Saturday, June 23, 2012

Nativity Fabric Idea

A Christmas nightgown! I have two Simplicity nightgown patterns - Option A. Option B. I really think I should do a Victorian Christmas nightgown with lace and everything. I wonder how much fabric I have...

That is all.

EDIT 6/25 - My mama LOVED this idea. Now to see if I have enough to do it. And finish the other projects I have waiting for me...

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

What Is Miss Wilde Up To?

The answer is always 'No good!' lol

What I've been up to the last few days:

First of all, I'm still in a wrist brace so hand sewing is definitely not doable right now, so the commission and the Paris bodice haven't been worked on.

Green and white sundress - Coming along nicely. I cut out the lining and started putting together the dress -- put the bodice together then gathered and attached the eyelet skirt. The collar's put together but not attached. I can't do anything else til I get a zipper. And I'm going to have to make a crinoline. I have the netting, just need to get something for the base.

Fabrics were prewashed. I've made the pink and black knit shorts which are super cute and the red ones, which are a little small, probably because I had to double layer the thin knit. I don't have enough of the black and white polka dots or the pink stripe to make anything. I also cut out a pair of black gauze shorts, and the bunting. And the Halloween skirt, which is not going to be a circle skirt after all because of the pattern direction. So I'm using an OOP McCalls pattern from my stash as inspiration and making a gathered / pleated (haven't decided which yet) skirt out of it instead.

I haven't dyed the femme Joker suit fabric yet because a friend is planning to visit with something of his own to dye. So that's on hold til the dye party!

I'm thinking the pretty calico remnant I picked up is going to be a sundress bodice. Just need to get a coordinating solid for the skirt.

Things to buy - zipper for the green and white dress, fabric for the petticoat, fabric for sundress #2 skirt

On my table right now - the black gauze shorts, the bunting for my baby nephew and the Halloween skirt.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Summer to do list - June 15 2012

Alright ladies and gents, I've got a lot of things to get done this summer, so here's my to do list:
  1. Finish the commission. Next up is basting to make sure everything's fitting like I want it to, then stitching it together by machine and by hand. 
  2. Sew snaps on the Paris bodice.
  3. Cut out the lining and work on my green and white sundress. I need this for a wedding in August!
  4. Pre-wash fabrics so I can get started on some projects - shorts fabric, bunting fabric, femme Joker fabric
  5. Dye femme Joker suit fabric
  6. Make some shorts: I've got red knit, pink and black knit, black gauze, black and white polka dots, pink striped shirting...Some are going to be little knit sleep short styles, some more suitable to wearing outside. This might get moved higher in the list since it's gonna be hot this weekend...
  7. Work on the bunting for my nephew. This needs done by July 15th.
  8. More sundresses, maybe another colored bodice with eyelet skirt creation...or an entirely white offering.
  9. Halloween circle skirt
This weekend, I'd like to get the following done, but might have to wait for any hand sewing that needs done: I hit my hand yesterday at work and am currently wearing a wrist brace (I have bad wrists):
  1. Commission
  2. Paris bodice
  3. Pre-washing fabric
  4. At least cut out if not make some shorts
  5. At least cut out lining for my green and white sundress, if not start sewing

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Fabric Shopping Haul

Joanns is having a big sale this week (Firefly Frenzy, go shop!) so a friend and I went to get a few things.

Fabric wise, I picked up:
  • a really pretty teal printed calico remnant, which will likely become a corset
  • a black gauze remnant for some shorts
  • 1/4 yard of an orange sparkly fabric for the femme Joker tie
  • a little over a yard of a lime green printed cotton for the femme Joker blouse (I have some interesting plans for this item...)
  • one yard of a red knit for some shorts. I'm gonna double it cuz the fabric's rather sheer
  • half a yard of an awesome pink and black large houndstooth knit for a pair of shorts
  • three yards of a blue striped linen / rayon suiting that I'm going to dye purple for my femme Joker suit
  • a yard each of two different flannels to make a bunting for my nephew
Except for the flannels which were on sale for half off, and the remnants, all the other fabrics I purchased were from the red tag clearance and were half off their clearance price.

Non fabric wise, I got:
  • snaps for the Paris Steampunk bodice
  • a bunch of scrapbooking paper, some prints and some solids, all of which were on sale or on clearance (I'm tired of what I have for my AAR scrapbook and wanted new pretties to play with)
  • a purple sparkly pendant that was on clearance. I plan to wear it as a brooch w my femme Joker costume
  • two packages of I Dye in violet for the femme Joker, on clearance
  • three Simplicity patterns, the newest steampunk offering because I like the bustle it offers, a baby pattern so I can sew a bunting for my nephew, and a little sleep shorts pattern so I have something to wear around the house and maybe even outside this summer
  • orange buttons for the femme Joker blouse

Friday, June 8, 2012

The Airship Archon

The Archon is a steampunk group based in Columbus OH. We also have members / friends / associates / occasional captives in surrounding cities. We're a friendly bunch, always ready willing and able to help out newbies, or even those that are just new to the area or to the group but not to steampunk. We can frequently be found at conventions, giving panels or just generally looking pretty. We hang out outside of steampunk as well.

Find us -
Our website
Steampunk Empire
Facebook
Yahoo Groups

Articles featuring the Archon -
Columbus Alive
Steampunk Chronicle
Steampunk Bible

So if you're in the area, check us out and come to an event! There's a picnic planned in August, be there or be square!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Playsuit...

...is DONE! Pictures to follow, I promise!

And I worked on my commission for about an hour or so.

So all in all, a productive evening.

Monday, June 4, 2012

To Do List Update - Almost have a couple projects done!

Here's where I currently stand on my sewing:

The 1880s Paris outfit is almost done. I finished binding the edges, and decided on buttons with snaps behind them for the closures. Sleeve lining has been sewn in place and visible basting removed. I sewed five buttons to the front of the bodice and two to each cuff to hold the cuffs in place. By the way, the outfit kind of makes me feel like a pirate -- huge cuffs and tails. All it needs is the snaps.

The playsuit is also almost done. I put in the zipper and pinned the hem. So all I need to do is hem it and its done.

Went through my stash and found a couple things for shorts to wear around the house (some knit, leftover jumper fabric, and some black and white polka dots). Also pulled out fabric for the eyelet sundress bodice and bodice lining, found some black and white striped fabric that was passed on to my friend Pepper who needed it for a project, as well as the Halloween pinup fabric and nativity print fabric.

Eyelet dress plans: Eyelet collar on a lime green bodice with a gathered eyelet skirt. The eyelet collar and the bodice have been cut out but not the lining.

Sewing plans for this week: Finish the playsuit. Set aside the Paris bodice til I buy snaps. Work on the commission.