adventures in prototyping

Hey! I just looked up and here it is the middle of the week already. Guess I've been in the zone, head down, working hard. I'm deep into PD. Product Development, that is!

I've started working on my next set of sewing pattern designs to be released at Spring Quilt Market in May. These things take so so much time. I thought I'd take a little break to fill you in on the pattern design process. At least my process.

I begin by looking at my current patterns and evaluate what's selling well and what needs I think there might be in the market that I can fill. With the amount of time I have between now and Market, I'd like to try to make 4 new additions to my pattern line. Concurrently, I have been developing a new print group for my hemp and organic cotton canvas and would like my new patterns to be shown, made with this fabric. That leads me to think canvas bags, and perhaps another hat to follow up on the popularity of my Reversible Bucket Hat.

my trusty sketchbook and smart eraser

So, off I go sketching bags in my sketchbook. While I'm designing I think about certain details I'd like in a bag, how I'd like it to function and of course how it looks. I'm a fan of clean design with not a lot of foofy add-ons. The designs also need to be unique and compelling. Not an easy combo! Some ideas look too boring, a little weird, not *me*, or just wrong.

This round of sketching sent me into the direction of grommets and convertible straps. I LOVE the aspect of 2-in-1 functions! Can it be both a tote AND a cross-body sling? Can the messenger bag double easily as a backpack, without compromising either one? These are the things that keep me up at night people. I become OBSESSED. I draw them every which way I can think of and then wake up in the morning with more ideas on my mind. Often I just have to start making patterns and sewing prototypes before I can really see what is right and wrong about a concept.

an early partial bag proto made out of outgrown kid pants

The pattern shapes I start off with are usually very simple rectangles. I use paper pulled out of my office recycle bin as my initial patterns and scribble little notes on them as I go along. I use fabric out of my stash that most similarly matches my final fabric in weight and drape. My stand-in for my heavy hemp/organic cotton canvas is often repurposed fabric, cut from worn out cords or jeans that I've held on to for scrap. As my prototypes improve (maybe version 2 or 3 of a design) I'll use nicer fabrics from my stash...just on the off chance that the sample, though not a final design, might possibly be usable in some way. (Wonky protos can make for good knitting project bags!)

mid-point bag protos...almost there!

I cut, I sew, I make notes. I adjust the pattern and make another proto. Sometimes I get a new idea, branching off of the original, that takes me in a different direction altogether. This can be exciting or frustrating or both! Sometimes I feel like my head is about to spin off of my shoulders and I just can't sew the new idea fast enough. Many times I spend the entire day chasing that tangent design only to end up with a pile of floppy, misshapen, unusable...stuff. The past 2 weeks I've been riding the highs of genius ideas followed by the lows of a few heinous sample bags. It's been a roller coaster!

All in all it's been a pretty good ride. I feel like I made some great progress. I have 2 solid concepts that need only one last prototype each to nail the final details. (Um...I'm going to try not to feel angst over the fact that there are still 2 more concepts to go and I am behind schedule.)

Over the next month I'll be writing the instructions, scanning the final pattern pieces and cleaning them up, creating diagrams to illustrate the steps in illustrator, etc. That gets formatted and arranged (with the help of my husband, thank you, Honey!) before sending it off to a proof-reader for edits. I'll also send them to pattern testers to read through it all, make the project, and offer feedback.

sneak peek of my new prints, coming next month!

After THAT, it's time to make photo samples, shoot the cover images and layout the cover art. Copy for the cover gets written and formatted with the photography. Then someday, hopefully before Spring Quilt Market, everything will be so proofed and edited beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it will be ready to PRINT! We get the patterns printed locally so that we can be there in person to make sure everything looks just so.

So, yeah, it's kind of a lot of work. And really, the last paragraph is just glossing over much of it. Things like "make photo samples". I'll just whip those up, don't you know. Or shooting the covers. That requires nicely lit days and finding pretty models. But, it's all part of the looong process that is designing and producing something that is truly your own vision. That's why it's so important (I'm reminding myself right now as I write this) to put in the time and the effort to really nail the design at the beginning. It's like a marriage. You'll be living with it day in and day out for the long haul, so you better love it!

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Whew! That was a long post. Did you enjoy hearing about the prototyping process? Would you like to hear more? If so, about what ?

Flashback Friday

This morning I stumbled upon my old college art portfolio, circa 1987. I thought I'd share a few blasts from my past. Fashion design school in the 80's. Picture me in my stone washed ankle zip jeans, multicolored Chuck Taylor high tops, black leather motorcycle jacket and BIG hair. Got it? (Cue The Smiths or The Cure on your Walkman and well be all set.)

These are drawings from my fashion Illustration class, which was one of my favorite courses. The ones above were done with chisel tip Design markers. (Can you smell them? Times 20 students?) I believe these were done referencing photos from magazines.

We most often drew from live models in class, like this pair, using water color paint and Caran d'ache crayons.

More class models, in watercolor. My professor had a great trunk full of apparel that she dressed the models in to teach us how to render various textures and types of fabrics.

It's fun to look back and think about those days...more than 20 years ago. Who we were and how different we are today. Sometime I'll share a bit more from this era. Maybe some of my apparel design sketches. Or a picture of my Big hair. :)

Owl Be Your Friend Forever

Who wouldn't love a friend like these? Yesterday I abandoned (most) of my usual work to make these little fellas for my little fellas while they were at school. I knew these would be the perfect Valentines gifts. I used the Night Friend Owl PDF Pattern by Mimi Kirchner. Do you remember the fabulous fish I made for my brother? That was from Mimi, too.

Unbeknownst to me, the personalities that emerged from these scraps of felted wool are somewhat similar to the boys that now love them.

Sweet, quirky, tells a good joke. Conscientious and orderly.

Impulsive, free spirit, messy. Feels deep empathy.

Different in many ways, but cut from similar cloth. They are true brothers and the best of buddies.

What characters, huh? I had the best time picking out scraps and deciding on colors. You should've seen my studio while I was making these, what a disaster. I had to dump out bins and bins of felt just to see everything and find the perfect scraps. I was under a tight time constraint so the felt was flying!

One change I think I'd make is to put a small bean bag type weight in the bottom of these and maybe sew the base flat. That way they could stand on their own, since my boys are more likely to play with them vs. sleep with them. I might reduce the pattern (these are about 10" tall) and make a few baby sized owls with the boys sometime. With my help, this would be a great project to teach some hand sewing techniques to the kiddos. Wouldn't that be adorable!

Happy Valentines Day!

There was lots of homemade Valentine making here over the weekend. Son #2 made these double hearts (based on this idea) for all of his 3rd grade classmates. He wrote the names on the red strips before stapling them together. I was trying to figure out how to staple a piece of candy inside the heart, but it got too complicated. Plus, who needs more candy? I'm sure they will get a ton of it today at their school parties!

Hope you enjoy the day with your Sweethearts! Mwah! xoxoxo

spring to come

Do you feel like springtime just can't come fast enough? Well here's a little taste of spring for you, my Springtime Sewing Set pattern!

Each pattern comes with instructions to make all 3 adorable felty sewing companions:

• Ladybug Tape Measure
• Leaf Scissor Case
• Flowerpot pincushion with flower pins

The familiar leaf and ladybug patterns have sold in my etsy shop for years. I decided to refresh them by creating a pincushion companion for the set and adding them to my wholesale pattern line, Make New or Make Do™. The pattern for this threesome is also available now in my online shop as a PDF pattern.

I'm loving the flowerpots...I couldn't stop making them. Well, mostly because it took me many tries, and many malformed prototypes to get the shape just right. So often simple things are the most challenging to create. Or maybe I just try too hard. :)

Anyway, the hard work paid off and I am happy with the result: cute to look at and fun to make! And the itty-bitty felt flower pins are a blast to make, too. As always, these can be made using new materials or make do by reusing materials such as felted wool sweaters.

The sweet little ladybug holds a retractable tape measure, just give a tug on her antennae (she doesn't mind). The scissor case will hold a 4" pair of embroidery scissors to keep that point protected in style. All three would make a great gift for a crafty friend!

So, do you feel springy yet?

thrift scores

Coming home from the thrift store with a bag full of bargains makes me so happy! Here is my favorite find from yesterday. A little sunny-side-up crocheted afghan for my studio couch:

Price tag: $1.99. It's got one little hole I need to repair, but otherwise it is clean and lovely!

Other finds that brightened my day:

• 3 pairs of cargo pants for those boys of mine with sprouting long legs. Each pair was like new and under $4 each!
• 2 pairs of kid long underwear, snow pants, and gloves
• 4 simple milk glass bowls, less than 50 cents a pc
• wool and cashmere sweaters to felt and sew with
• 2 large linen garments to cut and sew with
• 4 vintage pillowcases for all kinds of crafting

Best of all, I shopped with a friend and had lunch together afterward to celebrate our success! (She has 2 girls, and I have 2 boys, so we almost never fight over finds!)

What simple things make you happy?

Valentine Heart Chain Tutorial (& more!)

If you're looking for an easy-peasy Valentine paper heart chain that you can make with your kids, look no further! All you need is some colored paper strips and a stapler. My 9 yr old had a blast making these. Just be sure your stapler is kid friendly.

Click on over to Craftzine for the full tutorial, plus how-to's for 2 extra variations made out of felt!

This little felt ornament uses the same technique as the paper chain, and it's no-sew! (I used the stapler here, too...shhh!)

This felt garland uses felt balls and hearts strung on a clear cord. Check out the details at Craftzine for a trick to easily make 10 hearts at once. You'll need a sewing machine for this version.
Seriously, these are so fun and addicting to make!