[Costumes] Viola Progress Part 2: The Skirt!

Viola's skirt was pretty simple, although I seem to have issues measuring my own waist and it ALWAYS ends up too big. Additionally, I made it way longer than I wanted, but that was a much easier fix.

In progress Skirt

[Costumes] Viola Progress Part 1: The Top

Part 1 shall be the corset and the main part of the bodice:

I used a simplicity pattern to make the corset, serged the edges (because I can!), then put in the boning channels and spiral steel bones.

Partially serged

[Sewing] Work appropriate skirt and top

I had originally planned this skirt to be a pencil skirt, but I decided to use a different pattern. I ended up going with Simplicity 5914 for the skirt. Using the pin striped fabric was much easier than the plaid. So long as my grainlines were all going the right direction, I was fine.

 

I used McCall's 6282 for the shirt. You don't expect it, but even the SHIRT version of the pattern requires a zipper. And it's a little sad how often, inside the pattern, they try to tell you that zippers in the back of a shirt are COOL. Seriously "zippers are in now" and stuff like that. No, McCall's, just because you slap a "THIS IS COOL" sentiment on something does not make it so and does not excuse your laziness to just print out another page with a proper pattern. I say this, because I think with the way the pattern is cut, it does need the zipper. Which is just dumb.  (And now I shall save you from the rest of my zipper-in-a-shirt themed rant.)

 It's not as flattering on the dress form as I think it was in person. Just keep that in mind.

Organizing and a Bit of Sewing

I have finally gotten back into sewing after not really feeling it post-holidays. Maybe I just needed to take a break from all the crafting. Meanwhile, I've tried to reorganize costumes and various spaces in the house. But I started again today and it's gone rather quickly. Plus a trip to Joann's should lead to mroe work clothes (that's the plan anyway).

Pretty picture time? I guess I'll start with the skirt. BUT JUST A PICTURE.

In progress new work-skirt

[Review] Zakka Style

When I was sitting in the Miami airport waiting for my flight back home earlier, I got an email letting me know that I won a giveaway for a book! It's called Zakka Style and it's available on Amazon.

The book and the pincushion I made from it!

Zakka Style is a collection of 24 projects compiled by Rashida Coleman-Hale of I Heart Linen. I love the look of linen and projects with linen, which is why I was already following her blog! (For reference, Pink Penguin is another good linen friendly blog.)

Sew Many Scarves

Did I mention a few weeks ago how I REALLY wanted to make a bunch of scarves. Well, pretty much every family member and close Huntsville friend that was female benefited from this. (To one friend, I'm still trying to find you some My Little Pony fleece...).

Source: justanotherhangup.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

So, mostly using this tutorial (not sure I did it exactly like she did), I set out to make scarves with my new fleece. (BTW, fleece is $2.83/yard at Hancock's through at least Christmas I believe.)

Christmas Tree Circle Pillow

After Thanksgiving, the buying of my new dining room table left me with rewards gift certificates to Pier 1. So I wandered a round a few minutes trying to figure out what I want (if anyone see the $10 woodland owl and wants to give it to me, I'll love you! Mine was SOLD OUT). And I ran across this:

Christmas tree pillow from Pier 1.

Cute right? But is it 24.95 cute? I looked and looked and looked at it and decided that I could make it. It consists of 2 layers of green satin with a strip between them (you can't overly tell from the picture, but it's got this 2 inch or so strip to make it more cube like...for lack of a better description). If I'm just not remembering the right word, I'm sorry. I blame the sick. On top of the layers of satin are a bunch of red and green felt circles.

After all that thought, I decided to see if I could make my own. CHALLENGE!

[Tutorial Tuesday] More to Share

Due to my resolution, I can't make these. BUT YOU CAN. Well, I can't make all of them...some of them were indeed included on the list (but which ones *MANIACAL LAUGH*). This is just what I found so far. I think the start of my fabric shopping/over-planning began with reading too many sewing blogs...so you've been warned.

I've been storing all the "ooo...I like this" over on pinterest. It's great for that. The pictures are actually links back to the original page. And it is so much better than a text version of bookmarks because you get to see WHY you bookmarked it first.

Cute picnic caddy

Source: snowybliss.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

Stepping away from the Crafty Ledge

It came to my attention while Black Friday shopping that I have quite a few projects in a state of in-between. Most are started, none are finished. A few are still at the planning state. It makes for a messy sewing room.

A newly started, previously planned project that's using scraps

So despite having a new task added by my grandmother (who wants her name on ALL her glassware now it seems), I made a preemptive new year's resolution:

• No new projects can be started until I finish the existing ones and those that have had supplies bought/plans made. 
• No new fabric can be bought until I finish aforementioned projects.

[Sewing] Pencil Skirt

I can never find pencil skirts that fit me. I blame basketball and all that running. It gave me giant thighs that don't really work with my hips. So in pre-made pencil skirts I tend to have this lumpy area where they meet. So a few weeks ago, I went to a sewing class on them.

I was a little disappointed that the sewing class was just using a Simplicity pattern but I did get to play with a serger! Now I really want a serger. Like, really really really want.

Having used the serger, I felt a lot better about wearing it to work:

Sorry for the lack of smiling and my hair already having been pulled back

 I'm gonna presume the compliments I got on it were genuine. ;) (I did take a picture smiling, but it was all sorts of fuzzy. Sorry!) I'm thinking on the next one to slim it down at the legs, but it was already pretty tight when I sat down. Thoughts?

Some Catching Up To Do

Whew! I finally have all the Halloween packed up and put away. And Murphy had a little bit to say about me intending to post Halloween pictures this weekend. More on that later. First: I WAS ON CNN. Well, all the USO girls that marched in the parade were, but still.

10 years of marching band. 7 years of school. I'm on CNN because I can sew.

[Costumes] USO Girl Finished!

So my friend, who I may have already named previously, is not typically a comic book junkie. But she's all about Captain America (gee I wonder why? *wink*). So after she saw the movie, she asked about making these. They are actually the promo version that girls wore on the Intrepid for an actual USO event. 

Initially I was flying through it. At the point of the Hat post, all I had left were the lapels. But, I got side tracked getting the antebellum dress done. Those stars are evil with their thickness. 

But hizzah! (Or should I say hoo-ah?) It's done and cute and ready to be packed. Expect more pictures of this one than any of the rest. I put a snap at the bottom of the lapel while I was all snap happy with the bustle of the green dress. And I put pockets on the back of my belt for various cards I'll need while there. 

Ooo...almost forgot to make cookies! I got the Captain america cookie cutter from Williams-Sonoma. 

[Costumes] Antebellum dress finished!

Whew. My marathon of sewing is over and it kind of feels weird. As if I don't know what I'm supposed to do with myself now.

I'm not sure if I mentioned that I ran out of the original material and didn't have enough to do all the pleats in it. So I ordered new fabric which was slightly darker and as such did the middle layer of pleats in that color to balance it a little. Again, if I had enough to do all 3 layers of pleats in one color, I would have. But at least doing the middle layer makes it look like I meant to do that.

The pleats are basted down so that it can travel with out them all coming out. I'm still going to have to reiron it, but hey, at least I'll know where to. 

And I decided to put snaps underneath the bodice lace to attach the bustle. This way it can be removed (and washed). 

Some progress shots :

Busy Busy

The place that I buy a lot of the applique designs that my sister is quite fond of, Lynnie Pinnie, is having a CD sale. You get all the designs on the website.

And before my sister (or anyone else) gets the big idea that they can buy me the CD and then I shall be their embroidery workhorse in exchange, I counted. I already have 129 designs. So buying the CD would be greatly double dipping for me and just plain not worth it.

At least I'm thrifty. I rarely buy when there is no sale. Last time I got 34 designs/design sets for $15. I figure I'll be embroidering shirts until my niece is 8 or so. 7 more years!

In other news (I have no pictures yet), I have been doing ridiculous amounts of sewing, so expect pictures soon. And lots of prep work.

• Made a tailcoat on Sunday and a vest to match on Monday. (Cursed garments I tell you.)
• Made 113 more magnets with the cricut. More notes on that to come (learned a few things). 
• started pinning the pleats for Katherine's skirt. I'm trying to pin one "finished" yard a day. Yay for rotary scissors. By my best guess, I need 9 finished yards to do the 3 layers. This is based on the thinking that the hoop is 140" around.Anyone know the formula to get the circumference of a slice of a cone? Geometry post?
• bought the pleather for Ilythia's belt. And found all her jewelry + a little more (I'm sorry, the bracelet just looked like too much of something she would have).

Still left to do before Friday (oh God, it's already Tuesday!): 1 embroidered shirt, 1 shirt that's a little different, and curtains for my mother. If she would like to leave that dimension we talked about as a comment, that would be nice (hint hint). Maybe I should do a "how to comment" post for her sometime.

When I come back on Monday, I'll have more magnets and 2 bib necklaces to finish. At least it's all started.

So yep, busy.

Sew Much Progress (Ilythia and Corset)

It was a busy weekend for me, sewing wise. I tried to knock out as much as I possibly could. I actually did more than you will see because the camera ran out of batteries. I played with the Cindy Loo cartridge while the embroidery machine was going. While the cricut was going, I cut pieces of a corset. Multitasking FTW!

My loft is starting to feel more and more like a factory when I have all the machines going at once. I've yet to let the baby bug go while the E2 is going though.

But this post is not about the cricut stuff. It's about the sewing stuff. We'll start with Ilythia (pink toga). I had that mostly completed (so I thought). I had gotten the underskirt done last week. And the top and skirt portions were done last week. So here I was thinking that I only needed to attach the two. Yeah, no.

Here's where I started. I couldn't get the skirt on the dress form, which should have been telling.

Hand Sewing...

I did a lot of hand sewing last night. Hemmed stuff, put rick rack trim on a kimono (trust me, it looks okay).  And I did more fabric flowers. I counted stuff, I need about 200. I'm close to 100. There are about 8 spools left.

My BFF asked last night why I was making all these flowers. So I went to find a picture on here of them and couldn't. So forgive me if this was posted twice. But here are better versions of the flowered necklace. They really look significantly better (I think) when you add in the pearls and the lace. 

Easter Crafting with My Peeps!

Sometimes plans change. And sometimes that means being able to see your not-quite-1-year-old niece crawl around in some grass, emulating a bunny ears and all, as her mother helps her "find" Easter Eggs. So, that's the new plan for the weekend. I've descended into the depths of my home town and shall soon be going further south for some egg-hunting, southern food eating, good times.

It occurred to me Monday that most of my dresses are more suitable for barbecues and crawfish boils (hello lobster dress!) but not suitable for Easter. Especially as the daughter of a minister (meaning, it HAS to hit my knees). I also haven't had an Easter dress for quite sometime. But sadly, Monday is too close to when I would have to depart for me to comfortably make one while working 40 hour weeks and spending hours at the gym.

And as previously stated, my neice's bunny shirt didn't go so well. But I think I figured out why. I really wanted to do something with the shirt for this trip home, but I ran out of time. So I wanted to make something, but what?

Sometimes it's nice to follow blogs because just when you're wondering, you remember about a post that would be perfect. Like this one. And since I went home this weekend or Easter, I get to take some nice outside pictures of them!

Pictures!

Okay, a day late, but still pictures! Well, as many as could take before the battery ran out of my camera. Alas. 

Saturday I had to run to Hancock and pick up some snaps and more of the mint green cotton. Mom was up visiting me and asks "one of these days, when you don't have anything to sew, if that ever happens, I might like some pillows for the back deck." She acted like it was a major undertaking. I told her to go get pick out an outdoor fabric since it was on sale and then we would make them later on in the night. 

We searched based on her parameters and found this on clearance. $5/yard. We got 2 yards because I figured that was enough for her 4 pillow request. 

Little Bit of Everything

Despite actively taking pictures on Saturday night while I worked on things for my mother, who was in town, I have yet to turn that into a post. Ugh, I think I've fallen out of the habit or something. Right now I'm averaging at every other week and I think there needs to be more. At least once a week. NEW GOAL.

EDIT: Ryan at Just a Guy Who Quilts has a notice about a closing sale at Fabric Flair you all might like. Spreading the world. 

Since the last post I've made another kimono-top thing, hemmed mine, tried valiantly to get the bias binding foot to work, tried valiantly to get my bias tape maker to work, made outdoor entertaining stuff for my mother, 2 skirts (soon to be 3), a bow, and 3 more hair pieces. So it's not like I've done nothing and ignored sewing. I guess I just get into a groove and forget to post.

And the sewing party that I mentioned involved VERY little sewing. A friend and I discussed some aspects and there was measuring and fittings, but that was about it. I'll try to get the webcam going one of these days.

I also tried to make an Easter shirt for my niece, but my machine had problems again. So rather than be all "here's how you do something", I'm gonna ask all of you. Here's the problem.

I have a Bernina 440QE with the embroidery module. The software (both Art Link and Art Design) are running on a windows laptop running Windows 7 that is reserved just for the sewing machine. Lately I haven't had any problems and it worked fabulously on the obi from the last post. But when I started it up to work on my neice's shirt, both Art Link and Art Design failed. The design window opened up just fine. I told it to write to the machine (for once I don't have to change a color). EC on PC starts up and the computer is black, the cords are black....but the design hasn't shown up and the embroidery arm hasn't made that "chu chunk" noise it typically makes.

This has happened before, but it was fixed by jiggling cables, which didn't help this time. So far I'm thinking the cables might be the crux of my problems with my machine. But does anyone else have any ideas? I need to get the 2nd obi finished.

In return for you help, I give you the reinstated: SHIBA INU PUPPY CAM. If you recall, I have a Shiba. And for those of you that know me, a neighbor stopped us on our walk the other day and remarked at how well behaved Ichi was because she had stopped and sat right down beside me. LITTLE CON ARTIST I TELL YOU. The actual quote was "best behaved Shiba I've ever seen". I guess I just somehow trained her to be on her best behavior when we're out in public. Now if we could get that going at the house.

At least she doesn't mess with fabric or scissors or pins. And she never tries to eat scraps or string from the floor. She actively avoids it all. I guess I could have a worse dog. But not if you ask my mother I'm sure.

I'll try to post pictures of everything that's been sewn tonight. Meanwhile, under the cut is a bunch of pictures of Ichi as she grew up. I stuck with "shiba puppy cam" ages and a grown up pic. That way you know the cuteness you're about to get yourself into. The puppies should be there until they are 8 weeks old. 

Work in Progress

OMG, it's been forever since I've made a post. Whoops. I guess a week and a half isn't really "forever", but it feels like it. At least it was for a good reason! Sewing! And the gym! Last week was the last week of boot camp. I didn't win the "who lost the most" contest, but I was within 3 pounds. Who knows what would have happened had I not gotten sick for a week and gained 3 pounds then.

And last weekend was spent almost exclusively sewing. I nearly completed a whole outfit/costume. The top is kimono-esque and the skirt is kind of cheerleader-skirt-ish. But right now I only have pictures of the top.

Here it is before I ironed on some butterflies, which I only recently decided to do.