Hello Denizens of the internet! Are you prepared to go back about 10 years into the past when I used to LARP?
Neither was I till I went and tried to do a fresh edit on this ancient artifact of a video
I can't believe I still have my old foam swords, padded arrows, and cricket bat!
Come join me on this fresh edit of some old video on how to make a foam and duct tape sword!
(Cross-Posted from my Tumblr account)
Hello people of the internet! I'm going to share a bit of insight with what I've been learning at school this semester
These are illustrations and drawings I have drawn up, no AI was used. The colored drawing (Left) was done using alcohol markers, Gelly Roller pens, and pencil crayons. The other was done using a photo and illustration program
The one on the left shows the layers, the texture, color, if there's sparkle or gold metallic something to it, and the other (Right) is the "technical drawing" to provide the manufacturing company. The "tech pack" or "technical package will add information with details on where the stitching will be, the design elements, and then coupled with a "Spec Sheet" with details of what kind of thread, what color matching the fabric has to be, fiber content, assembly, label printing instructions, and close up detail for any embroidery that needs to be done, and info for the pattern makers for fit
As a point in reference in cost, in Canadian dollars, if I use all natural fiber for ONLY the bolero-cape part, after doing the math, the approximate retail price of just that one piece, is close to $1500 if I was to sell a single copy of this garment....only one on the market
So, you have to wonder... how are clothes designed and sold so cheap, coming from places like China, or sold on Amazon, Temu, Shien, etc In my tech pack, I gave the "labour" costs to make this, at 17$/hour. That is above minimum wage currently in Ontario (Canada)
All the fabric is natural fiber (wool, and cotton sateen). The only thing that's synthetic, is the embroidery, and maybe the interfacing for the cuffs. And as some of you may know, natural fiber gets expensive. Especially wool, which you have to go hunting fabrics for, which can run up to 40-50$ per meter (about 48$/yard for the Americans for conversion)
So, lets say this design gets stolen (which, because its the internet which is most likely to happen), they'll make it out of cheap synthetic fiber (probably polyester), glue or print everything on without top stitching (more chemicals), no embroidery so that'll be printed on (even more paint print chemicals), and likely give their workers maybe 1$/hr to make it, at 5 hours tops (forced labour, slave labour, child labour, or underpaying sewists) to make from start to finish. It will also likely be poorly fitted because of the use of AI that's going to pump out the design (environmental impact from data centers), it won't be fitted on a real human (more AI environmental impact) for photos before sending it off to be produced and posted online, turning this expensive design into a cheap knock-off that will likely be sold by the hundreds of thousands for cheap...maybe about 40$ max, for Halloween.
This will also be the sort of thing people only wear once, throw it out, and it winds up back on the shores of the country that made it (most likely somewhere like Bangladesh, which is home to the lowest paid garment workers in the world, last I heard on social media), causing more pollution, choking off wildlife, and causing locals of wherever they get dumped, to deal with the garbage in their own backyard. What I want to happen with my designs, and what will happen are likely two different things. But I just wanted to bring this information to light.
You may ask yourself "why are you taking this class then?". Well, I want to design clothes for myself, that will be closer to timeless or classic pieces, that are made of natural fiber, that will last as long as possible, with a better chance of biodegradability, wearability (clothes I will want to reach for frequently), mixing and matching, as well as durability during the lifetime of the garment.
I'm also getting older, my body is changing, and menopause is a rough thing to deal with, especially when a hot flash hits, and you need that breathability of natural fiber garments. Especially when it's close to the body to absorb and wick away sweat.
I very much doubt I'll go into production for any of my designs, as I have no overhead (broke college student stereotype), but I want to keep my environmental impact small where I can, that I know I can manage.
Just a little peek behind the curtain of fashion design And now, just a little hand woven project that I'm doing a video for, as a bit of a palate cleanser.
I did tease on one of my videos that I was working on an e-zine, that people can download for free, and print out a single copy to use, for beginner sewists, that I wrote out by hand.
Well, that first volume is LIVE!
You can find the link to the E-zine to download it, from my Ko-Fi page
Keep in mind that if you find any value in any of my work, or enjoy seeing what I'm doing, or want to support me through school, or making YouTube videos, please consider making a donation to my Ko-Fi page
Click on, or scan the QR code to go to my Ko-Fi page to download the E-Zine today!
Many apologies, as I often forget to cross-post here. I really should use this blog a lot more often
As many of you know, I've been working on my education. Even if I don't get a job working in the industry, I can keep working on my own wardrobe, and hopefully buying less, and re-using the fabric in my current wardrobe, to make something new, that will long term fit me better
With that said, I have a bunch of videos that I posted since the beginning of the year:
First up, we have a video for basic techniques for those who have never used a sewing machine before
Taking apart and re-assembling not only 1, but 2 sewing machines!
Struggling with a custom body block and fitting mockups to my body, so I can make my own designs that fit me well
See something you like? Have a comment on a technique, or want to help me out with my struggles? Go onto YouTube and please leave a comment, so I can reply, and so I'll see it.
I'll see you there!
This is a loooong post, but there's important updates and school stuff for transparency of what I've been working towards.
Let's just call it a few long term goals, and a call out for some help. I'm not working at this time. That's right, I don't have a job.
This is so I can focus on school, to get the experience I need, to start looking into working for garment repair places, or possibly even having the piece of paper I need from school, to teach mending, sewing and repair. How anyone can do all the full time courses and manage to find time to hand all their stuff in with a full day of classes, along with all the homework, which takes a lot of work, is beyond me.
I've spent DAYS sewing the same hat to finish it for class, or patterning out something by hand to get the best grades possible. For the record, I have a straight A grade average across ALL of my classes I've taken so far.
For possible future employers who come across my videos (or this blog), if there's any Toronto (Canada) based businesses that is a sewing shop, repair shop, or crafting studio that is looking for someone who's been home sewing since they were in grade school, that wants someone who can teach sewing basics on their payroll, or someone that is willing to learn tailoring methods through working experience, please send me a message and I will reply!
My email for my Youtube channel is kiera.oona.crafts@gmail.com
I can also be reached via the following platforms:
Instagram: @kieraoona
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kieraoona
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/kieraoona
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kieraoona.bsky.social
I want to do better by the environment, moving towards a job in the Toronto area (preferably closer to home) that has sustainability in mind, or towards slow fashion or more tailored fashion, so people can make their own clothes, or reach for clothes they will wear more often.... but I also need to keep a roof over my head.
With that said... The current problem, is all my classes that I planned on taking, and wanted to take as a backup were all cancelled (a little frustrating).
I have enough funds to keep a roof over my head and pay for classes **for now** without going into debt. However, most sewing places expect that you have experience in the industry, which I don't.
Everything I have learned is either through personal experience, or through the continuing education courses at George Brown so far.I also have tools and supplies I needed to replace or get repaired. I was able to replace my steam iron with my own money, but I could use some help to recoup the losses....which is where all of you lovely people come in!
The money will funnel back into my Youtube channel for supplies, music subscriptions for music on my videos, as well as taking more classes if they become available through the college in the spring (April is when the next semester for Con-ed is usually available)
For transparency, I'm still looking at taking the following classes that I need to obtain the Fashion Fundamentals Certificate at George Brown College:
Pattern Drafting 2 (I have supplies for this from the last class)
Introduction to Adobe (prerequisite)
(Adobe Creative Cloud subscription needed)
Adobe Illustrator for Fashion
(Adobe Creative Cloud subscription needed)
Fashion Illustration and Design
(will probably need Copic markers for this)
Draping for Fashion Design
(possibly some fabric expenses)
For these classes I still need a laptop to take with me, and that will run Adobe Creative Cloud (another monthly expense)
In the images below, I have the course list, and the classes that I still need or want to take are listed on the image, which is the list provided from the college.
Also my Ko-Fi goal posting on my Ko-Fi page.
As for the other courses for more industry experience, I'm hoping the professors will provide me with more information on the following courses through George Brown Fashion Exchange:
Power Sewing
Apparel Fit Technician
In the meantime, I'm still working on making more videos while waiting for classes to open back up, working on body blocks that are tailor fit to myself for pattern drafting practice, and passing along the knowledge of what I've learned, in video format, for all of you out there. For anyone who is able to donate, thank you! My Ko-Fi link is https://ko-fi.com/kieraoona
Just wanted to give a bit of an update.
Other than kicking off 2025 with Covid (still getting over the symptoms but they are fading slowly), I decided to join over on Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/kieraoona.bsky.social is the link to my profile if you would like to join me over there.
I may start slowly backing off of any META platform due to their most recent policy changes, and lack of ability to opt out of AI scraping. I don't like generative AI in general.
In the meantime, I'll be at home, drinking my juice, taking my meds, and hoping my classes for this semester have enough people to go through.