The art of rediscovery

I am not new to reading blogs, but i am new to the idea and concept of writing them. I recently decided i would like to talk about the the things that interest me. mainly my hobbies and other craft, sewing and costuming adventures and misadventures. they do happen, we all have them now and again.

As the title says, this post is about rediscovery. several years ago i found my self living alone, at first it wasn't so bad.after all i was an adult so my rules where my own. no set bedtime, i could eat what i liked. i could watch what i wanted, well i am sure you get the idea. the newness wore off rather quickly, and i found that i was growing rather bored with myself. I needed a hobby that didn't cost a small fortune. so i taught my self how to knit and how to crochet from a book. Knitting and i didn't really click but i managed to knit a scarf, crochet was another store, i caught on to that rather quickly and liked it.

as a result i made a number of handmade gifts that year fro Christmas, hat and scarf sets, scarf and fingerless glove sets. then as luck would have it my days and nights got busy with other things. i still would pick up hook and yarn now and again but not like i did in those first months of teaching myself how.

a number of years have passed, and i still make the occasional gift, and once again i find myself growing bored and missing something creative to fill my spare time. so i am currently on an adventure of rediscovery. i have trolled through pinterest looking at crochet stitches and patterns and have pulled out the crochet hooks once again. this time i would like to boost things up a notch and attempt to make a hobby at least pay for it's self. not a real attempt at a side job but with a little luck enough to break even and cover the cost of my yarn.

we shall see where this adventure goes.

American Duchess : "Stratford" Elizabethan Shoe (Black)(Pre-Order)

American Duchess : "Stratford" Elizabethan Shoe (Black)(Pre-Order)
 pre order now until Jan 1st!!!!

Merlin, Stitched in Time: I Present Captain Killian Jones, Better Known as H...

Merlin, Stitched in Time: I Present Captain Killian Jones, Better Known as H...: For those of us who devote our Sunday nights at 8pm to an hour in front of ABC or have DVR set to record that same hour, just in case - well...

For the want of a needle or what is hiding in "your" pin cushin?

This is just a bit of something amusing that happened to me tonight. whilst i was watching a movie on netflix i decided to make a pin cushion, to go on a sewing utility belt.nothing special just an idea I'm playing around with, but i digress.

my new pin cushion was finished so i transferred all the pins and miscellaneous needles from the old one to the newly finished one, it wasn't something i had planed on doing it just kind of happened as i was watching my movie. the old pin cushion was one of the red velvet tomato looking ones.when i say old, mine is now faded to several different shades of pink and orange, and has lost its strawberry many years ago.

as i watched my movie i began playing with this old tomato, feeling the sawdust crunch beneath its velvety casing. then ouch!, i got poked by a needle, so i gently squeeze around it until i could grasp it with my nails, and pull it out.

as i was going this, i felt another, and did the same. then another and another. long story short i ended up finding 23 needles of various sizes, one was even the curved variety, and even a glass headed straight pin. lord only knows how that managed to get inside my tomato. lol,

there is no telling how long i have had this pin cushion, part of me wants to say it was my moms, but i honestly cant remember. but to think of all the times i have been out of hand sewing needles when i really needed one. my pin cushion was holding a secret stash of its on. i just found it rather amusing that my little velvety pin cushion had that many needles tucked in side its velvety body. so just for the record just because you think your pin cushion is empty doesn't mean it really is.

Building a brand.

A couple of years ago I got this idea in my head that I wanted to be self employed. I am a creative soul and am not happy at all unless I am being artistic and creative.Now finally I am getting all my ducks in a row so to speak, but suddenly find my self in an awkward position.I want a logo for my shop "Esteemed Threads", but every time I pick up a sketch pad I hit a road block. I have a rough idea of what I want, but can not for the life of me get it out on paper. A friend pointed out that I my be to close to the project, and need a fresh prospective. I tend to agree, but Esteemed Threads is my baby. My logo needs to not only fit in with the theme of 16th century, as that will be the time period most of my vending will be done. It also needs to fit in with steam punk as I plan on doing some comic cons with a steam punk line of clothing and accessories, but it would also need to feel equally in place in a modern setting. when I first chose the name Esteemed Threads, I was trying to play on words steam, steamed threads, the final out come Esteemed threads. some of my ideas have been a threaded needle with esteemed threads being stitched into a back ground. a 16th century bobbin of thread, with a threaded needle making the "T" in the word threads.As mentioned above I feel I am to close to this to be objective. I have no clue when it comes to using software like Photoshop. I do know that a LOGO needs to look well with and with out color. it needs to be Scalable and be readable in a large format as well as something the size of a thumbnail. after all it will be used on letter heads, business cards, shop signs, and sew in labels for my clothing. if any one has any suggestions please feel free to comment.

Out of the steam and Ether dreams become reality!

I have always been interested in other periods in time, A big fan of Renaissance Faire's and things associated with the SCA (Society of Creative Anachronisms), Love the dresses of the Victorian era, Edwardian periods and many more. maybe it was the love of times gone by, or the romance and mystery of it all.Regardless of the why or how of it the fact is that even though i went to school to learn fashion design i realized that my true passion is what we term as costume.

out of my love for these other periods in time, my love of the Steam-punk culture, that is ever growing. I formed an idea of what i wanted to do with the rest of my life, and Esteemed Threads was born. Esteemed Threads is The name of my Etsy shop, it is the name of my business page on Facebook and The fall of 2014 will be the opening of my first vendor booth at our local Renaissance faire. In with this plan, is also one of me making my first Historically accurate Merchant class ensemble. The later was/is the inspiration for this Blog. A place for me to document and discuss what i am doing as i am doing it. It is not meant as a tutorial as much as a step by step walk through of my process.

Thank you to my friends and fellow Bee's at:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/29374273995/. during my short time in this group i have learned so much and am learning new stuff daily. If you are at all interested in Elizabethan costuming or 16th Century costume this is most defiantly the group to join.