Simply Curious

I'm in for it this summer!  If you need me, I'll be at my sewing machine.

I spent Memorial Day weekend at fabric stores, or making laps around the bed, attempting to straighten fabric on the cutting board.

 Hancock is closing, and I just keep heading up there with ideas for future projects.  Then I kept going to JoAnns because of the Simplicity $1 pattern sale, and fabric there kept calling to me, and I needed ball point needles that Hancock no longer had, and elastic and and and . . .

Plus, there's projects I've started but haven't finished.

Repair the bias hem on my sundress.  I stupidly took a shortcut, trying to sew only one seam and it didn't catch in the fabric properly at one spot.  It needs fixing

brown denim skirt - New Look 6843, LOVE this pattern, this is the third skirt I've made from it.  I need to finish the waistband, which requires hand sewing, add the hook and eye closure, and decide on back pockets.

B.'s pirate shirt.  I've redone this shirt half a dozen times, trying to meet his size and specifications.  All that's left is the cuffs and whatever I need to do to secure the collar.  Mostly the sleeves were too long and the cuff ruffles are too big.

Basic sage green cosplay skirt.  Experimenting with a no-pattern basic self draft.  It's cut out, anyway.

Pajamas

Similar to this, same fabric, slightly different collar. So comfortable and lightweight!

I have Simplicity patterns 3696 and 1563, plus a pair of comfy pajamas that I bought ages ago at Kohls.  I had to take in the top considerably, though, and I'm hesitant to spend $36 for something I have to alter.  The fabric is a stretchy textured knit that I originally thought was seersucker until I examined actual seersucker while shopping.  It's more like gauze with a printed design on it.  To my delight I eventually came across the fabric at Hancock - 5 uncut bolts of white with brown flowers!  It apparently shrinks quite a bit in the wash, as I had to go back for a few more yards after I came up 8" short while attempting to cut out.  I also picked up a pink knit with flowers embossed in the fabric, and a muddy brown thin jersey, as well as a rust color thin jersey.  I'm holding back a bit on cutting these until I'm certain the pajama pattern will turn out the way I want.  I'm using the shorts and sleeveless top from 1563 ad the short shirt from 3696.  What I SHOULD do is make a pattern from the PJ set I have, and luckily I have enough fabric left to experiment.  

Blouses

I've been hoarding a sheer and matching knit for ages, planning to make a blouse out of Simplicity 1693, view B.  I've finally got it cut out.

I picked up the blue geometric sweater knit fabric at Hancock.  It's REALLY thin and really clings to itself.  It may be a mistake.  I'm going to attempt Simplicity 1716, the view D dress, with the ruffle sleeves from E.  I've got full length slips to wear under it, and if it's too clingy I can always cut it down to blouse size.

I found a cute blue paisley challis at JoAnns.  I was going to make another sundress from it, but it proved to be not wide enough, plus what was left on the bolt was two slightly over 1 yard pieces.  So it's going to become a waistbanded blouse (view D) from New Look 0181, which is apparently out of print.  I am still contemplating going back to get that other piece . . .There's another red piece of challis I have that is likely to become a sundress, but with wider straps, and it's possible there's enough fabric left to make a blouse.  I'll see how much I like this one before deciding what pattern to use.



Harem Pants

I have two pairs planned - one for me, one for B.  I have plans for a genie costume for him, and for me they may likely be incorporated into a Isabella Bird outfit, albeit a very fancy one!  These outfits needs more work, so far, just the pants!

Pirate Coat

I have two ideas in mind, one a more Victorian Pirate, the other traditional.  The coat pattern I have was all ready to go when I realized it didn't have a collar, and I really want a collar.  Need more research for that . . .

Shrug

I found a pretty light teal thin sweater knit at Hancock, only half a yard left on the bolt.  I think it's just enough to fold in half longways and sew up the edges on each end to make something to cover my shoulders and upper arms.  That's really all I need in the summer time!

So far, that's all I have fabric for.  It's possible I've forgotten a few ideas and fabrics.  I've gotten a lot cut out, but since I'm not really familiar with sewing knits, it's going to be slow going.  I'm excited to have my serger for these projects!

This is from Butterick pattern 5371.

My transfiguration needs some work. Posing with Calcifer the Toaster.

Photo by the handler of  Teh Ebil Bunneh

Photo and editing by David Spinner

This little bat doubled as my purse.  I designed him myself!  Photo by David Spinner.

Photo by David Spinner

I'll get around to taking an action photo.  It's so hard to take pictures of your feet!

I also decided to have some fun, and made up a 'Fairy Hunter' costume.  The book I am carrying is "Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book."

Photo by Rich Spears

In April we went to Florence, CO to their Steampunk and Wine Festival.  It was a great event!  It's a little hard to find information online, so I linked to their facebook page.

Photo by Becky Nation

I made the jacket from an out of print Butterick 4926 pattern.  I made view F, but used another collar. It actually fits really well, I just kept putting my arms and shoulders far back!  The skirt is from Damsel in this Dress (link a little farther below.)

During the Florence festival we took a bus trip to The Royal Gorge Bridge and Park.  That's right, I walked across the bridge in a Damsel in this Dress corset!

I don't know what it is about Myths and Legends Con that brings on a massive creative spurt, but this year I again found myself madly sewing in the weeks leading up to the event.

It really started with the custom corset by LoriAnn Costume Designs.  When I got it, it immediately started whispering that it didn't WANT to have anything to do with Steampunk, and began suggesting fairy to me.  I remembered how awesome this fabric had looked in B.'s orange office, and then I began thinking of various ways to do a layered skirt, and then found myself researching wings . . .

The results amazed me.

Pinterest, my inspiration for pretty much everything, these days, showed me these projects one day.



The kittens, they got to me.  I loved it, but it seemed like an awful lot of cuteness and work for something that would soon rot.  I couldn't bear to watch the kittens rot!  The AllYou pumpkin looked fake, somehow, so I decided to use fake pumpkins for this project. The problem was I couldn't find any fake mini pumpkins that looked right.

Then I remembered my mother had made pumpkins out of fabric.  She showed me her pattern when I was visiting, but it was so simple I figured I didn't really NEED one, and someone was bound to have posted fabric pumpkin tutorials online.  Oh yes, I found lots.  There seemed to be two basic patterns, one just a rectangle, the other a set of at least 6 curved strips of fabric that was wider in the center than at the ends.

Sew News has a great pumpkin tutorial for the rectangle.

Quill Cottage has a great pumpkin tutorial for the sectioned pieces.

I went with the rectangular pattern because: I'm lazy, I wasn't sure what size pumpkin would work for this project, and after studying the instructions, it seemed like I would be doing the same thing to the pumpkin no matter what pattern I used.

I found a cheap foam pumpkin at Walmart that seemed to be the right size, and begged some leftover Halloween colored fabrics from my mother.  I didn't want them to be TOO Halloween flavored because I was afraid that would detract from the kitten shape.

Finished kitten hogging the limelight.

underside of a kitten.  Making the 'divisions' in the pumpkin left a deep hole on both sides!

Then I sat and made up a bunch of pumpkin kittens.  I used a 5"x10" rectangle, and that size produced a pretty good kitten head that would fit in the pumpkin.  For the eyes, I used black felt (buttons would have worked, too.)  I made the stems by cutting narrow strips and rolling them up tight and gluing in place. I used heavy duty button thread for the whiskers.  I figured out where I wanted to place the nose, then sewed on the whiskers so that the knot would be hidden by the nose when I glued it on.



I also used polyfill stuffing for the interior.  One of the sites suggested using plastic bags, which I thought was a great idea, but I had a really hard time getting my needle through the plastic.

. . . feed us.

You can see the plastic bags I stuffed into the pumpkin to fill up the space.  I was thinking that hay would be cute to hide that, but then I thought it would be too much like Easter grass and it would get EVERYWHERE.  Now I'm thinking a square of burlap would work, and I might try that.

My problem is I don't like the pumpkin.  It's not big enough for ALL the kittens, and obviously I can't eliminate two of them! I need it to be wider, not taller, and I haven't seen any fake pumpkins like that.  It's also obviously foam and I've got little foam balls clinging everywhere.  Maybe a cauldron?  I'm afraid the darker kittens will disappear in that.  Maybe a basket with Halloween fabric/ribbon?  I'll have to experiment.  And take pictures.

UPDATE 10/19/2014

I tried a few more settings to see what would happen.

I am never going to get a good photo of this tree.

For the costume making extravaganza, I ended up moving everything downstairs to the living/dining room side of the house.  It was hot and stuffy upstairs, and I didn't have enough room in the craft room to really spread out my cutting board, and I was already taking up two rooms.  Because of this I realized that the layout of my craft room just wasn't working, and I made a few changes.

Phase Two: 'After'.  I'm just now realizing that the wig stand floating above Jenny the Dress Form is a little creepy.

Phase One, 'Before.'That banquet table is pretty good at staying out of the picture.

Phase One: 'Before'

Phase Two: 'After.' I suddenly have a hat collection.

 Then I shoved the bigger bookshelf over, and brought up the huge full length mirror B. had bought recently so we could see ourselves head to toe.  (not that we really want to, but it's helpful when sewing.)  You can see my other storage containers on there.  I love those half width canvas bins, too!  I have spray paint cans and really tall paint bottles in there.  Keeps them neat and upright without having to look at them or be overwhelmed by the smell by closing it up.

So now I have plenty of space to lay out the cutting board, and I can set up my ironing board in a spot that ISN'T over the squeaky floorboard.  You just don't realize how much you move around while ironing until you iron while standing over a squeaky floorboard.  Urgh.

Yes, I know, I should show you a picture of the entire room, but I was moving stuff around just so I could take a picture, and the dollhouse table in front of the window is pure chaos.   Someday I will. For now, I'll show you one more detail.

When moving my minis around, I realized with horror that I didn't have any minis on display.  None.  At all.  And it would be a very long time before I finished renovating either of my dollhouses.  Fortunately, I did have two roombox kits I'd purchased ages ago but never displayed.  So I decided I'd quickly make up a scene in one of them.




Then, of course, I had to test the new layout a little bit.  So I made a skirt.  Simplicity pattern 2609, to be exact.

I didn't have enough challis to make a longer skirt (this takes an amazing amount of fabric) but it turned out ok enough.  I'm not too pleased with how hippy it makes me look (I have another skirt just like this that isn't that bad) so I am definitely making future skirts longer.  It was an easy enough pattern (yay!  I had a PATTERN!) but I need to find an easier way to sew down gathered fabric so the gathers are all even.  What a pain!

I'd cut out the skirt a while ago, so I couldn't tell you if cutting was feasible in the room.  I did borrow B.'s fluorescent task lamp that bends in all sorts of directions, and was able to get a good strong light on what I was doing.  I think the new layout will be just fine, especially with the ceiling light now to one side and over one shoulder.

You know, I probably could have gotten three or four posts out of this . . .