GET YOUR COFFEE AND HAVE A SEAT AS I ANSWER SOME OF YOUR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
Good morning loves happy Friday! Well my husband still won’t let me get my sewing done due to this injury and to be honest I had a serious attitude about it!LOL I mean REALLY there are so many ideas swirling around in my head that its killing me; but hey what can I do at this point. I’ll tell you what! I sneak in the studio before he gets home and do as much as you can until he comes looking for me! LOLL Unfortunately with this injury trying to go unnoticed in my studio for hours at a time is practically impossible and trying to finish a project welllllll that ain’t happening either! I feel like its been months since I’ve actually finished a sewing project. I know it’s only been three weeks since I’ve been out of commission but that’s dog years in sewing! So as I sat here today pouting about this foot, I thought why not finally finish that FAQ post you’ve been promising to get done. But OF COURSE why didn’t I think of that….duh you just did! I hope you all have a great weekend and please pray that my hubby goes to work this weekend so I can really put some work in! LOLLLL
Love & Hugs
Shari
How long have you been sewing?
Well I took my first sewing class in design school over twenty years ago. Unfortunately I didn’t learn as much in class as I would have liked and kind of just muddled through it! Most of what I learned I taught myself and trust me there were many fails when I decided to pick it up again in 2013.
What made you decide to start blogging?
Actually I decided to start blogging after several of my co-workers suggested I do it as a way to document my sewing journey. I thought it would be a fun way to journal my progress both good and bad and share with all of you.
What sewing machine(s) and serger do you use?
Well I currently have a Brother SQ1895 and a Janome that was gifted to me by one of my fabulous sewing sisters. As for the serger I purchased a brother 1034D. Of course none of these are what I would call my dream machines but they all purr like kittens and I would definitely recommend them to other home sewers.
What machines would you suggest for beginners?
If you are just learning to sew and don’t want to spend a lot of money I would definitely consider the Brother CS-6000i and/or the Janome JW7522! Both great starter machines and easy on the wallet.
Have you taken any professional classes such as sewing, drafting and draping?
I haven’t taken any professional sewing classes but I have taken a few Craftsy classes that I think are awesome for beginners and a few for the seasoned sewer/designer:
1. Fashion Draping with Paul Gallo “Dress Making”
2. Fashion Draping on the Bias with Paul Gallo
3. Tailoring Ready to Wear with Angela Wolf
4. Mastering Zipper techniques with Sunni Standing (Newbie sewer)
5. Creative Serging beyond the basics with Angela Wolf
6. Machine Savvy: Tips for Creative Sewing (Newbie Sewer)
7. Beginner Serging with Amy Alan ( newbie Sewer)
8. Forty Techniques every sewer should know with Gail Yellen (Newbie Sewer)
What is your favorite and least favorite fabric to work with?
Well to be honest there are so many that I love and few if any that I just don’t enjoy. However if I had to pick I would say I love working with various knits and my least favorite would be sequined fabric. While I love all of my sequin projects having to prepare the fabric by removing sequins before you sew is my least favorite thing to do! LOLLL
Are you going to post more DIY’s and Tutorials on your youtube channel this year?
Trust me as soon as my leg and foot heal I’ll be going hard with the tutorials! LOL If anyone has suggestions or things they would like to see me do please leave your comments below or send me an email at mydailythreadzme1@gmail.com
Out of all the projects you’ve completed which would you say was your Favorite? Which would you consider to be the toughest and why?
Well not to toot my own horn but I love them all and while I do love to wear some more than others its really hard to choose. So I'll choose two from the most recent and one from earlier in the year that I loved. The rose gold sequin pants, the Ankara print jacket and the off the shoulder top & skirt. Of course the toughest would be all the sequin fabric projects! LOLLLL This is a tough question but I will go with these for now! LOL
The three toughest of course are my sequined fabric projects! Not because the projects/patterns were hard it's just time consuming removing sequins from fabric and did I mention it's my least favorite thing to do!
Where do you purchase your fabrics? Do you do any online purchasing and if so where?
I think this is the one question I’m asked the most! To be honest I do most of my shopping in person in the Los Angeles fabric district. Of course I have my favorites which you can find on my youtube channel “My favorite fabric shops” but the one I would place at the top of my list is Angel Textiles. I don’t really do a lot of online shopping because I really need to feel and see it before I buy. However when the mood hits me to do a little online shopping I buy from Fabric-mart and Mood!
If I were going to purchase my first batch of supplies as a beginner what would you suggest I buy?
Well for the beginner there are definitely a few easy basics that every new sewer should have:
1.Scissor (fabric & paper)
2.Measuring tape
3.Straight ruler and French curve (curve not mandatory)
4.SEAM RIPPER & Tracing Wheel!
5.Water soluble marker and/or tailors chalk.
6.Straight pins & pin cushion
7.Hand sewing needles
8.Thread but of course
9.A good Iron
When are you coming out with the Nina Ramel Collection?
WELLLLLLLLL! Just know I am working on it! Creating a line of clothing is expensive and takes a lottttttttt of time! You have your sample patterns, your working patterns and just getting these two steps done is more than a notion. I could tell you the list and where we are with things but I won’t! Let’s just say I want this to be done as much as you do so hold tight! Remember anything worth having is worth waiting for LOLLL.
I work full time and have a family just like you when do you find time to sew and blog on top of everything else?
GREAT QUESTION! Honestly sometimes I don’t know how I do it myself!Usually in the evening after everyone is settled and sleep is when I do most of my sewing. As for blogging I try to write as much as I can on the weekends otherwise I fly by the seat of my pants on the day I plan to post! LOL
What would you consider to be your style statement?
WOW! I really hate to put myself into a box or confine myself to one ideal style because the truth is I love all FASHION! With me you just never know; I will rock camo print joggers with a tank top one day and, boyfriend jeans and chuck’s the next. On the other hand I love classic styles like tea length full skirts, fabulous wrap blouses and anything with the shoulders out! LOL I guess the point I'm trying to make is I simply remain true to myself so that would be my style statement. UNIQUELY ME! My style statement is PERSONAL and based on whatever I'm feeling in that very moment! Let's just say I'm EVERY WOMAN! LOLLLLL
Do you Sew for others?
Not at this time I really don’t have the necessary time it would take to devote to sewing for others.
I noticed you have a fabulous shoe and handbag collection how many would you say you have and how often do you purchase new items?
Oh my goodness! LOLL I've never taken time to actually count them but I can say without hesitation that I have a problem! I don’t buy as often as some of you may think but when I do I tend to really splurge! Here's a few I had fun with this year!
What camera do you use and who takes your pictures?
Right now I have a Sony-SDC-H300 20.1 Megapixel Diital Camera. I do want to trade up for another model but I’m holding off for now until I do a little more research. (Since the original post I purchased the Nikon DS3300)
How do you come up with ideas for your sewing projects? What inspires you?
For me inspiration is all around you every day all day! I love fashion it’s in my veins and I’m constantly thinking about it. Really I create what I want to see myself in! It’s really just that simple.
If you could have lunch with any designer past or present who would it be?
Now this is hard because there are definitely more than one I would love to have lunch with.
1.Zelda Wynn Valdes
2.Carolina Herrera
3.Oscar de la Renta
How many children do you have?
I have a son and two daughters! One out of the house (my step daughter but since I don't believe in steps she mine), one on her way out of the house and a son who we can’t wait to move out of the house! LOLLL
I know I didn’t get around to all of your questions but I had to stop somewhere otherwise this would be a three part series! I hope you enjoyed the post and stay tuned cause I’m still sneaking in the studio behind my husband back! LOLLL