Pinocchio Props...

I know I haven't posted in a while, like I said before, I'm crazy busy helping with my local theater group's summer musical. I don't think I ever told you what show it is, so in case you were wondering, it's called My Son Pinocchio. It's the story of Pinocchio but told from Geppetto's point of view. If you want to watch the movie version of this, you can find the YouTube playlist here. The movie is significantly different from the musical, but it's still pretty good.

The group was lacking in props, particularly marionettes for Stromboli, so my mom and I searched online for ways to make cheap ones. My mom found this really great tutorial and the music director absolutely loved it. So, after a trip to A. C. Moore and about two hours of taking up the couch with my molting boas, I'm left with these awesome marionettes!

Aren't they adorable!? Yes, I am fully aware that the one is essentially Big Bird, the colors were chosen by the music director. To make both marionettes cost somewhere around $20. Isn't that crazy!? And they reach up to the knees when they're raised up in a standing position! The tutorial called for a wooden sphere cut in half for the feet, but I found these cool flat wooden hand shapes and used those instead. I also (at my mom's urging) gave the girl bird a Marilyn Monroe beauty mark. Adorable!

I also found these wooden block boxes in A. C. Moore. They were unpainted, and one of my favorite color palettes is red, blue green, and yellow green, so that's how I chose to paint them. It took a while, but I definitely think it was worth it. They'll look really great in Geppetto's toy shop, and they only cost $6 with our 40% off coupon!

Still haven't had a chance to get a picture of the girls in their costumes that I made, the cast isn't practicing in costume yet. I'll definitely post pictures once they start.

Quick Convertible Dress...

I know I said that I didn't want to do any more sewing like that, and that if I sew anything it should be something for my fashion line, but I really just wanted to make something that I could wear today. I searched through my newly acquired patterns and found one for a convertible jersey dress. I looked at the instruction packet, and it turns out the pattern pieces were just made of two rectangles! The pattern was uncut, and I didn't feel like it was necessary to cut them out, so I improvised with some basic measurements.

I found a coral cotton knit fabric in my stash (yet another fabric that I got from my grandma--she's so nice to me!) that was about two yards long. The pattern calls for about two and a half yards, but I didn't think it would be too big of a deal.

I don't think I was entirely wrong; I definitely had enough to make the dress well, but it's too short for me to feel comfortable in it. I'm always worried that a strong wind will come by and suddenly everyone will be able to see my underwear. No thank you. I also think that the color is a little too light for my skin tone. It would look better on me if the coral color was more saturated.

So, I've decided to try to finally make some money off of this fun little sewing talent of mine, and decided to set up a shop on Etsy. If you're interested in this dress, you can find it here in my Etsy shop.

Other than that, I don't have anything special to post on...I'm running a camp for little kids during the day next week, so by the time I get home I'll probably be too exhausted to sew. Don't be alarmed.

No Pictures Today...

Two days ago, I went to JoAnn Fabrics to pick up the fabric for the costumes. I got a black rayon/polyester knit (for the undershirts--over 7 yards of it, because the shirts are so big and baggy), a rust colored zebra print stamped suedecloth (for the corset/vests--5 yards), and a purple costume satin sprayed with pinkish glitter (for the skirts--10 yards). All this cost under $100, which seems pretty good for 5 costumes.

I cut out all the pieces (the suedecloth was really a bitch to cut; my hand cramped up a few times!) and sewed 4 of the skirts, then found out that I didn't have quite enough elastic to do the last one. Yesterday I picked up more elastic and some cord to do the lacing of the corsets (because these are meant for the stage, it will actually be faux lacing, and the vests will close via velcro. It can get pretty crazy backstage, and none of the girls will have time to lace themselves up in the middle of the show).

Then I proceeded to sew the remaining skirt, all 5 of the corset/vests, and all 5 of the undershirts. It was an exhausting, sleepless night, but I'm glad that most of the work is done. The next practice is on Monday night, so I'll have to wait until then to fit the vests to the girls.

Now that the night of mad stitching is over, I'm feeling a little sewn out...looks like the rest of the day will be about knitting. I'm okay with that.

In other news, Jerry (the rather ugly looking Singer) is in the shop to be fixed. The upper thread keeps getting caught inside the bobbin section of the machine. I'm not sure if it's actually getting stuck on something, or if it just needs to be cleaned, or if the issue is with the tension (which would be a bobbin issue, since I can't loosen it well enough). I hope it doesn't take too long to figure it out...

While waiting for that machine, my next job for my fashion line will be draping the patterns which are on my dress form. I'm having a bit of trouble just thinking about it... Tell me, does anyone know how to make a bodice with no seams (other than the sides) cut on the sides which begins at the collarbone and ends at the hips and contours to the body? Am I shooting for something that will never happen? I hope not... Anyways, with that being difficult and just finding out that Borders is going out of business, I'm about as irritable as a 3 year old without a nap. Probably because I need a nap. Not fun.

Piece #6 Finished!

This is my lovely Silver Satin Tank. It's made from the same pattern as the Teal Satin Tank, but I did add about 3 inches total to the top so it would be looser under the arms. I was going to do a drawstring waist this time, but I really didn't feel like punishing myself with the task of making a thin drawstring. Instead, I chose to use elastic again, and I find that I don't mind the missing drawstring. I think it would have been too much on the front.

My favorite part of this shirt is probably the chain straps. It's the same kind of chain that I used on the Black Satin 4 Square Dress (don't worry; I promise I won't overuse the chain idea). Yes, you can believe your eyes; I did in fact sew the chains into the seams using my machine! If you decide you want to challenge yourself and try this out, remember to do it slowly and carefully while hand cranking. The only reason it worked for me is because I was very careful about moving the fabric to just the right place and stitching slowly. I'm glad I did, because I think it looks much better than it would have if hand stitched, and it seems more sturdy.

Total Hours Logged: 2 1/2

Fabric: Silver Crepe Back Satin

Notions: Chain and 1/2" Elastic (the thinner elastic cuts into the skin more, which is a bit uncomfortable, so I went with the wider stuff this time)

Cost: about $6

Piece #5 Finished!

This post is going to be pretty short, since this garment, the Red Cap Sleeve Cotton V-neck Top is pretty simple. It's based on the same pattern as the Red Jersey A-line Dress, but for this one I decided to leave out the V back, and I used set-in sleeves instead of raglan. Easy, quick, and it freed up a bobbin for a different thread color (honestly, that's the reason I made this shirt so early).

Total Hours Logged: 1 1/2 (which is why I'm planning to save the other 6 shirts for later; I want to get the tough stuff done first)

Fabric: Red Jersey (rayon/spandex mix) 1 yard

Notions: none

Cost (not including time): about $7

Piece #4 and Outfit #1 Finished!

My first completed full outfit is the Black Satin 4 Square Dress (with Teal Satin Belt). The basic idea behind this dress is pretty simple; 4 squares will drape in the same way as a circular skirt would, and the points would offer geometric, architectural-esque shapes. Using a simple math equation, I figured out that a square measuring a yard (36 inches) will be 52 inches if held diagonally, which is about an inch less than the measurement from my shoulder to the floor (originally I was planning on connecting the corners at the shoulders).

When I came up with this dress, I originally thought that the edges of the squares would just be thinly hemmed, since I don't have a serger. Once I found the scallop stitch, however, I quickly decided to give the edges more detail and use the stitch backwards. I really love the way the "bites" turned out. I ended up giving the dress straps, because the edging took off more fabric than I expected, making the dress about four inches shorter than I thought (I imagine this would have been more dramatic if I had hemmed the edges). I think the chain straps and the bitten edging work really well to make the dress less plain.

Because the dress is clearly entirely shapeless as a single piece, I wanted to make a belt to cinch it off at the natural waist. I was originally going to make it a single strip of the teal fabric that snapped or hooked in the center, but then I remembered that I had some D-rings from an old belt which I tore up, and a lot of various chains which I purchased for a separate line (the idea for which had to be scrapped due to time and cost). I made a rectangle, the width of the D-rings, stitched them around the rings, and connected the chain to one of the rings. The other ring has a hook which fits through the links of the chain. I love the way this belt turned out, and it probably only took me half an hour to make! The belt chain is different from the strap chain, but I don't really think that's a problem.

Here's the finished product! Great huh?

Total Hours Logged: about 10 (the edging took 7 hours!)

Fabric: Thin Black Satin 4 yards and Teal Satin about 1/8 yard

Notions: Chains (two different kinds), and 2 D-rings (mine were 1 3/4")

Cost (not including time): under $20

Significance In Absence...

Hello all, I just realized that I haven't posted anything about sewing in a week! But never fear, my absence has been significant, and that significance is obvious in all the work I've done! There's a lot to be said, so I might end up breaking the info into several posts, just for a break. Anywho, onforth!

Since speaking to you last, I've finished the Black Satin 4 Square Dress (with Teal Satin Belt), the Red Cap Sleeve Cotton V-neck Top, and the Silver Satin Tank (these three will be further discussed in a separate post). In case you're trying to keep up with the numbers, that's outfit #1 and pieces #4, 5, and 6. I'm moving along rather well, I think (only 25 more sewn pieces to go).

I've also made a second test of the jacket pattern, which fits much better since I fixed the waistline. I took a little off of the side seams, too because it seemed a little big. I absolutely love the length of it. It's perfect.

Once I decided that I liked the way the pattern was fitting, I decided to make sure that my shorter version of the jacket, the Black Suiting Long Sleeve Jacket, was the right length on me. I just cut the bottom of the jacket to check it out; there was no way I was making a third test if I didn't have to.

I've also cut out the pieces for the Grey Modified Suiting Vest. I imagine some of you are wondering what I mean by modified suiting...well, it's your lucky day; I'm going to give you a free preview!

It's pretty simple; just random stitches going across the fabric to add fun texture, color, and interest to an otherwise plain vest. This only shows the red thread (I've finished the only two garments which require it, so now I'm free to use what's left on the spool for the modifying), but I plan to use all of the different colors of thread for this purpose. Fun idea, huh? It does pucker a bit, but I don't think it'll be too noticeable when I do more stitching and sew the garment.

I've also begun the dreaded task of draping the patterns for three more garments. All three are dresses, and two of them are based on shapes which I've never seen used before in the way that I'm using them (think the windows of Notre Dame). It means a lot of extra work, but I think they'll look pretty awesome when they're done.

Yes, I know it's confusing. Keep in mind there are three patterns on there at once. Sometime soon I'll get them all down on paper.

In other, non fashion line news, I've finished the plans for the costumes I've agreed to make for my local theater group. The characters are similar to a pop girl band (think The Pussycat Dolls or The Spice Girls), so the director requested feminine and sultry yet modest.

Just today, I received in the mail a box of over 75 vintage patterns which I purchased on Ebay (for a whopping $22!). With all of the new patterns, I found I had enough corset/vest patterns to give each girl her own style! I'm really glad I was able to, because I think it fits the "theme" of a girl band even more. The vests will all be made of a woven rust colored fabric (the color scheme of the scene is black, dark purple, and rust). Each girl will also get a black knit shirt with puffy sleeves and a circular skirt which will end just above the knee. I'm not sure yet what color the skirts will be. The director gave me free reign, so it'll depend on what I can find in the clearance section of JoAnn Fabrics.

My mom is a bit annoyed at the sewing distraction, but I'm glad that I can do something to help out the group this year, since I can't be in the show. I've been in almost every show since the group started, over 10 years ago. I think this will be the first one I haven't been in in at least 7 years. Crazy...

Anyway, that's about it. My next project (after finishing updating you guys on everything) is going to be the Black Satin Vest. More later!

The End Of An Era...

This post is not about sewing. It's about Harry Potter. I know some people feel that the hype over Harry Potter is stupid, and childish, but it's not that way for me. I love this series of books and movies, not for Daniel Radcliffe or Emma Watson, but for everything the story has ever meant to me.

I found the books when I was in fourth grade, at which point the fourth book was already released. I read the books slowly, so the characters grew up with me. When the seventh book came out in 2007, I was 17 years old, just like the characters. For over 10 years, the cast of Harry Potter has been, quite honestly, an important presence in my life. I was sad when I read the seventh book, because it was over, but not this sad. The movies were still being made, so I still had those to look forward to. They weren't gone yet.

Tonight I saw the final movie in the Harry Potter series, and I'm not ashamed to say that I cried. How could I not? This thing that has been with me all my life is now really over. I am pleased that the movie was so spectacular, but I can't help being anything but upset that something that means so much to me is finished.

I saw the movie with a friend of mine, who is two years younger than me. He's a big reader, too, but I think the two years really made a difference. He had a connection to the series, but not anything near to what I had. He didn't seem to understand why I was so upset over it, and I didn't know how to explain it to him.

It's a difficult thing; watching something so special end.

Guess What?! More Pants!!!! And Some Other Stuff...

Yesterday was unbelievably productive. To start off, my mom and I went to JoAnn Fabrics to get the knits I've been missing. We also picked up all of the silver lining that was in the store (only 7 yards, so I'm pretty sure I'll still have to get more at some point), and the stabilizer for the edging of the Black Satin 4 Square Dress. It feels pretty great to be able to say that I finally have all of the fabric I need for my line. Such a big weight off my shoulders.

JoAnn was also having a 50% off sale on their clearance fabric, so I picked up over 4 yards of this lovely metallic plaid weave for just over $20! And it's a pattern! I see a jacket and skirt in its future (far in the future, that is). I know I can't use it just yet, but it was a great deal, and a little motivation to get my line done can't hurt, can it? Of course not.

When I got home I began working on the muslin for a bootcut pair of pants, which I had drafted the night before. I used the pattern for the wide leg pants for the top, and then when I got to the crotch area on either side, I used the pattern from the jeans I had ripped up (they were bootcut) to determine the line of the leg. The fabric I used is, again, something I got from my grandmother (I'm pretty sure it used to be a tablecloth).

They seem to be significantly tighter than the last pair. I wore them around the house for about an hour to see if they would be alright as is, or if I should just add some to the sides again. I bent over to pick up a dropped pin and ripped them right up the back seam. Now, I understand that I didn't reinforce the seam in any way (it was just a single line of stitching), but I still never want to hear that sound again, so I think I'll be adding some.

I also began working on the edging for the Black Satin 4 Square Dress. The edging part is finished, and the entire dress is ready to be sewn together, but first I need to decide how I want to do the straps.

I'm going back and forth between these two chains. The one on the left is a simple black chain, the one on the right is bigger and black but with a silver front. What do you think?

I know I want to do a chain because I think the detail in them would really speak to the detail in Gothic architecture. I'm going to try to have the decision made by tonight so I can finish this dress soon (it's so close to being done!). I'll post a tutorial on how to make the dress, too.

That's all for now!

Piece #3 Finished!!

I know, I know, it's been far too long since I finished a piece, but I have been working hard on patterns, so perhaps it's not such a bad thing...

Anyways, the newest finished piece is the Red Jersey A-line Dress (formerly talked about here). There's really no excuse for why I didn't finish this earlier, other than that it got lost for about a week after the move from campus (it was hidden among the other fabric).

The skirt hits just above my knee, and the sleeves happily end in the crook of my elbow when my arms are bent. I'm really happy with how this turned out. All of the edges are finished (which is quite annoying to do with stretch fabric), and it fits great. It looks like a normal T-shirt when it's hanging, and it feels just as comfortable as one! The only downside is that it is jersey, so it shows any lumps that I happen to have. I'm still planning on making a slip at some point.

Total Hours Logged: About 5 (including drafting the pattern and testing it--without that, it probably took about an hour and a half)

Fabric: Red Jersey (rayon/spandex mix) between 2 and 2 1/2 yards

Notions: none

Cost: under $20

The Fabric For My Line...

If you'll take a look at all of the fabric that I've found so far for my line, you might notice something. Other than the lovely fall coloring, you just might notice that there are no prints or patterns. It seems that I'm afraid of them...who knew?

I am missing two fabrics, which I haven't been able to get yet (I sent back what JoAnn was trying to give me), but they're both solid, too...

Although I definitely can't do anything about it now, it's something I'd like to work on once I'm done with this project. I have no idea why I'm so scared of prints, but I'll fix it. I promise.

Other than discovering my fear of prints, the last few days have been filled with a lot of knitting for my Off-White Hand Knitted Gown/Wedding Dress. In one night, I did a week's worth of work and finally increased to the next level. Now there are 2400 stitches on my needles, and they barely fit. I had to buy a set of 60 inch circular needles for the last round. They should be here within the next week. I also made the muslin for the vests, which turned out alright, although there are various changes I want to make to the neckline, to bring it in toward the neck more at the shoulders and open up the armholes.

It's a little tight at the top button, so I might also bring the neckline down a bit to get it off my bust. It fits very well around my waist, though, which I'm quite happy about. I think my favorite part is that the practice vest matches my practice pants! I kind of like the way they look together, although I would prefer if the vest was lined. My finishing isn't as nice as I'd like it to be, but on the real ones that won't be a problem.

I picked up the Red Jersey A-Line Dress again, as well. I haven't quite finished it yet, because I still have to do the hemming, but I was right about my old Singer (Antoinette) doing a better job with the stretch fabric than my Brother. I did the finishing for the neckline, which worked very well. I'll probably finish them tonight, so I'll be posting pictures very soon!

Great News!

I'm no longer a pants virgin! Yes, it's true. Before today, I had never made a pair of pants. Amazing, right? Actually, it's probably more amazing that I had never made pants yet I planned on making 8 of them for my line.

At any rate, I used the pattern from the jeans that I cut up. The fabric was a suiting fabric that I'd gotten from my grandmother (again, thanks, Grandma!). I didn't mind using it for a test garment because it's a distinctly 70s era bluish grey color, which is not something that I'm sure I can bring back into fashion...

I cut out the pieces of the pattern and sewed it all up (it probably took me about an hour, since it was my first attempt). When I tried on the pants, I couldn't even squeeze the front closed. It's a little hard to see on the picture, but it was crazy how much the side seam bent. I couldn't believe it. Especially since I got the pattern from a pair of pants that fit me.

So, when I realized that my original pattern would in no way work, I altered it and added an inch and a half to the side seam on the front piece, for a total of 3 extra inches.

My second pair was significantly better than the first. The only problem that I really had with them was that it was really pulling at the crotch. I ripped out the center seam and moved the stitching line for the inside seam about 1/8 of an inch to give me some more room. I did the same with the outside seams because I didn't like my underwear lines showing through so much.

The last version looks much better. I decided to go ahead and finish the pants so I could have some experience with it before I just went ahead and did it on my important fabric. I did have a little trouble at the front where the underflap and the fly meet the normal seam. There's a weird little puckering effect. There's also a few spots where I wish I'd taken a bit more time to pay attention to where the stitches fell, but I'm not too worried about it. I'm still really proud of my first pair of pants!

I still don't understand why there was such a problem with the pattern. I understand that jeans are more durable than suiting fabric, so it just makes sense that they'd be able to hold in my pudge better, but it just seemed like a lot of additions that I had to make to the pattern... At any rate, I had enough fabric left that I can use it for the second test of the jacket and the vest pattern. I'll probably finish the vest the way I would normally, too, so then I'll have matching vest and pants set. I'm pretty excited about it, even though it's going to be in weird 70s colored fabric...

Some More Non-Project Sewing...

Do you remember yesterday how I said that I had a great idea bouncing around my head for something that I wanted to make? Well, If not, you need to pay more attention.

The idea, my dear readers, is for a long, lovely, 1950s era dressing gown. Aren't you excited already?! The idea came from the movie How To Marry A Millionaire, which was released in 1953, starring Marilyn Monroe. About half an hour into the movie, Marilyn Monroe comes out on set in an amazing full length dressing gown.

I know, I know. It's just amazing. I knew I had to have one.

Luckily I remembered this odd little synthetic stretch terrycloth fabric that my grandmother had given me. I had a few big bright teal pieces and a small amount of bright purple. It's a strange fabric, but it was absolutely perfect for this project.

I didn't use a pattern. When I was thinking about how I would make the dressing gown I knew instantly that I was going to use a quick cut kimono sleeve piece for the bodice with a V-neck cut out of the front. The purple waist section was something like 5 inches shorter than the bodice so that it pulled in nicely at the waist. The skirt was two pieces of the teal, sewn together and in the shape of a long rectangle. What I wanted to do was make the most use of the fabric as I could, which is why I chose to use a simple rectangle for the skirt instead of a shaped one.

It closes in the front with snaps, which I've had for a while but never used. The snaps are really nice, especially for this kind of fabric. Everything is finished and hemmed nicely, and I'm happy to say that it took me well under 4 hours to finish (the hand sewn snaps and the skirt gathers took the longest).

I'm so happy with this garment. I'm glad I made it. I know it's not something for my project, but I figure that if I just force myself to make the same planned things everyday, then I might risk sewing becoming like a job. In some ways, it is a job, but if I make myself see it that way, then I don't think it would take too long before I'd lose my passion for it. I want to do this because it's something I've always wanted to do; not just because I've said that I would do it. I don't mind too much if occasionally I get sidetracked and make something just for my pleasure. I have complete faith in myself that I'll be able to finish everything in time.

Copper Half Sleeve Jacket Test...

I was going to cheat again and use one of the coat patterns that I already have, but I wanted to extend the side back panel inward more, to allude to the gargoyle wings outside of Notre Dame, so I just decided to do it for real (i.e. tape lines representing seams on my dress form and pinning and cutting fabric to match the pieces, then transferring it to paper).

After I did this (surprisingly, it didn't take long), I cut out the pieces on some stashed black lining fabric that I've had for a while.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine came up to me and asked if I would be able to make a few costumes for the summer musical that's put on in my town. I usually participate in the musical, but with my summer classes and this massive project, I had no time. I agreed to a few small costumes, which shouldn't take too much time away from my project. Anyways, what they needed was a long jacket for a magician character. The black fabric I had was perfect for it, and I had some purple satin left over from a dress I made last year for accents (the color theme for the show is dark purple and rust). The character is meant to be a bad magician, so when it came time to put on the buttons I figured it wouldn't matter so much that I didn't have five that matched...

For a pattern test garment, I think it's pretty good. The insides aren't finished, since it's just meant for the stage, but I made sure to make it as well as I could anyways. The pattern, sadly, didn't work out as well as I was hoping it would. My dress form doesn't have nearly as long of a torso as I do, so when I tried on the jacket, it looked like it was meant for someone shorter (luckily the actress playing the part is shorter than me). I added an inch and a half to the waistline of the pattern, and am planning to try again soon (I'm definitely making another test jacket before I cut into that perfect fabric--it was on clearance, and it was the last bolt!).

I really like how well the back turned out. There's a small amount of strange puckering, but that shouldn't be too hard to fix.

Since I'm having such issues with this princess cut pattern, I think I'm just going to throw away the pattern I made for the dress the other day and start afresh. I really want these things to fit perfectly!