Sewing Pattern Reading

With the world of technology, there’s practically nothing you can’t learn about or learn more about on the internet.  This is a great thing for me because I am a very visual learner.  With the help of Youtube and other various websites and blogs I am able to learn a lot about the crafts I am interested.  I learned how to crochet solely by watching great Youtube tutorials on the craft.  So in thinking about how helpful Youtube is to a crafter, I thought I would start sharing some of my favorite videos with you on crafts I do and even some I don’t.  I hope you will find something of interest to you through these videos.

I am trying to relearn how to sew.  It might not be the best thing to be learning on a such a small scale, doll clothing for those who don’t know, but I’m a glutton for a good challenge.  So back in high school when I was taught about sewing, I was never taught how to properly read a pattern.  Oh sure I knew what “cut 2” meant, but there are other parts of the pattern that I didn’t know or understand about until a video I saw yesterday about it.  Curious what I mean?  Have a look at this neat and informative video below.

Short and sweet and too the point.  There were some tips in there I hadn’t hear of before, which will be great knowing now when I try to sew for myself in the new year.  This is just another great example on how Youtube, among many other places, can be super helpful to you in a craft you already love or a craft you are just dying to learn.

Now, if you aren’t a fan of Youtube, especially after their “improvements”, you can still find some great videos out there.  You’ll have to use Google or whatever search engine you prefer.  Go to the search line and type one of two things.  For this example I will use sewing, but of course you will use whatever you are looking for.  In the search line you can type “how to put in a dart”, I find it’s best to put all lower case because upper case can sometimes have them looking only for links with upper case while lower case tends to look through them all.  After you type that and it loads the page, you simply click on your video link at the top of the page and various videos will pop up.  You will of course have Youtube videos show up in the mix, but you will have other options as well.

Now another way you can try searching is typing in the search bar “how to put in a dart+video” or “ “how to put in a dart+video” “.  Now the first option will tell the site you are searching for a video, but it will kind of search for all the words individually.  You will more than likely get videos of how to put in darts in clothing, but don’t be surprised if you get videos on how to put in a dartboard or how to play darts or some other crazy stuff.  Now with the second option that has quotation marks around the phrase, this is telling the site you want to search for the phrase exactly how it is.  Now this will return fewer search results but it will get you closer to your goal of what you are looking for.  These tips will work for any kind of search not just for crafting videos.  But yeah, this search should get your exposed to the various websites and blogs out there that also host crafting videos.

Another suggestion I have is if you know a craft really well and feel you can teach really well you should make a video.  I guarantee people will watch your videos.  There are people looking videos and they need you to make them.  If/when I get to the point I feel I know a craft well enough I will make a video for sure.   Now don’t worry, I’m not asking you to give away your trade secrets, just some hints and tips that are general knowledge or things you don’t use now in your work but used to use with success.  Also, if you watch one of these amazing videos, be sure to pay it forward by “liking” the video and leaving a quick comment to thank the artist/crafter for their tutorial and sharing it with the world.  If we want more videos in the future we have to let those who make them know we appreciate the time and energy it took them to make it for us and we’d be super happy if they decided to grace us with another.  No, don’t kiss up to them,that’s just fake and people can tell fake, just know a little kindness goes a long way.

And well, that’s it for this post.  I just really wanted to share this video with you all and let you know to expect others with you on various crafts.  If there is a craft you are interested in and can’t find information on, let me know and I will see if I can hunt down something for you.  And that’s it ladies gents.  I’m off.  Have an awesome day and be good until next we meet.  Take care.  Bye for now. 

Happily crafting away,
Michelle

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween to all of your freaks and ghouls out there!    I hope you are all playing it safe and having a fun time tonight.  I’m doing my usual Halloween thing of spending the night in.  It’s raining something horrible out there so I don’t think there were any trick-or-treaters out tonight.  My friend even took her kids to the mall because we got hit with one of the coldest and wettest Halloweens in a long time. I remember Halloweens just a few years back where you had to wear short sleeve shirts because it was hot an muggy.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the cold, but the wind and rain make it extra brrrrrrr.  So I hope you are staying warm tonight if your neck of the woods is unseasonably cold too tonight.

Right now I am currently counting down the hours to the start of Nanorwrimo.  I am being a Nano Rebel this year by not writing a novel.  I’m going to be finishing up a script for the photostory I’ve been trying to finish for a long time now.  I think my time of Nanowrimo is coming to an end.  I don’t know if I’ll be doing it next year.  I do cherish the crazed writing during November, I just think I want to start making that an everyday thing than just a one month thing, so I don’t know about future Nanos.  But this year is my first as a Rebel and I’m kind of excited about it.  I don’t want to write a novel just to write a novel and waste time on something I’ll hate, so I will write the script which will hopefully help me write my story and get it done so I can start taking pictures in December and start putting it up next year.  Fingers crossed.

As for other things I am doing right now, I’m focusing on my health right now.  There are a lot of things I need to get done by the end of the year.  I have something I am dreading coming up in 28 days, and I don’t really want to talk about it right now because I’m that nervous about it.  It’s really silly to be nervous about it, but when I explain it…on the 28th or 29th of next month, then I’m sure it will be clearer why I dreaded it.  I’m working on inventory for my shop.  I finally found a place to put my shop.  I think that was another problem for me, where to put my shop, but I found a nice place for it to be that a lot of other doll sellers are on so it works.  And well, I guess that’s about it right now.  So the goals for the end of the month is to work on the immediate health issues at hand, get through that situation I’m dreading at the end of next month, and get the shop open.  I know I won’t make the Christmas rush with my shop, but that’s ok, as long as I get it open.  Oh, and yes I am still working on emails, comments, etc., etc. etc., you get the point.  I’m working on all that.  Now that some stress has been taken off of me with my parents health either doing better or being looked at, my mom still worries me some with her heart issues, I’m getting a little more calmer and I can focus better.  I’m hoping this next month will be busy and productive for me.  I’m ending this year on a good note, no matter what.  And NO Michelle, that isn’t jinxing it for you by saying it aloud.   

And on that crazy note, I will bring this post to a close.  I will talk to you lovelies soon.  Be good until then.  Bye for now. 

Realizing she needs to get up and exercise some of this candy off,
Michelle

Matting my matte spray.

So I think I may have found a solution to my matte spray glossiness.  Still in the middle of my face-up, but once I am done I will see how my idea works and if it does work I’ll let you in on my secret.  It would be nice if I did solve this issue.  Fingers crossed tight.    Talk to you all later today and I hope to have pictures for you. 

Loves ya,
Mouse

Our World Our Art. Talk about freaking excited!!!

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Ok, so as some of you know, I am riding the magic carpet during the One World One Heart blogging event.  It’s still going on, by the way, and it ends on the 17th.  So feel free to still jump on!

But I was sad to learn that this year would be the last year for the event. I’ve wanted to do the event for years and just haven’t felt well enough to make something then blog continuously to entertain my new guests and show them what I’m all about.  But then I read a post today that got me all freaking excited!!!

The lovely lady behind One World One Heart is going to run a new event next year called Our World Our Art!  Eeeeee, can you handle it?!?  So basically this is going to be an all art blog event.  No commercial peeps allowed.  Everything handmade.  Couldn’t you just die?  Ok, while OWOH is mostly handmade there are some peeps that do not do handmade and I just didn’t connect with their blog.  So I like it going to all handmade.  Also there will be an additional rule that you have to tell about your artistic skill and show displays of it and a new addition next year is you will be able to add a link to your shop if you sell you items.  So cool!  So I’m looking forward to this event and I have a year to prepare.

Speaking of preparing, this event is still in the works and there is a newsletter you can sign up to, which yes I already have. It’s located on the right sidebar and you just fill in your email address and blog url.  Yes you still have to be a blogger for this event.

So yeah, just wanted to give you the 411.  The noticed was just given today and so I’m doing my part to spread it.  So spread it far and wide people and  be sure to sign up for the newsletter. 

Ok, I’m off to jump back on my magic carpet.  I am halfway through my trip and only have a couple of days left to finish meeting everyone.  So talk to you guys once I’m done with my journey.  Bye for now. 

Loves ya,
Mouse