Behind The Scenes - Tour my Workshop

If you have ever wondered, “Where does the magic happen?” It’s right here!

It’s not big, and it’s not very aesthetic, but it is what I need for now, and it works for what I have.

I have some goals and some things I would like to work on and improve over the coming year or so, but this is what I'm starting with.

In a previous post, I went into detail about how I create a costume from design to production. Today we’re doing a tour of my little workshop.

Sewing machine / Overlock set up

For most of my projects, especially the polewear projects, I use both machines and have to bounce back and forth between them. I batch the work as best as I can, but inevitably, there are just some steps that mean going back and forth.

Sewing Machine

I have a Mio Star So Chic, which I purchased while living in Europe. It’s equivalent to the Canadian versions of a Brother or Singer sewing machine. It does everything I need it to do for now, so I don't need to upgrade it until I am doing a lot more work. It covers all the basic stitches, some specialty stitches, embroidery stitches, and even buttonholes.

Serger

Also called an Overlock Machine. Mine is the Brother Lock 65D. I really enjoy using it. It's a pretty good, robust machine. I bought this refurbished machine through the Brother website. In the past, I’ve also used a Babylock serger machine, which I recommend for those looking for a step up from the entry machines, but don’t want a big industrial machine in their house.

Mannequin

This is also called a dress form. I purchased the Dritz Twin-Fit Adjustable Dress Form in size medium last year, and this is another product I was very pleased with. It’s a sturdy form for an adjustable model. I think if I were to add another mannequin to my collection it would be the next size up because the medium, at its max size with the dials turned all the way out, covers sizes 6 to 10. To better serve my clients I’ll need another mannequin, but for now, I can pad this mannequin up to the correct size.

Computer set up

I have my laptop (Predator Helios 300) set up with a second screen on top of my shelf.

When I’m sewing I have reference material displayed on my laptop and on the second screen a tv show playing. (I’ve been watching and catching up on RuPaul’s Drag Race recently. I’m on season 10 if anyone’s curious.)

How I organize…

Sewing supplies

I have a box of supplies with tools divided by activity into pencil bags. In these pencil bags, I have sewing machine tools, pattern drafting tools, extra zippers and pulls, ribbons and trimmings, threads of all colours, and snaps of all colours.

When I’m not using my machines, they live on the shelf under my desk.

My extra fabric, clothing iron, and ironing board live in the cupboard along with projects that are in progress, but not currently being worked on.

Fabric

Right now my fabric stash is pretty small. After two international moves, I paired it down to just a few metres, and I’ve only been purchasing what I need to complete projects.

This is all my scrap fabric. It’s affectionately called the Cabbage and Coleslaw collection. What is Cabbage and Coleslaw? Cabbage is all the scraps of fabric, whereas Coleslaw is the tiny little bits. These can all be recycled and reused for other projects. I use it for testing stitch tension on my machine. It could be used as a filling on pin cushions.

If the scrap is big enough, I can use it to test small designs. I can even sew the scraps of the fabric together to create a patchwork that can be used to create more polewear. This is how I am trying to reduce waste in my studio.

Patterns

All my patterns, whether store-bought or made by yours truly, are organized into binders on my shelf above my desk.

While I don’t use store-bought patterns for client work or ready-to-wear collections, I like to have a library of ideas and reference material for new projects. The store-bought patterns are organized by type: clothing and accessories.

My patterns are organized by year; 2020, 2021, and 2022. Unfortunately, my patterns from before 2020 (including a lot of my work from college and the OG Phoenix Costumes CND) are currently in a storage locker in a different city right now.

Next to my patterns, I keep the essential textbooks that I refer back to all the time. These include Patternmaking for Fashion Design by Joseph-Armstrong, Designing and Patternmaking for Stretch Fabric by Keith Richardson (I studied under Keith!), and The Fashion Designers Textile Directory by Gail Baugh.

My slopers are hanging on hooks in the cupboard. If you read my last BTS post you might remember that a sloper is the master pattern template. It’s traced and manipulated to create patterns. I made all of my slopers; some are from college, and the others I made more recently.

Art supplies

I’ve paired down my general art supplies over the years.

I keep my office supplies and stationary along with a sketchbook and go-to pencil set on the shelf above my desk. Otherwise, the rest is in boxes in the cupboard.

Workflow - What does a typical day look like?

My work day starts with checking my calendar and bullet journal to see what I have scheduled.

Depending on how I feel, I’ll either tackle a few small, easy-to-finish tasks or I’ll start planning and prep work for the bigger jobs.

When I get my day started, I make sure my social media posts for the day are ready to go out, and I update clients on the work progress of their projects.

I also try to batch out my work, so I have a week I dedicate to social media post creation, blog post creation, or design work.

Weeks that I work on client projects or manufacturing products, I will start setting up my sewing machine and overlock. I’m hoping to have a permanent home for them in the future so I don’t have to do this anymore.

By this point, it’s usually time for a break if I haven’t taken one yet.

In the afternoon, I do focused work hours on whatever project I’m working on.

At the end of the day, I tidy things up and get ready for the next day. I write notes about what work I’ve finished and what the next steps are. I will double-check and update to-do lists. Finally, I put away the project I was working on. I have project bags I organize sewing projects into with pockets to keep all the easy-to-lose bits, like zippers, buttons and thread, together with the patterns and fabric.

On Fridays, I usually plan for the following work week, go over what I got done this week, what I need to follow up on, and what needs to be prioritized.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my little workshop. I had fun showing it off! As always, feel free to like and share this post. If you have any questions or want to hire me to make you your own custom costume, beam me up an email anytime.

Happy dancing!

Ash

P.S. Did you spot the project I’m working on? It’s on the dress form.