This Winter: Most Wanted Scarfs!

I sew everyday. But, I also knit. It's a need for relaxation & fun. And, knitting allows me to showcase my one-of-a-kind pieces on my Etsy shop.

Last year I place my knitwear for sale and almost sold out. By December most of my knitwear sold so I got back into it aiming for twenty scarfs. I'm constantly surprise when I finish a project put it away and forget them only to rediscover them later. It's a fun moment. Some of them I haven't seen in eight months. Due to time constraints & the fact that I'm currently knitting more socks than scarfs, I won't be able to reach it but I'm knitting away and bound to have a few more scarfs soon.

Scarfs are great knitting projects. They're small enough to keep costs down, quick to finish and allow me to explore with different stitches. I enjoy it and for the simple fact that it allows me to zen out. Sometimes, I find inspiration from books. But most of the time I don't follow it and end up using different size needles & yarn sizes just to see how far I can push the design. It's exciting how a stitch can look so different just by changing the needle & yarn.

I present my six dazzling scarfs (above) for sale now in my Galstudio Etsy Shop!

RUBBER SALE!

Ok, I guess everyone was out this Labor Day weekend. No one participated in my free scuola pouch contest.

Well, now I have a Rubber Sale. A what sale you may ask? On Galstudio's Etsy Site I have the sale on my handy little wallets, piccola & scuola pouches. Take advantage of this huge sale... for a limited time!

Fun with Belts

The Pac Man Inner Tube Belt.

Bicycle inner tubes are so fun to work with. A short while ago I was approached to make a inner tube belt for a birthday present. I was supplied with a very fun Pac Man buckle (above). I've never attempted to make a belt before and I looked forward to the challenge.

It's always challenging to make something new. But, that's what is so fun about it. It showed me how versatile rubber is and that there's still plenty of room to learn & explore. It was fun sewing the overstitch and picking out the vibrant orange fabric. Very colorful & electric. I think it turned out very well and the customer was extremely happy.

As soon as this one was done, my old friend Joey wanted one made. Well as you can see it's more in a classic style. He hasn't seen it yet. I won't see him for a few weeks as he's on vacation. I think he'll be pleasantly surprised!

The Plaid Inner Tube Belt.

Free Scuola for School!

Scuola is back!

I started to make my Piccola pouch for awhile now and people love it. Customers have asked for a longer version to hold glasses & pencils. People have ask me to customize it to their size requirements. I produced 10 new pouches called, 'Scuola pouch'. I just sold 3 in the first week. So, I went back to making more.

Living close to a school, I'm ready to hear the kid's run past my patio door for another year. I enjoy the familiarity of the kid's as they run past screaming & laughing. I don't have kid's of my own but I enjoy hearing them. You might say school is back. And, I thought it was the perfect idea to offer a Scuola Pouch for Galstudio's Labour Day Back to Scuola Contest. Scuola is Italian for school.


HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN A FREE SCUOLA POUCH:

Leave a comment on Galstudio's Facebook page. And share one favorite moment when you went to school.

On Tuesday September 7th, I will choose the Scuola pouch from my new collection. And, the winner will be chosen by Random.org

Thanks for entering & good luck to all!

Plaid Tribute to Winter

Galstudio's Winter Cycling Caps.

Winter arrived early to Galstudio.

I was fortunate to find very nice winter fabric this summer at my suppliers. Plaid that is. Three models are back & I've added two new caps for now.

Plans are to add a few more models within the next month. I'm thinking something a bit more neutral. Today, I call it my plaid tribute. I can't get enough of it. I think it's due to my Scottish roots. I love plaid. You know, these caps would also look in place amongst fox hunters in England. Something we would never do growing up in Quebec. How about urban hunting on wheels. Sounds less violent.

The two new winter cycling cap's are from top left to right: Galibier & Lombardia. Of course, Richard named them with the context of two very famous names in cycling. Galibier is the French mountain & Lombardia is a famous classic race in Italy. Three caps are back this season: Bobet (center), Grand Fusil (bottom left) & Gentleman (bottom right).

It's always fun to work on new caps for the upcoming season. Takes the chill out of winter!

Love my food processor!

Well, there's one thing in my kitchen I cannot do without...

I dreamed about having one. Finally, Christmas of 2000, after saving my pennies I bought my machine of my dreams. The Kitchen Aid Food Processor!

It has become indispensable like my fridge & stove. If you are pinching pennies, have a small kitchen. Between the three to choose: mixer, blender, or food processor. Then this is the choice. This food processor will do it all. Even the black color is still in fashion, and after ten years it keeps on working well. Most products are built with planned obsolescence. Manufacturers, in their best interest, intentionally developed goods to break down. Causing a circle of dreaded need for consumers to keep on purchasing. I haven't found this to be the case.

I definitely intend to buy the whole line of appliances. That will have to wait...

Until I have a larger kitchen!

No Ride with this Fabric!

Ironing didn't help!

I was all excited to prepare my new fabrics for the upcoming Winter Cycling Caps. Except this fabric had another agenda.

Pre-washing fabric is an absolute for me before I construct my caps. I know in the fashion industry it's not current practice to pre-wash fabric before making garments. For me, it's a must. When you think about it, cycling caps have to be pre-shrunk before. Imagine an unwashed cap, the rider comes back after a hot ride sweating into it. They're be surprised with a smaller cap.

I'm making cycling caps well over a year and this is the worst fabric I've come across. How about deceiving. I thought it would make a killer cap. Now, it turns out to be a wrinkly eyesore.

This is Step #4 (from a previous post) in making a cycling cap, called washing the fabric. It's not a step you cannot miss. This is a crucial step, for Galstudio, to make the best possible handmade cycling caps. Now, the challenge is finding the best usage for this 5 meter disaster. It won't be a cap, shirt or pants. Maybe it will become a cushion cover.