Tag: sewing

5 Tips for Modelling your Do It Yourself Fashions for your Online Blog

As a lover of fashion, I have always designed and sewn my own clothing. I love the creativity that comes from wearing garments that I made, as well as the enjoyment from having a customized fit. Making your own clothes allows a person to wear unique clothing patterns, and to experiment with different fabrics. One time I made a skin tight long sleeve dress out of scuba material that was to die for!

If you share this passion, and you are interested in posting your Do It Yourself clothing on your blog, you may be tempted to use a mannequin exclusively to model your creations. I would argue that the best way to showcase your fashion is by modeling it yourself, on your own body.

Here are my…

5 Tips for modelling your own Do It Yourself fashions for your online blog

woman in white button up shirt
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Your photos should be taken outdoors.

Unless you have a sophisticated lighting system that includes floodlights, spotlights, or other high quality lumen projection, it is very unlikely that the lighting in your home will be good enough. Nothing is better than sunlight, so if you must take photos indoors, do so near a large window.

Overcast daytime skies are the best time to take photographs, as direct sunlight can overexpose images. You will want to have the best photos taken at the time of your shoot, and you will want to avoid needing to retouch images. Retouching images is not something you should rely on to make your photos more effective, as it takes extra time and it is reactive instead of proactive.

 

Use a tripod with a height of at least 57 inches (144 CM)

Becoming familiar with using a tripod will save you a lot of heartache. There are times when you my be tempted to set your phone, or camera on an insecure surface to take a photo; however this ruins your workflow. When you do not have the proper equipment available to do your projects, it puts a damper on your motivation to start and to finish it.

A tripod allows versatility for the setting of your photos. You will be able to have more variance in the types of poses you can take. You will also more more mobility because you can simply pick the tripod up, and place it anywhere the ground is level.

If you have been delaying the purchase of a tripod because you are unsure if you need it, take my advice: you need it. Now go order one!

Wear shoes!

Never show your bare feet when taking photos to model your D.I.Y. fashions. Unless being barefoot is part of your photo narrative (i.e. time spent at the beach or in the water), it is not a good decision in my opinion. The reason is that having bare feet in photos where you are showing off your artistic ability seems less professional. It may be interpreted as though you are not very serious about your work. If you’re not that serious, then why should anyone else care?

Use photo ready makeup

Using photo ready make up has been a game changer for my photography. Photo ready make up has a reflective quality that works very well under bright lights. When modeling your Do It Yourself creations, a good reflective surface will help you capture your best side.

 

Get your items ready!

When you are having your photo shoot, have all of the items ready nearby on a table or laid out on your bed. If you want to take it up a notch, I recommend steaming and hanging all of the outfits that you plan to model, on hangers.

When you streamline the process by pre-planning every item you will use, your work will benefit. In my past years, I recall being part of a theater production (as a chorus girl).  During performances, all props were kept in the wings and laid out on a picnic table in the order of their appearance in the play. It was easy for each character to access the props they needed in time for their part in the scene. I think that this strategy is  a great way to stay organized in other projects as well.

 

Modelling your Do It Yourself fashions is a great way to display your work in an accurate way. I have had a lot of fun trying this over the years, and it is a great feeling to wear something that didn’t exist before you decided to take your scissors to some fabric.

Do you enjoy sewing your own fashions? Leave a comment in the section below, and thanks for stopping by.

 

Stephanie

by @Lillybochic

How to model your own fashion line for online e-commerce

I recently took some photos to model new apron designs for my Etsy shop. New designs mean new potential customers, and so fresh photos are integral to making sales and showing off product. Since I don’t have many people nearby who appeal to my target customer base to model for me, I must be my own model.

I don’t mind however, as I have recently learned that knowing how to operate your business from start to finish, and having experience with the day to day operation is often referred to as “full stack”. What that means for me is that I design the apron, draft the pattern, construct and finish each apron, model photos, complete photography and editing and also sell and ship to buyers.  I suppose one day I will need to delegate some of these duties to other people that I will need to hire; but, a huge asset will be for me to know how the task is done myself.

I have a basic mannequin to showcase my designs, but I think that a human model is a better at showcasing the “fit” of garments for many reasons. One particular reason is, unlike a mannequin the human body has more curves and is less perfect than a factory made representation. I think that it is important to capture this imperfection when it comes to sexy designs such as the ones in the LillyBoChic line. We have all seen Victoria Secret ads, so I think I can be different from that fake and unattainable ideal. 

Also, the head and arms are missing from my mannequin, so the ability for a potential buyer to imagine themselves in the item is diminished. I love the pose where a woman puts her hands on her hips and accentuates the hourglass shape we all know and love. My mannequin can’t do that. 

Taking photos of myself in my designs pose significant challenges. One of which is that I do not have a tripod capable of holding my only functioning camera (which is my smartphone currently). After hair and makeup, I undergo a tricky exercise of balancing my camera at an angle that captures a particular area (usually in front of a nice background in my house), and using the self-capture setting I take burst photos of myself that often turn out quite well. For the photos that do not turn out well, I use Photoshop to enhance and crop as needed- but never to augment particulars like size or shapes a la Kardashian fame.

It is not ideal, but so far I believe it has improved my online presence to have candid photos of a model (me) wearing my apron designs. I have posted these photos on Tumblr with links to my Etsy listings, and save the best shots for the Etsy listings themselves. Some of the best responses to my photos have also been from pinning on Pinterest (a program that I absolutely adore).

Stephanie models sexy apron
Modeling my designs
wp-1480593378057.jpg
Stephanie modeling designs in cream and white

Thank you for visiting!

-S

by @Lillybochic

A Pale blue silk camisole inspired by vintage style

I worked on this piece a few weeks ago when I was inspired by something I had seen in a vintage shop. I sourced all of my own materials; but the design was not my own.

My favourite part of this piece would have to be the lace fringe that hangs down to provide a “1920’s lingere flapper girl” style”. I only wish I could have made this in a size large enough to wear for myself!

...just a little bit
…just a little bit
by @Lillybochic

The creative process.

The creative process is one where sometimes you have to walk away from your work, do something else, and return later with fresh eyes. A friend recently told me this, and I agree with it- it’s just basic science. If you stare at the picture for too long your eyes will go crossed. Just like those 3D photos Scholastic used to sell at book fairs in elementary school. I never had one myself, but our teacher would usually buy one for our class.

I have been taking an opportunity to do that these last two days. I completed 3 aprons in one day during the weekend, and since then I have worked on painting my mural, taken photos of my products, and just found other things to do apart from sitting at my sewing machine. I know that I have a lot of things to work on, but I am trying not to immerse myself so deeply in my tasks that I resent them ad quit altogether- or take a long long break from it where time is wasted-which is sometimes just as bad. I can’t say enough how important it is to stay focused on what you want (if you are fortunate enough to know what that is). Knowing what you want takes a tonne of soul searching. But it feels like the same things that make us wake up the morning, like free-will and individuality, are the things that keep us constricted in fear and inevitable indecision.

Image

A photo of what I have been working on.

Worn by creator S.
Worn by creator S.

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by @Lillybochic