April Update!

It's Deranged Designs monthly update time. When I first started doing this, I called it "weekly update". Then forgot about it till the next month.

I just finished making three animal print hoodie orders. On the last bit of sewing- the sleeve cuff- my industrial overlock machine decided to un-thread itself. Shit like this seems to happen all the time. I'll be almost finished with something on my normal machine, then the bobbin thread will run out 1 inch before the seam is finished. (Happened yesterday in class) The industrial machine doesn't usually have thread breakage problems, but when it does, its a pain in the ass to re-thread it. I have to get out the industrial size tweezers and fuck around with it for half an hour to see what the problem is. All while wishing that the thread would have held on for another minute so I could finish that one last detail!

I've had an extremely frustrating month. I'm only taking two classes this semester but they happen to be the two most time-consuming classes in the entire Los Rios fashion program. Fashion collections at American River College (the class that makes the clothes for the annual school fashion show) and Tailoring at Sac City College. While, of course, keeping up with hoodie orders and other business stuff. (Thanks, Dad, for doing my taxes again!) I've got an all or nothing attitude when it comes to school and business. Either I'm gonna put 100% into everything or I'm not going to try at all. I haven't been able to do that this semester. I've taken one night off this entire month and I still feel like I've left everything to the last minute.

The school fashion show is next Friday, May 7th, at 7pm, 7 bucks. Its in the new black box theatre at ARC. Right next to the northwest parking lot. I'll have 8 outfits to show. There are 15-ish other designers, all with between 5 and 10 outfits. I'm proud of my collection and I can't wait to get pictures of everything, but I feel that I really didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted to do. Like I could have been capable of much more if I wasn't torn between so many priorities. I drive myself nuts with so many ideas and things I want to do. I wish I was one of those freaks that only need 3 hours of sleep a night to be fully functional. Instead I'm stuck with needing 8 hours. Wake up at 7, work all fucking day, pass out at 11. The only reason I'm awake past 11 tonight is because I took an hour nap this afternoon!

Alright, enough moping, here's all the shit I'm looking forward to this summer!

-Having time to work instead of going to school! This summer I'm focusing on something I should have done ages ago: creating clothing pattern blocks in lots of different styles and sizes. So I can put something new on my website, offer it in 4-5 sizes, and make it until the fabric runs out.

-Cleaning up/remodeling my house and clearing out half the basement to make a Deranged Designs showroom/boutique! Not really sure how well the boutique idea will work out but me and several roommates are going to remodel the fuck out of this house. There's a basement show on June 26th, we are thinking of making it an all day punk rock yard sale/show/whatever to raise money. Three years ago the Secretions did the same thing and raised hella money for their summer tour. Ideas for the house include a homemade hot tub in the backyard and a punk rock sistine chapel in the basement. Andre's gonna paint the ceiling! He's a tattoo artist so this can only turn out awesome. We just need some money for paint. Oh, and Eoin wants to turn the fridge into a robot. And personally I plan to fix up both bathrooms. And call the fucking landlord to fucking install a fucking new roof over my sewing room, I'm sick of the disgusting yellow water that comes out of the ceiling in a zillion different places along the perimeter of the wall. And the same water that rains down through the downstairs bathroom and kitchen. Gross!

-Making this blog into a sewing nerd heaven. A long ass time ago I wanted to write up a punk rock sewing guide, with sewing tutorials and tips for everybody. Now that there's a million sewing tutorials already on the web, I want to do something different. I'll start with doing a write-up of all the fashion industry stuff I visited while in New York. I took about 200 pictures on that trip so hopefully I can remember everything I learned.

I usually put up pictures of all the new stuff I've added over the past month, but I'm really tired right now and its simpler to just put a website link up, since its all on the front page of my website anyways.

http://store.derangeddesigns.com/

I also have a sample sale going on right now! Click: http://store.derangeddesigns.com/clearance.html

And I've been adding a lot of photos to my flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/derangeddesigns/collections/

Including a flickr group where you can upload pics of your own handmade clothing (to replace that old section on my website):
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1360537@N24/

Anything else to mention? Um...
My friend Avi has turned his "new" house in San Francisco into THE FUTURE...just go to the facebook link, you might understand:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/San-Francisco-CA/THE-FUTURE/118187931533049

Can't wait to go to the first show there! Haven't been to the bay since January. Yikes. Haven't left my fucking house this month except to go to school. OK time to stop thinking about my life.

I took phone pics of my tailoring jacket project, my scary industrial machine, and some stuff I've been working on from the fashion show and attempted to send them to my email address, but it looks like that failed. No pictures today. Just reading. HA.

Sample Sale!

I usually sell off all my photoshoot samples when somebody orders the sample size, or when I do a local trunk show, but right now I've got a lot of leftovers. I've already sold all of these items, but in different sizes.

Link below will take you to the clearance section on my website. All sample items are a size small.

http://store.derangeddesigns.com/clearance.html

If you aren't the sample size, you can still get these most of these clothes in a larger size. I also added some purses from my last fashion show to the clearance section, half price.

Actually, let me know if you want to get any of these in a larger size, you will pay the regular price but I can give you a free shipping discount. So, discounts for everybody! Yay!

New sale items:


Leggings $19 (original $29) this is the last pair, no larger sizes available


Leggings $19 (original $24)


Hoodie $34 (original $45)


Hoodie $34 (original $45)


Ramones hoodie $39 (original $55)


Red zipper leggings $19 (original $24)

PURSES:
I made these as last minute accessories for my fashion show last year. They aren't normal heavy duty purses. Best for light use on special occasions, not everyday use.


Patchwork zebra purse $9 (original $19)


Gray satin zipper purse $7 (original $14)


Spotted zipper purse $9 (original $19)

New mesh leopard tops, and killer bees!

I'll explain about the bees in a second, just sit tight.

New mesh leopard print tops! Forgot to get a picture of these in the last photoshoot. These are NOT Deranged Designs creations, I found them on a wholesale showroom website. I've been making lots of stuff lately but it won't be up till after my fashion show on May 7th.

Anyways, Laura and I got some pics of this top several weeks ago when it was all nice and sunny and not 80 degrees then suddenly pouring rain. Ok, maybe this top is supposed to be worn as lingerie, but in my head it would make a great skanky top to wear when its 110 degrees in a few months and the idea of clothing makes you want to...um, I don't know, fill in the blanks.

Tops are $24, available in small, medium, and large.

WEBSITE LINK:
http://store.derangeddesigns.com/

FUCKIN AWESOME PICTURES: (enjoy the pink hair now, I think its changed already)




Look, it says Jesus next to her head! Hahaha. Belts also for sale on my website.


Back of top. Maybe I should start paying my models, so they can get their tattoos finished.


Oops, got my car in this picture. Its ruined.


Ok, see, I'm not insane. As soon as I parked my car in the cemetary, I ended up walking right towards a bee covered tombstone. Without noticing it. Until some dude a ways away screamed at me to stop. I was like 3 feet away from it before I noticed it. Most dangerous photoshoot ever. Except for maybe at the haz-mat in oakland when Qiana had laura and jade balance on that wobbling stair railing. Live fast, die...no, just get tons of minor injuries.


Just for some perspective. Bees in the trees too. Reminds me of when I kept finding hornets in my sewing room. I've been stung like 20 times in my life. Barely avoided another 400. Its a curse.

Goodnight everybody. Well almost goodnight. I'm gonna go make a lace-up leggings custom order and then lace them up while watching American Dad. Hulu better have a new episode up. Or else I'll have to watch Colbert report. Since I already watched Daily show today. My life is so exciting.