Working on It

Well, I worked tonight on a new tutorial, but as I am no genius video editor, it may be a day or two before I put it up.


I do have a couple of things in the works --


For the Bug, a graduation dress --





And for the Rose, a graduation dress --




I used coupons at JoAnn's and got the fabric for half off. I think they're gonna be gorgeous!

I also am refashioning a gorgeous blue silk dress from Casual Corner that I got at a thrift shop. It had a front slip and some gold buttons going up the slit -- so I closed it up, and cut off the longer length of the dress and made a little sash with a bow. Still working on it; I'll post photos when I get the chance.

xoxox

A Bit Overwhelming

Well, there are days when you wonder what you should create.

And then there are days like today, when you want to create everything.

Today, I would like to:


1. Finish that t-shirt reconstruction going on, haven't had time. (see photos previous post)


2. And then there are Barbie's jeans that she wants made into trousers -- I want to do a tutorial video on that. (try back again next Wednesday)


3. And then there's this pattern that I really like and want to do for myself:

(view b, the sleeveless green outfit)

4. And this one, which I've already sized and is ready to cut out:

(using vintage fabric I found at the Scrap Exchange in Durham)

5. And Barbie has wanted this dress for awhile, and I've sized her pattern and it's ready to cut out:

(the sleeveless dress, in a gorgeous aqua silky)

6. And Babydoll wants this dress by Isaac Mizrahi copied:

(I already have the fabric, and it's a black/white floral print -- check out the Liz Claiborne outlet stores to find this dress -- it's gorgeous!)

7. And the twins need graduation dresses to wear under their robes -- I'm thinking halter tops, maybe some white and black? (any suggestions, anyone?)


8. And I really need to make my black pants into trousers, (back to the tutorial on Wed)


9. And I need to dye my trouser jeans so they're all the same color, (RIT + a big sink of hot water and salt should do it -- I'd use my washer but it's a front-loader)


10. And I have several scarves to make! (future tutorial on taking silky dresses apart)

And I need aprons in the Etsy shop! (in my spare time)


Good grief. I suppose I'd better stop blogging and start sewing!


What are YOU working on today?

xoxox

Embellishments

Since I'm working on a t-shirt reconstruction at present:

before after



I thought I'd share with you this wonderful video I found! Apparently there are several videos done by Hot Patterns, and I'm anxious to check out more. This one is great. I can't wait to try this technique:



Enjoy!

Heeeeeere's Whitney!

I found Whitney after she left a comment about the Easter dresses (see previous post). She saw my tutorial on Threadbanger -- and so she made her own!

She's really good, so I thought I'd share her with you. One thing I especially liked was her use of sidewalk chalk as a marker. Now that's just plain genius.

One thing I would have done differently was use a measuring tape to mark the hem of the skirt on the paper. At the top left corner of the paper, anchor the tape at the finished length measurement with a thumbtack or tape. The other end of your tape, (the beginning) will have a little metal end with a hole in it. So just use a pen or marker stuck thru the hole and mark your paper as you move the tape from the top of the paper down, to draw an arc from the top to the side, forming a quarter circle.



Whitney rocks!

This Man is a Genius

Here's some FABULOUS information on how to create your own patterns:

Bulletin Board Makeover

I have needed a bulletin board in my sewing room for some time now. I kept putting off taking care of that because I wanted something just a little different than what you'd expect.

I had an old bulletin board of Barbie's that I wanted to use. And I had some posters of Renoir art that I picked up at a yard sale -- for free. And then, it hit me -- the posters and the bulletin board were the same size!

It's like it was meant to be.

So I made myself a new bulletin board using the old ratty one I had, plus a poster, plus some middy braid from the fabric store. Here's how you do it:

1. You will need an old bulletin board, a poster the same size, a staple gun, and some ribbon or braid trim. I wanted gold, to match the gold accents in the poster. So I found something called "middy braid," which is found in the bias tape section of the fabric store or your local WalMart.

(Middy braid has been traditionally used to trim any type of sailor collar, and comes in black and navy, as well as white and gold and silver)

I used about 3 packages of the middy braid. If you use ribbon, you'll need about 12-15 yards, or 4-5 spools.

Step 1: Line your poster up with the edges of your bulletin board -- poster covering the cork -- and staple the edges down. Don't worry about the staples showing. Try and staple into the wood frame. This is now the outside of your board.

Step 2. Take your braid trim or ribbon and start about 6" from one corner. Staple one edge to the wrong side of the bulletin board,

and then angle it up to form the long side of a triangle with the ribbon/trim.

Then staple it to the other side of the board, and then snip the end.

Step 3. Keep going diagonally across the board, spacing your ribbon about 4-5" apart, making lines by stapling on the wrong side of the board, until you've covered the entire board with diagonal ribbon lines.

Step 4. Now do the same thing but cross the lines you've already made. Start at the corner opposite the one you began originally, and do the same thing. You'll crisscross all your lines, stapling your ribbon to the opposite side of the board.

Step 5. Flip your board over. You're done! If you like, you can glue the cross points of the ribbon with buttons or beads. If you don't want to have pinholes in your poster, use the ribbon to hold your photos and notes. If you don't care about the poster, use tacks. I use both.

Enjoy your new piece of functional art!

OMG!

Those fine folks over at Threadbanger have decided to make me famous.

Who knew?

FYI -- Threadbanger is one kicking group of twenty-somethings who live in the Brooklyn, NY creative community. They produce a blog and weekly show about sewing, creating, decorating, and generally great ideas. They thrive on upcycling (recycling something old to make it into something new) -- they teach, encourage, and exemplify what it means to be an artist in the 21st century.

So I sent them the capelet video I made (see the older posts) and they decided to feature it for Mother's Day!

I am so flattered! Check out Threadbanger for my 3-4 minutes of fame, as well as a whole slew of great crafts and sewing projects.

And check back here for a new video on making your regular jeans into a great pair of wide-leg trouser jeans -- that fit you wonderfully!

xoxox