Friday, October 26, 2012

Oven Mitt Americana


I just realized I never showed the finished mitt I made. My good friend is ever so much into americana and the 4th of July one of her favorite holidays. She needed a present for it. Wouldn't it be great if we gave/got gifts for any random holiday? I figured if I were to do it, I'd have to über-americana it. (I even made her an americana apron but managed to give that to her without getting pictures.) Above is the outside. The front chicken side is quilted following the brown dots, with lines on the star/hearts and echo quilting from the inside. 

This was made to be reversible. If I were to do it again I'd adjust the thumb area as it's super tight when reversed. They are all crinckly sounding as they have the heat protective material in-between the layers of fabric. Each side is different-front to back and inside/outside. 



See how that moose is quilted around him and the little sticks as well? It makes me happy that it's so fussily quilted. The appliqued chicken on the front creates a fun quilted rooster on this side. Flip the mitt over and you've got ric rac and stars. It's quilted with lines between the white stars.

 It feels so patriotic and american and the last side a bit 50's, which I love. That blue star fabric is a preprinted oven mitt fabric from joann's. I got the general shape from it but just had to customize the whole thing. Now I just need to think about making one for me as the one's we've got are rubbish. Our favorite hot pad is the knit one my parents got for their wedding in the 70's. It's so ugly a lovely brown and orange number. 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Photography Class for The Sorta Sewing Summit


Look What Your Camera Did! : A Guide to Getting Your Best Pictures

Hi, I'm Jennifer aka Jeifner. I've been a photographer for more than 16 years now (I even went to university to get my degree in it to my parents delight). I'd love to share with you some tips and knowledge to help you be able to photograph your creations and make them look as amazing as they are. This blog is where I share my sewing, quilting, crocheting and other creations so I figured it'd be perfect to host the class. 

Our photography class will be divided into four parts. We'll focus, haha, mainly on your camera and editing then polish off the class with a touch of your creation presentation and lighting. Here's an example of quick photo editing:
It doesn't matter if you've got those big papa professional cameras, a point and shoot or your iPhone. We'll be working with your camera to better understand it's features and how to get it to do what you want. This includes the number one thing you need to know about your camera whether it was made 40 years ago or today. 

Then once we've got pictures we'll want to edit them to maximize their beauty and showcase your creations. Setting and staging can be the finishing touches to make your pictures look put-together and professional and it's easy! We'll round out our class with a bit of lighting practice and knowhow. 

What you'll need:

Camera

Computer 

A Small Creation- a mug-rug, mini, pincushion, pile of fabric, folded quilt. It's just easier to work small when learning new skills then apply it to your king size quilt or crocheted full wall covering. 

A Photograph- you'll need a digital file. You may want to have a picture you've already taken that we can use to edit or you can take one of your creation while we learn about your camera. 

White piece of paper/card stock/foam core

A piece of busy/loud fabric, a neutral one and a white one (a sheet works).