Saturday, May 31, 2014

I'm back Baby!


Im going to try this again!
My husband bought me a great new DSLR camera so I can finally have great photos/videos to share.

What's in the works?

Pattern making
Upcyle sewing
Girls plus size clothes
How to save money and still feed your fabric addiction 
English paper piecing (EPP)
Shopping for surgers 
Art quilts
How to get the biggest bang for your buck when buying fabric
Dying fabric 
Fun with dreadlocks

Coming Soon!







Sunday, May 30, 2010

I am going Back to School: For my BA in Fashion Design

Yes I am doing it!
I have been wanting to do this for years now. About 8 years ago I started looking for some way to go to "sewing school" but I could not find anything. It never accrued to me that I had to look for "Fashion Design". I thought of fashion design as drawing and designing only with someone else doing all the sewing, but I was wrong. A few years ago I finally realized this fact. They do teach you every aspect of sewing even hand stitches for fine couture work. Along with pattern making by hand and CAD, draping, construction of all kinds and the business side of things. Exactly what I wanted. The problem, I now had three children under 9 and I was not about to run off to school everyday, and deal with my poor health at the same time NO WAY. So I looked into On Line schools but the quality just was not there in Fashion programs and besides it's sewing I need to SEE what I am being taught. So as I was about to give up I got a phone call from a school right here in Sacramento only two miles from my house. I never noticed it before it is a privet school with locations all over the country with a small branch right around the corner from me. The International Academy of Design and Technology. I checked it out inside and out looked into every complaint I found online (there were few but they were stupid), I then took a tour and read over the catalog and asked tons of questions so far so good. They offered an AA and BA in Fashion as well as many other design programs. A BA in 36mo sounded great but I still did not want to be away from home 4-5 days a week but IADT is great for that I am able to take general Ed classes online at home as well as some of the core lecture classes and then go to the school just 2 days for only 4 hours for lab and hands on work, and you can take classes at 8am-12pm 1pm-5pm or 6pm-10pm. But even with my online classes you can go to campus and sit in on a class or sit down with instructors for help. But what really impressed me was the high tech state of the art learning. Plus anytime after you graduate you can come back and take a class or just come in to learn new technologies in your Major. I also loved that 30 (my age) is the median age and I would not just be in classes with 17-23 year olds, there is even a woman near 70y old in the fashion program.
I was sold and I start June 7th. Now if I can just get through college algebra!!!

_______Vanna D

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Green Crafts

Lately I have been on the search for great Green crafts from sewing to woodworking. My eldest son (the inventor) 8 3/4 year old Izaak and my Little Diva Ashley 6 3/4 years old are on a huge Recycle, Renew, and Reuse kick. I love it, I was doing it before it was cool.

long before all those shows on the TLC and Discovery networks on taking the old and making it new and better than ever my mom was doing just that. She had a great way of taking a few dollars and turning it into something that looked like a million bucks. From finding Channel at the thrift store or finding a fabulous pair of shoes for 75% off she always found a way to save a buck. She showed me the value of recycling, renewing and reusing things you already have or can get for cheap. Now I apply it in other things and it is much easier then i was 20 years ago. Recycled yarns are my latest find. From recycled silk from Nepal, repurposed cotton and fair trade yarns as well as fabrics that are giving jobs and hope to families in third world countries. All of these things work for me because I like to work with materials like me different, exotic, interesting, flexible, colorful and maybe a little odd too.

In the world of exotic goods cost goes sky high and so does availability that’s why they are so sought after. So when a crafter wants to create a unique item it has been difficult if not impossible to get hold of. That is changing quickly, Bamboo, Hemp, Silks and yarns from animals most of us have never heard of are available to all.
In Saramento My Favorite Yarn Shop is  Shelbys Place it is located in North Natomas section of Sacramento CA in a new bigger location and her new shop will soon have a buyers reward card so the more you buy the more you save.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

FREE Project Crafts or Sewing Pattern

Tell me what you would like to learn most!
I have been sewing and crafting most of my life and Love to teach. I find that everywhere I go when people find out what I do they say "Man I wish I was creative", "I wish I could sew", or I made this or that when I was such & such age "I wish I could do it again", I have a sewing machine my ___ gave me but hardly know how to use it".
Well I am here to help! FREE
I am just starting in the blogging world and I need your help too, I need to write tutorials you want to start to quilt, sew, or make something cool out of so called junk around the house like all the crafty soccer moms are doing these days. Like turning that old treasured record into a cool clock for about $3 and 10 min. Maybe fix a rip in a expensive pair of jeans your son/daughter just had to have an now wont wear and fix it in a way that there snooty friends would Never know.
Please leave your request in the comment area or email me

VannaDCreations@Yahoo.com

Monday, September 21, 2009

Bag-O-Holic Bag Swap: See My Progress


I have just picked out my fabrics and settled on a design. I decided (as I can NEVER do anything the easy way) to use No pattern and just make it all up as I go! I use this technique For most of my projects but never a bag/purse.etc... so I am quite excited to see the result. My best work comes when I just start cutting and sewing.
My Swap partner has much of the same taste as I do the only important difference is that I prefer a more elegant style (wanting to be the cool looking mom) and she prefers a more relaxed style. It is not the same as when you create a design for a client, then they directly choose all the colors, style and hardware. for this swap you get a basic idea of what they like, love and Hate, then you take it from there. I wish clients were that easy!

OK Photos in the next two day Promise.

VannaD
& Check out the Swap Host @ www.madebypetchy.blogspot.com


Sunday, September 13, 2009

50+ Ways to Up/Recycle old jeans *Skill Level* Super Easy - Advanced Beginer

I will be adding to this list as the days go by then when I reach 50+ I welcome any reader to pick one or more that you would like to see a tutorial on. I will then take the top 10 work on each project and bring you 10 new tutorials.

Vanna D

1. Kids size Jeans from Adult size jeans
2. Rag Quilts
3. Jean pockets to cover rips & mends in jeans (#1 with my kids)
4. Appliques
5. Skirt
6. Bags/Purses
7. Floor Rugs
8. Oven Mitts
9. Vest
10. Apron
11. Repair rips or holes with Aplique
12. Add band or ruffle att bottom to add length
13. Make a doggie bed
14. Cover books, or notebooks
15. Shoe makeover
16. Craft, sewing, or locker orginizer
17. Binding
18. Upholstered  Headboard
19. Belt
20. Leash
21. Purse or bag batting for stiffness and stability
22. Doll clothes
23. Pet toys
24. Pet Clothes
25.Yoga/workout mat bag
26. COMING SOON

Enjoy these photos I Googled All made from Old Jeans!