Hi All! It's been a long long time since I have "Blogged" anything... but that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy. But then again that doesn't mean that I have been productive either. So, above are a few pics of onesies that I have been working on. It's all screen printing, and I am still learning how to do it! If you read my previous post regarding all of the supplies that I have purchased and from where to work with the Yudu... THEY ALL WORK GREAT!! Everything is splendid! The emulsion that I have been using... well, it's been about what they say is the "Life" of the product... I think like 45 days... and I don't want to jinx myself, but I am still getting good use out of it. And, it doesn't look like it's gonna go away anytime soon. They say to store it in your fridge... but any room that is usually pretty dark and room temp will be fine. At least that is what I can tell. Also... when it comes to transparencies... AAHHHH!!! Such a pain! Buy them off of the internet where ever I said that I did. I ran out. So, I purchased some from Office Max... total waste! Whatever it is on them that makes them inkjet compatible is showing up as lines in my screen... and, they are the same stinkin price... sheesh! A stupid piece of plastic! Speaking of, I should prolly go and buy myself some more since I am thinking about it.

I don't remember if I have blogged about my new "Rockstar" line or not... if I haven't, you can check it out in my shop at: www.ellajoecouture.etsy.com

Please feel free to well... do whatever you want :)

Not Bad... Not Great... Not Productive! YuDu part 2

Okay, I previously posted about all of these lovely products that I had purchased for my Yudu... basically different paints/inks, emulsion instead of capillary sheets... a different squeegee. I have finally received all of those products. I received the first set from one of the websites that I purchased within 2 days and then I finally had e-mailed the other website letting them know that I had not received even a confirmation of my order and I spent like $100 so I wanted to at least know that I didn't just send that money to joe schmoe somewhere on a beach. So, that afternoon I received an e-mail from them stating that they had shipped my order that day. I have received both of them, but I have just not had the time to start playing as I had wanted. I did burn my first 2 screens today. I first used the capillary film that comes with the Yudu... but I am slightly confused, because they did not send emulsion remover which is what you use to clean the screen, but they sent you enough stuff to make 2 screens... but if you can't clean the first one then how do you make the second? And, they only send you 1 transparancy. That didn't make sense to me either. I want whatever the person that came up with that system was on...

Anyhoo contrary to almost everything I had read about making the screens with the capillary film it wasn't that hard. I burned it right the first time... I think. I did like a practice print on an old tshirt I stole out of my lil' bros old room... Really cute... on the front of a gray shirt is has a ginormous gawdy Tommy Hilfiger logo and on the back it has Ella Joe Couture twice in pink. Sweet. Anyhoo... I had put my logo two different ways on the same screen figuring I could just tape over the one I didn't want to use right? So, after making sure that both came out looking good I went to clean the screen... oh... that is where the headache started. It was not fun. Not fun at all. I don't know what I was doing wrong or anything... but it sucked... so, I flipped the screen over and started trying to get the paint off on that side... well, then the emulsion just started coming off too. So... I had to burn another screen the exact same one mind you because I didn't get anything actually done that I wanted to get done! Ugh!! And, during this process I also went to make a video of what I was doing, and apparently only when I picture lots of people looking at or seeing my video (don't know why... no one reads my blog... blah ha ha!) I freaked out because everything was so dirty because well... I just have crafty crap everywhere... so... not so good!

Anyhoo... that's a bit of a run down on how my first experience with a yudu went. Not bad... not great... not productive.

Yudu? I du... I think. Tips I figured out in the first couple hours of using the Yudu

Okay, now I am not one that usually does alot of research. All of my projects and my creations usually come from my own trial and error. Which is great for things like knowledge but not so great for things like money and time. So, I thought I would share with you what I figured out and found out and then once I get all of my materials in the mail I will take pics and put them up here so you guys can see them and let you know how everything works.

Reading the Yudu reviews was enough to know that the emulsion sheets that it comes with (2) weren't gonna work. All of the reviews talk about people ruining both that the machine comes with and then one person ruined an additional 5 more before getting her 8th to work. Which is all fine and dandy, I mean everything has a learning curve right? But not at $10 a piece. Not to mention that it doesn't even come with the stuff to clean off the screen after you do mess it up. So, if you didn't buy everything with the machine at the same time you bought the machine, you have to stop and go to the store to buy the emulsion remover before you can even try another one! I don't know about you but I do lots of my crafting at night after my daughter goes to sleep. So, it's not like I can just leave and go to the store at 10pm. Which to me would be extremely frustrating!

I started reading up and watching youtube video after youtube video on the Yudu back when I first started wanting one. I figured that if I ever saved enough up to get one I would want to know how to use it immediately... no readin instructions for this chick! But along my Yudu journey I read about the products, the prices, and the pros and cons... and on alot of them the cons... were a big list. Enough of a big list to put it on the backburner of things I was to purchase.

The problems (a condensed list):

1) The good reviews and the only people that would endorse the Yudu products were people that Provocraft supplied the machines for them to write reviews.

2) The squeegee is crap. I honestly don't know, I haven't used mine yet. But, I bought another one here : http://diyteeshirts.com/products/11

3) The emulsion screens... I guess this is where I am even a bit confused. The website diyteeshirts.com claims to have the Yudu Hack. It makes sense to me. And, all of the other videos and everything else I have watched say the same thing... okay, all of the people that actually do screen printing say the same thing. The emulsion paper is easy to ruin and expensive. There is a way to do it yourself and videos are all over the internet on how to do it. But the DIYteeshirts.com people have a kit that you can buy... not sure how much it is, either $65 or $69 and in it is a container of the emulsion and the spreader and the emulsion remover concentrate (enough to make a gallon) and an informative dvd... well... you can buy the same products on the same website minus the spreader and the dvd for $35.00 so I went that route. I got those here: http://diyteeshirts.com/products/6 and here http://diyteeshirts.com/products/36 and I got the spreader thing here: http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/site/799934/product/SC16

I then purchased the transparencies from DIYteeshirts.com because they are 10 for $11 when from Yudu they are 5 for $11. And, I purchased all of my paints from www.silkscreeningsupplies.com. Because they are the ones... Ryan (he's cute) I believe that had the best videos on youtube and he told me in the videos what he was using and that it was still Yudu compatible. The reason I did not buy the squeege from them is because you buy it by the inch off of there website. Makes sense... but I just need someone to make that kind of decision for me. And the emulsion and emulsion remover... well, that is because they have soooo many different kinds. I didn't know which was right if it even mattered or any of those other questions in between. So... since the other website only had 1 type to choose from and they said that it was Yudu compatible, well... then that made it alot easier for me.

Over all I probably spent an extra $160 in materials. It seems like alot... but I got things like a pint of paint for twice the price of what I would have paid for 6 oz. of Yudu stuff. I shouldn't have to buy new materials to screen print with for a long long long time and even when I do the cost should minimal compared to what I spent at the store on Yudu stuff.

I will let you know when I get everything how it works, what it looks like... where to get it and all of that good stuff. And, who knows... maybe I will put up some Youtube videos of my own! :)

First Craft Show... What to do?

Okay, so my first craft show is this Sunday April 25, 2010. I have no clue what to do. I got 2 card tables that I can use I am pretty sure and I have someone looking into borrowing a 6 foot table for me. I need to borrow my mom's Explorer to fit a table like that... Um... probably the least of my worries! What do I take? I have no idea. It's Tuesday... half way through the day even though I have only been up for 2 hours. Late nights and recovering from the allergy problems has taken it's toll on me. I don't think that I slept a solid 2 hours any night last week because I couldn't breathe. Great. So, now since my daughter is content playing upstairs I am in fact updating my blog instead of sewing.

I have tons of onesies to make. Tons of hairclips to make. Tons of tutus to make... probably not lots of tutus... but so many things on my mind that I want to do and get done. I don't know how I am going to accomplish all of it including making a Sleeping Beauty outfit by Friday...

I also keep coming up with all of these new ideas... started a few last night because I was burnt out on my sewing machine from making a Belle and Snow White costume last week. I got about 2 hours of sewing in and said screw it. I need to do something else!

So... I don't know if anyone reads this... ever... I don't do anything exciting... I think that I got pics up once... and you have any ideas for me to do for my first show... or maybe rather if you have anything that I shouldn't forget to do :) Those comments would be most greatly appreciated!!!!!!! :)

Um... a Bustier Onesie?

So... I get my ideas from things in my wardrobe and things that I see on the morning TV shows. Usually Today has some sort of fashion segment. Which is awesome because I can get the most interesting ideas watching just a 5 minute segment. It's about all my brain can handle really. I get so many random ideas from just watching that 5 minute segment it's amazing! So... now I have in my head a bustier onesie. Now, I know that it is not a cutesy and the idea of exactly a cute onesie should be... but it sounds like fun :)

Also on my plate... Princess dresses. I have to make Belle for my niece Jordin by Saturday. Sleeping Beauty for my 2nd cousin Kyndal by the following Saturday and then I think for my little girl I am going to make Snow White... because she actually has brown hair. So, hopefully I will have some great pics to put up and show you. I am not in any way shape form or fashion using a pattern! I have already tried to make a skirt, and well... instead of a princess skirt it looks more like a princess punk rocker skirt! It's cute don't get me wrong... but not the fairy princess skirt I had in mind!

Okay... It's April 14th... I just realized I haven't done my taxes... Oops! Peace out!

Argyle Onesies Anyone?

 
 
 
 

So, this onesie as well as two others I worked on tirelessly yesterday! But, I like em!

This argyle onesie with the green was just a cotton fabric that I found at Hancocks a month or so ago and loved! I basically cut a large diamond out of it (super easy because the pattern was already on the fabric) (I actually used that fabric to make my other template!) and then like one set of the pattern in I made a fake machine embroidery satin stitch. I mean, it's not fake persay, I did do it on the machine but I did not attach it to the onesie that way! Then a little closer to the edge after heat n' bonding that argyle piece to the onesie where I wanted it I just sewed in the same green thread around it to attach it leaving about 1/5 of an inch on the fabric raw. My hopes is that after this onesie is washed the fabric will fray up a bit and give it a roughened up look to it :) I then took coordinating green embroidery floss and hand embroidered using a back stitch two other argyle pieces to complete the look :)

So, I've Never Been a Blogger...

And, by no means am I claiming to be one now. I think I actually always had so much going on in my life that I thought someone should just write it all down for me... Hm... I dunno. I have actually had several people tell me I should write a book. I got the stories, but I don't got the skill. But, I have recently (yesterday) started looking at other peoples blogs and the content and they are sooooo elaborate and there is so much to look at and so many places to wander from them... Holy crap! As soon as I start to figure one thing out you mean that I have to learn something else? No wonder I feel like I am treading water all the time! Good grief! But, also no wonder my blog gets no traffic... well, that and my general lack of topics to write about and interesting things to talk about... and... well, we could go on and on, but shouldn't I be spending this time to try to figure some of this stuff out? Yea... I'll go do that!