Time to Ruin a Surprise!

I told my friend I would make her a penguin, but that I couldn't guarantee that it would be cute or even remotely resemble a penguin. It's finally all done & I'll be bringing it with me the next time I visit her!

My Pillow!

I totally forgot all about this! I finished my pillow ages ago, but was so excited about sleeping on it that I forgot I had intended to share it with you! Anyway, the picture quality on this blog seems to be getting worse & worse, but I was sitting in bed on my laptop when I remembered & honestly just didn't feel like getting up to take proper pictures of my pillow. Please excuse the odd girl shaped thing in the back trying to make sure the pillow was in the frame.



Backside! I actually have a ton of this fabric leftover because I didn't mess up as much as I thought I would! Hooray!

Coming Together

My favorite part! When you are sewing something & it starts to take shape. A really ill fitting shape that needs lots of work, but hey, a dress-like shape nonetheless!

This is nothing like what I had in mind, but the lightness of this fabric felt so wonderful & pushed my brain to daydreaming of the possibilities of summer. So I need to buy some fabric to line this sheer thing as well as notions. Then I must continue sewing away until it actually looks presentable/wearable! Now that my bank cards are back in order, I'll definitely be spending my next day off in a fabric store.

The Start of Something

My spring break wasn't filled with as much crafting time as I'd hoped (oh well!), but I have been doing a bit of sewing lately. Here are two facts you may not know about how I sew.

1. I sew on the floor. I guess a table would be easier, but i don't want to clear off my entire desk every time I feel like sewing & I don't want to sprawl all over the apartment. So basically I use my knee to man the pedal! This way leads to more backaches, but I guess it works out okay for now.

2. My machine is a vegetarian

Daydreams in the Works

I am thinking of a sewing project involving these two fabrics . . .

Much Better

Alright then, a few simple alterations to that dress & it is now possibly one of my favorites! As planned, I took in the sides, the sleeves, & took up the hem. It needed less fuss than I initially thought it would so this was actually a really quick fix! Also, I don't really like skinny fabric belt things so I swapped that out for a belt I bought at the same store (good finds that day) which is much thicker, more contrasting, more my taste.


I did want to leave it relatively loose & long because I felt those were things that made the dress what it was. At any rate, I'm quite pleased with this little alteration.

This Can be Rebuilt

While back home I did some shopping with my friends and we ended up going to one of my very favorite thrift stores. One dress caught my eye, but it looked like it needed work so I kind of passed it by a few times. Eventually I grabbed it, it has some great details like




cute fabric, and really adorable details on the sleeves and neck.

The major problem is the shape is kind of unappealing, or maybe nonexistent


However, it did come with a little belt thing which made me realize that all I really need to do is take up the hem & taper in the sleeves a bit. It shall be rebuilt! I just need to go buy some cream thread!

Tiny Flowers: Finished!

All done! Here is what that skirt looks like on someone standing in front of their closet. I wish I could have other people model my creations, anyone in Los Angeles up for posing? I can pay you in love & friendship!

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty confident about this pattern. It can be reproduced & altered pretty easily which is fantastic! If I were feeling more ambitious, I'd attempt to make something in other sizes for other people, but I'm so slow, I don't know if anyone would be patient enough to wait for something to be done!

In Progress: Tiny Flowers

I'm still really obsessing over tiny details in the clothing I make. This time I let my sewing machine do most of the work, using one of those fancier stitches to add some decoration to the waistband of what will hopefully end up being a fuller, a-line skirt. I am using a pattern I made based on the one I created for my last sewing project, bringing the lines out & away from the body rather than keeping them close.

I also took a visit to Mood to get the lining for this skirt & was blown away by the sheer amount of fabric in that store! I really wanted to go at least one time for the simple pleasure of pretending to discuss my fabric choices with Tim Gunn. Next time I go fabric shopping, I'll probably go somewhere cheaper, but I'll definitely remember where Mood is when I need something special! I will leave you with this video clip that explains why I loved Project Runway more than any other competition reality show:

Far Away Hearts & Minds Skirt

All done! Finished my last fittings late one night. My favorite proportions for clothing are things which come in close at the waist, but since this was my own design, I got to leave ample space for wider hips. Take that, commercial designs! Thanks for the nice comments on the "in progress" post for this skirt, it really motivated me to hurry up & finish!

In Progress

This project is mostly done, but not quite. Everything is put together, but I just need to do some fitting. I like to sew a garment a little large, put it through the wash to see if it'll shrink much, & then do a few final alterations to make sure it fits. With this skirt, I created a pattern on paper, which was the first time I've ever tried that. Usually when I sew things without a pattern, I just make it up as I go, but this time, I decided I would like to be able to make the item again or at least that I would like to have a pattern to work off & make small alterations to in order to create new patterns. It worked out a lot better than I was expecting, so you should expect to see my next sewing projects be a lot of skirts. When I saw this fabric, I instantly was reminded of a man's button down shirt so my brain was on this office wear trip, but then I really like things to be feminine & was having a conversation about the importance of details with a friend of mine so I thought adding some crochet work to the skirt would be a good idea.

One side note, Wordpress stats are really amusing & today I discovered that one of the top searches to bring people here has been, "t-shirt with bird on shakespeare's head". I think I might like to make a drawing of a bird on Shakespeare's head very soon.

A Simple Tee

Here is something that's easy to make without a pattern, a t-shirt! So simple & so wonderful to have once it's done. I was at Joann's with a friend of mine & found this really soft jersey. There was just over a yard left so I decided to bring the rest home with me & make something. I used one of my favorite t-shirts from Target as a model to cut the fabric & decided to make a round neckline to contrast with the jagged pattern. This was a quick, enjoyable project, I enjoyed working on this one.

Ugly Bird Goes Soft

I can't seem to stop making ugly birds! It's like whenever I am presented with materials to create with, one of my first thoughts is, "You know what I could make with this? An ugly bird!"

Anyway, here is a plush ugly bird. Soft & cuddly, she has a bit of an empty stare, but isn't as vacant as she looks!

Dress Completion

Finally done! This dress took way too long to make, but it is done!!! This is the first time I have ever made a dress without a pattern, simply making it up as I went along. It does feel great to know that the design & all the work is mine, but I think I will try something simpler for my next sewing project!

Further Dress Progress

Oh hello, it's me, the slowest seamstress you will ever meet. I have some pictures to share of the dress actually looking like a dress. I am still fine tuning the fit because I get so obsessive over that kind of thing. I've spent so many hours taking it off, pinning, & putting it on again. The nice thing about being your own dress form is that the dress fits you perfectly. Every unsymmetrical aspect of your body has exactly the kind of tailoring it needs! The not so nice thing about being your own dress form is being pricked repeatedly by pins. At any rate, I am pleased with the progress & found a nice yellow ribbon which I am thinking of adding to the waist.

Hopefully the next time I post about this dress, I will be saying, "hooray, I've a finished project to show you!"

Dress Progress

As I've been saying, school is a time eater! Couple this with the fact that I am a bit of a slow worker (perfectionist) & you will see that certain projects can take months to complete! As the semester was winding down, I found myself able to cut my fabric & lining & at least pin the top half together.

Last weekend, I was able to stitch up this top part. I'm not using a pattern which is something I've never tried before & while I tried to pre-plan as much as possible, I'm much more of an "oh let's just do this!" person & am essentially making it up as I go along. One thing that came out exactly as I wanted is the back of the top

Now that school is over, I'm hoping I'll have time to attach the skirt part, put in a zipper,  & maybe add on any extra bits that appeal to me in the fabric store. This will probably take a lot more time than you think it should.

Momma Seamonster

more pictures

I finished momma a few days ago but decided to save the post until mother's day as it seemed appropriate.

Momma Seamonster is a full grown version of what our other seamonster will become. She, like most mommas, is protective of her baby & will eat you right up if you aren't careful! She is large, but still a fast swimmer & loves to wear a stylish pink bow. Happy mother's day, Momma Seamonster!

Update

For much of today I wasn't feeling well so I decided to stay home & rest. I'm not really good at resting though, I was doing my laundry & homework & cleaning. & then I thought, "well I'll just sit & watch some television then".

Not being much of a television person, my first choices are one of those competition shows on Bravo, some other trash, or one of the "educational" channels (discovery, history, animal planet, etc.) & on one of those was some sea monster story. So of course I decide to make a sea monster to keep me company for the rest of the day. My monsters are never very scary though. But don't let that sweet little pink mouth fool you! It's a fake! I swear, she is vicious!!!

Update

Today I have added:

His Name is Herbie Hancock

Last Night

What Would You Do if You Were a Ghost?

A Different Version of Our Ugly Bird

Don't Look Down

Love & Fear