Progress photos!

 Basting for the Joker blouse.

 Basting for the Joker jacket lining

 Embroidering my quilt.

 The finished Joker jacket!

Close up on the Joker jacket.

Labor Day Weekend Packing

It's completely normal to pack one bag of clothes, take some laundry and pack two bags of sewing projects for a weekend at your parents' house, right?

In Miss Wilde's world it is!

Here's what's packed for the weekend:

1. My embroidered quilt
2. The embroidered quilt for my nephew
3. Miss Joker suit and blouse (still need to decide if I'm doing real buttons w buttonholes or snaps and faux buttons on the blouse)
4. Keeper of the Keys waist cincher (cut out the lining and the interlining yesterday, white broadcloth and white denim respectively last night) and 'boning'
5. Quilting supplies
6. Leggings fabric
7. Christmas nightgown and some lace
8. Nursing cover
9. Tour Wear 'pretty in pink' tunic
10. Halloween skirt

That should keep me entertained and out of trouble, right? 

When the boss is away, the mice will...sew?

I got a lot done last week in my quiet office --

• Halloween skirt: I finished the zipper, just need to extend the waistband yoke and add hook and eye closeures.
• Miss Joker: The jacket is DONE!  The skirt waistband is on and the zipper is basted in. It passed the fitting test so all I need to do is finish the zipper and add a hook and eye closure.
• Nursing cover: is cut out.
• Christmas nightgown: I decided to make this one , option A. Probably without elastic on the sleeves. I cut the body of the nightgown plus the sleeves from the nativity print. The yoke and the ruffle will need to be done in a coordinating fabric, maybe a stripe. I was going to try to use some brown stripe I have at home but it turns out the fabric is cream and burgundy, not brown.
• AAR Tour Wear: Tunic - Fabric is prewashed and the bodice is cut out. Still trying to decide if I want to do a square or a circle skirt for the tunic. Leggings - Prewashed the cream knit for my trial pair and the leggings pattern is on sale this weekend.

And I pulled out the embroidered quilt I started years ago, going to try to have the embroidery done and the quilt top assembled by Christmas.

I'll be traveling to my parents' home this weekend for the holiday. And I will have a lot of down time so I'm taking sewing. So far I've packed: (1) embroidered quilt for my nephew that I'm finishing for my cousin because she doesn't know all the stitches (2) a waist cincher that I plan to bone similar to a pair of stays with plastic ties from my father's newspapers (3) cotton scraps and quilting patterns in case I decide to start cutting. I'll also be taking (1) the Joker skirt to finish (2) the embroidered quilt (3) leggings fabric and pattern. I may even pack some of the pieces that need construction (the nightgown, the tunic, the nursing cover) and work on it there. But most of what I want to take is hand work or other things that I can work on away from a machine (such as cutting out patterns) because I will be spending Saturday in my parents' living room watching about 15 hours of Doctor Who. BBC America is showing the entire sixth season starting at 7 am, then premiering season seven at 9 pm! So excited.

Fabric Shopping and What's In Miss Wilde's Sewing Basket

Fabric Shopping - A friend and I ventured out to the fabric store last evening. I purchases a few clearance items (a Disney Fairies pencil case that will probably be used for makeup, a black and white striped bow that I plan to attach to my Diamonds are Forever top hat, and two spools of thread); a bright orange organza remnant for my Miss Joker jacket lining; a cream rayon / spandex knit remnant to try out that leggings pattern when I get it (waiting for a sale!); a zipper for my Miss Joker skirt; and two yards of a bright pink extra wide cotton for a Tour Wear tunic which may also be used for a sundress skirt.

Progress - After shopping, I came home and worked on projects aka I worked on Miss Joker: The orange organza lining will need backed, so I pulled out some broadcloth and cut the jacket lining out of both the broadcloth and the organza. I also cut out some sleeve lining out of a purple striped lining fabric because I feel that the jacket fabric is going to be too scratchy on my arms. I cut out the skirt waistband, both out of denim and the skirt fabric, and started putting it together. And I also used broadcloth to cut out the interfacing for the blouse collar, collar stand and front band. The jacket collar has been cut out of the suiting and some black cotton for the interfacing. Oh and I decided to not take in the jacket because I'm afraid that if I do take it in that it will be too small. It's perfect across the shoulders so I'm leaving it alone. I think the collar is going to be trimmed in the orange organza, just a small ruffle.

What's in Miss Wilde's Sewing Basket - The office is going to be quiet this week, so last night I packed up my sewing basket. (1) Almost every piece of my Miss Joker suit. I'm planning to hand baste the lining and probably all the interfaced blouse pieces. I also want to work on the skirt waistband and zipper. (2) Halloween skirt so I can go ahead and get the zipper done. (3) Fabric and pattern for the nursing cover for my sister in law. (4) Fabric and pattern for the Christmas nightgown to see what I can do.

To Do List:

• Halloween skirt: Finish the zipper.
• Miss Joker: Hand baste lining and pin the lining together for stitching. Pin together sleeve lining for stitching. Baste blouse interfacing. Baste jacket collar interfacing. Sew on skirt waistband. Put in skirt zipper. 
• Nursing cover: Cut out brown flannel and paw print flannel for the trim.
• Christmas nightgown: Decide which nightgown to make and cut out the pattern. Also decide what kind of contrast fabric I want to use and where.
• AAR Tour Wear: Prewash fabric. Once that's done, start on tunic. I can at least get that done while waiting for the leggings pattern. 
• Hellhound cosplay

What Miss Wilde Did This Weekend

1. Finish the commission. - DONE and will be handed off tomorrow
2. Halloween skirt - Still need to finish the zipper and closure, but its not a priority. Deadline: October.
3. Femme Joker - Lots of progress here! Tried on the skirt and took it in. Also made the zipper larger because there was no way to wear that slim of a skirt without a longer zipper. It still needs taken in maybe another half inch. It's also too long. The base of the jacket is put together, but I think it needs some darts in the back to help it fit better. Then comes the collar and the lining (still need to buy lining fabric...) The blouse is cut out, but I haven't started assembly yet. Deadline: end of September
4. Nursing cover for my sister in law - Fabric has been bought and prewashed. Deadline: probably October-ish.
5. AAR Tour Wear: I have a leggings pattern picked out, just waiting for it to go on sale. I also have some tunic plans, but will need to purchase fabric for said tunics. Deadline: September / October
6. Hellhound cosplay: Realized I already have part of it - a blue scarf! I have a jacket pattern picked out but am unsure right now if it'll work or not. Currently thinking jeans, boots, tshirt, scarf and a cool jacket. All I'll probably have to make is the jacket. Oh and a wand. Definitely gonna have to make a wand. Deadline: Don't have one. Maybe end of September, maybe not til January for Ohayocon.
7. Christmas nightgown: Pulled the fabric and patterns out the other day. I'm going to have to get a matching print to do part of the nightgown in because I definitely don't have enough of the nativity print cotton to do a long nightgown like I want to.  Deadline: Christmas (obviously)

Progress! (not much, but still progress is progress)

I've actually made some progress! lol

1. Finish the commission. - Almost done. It's stitched together and I'm almost finished hand stitching the lining in place. Deadline; ASAP
2. Halloween skirt - Stitched the yoke to the skirt and hemmed it. The zipper is basted in but not stitched. I still need to finish the zipper and add some hook and eyes to finish off the closure. Deadline: October.
3. Femme Joker - Started sewing the skirt and the jacket together. Next up is fitting the skirt, cuz it looks huge... Deadline: end of September
4. Nursing cover for my sister in law - Fabric has been bought and prewashed. Deadline: probably October-ish.
5. Contemplating making some leggings for AAR's fall tour, for myself and for Pepper, and or a tunic to wear with said leggings or ones that I already own. Deadline: September / October
6. Also contemplating a Hellhound costume from Auror's Tale. Deadline: Don't have one. Maybe end of September, maybe not til January for Ohayocon.

STILL little to no progress

Lack of progress is mainly because I've been so crazy busy lately.

1. Finish the commission. - Still not done. Deadline; ASAP
2. Petticoat for my green and white sundress. - DONE. And then I wore a different dress to the wedding. It was still one that I made though, I wore my walkaway green and purple wrap dress.
3. Bunting for my nephew - DONE
4. Halloween skirt - Gathered to fit the yoke but not stitched. Deadline: October.
5. Femme Joker - Cut out the suit. AND started the pinning. Deadline: end of September
6. Nursing cover for my sister in law - Bought the fabric yesterday, brown flannel that is going to be trimmed in left over fabric from the bunting. Deadline: probably October-ish.
7. Contemplating making some leggings for AAR's fall tour, for myself and for Pepper, and or a tunic to wear with said leggings or ones that I already own. Deadline: September / October
8. Also contemplating a Hellhound costume from Auror's Tale. Deadline: Don't have one. Maybe end of September, maybe not til January for Ohayocon.