Project 2 - Small Unlined Zipper Wallet - Skill Level: Beginner

I haven't posted a simple beginner's sewing project, so I thought I'd start with a simple unlined coin purse or wallet to hold a credit card and small amount of cash that you can take to a dance club instead of a whole purse.

If you have any questions about any step, you can always email me at Sales@gypsy-red.com or post a comment here.

This is the little wallet we're going to make. I've made it with a contrasting zipper so you can see each step better.

First of all, you need two pieces of fabric, measuring 5" wide by 3 3/4" high, as well as a zipper at least 7" long. I used a poly/cotton material, but you can use just about anything that isn't too heavy or stiff.

First, you want to take one piece of material and with the zipper right side up (the pull should be on top), pin the material centered on the zipper, lining up the fabric and zipper top edges.

Then turn it over and pin the other piece of fabric to the other side, lining up the sides with the first fabric and the top edge with the zipper.

Now with the zipper foot attached to your sewing machine, stitch each side to the zipper.

With both sides sewn on, you can now spread it open and press the tops along the seam line.

Here's the bottom side, where you can see the stitching line for the fabric and zipper.

Next, open the zipper about 3/4 of the way across.

This part takes a little attention to detail. Fold it in half, with the top side of the zipper on the inside. Bend the edges of the zipper back away from the bag and pin in place. You might need to have the zipper teeth on the closed end turned a bit so they lay flat.

Now with your regular presser foot on your machine, stitch with a 1/4" to 3/8" seam allowance all the way around the sides and bottom. Back stitch over each end of the zipper so the ends will stay secure with use.

Here's what it'll look like once you've stitched the two sides and bottom:

Now trim off the ends of the zipper so they're even with the fabric, then trim the bottom corners leaving about 1/16" of fabric by the corner. I have an old cheap pair of scissors I use for trimming zippers so I don't ruin my fabric scissors on the teeth.

Now just reach through the opening with the zipper and pull the bag through so it's right side out.

You can use a needle or point turner to pull out the corners. Then just press it lightly, and you have yourself a little ID/credit card wallet to use if you don't want to carry your purse somewhere. It'll easily fit into a pocket.

How to Start Selling Online - The Basics of Selling and Shipping

I've covered a lot of the basic topics like fees, shipping issues and such, but I've noticed several posts on forums from people who don't know how to start selling online, or what to do once they make their first sale. So I'll try to keep this as a simple step by step guide for the basics.

Getting Set Up

First, decide what you're going to sell, then find a venue that fits that item. Etsy is limited to handmade items, vintage (20+ years old) and craft supplies. eBay is pretty much a free for all where you can sell everything from broken crayons to electronics to pictures of a 1967 Mustang on a piece of toast. Selling on Amazon, you'll need a UPC code for each item you sell there. UPC codes can be easily purchased online and there are many brokers with available codes to sell. I did a lot of searching when I went to list my dice bag on Amazon, and found EZ UPC to have some of the best prices, as well as confirmed that they are legally allowed to sell UPC codes. You will need a separate code for each item, even if it's just a color variation of the same item.

Next is to familiarize yourself with your chosen venue's restrictions on items. Most places won't allow Nazi memorabilia or things like ivory to be sold there. Firearms and weapons are other items that are commonly not allowed. You can view the full lists for Etsy, eBay and Amazon here:

Etsy's Restricted and Prohibited Items
eBay's Restricted and Prohibited Items
Amazon's Restricted and Prohibited Items

Setting Up Shop

Next is getting your shop set up on your chosen venue. Each venue will have different fees associated with it that can change with different options you select while getting set up. I have the fees for eBay and Etsy covered in my blog here.

Photos

eBay allows up to 12 photos per listing, which gives you plenty of opportunity to show off your item or all of the items if you're selling a set of something. Etsy only allows 5 photos, so it's very important to get good photos to use there. Amazon allows 6 photos and each one must be taken on a plain white background with nothing but the item for sale (no props or accessories that aren't included).

Include as many good pictures as you can! Try to get pictures of each side, and close ups of any details, flaws or damage so your buyers can evaluate if the item is worth buying. If you can't get good lighting inside, then take your pictures outside on a clear day. Purple can be notoriously hard to photograph and sometimes taking pictures of purple items in natural light turns out best.

This part I can't stress enough, make sure your photos are all in focus. If you're wanting someone to pay $800 for a ring or necklace, they need to be able to see all of the details. Blurry and dark photos will only hurt your chance of making that sale. If your camera is old and doesn't do close up photos well, then try your phone. Most phone cameras now have excellent cameras on them, and I know of a number of sellers who use their phones for most if not all of their photos.

Description

Here's the hard part. You need to write a good description for your item. Just saying something like "Child's blue coat" isn't going to cut it. You need to try to anticipate any questions a buyer could have and answer it in your description. A good description for the coat might be:

Girl's blue coat, size 5. Made from 100% wool with polyester lining. The front buttons all the way down with 1-1/4" navy blue buttons. Sleeves measure 11" long from shoulder, coat is 26" long from base of neck to hem. There is no padding between the outer coat and lining, so it's best suited for fall wear.

Now you've answered any questions they might have. It's told them the fabric content, the measurements, and that it's not suitable for winter in Minnesota.

Shipping

This is a hard one for a lot of people. If your item is a vintage item or something already made, it's a little easier. You can package it up and get the box dimensions and weight, then figure the postage from there. If it's not something already made (something you make to order in their size or with their customizations on it), then it gets a little trickier and you have to guess.

You can use the USPS postage calculator found here to figure both domestic and international shipping rates.

eBay, Etsy and Amazon all let you set either fixed price postage or variations based on location. Whichever you use, you will need to have some idea of the dimensions and weight of the item to make sure you charge enough to cover the shipping costs. These costs include more than just the postage, make sure you've allowed enough to cover boxes, tape, labels, packing supplies and gas/time to go to the post office. I have the USPS pick up my outgoing mail most of the time, so my shipping costs don't include the gas or time for going to the post office.

If you've never sold online before and have no idea how to ship an item, this next part applies to you.

First, make sure you package the item securely. If there are a number of small pieces, put them in a bag. I know a lot of sellers who use Ziploc bags to hold small items. That way everything stays together and if the box or envelope is damaged, pieces won't fall out. If the item is breakable, wrap it in bubble wrap and put more bubble wrap or packing paper around it in the box. Very valuable, fragile items should be double boxed. Wrap and pack it in a box, then put that box inside another box with more padding around it.

Next, address the box. If you're using one of the venues' online postage printing, this will all be done for you and you'll only need to enter in the package's dimensions and weight and pay the postage online, then print out the label and attach it to your box or envelope. If you're not printing the postage online, your address goes in the upper left corner and your customer's name and address goes in the middle of the box or envelope. Then you take it to the post office and they'll weigh and measure it and you pay for the postage there.

And that's it! You've now set up your online shop and can package and ship your first sale!

Seller Protections for Online Selling

I've spoken to a few people who are under the belief that they have no protections when selling online, and any disputes opened against them they'll automatically lose. Fortunately for sellers, this isn't true. Selling venues have different seller protections, and it's important to familiarize yourself with those guidelines. I'll cover what protections Etsy, Paypal and most major credit cards provide.

Etsy

Etsy's seller protection must meet certain requirements. First, you must fill out shop policies. These need to outline your policies on returns, customization and exchanges. You also need to make sure your policies are in line with any local laws, especially if you're selling food or pet treats. You also must have detailed photos of the item, including color, size, materials, conditions and any customized options. (Basically, if you send a blue shirt, and the customer tries to claim it's a green shirt to file a "not as described" complaint, you need to be able to prove they ordered and were sent a blue shirt.)

You also need to ship to the address given in Etsy by the customer. You also must be able to prove date of shipping and proof of delivery for US shipments. This is something I cannot stress enough, is to ship everything with tracking within the US and wherever possible internationally. A lot of sellers who sell smaller items ship without tracking, but if you print your shipping labels online, tracking is included for free. Up to 3 oz will cost you $1.93 with tracking within the US when you print the labels online.

The item also must be a physical item you send to the customer (digital downloads will not receive this coverage). You can do local pickups, but you should get a signed receipt saying they received the item and are happy with its condition. If you do a local pickup and don't get that signed receipt, you will have no way to prove they received it or the condition should they try to dispute the charge.

If a customer does open a case against you in Etsy, make sure you reply in the case (not a separate convo to the customer) with all of the relevant details including shipping date and proof of shipping and delivery.

You can read Etsy's full protection policy here.

Paypal

Paypal's seller protections are more limited in some ways than Etsy's. The key points to qualify for protection are: You must ship to the confirmed address in Paypal. If the address is international or unconfirmed, it may not qualify for any protection. It must be a tangible item, digital items are not covered. You must respond to any request for further information from Paypal within the time frame they give you. Finally, your address must be within the US.

There are some additional requirements depending on what type of claim the person may file. If they file an "item not received" claim, their payment must be marked as "eligible" or "partially eligible" on the transaction page and you MUST provide proof of delivery in the form of a tracking number. Local pickups are not covered by Paypal's seller protection, even with a signed receipt.

Here's what Paypal doesn't cover:

• item significantly not as described
• digital items
• Local pickups
• Transactions made through Paypal Here card reader or other virtual terminals
• Multiple Payment items (the item was on layaway so the payments were spread out over time)
• International shipments are not covered when delivery cannot be confirmed

You can read Paypal's full protection policy here.

eBay

Since most eBay transactions are done through Paypal, Paypal's policies are where most of the coverage comes into effect. For the few suggestions eBay has, you can read those policies and recommendations here.

Customer Claims They Didn't Receive Item, Tracking Shows as Delivered

I'm including this as a separate point, because it can happen anywhere. Basically, the customer opens a complaint with the selling venue or payment processor claiming they didn't receive their item even though the tracking says it was delivered. Or they may claim they received an empty package.

There are several steps that you can take at this point. First, contact your post office, and have them contact the receiving post office and verify delivery with the carrier. I've been told the new carrier scanners show a GPS location of where the item was scanned as delivered, so they can verify if it was left at the correct house or place of business. I'd say at least 75% of the time where I've talked to or heard from sellers who have had this happen, once it gets to the point of checking with the carrier, the package "miraculously" appears.

Now, if the carrier cannot confirm the delivery, you have a couple of options. You can offer to resend the item if it can be replaced. You can refund the customer, or you can follow through to the next step, and this is the one that will call the bluff of most anyone trying to pull a scam. Tell them at this point they must file a stolen mail report with their local post office and police department, and once you receive a copy of that report, you will refund their money. Most small time scammers won't cross the line of filing fraudulent police reports because the penalty for that will be far worse than whatever money and item they're trying to scam you out of.

If they go to that step and file the report, then you can probably be 99% sure the item was stolen from their mail and their claim is legitimate. This leads me to my last recommendation, which is insurance. Anything you aren't willing to self-insure (either to remake/replace or refund the money directly out of your pocket), if the value is higher than the free insurance offered by the post office ($50 on Priority Mail, $100 on Priority Express), then you MUST purchase additional insurance on the shipment. Should you need to file a claim, you'll have to provide the postal service with a copy of the transaction receipt to prove the value, so make sure you claim the full value and don't try to pad it. The additional insurance is inexpensive, and filing a claim can be easily done online through the USPS website at USPS Online Claim Form.

So make sure you follow the rules of the venue or payment processor and keep your documentation in case you need it. Most do provide seller protection, because their success depends on having sellers willing to sell there and knowing the venue will back them up when they've played by the rules. But it's not an all-encompassing protection against everything and everyone, because they need to have the trust of buyers as well against fraudulent sellers. Sometimes they may rule against you even when you know your case is right, but likewise, sometimes buyers get ruled against when they have a legitimate claim. All you can do is make sure you have the documentation needed to prove your side and that you've done everything necessary to fulfill your side of the transaction.

What If An Online Seller Doesn't Send Your Purchase

I'm seeing this more and more in forums. Someone orders something from an online shop, then never receives their item. Sometimes it's a legitimate reason and the seller got a huge number of orders and is getting them out as quickly as they can, but unfortunately, sometimes it's also a case of just a bad seller. This doesn't mean you're out both your item and your money, however. This will focus mostly on Etsy, as that's where I have most of my items listed and do the most business besides my website, but will contain some info on eBay as well.

First, Contact the Seller

First of all, try to contact the seller. If it's through eBay, Etsy, or another venue, try to contact the seller through their messaging system as well as email. If you paid by Paypal, check the details in your payment and see if there's another email address listed there and try that one as well. eBay will also supply phone numbers with the order, so you can try to call them. You can also check Facebook to see if they have a business page and leave a post there. If you've made several attempts to contact the seller and have received no response and seen no updates on your order like a shipping notification, then it might be time to move onto the next step.

Most selling venues have a limited amount of time that you can open a complaint (or case) with them against a seller. On Etsy it's 60 days and on eBay it's 45 days, so watch your calendar closely and don't let that time expire before taking action.

What if They Try to Just Cancel the Order?

If a seller tries canceling a sale on Etsy to keep you from opening a complaint against them, you will have about 48 hours from the time they submit the cancelation to leave them a review on the sale. If there was a processing time on the order, and they cancel it before that time has passed, you will not be able to leave them a review. If the review window is open, however, and you get an email saying they've canceled the order, then I would suggest getting a review up as fast as you can. Once the transaction is canceled, the review will remain, so other potential buyers will see there was a problem. If you paid for your item through Etsy's Direct Checkout, the seller has no choice in refunding you in full as Etsy processes the refund as soon as they cancel the sale. If you paid by Paypal, Etsy only asks the seller if they refunded and a seller can easily mark "yes" even if they didn't, and Etsy will allow the seller to send the cancelation request through.

How Do I Get a Refund if I Paid By Credit Card?

That being said, if you do not receive your refund from the seller through Paypal, you still have some options. First, contact Paypal and open a complaint for "item not received". You can do this two ways. First, find the transaction in your account and click on the "Details" link. On the next screen, scroll down to the bottom and there will be a link that says "Report a problem with this transaction". Click on that and follow the steps. The second way is to call Paypal and provide them with the date of the sale, amount, and who it was sent to so they can find it in your account and start the process. Paypal allows 180 days from the date of purchase to file a complaint on a transaction.

Another option, if you paid by credit card either through Paypal as a guest or through someone's website and their own payment processor is to contact your credit card directly at the number on the back. Some credit cards will only allow 90 days, others will allow as long as 6-12 months to file a complaint. Again, here, you're going to need the date of the sale, amount and who it was paid to.

A legitimate seller will answer your emails and either let you know why your item is delayed or when it should be shipping out. I keep a whiteboard calendar in my workroom with all of my orders tracked on it so I know about when I'll be working on each item. When someone contacts me and asks for an update, I can find their order very quickly and tell them within a day or two what day I'll be making it and when it'll ship. If a seller isn't holding up their end of the transaction and seems to be stalling you, then make sure you take the steps to protect yourself and secure your refund.

Successfully Selling Online

I've been selling online for many years. When my daughter was little, I would make her costumes. Eventually, she outgrew them, and most still had lots of wear left in them and were in good shape, so I listed them on eBay thinking I could make a little extra money off of them. Within a month, I was inundated with messages and emails from people asking if I could make the same thing in different sizes. Within 3 months, I had enough orders coming in that I quit my full time job and made costuming my work. I've not done it in varying degrees of full and part time for the last 16 years, so I've learned a lot of lessons and what to do and not to do to be successful. I thought I'd share some of those experiences here.

While this will mostly apply to those who sew or make other handmade items, the basics can apply to most every online seller (I say most because there's always an exception).

First, know how the platform you're selling on works.

eBay

eBay has changed a lot from when I first started selling there, and I'll admit I'm not up on all of their rules now since I rarely use them anymore. eBay does provide a very well known name, and most people think to check there first. If you do want to sell there, be aware of their fees. They do provide 50-100 free listings each month, with some exceptions, but their final value fees are fairly high. They also charge different fees for different categories. The final value fee will be 10% of the item's value, up to a cap of $750.

You can view the entire breakdown of eBay's fees here: eBay Fees

Titling on eBay, you want to make sure you use good, descriptive words that will accurately tell what your item is. Just titling something as a "brown shirt" isn't going to get you good search results. You want to make sure you're going to get as high up in the search results as possible. Using "Mens Lg Large Brown T-Shirt Cotton New Designer" is going to get you much more attention.

Etsy

Etsy is constantly growing and have started making more improvements lately. Etsy is also limited in what's allowed to be sold there. Only handmade items, vintage (20+ years old) and supplies are allowed. Etsy doesn't get as big of an audience as eBay, but it is expanding and drawing in new attention weekly.

Etsy's fees are considerably cheaper than eBay's. They only offer 40 free listings if you refer a friend who then opens a shop. But otherwise, they charge a flat .20 listing fee for any item for four months. eBay's regular listings run from 1-10 days for comparison. Now, if you list multiples of an item (say a quantity of 10), and someone buys 5 of them, you will be charged .20 for each item, so your bill will reflect five additional .20 charges as renewal fees (four for the additional items the person bought and one to relist the remaining quantity). You are also only charged 3.5% of the item's value as a transaction fee.

On Etsy, buyers are allowed to pay in a variety of ways. Few sellers accept checks or money orders, so most only use Paypal and Etsy's Direct Checkout. Etsy's Direct Checkout allows buyers to pay with a credit or debit card through Etsy. The fees for direct checkout vary by country, but in the US it's .25 + 3% of the total paid.

You can view Etsy's Direct Checkout fees here: Etsy Direct Checkout Fees
And Etsy's seller's fees breakdown here: Etsy Seller Fees

Etsy uses a system of titles and tags for search. They also have their items in Google Product Listing Ads, so your titles are very important to be found there. The tags are how Etsy finds your items in searches on the site.

Back to our brown shirt. While on eBay you were good to just list the size, material and color, on Etsy, you need to go bigger. You need to think like a buyer, and use words in your titles and short phrases in your tags that a buyer would use when looking for a shirt like that. So your title on Etsy could read "Mens Unisex Lg Large Brown Dressy T-shirt New Cotton Designer High End Heavy Work". That's going to get you picked up if someone does a search for "mens large t-shirt", "heavy cotton shirt", "cotton work shirt", etc. Then in your 13 tags, you want to use different phrases taken from your title (limit of 20 characters per tag). So you could use tags like "cotton shirt", "brown work shirt", "brown t-shirt", "designer t-shirt", "large t-shirt", etc.

Also, while eBay pretty much has a built-in audience of buyers, on Etsy you need to do all of your own promotion work. It's very much like having your own brick and mortar store. Some common places to promote are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and handing out business cards if you sell at farmer's markets or craft fairs.

Your Own Website

This one allows the most freedom, but also requires the most work. You can design your site however you want and use any number of online shopping carts. Paypal offers a shopping cart to use on your own site and the setup is fairly easy and painless (that's what I use on gypsy-red.com).

While you can design your site any way you want, and there are a number of places like Wix that make it pretty much point and click, maintaining your own site requires dedication and constantly looking to improve it and expand the offerings. It also takes a lot of effort to promote it and get traffic there. You also need to get very familiar with meta tags so you can be sure your site will show up in search engines.

Conclusion

There are a number of other options out there for selling online. Ruby Lane, Shopify, Storenvy and more are growing in popularity. Spend time on their forums where possible, read help articles, and figure out how their search functions are set up and will apply to what you're selling. It takes a lot of work to build a successful online business, and I know a lot of sellers who work 18 hour days on their businesses. But stick with it, be willing to constantly learn and adapt, research, research, research to find the right venue for selling your items, and you can make your business successful too.

Turning Narrow Tubes and Straps Tutorial Video

One of the most frustrating things in sewing is having a narrow tube or strap you need to turn. You can buy turning tubes, but they're not easy to use and often don't go small enough for narrow (1/4") spaghetti straps or lacing. Using just a thick needle and some heavy duty thread, here's a tutorial on how to turn those tubes, no matter how long, quickly and easily.

New Zipper Tutorial Video

I've got a new tutorial video up on You Tube, with more to come. This one is how to put in a basic centered zipper, and while it's a little long (12+ minutes), it shows everything from start to finish. I have another tutorial coming this weekend for how to turn spaghetti straps/narrow tubes. If there's something you'd like to see a tutorial of, just let me know!

Cost of Creating Your Costume

So I had someone ask me for a quote on a Morgiana cosplay from the series Magi. The white tunic dress with full skirt, wrap belt and large bow in back. I quoted her $135-$155 depending on size and material, which her size came back where it would be $135 plus shipping for the lighter weight material. She responded that the cost seemed expensive.

Which brings me here. I'm going to break down a little bit of how I figure my costs on costumes, maybe it'll help some customers understand what goes into their custom made cosplay, and maybe help some other costume designers who have having trouble figuring out what to charge.

First off, the fabric. I truly wish I could get good quality fabric for $1-$2 a yard, but this doesn't exist. Period. Even in wholesale lots. If I'm lucky I can get it for $4-$5 yard on sale for the good quality stuff. Nice even weave, patterns printed correctly on the grain, etc. So this tunic dress, with the full skirt and wrap belt and big bow, I'm figuring about 4 yards of material. I'll even figure I can find it on sale or a special buy and go with $5/yard for it. So there's $20 right there. Then there's the little things like zipper, interfacing, thread, etc, so we'll add another $3 to cover that since this dress won't need much of those.

I have my listing fees and final value fees for the site she contacted me through for the commission. These will run me about $5.00. Then if she pays by Paypal or credit card, it's another fee, so we'll figure a rough $5.00 (up to 3.75% + .25 for a credit card processing fee) there, adding another $10 onto the total.

We're up to $33 now and I haven't even pulled out a piece of tissue to start working on it yet.

Then I have to figure in the time to draft and size the pattern pieces, custom fit to their exact measurements, plus cutting out the fabric once the pattern is drafted. Now I've drafted a lot of patterns, so I know about how long this design is going to take me. I'll figure two hours to make and size the whole pattern and cut it out. I don't need to worry about placing and sizing darts in the bodice, that's a pretty straightforward tunic top, the harder part will be getting the right fullness of the skirt, then the appearance of a wrap belt and the bow in back.

Now I get into what work I see in it.

The top is pretty straighforward, that's only maybe an hour there. The skirt, wrap belt and back bow will take a fair amount more work. It isn't straight sewing, it's pin fitting each piece onto the dressform, plus ironing as each section is done, the serging of all seams. I work pretty fast, far faster than most other seamstresses I know, so I'm figuring 7-8 hours in the actual making of the dress.

So let's see where that leads us...

$135 minus the $33 for supplies and fees, leaves me $102. I do pay taxes (roughtly 15%) on what I earn, so that takes me down to $86.70 profit. Or about $10.83/hour for 8 hours of work time.

That's a pretty friggin' awesome deal to me for a completely custom made, custom fit cosplay made just for you, to your exact measurements and specifications by someone who does this professionally and has been sewing for roughly 35 years.

So maybe those quotes aren't quite as expensive as some people think.

So it's been a while...

So it's been a while, things have been growing steadily the last year, and I didn't mean to abandon this blog for so long. I'm hoping to be able to start posting more videos as well as photo instructions for projects. I realize not everyone can watch video, so I want to try to have as many photo projects as I can. I did just get a ruffler foot for my 875Q, so I will be posting a project soon using that.

Sewing Hints Tutorial - Cutting Tools and Scissors

Here's a short tutorial on scissors and cutting tools used in sewing:

How to take your measurements.

I have a lot of people confused about how to take their measurements. Here's a tutorial on how to take the basic measurements most seamstresses need:

Sewing Hints Tutorial - Basic Measuring Tools

Here's my tutorial on basic measuring tools.  You can view all my videos here or on You Tube, just search under "Gypsy Red Sewing".

Sewing Tutorials

The You Tube channel is now live and the first two sewing tutorial videos have been posted!

http://www.youtube.com/agypsyred

Website is done!

And the website is finished and all uploaded.  Now I just need traffic and customers!  Still plugging away on making things for the Etsy store and website.  I do have another project to post here, it'll be up once I have all the pics and everything finished.  Using scraps to make a length of fabric to make a purse. 

Got the site registered with Yahoo and a couple of other places.  Hopefully it starts showing up in searches soon.  Still undecided about advertising on eBay, they've gotten so expensive.  Hoping the business on Etsy picks up soon.

Website Coming Along

Lots of work done on the website this weekend.  Got my shopping cart buttons made for everything and the pics all edited and resized.  Now Whiteblade just needs to put it all into Dreamweaver and upload it.  Tonight I might work on the portfolio part.

I need to find a photography class or something to help me take better pictures.  It seems like no matter what I try, my pictures never come out uniform.

Next project is a kimono-style lolita dress.  We've seen a few that are really cool, so that's what I'll be working on this week.  I also have a scrap fabric coat in the works, but that's going slowly.  I'll post pics when I can.

Back up and running

It's been a while, but I'm back.  Soon updates and new ideas and instructions will be posted more regularly.  The next 6-8 weeks will be insanely busy.  (Sleep?  Who needs sleep?)  But in the end, it will hopefully be worth the work.  Whiteblade is hard at work on my website, and the new logo is SO much better than what I threw together.  Never underestimate the power of a a graphics degree!

My main sewing machine is being repaired, hopefully that'll be fixed in the next couple of weeks.  It thought 18 years of hard labor would allow it to retire.  Not so, says I!  So long as parts are available, it can still be repaired.  Hopefully it realizes if this venture is successful, it can soon retire to the status of backup sewing machine.  A friend showed me a Janome that would go nicely for me if I ever have the $1K to buy the used one they have, or $2K new.  Part of me still wants to stick with Viking, though, then all my bobbins and needles and accessories will still be compatible.

I did get a new costume/dress made yesterday.  Pics to come soon when I get a chance to edit them tonight.  Hoorah.

Little Dresses for Africa

I've come across a charity that's a good place to spend your time, extra fabric and help yourself feel warm and fuzzy inside.

http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/

This is an inter-denominational effort to provide simple, pretty dresses for children in Africa.  They provide the patterns, all information on shipping and have answers for any questions you might have.  They've also gotten the support of Sewing with Nancy.

The dresses are simple and easy to decorate, and can make a big difference to the children there. 

They're also a good thing to do with children who want to learn to sew.  They can learn some basic skills and know they're making clothes for children who might not otherwise have anything.

Things I Learned From Project Runway

Things I've learned from 8 seasons of Project Runway:

• Don't be afraid of color
• Don't be afraid to stand up for who you are
• Don't be afraid to take risks
• The person you are inside is just as important as what you present to the public
• Sometimes you have to make an enemy to be true to yourself
• Don't be boring
• Just because someone else is doing it, doesn't mean you should too
• There's no harm in finishing early so long as you've done your best
• Don't be afraid to help others
• Sometimes being told you suck is a good thing and can make you go in a new direction you might not have previously considered
• Be open to suggestions
• Don't be afraid to push yourself
• Not all criticism is bad
• Know when to speak up and know when to shut up

Each season the designers are forced to push themselves through exhaustion and in new directions.  They have to work outside their comfort zones and create things in areas they might not have ever blinked at twice before.  Sometimes the judges are harsh, sometimes they're mocking, sometimes they're condescending.  But sometimes they give them encouragement when they didn't expect it, sometimes they see benefit in what they've done that they missed, and sometimes they believe in them more than they do themselves.
But overall, there are things that each season has been built on that apply to everyone, no matter what field they work in.  Simple principles that can apply to anyone.

Try it, you might be surprised.

And above all, remember the Ultimate Number One Cardinal Rule of Project Runway:

Don't bore Nina!

Project 1 - Wallet Repair

A friend sent me her wallet, wondering if I could repair it or do anything to save it.

It was obvious it had seen a lot of wear, and had a number of frayed spots.  The edge binding was almost entirely worn away, and it had several holes in the loosely woven fabric on the outside.

So step one was to remove all of the remaining edge binding and clean up the loose threads there.  I did this with my little snips, carefully clipping the seam that had held the binding on.

Step two was to separate the outer layer from the inside so it could be repaired.  This was also done with my little snips, carefully cutting only the threads that remained holding the two edges together.

As you can see, there was some damage at the top on both parts, this would have to be repaired as well. First, however, I went to work on the outer part. It would have been easy to slap some patches on and just said "that's all I could do", but my friend obviously liked her wallet how it was, so I wanted to preserve as much of the original appearance as I could. I used a zig zag stitch, set narrow length, to repair the worn and frayed areas. 

I matched my thread colors as closely as I could to the colors in each section of the wallet.  Because this is a fairly loose weave fabric, and not stiff at all, I didn't want to reinforce the back with anything too heavy or stiff.  I used some pieces of dark teal microsuede that I had leftover as scraps from something else.  It didn't match exactly, but it was close enough if any peaked through, it wouldn't be obvious.

Next came reinforcing the top section.  My friend wanted another buttonhole in it so she could clip things to her wallet.  I wanted to make sure it was sturdy, so I used another piece of the dark teal microsuede.

I marked the center top section and stitched it there, using a zig zag stitch once more so the edges would be secure for any amount of wear and holding the weight of other things.  Next, it was on to the inside part of the wallet.

This one didn't need much work, just a patch on the top section and a repair on a little hole on the inside (no pictures of that one).  To fix the hole, I just used some black broadcloth reinforced with interfacing, then folded it in half and used the same zig zag pattern I used on the outside, then trimmed away the excess.  For the top, I used another piece of broadcloth reinforced with interfacing.  This was going to be hidden, so it didn't need to be pretty or lined up exactly.  It just needed to fill that gap and reinforce it for the new buttonhole.

Now that I had the repairs done, the next step was to put the two pieces back together, then edge stitch them to hold them in place.

Just two more steps left, put new seam binding on the outer edge and the buttonhole.  I used double fold bias tape for the binding.  Since the original had been black, that's the color I used.  The best way to put this on is to open out one edge, line it up with the edge of the fabric, then machine stitch it in the crease all the way around.  Then trim off any extra fabric from the corners and edges, fold the bias tape to the inside and hand stitch it down on that side.  That way you get a nice finished edge on the outside, without running the risk of seams wandering all over or being uneven.

Then I added the buttonhole, putting it off center like the last one was.  I put this one on the opposite side, though, because I wanted to be sure it caught some of the original fabric in it, too, to help secure it to the wallet.

So that's how I took this wallet from beginning to end.

Total time from start to end:  Approximately 4 hours.

Items used:  Fabric scraps, thread, sewing machine, bias tape, interfacing, hand sewing needle

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Welcome, First Project Begins Next Week

Welcome to my blog.  It's my hope to be able to share my experience and skill with others to help them learn some of the tricks and skills in designing and sewing.

I'll be beginning the first project next week.  A friend sent me her wallet to try to repair.  I'll be posting photos as well as the step by step instructions I take while working on it.

Please let me know if there's something specific you'd like help with, or if you have any questions about any of the projects I work on.