Tatiana Supports the Arts

Category Archives: sewing

My 4-Spooled Dreams

September 9, 2008

I seem to have misinformed myself. I hate it when that happens. For over a year I’ve been putting off getting a serger (also known as an overlock machine) because of my misconception that the average machine would put me out about a thousand big ones. Turns out, this was a pretty inaccurate estimate.

I found this little guy on sale for $269.99 on the Joanns website. And hey! Is that Martha Stewart I see smiling there on the page endorsing this machine? I think it is. Am I sold? Not quite yet. I currently have a Singer sewing machine, and my mom has my Babunia’s ancient Singer sewing machine from the old days. I still think we should take that thing to Antiques Roadshow. That would be so much fun. But anyway, that was a little beside my point. I’m a pretty loyal Singer customer, as my machine has done me well for the past 3 years. (Knocks on wood). The crazy old ladies in my sewing class last year seemed to have issues about my machine, saying that their Husqvarna and Bernina machines were superior. But my stance is this: the tools you use don’t matter as much as what you are able to create with them. And frankly, their crap was not any better than my crap. So there you go.

I’m going to be moving soon, so I think I will get a little more serious about this purchase in a month or so.

In other news, and in anticipation of moving, I have been giving more thought to the current decoration scheme in my apartment. Which is totally a joke because there is none. (Enter pre-recorded studio audience laughter here). In efforts to make my apartment a place I love to be (more than I already do), I think I’m going to fill my share of the space with photography by my two favorite Etsy photographers:

sixhours Photography

she hit pause studios

Check em out. Support independent artists. Support etsy sellers in general.

Also posted in antique, photography – 3 Comments

You are an obsession, You’re my obsession

August 13, 2008

Recently, the Fair was in Orange County, and of course I had to go and eat my share of things that are bad for me. Apart from that indulgence, I was treated to a visual array of eye candy. No, I’m not talking about boys. Well maybe I am, as I was accompanied by a rather cute one. But no. I am referring to, naturally, the arts and crafts contests. And more specifically… the table settings contest. It was neat. Some of them were beyond bad, but this contest in junction with my daily dose of DesignSponge have been brainwashing me into caring more about what my living space looks like. This being said, I have been constantly brainstorming ideas for place mats. I know, it sounds lame, but I’m excited to make some. Kinda like these I found on etsy.com…

except mine will be different/cuter and I’m thinking of incorporating some rick rack, because I’m old school like that.

Of course, I cannot talk about the OC Fair without mentioning that my roommate, the amazing KENDRA, won 1st place in the memorabilia contest! You go girl! I’m such a proud roomie. As the description says (photo to be added later), she has collected over 100 Vivien Leigh items. That’s a lot of old stuff… and a lot of hard earned cash spent on that old stuff. Homegirl is going to be able to fill a museum soon. We should start charging when people come over to visit.

In other news, in addition to my ongoing attempts to finish reading the legendary Harry Potter series (I’m still on book 5), I am reading Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants by Jill Soloway

At first, when reading through her 3 introductions, I got kind of annoyed with her cocky tone. A friend of mine got me this book for my birthday via my amazon wish list. I think I added it to my wish list because at the time I was really into reading as much feminist-y stuff as possible. I think the beginning of the book frustrated me because I felt like Jill was one of those feminists who give feminists a bad name, in my opinion. They think they know everything, and they think everyone who disagrees with them are inferior. Which, you know, is kind of lame. BUT. I continued reading and soon realized that I am actually really liking this book. It reminds me of Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. So if you liked that book, you’d most likely enjoy this one. Anyway, I have about 50 pages to go. Oh, I’m on Goodreads, and highly recommend it if you like to keep track of what you’ve read, and/or like to see what your friends are reading.

Also posted in books, contest, crafts, exhibit, feminism, orange county – 1 Comment

CH-Ch-ch-CHANGES!

August 4, 2008

It’s kind of appropriate, I think, for change to occur during the summertime. Year after year throughout adolescence we are conditioned to expect and anticipate change during the summer season because of graduations, friends moving on to bigger and better things, and of course the inevitable bridal wave. Every summer I think, “wow, so much is changing.” But I think this summer has taken the prize. Two friends got married. New job. The new apartment come September. My little sisters growing up to be intelligent young women, who are way cooler than I am (I think they’re already smarter than me too). And the list goes on.

On a less sentimental note, I’ve been working on a lot of projects for a lot of people, all at the same time… so I feel like it’s taking me long to finish them. I just need to keep focused. I’ve been listening to a lot of Crystal Castles and the Ting Tings, which is helping. I have a pile of aprons in my closet that I need to photograph and get up on Etsy asap.

In other news… the second Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie comes out on Wednesday! You better believe I will be there. Omg. I recently finished the third book. So good. Oh, and I still need to see The Wackness, with Mary Kate Olson, and that documentary American Teen. Looks like I will be donating a lot of my hard earned money to Hollywood this week.

Also posted in film – 2 Comments

Open Source Sewing

May 7, 2008

I am all about open source. From open source code, to creative commons, you name it. I think it’s great. Recently I’ve stumbled upon this amazing website.

If you haven’t visited it already, DO IT NOW! BurdaStyle.com is a great way to obtain patterns for FREE. Yes, free. Amazing. You can search for patterns based on difficulty level (Very Easy to Hard) or by garment type. All you need to do is register and own a printer (or have a generous friend who owns a printer), and you’re making your own stuff for close to nothing! As in, ZERO DOLLARS. I’m all about saving the moola.

Speaking of saving moola, if you’re interested in reading how you can become a more conscious consumer visit this lady’s blog for some nifty ideas: You Might As Well Burn $5!

Also, in recent weeks I have become more motivated about supporting local agriculture, and basically just trying to maintain a healthier diet. I have joined my roommate in purchasing all of our produce (fruits and veggies) from our local CSA (ours is http://www.southcoastfarms.com/csa.htm but you can find out which CSA is most local to you and more info here). I say give it a whirl. I think it’s great so far. Granted, the baskets come with some really weird stuff. Alien-like plants/vegetables that look like they might eat me before I eat them (ok, I’m exaggerating a little, but kohlrabi is intimidating). Anyway, figuring out how to cook with new things is always a great learning experience. Mmmm and a yummy one. Go check it out.

Also posted in food – 1 Comment

A visitor from the North, and my quest for the perfect jumper.

February 20, 2008

This weekend was an amazing weekend for two reasons:
1.) I went to the Getty with two of my favorite people.
and
2.) Joann’s was having an AMAZING sale on Simplicity patterns… 5 for $5! What up.

My good friend Marissa ventured down from the splendid North (Rohnert Park, CA to be exact) to hang out and bond. Marissa and I discovered a tradition that we have of always visiting museums when we spend time together. In the past we’ve visited the SF MOMA, the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art, the DeYoung Museum, and the list goes on. This time, since she flew into LAX, we hopped over to the J. Paul Getty Museum. What a perfect day. The weather was beautiful, and the museum was not at all crowded. The Getty has a handful of exhibits currently running, but here are a few that I thought were worth mentioning:

The Goat’s Dance: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide -

This exhibit showcases the photography of Graciela Iturbide, from the barrios of Los Angeles to the wide open spaces of Sonora, Mexico. She captures the in-your-face nature of the cholos and cholas from the infamous White Fence and Maravillas gangs of East LA. The subjects of her photographs are compelling and allow us a glimpse into their dynamic world.

Consuming Passion: Fragonard’s Allegories of Love -

I absolutely loved these pieces, and I loved seeing the process in making pieces of such detail. The Getty provides not only the finished paintings for our viewing pleasure, but includes some original sketches and/or drafts and variations of the pieces. Very neat experience.

Alas, my Friday spent at the Getty came and went. The two hours we spent in pre-rush hour traffic back to Huntington could have been worse. I, of course, played my Shirley Temple’s Greatest Hits CD… but soon realized that I was the only one enjoying it. Needless to say, it did not help. Luckily we talked up a storm and passed the time the best we could.

Every now and then I get an itch to create an addition to my wardrobe. Usually this itch is a result of disappointing selections at clothing stores. My quest this time is to create the perfect jumper. The jumper is something I struggle with. Why? Well, for one, it can easily look like a Muumuu. And secondly it can make one look very juvenile- and being the youngest person in my workplace, looking more juvenile than I already do is not ideal. So, I have been doing some research. Luckily for me, Joann’s had an amazing sale on Simplicity patterns yesterday. I bought 10 patterns for $10! Woo woo. So here is the pattern I am using for my jumper:

I basically finished it last night, save for a few details that need some hand sewing, but I still feel like it looks a bit muumuu-ish. So, after perusing the good old internet I’ve found some inspiring jumpers:

I really like this jumper by Chloe. I like the bagginess, and the way the garment is styled with the collared undershirt.

I really like the way this jumper bubbles at the bottom, but not in the typical “bubble skirt” kind of way. I might utilize this technique.

The “Maeby Jumper” by Mooka Kinney, a dress designing duo from New York. I absolutely love what they do. Totally inspiring.