This Blog post and video are kicking off a series I’m starting where I’ll talk with industry professionals about Jobs in Fashion. There are so many different kinds of jobs in the fashion industry and I thought it would be really interesting to dig into a few of these and let you know what these jobs are really like and how they can differ from one company to another.
Read MoreAs you open your wardrobe each day, you may notice some items that you used to love wearing but now have taken a back seat when it comes to your clothing choices. It may be because they're already out of style, or you simply have newer items to choose from. Either way, at some point you might have thought about how you can wear them again in a way while keeping up with the current trends and your style as well. If so, then upcycling old clothes may be ideal for you.
Read MoreThis was originally posted by Adriana Lopez for Porch.com. I thought the content was really important, so I asked if I could share it here. There are tons of good nuggets in this article so I hope you enjoy!
Buying stylish clothes at an affordable price is appealing to most consumers, but it can have negative impacts on our environment. Known as fast fashion, this industry offers low prices on clothing, but it comes at a hidden cost. Thanks to a rise in the human population and the increasing popularity of fashion-related social media content, people often think they need more clothes than they really do. In fact, humans are consuming a whopping 400% more clothing today than they were 20 years ago
Read MoreWe are excited to Introduce you to our Student of The month Lacie Schwend. She's been taking our Online Fashion Sewing and Beginning Pattern Making with Christine in our Online Fashion Studies program. Lacie lives in Wyoming and has a really interesting background. We love her Cruella Costume that she made, using techniques she learned in class with Christine.
Read MoreI’ve been teaching kids about fashion and sewing, now for almost 15 years. It’s a joy for me to see the excitement children bring to the classroom, while they learn to use the sewing machine and sew their own clothes. It’s both a technical skill as well as creative experience which uses all sides of their brains and gets them super jazzed as they progress from one level to the next. The thing they need most in this beginning stage (which could last years - more on that later) is Encouragement! Encouragement might look a little different from a parent's perspective than it does from a child’s point of view.
Let’s talk a little bit about the process in relation to kids.
Read MoreI've been sewing now for more than 40 years (yikes!) Starting at age seven and sewing ever since. All that practice informed the way I understand how clothing gets made. Spending years reading patterns, prepared me for design school and I was much more SEWING-ABLE than many of my peers. Here are 5 reasons why it's crucial to get this skill cultivated early:
Read MoreDesigning your own fashion collection can be very exciting. Putting your big ideas out into the world is amazing. But what happens when it doesn’t go exactly as planned? Your pattern maker didn’t understand your sketch and your samples turned out wonky or the factory made decisions counter to your ideas. Being a designer is hard sometimes! But it doesn’t have to be hard, if you know a thing or two about how the manufacturing process works & how to communicate properly with your team even if it’s just your mom sewing up or helping to sew up your designs.
Read MoreDesigner Tayma Martins has been working with instructor, Christine Knobel for the last while. Christine and I were really impressed with her drive and work ethic and have both fallen in love with the nostalgic chic of her fashion collection. We hope you enjoy this interview with this budding designer
Read MoreMost seasoned sewers share the memory of their first shaky, uneven, hand-stitches; though imperfect, they were the beginning of a lifelong love of the craft. Whether taught by mother, grandmother, or all on your own, those fond memories of the pride we took in early projects speak to just how impactful sewing can be for children.
Sewing is an ideal hobby for children to pick up -- it’s both fun and functional, and the basics are easy for even younger kids to learn. Your own experience and the most basic elements of your sewing basket are all you’ll need to teach them, and it’s the perfect project to dive into on a rainy day.
Read MoreAre you spending more time at home than ever before? Sure, being cooped up comes with some downsides, but you don’t have to allow yourself to become stir-crazy. You can make the most of your self-isolation by picking up a few new skills.
Whether you’re aiming to turn your newly acquired skills into a career or simply want to fill your time with productive activities, learning something new can add joy and excitement to your routine. Here are some fun skills worth learning while self-isolating in 2021.
Read MoreThis month I wanted to highlight one of our former adult illustration students who is putting out some amazing work. Here is a little bit more about Alisa in her own words:
Read MoreIn 2019, I started an online search for sewing, fashion, art.
I found The Sewing Room! I would look through the classes and feel super excited thinking when I was going to take a class! Then one day while perusing Jennifer's website, I saw Fashion Illustrating with instructor Julie Ann. "WOW," I thought to myself, "gosh, that's so cool- fashion illustrating!" I cannot express how thrilled I was about this class offering. I felt so lucky to have found this opportunity at The Sewing Room.
When you’re spending most of your time at home, being able to send the kids outside to play can relieve boredom for them and provide a much-needed break for you. If it’s snowing or raining outside, or simply much too cold, you may need to come up with some alternative ways for your children to have fun and stay occupied. In fact, you may want to prepare for the colder months ahead by keeping these ideas in mind to keep those blustery days less stressful.
Read MoreAnd the Zero Waste Saga Continues. This week, I want to talk about the grocery store and grocery bags. It really rubbed me the wrong way when we had to give up our reusable bags over Quarantine. I'm so glad we can use them again. Here are a few ways you can do your part to avoid plastic bags and single-use plastics while you are shopping:
Recently, our very own Julie Ann Brown reached out to fashion illustrator artist Velicia Gourdin for an interview. She asked ten great questions. We hope you enjoy Velicia’s answers and her AMAZING illustrations below. She is such a talented artist and illustrator!
Read MoreEmbroidery is an age-old art that has existed as early as 5th century B.C. It is the process of adding accents to clothing for design and aesthetic purposes. Once a delicate craft that can be done only by hand, thanks to modern technology, embroidery can now be completed using an embroidery machine.
With an embroidery machine, you can do different kinds of stitches and choose pre-made designs or accents. Similar to a sewing machine, these tools have a bobbin and a spool placed inside a hook which is used to form the stitches. Machine embroidery designs are responsible for some of the breathtakingly beautiful accents we see on towels, pillowcases, sweaters, and other items made of cloth.
Read MoreOriginally posted on Porch.com
June 8, 2020
Whether you love to sew, embroider, or paint, having a craft space is a great way to get creative at home. From a spare bedroom to a spot over the garage, you can create the crafting area of your dreams with a few tips and tricks. Of course, if you don’t have an extra room, you can always create a “craft station” in your office or living room. Read on to discover some easy ways you can transform a part of your home to make it a crafting getaway you’ll love.
Read MoreIt may be hard to imagine how STEM, (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) can have much to do with the mundane experience of Sewing. Upon further investigation, you might be surprised. Sewing directly involves Math, Engineering and Science. And, technology can be incorporated into the sewing process with the use of circuiting and led lighting effects as well as computerized machines and programmed embroidery. But even on a more basic level, Sewing encompasses a myriad of STEM principles.
Read MoreWith school closures in effect because of the coronavirus, most parents are scrambling to find activities for their children. And depending on where you live, the weather might not always be cooperative so your children can get out to play. Don’t worry though, there are still plenty of opportunities to keep them entertained while they’re inside. Better yet, you can even sneak a few educational moments into these playful tasks.
Read MoreSustainability is a word that's been getting flung around a lot in the past few years. It's definition is: Noun, The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. In terms of fashion and sewing I'm looking at Sustainability as the "avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance" (quoted from Siri after I asked her). We are in a Climate Crisis. It's real and it overwhelming.
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