I am in the process of buying a bigger apartment that will have an extra room that I will use for sewing/crafting. Because of the expenses involved with moving and preparing my old place for rent, and the general need to get rid of stuff I am making the following oath:
I swear that I will not buy any new fabric for myself (excludes projects I'm getting paid for, or gifts for others - Christmas is coming up, yikes!) until I finish at least one of the following projects that I already have fabric for:
Lonestar Quilt
Zig-zag Quilt
Zombie Dress
Floral Satin Dress
Celtic Quilt
Amish Quilt
This oath should probably include genral crafting supplies, but I don't want to get too crazy.
Showing posts with label Dressmaking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dressmaking. Show all posts
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Crafty To-Do List
Now that Wedding Singer is open and I have no required crafting projects to do, I have been reflecting on all the things I've wanted to do but haven't had time for, and the things that are coming up that I should start thinking about. So, here is my Crafty To-Do list:
1. Tennis Skirts: This is actually a job I have coming up to make skirts for my mom's tennis team that is going to Nationals in Indian Wells, CA in October. I'm not quite sure how many I need to make, but they should be pretty simple to do.
2. Zombie Costume: Thriller is coming up again and since this is the third year, I feel like it's time to make a new zombie costume. While I love my Zombie Ballerina costume, I think it's time for something new (I'll probably let someone else use the costume since zombie ballerina is usually a popular choice that I've always had dibs on). This year I'm thinking Rockabilly Zombie. I've got a great pattern and fabric picked out and I just love dyeing and distressing things.
3. Dress for Lexy's friend: For Lexy's birthday last year I made her a sundress and now one of her friends wants one too. Pretty easy to do, just need to get the fabric.
4. Quilt for Annie: Annie graduates from college next May (she'll be a Doctor of Pharmacy) and I'm planning on making her quilt since Lexy got one for her graduation from high school. I've started it (Lonestar Quilt) I just need to finish it.
5. Other: I'm sure other things will come up. I also should start using up all the extra fabric I have - that might be an interesting challenge.
6. Waffle Week: I don't know what I'm gonna do, but it's coming up in less than 2 months!
1. Tennis Skirts: This is actually a job I have coming up to make skirts for my mom's tennis team that is going to Nationals in Indian Wells, CA in October. I'm not quite sure how many I need to make, but they should be pretty simple to do.
2. Zombie Costume: Thriller is coming up again and since this is the third year, I feel like it's time to make a new zombie costume. While I love my Zombie Ballerina costume, I think it's time for something new (I'll probably let someone else use the costume since zombie ballerina is usually a popular choice that I've always had dibs on). This year I'm thinking Rockabilly Zombie. I've got a great pattern and fabric picked out and I just love dyeing and distressing things.
3. Dress for Lexy's friend: For Lexy's birthday last year I made her a sundress and now one of her friends wants one too. Pretty easy to do, just need to get the fabric.
4. Quilt for Annie: Annie graduates from college next May (she'll be a Doctor of Pharmacy) and I'm planning on making her quilt since Lexy got one for her graduation from high school. I've started it (Lonestar Quilt) I just need to finish it.
5. Other: I'm sure other things will come up. I also should start using up all the extra fabric I have - that might be an interesting challenge.
6. Waffle Week: I don't know what I'm gonna do, but it's coming up in less than 2 months!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Dress for Lexy
Lexy's 20th birthday was a couple weeks ago and she wanted me to make her a dress. While they probably don't get much use in Portland, Lexy loves sundresses and when I found a pattern for a simple shirred top sundress on Craftzine's blog she asked me to make her one.
For fabric she wanted something yellow or purple with a pattern so I bought this fabric from fabric.com:
I also had to buy elastic thread (couldn't find it on the island) and unfortunately the 11 yd spool from fabric.com wasn't quite enough so I had to get this instead:
To use elastic thread you need to hand wind it on a bobbin, being careful not to stretch it while winding. Like some decorative metallic threads the elastic thread is too thick to thread through a sewing machine and needle, so instead it goes on the bobbin.
When shirring the top (making the rows of elastic to gather the top) you sew rows from the right side (as opposed to the wrong side) of the completed dress in a continuous line that circles around the bodice for about 6-8" down from the top of the dress. The elastic ends up on the inside of the dress and the tension from the top thread helps to gather the fabric. You line of the edge of the presser foot with the previous row to keep them parallel and it's very important to pull the fabric flat while sewing.
One problem I had was that the amount of elastic thread that can be wound on a bobbin is not enough to complete the top. It took about 3 bobbins and when one ran out I'd just overlap the beginning of the next bobbin over the end of the last.
I shortened the pattern from Heather Ross significantly and according to Lexy it is still too long for her, so I'll have to shorten it when she is home for Christmas. Here's Lexy in the dress:
For fabric she wanted something yellow or purple with a pattern so I bought this fabric from fabric.com:
I also had to buy elastic thread (couldn't find it on the island) and unfortunately the 11 yd spool from fabric.com wasn't quite enough so I had to get this instead:
To use elastic thread you need to hand wind it on a bobbin, being careful not to stretch it while winding. Like some decorative metallic threads the elastic thread is too thick to thread through a sewing machine and needle, so instead it goes on the bobbin.
When shirring the top (making the rows of elastic to gather the top) you sew rows from the right side (as opposed to the wrong side) of the completed dress in a continuous line that circles around the bodice for about 6-8" down from the top of the dress. The elastic ends up on the inside of the dress and the tension from the top thread helps to gather the fabric. You line of the edge of the presser foot with the previous row to keep them parallel and it's very important to pull the fabric flat while sewing.
One problem I had was that the amount of elastic thread that can be wound on a bobbin is not enough to complete the top. It took about 3 bobbins and when one ran out I'd just overlap the beginning of the next bobbin over the end of the last.
I shortened the pattern from Heather Ross significantly and according to Lexy it is still too long for her, so I'll have to shorten it when she is home for Christmas. Here's Lexy in the dress:
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Christmas Dress
I found this picture and I love this dress. I love the yoke and gathered bust. I love the cream accents. I sort of love the green – it’s a little dull, but I like the antiqueness of it. I love the cap sleeves and the little bow at the collar. I love the shape of the collar and the piping at the bust.
I want to make this dress.
I don’t think it will be too hard to come up with a pattern for it – I don’t know what the back looks like, but I could guess. I learned a lot about dressmaking for Sound of Music and I think I can take some patterns I already have and adjust them to be what I need. One tricky thing for me would be the pockets – because the SOM dresses didn’t have to be practical I always left out the pockets.
The biggest problem is time. I have so many projects that I want to do and so many that I’ve started that it’s illogical at this time to plan another one. That’s not to say it will never happen, I just think that I’d have to finish 2-3 of the quilts I’m working on and at least one purse I have planned before I could justify a new project. Plus I don’t have a real need for this dress. Yes it’s cute but I don’t know when I’d wear it.
My crafting time is limited since I have a full time job and a social life, so it’s hard to do everything I want to. I think I’d like to learn to knit, but I hardly have time for the crafts I know how to do, so when will I have time to take on a new one. Ack!
I have a whole lot of ideas for future projects. I’ll just have to file this one away for later…
I want to make this dress.
I don’t think it will be too hard to come up with a pattern for it – I don’t know what the back looks like, but I could guess. I learned a lot about dressmaking for Sound of Music and I think I can take some patterns I already have and adjust them to be what I need. One tricky thing for me would be the pockets – because the SOM dresses didn’t have to be practical I always left out the pockets.
The biggest problem is time. I have so many projects that I want to do and so many that I’ve started that it’s illogical at this time to plan another one. That’s not to say it will never happen, I just think that I’d have to finish 2-3 of the quilts I’m working on and at least one purse I have planned before I could justify a new project. Plus I don’t have a real need for this dress. Yes it’s cute but I don’t know when I’d wear it.
My crafting time is limited since I have a full time job and a social life, so it’s hard to do everything I want to. I think I’d like to learn to knit, but I hardly have time for the crafts I know how to do, so when will I have time to take on a new one. Ack!
I have a whole lot of ideas for future projects. I’ll just have to file this one away for later…
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