some of my sketches

I was bored today and then decided to clean out my room when i stumbled on some of my very old sketches. So i thought to share it with you guys and add in some of my more recent ones. Nothing professional though, i don't know how to draw but many a times i like to doodle some designs that cross my mind. Feed your eyes on my beloved though amateurish sketches.......

 

Earlier sketches like some six years ago, very primary school looking X_X

 

 

 

 

More Recent sketches, not much improvement sef...........

 

Such stress.....

I should have written this yester night, but i was soooo tired after a very long day. Yesterday I came to realise the importance of hardwork, perseverance and doggedness. One must understand that at a point where you are still growing you must endure some things to attain some heights. Many of us in this younger generation want things to come too fast, we don't want to go through any stress whatsoever to attain success. But we forget that to climb a ladder, one must move steadily from rung to rung else one falls off hard and fast. Success you worked for with the grace of God is more fulfilling!

 

Why all these preaching? lol. I have formed a habit of trying to relate everything that happens to me, no matter how little with a life lesson, hence all the preaching. Yesterday proved to be one of such times. I was to deliver an order to one of my new customers (below is one of the clothes) so i set out early because of the distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those conversant with Lagos, you would know Ikorodu is a long distance to berger which was my destination. So I commenced the journey and was almost there when she (my customer) called me to tell me she has left her house and i should meet her at lagos island and so i changed direction. I got to the island and called her to verify the meeting point and she was like "oh no, am sooooo sorry but am not coming to the island anymore, change of plans please meet me at ilupeju" arrrrrgh, i was frustrated but not very much cos i had some pending assignments to carry out on the island so i just took the opportunity.

 

Having finished all, i set off again to ilupeju and i was enroute when my beloved client called me again to tell me she was on her way to surulere and apologising profusely told me to meet her there. At this point i was fed up, but as my father usually adviced, i took a deep breathe and focused on the positive (I was satisfying a client) and made a liitle prayer to God to give me the strength not to turn back and go home. So i changed direction once again praying all the way for my customer to just stay put wherever she was. Finally i got to surulere and locating her exact location was another herculean task, sigh, but atlast i found her. I gave her the clothes (she wasn't even sympathetic with me :o and i kept breathing heavily like a tired bull although i had on that smile i reserved only for my customers). Now i had made her a pair of earrings to compliment the dresses just for marketing strategy you know and i could have decided at this point to just keep it and not give her, but i just calmed down and said sweetly "I brought you a little gift". I brought out the earrings and she was elated.

 



 

 

She had someone with her and she started praising my work and telling her mom how i was so good and all (at this point my head was very very swollen and all the earlier stress forgotten, ofcourse my foolish smile still in place). So to cut the long story short, i made a new customer and left with three new orders to make dresses :D. So yes the initial stress was worth it, i might not have met my new customer if i had turned back and gone home in frustration. It took God"s grace and strenght. Lot of work to do i should go now. I hope you learnt something from me and my haphazard fashion world today :).

That "Oh No" moment.

The worst feeling a fashion designer/tailor can have is when it finally dawns on him/her that the client's dress is spoilt.  That you have ruined the whole thing! If you could give anything to go back in time so as to avoid the mistakes made, you wouldn't hesitate. I too have made mistakes so many times, but then these ones i could easily correct. But there was this one time i made an irreversible mistake. What made it more devastating is that the dress was for an elderly woman and we all know how meticulous their opinions can be. 

 

It happened sometime last year during my nysc period. I just started working for one lady as a fashion stylist in her shop, so I had a job to sew some dresses for a lady's wedding. The particular cloth I ruined belonged to her mum and she was to wear it for the wedding thanksgiving. I got straight to work after measurements and fabrics were ready, cutting pattern pieces, sewing and all. The work was quite much and the lady (tailor that owns the shop) offered to help me cut, I agreed and it was remaining that one cloth. Now i take full responsibility of everything that went wrong with the cloth but at that time I lacked wisdom. The lady learnt from a tailors shop, i did from a fashion school and am not saying anyone is better than the other but the methods differ at times. At this time i had not yet learnt how to blend her method with mine, so i just picked what she cut and started sewing. To cut the long story short, the resulting outfit was disastrous, when the customer wore it, it was all wrong. To worsen the case the sewing allowance was very very small, it was so demoralising i wanted to fade away. Instead I put on a very foolish smile and assured her I would have it adjusted. I tried all i could but the cloth was completely ruined (the fabric was white, so you can imagine what the over handling did to it). So I summoned up courage and explained the matter to the bride with as much remorse i could muster. Her mum ended up wearing something else cos i ruined the original one. I felt sooooooooo BAD!!!

 

I went to the woman's office to apologise but she wasn't there, I kept on going for two weeks until I finally saw her and I apologised profusely. She finally forgave me and even gave me another cloth entirely to make on the spot, :D imagine my joy!!! and they remained my loyal customers till I left.

 

What lesson did I learn from this incident;    

 

     - Wisdom: Apply wisdom in all you do, think carefully before carrrying out any assignment. I could have politely declined the help or suggested another one, but i put in line my customers satisfaction so as not to hurt feelings. But when dealing with customers always do everything satisfy them. Never make compromises that could be bad for your clients.

 

     - Never hesitate to apologise: Apologies go a very very long way. Never feel too big to apologise. If people apologised more, the world would definitely be a better place. If I hadn't made so much efforts to apologise for my wrong, not only would they not patronise me again, but imagine what they could have told others about my work. So let us not fail to apologise when the need arises, Pride they say comes before a fall!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A short letter to the one i love

Dearest,

The one i love, the one i cherish. We've had our downfalls, but yet risen together. At times we fight but most times we smile. When everything seems to go dark, you were always there listening  to my rantings. Many atimes you have being at the receiving end of my brunts and even physically. I remember when we first met, we were inseparable, spending every minute together. But then life came with its bumps and we had our fallouts, but we never sulked long because the love we share is deep.

 

Even when i had to leave you for one year, seeing you just 3 times that year, you remained loyal and the distance strengthened our trust. I won't deny i met many others that tickled my fancy, but each time i remembered the memories we shared, i held on and never strayed. Many of my best decisions were made while i rested on your lap, many of my tears we shared.

 

You have being a strong shoulder to cry on, understanding all my fears and insecurities. I have been a very stubborn person and you too have had your stubborn moments, not bulging, but all i had to do was give you a little time and space. We always sprang back. When disappointments came you stood by and your presence alone was enough to light a spark in me. I can't and don't want to think of anything seperating us. I have enclosed some pictures we took together, they are happy ones and i hope you smile when you see them. 

 

Thank you darling, you have been a great source of inspiration and encouragement to me. I LOVE YOU.

Yours lovingly

Love of your life

 

My darling and I

On the laps of my love

My sweetiee

My sweetheart

I love my boo

My Love

 

 

Ok, yea am weird right? But truely i have fallen in love with my sewing machine, together we have transformed beautiful designs from paper to reality. I have a strong relationship with it, and am not demented if that's what you are thinking. Trust me, if every lover out there can love their partners as much as i love my machine, relationships won't be ending up as much as they are right now. I do hope you enjoyed reading about my love life and you have learnt something about trusting and being supportive to the one you love. 





Ladies, determine and define your shape.

There are 5 basic types of body shape in women, now the truth is that every lady is unique in her way but these 5 basic shape would only serve as a guideline for you to determine which category or type you most likely (in some cases perfectly) fit into. In addition to being unique in shape, your total look is also complimented by your facial features, skin tone, accessories, hair style and personal taste. We ladies are always hard on ourselves when trying on clothes by focusing on those parts we don’t like, but understanding your body shape as well as dress design shape (this you should know by now if you read my last article) would help you decide faster and better what fits and what doesn’t.

Looking good greatly depends on you finding your strength quality and working it out. No body shape is limited to any body size, be it petite, tall or plump. Determine your shape, define your style, bring them together and look your best.

The five basic body shapes are as follow:

OVAL SHAPE

Description

·         Well proportioned body with no definite waistline

·         Large stomach region

·         Wide hips and full thighs

 

 

Suitable Clothing

·         Dresses with slim fit waist

·         Waist belts

·         Empire cut dresses

·         Simple, less dramatic sleeves

·         Hour-glass and rectangle dress design

Unsuitable clothing

·         Boxy Jackets

·         Shift dresses

·         Sash tied at the waist front

·         Horizontal trimmings and details

·         Too tight garments

The key is to wear garments that help synch in the waist, but not too tightly. Garments that show of your feminine curves up and down, at the same time giving the illusion of a slim waist are suitable. Under this body shape is the ‘Diamond shape’.

Diamond shape is very similar to the oval shape, except that the figure has a high sitting stomach and the hips start higher or very close to the waist. The rules for dressing the oval figure could also apply to this shape. High waist skirts and pants are suitable. Wearing low waist pants could divide the middle region into two halves resulting in unwanted bulges. Free flowing dresses with the natural waist line and empire cuts are flattering for this figure.

 

HOUR GLASS SHAPE

Description

·         Equal bust line and hipline width

·         Well defined waist

·         Top and bottom halves of the body are equal

·         Very curvy look

·         All the dress design works, but the larger figures should avoid round dress design

 

Suitable Clothing

·         Practically most styles of garments sit well on a hourglass figure ranging from tight fitting dresses cut on the bias to shift dresses

·         Trousers with a slight flare gives balance to the hips

Unsuitable Clothing

·         Although your body type is easiest to dress, but stay away from clothing that could add bulk to your hips or chest region.

Some women with this very curvy look would rather they had that slimmer figure of super models, but you should stay confident because this is a very feminine figure and you need not try too hard, just stay simple and confident, you are already hot as it is!

INVERTED TRIANGLE (APPLE) SHAPE

Description

·         Large bust and/ or broad shoulders

·         Narrow waist and hip

·         Some have flat backsides while some have curvy backside

·         Generally top half of the body is bigger than the bottom half

 

Suitable Clothing

·         V-shaped necklines help elongate the neck region

·         Brighter colours down for a fuller effect and darker colours up for a slimming effect

·         Garments with flares or gathers from the waist

·         More details on the lower part of dresses such as pockets, frills and so on

·         Bag hanging from shoulder to hipline

·         Triangle and hour-glass dress design

Unsuitable Clothing

·         Turtle neck garments

·         Dramatic tops and/or sleeves

·         High fitted waist

·         Wide belts

·         Trimming at, or near the bust line

·         Inverted triangle ans square shape dress design

The key is to dress in a way that will bring volume to the lower half of the body to balance the upper part.

TRIANGLE (PEAR) SHAPE

Description

• Defined Waist


• Wider hips and thighs


• Narrower shoulders


• Wider bottom


• Smaller bust


• Hour-glass and inverted triangle dress design

 

Suitable Clothing

·         Blouses with embellishments, frills and such details

·         Dramatic sleeves

·         Bright colours up, darker colours down

·         A-line skirts and dresses skim down the hip curves without any baggy appearance

·         Bags and purses that end at elbow length from the shoulder

·         Triangle and round dress design


 

Unsuitable Clothing
 

·         Lycra or tight hugging bottoms

·         White washed jeans

·         Blouses or tops ending just at the waist line

·         Gathers, pleats or side pockets on skirts or patterns

 

So much emphasis and detailing should be added to the upper part of the persons garment and the lower part should be kept simple, this is to strike a balance with between the two halves of the body.



 

RECTANGLE (ATHLETHIC) SHAPE

 

Description:

·         Equal bust and hip measurement with no defined waist line

·         Proportionately slim legs and arms

·         Overall boyish look with very little or no curves

 

Suitable Clothing

·         Girlish sleeves

·         Scottish skirts

·         Bust cuts

·         Frills, pleats, gathered and full skirts

·         Full, soft collars

·         Round, hour-glass and oval shape dress designs

 

Unsuitable Clothing

·         Boxy Jackets

·         Capes, square neckline

·         Any garment with very angular cuts

·         Rectangular and square shape dress designs


 

The aim is to achieve a feminine look as best as you can. So girly playful garments work just fine.



 

 HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR SHAPE


 

Following these simple steps would enable you figure out which category best suits you:

 

·         Strip down to your underwear or thin layer of clothes that shows your curves well

·         Stand in front of a full upright mirror

·         Study the relationship between your shoulder, waist and hips.

·         Analyse your waist line and where it sits.

·         Turn as much as possible to assess your bum and backside

·         You should be taking down notes such as shoulder width compared to hip width, large or slim thighs etc

·         Also write down those areas of your body you are self conscious about and those parts you are confident of.

·         Using your jottings, you should be able to define your shape

·         In addition, you could get honest views from a trusted friend or family and then compare with your notes, just to have a more concise assessment.

·         Having differences in the opinions could mean you may have more than one shape combined (which is very possible), so you just read on the shapes and decide which one suits you better taking into consideration those areas you are confident of.

 

Every woman has her assets, so when dressing up try to flaunt those areas without overdoing it else you end up looking more slutty than lady-like. You would know these areas judging from compliments you get on the regular and those you feel confident about. Finally, no matter what you put on, make sure you feel comfortable and great before stepping out ;).