Do You Use a Dress Form?

I love Lifetime's TV show Project Runway. I don't have a lot of time for TV, but Project Runway is one of my little guilty pleasures, as well as dark chocolate!

Every week, I see the designers attaching pieces of fabric to dress forms before fitting their models. They make it look so easy!

In addition to creating handbags, I also like to design and sew outfits for myself. Fit is the critical difference between an outfit being a "WOW" and an "Oh, did you make that?" It's difficult to make adjustments while you're wearing the garment, so I've been thinking about buying a Dress Form to make my garment designing as easy as Project Runway. Well, luckily my design time won't be limited to one day or a specific challenge.

Overstock.com has a few dress forms on sale at very reasonable prices. I've also been to FabulousFit.com, but they are slightly priced out of my budget.

I'd love to hear from you. Does anyone use a dress form? Any tips? 

The Crafty Panda featured on Handmade Spark

Check out The Crafty Panda interview on Handmade Spark. Thanks to Justine Smith for making it happen!

http://handmadespark.com/blog/etsy-parents-the-crafty-panda/

Where In The World....is The Crafty Panda?

WOW, it's true that time flies when you're having fun or just really busy! I can't believe the entire March went without a post.

Here's what has been going on in the fun and busy world of The Crafty Panda.....my studio has been going through a re-design. Thanks to my helpful hubby, we've added a long shelf on one wall that holds a ton of my fabric bolts. It's the first wall I see when I walk into the studio and I love looking up at the beautiful fabrics with bright colors and prints.

On the same wall I have two craft organizers, a bulletin board and a small shelf for a few paint supplies. As you can see from the photo below, I still don't have all the fabrics on the shelf. We're still working on the studio, but it's inspiring to see it coming together.

I've been busy taking inventory of fabrics, zippers, trims, thread and more. I've also uncovered some great vintage fabrics that were given to me years ago but have been packed away since there wasn't space in the studio. I'll post pictures soon!

The kids were on Spring Break and it was the perfect time to head to the beach. We're lucky to live in a state with so many beautiful beaches!

Hope your April is full of creativity and renewal!

Panda Bag Update

Things have been crazy at The Crafty Panda. Orders have been flying in and I am super busy.

Amidst all this craziness, we're also updating my son's room. He has outgrown his Lil' Firefighter theme and now wants a nature theme. My hubby is a city boy all the way, so my son and I are designing and hubby is the muscle/"go to" guy, as in "Honey, could you please run to the hardware store and pick up four of those big hooks?" :)

We're also repainting bathrooms, hallways and the living room/dining room. Don't you just love having more than one project going at a time?

The Panda Bag is now finished, but it's so cute I've decided to keep it! It's perfect for The Crafty Panda.

The bag is getting lots of compliments while I'm out, so I still plan to make a series of Panda purses. I love how this bag can go from a purse to a handbag to a wristlet! There are lots of Panda fans out there, so I'll keep you posted. Let me know what you think.

Not a Panda fan? What would you like to see on a bag?