Share a Creative Life - Jane from Handmade Jane

It's time to meet out third creative, A lady whose blog I've followed for quite a while and I admire her drive to create! Jane from Handmade Jane is here to tell us a little about her creative life.

Hello, I'm Jane! I've lived in west London for the past 20 years, but I'm originally from Lancashire.

What is your main creative outlet?
Sewing. In fact sewing is my ONLY creative outlet. I don't knit or crochet or anything like that and sewing absorbs me so completely there just isn't room for anything else!

How did you get into being creative?
I'd planned to take a dressmaking course for years and years but never seemed to have the time to do it. It was only once my younger son started school in 2009 that I finally took the plunge and enrolled on a course. For two hours a week I learnt how to navigate a sewing pattern, cut out pattern pieces and sew them together - I absolutely loved it! I'd only initially planned to do one term but ended up staying for a year. I then felt ready to start making my own clothes without the guidance of a teacher and that's when I started my blog too.

Who is your biggest inspiration?
Other sewing bloggers! I'm inspired by them on a daily basis: what they make, their creativity, their generosity and willingness to share their knowledge. I don't think I'd have fallen for sewing so hard if there hadn't been such an amazing on-line sewing community to inspire and encourage me.

Where do you do your making? what is your workspace like?
I'm lucky enough to have a spare room that I use for my sewing. It's a converted loft room so it's lovely and light. It still has to function as a guest room, so I have to be careful not to let my sewing take over the whole space. My husband built me some shelves to go above my sewing desk which holds patterns, smaller bits of fabric and other sewing paraphernalia. He's also built me a longer storage unit where my overlocker lives as well as sewing files and boxes of trims, zips, binding and more patterns! My main fabric stash is kept in boxes under the guest bed, out of sight.

Is your creative outlet your hobby or part of your business?
It's mostly my hobby - I get a lot of pleasure from sewing my own clothes and about 80% of my wardrobe is now handmade by me. I do sell some of my handmade items at craft fairs and through an online supplier. These include bags, purses, cushions, wash bags and tooth fairy cushions. I'm never going to make a living out of it - I'm far too lazy and I wouldn't have the time to make myself any clothes! But it's a handy source of pocket money and keeps me in fabric and a few treats. I gave up working outside the house when my children were born so it's nice to be able to save up for something I really want (such as an overlocker) and pay for it with my hard earned craft fair money!

What are you most proud of making?
I would have to say my Abbey Coat. It's a short, jacket-style coat which I made in teal blue wool with a turquoise polka dot lining. I worked on it really carefully and it's probably one of my neatest and most professional looking makes. But the thing I'm MOST proud of are the bound buttonholes! They're my first attempt and I'm so proud of them!

Can you share 3 inspirational blogs that you would recommend?
The very first blog I started following was Tilly and the Buttons and it continues to inspire me still. I'm amazed at how far Tilly has come, from tentatively making her first dress, she's now released her own patterns and is teaching classes. She's also on a mission to inspire other people to sew and her Learn to Sew series is a fabulous resource for beginners.
Did You Make That? because it's so brilliantly written. It's funny, wise and informative all at once and I love the way author Karen engages her readers in discussions about all kinds of sewing topics. I've learnt tonnes of handy tips, just from some of the comments people have left!
I'm pretty good at following a pattern but what I'm NOT good at is coming up with my own ideas and designs, I just don't seem to have the vision. That's why Charity Shop Chic is so inspirational. Author Sally has an amazing ability to turn old sheets, granny clothes and basically any old rubbish she finds in charity shops into unbelievable beautiful creations. She's got a real eye for seeing the sewing/refashioning potential in anything and I really admire her for that. My favourite thing she's made by far is an imitation Chanel jacket. I've seen it in real life too and it's just as lovely up close!

Finally...
Tea or Coffee?
Can I say both?!

Chocolate or sweets?
Chocolate

Vintage or modern?
Vintage

TV or Radio/music?
Radio. I have it on all day in the background whilst I'm sewing. I like Robert Elms on BBC London.

Favourite TV/Radio show?
Any Nordic crime drama for TV, I'm currently obsessed with Arne Dahl.

Favourite colour?  Red

Thank you for sharing a little bit about your creative life Jane and we look forward to more creative posts.

Red Dress

I finally finished the dress I've been making for ages - it's a simple dress with a self drafted bodice and semi-circle skirt. I bought the fabric in February from John Lewis.
The photo isn't great and I'll try to get a better one soon. It fits well, but I think if I used teh bodice block again I'd shorten the waist by about 2cm. I'd obviously drafted for my long waist and then forgotten that i'd made an adjustment and added extra length.

I love the fabric and it looks great with their my blue or red cardigan. If the weather warms up I might just get a bit of wear out of it!

I wore it on Thursday as part of the Me Made May challenge. I've stuck to it, but as I'm repeating the same few garments rather a lot I haven't photographed them every time I've worn them.

Wedding Dress Refashion

I've been working on remaking some once loved dresses into more wearable items. Recently I remade this dress.

It started life as a rather dated, lace and nylon number, but after a bit of jiggery pokery I created this lovely 50's style tea length wedding dress, which is for sale in my folksy shop.

Share a Creative Life - Jan from Handcrafted by Picto

This week we're sharing a creative life with Jan from Handcrafted by Picto, I've loved following her work and thought you might be interested too so grab a cuppa and come and find out a little more about Jan's creative life.

Hi, my name is Jan Ryan, I was born and brought up in Liverpool, I still have family there and love to visit. I moved to Suffolk 20 years ago, I can't imagine myself living anywhere else. I embrace the differences between my rural life and my city visits.

So Jan, what is your main creative outlet?
Gosh, I love to do so many things, but my main love is painting and that includes the doodling, the first sketches the playing around with ideas and of course, making a mess. I'll paint on almost anything, I paint wooden plaques and hanging decorations, nursery pictures, canvases and even slate and pebbles.
I work under the names 'Handcrafted by Picto' and 'Jan Ryan Art'

How did you first get into being creative?
I was lucky that I came from a household that encouraged creative play. We had very little spare money so if we, my two sisters and brother, wanted something we either worked for it or made it. As young children we made houses from old boxes or spaceships from plastic bottles. As we got older it was making clothes or altering what we had to suit the changing fashions, like putting a triangle of bright fabric into the side seams of jeans to turn the ordinary into something special. We were  allowed to decorate our own rooms and made soft furnishings and painted designs onto the walls.

Who or what is it that inspires you most?
On a personal level it would be my Mum and Dad, but creatively, it's not a 'who' but a 'what'. Nature is my biggest inspiration. I love looking at the changing landscape throughout the seasons. Flora and Fauna surround me and almost every day I spy something new or different, I have a toadstool as my logo and toadstools, fairies and fairy doors feature often in my work.

Where do you do your making? what is your workspace like?
I do most of my work at the kitchen table, the problem with that is it is only a small room and I have to pack it all away each evening. In the better weather I sometimes take my work outdoors into the garden.

If you sell, where do you sell your work?
I sell my work in a variety of places, online I have shops on Folksy  and Wow Thank You . I sell items in a couple of local gift shops. I also occasionally exhibit my paintings in Art Galleries.  

I also have a Facebook Page and my blog where you can keep up with my musings and have a look at more of my work.

What challenges would you like to set yourself?
I generally don't set myself serious 'challenges', why? Because I get myself too stressed out and worried if I don't achieve what I set out to do. 

Can you share 3 inspirational blogs that you would recommend?

Build a Little Biz
The Southern Instuitute
The Craft Blog UK

Finally...
Tea or Coffee?
Both, not at the same time of course, tea I like weak and milky, no sugar. Coffee, weak and milky with one spoon of brown sugar.

Chocolate or sweets?
Chocolate

Vintage or modern?
Modern

TV or Radio/music?
During the day I sometimes listen to radio 2 but mainly I prefer silence. In the evening I either watch the television or read.

Favourite TV/Radio show?
Don't have a favourite, but at the moment I like to sit and watch the quiz 'Pointless'  the series Stargate and QI

Favourite Artist/ designer?
I admire the work of Aubrey Beardsley and early Picasso. I think the work of Brian Froud is beautiful, I love the illustrations by Tim White. I enjoy looking at art from all eras and movements, Art Deco, the Arts & Crafts Movement, Abstract and Folk are just a few that I enjoy. 

Favourite colour?
I love all colours but if I had to pick just one then it would have to be blue, I love the colour in all shades and hues,


I'd like to thank Claire for allowing me to be a guest on her blog and to thank you all for taking the time to read a little about me.

Jan

It's been a pleasure Jan, thanks for sharing.

Happy Blogiversary to me!

Summer Hills - for sale on Folksy and etsy

I Missed it!
I've been blogging for two years last Friday. I was going to be super organised, but life got in the way.
I do have an anniversary giveaway though - look out for it later this week. Meanwhile please check out my Etsy and Folksy shops. I have just a few things for sale now - more to come soon.

Share A Creative Life - Parnuuna

Well folks it's time to find out a little about my first guest in my Share A Creative Life Series. 

Welcome to Parnuuna from BeMyGoth; can you tell us a little about yourself and where you are from?

My name is Parnuuna, and I am originally from Greenland. Now I live in Northern Denmark, in a city called Aalborg. I moved here because I wanted to study music at the university in 2006. But after a couple of years, where I sewed instead of doing my homework, I decided I should change course and apply for a designer/pattern cutter/tailoring school. Which I did in 2009. And since then it’s been all about sewing.

 
What is your main creative outlet?

My main creative outlet is sewing – definitely sewing. Well, designing, drafting the pattern and sewing.
I’ve been creative with many different things all my life such as drawing/painting, music and drama, but I ended up getting good at sewing.

How did you get into being creative?

I’ve been creative since forever – I don’t remember a moment of my life where I didn’t do any creative work of some sort.
I’ve drawn since I was a small kid.  My uncle saw that I was interested in drawing, and started tutoring me in art drawing for a year when I was young. Then I started playing music – guitar and piano, which kept my interest until 2009. All the while I’ve been knitting, crocheting, doing beadwork and sewing.

I sewed my first dress – a medieval inspired dress – by hand, because you couldn’t get any medieval types of dresses in Greenland. My family saw that I enjoyed sewing and gave me my grandmother’s old hand swung Husqvarna sewing machine from 1956.
After that it sort of escalating, and at one time I ended up with 4-5 different sewing machines from people who didn’t use them.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

 I don’t think I have one person that is my inspiration – it is more like all creative people that inspire me. I am most inspired when I am around other creative people.

I suppose my first inspirations were my grandmothers – both on my mother’s and father’s side, because they taught me the first things in knitting and beadwork.
I enjoy reading about people who succeed in living off of their passion – those people inspire me very much – because I want to live off of my passion as well.

Where do you do your making? what is your workspace like?

I do all my stuff at home – We’ve made our livingroom into a sewingstudio. My poor husband only has a little corner of one of the tables and that’s it.

It’s the biggest room in our apartment, and it’s suitable for now – but I do take up a lot of space, so it would be nice if we had a bigger place. Sometime in the near future, I hope. ;)

Is your creative outlet your hobby or part of your business?

I’m trying to make my hobby into my work, so to speak. After I graduated from the sewing school, I enjoy designing and making patterns. And I really enjoy sharing my passion and my knowledge with people, so that is what I am trying to do.

I have a website where I make tutorials on all sorts of creative things, mostly sewing stuff, and I have PDF patterns of my own designs for sale there as well.

I also want to do video sewing courses and tips and tricks, but I need to learn to be in front of a camera first.

Hopefully I’ll be able to make a living off of my patterns in the near future – I’ve just started taking it seriously now, so I do have to put in some ground work.

What challenges would you like to set yourself?

I would like to be self employed by the end of summer! I think that’s a major one, so I should opt for more than that for now. :D

Tell us 5 things that would be on your bucket list.

Hmm…

1.     Travel to a country and learn their language – Switzerland, France or Germany or Brazil. Maybe more than one. :D

2.     Learn to cook at least 42 decent meals.

3.     Knit a sweater.

4.     Write a book.

5.     Get decendants.

Can you share 3 inspirational blogs that you would recommend?

Yes!

1.     www.ralphpink.com an independent designer, who shares an awful lot! I use this guys method to make my patterns in illustrator, albeit with a different drafting system.

2.     www.tillyandthebuttons.com  - also and independent designer, who shares a lot! I like reading her blog. And she’s good at launching her patterns!

3.     www.sewaholic.net - also and independent designer, who likes to share. She sells real patterns and does sew-alongs.

All of these people, sell patterns, and that’s exactly what I want to be doing.

Finally...

Tea or Coffee? Both – depending on the situation. J
Chocolate or sweets? It used to be sweets, but my husband taught me to love chocolate… so both again. :D
Vintage or modern? Vintage – definitely vintage.
TV or Radio/music? Music – I don’t own a TV.
Favourite TV/Radio show? Hmm… I don’t think I have any. I like to stream fantasy/adventure  or drama tv-series like Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Ugly Betty, PanAm and such… But I don’t think I have a favorite.

Favourite Artist/ designer? None… I like everyone! :D

Favourite colour? Black, dark red, green, yellow, grey… uhm, I think I like most colours – depending on the thing that is coloured.

Wauw! It’s been a while since I’ve been asked so many questions at once! It got my brain working, so now it’s time for a nap. J

It was very nice to meet you, I hope to talk to you again.

Oh, by the way – if you want to see my hideout on the internet it’s here: www.BeMyGoth.com

And I do hang out at all the good social places too. Just search for BeMyGoth and you’ll find me.

Kisses - Parnuuna

Thank you Parnuuna for sharing at ragbags and gladrags - I hope you are able to achieve your dreams and we look forward to seeing how you get on with the pattern making. I'm looking forward to trying out your pencil skirt pattern very soon.

Exciting Creations, sharing my creative life... and a giant Tunnocks style teacake!

I've been blogging for almost Two - yes Two Years! and I've discovered a lot of creatives out there, some I've followed for a while and others I've been following just a little while. I've tried to share a little of my own creative life on this blog, but I'm also interested in the creative lives of others. So this month I'll be sharing some guest posts by fellow creatives, where they get to tell you about their creative lives!

As life get's busy I often struggle to stay in touch and I end up having loads to share, but haven't the time to share it. The last weekend has been rather like that. It seemed like summer arrived in the UK for a couple of days. It was my husbands birthday and we attended Encouraging Christian Growth Northumberland, an annual conference held over the bank holiday weekend. It's a time to catch up with Chritians in the area. Eat amazing food, great worship times and a fantastic speaker - a lovely lady called Elaine Storkey.

I was photographer which gave me permission to poke my nose in all the seminars and workshops. On the Saturday the ladies from Felton Arts, ran a felt making workshop. I've made felt before, but not in the way they showed us. there was a spare place and I joined in, creating this lovely piece of felt. I was amazed at how quick and easy it was - I'll definitely be doing it again.

My Hubby decided he wanted a giant chocolate teacake for his birthday cake - so that is how I spent Monday. I used this Paul Hollywood recipe and just doubled the quantities. I used a 2 litre Pyrex bow,l lined with cling film, for the mould, used milk chocolate, and made a large biscuit for the base. It took a while to set, but tasted amazing.

MMM'13 update

I've been taking part in Me Made May '13, and so far I've managed to wear something me made every day.

3rd May - I wore the same shift dress as I did on the 2nd - see my last Me Made May post.

4th May - Purple Polka dot dress that I made earlier in the year - it's only the second time I've worn this one.
Cardigan from Monsoon.
Shoes and belt - New Look
Scarf - one I've had for ages.

I wore this to Encouraging Christian Growth - a Northumberland annual conference.

5th May - I wore a plum coloured top (yet to be blogged), skinny Jeans, My Irregular Choice shoes and the same scarf as the day before. Second day of the conference and as I was photographer I got loads of images of everyone else, but non of me!

6th May - My yellow dress, refashioned from a teenager's dress. this was one of my first attempts at drafting a bodice, and it's bad. The darts are in the wrong place, the armscyes gape, as does the back neck - so it's always worn with a cardigan, until I get the opportunity to redo the bodice.

7th May - back to work and I think I stunned the whole school with my Sunny Cerise Dress. It's very comfy, very bright and perfect for a sunny day - or to brighten the mood.

8th May - Gertie Bow Blouse in Silk, teamed with...
A Line skirt from White Stuff and Shoes from Clarks (they are the comfiest high heels i've ever worn!) - I think I'll wear this tomorrow as well.

Tutorial: Sewing a lining into a sleeveless dress.

I used to struggle with facings and linings before I discovered this method of lining a sleeveless dress. It also works with dresses that have cap sleeves, or a facing rather than a full lining. The dress I'm working on at the moment has a facing, but the same principles apply. Let me show you how...

First sew any darts in the dress/ bodice front and back and sew together at the shoulder seams. press the seams open.

Do the same with the facing or lining, you can see I've used a facing that covers the neck and armscye and it has been strengthened with interfacing - I don't usually use the interfacing with a lining, but it does depend on the shell fabric.

Pin the facing/ lining to the dress at the neckline edge, right sides together and stitch using the given seam allowance.

Next grade and clip the seam allowance - you need to do this now as you won't be able to go back and do it later!

Press the neckline to the right side and understitch if required.

 You should now have a neat neckline edge.

Now comes the tricky bit. lay the bodice/ dress flat in front of you, right side out, starting from the left side roll the dress tightly until you get to the right shoulder. the tighter the better.

 Now unfold the facing along the neckline edge and flip it over to encase the rolled section.

You are making a tube between the neckline and armscye edge, with the rest of the dress inside it. You can see that the fabric is now wrong side out.

Pin along the armscye, making sure you don't catch the fabric that is rolled inside. and sew your normal seam allowance.

Grade and clip the seam as shown. Now you need to pull the fabric that's rolled up inside out. From the bodice front section, just pull the the rolled fabric through the tube you've created. And press.

You've now completed one side.

Do exactly the same but this time roll the fabric from the right to the left side, flip teh facing over, pin and stitch as before and pull the rolled fabric out.

 Your bodice/ dress should now look something like this.

All that remains is to sew the side seams. make sure you match the seam line where the shell fabric meets the facing or lining.

Sew and press the seam allowances open. That's all there is to it - no more sewing sleeve facings and linings by hand!

I'll post more images of the finish, once this dress is completed. Hope you find this useful, It's made my summer dress sewing much quicker and gives a great finish.