Need a sewing machine

I really hate to rant on local businesses with vested seamster community interests, but on more than several occasions, my schedule has been burned by Stitch Lounge. Instructors do not show up for classes, and lounge hours get cut short. Although I have a studio card, I have to work around Stitch Lounge’s personnel accountability issues.

So now I am in search of a sewing machine. Since I am a beginner, I am not picky about the unit. New or used, give me good references for functional machines!

My hobby is moving at a snail pace. Hopefully I will upgrade to my grandmother’s industrial machines in this lifetime!

Gift Guide #2 for Me

Is your clothing un-hip and un-trendy for Buffalo Exchange or Crossroads Trading Co., too embarrassing to present at SwapSF, or objectionable by Goodwill or the Salvation Army? As a last option instead of throwing it away, please donate them to a friend who is practicing how to sew on your unwanted clothing. Someone, like….ME! Practice makes perfect. I may just transform your clothes into something unique and incredibly hip that I may present it back to you as a thank you gift! Consider it as a gift that keeps on giving rather than a re-gift!

Feel free to challenge my creativity! I will be happy to take anything from holey t-shirts to hideous bridesmaid dress. Please first consider donating your pristine formal dresses to The Princess Project, which helps disadvantaged girls live out their elegant princess fantasy during prom season in the San Francisco Bay Area. I suppose if the teens turn their noses on your stomach-cringing and puffy 80s prom dress, I will be happy to take it off your hands.

Please make sure that all clothing has been washed and cleaned prior to your generous giving. To schedule a pick-up, please email me at fashiondesignmaven at gmail dot com. If you need some help to clean out your closet(s) and sort through your clothing ala Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, feel free to schedule a window of time.

Photo Credit: Clayton James Cubitt on Operation Eden

Gift guide #1 for me

Finding time, energy, and money to spend on a fashion design hobby while juggling a professional soul-robbing career is a difficult task. Receiving nifty Stitch Lounge studio cards at 6 hours for $50 or 12.5 hours for $100 as a gift would motivate me to “just do it!” If you would like to contribute to my new hobby-hopefully-evolving-career, feel free to email me at fashhiondesignmaven at gmail period com to list my full name upon purchase! I may pick up your gracious gift at Stitch Lounge. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-laaaa la la la la.

Purses are my eternal muses

Try 10 muses at a time over your arm, hanging from your shoulder, and within the clutches of your palm, hence Muse Ten. As I was gleefully strolling through Fillmore, towards Japantown for some modern yaki soba, at the corner of my eye, this Jalda crocodile bean purse caught my attention.