Archive

Clothing Musings

Kitenge Fabric

June 9, 2021
Clothing Musings, Crafty Curios
1 Comment

I went to Nairobi Textiles and got some awesome kitenge fabric. Can’t wait to start sewing with them!

kitenge fabric

Nairobi Textiles is a cool place. It’s a small building with many independent vendors selling fabric from their stalls. A lot of tailors also work there, ready to turn new purchases into custom clothes. The fabric are more expensive there than in Eastleigh but more affordable than say, in Canada.

The atmosphere reminded me a lot of Lotus Pond Market in Chengdu (colorful and crowded). Though, I haven’t visited Lotus Pond Market in over a decade so I’m sure a lot has changed.

If you’re buying fabric in Nairobi, I’d recommend a visit, but allow ample travel time: it’s in the heart of CBD and many Uber drivers don’t pick up there.

Pattern Drafting Software

May 22, 2021
Clothing Musings, Coding Bits, Crafty Curios

I’m having a real “time is circular” moment.

It’s been almost 8 years since I wrote Python scripts to create stuffed animals using 3D models from video games. Now that I’m getting back into sewing, I’m discovering a whole new world of software for pattern makers.

CLO3D is the industry standard, offering advanced cloth simulations.

Valentina is the best open source alternative (GPL3!).

With FOSS tools, some are just as amazing as their non-FOSS counterparts while others are a little lacking. For example, I think Blender is entirely able to replace Maya and 3DS Max for a hobbyist animator. The same is true for Krita replacing Photoshop for illustrators. OpenSCAD and FreeCAD are not quite able to replace Solidworks for engineers.

I have very limited pattern making experience so I’m not a great judge for pattern making software. If cloth simulation is critical, then Valentina needs a lot more features to be able to compete with CLO3D. If cloth simulation isn’t super necessary, maybe Valentina would make an adequate substitute.

Either way, I’m loving learning about the ecosystem around sewing and making clothes. Sewing is a craft that dates back to ancient days and has neat jargon (like armscye). At the same time it’s been really modernized with the industrial clothing supply chain. It also has a fascinating digital component, like the transformation from flat pattern making to pattern making software.

It’s so cool!

DIY Loop Turner

May 16, 2021
Clothing Musings, Crafty Curios

I recently picked up sewing as another pandemic hobby. When making my first cami, I realized I needed a loop turner for turning straps inside out. Not having one on hand, I searched for good substitutes. YouTube suggested using chopsticks, safety pins, and bobby pins. Unfortunately, none of them worked.

Harry suggested I use a zip tie. I was initially skeptical but zip ties worked great! You can sew one end to the head of the zip tie and pull without worry!

diy loop turner

Posting this for anyone else who’s too impatient to wait for a loop turner.

Hiking Boots!

August 13, 2015
Clothing Musings
Leave a comment

merrelle

Recently, Harry and I have gone hiking a lot. He convinced me to buy a pair of Merrell hiking boots, and boy what a great investment they were.

I initially thought hiking boots wouldn’t make that much of a difference, but they totally do! They provide a lot of ankle support and traction, which assuages a lot of my anxiety about slipping to my doom.

If you’re a small woman who’s new to hiking (like me), then the Merrell Moab is a fine choice. It’s very comfortable and not that heavy. It’ll make your hiking trips a lot more fun.