Claire Kennedy Design

A True Confession

Well, sorta - I've been thinking about Ann's (of Ann's Fashion Studio fame) move, and in about 2 weeks she's going to have the neatest studio of all of us.  She won't have that fav spot though that we all have....like this.....

 

This is a delicate little piece of china I received from Japan.  It's got a darling pattern in it and is beautiful by itself....

See - this is just beautiful like it is.

But not me.  I need to have a place to put the very technical equipment that is essential to making fine clothing.  You just never know when you're going to need important stuff that's in my misc. dish.

 

See all this important stuff?  Even though I have a perfectly good metal invisible zipper foot, you just never know when I might need this dinky, half-working plastic zipper foot.  And what about that all-purpose tube thingie...those are a necessity in my biz.  And who would be caught dead without a Bahamian coin of the realm!  Not me.  And let's not forget the ever- handy important screw - just never know when that might hold something important together.

So for all of you out there who have these little "places" where you hold your miscellaneous items - Here's to us.

A new gadget

I have this friend who likes to make furniture....fine furniture!  And he uses all sorts of neat gadgets and tools to make his life easier in the making of this fine furniture! 

I find a lot of them are really interesting but of no use to me.

Do NOT put your finger in this thing or.....well....there's just no telling what will happen.  But this gadget is useful for him.  To be honest, I'm not sure how, so don't ask me to explain it.  But he extols the virtues of this thing constantly.  Each to his/her own.

One day, while was admiring his work, and I do admire all of this, he picked up this little thing at Home Depot (which is unfortunately just around the corner from his shop).

A digital fractional caliper.  (Sounds really technical)  This looked interesting, but it only got better.

Look at what this thing does!  On the bottom in measures the outside dimensions, and on the top it measures the inside dimensions. 

My minded flooded with the possibilities of the use of this around my own studio!  Above is just one.

I love this button and have used it on many garments - in my mind at least!  But the problem with these odd shaped jewels is making the correct sized button hole and for that matter even measuring it.

Not one to do things in an inexact manner, the whole idea of this caliper (that's what they call them in the shop world), made me oooo and aaaaah with delight.

So off to Home Depot to purchase my own little jewel.

The measurements can be in fractions,which is what I prefer, or inch decimals or metric decimals, with a measuring stick (excuse my inept and un-techy language there), thingie above in case you can't read the digital layout.

I'm not sure I would recommend this as a "must have" in everyone's studio, but this sort of thing does appeal to me as there are times when I glance at the ruler and think it's 3/8ths or 5/8ths or 3/8ths and then have to start counting...1/8th, 2/8th, 3/8th, etc.  This just prevents any misunderstanding between the ruler and me in the future.

And of course we all want better communication - it's just better for the relationship.

I can see this is the beginning of a long friendship already!

My Studio

OK - a lot of people having been wanting a tour of my studio - so while I'm in the middle of my teaching class and no time to sew - here's what it looks like.

First before you enter, you have to understand I'm a person driven by faith and so entering into my studio is a not only a place to create, but I think of it as a spiritual place too.  It's very weird to describe, but for years I felt as though there were two Claires:  one that lived outside my studio, and then the other Claire that worked, created and was artistic and incredibly talented inside my studio.  Sounds weird, but that's how I felt.

My studio was also a place that lost time....I would go in about 8 or 9 a.m. and then next time I looked up it was 4:30 p.m. and would wonder where the day went - why didn't I get another 3 or 4 hours?....where did the time go?  Yes, I got a lot done, but I want to do more - where had the time gone?  I understand from people who study these sorts of things, that this is good and it what's called getting into the artist's zone:  you're having so much fun that time flies - that sort of thing.

Anyway, to make sure my studio has just the right karma, I have a wonderful little card a client sent me:

Yep, St. Clare of Assisi is the patron saint of needle-workers & embroiderers!  How about that!!!  Now St. Clare advocated a life of poverty and abstinence, and I can not say I have that in common with her, but I do love needle-working.....

and love having it above the entrance to my studio.

So here's my little video of my studio.

Enjoy.




Sewing Machine Reviews

Beth made an interesting request on her blog about review of sewing machines.  This can be very helpful for newbies.  I remember first starting out and having to fight through a lot of machine isssues, that I came to believe were just because I was inexperienced, when it was really that the machine was of poor quality and really didn't work half the time.  Having a good machine that suited to your  needs is key...so here goes my reivew of my machines:

What brand and model do you have?

I have five machines (OK no funny comments...but I use all of them!!!)

• Bernina 1630 - my main squeeze.
• Bernina Artista 180 - Wow - the embroidery I can do!
• Bernina 930 - my backup and also teaching machine.
• Bernette Serger 203 - almost exclusively for finishing seams.
• Omni machine - sews in many directions.
  

How long have you had it?
Bernina 930- about 30 years
Bernina 1630 - for 15 years
Bernina Artista - about 10 years

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?
Bernina 930 - around $700
Bernina 1630 about $3,000
Bernina Artista - about $7,000

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?
Formal Wear:  Debutante, Wedding, After Five and Ball Gowns.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?
Every day.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?
I love all my machines, or I wouldn't have them.  The work under the most extreme conditions:  I abuse my machines I don't use them!  I would highly recommend Bernina, but honestly I have bought them for so long because of the great service and support that comes from my local Bernina Shop.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?
- The key to the "wow" features of the Berninas are the feet - the rolled hemmer works beautifully, the binder is fabulous, the blind stitch foot is versatile in many different stitches, sew-on button (with adjustable thread shanks), automatic buttonholer. 
- The second is the automatic tension - this is something that should come as an automatic on every machine!

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?
The little blade on the side cutter slides away from the slot which means sometimes the threads don't get cut, which can be maddening when I slide the threads to cut them, and they don't cut, I'm pulling a lot of thread out of the machine.  But this is so minor that it's hardly worth mentioning.

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!
My first Bernina:  My mother, after I started taking serious courses in sewing, asked if I wanted a machine and I told her a Bernina (the 930 at the time), but that it was expensive.  When she found out the price, she agreed, never being a person who understood or supported artistic endeavors or people, and I am an artist with my machine.  So I reconciled myself that I would just have to sew on the Berninas in class.  On day my mother called and said that she and my aunt would buy me the machine.  Later I found out that my aunt really bought it - paid for most of it, but I never knew till after she died, but at least she got to see me build my wardrobe and use the daylights out of that machine.  And I'm sure she took great joy in that.  This machine I still have today and I use it for my classes and new students.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?
Absolutely - but part of it because of the wonderful local support and service I get through my local shop, but another is because the darned machine is built beautifully - it works.  If Bernina says it will do something, it's not something that has to be looked at just a certain way to work - it really works!

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

• Must have automatic tension - too many new students are turned away and turned off by mess-ups with the tension and think it's them when in reality it's really the machine
• As hard as this may seem - you get what you pay for.  If you want to borrow a machine to see if you have an interest or aptitude for this art and skill, great:  then buy a good machine.
• For your first machine the basics like 1.) forward stitch (duh!), 2.) reverse stitch, 3.) zig zag, and maybe 4.) some (a very few) decorative stitches, is all you need to do some remarkably beautiful clothing.  As you become more expert, then you can expand into more expensive and elaborate machines. I'm a formal wear designer - so I design and these basic stitches are my mainstay in the execution of those designs.
  

Do you have a dream machine?
There is a professional embroidery machine at my local Bernina shop that is dreamy:  multi-thread/color, fast, detailed, hoops caps, any type of fabrics - it's really fabulous and would be too much fun to have.  I'm also an artist and see a lot of my designs in embroidery!!  Yum yum!

Tools of the trade

I have a lot of tools and gadgets and I love them all.  The other day on Jenny's blog, she talked about her favorite tool right now  - the tube turner. 

This got me to thinking (which is always dangerous), about my tools and which ones are my favorite.

I really do like them all and I use them all.

OK - some of my more useful tools are:

1. Ruler - no one should be without one, and my favorite is metal with 32nd's on one side and 8ths on the other.
2. Tweezers - 2 kinds - these have rescued me more that I can count, in that they can squeeze into a space with more detail than I could ever do with my hands.
3. magnifying glass with light
4. Awl (and yes, this is how we pronounce "oil" in the south!)  This tools has countless uses.  When I have to remove seams, one at a time or carefully when working with my heirloom stuff, I can easily pick out the thread without any harm to the fabric with this wonderful tool.  Also this is great for finishing the turning on a sharp corner, with reservations here - you can't just stick this in and pull out and the corner is turned (I know another tute on turning a corner).
5. Different chalk markets and colors.  This is how I mark most of my alteration so that I can at least see where the seem should be. 
6. #8 Needles.  I find as I get older, I need a larger size.  I use the embroidery as they have a longer eye and therefore more room to fit the thread through.  I love my hand sewing needles.
7. Exacto Knife.  These things are great for slicing through seams.  You have to be very careful here, but these have a valuable place in my tool space.
8. A corner turner is wonderful and although these can be in plastic, there's just something natural and wonderful for a wood version.  This one has a rounded end which is wonderful for helping to make those curved seams turn out beautifully.
9. This is the business end of one of my turners...this is a basic one, and not one of my supped-up turners (above #2).
10. Duh!  But these are my favs - Ginger has been my shear for almost 20 years.  At a Kenneth King workshop a couple of years ago, he introduced me to these "knife snippers" and I love them.  Here's the close up of the business end of those snippers. As you can see, these have a very sloped side and a regular side.  That sloped side is great for starting a cutting slit in a buttonhole, or just any place.  They are terribly useful
11. These are great. These are my embroidery trimmers, but I also use the for trimming lace on a veil, and any place I need to trim closely.
12. I know - what in the world is an emery board doing on my tool space.  Well, I hate having a ragged edge on my hands or nails wile working with my beautiful fabrics.  It just feels like fingernails scraping across a blackboard - eeeeuuuwwwwww!  I can't do it.  So this is hear for a quick rescue!

This is just a short quick list of my favorites but not of everything that I use!