Tiny Acorns Regency - Finished!

And just in time too! The last stitches were put in the night before the dance. Why do I do this to myself? 

While I was working on it, I realized after attaching the skirt that I had put the sleeves on backwards. So that added some time to the making-of. I'm of the opinion that no project is complete without ripping out at least one seam. Beyond that, the dress went together quite easily. 

 While haunting one of my favorite fabric stores with one of my besties, we found BUTTONS! And in the giant collection of unique buttons - ACORNS! They needed to be included in the dress somehow. I decided that they would do well on wrist straps to help the sleeves to behave themselves. 

 I think my friends told me to look at the ground. But what am I supposed to be seeing there? 

 If you've been a long-time reader, you might recognize the bonnet. Psst - I blogged about it here. ;) 

 The dress was relatively easy to wear and dance in. I cut the sleeves to a larger size to accomodate my farm arm and to allow ease of movement - who wants to their arms and shoulders to be restricted when they're trying to dance?

 My one point of grr with this whole thing was the modesty panel - that thing would not stay put at all the entire evening. Oh well... I'll figure something out for next time. I'm just glad that I had my brown spencer to help keep things in place. :P 

Project details: 

Pattern: The Elegant Lady's Closet by Sensibility Patterns 

Fabric: Cardamom and Caraway by Marcus Fabrics 

Time: Probably about 2 afternoons including cutting out the pattern, cutting out the fabric, and sewing it all together

Final Thoughts: I like it a lot, but there are things I would change. But that's not surprising at all. ;) Depending on what I feel like, I'll probably tack down the pleating/gathers the shoulder to help the neckline to not look so... fluffy. Beyond that, re-situating the closure, and figuring out the panel that kept peeking out, I think I'll keep it the way it is. 

Until next time! 

SG

Top It All Off

My sister has been making ADORABLE baby hats, and I just had to share. I just wanted to show them off for her. ;) 

 They're just too cute to not share! 

 Gaaaa!!!! 

 I'm just about dying from cuteness overload over here. 

Interested in buying one of these? Shoot me an email from the messaging link on the sidebar, and we can start chatting!

Until next time,
SG

Sew 1, Knit 2

I have yet to meet someone who doesn't have more than one hobby or craft. 

For me, what I create depends on what I feel like doing or the weather - gardening isn't very fun when it's hailing or snowing. :P Another pastime that could easily consume my days is knitting. 

One of the things I like about knitting is how much more transportable it is compared to sewing. I can go over to a friend's house for some netflix, roasted pineapple, and knitting for an afternoon hang-out. Hauling a sewing machine would complicate getting out the door. :P 

Actually, I learned how to knit long before I learned how to sew (3rd grade as opposed to sometime in middle school). My skills are basic at best (learning how to knit in the round was a huge break through for me), but I still enjoy it. 

Over the years, my taste in colors and yarns have certainly changed (does anyone remember the fuzzy yarn in the early 2000's?). Because of my sensitive skin I have to be careful about what materials I work with, so I've really enjoyed working with natural materials (cottons in particular). I'd like to get into working with more animals fibers, but I don't feel worthy. ;) Another thing that I started to notice over the years - my sensitivity to metals. I turn green wherever my skin touches metal, so I also have to be careful about what kind of needles I use; bamboo fits the bill nicely. 

One of the first things I learned how to make was dishcloths, and my sisters and I still make them using the same pattern that I got from my sweet teacher.

My sister made these particular ones, by the way. ;) 

During berry season, we could easily drown in all the cardboard cartons that they come in. We simply re-purposed some of the clean ones to store and display these dishcloth sets. 

In comparing our simple cotton dishcloths to what we buy at the store is an eye-opener. These little things can stand up to just about anything that we throw at them, and trust me, living on a farm puts very high demands on all of our kitchen linens. The dishcloths from the store don't hold water very well and wear out rather quickly compared to 100% cotton hand-made ones. 

Like I said, learning how to knit in the round blew open the doors to so many new and exciting patterns, so I went a little crazy and made a lot of small plushies. Since I didn't really have anyone to share them with (as toys), I attached a string so that they can be ornaments! The string could easily be removed if you would rather have a plush instead of an ornament. 

I like how each of the hedgehogs have different personalities. It wasn't on purpose, but it's just how their faces came out. They're all still very sweet, but each just a little different. 

It's a pair of pears! 

I don't know why, but I really like knitting food. :shrugs: Just don't eat the red cap. ;) 

I need to make more of these. Like, a lot more. Like, a squirrel hoard more. 

I think that I need to make another one of these but with three small eggs instead of one GIANT egg. The poor bird that laid this. :P 

Are you interested in any of these? You can shoot me an email via the tool on the sidebar, and we can start chatting! 

Until next time,

SG

Tiny Treasures - A Sneak Peak

My doll dress creations have slowly been building up and attempting to take over. So much so that I had to ask my dad and brother to make me another doll dress rack to display them. 

See what I mean? 

The collection has certainly grown now that I'm done with school and have time to play in the studio instead of slumping at the computer churning out papers. Gotta work down that scrap fabric collection! Want to see a few of my favorites from the collection? Note: I really wish that I had all of these in my size. ;)  

This one reminds me of gingerbread. Now I want cookies. 

 The next dress has a bit of a story to go with it. When my great-grandma passed away many years ago, her daughters inherited most of her sewing supplies. Since they weren't inclined to much sewing, they've been passing notions and such down to me as they sort and clean. One of the packages that I received had a pillowcase set that was embroidered by great-grandma, but one of them was too worn out to use. But the decorate cuff was still in good condition! I didn't know what to make with it then, but one day it suddenly hit me, and a doll dress was made. The bodice is finished with some vintage trim that I had on hand as well. 

 These next few are how I channeled my excitement for Comic Con. I had my cosplay all finished, but still had inspiration to spare. I had some geeky fabrics on hand that perfectly fit the bill. 

 At a the bazaar a couple weeks back, a lady was walking by and stopped to ooh over the dresses. She started to walk away but quickly turned back around, "I just realized what is on that skirt!" 

 How can you not want a dress like this? 

 I don't know if you've seen the Disney cartoon, Phineas and Ferb, but that show is a gem. Absolutely hilarious. 

I've got a lot more that I could show you, but this is already a picture heavy post! 

Do you seen any that catches your eye? These are all for sale! Shoot me an email from the messaging link at the sidebar, and we can start chatting. 

Until next time,

SG

Tiny Acorns Regency Dress

I don't know what I was thinking. There's a mini Regency ball coming up, and I convinced myself that I needed a new dress even though I already have one that would work just fine. :P 

I bought this print a long while ago with the intention of making a regency dress from it. I just hadn't gotten around to it. 

ISN'T IT CUTE!  

Mentally, I needed to get past last weekend with comic con and a bazaar, then I could sew something for myself. ;) But the ball would only be 13 days after that weekend. Could I make a dress in that time? We shall see. 

Until next time! 

SG

Bazaar Season Begins

Well, this last weekend was a whirlwind. And preparing for it was just as crazy. Having comic con and the first bazaar of the season crammed into one weekend will surely knock some wind out of your sails.

First up - comic con on Saturday. This was my first con, and it was AMAZING! Ridiculously overwhelming, but AMAZING! I wore the Chewie skirt that I told you about, but I decided to do it without the vintage fur wrap. That morning when I was feeding the animals, it already felt too warm to be wearing fur, and I'm glad that I didn't - the convention center got really toasty. I don't know how my brother managed to wander around in his Pikachu onesie and not overheat.  

 

I loved wearing the skirt to the con. It was subtle enough that people only caught what it was if they were actually paying attention. And the people at the 501st booth geeked out over it. I was happy. 

When we got home from the con on Saturday afternoon, we had to turn around and load up the car with all the supplies that we needed to set up for the first bazaar. This particular bazaar is more advertised as an antique faire, but it's in support of the local grange (that has held many events that I've attended through the years), so I have no qualms about lending a hand (or some cash).

The booth was a collaborative effort between my sister, a friend of mine, and myself. We had an assortment of doll dresses, aprons, hats, gloves, amigurumi, and more. It was a rather cheery booth if I do say so myself. ;) 

In addition to the crafts that we brought, I added in some antiques to try to work that angle of the faire. :P I've had the Pfaff sitting in the corner collecting dust and junk, so I thought that it was time for it to go. I also included some vintage patterns and sewing notions. I was honestly surprised at how much conversation the sewing machine and patterns generated.   

One of the things that I love most about this bazaar (it's my second year doing it) is getting to meet and know neighbors. Being in the country, a neighbor is a loose term, but since we're all in the same general area, we consider ourselves neighbors. 

I'm going to try to compile a list of all the upcoming bazaars this season that I'll be at so that you can see if you can stop by and check things out! 

Until next time! 

SG