Custom Made Sneakers!

Finally today I'm able to take some time to blog about the shoemaking workshop that I took in March.  There is always so much going on.  And I'm forced to choose between blogging and sewing.  You know which one wins.  ;-)  Instagram has me spoiled.  I can snap a picture, write a brief description, and post in a matter of minutes.  Blogging takes a little more effort.  

Anyway, back to my shoemaking experience.  At first, I was very skeptical about taking it online. This workshop was offered through the Haute Couture Club of Chicago.  In the past, the Chicago School of Shoemaking has given presentations on making all types of leather goods.  At these presentations, we learned about the school, courses and all types of wonderful things to make. I was intrigued by the possibility of me, little ole me, being able to make my own shoes one day.

And, that day came on March 27, 2021.

Again, my course was online.  My sneaker kit could be mailed to me or I could pick it up.  I picked up my kit a few days before the class.  The school workroom is fabulous.  When I entered the front door, I knew I would be back.  Back to take another class in person.  There were all types of sewing machines, workstations, tools, projects and leather all about the room.  I was in a "crafting" candy store.

My course was the beginner's sneakers class, taught by Yohance Lacour.  Mr. Lacour presented to the club members March 2020, right before the pandemic.  He makes beautifully custom made sneakers and handbags.  He is an excellent instructor.  He is very thorough and patient.  No student is left behind.  He makes sure of that.  Additionally, he explains each step to make sure the students understand the methodology of the shoemaking process.

Before the course, we received an email with the zoom meeting link along with some preliminary instructions that needed to be completed before the workshop.  They were cutting out the pattern, shoes, and marking and punching out holes for sewing and eyelets.

All of the sewing is done by hand.  Waxed thread and needle are included in the kit as well as shoe soles, shoe strings, your choice of leather, and pattern.  I purchased a large hole puncher with multiple sizes.

The length of the class is 3.5 hours.  I was able to complete one shoe during that time.  After the class I finished the second shoe.  The eyelets that I had at home did not completely curl to the wrong side of the leather.  So I went to JoAnn's Fabrics to purchase larger eyelets which were perfect.

I thoroughly enjoyed the shoemaking process and hope to make a more detailed pair when I feel comfortable going to the school for instructions.  The school does offer more virtual sneaker courses if you are interested and are unable to travel to the school.  Check out their website.  There maybe a course that you'd like to take.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience.  It was so fun.

Happy Sewing!

C

I'm Still Here!

This month has been super busy for me.  On the first day, I was able to make two knit tops.  In my mind, I was off to a great start and hoped to post on my blog.  But someway, somehow, I didn't post anything.  I guess I can kinda blame IG for my lack of communication on the ole blog.  I seem to be spending more time on IG and watching YouTube than writing blog posts.

On the June 9th, the Haute Couture Club of Chicago was celebrating another year.  Our June banquet was at the Fortnightly, again.  I love this place and wish we could have it there every year.  At the June banquet we honor the current board of directors and install the new one board.  With the closing of the year, the current President (Rhonda Buss) inspired us with a Dior presentation.  It was wonderful. The imagines from the Dior exhibit were exquisite.  Rhonda's review of the of the exhibit was outstanding.  By the end of her talk, I was thinking about how to incorporate some "Dior" elements into my own creations.  So I'm hoping to do just that in this coming year.
    

Lowering the Bust Dart

Lowering the Bust Dart 2

Past two weeks, I've spent a lot of my time organizing projects, developing a few tutorials, and making pattern adjustments.  So I have about three "Notes on a Pattern" to post.  In the mist of all of this "sewing preparation" I was also preparing for Sew Camp.

I didn't forget about my own personal challenge of incorporating more neutrals in my wardrobe.  Along with the neutrals, I want I'm adding more greens and reds to my wardrobe.  These colors will soon splash across my blog and IG soon.

Let me not for forget that some of my absenteeism is due to no time to do photography.  Either the lighting in bad, it's raining, or too late in the day to take pictures.  These days I trying to improve upon the display of imagines on my blog and IG. 

Anyway, this concludes my little update.

Later,
C 

Highlights - My How Times Flies

Hello June!

The months of April and May went by so fast.  It's a blur to me because both months were jam packed with events and activities.  There were a few moments, actually a lot of moments were I did sew.  But that is as far as it goes.  Many projects to share.  I just need to take photos.

So, let me give the highlights of my many events and activities:

House

Starting from early March, I had some pre-estimates done for water seepage in my basement.  I couldn't believe it.  I've only lived here about 2.5 years.  So you can imagine my frustration with the entire situation.  Of course, I will spare you all the details.  Anyway, Everdry will start working on resolving the problem early Monday morning.  I hate having work done.  It's such an inconvenience.  But it's necessary.  The affected area are the crawl space, sewing studio, and laundry room. This entire situation has occupied too much of my thinking time and has kept me up at night trying to figure out how to best tackle the situation.  Today, I am at the point of, "let's get it done."  On the positive, after it's done I will finally start to organize my sewing studio.  Okay enough on that.

Haute Couture Club

The HCC fashion show was on May 5th.   I had twelve outfits modeled.  That's a record for me.  My daughter, sister and I each modeled four outfits.  This should never happen again. ;-) 

The hard work and effort made by the club members help make the show a success.  It always makes me happy to see all the ladies lined up back stage awaiting their turn to strut the runway in the custom made clothes.  It is certainly a proud moment for everyone that participates.  Now that it is over, I can calm down and start to think about what I might want to put in the show next year.

The HCC June banquet is tomorrow at the Yacht Club of Chicago.  This will be the final event for the 2017-2018 year.  Currently, I serve on the Board of Directors as the Nominating Committee.  This post is supposed to be for two years.  I served for three.  The installation of the 2018-2019 board is part of the activities planned for the day. We will have a guest speaker,  Professor Sandra Henderson-Williams, who has worked in the fashion industry for over three decades. I'm looking forward to attending.

We welcome new members.  Please go to our website On the homepage you can click the link under "join or renew your membership today!"

Mood Sewing Network

I'm playing catch up.  Several garments made with Mood Fabric, but no posting in awhile.  So, hopefully this weekend I'll get the pictures I need to complete the posts.

Sewing Projects

In summary, I made:  1 coat for my daughter (fashion show); 1 blouse for my daughter; 1 dress for me, 4 pairs of pants for me; 2 tops for me; and 1 jumpsuit for me.  These are the garments I hoped to blog about this month.

Fabric

OMG!  I have amassed a huge amount of fabric over the past two months.  I need to sew like the wind!  There are many, many ideas in my head for summer and fall.  Starting with some summertime sewing.  I purchased several yardages of green textiles.  Most of it I want to have sewn before September.   Take a look.  Pretty, right?  Anyway, I love them all.

Other Fun Events

Spring Spa Weekend at the Fontana Avani Spa at beautiful Lake Geneva.  I love this place.  My sister, cousin, and bestie also made the track up to Wisconsin for a fabulous spa weekend.  Here is the link if you are interested:  Fontana Avani Spa Resort

Doc's patient and staff appreciation cook out in Pottawattomie, Indiana.  Great food, location, music, and great time.

Part of the band

McCall 7243 In Review

Today I'd like to finally review a McCall's dress that I made for my daughter two years ago.  Yes, two years ago.  Occasionally, I share projects that won't high on my favorites list.  this one was lingering at the bottom of the "things to blog about list". 

After I photographed my daughter wearing the dress, I was less than satisfied with how it fit/looked on my daughter.  One the first things I noticed was the lines that formed along the collar neckline.  Then, I felt the dress was a little baggy through the waist and hip area (an easy fit, right?).  Finally, the photos were not the best.  So, I immediately thought let me think about whether or not I want to post the review. It took me two years and then some to finally post.

The first time that Lauren wore it was to the Haute Couture Club of Chicago Holiday Luncheon in December 2017.  She added a cute wide belt shaped much like a obi belt which made the dress quite flattering.   

When we arrived at the luncheon, Eve was wearing her version of the very same dress.  I had to chuckle to myself.  Both of us, yield similar results.  And both Eve and Lauren decided to belt the dress for a better look.

So, of choice, I had to take a few pictures of them together!   On Pattern Review there are about sixteen reviews.  So I think most of the construction do's and don'ts have been discussed.  So I will be brief with my review as this is not a difficult dress to sew.

Pattern Description:  Close-fitting, pullover top and dresses have wide bertha collar, and stitched hems. A, D: Long sleeves. B: Sleeveless. C: Contrast collar and three-quarter length sleeves. Narrow hem finish on collar, and armholes A.

Pattern Sizing:  4 to 20; I used size 12 with a few modifications.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  There was nothing difficult or confusing about the instructions.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  This is really a simple knit dress.  The collar and the double sleeve variations are what encouraged me to buy and make the dress.

Fabric Used:  Ponte knit from JoAnn's Fabrics.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  I made very small changes to the pattern.  For the front dress and front collar, I did a pigeon chest adjustment and the back dress and collar I remove about a inch from the neckline. 

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  For the most part, there is nothing difficult about it that would discourage someone from sewing it.  But I probably will not make this one again.  I have at least 100 difficult dress patterns to try.  So, if you think this the dress from you, try it.

My DD with My Baby Sister

Conclusion:  My daughter is now happy to wear this dress with a belt.  And after seeing Eve wearing the same dress, I have a new appreciation for it.  ;-)  This is a likable knit dress that is easy to sew.

I Was A Presenter at the Haute Couture Club of Chicago - September 2017

Oops, I'm smiling too hard again! Trying one on over my dress.

I planned to blog that I was the presenter for the Haute Couture Club of Chicago September 2017 meeting the day after; instead, I waiting nearly two weeks before attempting to say anything.   My initial thought was to moved forward with finishing or starting other projects.  For most of the summer, I sewed mostly shirts in an effort to show different styles for the presentation and am ready to work on some different garments. But today I decided to do one last summer post on shirts. 

I am truly thankful to the HCC Board of Directors and the members for allowing me to present, sharing my shirt making adventure.  Indeed, it was an honor and privilege.  Close to the end of my journey, I questioned whether or not I had enough to talk about and if I was worthy to present to this very talented group of sewists.  So, of course, I was a little nervous.  But as it turned out, my presentation was well received; and the members will make shirts to wear to the Holiday luncheon in December.

So here are a few more pictures from the presentation, courtesy of Susan Gerbosi.

My shirts were passed around for closer looks

 Near the beginning of my talk, I showed this Cennetta creation from my very early sewing days (1974) when I first started sewing on a machine.

My shirts pile at the end of my presentation.

Now that the presentation is over, my palette is clean, and I'm moving forward with finishing some other projects and planning for some new ones.

Thank you to everyone who continues to stop by my little corner of the cyberspace.  I hope I didn't put you on shirt overload.  And a very special thanks to the HCC Board of Directors and members.

Happy Sewing!
C