So...It's Been Over A Month...

I've been back in school now for three weeks. I was planning to post again once I got here and settled and everything, but I guess this semester started off more quickly than I expected...it doesn't help that I never really got a break to rest in between working on my garments and being in classes either!

So, here's a quick breakdown of everything that's happened since I last posted.

• Out of 38 individual pieces, I have 36 officially done (maybe not decorated, but done and wearable). I have no more zippers to put in, hems to sew up, or buttonholes to make. All of the necessary gruntwork that comes with making a wearable sewn garment is over. The only things that aren't fully finished are three shirts and two dresses that are waiting for beads/sequins.
• I still have three knitted pieces to finish. The Gold Hand Knitted Fluted Collar Cardigan is nearly finished (I had some pain in the muscles on the tops of my hands yesterday, so I finished earlier than I planned to). The Black Hand Knitted V-neck Sweater shouldn't take too long (I hope) and will be my next project. The Silver Hand Knitted Cardigan is a little more tricky, though. I still have to write the pattern for it before I can start to work on it. I'm hoping to write the pattern sometime this week.
• In more pressing news, I've scheduled the photo shoot! It's Saturday. It's in 6 days. Sadly, I've had to accept that this means that not everything will be done for the photo shoot. I'm planning on leaving the Silver Hand Knitted Cardigan out and making that after, but I definitely want to make sure that the Black Hand Knitted V-neck Sweater is ready. As far as the 5 garments that are waiting for decorations, I'm going to focus on only two. The Gold Satin Taffeta A-line Gown is getting a large amount of beading (easily the most time consuming task), and the Blue Cotton Long Sleeve V-neck Top is getting a small amount near the neckline. Other than this, I wanted more decorations on the Blue Cotton Half Sleeve V-neck Top, the Copper Chiffon Arch-Neck Dress, and the Gold Chiffon 4 Square Top. The decorations on these are most likely not going to be too noticeable, so I don't mind not having them ready for the photo shoot.

I know I should have photos and descriptions ready for this post and everything that I haven't discussed yet, but documentation takes time, and to be honest, I really don't have any time. I've been having troubles getting my project work done while also remembering to get my class work finished (and I only have 4 classes! I guess that's what you get when three of them are studio art classes...). On top of class and the project, it definitely doesn't help that last week and this week are Phi Sigma Pi's Rush weeks. I'm still the Initiate Advisor, so I'm still in charge of planning Rush and making sure it all works out. I have to admit I'm really exhausted. I've got to keep going, though. At least until Saturday. Once the photo shoot is over and Rush is finished, I feel like I'll finally be able to breathe (of course, that's not true at all, since after that comes Initiation and working on the designs for the show and then getting everything else set up, but if I don't tell myself I only have to go for one more week, I'm not sure I'd be able to make it.).

It seems weird, doesn't it? That I relish stressful situations like this so much? I guess it just comes natural to me. I work best and most efficiently when I know that I don't have the option to put anything off. I do wish I didn't need to be under so much pressure to get things done, though.

Anyways, enough typing. I have to get back to work. Not sure if my hands are up to knitting today yet, but if not I'll just get some beading done. I'll try to post some pictures soon.

Piece #25 Finished!

This post is for the Grey Suiting Princess Cut A-line Dress. This is one that I added last minute after I took out the Wedding Dress. It's taken from the princess cut jacket pattern I created, but I adapted it for a side zipper and lengthened it a bit. As I was sewing it, I realized that I hadn't cut out a lining or allotted for a facing. To solve the problem, I decided to just use some double fold bias tape to edge the neckline and armholes. I think it worked out well, but I still don't know why I didn't plan facings.

Anyway, the dress is plain and nice, but I'm not convinced that I like it yet. I'll hang it up with all the rest and decide later if it belongs with the rest of the show.

Total Hours Logged: 5

Fabric: Denim-Look Grey Suiting about 2 yards

Notions: 18 inch zipper cut to about 14 inches, 1 packet of black double fold bias tape

Cost (not including time): about $12

Pieces #22, 23, and 24 Finished!

Again, this post is a compilation because these pieces are so similar. These are the last pairs of pants that I had to do, and, quite honestly, I'm glad to have them all finished. I really like the fact that I finally tackled the project of sewing my own pants, but deciding to make 8 pairs was a lot. I don't especially want to sew another pair of jeans or trousers for a while. I'm really proud of what I have accomplished thus far, though, and I'm pleased that they've all turned out so well despite a few mistakes (see below).

Bootcut Grey Suiting Pants

Total Hours Logged: 5

Fabric: Denim-Look Grey Suiting about 2 1/2 yards

Notions: 7 inch zipper cut to about 5 inches, trouser hook and eye

Cost (not including time): about $15

Wideleg Black Suiting Trousers

There was a bit of a problem with the black suiting fabric. Since this is really my first experience with some of the fabrics I chose, I was pretty inexperienced when planning how to create some of my garments. My biggest downfall was probably in the cutting of this suiting fabric. When I bought it, I was unaware that it is a one way stretch. Anyone who knows about this kind of fabric would have known to set the stretch horizontal, to give the garment some stretch widthwise. I cut out the pieces with the stretch going lengthwise, which has really made it difficult to work with. Both pairs of pants are far too tight at the top, a problem which I hope to fix with both letting out the seams and working off a few extra pounds. Hopefully I can make them work. If I had enough fabric and time to make them over, I would. I might choose to do so later, but at the moment I'll do my best to deal with them as they are.

Total Hours Logged: 5

Fabric: Caviar Bengaline Suiting about 2 1/2 yards

Notions: 7 inch zipper cut to about 5 inches, trouser hook and eye, soon to be 2 buttons

Cost (not including time): about $15

Bootcut Black Suiting Trousers

Total Hours Logged: 5

Fabric: Caviar Bengaline Suiting about 2 1/2 yards

Notions: 7 inch zipper cut to about 5 inches, trouser hook and eye, soon to be 2 buttons

Cost (not including time): about $15

Pieces #20 and 21 Finished!

I'm not even going to discuss how long it's been since I posted, I'm just going to get right down to it. There are a lot of pieces that I've finished that I haven't posted about yet. Prepare for a heap of victory posts.

These two pieces are essentially exactly the same. Both are bootcut jeans with traditional "jean" pockets. The only difference is the wash of the denim I used. With that being said, there isn't really too much more to say about them. They would fit, had I not gained a bit of weight this past semester. I'm planning on going to the gym more this final semester, though, so there shouldn't be a problem with that for too much longer.

Bootcut Lightwash Denim Jeans

Total Hours Logged: 5

Fabric: 6oz crosshatch denim, about 2 1/2 yards

Notions: 7 inch zipper cut to about 5 inches

Cost (not including time): about $35

Bootcut Darkwash Denim Jeans

Total Hours Logged: 5

Fabric: 6 oz indigo denim, about 2 1/2 yards

Notions: 7 inch zipper cut to about 5 inches

Cost (not including time): about $35

Piece #19 and Outfit #5 Finished!

This piece is the Darkwash Denim Dress. It's the newest one that I added, because I always wanted a cute little denim dress, and I had enough fabric left over to make one. It was a really quick piece as far as the designing and patternmaking went.

I don't have an official drawing ready yet, because I only decided to add the dress a week ago, but I did do a small sketch before I chose the pattern. It's a little hard to tell from the pictures, but the dress turned out really well and pretty much looks just like the sketch.

I used the top of the Gold Satin Taffeta A-line Gown and then improvised a square skirt for the bottom. It's a very cute dress and I really like how I feel in it.

Total Hours Logged: probably 8

Fabric: 6 oz indigo denim, 2 1/2 yards

Notions: 18" metal zipper

Cost: around $30

Ugh, I Think I'm Getting Worse at This...

Oh well, I guess there's no use denying it; I'm terrible at regular blogging. Too late now, though.

I've gotten a lot done since I last blogged, though. I did a lot of overcasting, and only have one more garment to do in that respect. If you can believe it, I overcasted the pieces for 6 garments in one day! Even I can barely believe that happened, and I did it! I did that on Monday, so I was ready to start sewing on Tuesday.

Once I got the overcasting done, everything else has been going really quickly. I finished my last two pairs of jeans on Tuesday, two more pairs of trousers on Wednesday, and a dress today. Each of these pieces will be displayed in victory posts, as usual. Adding my Red Hand Knitted Sweater (which I finished last week but never told you about) to all of these pieces, I've now finished three more outfits! Again, I'll show you that later.
I went to JoAnn's for hopefully the last time in relation to this project yesterday and finally got all the buttons I'll need. I don't even want to talk about how much I spent on them. Buttons are way too expensive, especially because the pretty ones are the most expensive. I think I ended up with 5 different button designs, (not including the jean style buttons) and I'm really happy with them. I think they all really reflect the intricate detail in gothic architecture. Pictures later!

At this point, I'm at least 4 days ahead of where I originally planned to be, which makes me feel a lot more comfortable with where I am than I otherwise would be. I might get a day or two to actually have a break before I have to start packing to go back to school!

In other fun news, I got myself a new full size ironing board! I've been working with a half size one forever, which is okay, but I've always wanted a bigger one. I got a gift card for Target for Christmas and decided to treat myself to a nice new board. I'll probably still take my smaller one to school with me, but it's nice to have the big one for the actual construction time.

Okay, enough for descriptions today; on to other important posts.

A Bit Late...

I know, I know; the first of the year was yesterday, but that doesn't mean that I can just ignore the obligatory New Year's resolution blog post! A lot of my resolutions are based on what's going to be happening in my life quite soon (final semester and then graduation), but I'll still put it on the list anyways. It makes me feel so accomplished when I get to cross things off!

First, what TO DO:
1. Finish my line. Obviously this is going to happen whether I want it to or not. I have three weeks left at home to finish 16 more garments (and 3 knitted pieces, but I can do those at school if I need to), and so far I've added 4 days to my sewing time than I originally planned. I might actually get a few days to be on break!

2. Make some more workout clothes. I found a pattern for workout pants that I really like last year, but never got any further than making one pair. I'd like to whip up a pair or two before I go back to school so I have something I'm not ashamed to wear out of my room when I go to the gym (I have a really open schedule this semester, so I'm planning some exercise time).

3. Become friends with prints. I don't know what it is about printed fabric, but I find myself avoiding it a lot. Even that brown metallic plaid weave that I got at JoAnn's intimidates me because I can't think of a thing to make with it (Any suggestions?).

4. Use up some of the fabric in my stash. I don't have a very large stash, but since moving to a new (smaller) house, it's become a lot more than I want hanging around. I'd much rather have fun new clothes than a big pile of fabric that I have to lug around everywhere.

With those in mind, let's talk about what NOT TO DO:
1. I can't keep making dresses just because they're pretty. I have to face it; I live in Pennsylvania. It's usually too cold to wear dresses, and it's just too casual here to wear them all the time anyway. I do have one more formal dance before I graduate, so I'll probably make a dress for that, but I don't want to keep making stuff if I know I won't be able to wear it.

2. Staying up until 2:30 am when I have to be awake by 7. Although I'm sure I'll break this rule at some point, it's still something I need to work on, so I decided to write it down.

Well, that's it for rules. They're not too specific because I know life will change my needs anyway. I wish you all well on your resolutions, too! Don't try to change too much too quickly!

Piece #18 and Outfit #4 Finished!

Didn't expect this, huh? In addition to pattern making, fabric cutting, and sewing up the two blue shirts, I was able to make the Gold Chiffon 4 Square Top. Isn't it great?! Another outfit finished!!

This top is essentially the same as the Black Satin 4 Square Dress, except that it's smaller and there aren't chain straps. It's about a 60% opaque soft gold chiffon, which is really nice and flowy. The biggest obstacle I had to face was working with the chiffon. This was one of my first real experiences with this fabric, and I discovered it to be a very fussy one. To do the edging of each square, I used a rolling hem foot attachment for my old singer machine. I tried to do this immediately after cutting out the pieces, not realizing that I needed to make sure the edges were perfectly square with the fabric threads. So, I spent about two hours pulling the fibers from each edge of the squares until they were perfect. After that, the rolling hem went fairly well. It did take a bit of getting used to, though.

All in all, it turned out the way I designed it (although I think I imagined that the fabric would be a little more flowy than it is), and I'm really happy with this outfit. I still have to hem the pants and I plan on adding sequins to the chiffon top as well as painted gargoyle wings to the tanktop. The extra decorations will be done while I'm at school.

Total Hours Logged: about 4 1/2

Fabric: New Gold Chiffon 1 yard

Notions: none

Cost (not including time): about $8

Pieces #16 and 17 Finished!

First are the two shirts which have been waiting to be finished for way too long.

The Blue Cotton Long Sleeve V-neck Top is the first one I got done. It's the raglan sleeve version of the shirt pattern that I designed, and I have to say, I'm really pleased with how all of them are turning out. I didn't include the V in the back of this one, which I like a lot. I like that the back neckline isn't completely flat or rounded. I think it's a fun little detail (albeit unintentional).

Total Hours Logged: 1 1/2

Fabric: Royal Interlock Cotton Knit 1 yard

Notions: none

Cost (not including time): about $7

The second shirt is the Blue Cotton Half Sleeve V-neck Top. This one has set in sleeves, which I also like, though not quite as much as the raglan. This is the last shirt that I need to make, so I guess now is where I critique the pattern and the process of the shirts and whatnot. Well, I really like it. I love knowing that I no longer have to rely on shirts and tanktops from stores. It's so much more satisfying to make my own clothes, and it's definitely cheaper in most situations (clearance sales excluded). I don't think I'll stop buying ready to wear shirts entirely, but I'll only buy them if they're extremely on sale ($4 and under). At this point, I'm pretty proud of myself and all the shirts I've made. I'm excited to decorate some of the shirts when I get back to school.

Total Hours Logged: 1 1/2

Fabric: Royal Interlock Cotton Knit 1 yard

Notions: none

Cost (not including time): about $7

Oops, Forgot Some Stuff...

I forgot to mention several very important things! First, I've taken away the Off-White Hand Knitted Gown/Wedding Dress from my list of garments to make. I won't be able to make it in time, and I want to spend the time I do have focusing on pieces that will definitely be able to be finished.

To replace it, and also because of the large amount of extra fabric I have, I've decided to add two more dresses. One is a Darkwash Denim Dress, which will combine the patterns of the Gold Satin Taffeta A-line Gown with both of the Arch-neck Dresses. The other dress I've added is a Grey Suiting Princess Cut A-line Dress. This essentially takes the princess cut jacket that I designed and makes it a dress. I also redesigned the Grey Modified Suiting Sheath Dress. It's still going to be a sheath dress, but I changed the style of it so that now it's a combination of the pencil skirt pattern and the Arch-neck dress top. Hopefully the end result will be more dynamic than what I had originally designed.

Also, there are two more Christmas presents that I want to share with you!

The first is an assortment of sewing books that will probably come in handy when I get to some of the more detailed pieces (such as the Grey Wool Coat).

I haven't had any time to look at them at any length yet, but I'll try to find some this weekend, if the holiday doesn't take up too much of my time.

I also got a copy of Julia Child's cookbook; Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I don't normally like to cook that much, but I can hardly wait to try out some of these recipes! I want to test some of the appetizers and desserts out on New Year's Eve, as long as I can get the ingredients.

Okay, now that's really everything as far as news, I promise. Have a good one!

Well, I Have No Idea...

So now I've been home for two and a half weeks, but I still can't seem to post on a more regular basis. I have no idea...

Anyway, on to the interesting stuff. I've gotten a lot done since I last posted, which makes me very happy. I finished all of the patterns that I had yet to make (pencil skirt, arch-neck dress, princess cut dress and the sheath dress). Once those were finished, I made muslins for the arch-neck dress pattern and the pencil skirt to test the fit. When I made the pattern for the arch neck dress, I automatically added 3 inches to the waistline, like I had to do with the pattern for the princess cut jacket. When I made the muslin to test it, I ended up not needing any of the 3 inches that I had needed before. Weird, huh? Whatever the reason, the pattern works.

Once the patterns were done, I was able to cut out all the remaining garments that I hadn't done yet (the photo is all of the cut garments sitting on my pressing table). It took a long time, and I was vividly reminded of how much I dislike cutting fabric. Seriously, it sucks. Also, I think I need to get my scissors sharpened...but, it's all done now! My next step is to overcast everything before I sew it. I've planned to do all the overcasting and then all the sewing, but I'll probably ignore that and just do one piece a day. I haven't really decided, though. Overcasting is a boring, mindless job, and it's actually pretty exhausting.

Now, on to more important things...

CHRISTMAS GIFTS!!!!!

My parents gave me a Bernina serger!!!!! I'm so excited to use it, but I don't really know how. There are classes offered at the store where by parents found the serger, so I think I'm going to sign up for one before I start to play around with it.

With the serger came some thread for me to get started. I'm so excited to try it, but I have to stay focused on my project.

My other big present was a new digital camera that my lovely boyfriend got me. It'll definitely be nice to have good quality photos rather than the fuzzy phone pictures that I've been taking. I love my new camera so much! I decided to take photos of all of my clothes so far so that I can get a feel of what I have done from a different perspective. Watch out for an inventory post in the days to come!!

Well, that's all I have at the moment, other than several victory posts which I'll be putting up once this one is finished. Have a great New Year's!!

Back Home, Ready To Sew!!!

I know I've been relatively quiet the past few months, but I'm back home now, which means that I'm ready to get back to some intense sewing!!

I guess there's a bunch of news for me to discuss first, so I'll try to do that quickly...
First, my parents are in the process of moving into a new house, so everything is crazier than usual, because all of our stuff is split up between the old house and the new one. My parents have decided to let me take over one room of the old house for the break for me to sew in. The new house is smaller than the one we were in, so there isn't enough room for my sewing stuff to be set up.

Basically, the deal is that when my mom leaves for work, she's going to take me to the house and then when she comes home she's going to pick me up. So I get about 9 hours every day with nothing else to do other than sew. Today was my first day there for it, and it was pretty exhausting because I was there the whole time (no lunch break away from the house).











So, here's my new sewing room! There's still some furniture that my parents have to decide what to do with, but I've definitely got enough room to do my work. I'm still waiting on a surface for ironing, but that just has to be moved into the room. It's so exciting! I have so much more light to work with I don't even know what to do!

After I arranged everything, I spent most of my time planning out everything I need to do. I put everything on its own little card so I could really visualize it.

It was a lot of stuff...


Once I had a good idea of everything I need to do, I made a big calendar of the weeks I'll be home and taped it to a box. I pinned certain things that I want to get done on each day (no more than 4 tasks per day), so I'll be able to make sure I'm really on track. It's something that I can change if I find that some things don't take as long as others and it's nice and flexible. If I get tired of cutting out fabric, I can just move some cards and schedule myself to sew that day. I think it'll work out much better. I'm mostly more confident because I can really see just how much work there still is so I can't convince myself that I have a lot of extra time anymore.

Once I finished all that, I even had time to finish the two Blue Cotton V-neck Tops that have been waiting for...I don't even know how long it's been...a month and a half? Anyways, they're both done now and ready for any embellishing I want to put on them. I'll post about them separately.

Well, that's it for today! Tomorrow I'm planning on working on the few patterns I haven't finished yet. I'll post again soon (I promise)!

Again, Nothing Special To Show...

Well, it's finals week, and I have to say I'm not having the best time with it. I found out on Saturday that my boyfriend has mono. It was about that day that I started getting the symptoms, too. Awesome. So basically I'm now trying to stay awake enough to focus on my finals and plan out what's going on for when I get home.

Don't think I haven't been working, though! Although I sent my sewing machine and fabric home with my parents this weekend, I've been knitting at pretty much every chance I've had (whenever I'm awake, that is). I've been working on the Gold Hand Knitted Fluted Collar Cardigan and so far have the back panel done. I just started the left front earlier today, so I'm confident I'll be able to have that finished by Friday afternoon when I leave campus, too. It's so exciting! It's a pretty big piece, so I'm happy that it's coming along so quickly.

In other news, I've done a little work of my Red Hand Knitted Half Sleeve Sweater (I know, I know, 'how long will I keep you waiting for that?'), but it's still not much. I was working on the belt today, but it wasn't turning out at all like I wanted it to. I decided to scrap it and start a new one. Don't yell at me, this one is going a lot faster, so as long as I don't forget about it, it should be done within a week. Still, I don't think I want to make any promises...

Now, on to sleeping.

No Pictures Today...

Aaah! I just realized that I've forgotten to post for two weeks! Sadly, there's not much for me to catch up on. I'm in the midst of hastily finishing up projects before Thanksgiving break (which starts tomorrow), and have had little time to do much posting. I did do some work on my knitting patterns, both this Monday and last. My next knitting project will be the Gold Hand Knitted Fluted Collar Cardigan, so I have to get the pattern for that set before I start it. Ideally, I'd like to start it while on the break, but with all the shopping I have planned (there's Black Friday of course, and then the women on my mom's side of the family go out together on the Saturday after Black Friday), I'm not entirely convinced I'll have time. I'll figure it out later.

That's all for now! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Piece #15 Finished!

And now for what I did today:

Say hello to my new Wideleg Grey Suiting Trousers (sorry for the HORRIBLE photos)!! I've had these overcasted for who knows how long, and they've just been sadly watching me for the past several weeks as I ignored them and left them at the bottom of a pile. I'm sorry, pants. As an apology, I decided to make you today.

They're significantly wider than I expected, due to my super wide hips (comparative to the rest of my figure). I'm not sure if this makes me look shorter or not, but it definitely can't help that they're at least 4 inches too long and I'm stepping on them... I'm going to have to wait to hem them until my mom can be there to pin them up for me. Other than that, and adding buttons, which I still have to shop for, they're done!

Total Hours Logged: 5

Fabric: Denim-Look Grey Suiting about 2 1/2 yards

Notions: 7 inch zipper cut to about 5 inches, soon to be 3 buttons

Cost (not including time): about $15

Piece #14 Finished!

And now, the long awaited post featuring the Copper Half-Sleeve Jacket! I know, I know, I really should keep more up to date. Maybe I will later...

Anyways, here it is! I really love the way it turned out for the most part. There are only a few things that I need to change/fix. Mainly I would say that the little belt is awful. The fabric I used has a one way stretch (which I didn't notice until I started sewing with it), and I cut the belt in just the wrong way. my plan is to recut it in the opposite direction so it doesn't curl so stupidly as it does now. I've tried pressing the curling out, but it's not doing anything, so I'll just start over.

I'm also not pleased with my hem, but that's easily fixed! It's a little too high so the jacket makes me look shorter. Not okay. Eventually I'll rehem it. No big deal.

Other than that, I love it! I still can't believe I found this fabric at all (much less in JoAnn's on the clearance rack!), and I love the way it changes in the light. It's so cool. I'm definitely proud of this piece and can't wait to wear it once I graduate!!

Total Hours Logged: approximately 8 1/2 hours. I haven't done a lining for a jacket before, so that took up some time

Fabric: Copper Metallic Suiting Fabric (with one-way stretch!) 3 yards

Notions: soon to be 5 buttons

Cost (not including time): about $15!!

Pieces #10, 11, 12, and 13 Finished!

I'm playing a bit of catch-up today, because I've been too lazy busy during the past few weeks to post my finished pieces. All four of these pieces are lumped together because they're pretty much the same...

First up, is the Silver Jersey Cap Sleeve V-neck Top. It's pretty much the same as the Red Jersey Cap Sleeve V-neck Top I made earlier, except that I left the V in the back and used raglan sleeves, just like in the Red Jersey A-line Dress.

Total Hours Logged: 1 1/2

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

Notions: none

Cost (not including time): about $7

Second is the Long Sleeve Gold Cotton V-neck Top. Basically, this is the same pattern as all of the other shirts I have made/will make. I drafted both set-in and raglan sleeve versions with varying lengths. This is the long sleeve length (which, sadly, is not quite long enough) in the set in sleeve version. Also, no V in the back.

Total Hours Logged: 1 1/2

Fabric: Gold Interlock Cotton Knit 1 yard

Notions: none

Cost (not including time): about $7

Then the Silver Jersey Tank. This one is really comfortable. I can't exactly explain why, but I felt really accomplished when I finished up this tanktop. I always have trouble finding ready to wear tanktops that I like, so I'm happy that now I have a pattern I like to make my own.

Total Hours Logged: 1 1/2

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

Notions: none

Cost (not including time): about $7

And finally the Black Cap Sleeve Cotton V-neck Top. For some reason, this one gave me a lot of trouble. I took it home to finish the edges on Antoinette (because I prefer the results when I use her compared to Theta 1217 1/8), but every time I tried to stitch the hem, the thread broke. I tried multiple times with various kinds of thread (all black). For some reason nothing worked. I thought maybe I needed a little more power, so I brought it back to school to see if Theta could handle it. The same thing kept happening until I pulled out the heavy duty thread that I bought for my pants. Is that normal for the fabric, or was I just doing something terribly wrong? Ah well, I got it done. Raglan sleeves, V back.

Total Hours Logged: 1 1/2

Fabric: Black Ponte Knit 1 yard

Notions: none

Cost (not including time): about $7

Sigh...Another Monday Lost...

I realize that it's not Monday yet, but I was informed yesterday that everyone has to evacuate the dorms from 11:00-4:00 on Monday. Apparently there are potentially poisonous spiders in the dorm. Basically, that's my prime sewing time. I could still come back at 4:00 and hopefully have time to finish my Wideleg Grey Suiting Trousers.

So I guess that's my plan...and that's basically all I have to say for the day... Yay for short blog posts!

Also, I finished my chair. And it's pretty much awesome.

Well, I'm Not Very Good At This...

Seriously, I'm having a terrible time keeping this up to date. This chair project is kicking my butt right now, and it's just ridiculous. It's due on Wednesday, though, so this insanity will be over soon.

Let me fill you in on what's happened in the past two-ish weeks. Two Mondays ago, I finished my Copper Half Sleeve Jacket (separate victory post to come).














I used the remainder of that day to make my Halloween costume, which I discussed the plans for here. Each piece took me three and a half hours, including cutting and pressing. Not bad, huh? I'm mostly just glad that I was able to make something that I can wear sooner than March or April. It's really difficult to make all this stuff when I can't show it off. I also wanted to make the dress because I'm using essentially the same pattern for the Gold Satin Taffeta A-line Gown, and I wanted to make sure I remembered the order of the pieces. I didn't. It was a very good idea to refresh myself.














I'm really excited for this costume, especially because it only cost me $14! I'm planning on wearing the red jacket as my outfit in the Black Student Union's annual fashion show, which is this Saturday. If I wear it with shorts or a short skirt, it billows out behind me like a huge cape. I love it.

The rest of that week was spent working on my various art projects. Then I went home for Fall break last weekend and was able to do some work on the small mountain of partially finished garments. Unfortunately, due to a lack of blue thread and some strange war between the black knit fabric and my sewing machine, I was only able to finish 3 of the 6 shirts. On the plus side, that's still 4 finished pieces since I last posted! I'll have their individual posts up at some point, I promise...

Since then, I've been slaving away on my chair. Apparently I've never actually discussed my plans for it... Okay, here's a quick overview. I chose the chair because of it's general connection to storytelling and reading. I then decided that I wanted to make the chair a part of the story by painting the words of a fairy tale from my childhood on the fabric. This project is for my Advanced Typography class, so the type is the main part of this project. I designed a typeface that would include characters of uniform height and calculated how large they would have to be in order to fit on the chair. Then I created stencils that are the proper size and began tracing them onto the fabric with a simple ballpoint pen.

After about 25 hours of stencil work, I finally got the outline of the letters on the chair. I ended up forgetting a step in my math, though, so I couldn't fit all of the words on and had to cut a bunch out of the story. I'm now on the painting step, and have currently done about 8 1/2 hours of work. There's still a lot to do... I don't want to ruin the surprise, though, so I'll post photos later.