I’ve Been Accepted!!!

The other day I received a large envelope from the Fashion Institute of Technology!  I am so happy to say I was accepted into the accelerated one year associates fashion design program!  My hard work paid off! 🙂

I really didn’t expect to receive notice so soon as they mentioned that acceptance statuses would typically be sent out in April – May.  Now that I know I’ve been accepted, all the worrying has set in – have I saved enough money to be jobless for at least 1 year?  will I even find a job upon graduation?  Can I handle being back in school and redoing the whole internship (aka slave labor) experience all over again?  Will I be able to cut back on spending after 3+ years of financial freedom?

I don’t know 😦

All I know is that if I didn’t at least try, I’d be stuck in a career path that never felt right for me and I’d be miserable that I wasted so many years doing something that made me feel bad about myself.

Right now I have to just focus on the awesome sense of achievement of going through the grueling FIT portfolio process for the second time.  (I began my application 8 years ago but found it too daunting so I went to business school instead…)  Time to apply for scholarships to see if I can earn some free money…

Enough about school..here’s an avocado plant update:

This guy is on his 3rd round of pruning.. hes a bit of a twiggy runt compared to avocado plant #2 but he seems to be growing regardless.

Avocado #2: the leggy monster

Every pruning has backfired on me so far, but I’ve cut him down to 5″ and hes still growing a new leader..amazing.  I’m hoping that the approaching spring weather will produce some nice bushy leaves

Finally Done!!!

After a month of full time job from 9am-7pm and the sewing/drawing/designing til 1am, then having no life on the weekends….I’m done!  I’ve submitted my FIT Admissions Fashion Design portfolio for the One-Year Associates Program.

Many things went wrong along the way, and I’m still not certain I followed all the directions to the tee or if I met the standard of a 1 year program student.  Of course the ePortfolio submission site was down the moment I tried to submit it also….

I don’t know what I will do if my portfolio was passed over due to a technicality or minor issues.  (not sure I have the will power to do it over again to be honest)  all i can know is that I tried hard, putting a lot of thought and physical effort into doing the best I could considering the time frame and juggling a full-time job.

Now, all there is left to do is wait… 3 whole agonizing months.  (After that, I can start fretting about how willing I will be to quit my stable paying job and basically start from scratch as a full time student/un-paid intern)

Here’s a sample of one of the dresses from my portfolio:

malvarosa dress pattern with organza overlay- and it has pockets!!

I used the adorable drop waist dress Malvarosa Dress Pattern by Pauline Alice

I wanted to make sure I was using an easy pattern for my novice sewing skills – but I also wanted to add a more formal touch to the casual dress pattern so I added a layer of organza to the skirt portion and used dressier fabric.

I’d definitely recommend this pattern for anyone who wants an easy/gratifying dress pattern that one can move around and pig out in…perfect for thanksgiving feasting!

(my only qualm is that the sizing is very generous – the smallest pattern size was a bit roomy for my 5’2″ model – needless to say it will overwhelm my almost 5ft extra extra petite frame 😥 ….)

…more of my portfolio to come when I’m not feeling lazy

Avocado Plant Pruning Success

1 month progress since pruning my avocado plant.

I’ve been very busy lately with work stress, trying to juggle 2 classes at FIT and making feeble attempts at working on my portfolio.  Amidst the chaos, strangely, I always manage to find time to obsessively check on the progress of my plants.  (They are my babies!!)

I had originally tried pruning my avocado plant since it was experiencing stunted growth for several months.  I cut off the top buds right above the highest leaf node (cut at the internodes) et Voila!! A brand new bud grew at the node.

A lot of  info sources suggest pruning indoor avocado plants to encourage a bushy plant, but few explain how its done.  Through some research, I’ve gathered that in order to ensure branching (and not just growing a new stem from the stump), one must cut stem at the internode, approximately 1/2″ from the top most node you’d like to keep.  I tried this pruning theory with a second Avocado plant with the same success.

Node & Internode terminology explained here! – for some reason the most thorough content always comes from cannabis growing forums…

Avocado plant progress aside, work has picked up significantly and I find myself thrown into the client facing role that I’ve dreaded from the start.  It gives me so much anxiety as I do not feel confident as a public speaker and I don’t think on my feet well either.  Work is making me miserable as it highlights all the flaws/weaknesses that I perceive of myself and I have a hard time motivating myself to get simple tasks done.  Instead of energizing me, work makes me feel like an inadequate/lazy human being.

On the flip side, classes have been good.  They aren’t easy, and I’m not an expert but illustrating and sewing garments comes far more naturally to me.  I love the solitary aspect of it, and I love the ease of having some natural talent in these subjects.  I still can’t be sure if ‘designing’ will be my downfall, but some core value of fashion are still drawing me in.

Designing and finding inspiration has thus far been the most challenging part for me.  Sometimes I question my competence as a ‘passionate’ fashion student as I’m not constantly in that designing mindset or swoon over all the latest runway shows.  Rather, I enjoy well fitting clothes, personal style, and the process of creating a 3D garment from flat pattern pieces.

More fashion updates to come as I use my christmas break to bang out as much of the portfolio as possible.  The Feb 1st deadline will be here in no time at all.

 

My Windowsill Garden – The Avocado Plant Project

Pineapple plant, ginger, grass, spoon jade succulent, aloe, jade succulent, avocado and bamboo plant

There is something very satisfying about successfully germinating and then being able to see your plant grow and flourish in front of your eyes.  A plant grown from kitchen scraps is especially gratifying as I have spent $0 and almost no effort on my fun little project. That’s why for the past 6 months, I’ve been trying to avocado trees, pineapple plants, ginger and some random succulents by my East facing kitchen window.  I know East isn’t ideal for optimal sunshine, but anything is better than North right?

~~~~~

It is a known fact that I love avocados.  I shun and silently judge those who don’t enjoy avocados the way I do.  Currently, my favorite way to eat avocado is spread on toast with some Vegemite on top. yum.  Anyway,  instead of tossing my avocado seeds like most folks, I’ve begun to clean them off, stick little toothpicks in them and suspend them over a glass of water.  For anyone whose tried this method of starting the tree, it is a very slow and unrewarding process.  1 out of 4 seeds never sprout for me…which makes it even more exciting when they do sprout!

freshly transplanted from water to soil

Attempted to prune by trimming top leaves

This guy took 6 months to get to this stage, and hes only about 5″ tall.  I haven’t seen any visible growth in about a month, so I repotted him in some cactus soil and decided to try pruning.  I keep reading articles about ‘pruning’ or ‘pinching off’ the top leaves to encourage growth and bushiness, but directions are always really vague.  I was too puss to cut off the stem so I opted to snip off the top leaves.  So far nothing has changed…but stay tuned.

Hello

I’ve started this blog to document and catalog my random thoughts, interests, likes, dislikes, inspirations, rants and any projects I might be obsessed with at the moment.  I have a short attention span and tend to juggle many unfinished side projects at once.  I keep myself busy by doing homebody things knitting, cross-stitching, baking, sewing, ceramic arts, gardening and acquiring new hobbies.  Maybe this blog will help me to be more accountable for some of the projects I start.

I work to live, and at the ripe old age of 25 I’m trying to start my career over again since life is too short to feel miserable about work all the time.  I don’t know what it is yet that I excel at  but by the slow process of elimination, I’ve gotten to know myself better and what career paths I don’t wish to continue down.  I am currently taking a couple nights and weekends courses at FIT that I’m enjoying, and this has prompted me to apply for the One Year AAS Fashion Design Degree for the Fall 2014 Semester.  I’m nervous about the application process, if I have what it takes to keep up with the accelerated curriculum, being a full time student again, quitting my job, finding a job after school, and how to keep afloat during all this. Baby Steps.

These days I find myself overwhelmed with my third career move (which I am still unhappy with), taking classes at FIT, taking pottery classes, agreeing to do freelance work, and making  time for my sanity.  Things are tough but I’ve made larger strides in the past year than I have since graduating from college.  Its go time.