I've made all the masks I'm gonna make.

Sigh.

Hi all.
Man, what a 202o, right?

I don't know if I have much to say, other than with all things considered, I'm in a comfortable place. I've got food, my dog has food, I have internet and electricity, I live in California, and my plants are good.

Low bar, but pretty high for so many our there. Thinking about them keeps me up sometimes, and with all the ways people are trying to help, trying not to lose their homes, and not get sick, we still trudge on.

When this all started, I was inundated like I'm sure most people who sew were, "Are you making masks?" At first, I looked online for a couple of days for places or even businesses where I could donate my time. I wasn't going to make masks out of my own material because it was pointless.

I was looking, emailing, even calling to see if I could get medical materials sent to me, make them, then send them back. I felt that was one of the only ways with the limited power I have, to actually help. Because side from the theater of wearing it to make yourself or others feel good, the homemade stuff didn't really do anything.

But then things got worse, and here in California, you are required to wear a face covering or you can be refused service.

I've only been out once since that order came down last week, and I wore one of my scarves trippled over. But with all the constant talk of masks, I reached out to one of my friends who works in the medical field and asked his opinions on the entire matter.

He told me that yes, home masks don't do much, but it's better than nothing, and if you are going to make them, use three layers of a tightly woven cotton, and a nose bridge to secure a tight seal around the face.

Okay, now I had something to go on.

I was grateful for the insight, but sad too. It makes me think of all the medical personnel who wear garbage bags! Ugh, the whole thing feels like a dropped ice cream cone in sand.

So I decided to look at these masks and see if I can make it the best mask I can with what I have.


I downloaded some random pattern online which was way too large for my face. I cut it down and altered it and was ready to go.

The good thing is, since I primarily work in natural fabrics, I had a lot of remnants cotton to use.

I used a cotton novelty print for the outside, a cotton sateen for the inside, and a cotton jersey (T shirt) for the third layer. Now, I left a pocket between the jersey and the sateen so if someone wanted, they would put in some sort of filter.

The problem is, trying to breathe through all that stuff is a challenge, especially with the nose guard.
I wanted a wire that would be pliable, but bendable multiple times. I remembered I had some gardening wire that was encased in plastic, giving it softness and ease to bend.

From there I had some elastic and did a small gather at the jaw, making that seal extra-sealing.
Shoe strings for the ties for around the back of the head, and there you go.

One friend told me this was basically the Hong Kong mask, that had a blockage rate of around 60-70%. Oh, I guess my pocket for a filter was on to something.

I mailed my friend some, and gave other friends the rest.

For a problem solving exercise, this was satisfying. If I could work in the proper materials, and if it were needed, I'd totally make more.

That's it right now on my end. I've been sewing and trying to find some work. Drawing and reading and yes, more pattern making.

I hope people are doing well and taking deep breaths.

More soon.

Love ya!

Happy Birthday Granny!

One of the foundations in my life turned 100 years old today! I remember us singing Ray Charles songs as a kid, calling her to remind her her favorite show, The Equalizer was about to start, and her still to this day, less than five minute phone calls.

She's as hard headed as me, and I think about her all the time.
Love my granny and I'm so proud to be her granddaughter.

Here is to more time talking with her and hearing her laugh. :)

Happy birthday Marie Smith.

A live stream of me working on patterns Saturday?

Since everyone thinks the world is gonna end, why not watch me work on patterns for no real reason than to be entertained by something while you are at home with piles of toilet paper? LOL

Thinking about doing a live stream Sat. afternoon.
Thoughts?

Thanks all!

I have the flu and it sucks.

Ugh.
I can't decide if I'm hot or freezing, I get slightly dizzy from time to time, and I feel like I've pickled myself from the amount of lemon water I've been drinking.

I'm so sloggy. Ugh. My ears are stuffed up. I can't sleep well (something I know I need) and again, so much water.

This is around the fourth day and though I think I'm on the mend, I've just now admitted it's most likely flu.

Los Angeles has had some strange weather this Feb. Super cold nights with mild days. I'm sure that just got me in the end.

I haven't been this sick since 2008, so that's a pretty good run, and I was straight up laid out from that flu, the first time I ever got it, mind you. Gotta love LA.

So here is to the sickies out there. Hot tea your way thought it/be comfy and hot steam feels so good on a coughed raw throat.

Later lovelies!

Thank you.

I just wanted to drop a note of thanks to those of you who have reached out to me from my previous post.

Those who have sent me good thoughts and well wishes.
Those who have purchased from my etsy store.
Those who have emailed me.
Those who have told me how much they too can relate to my story.
Those who have donated from the new donate button at the side.

Thank you so, so much.
It makes me feel seen, acknowledged, and not so in the dark.
Thank you.

I'm still climbing up hill, so just if you can, send me words of support every now and then. Donate if you are able. Just bear with me, I'm trying as hard as I can.

Thank you all and more posts and patterns soon.

Things I've done to make money these last seven years.

I'd moved from Hollywood to Los Feliz, after being able to make rent by reselling vintage patterns. It was so much fun, but I saw the end coming. It happened in two steps, the insane pricing of vintage patters on eBay, and Etsy changing their algorithm that practically decimated me.

I went from making $800 a month, which I used for rent, to making $60 a month - in a month. Etsy then wanted me to pay for "advertising" which basically only made me enough money to pay for the "advertising" so I could see this stream of revenue was dying fast. My etsy store has still never recovered.

Luckily, I got a job as an animation director for a small company. I wasn't making a ton of money, but it allowed me to move to a great place and start to act like an adult.

The thing was, the job kinda treated me like I didn't know what I was doing, or rather, one of their people did, who had an ear with the boss who hired me, and was undermining my decisions of me and my team.

I was let go after a year.

Now, I'd been working on paying off things diligently just so I could get into a place to start some hard core savings. I was ready for it, happy to be in that place in my adult life, but it didn't happen.

For over a year I did under the table work, sewing for people and some business, and living on $14 in groceries a week. Unemployment covered my rent (thanks Obama) but I couldn't pay really anything else enough to get head.

I began selling a lot of my vintage collection, a trend that I still do and there is not much left.

I think my average for job applications was 40 a day at that point. I went to job fairs, asked around, and cold called. People really never help you get work. That's something no one tells you.

I had the opportunity to move to a place in San Gabriel, which was out of LA proper, but the rent was half. There my dog and me shared a 250 sq ft room and a shared bathroom with two of the most horrible girls in the back unit of a converted apartment of someone I thought was my friend.

I was so grateful for the chance to move. Thought I was doing okay, but then, she complained about the electricity, and when I told her the girls were allowing everyone - like three to four people at a time - to come over and use the shower (OUR SHARED SHOWER) and wash their clothes, I got a rent raise.

Luckily, I was working at an animation job back in Hollywood, actually a block from where I originally lived when I sold patterns.

It was full time, but I was a "contract worker" and even though I was doing the exact same job as other employees, they got medical, 401Ks and all the bennies. Yeah, California cracked down on that shit, but it was too late for me to benefit.

My 'friend', the one I was renting from, wanted me out at the first of the year. Why, she's still never told me, but after raising my rent 30% for no reason, I really didn't care. I had enough saved to move with the skin of my teeth, but then my dog got sick, and I had to help him.

I was working on my Kickstarter project at the time, and the first one failed. You can't understand how defeated I felt. Like I didn't matter, like it was all over. But I got so many encouraging people telling me to keep going, so I did, and I was able to meet the goal!

2018 was gonna be a new start!

I moved to where I am now, worked on patterns, had a good gig sewing cosplay reproductions and vintage repairs, and even though I was doing 16 hour days at a time, things were looking up.

The first to go were the vintage repairs. Though they liked my work, they were friends of the person I moved away from, and though I can't prove I was ghosted from that work, I think I know why.

Next, the cosplay job I was sewing for just never paid me on time. My rent started being late, I began hemorrhaging late fees, and I had to divert money and other things just to stay afloat all the while making clothing for them. I was doing 2-3 jobs and only getting paid for one.

When I did get paid, I'd have to use a lot just to cover late fees and missed payments and it was a mess I honestly am still recovering from.

Then there was the check fraud of Christmas 2018.

I thought I had a couture sewing job, but that fizzled out. Thought a storyboarding gig was gonna start but now the date is "up in the air". I got a long, looooooong list of stuff like that. A graphic novel, a cleaning job, working fast food, you name it.

Even thought about sex work for a bit. Not shaming, I have some friends who do it and was curious. But it's not for me, or at least what I was thinking about doing isn't for me.

So here I sit typing this, looking at an NVL pattern on the dress form that I have to get back to after I apply to another 30 jobs. That's my goal, 30 jobs a day.

Oh, funny note: I've had a recruiter call me a few times, as my resume keeps popping up for some jobs she is looking to fill. Now, my resume is quite diverse (link here) and she ACTUALLY SAID something along the lines of "I really only want to fill jobs with people who will love them, not just people who need them."

Wow, Karen. Thanks for that.

My family can't help me. Well, my granny was helping me a bit, but her sons cracked down on that. They think I'm out in California living on the beach and drinking cocktails or something. It's amazing how you can feel the loss of $100 a month when your budget is razor thin.

That's where I am. 100% on my own. Pushing a boulder uphill in mud while dogs bite at my heels. I've been doing this for years. I never know how I'm gonna make rent, or even get groceries. But I have a lot of dry goods so I'm going through those.

It feels embarrassing, because I work so fucking hard, and all that labor just evaporates. SO I say to myself "Well, I'm not working hard enough" but what is hard enough? 20 hour days? Done it. 4 hour commutes? Done it? Working below min wage just for "opportunity" HA! I'm doing that right now.

It's amazing seeing other people in my social circle who have houses and full time jobs, and I have the exact same education level as them, but I wonder if it was wise of me to spend that $6 on the beer I just got when I go out with them. And then I think, this is all I have, I should be able to enjoy it, but I spend the night thinking if that purchased will affect my budget, and it most likely always does.

I just needed to vent.

More patterns are coming.

Here is what I'm working on now.

If you drink, I have a podcast.

If you like sexy books, I did the cover for this writer.

If anyone knows of a job in my field, show them my website(s).

Thanks!

Where I am in 2019

Hi all. I sincerely hope your 2019 is going well.

If you remember, I didn't have the best last year, and made a vow to make the new year a better experience for me with the power I have to change it as much as I can. I can say this, so far I feel like I'm trying to move a mountain but it's made of sand.

One thing I realize is that I am utterly, overwhelmingly invisible. What I mean by that is people see me, my work, my contributions, and they enjoy them, but there is rarely an inclination to share that enjoyment with others.

It's something I've noticed for years, especially on this page and on my illustration page. Getting people to tell other people about the work of mine they enjoy is a herculean feat. I felt that really badly when I was doing my web comic, Vintageville. I'd get private messages about how they loved it, loved the drawing and stories but when I said thanks so much, can you share it, nothing. 

I mean this is the one time in my life where "exposure" of my work is really needed LOL

I'm at a standstill professionally right now. I may be at the brink of legal action with something, and I have just abandoned another project for my sanity. Neither situation I want to be in or want to have it go the way it's going, but I'm hurting, mentally and financially from other's use and abuse of me professionally.

So I've made some decisions.

First, I want to start to solely work on my own content and just filter out the need to work for someone else. It's a struggling vine, I know, but I'm gonna lose my mind with stomach pains and crying every night if I don't do this.

That's where you all come in.

I implore you, urge you, beg you, share my content. If you made something from one of my current NVL patterns, make a post about it or rate it on a board somewhere. If I've made a garment for you, recommend me to a friend. Promoting myself can only go so far, honestly. I can only have so many social media sites, so many web pages, and so many blogs. There is only so much one person in a 500sq/ft apartment can do while chasing rent and scraping enough money together so the electricity does not get cut off. 

Thanks all and have an amazing weekend!

Here is a picture of Virginia in a costume I made for her!

***Self Promotion***

Facebook

Shelleyjdotcom

Websites

www.shelleyj.com/

www.newvintagelady.com

Instas!

NewVintageLady

Shelleyjdotcom

Virginia_belles_wardrobe  More pics of Virginia costumes!

Twitter

@normavieladie

Etsy

NewVintageLady

Newvintagelady 2018 in review.

Not gonna lie, this was a really, really tough year for me. Socially, work wise, and my dog died. That took a lot out of me and I don't see 2019 getting any better but hope and all that, right!?

January

Have I introduced you all to Virginia?

My Kickstarter, the last week!

The other day I had some one tell me how super professional they thought my Kickstarter campaign was. They had backed a few campaigns, and they were really impressed with mine. From the video to the body copy, to the images, everything.

That made me feel so great. I'd been working on this project for months, researching campaigns, talking with people who had done them and what they did to make them successful, and I followed their suggestions to the letter. I wanted to make sure everything was visually clear, concise, and easy to follow.

I even storyboarded my campaign video and set up a makeshift recording studio for the audio (I'm SO not a sound dude) :)

But it all comes down to the backers. Campaigns can only do so much, but its the backers enthusiasm about a project, sharing it, telling their friends about it, keeping it fresh, that really truly sells it. Some campaigns have that naturally, others, like me, have to work for it.

If you have a blog or a facebook page, please share my campaign a few times this week. If you can tweet about it, please to so. And don't forget to back my campaign! 

Word of mouth is amazing too. Social media is all about personal endorsements. People trust that.

We can do this, y'all!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/566924565/new-vintage-lady-plus-size-vintage-sewing-patterns

My 2015 year end assessment as mostly told through pictures of Brian.

Hello lovely people.

This year has been a real hard one, as I'm sure so many people have had. A lot of struggle and hopelessness and so many "what ifs" going on in my brain.

I moved!

Hello lovely people!

I know I have been out of it for a while, but these last few weeks are because I moved to a new place.
I didn't plan on moving, but a real nice opportunity came up and I decided I needed a change. I was tired of spending all my time on gathering rent and no time to play or work on other projects, and now I have that breathing room.

Vintage Pattern Selling is Dead

I'm sure you've all noticed.
The bubble has popped.

The furvor is over and all that remains are a bunch of mediocre patterns and the novice sellers who think they are worth more than they are.

For the time being, let's remove supply and demand from the pattern selling equation. We all know that panic bidding is really what drives up the prices in our little world. Sans that, drove up the prices. You see, actual demand has gone to the side and been replaced with laughable price tags from someone looking to gouge because, "I found a pattern and it has to be worth something!"

It's not as if I long for the heyday of 6 years ago when vintage sewing patterns were their most expensive. I long for those times because of the ample variety. Oh, so many types of patterns in all price ranges were available to those shoppers just starting out all the way to the super serious collector dropping $400 on a 20s hat pattern (it happened!).

That's what made me start selling to tell you the truth. I'd buy a pattern, feel like a glutton for having so many and sell off a few to spread the wealth. That snowballed into a nice little side business that I was actually able to pay rent with for a time.

But over the last few years not only did the supply diminish, the quality did as well, as new "insta" collectors came on buying patterns based on the pattern envelopes (you know what I mean-the obsession with evening gowns), other collectors saw the prices drop and stopped listing their choice pieces. Also, repros shot in like gang busters, shaving off those sewists who really just wanted to make the garment over owning a piece of history. Soon the major pattern makers go into the repro game (with wishy washy success) and the retro styles became sub mainstream, so people were soon able to find looks that mimicked the vintage aesthetic in their local malls.

All of this added to the bubble popping, only, like every popped bubble, many don't get the message.

This is my pattern. It's in my possession and I just sold it in a lot for a little over $100. So in that bulk, it sold for a little over $1.

This same pattern is listed here, on ebay at these two insanely different prices. Not only is this pattern late 60s, it's a costume pattern and not rare in the least. It's a left over, as are most that are listed these days. Decent enough to notice, but not desired enough to acquire.

*sigh*

And that's where the patten selling market is now. A niche that either will list an average 30s pattern for $250 that no one will buy, a 60s "Mad Men" dress pattern for $50, or $5 (I mean really, do these sellers search listings before they post!?), or mis-catagorize a patten in order to carry more views. I mean have you seen the "1930s" pattern category? It's laughable.

Where does this leave those of us who still troll the sites and places and regular haunts looking for that beautiful pattern discovery? I guess in the same places were were always known to be. I don't think those people will ever stop collecting, or ever think that the hey day will return, but part of it is the hunt.

For me now, I look for nice designs that may often get overlooked because they are plain or some other collector may not see their potential.

This is my newest one, in my size and only $5. I've always had a soft spot for plain patterns.

It's the discovery, that treasure that can be yours and the story of finding it that you will attach to the pattern, any vintage find really. It's what we often live for, and as long as I have legs, antique malls and a decent amount of disposable income, I'll be a vintage pattern collector for life!

Your thoughts?

Food poisoning got me to sew.

Hello lovely people.

This has been a really shitty week.
As I was eating up the remaining goods in my cupboards, I cracked open a carton of tofu I had just bought in my fridge. Little did I know that later that night I would feel like I had been drugged as I had ever vertigo and could barely stand.

Home for the Holiday

Hello lovely people.

I've been gone. More like, away. I flew home for the first time in 10 years to surprise my 95 year old grandmother for her birthday.

Women, we gotta get out of our own way (rant with cussing involved)!

I didn't want to write this post because when you comment on things like this, often people don't hear you but instead look for cracks in what you are trying to explain in order to voice an opinion no one asked for. Which I'm sure will happen, to the irony of wherever this blog post gets posted and some unsuspecting commenter bellowing the same trite PC bullshit that contradicts whatever trite bullshit someone else posted. I'm just setting up this preamble because I know that's what will happen.

The internet is a large toilet, we all know that, filled mostly with the bile of anonymous commenters content on having a 'voice' yet refraining from taking ownership of that voice. It's lazy (I will be speaking in absolutes in this post) and it drives me crazy.

What's going on…the pot luck post.

Hey lovely people.

Goodbye 2014, and fuck you.

Hello lovely people.

I sat down to write this as another year end review I always do on the blog. I was looking through some of the past posts and saw how little I posted this past year. Compared to the fervor of previous years, this one was aggressively sparse.

That was not because of lack of desire or projects or interest, I assure you. I had all of those things, and more, but like so much in this past year, nothing came to fruition.

2014 was an amazingly difficult year for me, as you all may remember in my last year review, I was saying pretty much the same thing. It was tough, with no end in sight, and it seems to be that way now as 2014 ends and 2015 begins.

I'm not writing this for platitudes of, "Keep trying," or, "It will get better." I'm too pragmatic for that stuff. I know what I'm doing and I know how hard I try, it just seems that for not only me, but a lot of people I know, it was a shit year with no rebounding yet in sight.

There was very little to be optimistic about, truthfully. My job prospects were few and far between. I nearly lost my apartment about 4 times. My Etsy sales were abysmal, I'd like to take Brian to the vet, and I can't afford the dentist right now. All in all it's been royally craptacular.

I'm sure people will say you should be in a better mindset or you won't get any positive stuff coming your way. Blah Blah Blah. At this point I guess it's what do I do, right? Well, what else can I do but what I'm doing. I just feel I'm running out of time.

I honestly wish I had a life line or something. An 'in' somewhere or something. I have no connections and even the one's I've tried to make have failed. I've never been very good at that stuff.

It's been an exhausting year. One of the worst of my adult life, and yeah, I know the whole, "It could have been worse," route. I've always hated it when people say that. As if that negates the other person's hardships...but I digress.

I do miss sewing regularly, though. I plan on getting back into it. I need more dresses, that's for sure. I also need to make some jeans, and go hiking more. SO much I need to do, but finding steady employment is first and looking at the bottom of dried up wells for that water has all but failed.

My only bright spot has been Vintageville. I do love working on that thing. I love it, publishers don't, I've been trying. Apparently a comic about a fat black girl with no superpowers isn't very sellable. Go figure :) That's the story of my life, really.

I don't really know how to end this other than I'll post more in 2015. I want to post more. I just ask that you all support it. If you can share the content, re-post and just tell people about it. That's it. That's the price. It's not too much, I don't think.

Bye :)

Hair Post 2014: Hair foolery pt 2

I got some hot sticks about two years ago from a beauty swap that I never used. I had some old products in my cabinet that I haven't used in a long time so I decided to play with my hair, something I really don't do.

I wanted to see how my hair would react to the heat and which product would be best. I've hot pressed my hair before, I just don't like using too much heat on it as I'm pretty content with how it acts naturally.

Hair Post 2014: Hair foolery pt 1

Hello lovely people.

I get messages from time to time - Which reminds me, should I do a Q&A?

If so, send me messages via email or Facebook. :)