets that give me more detail right on the project. These project sheets or in the fashion industry are also known as spec sheets. Each page includes a design description, list of supplies along with yardage, a drawing of the design and an area for notes such as construction techniques or rough instructions. Sometimes there is a photo of a muslin sample or even a first try or similar design.
Below I’ve included a free download for one of mine in a MS Word format.
Specification Sheet Form (one from my college years geared towards figuring the costs and general supply list of a design)
Pattern & Samples Planner (revision with two to a page for my Circa Notebook geared towards writing more instructions than a cost analysis of the design)
