Love from the Newbies

TenseAndUrgent's funny illustrated take on the Valentine

Next month we celebrate love, in all its forms on Valentine's Day. Since TEST ♥ Newbies we thought we would show some of the great Newbie Etsy listings for all your Valentine's needs, starting with Valentines cards...

Falling for You card by RaineMoments	Let's Get Physical Magnet card by GertsGreetings	Will You Be My Love Bug? by HafsaCreates

You're purrfect by BeaconsfieldCards

...to sweets & little treats for your sweetie...

Lavender sachet from SewItWasByJudy

Get your Valentine's Day Desert Decor from raynamarlee

Add custom stamping of any message to the
lip balm tin from theautumnharvest

Purple Heart Stamped Moleskin from SlothMothAndZing

through supplies for your crafty Valentines gifts...

20 Heart pendants from YumYumObjects

Fuchsia fabric from SewPrettyFrabriques

5 Heart pendants from BreezeBeading

to fashion and jewellery and a little romance.


 
Romeo and Juliet brooches by StoryFolk

Screen printed camisole and panty by FrenchAndFauna

Wire-wrapped Amethyst by ViolettesBoutique

Love Bracelet from DBJshop

Fuchsia Tiger Shark teeth earrings in sterling silver by MicheleWittStudio

T.E.S.T. Interview: Sew It Was

We hope to introduce you to all the great Etsy sellers to be found right here in Toronto. Here at the T.E.S.T. blog, we plan to interview them all. This is the 63^rd in our series with Judy of SewItWasByJudy.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your shop.

I am a mom to 4 adult children, a gramma to 6 kids, and married to a very wonderful guy!
When I was a little girl my grandmother made my dresses. She inspired me to want to learn how to do this, so when I was 13 I took a Singer sewing course. I completed a lovely linen A-line dress with lace sleeves but when ironing it I pressed a full iron imprint into it! Clearly I had a lot to learn!
That was, however, the beginning of my lifelong passion for taking a flat piece of fabric and constructing it into something you could actually wear!
In 2012 I lost my job with TDSB [Toronto District School Board] to budget cutbacks. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, the next few months of sewing and selling at craft fairs was the start of what would become my new venture, Sew it Was.

How did you get the idea for your unique creations like turning shirts into pants and shirts into aprons?

With lots of time on my hands I wanted to make some things for my grandkids, but this time I wanted to make something different. I was ready for a new challenge so I searched the Internet and came across the world of upcycling! This really intrigued me and decided to get it a try. My first attempt was to make a pair of toddler pants from the sleeves of a shirt. I thought they looked kind of cute and my husband said “you should call those Shants” so, that’s what I did!! Very quickly I discovered I loved taking something that once was and reconstructing it into something completely new and wearable. I kept searching and found there were lots of ways to refashion a man’s shirt, pillowcases, silk ties, and vintage linens. Friends and family members offered suggestions and some I came up with on my own.

You say many of your creations come from thrift store finds. Are there any “hidden gem” thrift stores in Toronto you’d recommend checking out?

Ha ha, I wish I did have a “hidden gem” but the truth is I do most of my thrifting at the Sally Ann. I can’t look at a man’s shirt now without seeing shants, skirts, aprons, baby shoes and even earrings! Whenever we do travel the first thing I like to do is check out the local thrift shop. I once found a pillowcase with a large Rocking Horse starting on the front and continuing on the back – it made the cutest little dress!

Where do you sell other than Etsy?

A friend suggested I check out the Arts Market. After I was juried and accepted I needed a business name. I sent out an email to my family (I am the oldest of 10) asking for suggestions. After 3 days I had 101 entries, I chose my top 7, sent it out again and Sew it Was came out on top! I loved it from the moment I said it out loud and it totally encompasses what I do. Many thanks goes out to my brother-in-law Gord.
The Arts Market is in Leslieville at 1114 Queen St. E.
I also have some Shants at Kid Culture, 3124 Dundas St. W.

Do you have any advice for fellow Etsy Upcylers out there, or folks looking to take the leap into something new when it comes to sewing/crafting, etc. in their lives like you did?

One tip I can pass on is something that has proved very useful to me. When I deconstruct an item I now cut a scrap and tape it into a notebook and write pertinent info beside it like fabric care and content. Then when I am adding a new item on Etsy a quick look in my book will give me my listing information. This has saved some much time!
For those that are thinking about taking the leap – just do it! You will never know unless you try. It’s a lot of work to get started on Etsy, I almost gave up but someone said just do a bit each day and eventually you will open.
I love the global aspect of Etsy, being part of this and talking to people all over the world is fascinating and “sew” much fun!

Check out the other items available from Judy in her Etsy shop! You can find more of her work on Facebook.

Interviewed by Tanya of TanyaHarrisonPhoto in November 2013 in Toronto.

T.E.S.T. Interview: Hellhound Fashion

We hope to introduce you to all the great Etsy sellers to be found right here in Toronto. Here at the T.E.S.T. blog, we plan to interview them all. This is the 54^th in our series with Luka of HellhoundFashion.

What is your most significant achievement (i.e., your proudest moment) with your creative business to date?

I'm still only starting to fully put myself into the business so I haven't seen much by way of results just yet. I think my biggest accomplishment is probably that I haven't given up yet. It's easy to get discouraged by a slow startup, which I've already experienced (this is my third attempt at my own business!), you've just gotta believe in yourself enough to keep going even - or especially - if you haven't made any money after a year. That and finally getting likes on Facebook from people I don't actually know!

Tell me your story about who you are and how it all started.

I'm a 20-something life-long art kid and animal lover. I started sewing when I was a kid, going through bags of hand-me-down clothing from my cousin and reworking them to fit my size and style. Hellhound Fashion started with me making geeky jewellery for myself that I couldn't find anywhere else, and a business plan I had to write in college. After years of my friends asking for me to make things for them and telling me I should sell elsewhere, I decided to open up my Etsy shop. I liked the name, tagline, and branding I'd developed for my marketing class assignment so much that I decided to use it as the basis for the shop.

Where and how did you learn your craft?

I first started sewing on my mother's machine some time in the '90s after a little instruction from her on how to use it. It was years before I realized bobbins could be wound on the machine and not just by hand! It wasn't until my last year of high school when I actually took my first sewing class, and after taking a couple years off after graduation, I went to college for a three-year Fashion Arts program.

The jewellery side of things was entirely self-taught starting with one boring rainy day in my first year of college. Lastly, my screen printing started in my high school art class. Admittedly, I did little to nothing to improve my printing skills until the last couple years. My general artsy skills can be attributed to genetics (my mother was a craft painter when I was a kid, and my dad is a very talented drawer even if he doesn't practice much anymore), and having an amazing art teach in high school.

Describe your creative process and inspiration(s).

My creative process is quite lengthy and a bit annoying at times. It used to be that I would just go straight to making something without any clear idea of how I was going to go about it. Just stitching things together and awkwardly fitting it to myself while wearing it. Since college, learning new techniques and why my old ones weren't necessarily good, that's all changed. Sometimes my ideas come from the fabrics I buy, sometimes the fabrics I buy are specific for my ideas. Either way, once I have a solid idea floating around in my head, I try sketching it out as best I can, but it never really translates the way I want it to. That's all different once the drafting starts!

With clothing, I sew up a quick muslin from my pattern blocks (think the plainest item of clothing ever), throw them on my mannequin, and start drawing on the lines of how I want the finished item to look. Once that's all said and done, I trace pattern pieces from there and begin sampling. Because you can't really tell how something will look until it's made from the final fabric, how the fabric hangs with the cut and if that armhole really sits where its supposed to or if it cuts into your armpit, the sampling can sometimes take days. Days of fussing over small details, screaming bloody murder at my sewing machine, realizing I have a better idea and having to start all over, until finally I end up with something I'm proud of. That's usually when I leave it be, grab a cup of tea and celebrate by being lazy for a full day before getting into the real constuction.

This translated into my other forms of art as well. Now, when I decide to do a new painting, I draw out the idea first. Then I work out the colouring and shading on paper with pencil crayons and ink before getting into the actual painting. It definitely helps to avoid being let down by your own mistakes if you work out your approach beforehand!

My inspiration comes from all over the place. The fabrics I buy, street and runway fashion, comic characters' costume design, the graffiti on the back streets of Queen West where all the best fabric shops are. Bright colours with dark contrasts, the right attitude, architecture and multicoloured hair. Inspiration can be found anywhere once you open yourself up to it!

Is this your full time job? What is life like outside of your creative world?

Hellhound Fashion has just recently become my full time job. That's not to say it's sustainable just yet, but I'm fortunate that our country believes enough in small business to help fund the beginning stages. I'm in development for all kinds of things that will hopefully see the light of day before this year ends. Outside of Hellhound, my life revolves around music. My house not only serves as HF HQ, but also as the jam space for many Toronto bands thanks to my very talented musician roommates. If I'm not buried in some sort of creative outlet (sewing, drawing, painting), or immersed in whatever music I might be listening to be it live or a recording, I'm probably spending time with my best friend in the world: my dog, Maila.


How do you envision you and your creative business growing in the near future?

Later in the year I plan on expanding into clothing. Using oversized t-shirts with licenced prints, my plan is to create edgy but feminine clothing for all us she-geeks out there who are tired of the same old boring t-shirt, but still want to show off our nerdy side. But it won't just be clothing, it will be purses as well! I have more ideas than I know what to do with, so my visions of the future are always changing, but I do know that I'd like to have a full (even if small) women's line by this time next year, and to expand on my mens accessories. Look for cufflinks around Christmas time!

Check out the other items available from Luka in her Etsy shop! You can find more of her work on her Tumblr, blog, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Interviewed by Rovena of HandmadesRovena in May 2013 in Toronto.

T.E.S.T. Interview: Loulou James Creative Studio

We hope to introduce you to all the great Etsy sellers to be found right here in Toronto. Here at the T.E.S.T. blog, we plan to interview them all. This is the 41^st in our series with Tracy of LoulouJamesCreative

Why PDF maternity patterns on Etsy?

When I was expecting my older son I started sewing a lot again. I was making and modifying clothing for maternity wear, decorating the nursery, and making baby items. I found it frustrating that there were hardly any maternity sewing patterns (let alone nursing wear) and the options for little boys' items in particular were limited. I would just drool over the lovely things on Etsy but there wasn't really anything for me to make, and I knew there were sure to be other crafty types out there with the same dilemma. So the entrepreneurial side of me decided to create and sell my own! I was used to buying traditional printed patterns, but I love the instant gratification of a downloadable PDF - when I want to make something I want to start now!

Tell us a bit about your fashion design background.

I have been making clothes for myself and others for as long as I can remember. I would use store-bought patterns and modify as I wanted. I moved to Toronto almost 20 years ago to study fashion design at Ryerson where I really enjoyed the patternmaking and draping classes - when you can take an idea and draft it up as you like it's quite rewarding as a designer.

In my 'day job' I work in a creative field, not designing clothes, but home fashions. The two industries are so linked today - we study the same trends, have the same inspirations. Working on Loulou James allows me to channel all my apparel ideas that I can't otherwise work into an item like a shower curtain or a soap dish!

What are the advantages of sewing your own maternity clothes?

The advantages are huge! There are certainly a lot more options out there now in maternity wear but the fit can be tough if you are taller, shorter, have longer legs, broader shoulders...we become loyal to brands and stores based on fit and style, but with maternity wear your options are so greatly reduced. When I'm designing a piece I also try to think about it's 'second life' - can it be used for nursing wear? Can it be modified for before and after maternity? I know that moms don't have a lot of time to spare sewing so getting another use out of a design is really helpful.

The presentation of your shop is wonderful. Did you do the illustrations yourself?

Thank you! Yes, these are my own illustrations, and I based them on the style of vintage sewing patterns. I love how the women always look so feminine - the way the hands and are feet are posed, the facial expressions and hair. I've always loved fashion illustration, and it's a great way to keep improving my Illustrator skills.

What is your most popular design to date?

The sleep sacks are all very popular, especially the "Stargaze" style. It's perfect for a new sewist, and best of all, I think, something you can make for a little boy. Having two little boys you realize how few patterns there are out there for them.

For women, it's the Celia wrap top - it's good for maternity and nursing, and so easy to make. You could even reuse pattern later by eliminating the camisole insert and just make a great wrap t-shirt. A lot of people are scared to sew with knits so this gives me hope that there are a lot of creative, confident sewists out there willing to experiment and perhaps challenge themselves!

Would you ever consider selling finished clothes on Etsy?

I've thought about it and had a few requests. I may in the future add a one-of-a-kind 'sample' section since I don't really need any more maternity clothes...

Where do you see your shop in 5 years?

I'd love to expand or set up a separate shop to feature more baby & toddler items, specifically for boys. I have a lot of experience in textile design so it would also be fun to do a few little limited-run collections of printed fabrics to accompany the patterns.

Check out the other items available from Tracy in her Etsy Shop! You can find more of her work on her blog, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Interviewed by Darlene of BijouxBead in Toronto in January 2013.