Clothing Exchange

I invited friends over last night and we held a clothing exchange is our dorm room. This was the first time I have done this with friends and it turned out so well! Our room was transformed by piles of clothes. Everyone went through their closets and sorted out clothing that they no longer wear or want. It was motivating to get rid of stuff because you knew that you could find something really great in return. The rules were that you could pick out however many items you brought. Four example, if one person brought five things, she could pick out five things from what everyone else had brought. This rule was not really necessary for us because no one reached their limit but for a larger exchange it would be helpful. This first exchange was a success, each of us found at least two or more things that we wanted and all the leftovers we donated. For future exchanges I would definitely make it a bigger event because the more people and clothes that their are, the better chance there is for everyone to find new things and for sizes to match up.

If you've never done an exchange like this, try it! It is so easy to plan and a very economical way (Go green!) to get new clothes and pass on some beloved pieces that never looked right on you anyway. Although I was not able to attend, a woman at my church set up a clothing exchange one Saturday last year. I heard it turned out really well, with many people in the church participating. The Sunday after it was open to anyone to look at before they donated the rest and I found a cute shirt.

Child's Summer Dress

I have doing so much sewing lately! One of my most recent projects is a dress for a three and a half year old girl. This was the midterm project for my sewing class, everyone made clothing for a little girl my teacher knows through church who is in need of more clothing. I followed Simplicity pattern 3510. The pattern was pretty straight forward. All the tucks on the dress lined up without any problem. The only confusing part was the patch pockets. I used the Reader's Digest New Complete Guide to Sewing for instructions on rounded patch pockets. I am very pleased with how it came together!

Dorm Decor

Finally I though I'd post a few pictures of our room! It has looked like this for awhile but I never got around to taking and uploading photos. It was fun going to Ikea this last fall and picking out curtains and finding curtain rods and such. My desk and closet are on the left side of the room and my bed is the one that is higher. We put it up on risers so that there is space of the person below.

Thanksgiving

Well, it's been awhile since I've written anything on here! I've been busy this quarter and so some of these extra things have just fallen by the wayside. I had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving break, from Wednesday to Sunday. After fight traffic with two of my friends from school, I was dropped off in Salem, Oregon on Wednesday night to spend the weekend with Nick and his family. I made sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving Day and to my delight they turned out just as I remember my mom and grandma making them! In addition to traditional Thanksgiving celebrations, I also enjoyed a little Black Friday shopping, hanging out with friends, and going swimming. Swimming at this time of the year? No, we aren't crazy; we went to the Kroc Center, a Salvation Army Community Center facility made possible by McDonald's heiress, Joan Kroc. I also played a little Rock Band with friends (pictured, although I am not in the picture).

Back at it...

I'm pleased to report that I've finally returned to Seattle and all it's rainy glory. School started this week and so far classes are going great! I am taking Christian Formation, Beginning Figure, Intro to the Fashion Industry, and Composición y Conversación. The titles are fairly self-explanatory. In Christian Formation we are not only exploring Christianity's roots but also our own personal convictions and spiritual journeys.
Beginning Figure is going to be challenging but no doubt rewarding. It's a night class and sometimes it can be difficult to draw for two hours but I know from my drawing class last year that I'll get used to it. Understanding the human body will definitely be useful in upcoming Fashion Illustration, draping, and pattern making classes. And just because you're probably wondering; no, we do not have naked models. All our models are clothed as per Seattle Pacific policy. So far, that is one of my frequently asked questions when talking about my classes to other people.
Intro to the Fashion Industry, my most interesting class so far, covers the entire fashion process- from a designer's idea all the way to the consumer. We have a big group project to do in that class where we will study fashion forecasting by promoting a line of clothing to a particular demographic. Our group has chosen to do Women's Winter 2011, working particularly in mass-merchandising. We'll meet once a week for the next seven weeks to work out the details of our promotion.
My final class, Composición y Conversación, is entirely in Spanish. So far this has presented no problems. My professor is very engaging and class always moves right along and most of it is just conversation. Our usual assignments will involve present 3-5 minute monologues and engaging in dialogues between classmates and the professor.
Last but not least is some very exciting news! I have a new job working at a daycare. I am a substitute teacher which means I will be called in as needed. It will involve working with the same age range of children that I worked with this summer. This daycare also uses the same positive discipline techniques. I won't need to adjust too much because I already spent eight weeks this summer in a similar environment.
The picture is of a squirrel that was spying on some friends and I during a picnic this summer. He was quite close to us and climbing all over the tree branches above our heads.

Cutting Edge Children's Wear

I work with children for my summer job and have noticed an interesting trend in children's wear- light up shirts. I remember light-up shoes and I can sort of understand light up backpacks but light up shirts don't make much sense. It definitely wouldn't be comfortable to wear and little LED light lighting up a princess shirt doesn't do much to enhance its aesthetic value. It is interesting to see such an impractical trend take root. It's probably a good idea to leave this one at the store and hope it doesn't last long.