Introduction: k.

My name is k. and I like to make people do what I want! hehehe  This support group was imagined (very selfishly I might add) as a way to get motivated again.  I have been sewing forever, but due to some vagaries of my life (kids, location, health) I have been in a bit of a lull.  I don't like that.

For many years I pursued sewing as my private profession, sewing much of the day working on designs for collectors of fashion dolls.  It is a great job and my sewing has really grown a lot since Boxpleat Fashions began more than 10 years ago.  The trouble is that once sewing became work I quit sewing for FUN.  It all became doll sewing with no more quilting, no more clothes for me or even for my kiddos.

It wasn't all bad though, as it pushed me to build my design and pattern drafting skills.  One of my favorite things to do currently is to search out vintage patterns and fashion photos and draft it for one or more of the dolls "I work for."  Several times in the last several years I have designed things that made me say "Ahh!" with delight when they worked just the way I saw them in my minds eye.  Working in 1/4 and 1/3 scale has some surprising benefits over sewing for people.

First,  it lets me explore fabrics in much more dramatic ways.  It is MUCH easier to buy a single yard of fabulous cashmere, micro-sequins or silk matka.  Especially since the $$$ pricetag is balanced by the fact that if I make 2 or 3 suits out of that cashmere it is easy to earn it back.  It is also easier to store your fabric collection when it doesn't have to be dress lengths.  It also is much less intimidating to explore new types of fabrics because the investment is really relatively small.  It took me several years to get over being super CHEAP about my fabric selections and buy what I wanted rather than just what was on sale.  I still do that, but I can buy the good stuff too.  (And heaven help us if the good stuff is on sale....)  It is great fun to find little samples and remnants that no one else can use but me.

Second, let's be honest.  I wear jeans and a t-shirt almost every day.  I have a collection of vintage suits and things but they get worn twice a year if I am lucky and I never seem to go to formal events at all.  Much of doll collecting is about fantasy and many of my customers buy things they themselves would never (or could never) wear themselves.  There is a LOT of room to explore.

Third, and perhaps finally for now, when you don't have a ton invested in the pattern, the fabric etc, it is easier to just bail when something isn't working.  I remember once picking out a LONG seam on something I was making for myself....that simply doesn't happen in my work.  Even if I do decide to pick something out, it is often just a few inches.

I don't have any professional training but I have put in more years sewing than some people who do.  I am a believer in the right tool for the job and I probably have most of them at this point, so if you need to borrow something.  I love sewing and I want to work on things that challenge me.  I despise doing the same thing over and over again. k.

The pics are all lifted from my website and are some of the ones I have enjoyed working on for various reasons.  All are patterns of my own drafting, and all are in private collections.  The other thing you can learn from these pics is that I am NOT a photographer.  If anyone wants to give me pointers, feel free. :)