Hobbit Dress

After Comic Con, I was left with a hopeless longing to travel through Middle Earth (I blame Karl Urban, but I digress). Thankfully, there was a Hobbit ball coming up. 

I dug through the costume closet, but nothing grabbed my attention, fit well (thank you health issues), or screamed 'I would be perfect for the ball!' Drats. Guess I had an excuse to make a ~new costume~

That meant that I had two weeks max to make something. Anything! I turned to the fabric stash. 

Plenty of options resided there, but would anything work together? The cool thing about the Lord of the Rings movies is the diversity of costume eras and classes to draw inspiration from. Each race had styles and embellishments that matched their culture, and all that with fantasy flair thrown in because why not? I could totally keep geeking out over the costumes in those movies, but I'll spare you. 

With that in mind, I pulled down literally anything and everything that even closely resembled something that might be worn in Middle Earth, compared those to patterns I already had on hand, and tried to estimate if I had enough material to make the idea happen. That was quite the mess, if I do say so myself. I finally landed on an earthy palette with some 1700's flair using American Duchess's Simplicity pattern 8161 from the Outlander series as a loose base to launch my Hobbit vision because I can't leave a basic pattern as it is. I did the jacket, ditched the sleeves, and added a peplum. The skirt and stomacher I did leave 'as is.' So all in all, not a lot of changes. ;) 

If time favored me, I also planned on using the undergarments pattern from that same line to make a chemise and bum pad to finish off the look, but that was the lowest on the priority list given how much time I had to put this all together. 

And so I sewed in any moment I could find. I must say, that was probably some of my more focused sewing, and yet, extremely relaxed. I don't know what was up. :P But that is why I don't have any 'in progress' shots. I would turn up my music and just sew. For the little bit of hand sewing that was involved, I turned on Gilmore Girls. I maybe got through two episodes, and I was done with the hand sewing. All this leaves now is the finished look. :shrugs: That might not be a bad thing. 

The really cool thing with this whole thing? Most of the fabrics were given to me or found for a steal at the thrift store. SCORE! Costuming on the cheap! :fist pump: The one downside to being able to use my stash - the fact that I have a stash to pull from. :P 

Let's do a supplies inventory:

Blue floral 'vest'- given to me

Brown linen/burlap stomacher - on clearance in the remnant bin at Joann's, maybe $3 max

Rust cotton sateen - given to me

Plaid wool flannel for skirt - Thrift store, 8 yards of material for $2/yard but I only used about 6 yards

Jute String - $0.99/yard, 3 yards at Joann's

Grommets - 2 packages of colored eyelets (because I only wanted to use the brown ones and the package had about 5 different colors, so in order to get enough of the color I needed, I had to pick up 2), $6.58

Chemise and petticoat (underneath) - repurposed from other costumes

Grand total: $24.55

WOOT! 

Now, I didn't have the time to make the structural underthings to :really: make the look. But now that I have the outfit, it won't take much to make those. Right? :sheepish grin: What I really noticed was lacking was pockets. The skirt had slits for pockets, but I just didn't have time to throw them together. Maybe someday. 

Until next time! 

SG

Comic Con Recap

Right before I go to comic con, I always get a sense of Why am I doing this? Seriously? You're paying to go to this thing? because as I explain to people who aren't into movies, TV shows, books, comics, games, etc. it sounds :really: stupid. Yeah, you pay to get in the door, get a glimpse of famous people, pay for pictures with them, pay for art and nerd bling, stand shoulder to shoulder with a horde of people, wait in line for anything and everything... blah blah blah. But then I go, join forces with thousands of other nerds, listen to panels of topics that pique our interest, stand shoulder to shoulder with them (literally, the convention center was packed) to celebrate the things we love, soak in the geekyness all around me, and relish every moment. I probably float on that high for a week and then I crash from how much overstimulation the weekend actually is for my adrenal fatigued brain. :P 

My thought this year wasn't so much to participate in the cosplay part of things. It's been a long summer, and my primary goal was comfortable. I didn't want what I was wearing to become a hassle. I just wanted to be. So for the first day, I wore my :favorite: skirt with the map of Middle Earth printed on it. Subtle. Comfy. And I got to meet Karl Urban. 💓 

Sunday was pushing my friend in her Green Lion from Voltron wheel chair (her brother did incredible work on it!) around the convention. I was really glad that it wasn't as crowded on Sunday so that there was room to actually push a wheel chair around. Saturday was so packed, I'm not sure if we would have been able to do much of anything. 

With all that pushing, I was also very glad that I planned a simple outfit for the day which brings me to the sewing part of the post.
Phew that was a long intro. :P 

I found this really cool print last year during my birthday fabric shopping spree, and from the instant I saw it, I knew it was destined to be a skirt. With Comic Con looming on the calendar horizon, I knew I needed to get it done otherwise the project just wouldn't happen. I whipped out my tape measure, elastic, and rotary blade and went to work. 

It was done in less than 30 minutes. 

Granted, it was just a basic A-line with an elastic waist band. 

And it suited the job perfectly. 

But I still want to change it up a bit. 

Instead of just an elastic waistband, I'd like to smooth out the front by gathering the skirt into a flat band and then have elastic around the back with a zipper closure. It'll make it look like I put a little more thought and effort into it and it will look more finished. I just didn't have a zipper on hand that matched the color palette of the fabric.

So that will be on my docket for whenever I feel like it. In the meantime, I have a pretty cool new skirt. 😎

Until next time!

SG

Preschooler Elsa

So what was my big project for January? 

Oh, just a little costume from a movie that might have been a smash hit. 

Artist Source

Actually, this dress never made it to the movie, but it was in all the concept art! 

A friend messaged me asking if I could make a preschooler Elsa dress for her daughter to wear to their family trip to Disneyland. Little miss had outgrown the Princess Anna dress that I had made, but her little sister could fit it now! It seemed appropriate to make an Elsa dress for the older sister. 

There was just two problems: I was working on an alteration commission from someone else, and my friend's deadline was just in a couple weeks. By the time I finished the alterations, I had only one week to plan, get supplies, and make the dress. Oy.

I'm pleased to say that it was finished just in the nick of time! But my days were literally go to work, get home, and get sewing. Power sewing to the max. That is it. 

I used Simplicity pattern 1507 as a base for the dress. I traced out the bodice pieces and drew on the straps and decorative bib on the front. I could have made this as two separate pieces, the jumper and a shirt, but I wanted it to be a single piece that you could easily put on without needing to hunt down all the parts of the outfit. So I took the pieces that I drafted and essentially appliqued them onto the bodice. Easy, straight forward, simple enough. The skirt was a similar story. I sewed down the ribbons along the skirt edge, and ta-da! All the sewing is done.  

Then came the details. I had several directions that I could have gone with this. I could do the rosemaling in the traditional style and embroider everything, cut out each of the individual pieces and applique them on, or pain them on. Time was not on my side, so I opted for the fabric paint. 

I've used this before for my Captain America Disney-bound dress. This particular fabric paint doesn't stand out from the material, and it's matte = no shiny. I found some close-ups to get the details and made stencils from that. They weren't perfect, but they got the general idea across. ;) I then turned on Gilmore Girls on Netflix and painted for goodness knows how long. 

But I'm really please with how it all turned out. I couldn't imagine doing all of that embroidery or appliqueing. I doubt that it would have been done in time. ;) 

Bodice Detailing

Close up of the skirt hem

I chose to do buttons instead of a zipper because they're so much cuter. 

I think it took me a week to recover from all that power sewing. :P 

Project Details

Pattern: Simplicity 1507

Materials used: Cotton Fabrics, fabric paint, buttons, thread

Time spent: Well, the sewing was done in probably 4 hours. The painting? I have no idea...

Until next time!

SG

Wibbly Wobbly Book Bag

Well, this is a deviation from a normal project for me, that's for sure. 

I haven't done paper piecing in a long while, but it felt good to be back in the saddle. 

A friend of mine just finished her masters, and I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what to get her. Suddenly, out of the (TARDIS) blue, the idea struck me - what about a book bag? :D 

It even has pocketsesss.

 The last thing I made that utilized paper piecing was a Star Wars quilt. The pieces of that paper piecing was :much: larger and therefore easier. This TARDIS has many teeny, tiny pieces. Maybe I should have jumped back on the band wagon with an easier pattern, but that's not how I roll at all. 

Not perfectly lined up... 

I got the pattern for the block at Fandom in Stitches. They have tons of geeky quilt blocks that are available for FREE! But read the tiny print though - because they feature licensed characters, products made from the patterns are not to be sold. Please don't abuse this precious resource; I'm rather fond of them. 

I added a border around the block, attached a back, some straps, and an interlining and lining. 

Voila! A bag. The block took longer than the rest of the project :P 

Project Specs

Pattern:

block

bag is my own pattern 

Fabric:

TARDIS is made from scraps 

The main fabric is from Joann's 

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

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

Project Teaser

Can you guess what my next big project is going to be?

If you don't, then what snow drift have you been hiding under? :P

The entire country, if not the world, has been singing 'Let It Go' and all of the covers for almost a year. You should recognize the colors used in Elsa's iconic Snow Queen dress. 

I better get back to pattern drafting.

Until next time!

SG

Star Wars Quilt

I promise I'm still alive! I've holed myself up in my sewing room to finish a Star Wars baby quilt. I made a deadline for myself - it needed to be done by the baby shower. I hate showing up to a shower with just a bare-bones quilt top and taking it back home with me at the end. That needs to stop. I will not accept tardiness or procrastination from myself when it comes to sewing projects. You don't star a new project until the next one is finished. 

Okay, I'm done with my pep talk. 

The last stitch was sewn in the day before the baby shower. :fist pump:

I found all the patterns (for free!) at Fandom in Stitches. If there is a movie or TV show or book that has a fan club, they most likely have paper pieced quilt blocks to go with it. 

I had waaaaaaaaaaay too much fun making these. And, for the most part, they are all scraps or fabrics that I had in my stash! :double fist pump:

The process of paper piecing is easy. Sew seam, iron down, cut out next piece of fabric, sew seam, repeat. 

The one BIG snafu that I ran into was the issue of uneven tugging. Since the bias of each piece of fabric in the blocks goes every which way, there is a lot of shifting and pulling that they exert on each other. Hopefully, next time, I'll be able to avoid that by basting the edges of the blocks as soon as I finish them. 

For the sashing and borders, I found some really cool fabrics at the store - the silver is actually a gray with silver accents. Looks very Star Wars-y to me. The red is marbled with a darker red, so it adds more detail and interest there as well. 

Again, I cheated with the binding. I bought extra wide double fold bias tape instead of making my own. :shrugs:

I really like the simplicity of the blocks without the faces, so I did minimal embroidery. Chewie got eyes. Otherwise he looked like a dog in need of a haircut. 

Yoda got his wrinkles. You can't be 900 years old and have silky smooth skin (unless you're a time lord, but that's a different fandom). 

R2D2 was probably the most time-consuming block since there are so many teeny-tiny pieces. I think he's my favorite though. ^_^

And you can't neglect the back of the quilt! I found some fun Star Wars flannel at the fabric store. Then I made the Millennium Falcon for the signature and name block and then offset it with light sabers. You can't have Star Wars without light sabers. 

After deliberating over what sort of catchy name I should give the quilt, I landed on a pun. 'It's a Wrap!' Please tell me you get that. ;) 

Well, I'm off to go work on my next sewing project!

Until next time!

SG

Frozen's Arendelle Flag

One other thing that I sewed up for the Kings and Queens Ball was the flag of Arendelle, the kingdom in Frozen. The decorating coordinator sent out a message to all the quests inviting them to make a crest, flag, or banner to decorate the gymnasium dance hall. It could be a real or fantasy; it didn't matter. It just needed to have something to do with royalty. I pondered and mulled things over until I landed on Arendelle's flag. Not sure where that came from, but that seems to be the way that most of my projects work. :shrugs: 

All the supplies are from my stash. Most were leftovers from other projects. 

The pattern is my own. No one seems to make big flags. ;) 

"Well, I Didn't Vote for You."

..."You don't vote for king!"

For two months, I've been asking my brother who he wanted to go as to the Kings and Queens Ball. We brainstormed several off-beat, slightly geekier characters that suited him, but beyond that, he never committed to any one costume. At least, that's how I perceived it. He says that he told me that he wanted to be King Arthur from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I never caught that; family communication at its finest!

Anyway... 

It was the Tuesday before the Saturday event, when I finally translated the message. Could I put together an entire costume from scratch in less than a week? Only time would tell. 

I already had the pattern, thanks to High King Peter's costume. Mccall's 5500 was waiting for me in its pattern bin. I had a white sheet stashed away and some gold fabric left over from a different project. :BOOM!: Let's do this. 

The costume itself went together very easily since I had done a similar costume so recently. ;) Then it was on to the applique on the front. Since drawing does not come naturally to me, I needed to find someone else's work to use. I found a picture on Deviant Art that suited my purposes. 

Some double sided fusible interfacing, ironing, machine zig-zagging, and embroidery later, the applique was done. After picking up the necessary trims from the craft store, the main part of the costume was finished. Woohoo! 

My poor dress form isn't liking all these men's costumes that I've been making of late. ;)

Now it was time to accessorize. The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch was certainly a needed prop. We painted a styrofoam ball gold, tacky-glued fancy trims that I already had, and stuck on a gold cross that we found in the bead section (that's a scary part of the store... How someone can find one thing in there is beyond me. Although I guess some would say the same thing about the notions wall or the fabric section. ;) ).

I used a similar technique that I used for the Narnian crown for King Arthur's crown. I printed up a template that I found somewhere on the interwebs, cut it out of foam (the pliable stuff that kids use in their Sunday school crafts), painted it, and glued the pieces together. Then I used the pattern that I made for Oaken's hat to make a gray insert to go inside the gold outer crown. For the 'chain mail' cascading from the back of the crown, I found some cool gold sequined material that resembled chain mail. Cut it to length, sewed it onto the insert, and Voila! Behold, a crown. Alack alas, I haven't gotten pictures of just the crown. Oh well. 

And it all finished just in time. The last coat of paint for the crown was applied on Saturday morning. The ball was on Saturday evening. I DID IT! xD Granted, not much else had been done that week, but the costume was finished in time. We added some leather gloves that we found at the thrift store to finish the look. 

The funniest part of all of this was the reaction of our friend, Nathan. He saw the picture that I posted on Facebook, and he shot me a message practically begging to be Patsy, King Arthur's faithful servant. On Saturday afternoon, he managed to pull together the costume with things that he already had. He made a fine Patsy if I do say so myself.  They 'rode' around the ballroom for kicks with King Arthur pretending to ride a horse and Patsy clopping the coconut halves together. 

What was truly hilarious was everyone's reactions. Not many of our peers caught the reference, but their parents thought that it was the best thing ever. It was described as 'classic.' 

I think that those two are ready for comic con. Maybe 'riding' around Portland will be enough for now. We need to do our part to 'keep it weird.' :P 

Until next time!

SG