Busy as a Bee

Yes, I have been busy! Summer is here and its hot and the cool water has been tempting me! I have a lot to work on today so this is gonna be a short one! I've cut up about five or six t-shirts to work on, and this is the latest from an old dress, but now is a halter top, ooh la la!
Peace- Nenah

Sierra Nevada

So I ended up going to the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival. I said I wasn't gonna go, but then my friends were able to hook me up with a backstage pass(free) soo I couldn't resist the temptation! I met Prezident Brown, his wife and his cute new baby, whom looks like a little mini Prez! My daughter and I danced to Anthony B and shopped the fabulous vending booths.

I was good though, I didn't buy any clothes! The only thing I bought was a spirulina smoothie from the raw food booth...mmmm! If I had brought more money with me I would have raped at least five vending booths! Serious!! My favorite vendor, Solsis, was there doing her thing. This woman was one of the inspirations for Sia Jahta! She hand makes her own clothes with her own artwork on them. Its just real simple designs, but the fabric is great and they are very stylish! Kellie and I both own a few of her items, and after seeing how they were made, the light bulbs were glowing! Anyway, the rest is history!

I'm still feeling behind in my work, my serger is still mad at me and classes started today,yay! In case anyone is wondering I am going back to school for nursing, fun! It's summer classes though, so its only a month and loads of homework:). I am not worried though, I will still have plenty of time for festivals, swimming, sewing and suntanning! I am putting the finishing touches on the clothes I showed last week so I will share the pictures when they are finished.

Yesterday I took the day to spend mama-daughter time! Everyday is special with her, but yesterday was extra special.

We did laundry, ate dairy-free ice cream on a stick, swam in the river, suntanned on dry river clay, and then topped off the evening by making lentil-walnut burgers together!

They turned out super yummy! Oh, and we also picked fresh broccoli from our garden to have on the side!

Well, better get back to sewing and homework, and dishes, and gardening, and mommy time...and...exercising.....and...pant.....stuff...Ohm...peace-Nenah

Sia Jahta Clothing

As I said in my previous post, I'm still creating despite my possessed sewing machines! All of my recent creations are being displayed on my beautiful Styrofoam model, Genevieve. If you've been following, you'll notice she has been gifted a brand new head! But wait, there's more! She also gained a full head of golden Afro puff! Now that's love! Anyway, the clothes are pinned in the pictures for obvious reasons, but I am happy to admit that we have had a breakthrough!!YAY!! I was able to get the tension fixed on one of the machines, and we are sewing! Thank heavens, but if anyone out there has any serger advice, it will gladly be accepted.

My first item is my Empress Menen tube top, made from a t-shirt my step dad brought home for me from one of his tours. It was too big and manly, so I just fixed it a bit! Red, gold, and green stripes, cowrie shells, batik fabric, signature flower...BAM! It's finished! This one is the only one that actually got sewed:).

Next, an old Roxy halter and Bob Marley T turned sexy back tank. I might add some more embellishments, but then again, I kind of like it just Bob!

I started to create a hoodie vest, up-cycled from an men's sweater. I had another Bob Marley head from another old T and am using it for an applique on the back of the hoodie. It will have a nice hood when complete, and some front kangaroo pockets. It will also have the usual flare!

And last I have been working on two tanks for my friend Lareina. She gave me 3 sarongs, 2 shirts,and a heart-shaped coconut belt loop to go crazy with and make her some clothes.

So, the purple, low cut shirt is a gauze-like material, and I took the crochet top from another flowery shirt she gave me and made a belt for it. Its hard to see in the picture, but ill take new ones. I am proud of how this turned out. It proudly shows of that beautiful skin(hopefully you are proud of the skin you are in)!

The green halter was made from a sarong. Love, love, love this material! It has multi-color swirls and designs on it, it's just gorgeous. Simple halter with low cowl neck, and hip band,what else can I say? I have two items left in the Lariena collection to finish, just a braided belt and one more sarong to play with and then that's it!

After making clothes for Lariena and fixed a skirt for another friend, no more!
Any requests will have to wait till the festival is over. I'm locking myself in my house with my demon sewing machines and am not coming out!! Well, maybe except to water the garden, suntan, go for a run...but that's it, oh yeah, I might have to go to my real job, but that's it! So, if you want clothes, come to the Beneficial Reggae Concert and visit the Sia Jahta booth! And did I mention Anthony B is gonna be there, yea that's right, August 20 at the Frey Vineyards! Hope everyone has a blessed summer, even if you are walking around naked and not in Sia Jahta clothing!

Bless-Nenah

Blog Schmog! Nenah vs. Serger

So, I looked at my last post and didn't feel too resentful about my absence. It hasn't been that long, yet it feels like forever! 2 months!! Yikes! If anyone is still following and wondering what the deal is, the deal is I have been in a domestic dispute with my brand new serger! With my conventional sewing machine spazzing out, I had grown accustomed to hand sewing everything! I finally found a nice serger and bought it as the answer to all my sewing woes! Boy was I wrong!! This machine is the most tempermental invention on the planet! I have spent the last 2 months at war with this machine and kind of went on a sewing strike! I have still been creating and have lots of projects to share, but damn it, I want to SERGE!! Fortunately I do have 2 other sewing machines that will just have to suffice. They are a bit rickety, but with a tension adjustment they should do the basics! On a happy note, I am going to be vending my clothing at a festival this summer! This will be my very first avent! My business partner in crime, Kellie, will be flying in as well. Kellie makes the jewelry part of our collections, which I might add, compliment the clothing nicely! So the next few months my blogging will be dedicated to festival preparation. I do hope the 11 followers we have will enjoy the journey with us! Look for my photos of the couple months of creations this evening! Bless- Nenah

Hmmm...what to do...

Well,sorry Menah, I'm writing on your day! Was so busy working yesterday, I forgot to post! Anyway, my project for the week is four different shirts that will soon be one(or two). Not sure what to do, but the creative wheels are turning and I must get sewing!! Chop, chop! ~Nenah

"The Steez"

This week, I've decided to dedicate my blog to the term "Steez". Upon cleaning out my music library, I discovered some rap music(downloaded by someone else) on my computer entiltled "The Steez". I happened to be on the phone with my beloved sister at the time, who was just as amused as I was, so we googled it!  
Ahem..."Steez" simply means "style with ease".  And in case anyone is wondering, there are variations on how to use this word!  Example: "Check out his shoes, man, those are mad steez" or my personal favorite, "Aw s***, that car is damn steezy! I feel like a steezmonkey riding that s*** for sure!".  You may also use other variations, such as, Steeznugget, Steezbomb, Steezfaced, Steezmonster, etc. The possibilities are endless!  All of this can be yours at www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=steez
Oh, how I love today's language, what ever will they think of next?  

Anyway, my "Steez" of the week was my I-Taweh t-shirt.  My friend I-Taweh's cd is steadily climbing the charts, and his lovely wife(also my good friend) gave me one of his t-shirts so I could show my support! 
As we all know, most band t-shirts are shapeless and made for men! Naturally, I decided to do what I do best...upcycle!!!  So, I cut off the sleeves, opened  the neck nice and wide, made a waistband,  and topped it off with a fantastic braided belt made from old t-shirts!  I found a bamboo ring and used it for the belt loop.  I Wasn't sure how this would turn out because, I'll let you in on one of my secrets,  I hardly use patterns anymore.  I love to freestyle!! You might say I'm one "Steezybeezy"! Haha, yea...so, the belt took FOREVER! I hand sewed the entire thing , and I think I have a permanent dent in one of my fingers from pushing on the needle! But it was worth it, and I already have four requests! 

I also made another halter that I had wanted to post last week.  It is made from an old skirt that didn't fit anymore.  I absolutely adore this and will be making more!  It has been sewn together with the edges left raw. The stretch cotton doesn't fray, so it looks really cool.  It has a low cowl neck and african beads at the base of each strap.  The waistbelt is a gauzy,  leaf print fabric that almost looks camoflauge from a distance!  I hand stitched the pleats on it and closed it off with a tie.  Can't wait for summer to sport this one! 

And last but not least, my "Flower Power" shirt.  I already posted this, but Miss Menah wanted to see me in it, and I do believe I stated that I would wear it for the post.  As promised, here it is!  Hope everyones day is as beautiful as the sun that shines! 
As always, peace and "steezyness" ~Nenah

Flower Power

  Finally after so many distractions, I have finished my project from last week. I experienced a few moments of self pity, because of my inability to stay on task, but I pulled through.
  Last week was absolutely hectic.  I moved into another house, had a scheduled girls night out with my daughter, and started working part time at a spa. To top it off, we had musicians rehearsing in our house and I had to help cater to all the hungry band members, might I add, one of them was quite tasty, and I'm not talking food...anyways I've decided that it's OK to just be human.  My superhuman attempt was exhausting.

  That being said, my shirt turned out beautiful.  I received many compliments on it. I'm going to wear it for Fridays post along with my Friday stuff.  So this shirt, as I mentioned in last weeks post, used to be connected to a pair of shorts. The belt is braided fabric from an old sarong combined with black and white print fabric. This will be a nice warm weather shirt for those who love to bare their shoulders.

~Peace, Nenah

Happy Monday All

 This monday was so "happy" it called for a coffee, which I dont normally drink. Ugghh, and I payed for it too, sweating like crazy.  Anyway, my project for this week is to up cycle an old jumper. It is one of those that have the shorts connected to the shirt, quite pukey if you as me, but it has a lot of potential. I would like to start taking before and after photos so everyone can see the transformation, but unfortunately, I cut the shorts off a while back.  Oh well, theres always next project. Until wednesday, I bid you goodnight.

~Nenah

Cowrie Shell Tank

After spending four days visiting my sister, I am sorry to say that not much was accomplished. It had been such a long time for the both of us, we ended up spending the majority of our time catching up.
We did, however, manage to work on one of the projects I was supposed to post last week, an up cycled sun dress turned tank that needed the band sewn on.

Front of tank top on genevieve

Funny thing happened while fixing the band. I had to put it on (to allow for the stretch) and have my sister baste it. She ended up perma basting me into the shirt and we had to cut the seam to get me out!   Thankfully, after all that, and a mini vacation from my vacation, I have a completed project and we are back on board!

Back of tank top

I especially love the design, as well as colors of this tank. It reminded me of something from Africa. I found a cowrie shell flower from an old belt and used it to accent the band. The straps have been braided into two loops that catch each other in the back.
Hope you enjoy.
~ Nenah

Vacation

Its thursday already and my hands have taken on a life of their own. I am beat but they want to keep creating.  I even had a dream about a belt design which I will be posting next week. I have been excited all week because my family and I are driving up to Washington to visit my sister, yah. We will actually get to post and create together all next week. It has been two years plus since we have seen each other, and the wait is finally over. Until tomorrow, have a beautiful day.
 ~Nenah

Patch Pocket Skirt

Happy Friday. Oh, how the week has raced by. I wasn't sure what to share this week. I have about three shirts that I was working on as well, and in true Piscean fashion, didn't know which way to swim. Alas, I decided on my beautiful patch pocket skirt. It has been up cycled from two shirts. I had a lot of fun making this. The polka dot material is a nice stretch knit and the teal is a very soft cotton. The wooden beads and other embellishments were from the original shirt design, and I felt they made a very lovely waistband. I am debating whether or not to add an underskirt layer for this. I would however like to make this in different lengths. I'm a sucker for long skirts down to the ground...hmm, ideas.

I also felt it appropriate to share my fabric collection. I wanted everyone to get a feel for what I'm working with. It's hard to tell from the pictures but it is a lot of stuff.

To make matters worse I had to stop at the senior center thrift store today and browse in their craft room. They have vintage patterns, fabric, yarn, old quilts, etc.! etc.! the best part is that it is dirt cheap. I literally dig change out of my purse every time I shop there and leave with a handful of stuff. Today I got two yards of T-shirt cotton, a lightweight floral remnant, and a really cool "Holly Hobbie" rag doll for the grand total of $1.41!! This place is like raiding grandma's attic. It's very dangerous for craft junkie's of the world. Then again, it's the one habit I'll never "kick". My we always have beautiful clothes to wear.
Have a lovely weekend.
~Nenah