2018 is promising to be a great year. It is the year I finally graduate college for the second time. First time was an associates degree, this time I will have my bachelors degree in business management. I am excited to be done. Not just because it is finishing with something that I have been working on for several year, but because it will free up more time to do the things that I have not had as much time for. 

     I will be hitting the sewing room more working on new creations. I hope to renew old things into new things. I want to create something completely new for me and finally I am excited to learn new things in the sewing room. 

     Sewing however is not going to be the only focus for this new year. I will be working both in front of the camera and behind the camera, though mostly behind, to bring you new photographs and break  into videos. I also am looking forward to adding more blog postings and even some traveling to 2018. 

      Yes I said traveling! As of right now I have plans to travel to the Seattle area in late March and early April. I also am looking forward to spending the 2018 holiday season back home in Minnesota! There will be other short day trips or weekenders tucked in to my schedule but those are the big trips for this year that are planned as of right now.

     I hope that you can overlook my long absences here in blogging land. I have been really busy with college, working a full time job while maintaining some sanity with my wife, kids and myself. With college out of the way that will be a huge relief and I will not feel guilty for working on some of my side projects.

     I hope that you can join me for my 2018 adventures and...

Happy New Year

SKIRTING THE ISSUE, PART 3

     Why skirts? Because wearing pants contradicts the message that we have been preaching about our health. The unfortunate part is that if a man in today society (here in the states especially) their health can be compromised by physical and mental bullying. This is the stigma that must be changed in order to safely move forward with male freedom.

     Time and time again men hear that they should be wearing boxers instead of briefs. What good does this do? It is fine if your walking around your house in your boxers without pants on, but put a pair of pants on things start getting cramped down there. There is some relief if we stand up but still most pants are a little snug. We have a tendency to spend most of our waking hours sitting down at a desk. That leads to a continuous shifting and trying to be comfortable. Yet there is still no great solution.

     Through out the world you see cultures where men are wearing everything from vashti in India to a sarong in Sri Lanka. There is also the hakama from Japan and the kilt from Scotland. We should also not forget about religions. Look not farther than the Catholic and Lutheran churches. Their priests and pastors wear the cassock and alb. Wiccans and other neo-pagan religions are also known to wear ceremonial robes. Yet (in my opinion) some of the most vocal critics of the male skirt come from religion.

     As you remember from my previous posting. I am not advocating men to raid the women’s departments at your favorite clothing store for the perfect dress. If men started wearing something other than skirts there would have to be a specific market designed around those articles of clothing. I am also not advocating the wearing of anything that would restrict our movement. Sorry guys I am not interested in seeing you in pencil skirts. It is very important for men to maintain freedom of movement so that we can continue to be the protector of our families and property. That is what was bred into our being to be the hunter and gatherer and protector.

     

I hope that men can finally be freed from the restrictive clothing that we have just become so accustom to in the western cultures. Allow us not to be cramped when sitting and give us a better reason to be wearing the boxers that we often told to wear for our health.

SKIRTING THE ISSUE, PART 2

     One of the ways we show our identity is through the use of clothing. We define our own fashion to fit our individual personalities. The problem is, if we fail to dress like the mainstream society thinks we should dress then we get negatively looked upon. Will how we dress really affect how we perform our jobs?

     When was the last time you saw a gothic individual running a board meeting in any company? Most of the time if these individuals are seen at all in a business it will most likely not be in an office building where the attire is socially set and set by the policies of the company. A few years back a directive from a place that I worked stated that we were no longer able to wear black on both the top and bottom at the same time. Black pants required a different color shirt and if you wore a black shirt a different color of pants was required. This would prevent our clients from being uneasy with us.

While being goth in the business world is not acceptable it is even less acceptable to be, dare I say, a “crossdresser”. I am not saying that I really want to slip into a long gown for the next formal event I go to, or that I desire to march down the isle in a beautiful wedding dress. Though I might be able to pull it off if society’s thinking was different. Actually, no even I have my limits. I would not be able to get that fit just right, even if I worked out and beefed up my chest. Seriously, there is a limit to even where I would define women’s wear and men’s wear.

     I would like to see men be allowed by societal standards to wear a skirt. Nothing more. Some men have tried to bring this to mainstream society but have failed. Other cultures allow for skirt/dress like garments to be worn so why can’t we bring this to the United States? Could a man ever feel safe walking down the street in a skirt? It can happen but it is going to take a fundamental change in societies thinking.

     

Stick around for part 3 and I will explain why it makes sense to change our ways and if men could just get over this stigma of being different then things would change and different would become the norm.

SKIRTING THE ISSUE, PART 1

     In today’s society we brainwashed into thinking the way a normal society wants us to think. We are made to think that society’s normal must be our normal. I believe that these barriers that are holding us hostage must be destroyed and we must work at recreating a new normal.

If one decides to go against the societal norms they are considered to be outcasts and substandard citizens. Society has a fear that if we accept these individuals into our realm then we will become like them.

     It is time to make a change. A time to stand up for our differences and a time to stand up for others who are different. How do we do it? How do we change the way society thinks without becoming outcasts ourselves? The problem is that changing the way society thinks is not something that can be done from the bottom up but must be changed from the top down.

     There is so much talent that is wasted in this world because of the outcasts that fall outside of the societal norm. Let us not be afraid of what we do not know and learn about our fellow humans that we have removed from our normal society.

Continued Sewing for a Fashionable Home

      Just when you thought my fashion was going to be only about clothes. Sorry, I hate to disappoint you. In fact I look at fashion as so much more. 

     I do look at a big part of fashion as being a part of the clothing industry. However, we can have so much more that would be considered fashionable. How about the accessories that we adorn ourselves with, the home that we decorate to our tastes, the art work that we admire. I believe that all of it and more can be considered fashionable. Unfortunately when it comes down to fashion people stop at the first thing they thing of, clothing.

     Now I have to admit that I did pick out the curtains that I was working on last night. That was a selection that my wife made. I did however assist in making a decision about the colors of paint that we used on the walls. Once we finalize the room I will post a couple of pics looking at how all of this ties together.

     The curtains were a simple purchase that we made. We liked them but they did not conform to the size of windows that we have. The answer was to split each curtain panel down the middle and hem the raw edge that was created. This worked out well and I believe that it was a great success. We used two full curtain panels and ended up with four panels. This covers the two windows that flank either side of our fire place.

     Now the big challenge that we faced was getting a double roll on the hem that needed to be sewn. It was up to my wife to pin it up and ensure that all of the hems were straight. For the most part that worked out well. The issue is with working with this type of fabric. I has a fairly loose weave and did not like to completely stay in place while sewing. If we would have taken just a little more time we should have taken out the ironing board and pressed the hem flat. This would ensure that it stays in place when sewing. We just wanted to get the project done and relax for an hour before hopping into bed for the night.

     Now the hem ran the length of the curtain. It might have been easier if it was just on the top or bottom width. Sewing the length proved to be somewhat challenging. That is a long distance and it had to be done on all four of the panels. That means that no matter how hard I tried there were still flaws in the sewing. The biggest issue was that the stitching was not exactly straight. That however was easy to over come. Put the newly hemmed edges to the outside of the windows so that they are up against the wall. You want to put the factory hems butted up against each other in the middle of the window. That way none of the flaws in your sewing will stand out.

     This project was a simple sew though it did have its challenges. You think that great, four quick straight hems and your done. Sounds simple enough but in practice it proved to be a little more challenging that first anticipated. The total sewing time was right around 1 hour. Total time for the cutting, pinning and sewing is estimated to be right around 3 hour.

     Just because something that you like does not exactly match what you are envisioning, you can make changes, most of the time. Two curtain panels turned into four. This I believe also fits other areas of the fashion world. Just learn some simple sewing and you can customize your outfit to match your vision. I learned just a few simple sewing techniques and I am up and sewing. Each time I get in front of the sewing machine it is a learning experience. I strive to learn something new. Whether it is working with new fabric or just learning new other techniques I strive to keep learning.

     I hope that you have the most wonderful day and I will be back soon.

A Frightening First for Halloween

     A year ago I would never have dreamed that I would be participating in sewing a costume for Halloween. In all reality I did not do much but there always has to be a beginning.

     OK, there was not much for me to do. I just had to add a little stitching on the apron of my daughter outfit. Everything else was pretty much already done. The rest of the costume was purchased and ready to go.

     My wife asked me to do this simple task because, one she really does not like working on clothing... of any kind and two, she knows that I am fairly proficient with the sewing machine. This is a skill that I have worked on over the past year. When I emerged from the sewing room the only thing she said was, "your done with that already?" My answer was of course. For me mastering the sewing machine is not really a difficult process and for years, before I started sewing, I was always the one getting things set up and making the machine work for her.

     I finally figured that I know enough about the machine that I might as well start sewing. The only thing that I needed to do is learn how to sew. That is where some light reading and You Tube came into the picture. I spent a short amount of time learning the basics and practicing the basics.

     Now I am looking to expand my abilities and really enjoy the learning process. What is slowing me down now is I am a full time employee in a major health system and I am also finishing up my bachelors degree in business, which I should be done with college by the end of the year. Then I can move on to other interests.

     Will sewing be a part of these other interests. Yes. I will be doing more sewing, photography and blogging. I also am really hoping to add some videos of what I am doing. I will have a full plate to keep me busy by I am looking forward to these new ventures.

     Please follow this blog and check out wertanen.com. You can also follow me on my website for updates on everything I am doing. I can also be found on various social media sites most of which is listed on my websites homepage.

     Thank you for visiting and hope to see you back here often. Have the happiest and most wonderful holiday season.

My Thoughts and a New Beginning

     I view myself as a lost soul in a world of lost souls. I am in search of a place to call home, a place where I fit in. It is not about not being happy doing what I am doing, it is the longing to do more. It is the understanding of the world around me that drives me to do more, yet not wanting to poke the beast that is hiding the map that will help the lost souls to find their rightful calling.       I am thefashionframework. I can be found in many places in the social media world. My social medial links can be found on my home page at www.wertanen.com  Please look me up and follow me on all of my social media.        I chose the fashion world not because I am good at it. I chose it in order to amplify the demands that society has been placing on women. I have a desire for a change in the way the world is objectifying women and fattening their bank accounts with little regard as to the true well being of women. Now don't misunderstand me, I am not opposed to a well dressed women. I am not opposed to a woman who is self confident and understands what she wants in the world. I am opposed to women being used so that the bigger fish can get fat.       I may be only one person, with only one voice. I may or may not be heard. I want to be that one voice that speaks up to bring change to a brainwashing of our society, of our women that keeps saying that in order to be happy you must seek more and more and more. You must spend your money and buy into the latest fashion trends because that outfit that you purchased last week is no longer in style. Or that you must cake chemicals on your faces in order to look beautiful.      How about we as a society focus on buying only what we need and not what we are told we need. Let us focus on finding inner beauty, with maybe just a splash of something on the outside that accentuates our true selves. Whether you dress in sweatpants and a sweatshirt , jeans and a t-shirt, a skirt and a crop top, your favorite little black dress or evening gown, be happy being you and not the you others want you to think you are.      I have teamed up with various companies as an affiliate representative. You would think that I would not be so geared towards selling women's fashions and makeup, but that is the world that we live in. It is a world that needs to change but that change is not going to happen overnight and as the saying goes, when in Rome do as the Romans do. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's. At least until one day you own Rome and are  Caesar. So feel free to stop by my affiliate page and browse the different companies that I have partnered with. Find who you really are and if not that is OK too. I do receive a commission on most items purchased through the links that I have provided. It definitely helps what I am trying to accomplish here. So please visit, wertanen.com/affiliate-shopping and browse.        Oh and guy don't think that you are not apart of this too. You also have been brainwashed into a false sense of reality and what it truly means to be happy not only as a man but how women are objectified by your thoughts and  actions.

Affiliate Marketing

     I am running with final this week. Starting Wednesday I have one more 6 month term left before I graduate. I really wanted to take a quick break and let you know about some ventures that I have started. 

     I have signed up with several companies to provide my readers with direct access from my blog and websites. How I benefit is when someone buys products from a affiliate company using a link that I provide I get a commission from that sale. It usually ranges from a .5% - 12%, which is the highest that I have seen so far. I am sure that scales could be different from other companies but this is just what I have observed so far.

     The great part about affiliate marketing is that everyone has the opportunity to participate. All you need to do is have a online presence, usually with a significant amount of followers. I am currently running on Twitter , Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr. I am also working on the finishing touches on my personal website and looking to add a second website soon. This is exactly what these companies are looking for...exposure. Best thing yet is that it costs nothing to get started, that is if you have a computer. Then again you would not be reading this if you did not have some type of computer.

     So if you really want to pad your income, are looking to add to a rainy day fund or wanting to save some cash into your dream fund for to buy something special you should consider affiliate marketing. If you want to change your starts you must take the first steps, even if it is a leap. Have the most wonderful day and I will see you soon.

    Now back to my studies so I can finish this B.S. in Business Management. Oh and please don't forget to visit my "Favorite Links" to the right side of this blog. 

What about you?

I have been wanting to find out more about my followers. Not just the ones that read this blog but about everyone on my various social media sites. I have put together a short 5 question survey. This way I can start to make sense of what my followers/readers are looking for. In the future I plan on having other surveys but they will not be the main focus of my posting. Today I really just wanted to focus on the readers. So what about you. Please let me know. With your input I will grow this page into something that we all are happy to read.

Once again have the most wonderful week and keep being the best you that you can be.

It's time for me to get to know you. Please answer the short and quick 5 question survey. 

Recycle and Reuse. That's What I'm About...most of the time.

     I don't believe that you have to run to the store every time you need a new outfit. The only place to go is your closet. I'm sure that there is plenty items that have been worn once and you'll never wear them again. There are also things there that you love but they are getting a little worn out. Believe it or not with just a touch of creativity you can get them new life and a new purpose.

     If you haven't already noticed, I like to reuse and recycle. I started out by making the sewing ham where I combined some new with a lot of old recycled t-shirts. You can not see the t-shirts because they are what I used to stuff the ham. I also had a couple of queen size sheets laying around. I used them for backdrops when I was doing photography 20+ years ago. I have just kept moving them with me every time I moved. Finally I have come up with something to use them for. I made the circle skirt and the wrap skirt out of these sheets.

     I have done some research and found that I could bring new life to old jeans. there are a few things that you could do with them. First of all they would make a great pair of shorts. They could be just cut off shorts with no hem on the legs or you could take a little extra time to hem them just to give them a little more of a finished off look.

     Your old jeans could also take the shape of a cute jean skirt. The length of the skirt dictated by taste and though a little more imagination must go into creating the skirt it is a realistic project to accomplish. Am working on creating a jean skirt an will hope to complete it fairly soon. I will be working to keep on track of these sewing projects even with my heavy work with my job and in my college classes. The nice thing about the jeans project is that it does not have to be limited to jeans. You can find any old pair of pants that you want and create a new skirt or what ever your imagination can come up with.

     Some of the projects that are on my short list to accomplish are:

• I need to finish the jean shorts/skirt project.
• I want to start exploring sewing men's clothing, pants and shirts.
• I will be creating a couple more skirt projects. Still need a midi and maxi that I am still looking for the perfect fabric.
• After all of that it is hopefully onto a full length dress. 

These should be enough to keep me busy for awhile and I should be able to increase my sewing skills. I am still a novice at this sewing business. One day I will be able to create anything that I want but until then I will keep taking these baby steps. Have the most wonderful week and I will see you next time.

That's a Wrap!

 

     I have so many goals in life and so little time to do them. Aside from working 50 hours a week I am also a full-time student getting a business management degree. I enjoy learning about what I need to do to make me better at managing a business and about building my own business. I would like to see a time where I can get out from behind the desk and not have to worry about going to work every day. I want my money to work for me so that I can enjoy doing whatever I want to do. I am taking small steps learning about how to be a business owner and how to properly invest my time and money.

     Things that I enjoy doing are photography, writing and sewing. There are many other things but I have learned to focus on just a few things that get me to the life that I want to live. I would hope that one day photography, writing and sewing could be wrapped up into one big business and so I am formulating a plan.

     The reason I have selected the name and have become Fashionframework is because I am looking to focus on a well rounded life. Fashion to me is much more than the photography. It is more than women (and men) dressed in the latest trends, the unrealistic portrayal of what the everyday average woman must live up to. It is about a lifestyle. It is about your home, your family, the way you perceive yourself as an individual. That to me is fashion. Not everybody can be a model, but everybody can be themselves. They can live that fashionable life and live in that fashionable environment. That to me is what fashion should be all about.

     So now on to this weeks project. I have chosen to sew a wrap skirt. Once again I am using my own design and need to make some tweaks to it. Pictured is a floor length skirt made once again out of my favorite practice material, a bed sheet.

     It is hemmed on the bottom and on both sides using a single stitch rolled hem. One thing that I learned after and what I will be trying on my next skirt is to use a double needle on my machine. That way the hem allows for a little stretch and looks finished off with the double row of stitches.

     The waistband was created out of a 8 inch wide by 74 inch long strip of fabric. It each side was folded over to the center line of the fabric to create a stiff yet pliable waistband and ties. One thing that I would do differently next time is to increase the length of the ties. As you can see in the photos there is not much room to tie a bow or use other fasteners.

     This was the most awesome project and I learned a lot. The next time I create this wrap skirt I will be looking at a different fabric. I will also be adding some light to medium weight fusible batting that will give the waistband a little more structure. Add a little more length to the ties and it will then be a great outfit for that special someone.

     Oh and I almost forgot to mention that I managed to successfully create pretty good elongated button hole which I created to feed the tie through on one side of the skirt. I think it worked out well.

Until next time please keep striving to do things that make you happy.

A Full Circle

     Hello once again. I believe that I am back after a well needed break. I am refreshed and ready to jump into 2017 with a renewed energy. This coming March I will be starting what I hope to be my last tern in college. I will then be graduating with a Business Management degree. The only thing that could foil these plans is one class that I am currently taking. It is managerial accounting and I find that any accounting class is a little challenging for me. I must continue on though. So much of what I hope to do with my future revolves around business that this could be a nice addition to my knowledge base.

     I had to leave work early yesterday since the children are still on winter break. I also did the same thing today. That just gives me more time to do the things that I love to do and that is to learn. I learn the best by doing, so yesterday I jumped in and immersed myself into my sewing. I created my very first circle skirt. Even thought there are some flaws I feel that it was a very successful project. I learned something.

     I am running short on fabric around here. But what I had was  couple of  old sheets lying around from my photography. I would use the sheets as my back drops and I have somewhat shifted from using these for back drops but kept the sheets. Now they are free to be used for my practice material.

     I have a tendency to work from memory and create what is in my minds eye. Is this the correct way for one that is new to sewing? Not really, but I have a strong vision as to what I want to accomplish and I have a love for geometry. I find that sewing is just one big geometry project. I will use patterns for many things that I want to sew, but I will also make many patterns. I find that if I am making everything from scratch I am learning everything that I can about what works and what doesn't.

     I managed to get that perfect circle from which to make this skirt. I made successfully made a 1/4 inch hem around the bottom. I know that this is not the typical hem width but this is what I chose for this project.

     I had a vision in my head as to what I wanted for the waistband and just cut it out. The waistband is 3 inches wide and but I cut the original piece out as a 4 inch piece with a length of 42 inches. I left a half inch seam allowance on each of the long edges. That is how I got 3 inches out of the 4 inch waistband.

     In the last picture you will notice that the zipper is showing and that it really stands out because I did not color match and just used the last zipper that I had in my kit. Is everything sewn straight? No. What I have is working zipper. It zips from the top to the bottom without any snags. From everything that I know from others who have worked with zippers this is one of the hardest things to do when it come to sewing. My next zipper will probably be color matched and there will be a much cleaner look. I learned what I by doing and managed to learn what I will and will not do next time.

     This was my first project heading into the world of sewing clothing. This skirt will not see the light of day, or the darkness of the night. In other words no one will ever be wearing this skirt. I was my learning project, by break out project. Now I will take what I have learned and make improvements and work towards that sewing perfection and maybe I will one day I will create that perfect outfit.

Take care and keep challenging yourself. 

More to come!