Thursday, May 26, 2011

Mctega made in USA

Lots going on at Mctega this week. Starting with the fact that the mold we made from last week came out perfectly! Well not perfectly, as the base is kind of uneven, but the parts that count formed quite nicely. Our little experiment paid off. And then we used the remnant to form the other half of the 2 part mold, and that came out well too. Stretching the dollar indeed.

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Next, we picked out fabrics for an upcoming project we have. I am really excited about the color palette and variety of textures. I always like the fabric selection process, because the fabrics kind of edit themselves into the right combination. It’s always interesting to compare what we go in thinking, and what we come out with. More on this later as things progress.

Also this week, Kristina and I went to Run with Us in Pasadena to get new running shoes (highly recommended if you are in the market to get the right running shoe for you). The people that work there are hardcore runners, liiiike the guy that was helping us averages 70 miles a week (I know this because I asked him) and they help you pick out the perfect shoe for you based on your foot and how you walk. We also got new socks oh yeaaaah. Kristina’s on the left, mine on the right. Although the shoe color ways aren’t very exciting, these shoes get the job done. We are both very satisfied with our selections.

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We also dyed fabric for an upcoming project we are working on. We went from white to navy. It was quite successful and surprisingly un-messy. We managed to clean up in record time. Here are some action shots:

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stir it gurrrrrrrl
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steam

And then here is the finished product!

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ghost
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boro comparo

Annnd our leather stamp came in! Here it is with some practice stamps. Hahah Kristina did the one on the left, and I did the faint one on the right. Liiiitle nervous about hitting myself with the hammer.

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Lastly, here are some pretty jewels we are working on hanging out to dry.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Dropping the Bomb, Stretching the Dollar

Whoa whoa. Lots going on at Mctega so far this week. Earring edits, fabric arrivals, mctega tutorial videos, list goes on. Ok sooo for starters, Kristina and I got ourselves some nail treatz at this most excellent nail supply place (thanks Leah!). Floor to ceiling polishes, nail decals, spangles for the nails, you name it they had it. Kristina and I walked away with these neon colors, clear to seal, and stars and rhinestones (which are just the right amount of tacky). Of course we had to try them out right away. Haha we kind of rushed into it, so no pictures were taken as the results were not our best work. But once we properly spangle the nails, we will post pictures.

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But onto official Mctega business. Ok so the earrings of last week have been edited. Shortened. We really like the change and think it looks much better on. These earrings are perfect for summer. And we have a longer pair with more colors coming up soon. Neon green may or may not be involved…and by that I mean it is. They are really cool and we will post pictures next week!

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Our gem fabric has arrived!! We posted pictures of the sample of this a while ago on the facebook page. We decided to go forward and order it, but decided to enlarge the print. Imagine a panel of this on your skirt!

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Haha I like this picture as you can see Kristina’s hands at the top.

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Now, for the most exciting part of our day, the bomb drop. We are currently working on a project that requires silicone mold making. We later pour resin into these molds to create the Mctega piece. Today we prepped the parts, prepared their mold boxes, mixed the silicone, and “dropped the bomb”. Dropping the bomb is a mold making technique where you pour the silicone from a height of 3 feet into the mold. This ensures smooth coverage and bubble elimination, resulting in a well made mold that can be reused time and time again.

Here are the parts inside their mold boxes.

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Here is all the gear you need: mold release (sprayed onto the parts so that the silicone is easily removed once it has hardened), silicone, silicone catalyst, mixing cups, and stirring sticks.

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You’ve gotta mix the catalyst and silicone really, really well to ensure proper mold formation.

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Here is a Mctega video of us dropping the bomb! Usually the silicone pours out quickly in thin strands, not very bomb like. But today we used old silicone and catalyst in efforts to stretch the dollar, and it poured out in a big thick wad and quite slowly as well. This basically means the silicone might not properly form into a mold, but we weighed the pros and cons and it is totally worth the risk-- gotta hustle over here at Mctega!




Here are the poured molds. They will be cured within 24 hours.

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Scratch the pup. Skully just got a hair cut and he looks like a little girl.

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Ok we will keep you posted on earrings and as to whether or not the molds properly formed!!


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Turts, Cowboy, and Earrings

Well shoots, we have really been slacking on the old blog posting. Not for lack of wanting to write though. We had been working on a project that was supposed to be under wraps for a bit, and in turn, our other projects had to be put on hold. But then that first project ended up not going through, and we have since caught up with our other projects and can finally discuss the goings on at Mctega!

So Kristina and I have started designing our next jewelry and clothing collection. I am really excited ---exploring new territory and techniques, which is always good for us—keeps the brain sharp.

We have been creating our own fabric prints, using drawings, watercolors, and photos. Some of the photos of those prints have been uploaded on facebook. I am so excited about the fabric we have created, and even more excited with how we are going to use it.

We had lots of things go on at Mctega today, lots of animal visitors and makings of earrings.

First animal visitor was this turtle. Parked himself right by Kristina’s car. We weren’t sure what to do with him, or if he was someone’s pet. We are currently asking around. He seems pretty hostile.

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Second visitor was Cowboy, Megan’s (kristina’s sister) dog. He is so adorable! And quite charming! Skully and Morgan are a little reticent to let him into the gang.

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Today’s work included a pair of earrings, lots of experimenting, but they are shaping up quite nicely under the expert handiwork of one Kristina Mctega.

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We both tried them on haha – not as heavy as you would think—very wearable! Annnd prehistoric and futuristic at the same time. We aren’t quite sure how we feel about them yet. They are quite weird, and we are into that. We like them, definitely growing on us…not sure how others will feel. We are always interested in what you guys think, feel free to let us know!

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About Me

sarah and kristina mctega. we like stationary . we make stuff.