Renee Keith's Blog

I have been contemplating the idea of going to the Fashion institute at SLCC this summer or fall… I want to learn how to do costuming and wardrobe for our photo shoots! Not sure I will ever get that far with it, but it would be nice to be able to make custom pieces that no one else can get anywhere else. Several ideas already come to mind for photo shoots we have planned. In the mean time, I decided to do a little learning on my own. Simplicity “Learn to Sew” patterns are super easy to follow and my first project was pajama pants (pics below)… my daughter picked out the material and I finished them the other night within 1-2 hours. She is so cute… she is also learning to sew, and is taking classes at The Finishing School.

My next project is to sew a skirt for my 6 year old… I don’t really know how to pick out materials, so I hope what I got works, lol.

Every once in a blue moon, I have a random inspiration to sew. The last time I went wild was about 12 years ago… I hand stitched several baby blankets for my daughter (no sewing machine). So last year I bought a sewing machine from Costco (knowing I would want to use it one day) and finally got around to sewing some projects this month (Nov 2010). The funniest little things inspire me, lol… I saw an herbal pillow at Golden Braid Books for about $30(?) and decided that I should just go home and make my own. So I did… and I loved it! It only took me about 2-3 tries of trial and error to figure out how to sew them nicely. They are filled with flax-seed and lavender. Usually recipes call for essential oils, but I decided to only include the herbs in mine, w/out the oils. These pillows inspired me to have a Christmas Bazaar at my house (Dec 18th) so that I can sell them at a good price to last minute Christmas shoppers. I have also made some lovely herbal pillows filled with buckwheat hulls and rose buds. Of course I will be selling several of my other crafts as well (pottery, photography etc).

I don’t know why I decided to make a Victorian collar like this! I don’t really even know how to sew, lol. But it actually turned out quite nice. I LOVE big necklaces and goddy neck pieces for photo shoots, so I thought it might be cool for some sort of vintage fashion shoot. I am going to have my 11 year old wear it, along with a dress and white gloves. I will post pics of the final images here once we do the shoot.

I think that’s it for now… I think I have had my fill for sewing, and plan to put the sewing machine away for a while as soon as I am finished sewing a few more herbal pillows for Christmas gifts. I do plan to make some scarves, but that will be created from felting wool and is a whole different, crazy process.

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