a pieced and quilted life

serge me.

now that i'm 33...

(i just wanted to say that...)

okay...let me be the first to admit i love saying 33...but that's not what this post is about...entirely. i finally got my birthday present!

 

i don't want to go on and on about the why's etc., let's just say that i've been bouncing the idea around in my head for about 9 months or so...and finally...decided that i was just going to do it.

truth is...i want to be able to make my own clothes. clothes that i want to wear. clothes that fit my lifestyle (which is admittedly slumpadinka-ish...but who cares). 

i want knits. knits. knits. and knits scare the life outta me. sewing wise. but wearing wise...oooh i just love them. 

i'd been collecting episodes of sewing with nancy on my tivo for too long...and finally decided just do it.

because we've all been sick..i haven't had quite the chance to use it and play with it like i want to...

but i will share this:

it is sooooooooooooo much easier than i thought it would be. i mean really.

 

i un-threaded...and re-threaded and converted the serger all by my lonesome...while sick...with a splitting headache...and in-ept instructions...while sleepy...and in the dark.

just kidding...about the dark...i had dim light.

i love this machine so far. i strongly say to anyone out there searching for a good entry level serger with some room to grow...look at the singer professional 5 serger. (put those singer worries aside)

it rocks.

 

it's solid...it does a ton of stitches...its versatile...and its not too hard to figure out (even with the absolutely horrible manual). i'm extremely happy i went for it...and i think i got a great deal...i got mines at hsn.com for $599 with all the extra feet...and free shipping. (and a no-interest 5 month flex pay...woohoo!)

it is by far the best deal that i found out there...concerning this model...and these particular set of features.

 

it does chain stitch, a double and triple cover stitch, along with all the other customary serging stitches. the tension has been a breeze thus far to set and adjust...and threading it has not been the nightmare i'd been expecting. (honestly learning to knit socks has been way worse...life times ahead).

i haven't technically "used" it...to make something yet...so i can't fully review it...but i've played around on tons of scrap fabric and so far...so good.

i can't believe the local sewing shop (you know the one's in jo'ann's...was going to charge me $60 per 1 day class!!! to get to know her...yeah...right...i did not fall for that!) i urge all you timid, beginning, first-time serger buyers to do your research...and just jump in....don't be scared. it really isn't as bad as i thought it was...and so it may not be as bad as you think it will be too. (unless i'm over-pumping it up...but i don't think so)

oooh...and buy some good books...i bought them before i choose which model i was going to buy...that way i knew what i really wanted...and what i didn't.

these are the books i have:

1. the ultimate serger answer guide, by naiomi baker

2. serger secrets: high fashion techniques for great looking clothes, by mary griffin

i wish i could say that these are the best serger books out there...but i'm sure there are better...for whatever reason at the time these are just the ones that i happened to buy, and so far i really like them. true enough they are very dated, but the good thing is that just means the fashions are dated...the content is still very much on point.

 

i'm hoping this weekend to be making my first serger sewn garment...i'm aiming for a t-shirt first..from there i'll venture out to other things like dresses, etc. but i'll start there first.

in other news...bag news....

if your wondering about quejimenez...the bags...i'm slowly leaning back into it. i'm going to change things around a bit..(the way i run the business)...seeking to have more creative balance in my life...and i want to be able to offer more...so its taking me some time to iron out the details (in my mind), to get my heart ready to do it all again, to find the time (with what life's thrown at me in the last month), and to get a running start. i'm aiming to create a light website here...with the kid's being sick and all that's had to wait a bit...and i'm looking to be a bit more "creative," "looser" and balanced...

like i said...i'm "leaning into it" i find that approach to life much more better...

okay...

i'm back to work...well mommy work...not sewing/serger work.

luv love luve, ki 

the once was a young lady who....lived in a shoe..she had so many hobbies...she didn't know what to do!

truth be told, not blogging regularly un-nerves me. i'm a lady of many words, many thoughts and oft times many endeavors.

that latter one would explain my un-intentional absence here. this sunday is the final day of 2 of my 3 classes, which means...i'm in the midst of "finals," also, i had another art show to do..."saturation" which always rocks. and um...let's see....homeschooling, husbandry...etc.

let me just cut to the chase and share what i'm working on...pictures first, explanations last!

"chicken$#*!"

"cramps suck buttocks"...close-up

me @ saturation...

the whole "outfit" 

...what's on my easel

a good "overall" picture of the painting (in progress)

one of my favorite areas...i worked for about 5 hours on the sky...and about 3+ on the heart wings

spending time looking for texture, lines and definition of my thoughts:

texture & lines

a beautiful ceiling...

thinking...

the three(two) of us...

and finally...

suede moccasains, with leather sole...100% handmade

a new obsession...shoemaking.

who would of thought...i guess i would of. 

while talking to my sis, and sharing my joy of making vegan 3muskateer nougat (you know the candy bar?) i began talking about who knows what...which somehow lead to me still being interrested in leather work...which lead to me wanting to make moccasains...which lead to me and the kids driving to the leather shop for supplies...which lead to these and *very sore fingers...and a new obsession.

yeap...i'm adding shoemaking to my repertoire. crazy? nope...just passionately driven to create...in every manner possible. flexing my creative muscles, stretching and developing my artistic brain.

who says i can't do it all? i sure didn't. 

i'll make them for my daughter...who *loves* them, my mother who covets them, nina who wants maryjane mocs (which i've already started making a pattern for), my neice if she doesn't let middle school politics and fashion get in the way of individuality...and you if you want some!

and for all the vegans...i'm already thinking about vegan versions...think linen...and what ever other wonderful material i can find...maybe bamboo...or canvas...

about the pictures above...

the first is of a quilt...that i made for saturation. this is me at my best...raw! there is so much to appreciate in this quilt! so much to see...textures, words, poems, drawings...weavings...hand stiching....its just a bunch of me...notice the little pocket filled with hearts that says "cramps suck buttocks?" well, that's just "chicken$#*!" if you ask me...i'll have to do some flikr pics just for this...with all the little hidden things to appreciate in that quilt of quilts.

the second is me wearing a dress from this post. i !love! it...so slumpadinka...yet so cute to me...and again so "raw" i love sewn things that are "raw" undone...and "off" 

the third set is of what's currently in progress on my easel...next to my bed. i'm so in love with this painting...oh my land...there is still many hours left to go on it...so much that needs to be done...but what i've got that's done so far...i love. (the sky, the heart...some parts of the face) she still needs her eyeballs, her gilded earrings, a room to stand in...maybe darkening of her dress...and perhaps some embleshishments...and some more facial decoration. oh and yeah the pastey(sp?) bones may need some work...as you can see...many hours left to go on this one...

the fourth set...some shots i took while hanging around back to the grind...during saturation art fest...i have many more that'll probably go on flickr...

and the last...well i talked about that...a new obsession!

what is not pictured? what has not gotten done... the vegan candybars and oreos, the gingerbread cake, the new leather purse design i'm working on (all leather...think tooled mexican purse..updated) and ummm...a tired me.

good news? once these classes are over sunday...and my work turned in...finals taken...i'll be on a roll. heck i better...i got bread i wanna make, lasagna i wanna make, christmas gifts...oh the list just goes on...

and lastly...do you twitter?

i do...i'm addicted...and i use it to blog...when i can't do "this" write and update tons of pictures...so when i'm silent here...i'm going on and on and on there...follow me...if you'd like...and i'll follow u!

okay...e's down my throat...i said i'd be done "in 15 minutes" about 45 minutes ago...its 10:31pm and me and him have not had dinner yet...so i'd better be off...before he gets tired of waiting and eat without me...we normally eat around 6/7pm...i've been shoemaking all night!

okay...shut up ki! sign off already!

hope all of you are doing well...sending you love y peace!

paz,

ki

if i made clothes...

its hard to say just what they would be...like.

i love handmade clothes that look hand-made. give me layers and movement, textures, patterns and colors. give me art...that feels good, looks sexy...yet doesn't overly state the point. give me slump-a-dinka sexy/cute

i've made a few things for myself...and i'm thinking about *sharing? take a look...

(*that means selling)

baby doll dress...

this dress i love...i'll have to have e take a picture of me in it. it is really big, sort of long on me...comes to my knees or a little below, but the waist tie cinches it in, and gives it definition at the waist. it falls off the shoulders (80's flash style) and gives a lot of shoulder skin...enough to be sexy, but not to much.

its something i could paint in, run around in...yet still feel comfortable (slumpa dinka style) and somewhat sexy. it can be layered over leggings, long t's, tank tops, jeans...

a little art...

i love mexican embroidered flowers...on clothes...here's my take.

a little funk-tion...

the stitching line belt...gives it definition...but also makes it funky...

clearly wearing my heart on my sleeve!:

the first experiment...i never got around to doing more to it...i kinda like it plain

what's the use of having a big tender heart...if you don't display it?

and finally my love affair with flowers...vines...leaves...

embelishing a tee...

thread painted, hand colored and dyed...i bet you can't tell i dyed this tee ecru can you?

i love the leaves on the neckline...e asked before i put it on...will that work? 

men? after i put it on..."it works" i tell him..."of course it would!"

this was taken from this painting...

painting still waiting to get finished!

my house is covered with vines...so they always serve as some sort of metaphor...in my work...

the outside of my living room...

a different vine is growing up along my bedroom window...and i've layed in my bed and watched hummingbirds come and feed in the tubular flowers...how can i not be inspired?

can i make clothes that are an extension of my art?

i've been wrestling with the idea for quite some time...my bags were my first approach...and somehow i'm learning how to translate it into clothes. 

sometimes i ask myself if i have the patience to learn how to "make-clothes," you know draft my own patterns, drape..etc. and i always answer no. (from somebody who use to want to be an architect? construction is construction)

but!

recently i found a local college (about 30-35 minutes away) that not only offers an assoiciates in studio arts (which i'm definitely doing yay!) but also offers a degree in clothing construction. pattern making, draping, textiles...you name it the whole enchilada.

all morning while working on bags...i argued with myself like a mad woman. literally talking aloud...yes...ki why not...no ki...you love art...yes ki you can make "art clothes"...no ki you don't have the patience...yes ki...you can learn anything.

i came to the conclusion, that i would finish up the art degree first ( i only need 5 art classs) and then, once i have (re-taken) all my g.e.'s i'll spend a year or two studying clothing construction.

but honestly, even as i type this...i'm scared. i don't want to move away from painting and i'm scared i would. i don't want to deal with snooty fashionistas 'cause i could care less about designers...etc. i don't want to deal with the competition...i'm not trying to be a designer...i just want to know how to turn art into clothes. find another avenue to be creative that can maybe relieve the financial pressure off e in hard times like now.

i just want to be an artist.

i think of how picasso worked across so many mediums...from painting to sculpture, gouache to oils...you name it. i think to myself...i can work across mediums...can't i? make jewelry and paintings, clothes and bags, acrylic and linoprints...quilts and photography...ceramics...why not?

what does it mean to be an artist...to me ?...to create. to create art. to create with a purpose. period.

one medium influences another. i've seen it happen within my work. within others.

at the end of all that...i still don't know...i'm "fly by night" when it comes to creating...i follow my heart and instincts...some times that means this...sometimes that. i may just do like e says and take a class...if i like it? take another...and so on. worse case scenario...i learn how to draft a pattern or drape. heck draping comes in handy in painting. 

so in the end...

if i made clothes...they would be art. may not be your fancy...my only tickle mines...but they would have to be a piece of art. art is subjective...so is fashion.

i like art, i don't particularly like "fashion"...i could care less. 

"here we go yo, here we go yo. so what's the what's the scenereo...a yo bo ki know this, and bo ki knows that...but bo ki don't know jack cause bo ki can't rap..."

just call me bo jackson...however i did use to rap in my college days...freestyle with the guys...don't let me dig up some pictures....

time to go put on my teaching hat...

paz,

ki

i got a question for you? what are your talents...in a dream world what crazy things do you do..that you'd love to combine?

(did i just write an essay? i guess school is rubbing off on me)

Shlumpadinka a.k.a. slump-a-dinka

in this post i told you all that i was going to seriously hunker down and become a:

shlumpadinka a.k.a. slump-a-dinka

some of you didn't know what i was talking about.

nina to the rescue.

she went online...and got some "official" definitions.

see here.

a slump-a-dinka....(in my words) is a woman, be it mama, or wife, stay-at-home mother, or working mom...crafty chica, artist extradoinaire...or cooking master...single woman or "just engaged"...grandmother or twenty-something...

who:

has no time, no energy, or no care...to get dolled up to get what she needs to get done. she ain't got time to put on that pretty outfit that makes it look that she just got done doing yoga, she ain't got no cute matching track suits with the shoes to match to make going to the grocery store...going to get the mail...or playing outside in the dirt with the kids look like a wonderful sporting event.

she does not always wear the pretty aprons that she crafts up...because...while cleaning the toilet, washing the clothes, putting the kids toys back into the organizing bin that stays empty for the 27th time that day...or making yet another peanut-butter and jelly sandwich...or whipping up some cupcakes, cookies, or dinner...she doesn't have time! cause i'm sure the kids done done something with the apron anyway! not to mention...does she want to spill bleach on the apron? does she want it covered with juice, jelly or milk?

slump-a-dinka...knows that she can "pull-it together" when she needs to. but while she is homeschooling, cooking, baking, painting, sewing, grocery shopping, carrying the kids to practice, gardening, cleaning dirty noses, putting band-aids on yet another "ouie," making dinner, washing clothes, blogging...

her focus is "getting it done" and she' knows she's just "keeping it real."

so that's what its about...keeping it real, sharing and saying...

i may not look like it...but! i got it going on...cause i'm taking care of home...and this is what it looks like.

me and nina often...while video im'ing fashionably model our slump-a-dinka 'fits for eachother...proudly. we love ourselves and eachother...with our scarfs...or bras from the breast feeding days (two years ago), or "man-beaters" and boxers...or (not pink) sweatpants from wal-mart or tar-jay....or "recycled" outdated fashion clothes from before kids when we could afford to buy clothes...every season.

you'll often catch me in tank dresses from high-school, 13 years ago, e's boxers, old t-shirts that have so many holes e has begged me to throw them away...and the winter...oh the winter it gets worse.

my wonderful grandmother has even contributed to my slump-a-dinka-ness. just last month while i was visiting her she gave me a *few mu-mu's and blanket dresses for the winter. she even *bought* me a matching pink and black track-suit (label free) for when i want to "look nice."

i'll leave you with three pictures taken from phootobooth on my mac. all different days...

before the locks...i wore a scarf all day...every day. this is me waking up in bed. no make-up. nothing. (as if that's something new...i consider chapstick make-up...its all i add)

a few months ago, judging by the locks probably feb. middle day, the mess behind me that the kids re-make daily. this is in the kitchen.

this is me...right now. and yes that is the same tank-top that i had on in this post, just a few days ago. i haven't worn it everyday...but i recycled it last night...before it gets washed, might as well get some use out of it. this is in my sewing room/studio. the kids made a mess in here last night while i was sleeping.

i have more pictures to share...i'm thinking i'm going to start a photo album. sounds like a good idea to me. me and nina plan on having a slump-a-dinka posting day every week...maybe you'll join us.

next up?

the slump-a-dinka house...yeap you know what i'm talking about..what your house really looks like. we've talked about that too. hince "the imperfect home" kinda of like "litttle corners of my home" but a bit more real and raw...

we'll talk about that in another post.

okay...time to get out of my slump-a-dinka wears, eat breakfast, and go do my saturday errands...

lots more to come later...but until then, be comfortable...and keep it real!

paz,

ki

p.s. i've got some home-schooling stuff to share too...and maybe be baking up something special today...stay tuned!