Pink Jumper Pictures and Crazy Quilt Skirt News!

First up, some pictures of my new pink jumper that I wore yesterday:


As full length of a photo as I could get and I do apologize for the obligatory bathroom cell phone picture, I figured it was better than nothing.


Close up of the hem, where I used polyester horsehair braid to give it some body.


Close up of the neckline with hand done decorative topstitching in gray thread to match the pinstripes.

Now I just need a gray blouse...

In other news, I finished ANOTHER panel of my crazy quilt skirt:


And it's nowhere near as purple as it looks in this picture...Stupid lighting.

Besides finishing panel #2 last night, I also worked on my corset. All the pieces (except the lining) are cut out. I decided that what I used for the pattern was not sturdy enough for the lining. It is going to become interlining for the silk, then I'll have a layer of denim then black broadcloth as the corset lining.

What's in Miss Wilde's Sewing Basket for the weekend? (aka my weekend to do list)
1. Pattern, fabric and pompoms for Harley Quinn collar.
2. Teal silk corset, including broadcloth to cut out for the lining.
3. Crazy quilt skirt.
4. I also packed some little bits (such as fake coins) that will be used on my gypsy steampunk costume somewhere.

A bientot mes amis and Happy Thanksgiving!

More To Do List Progress - Fall / Winter Sewing and Gypsy Steampunk

The navy jumper is DONE. The zipper went in well, the jumper fit pretty perfectly, and while the neckline / armholes / hem took a while, it went fine as well. I plan on wearing it tomorrow and I'm wearing the pink jumper today!

I didn't work on the Harley Quinn collar. I decided I'd rather pack it for the trip to my parents' this weekend. Also packed will be the corset and the crazy quilt skirt.

I actually started on the corset last night. I combined three patterns: McCalls 6097 for the back (which I then cut in two to give me a side back seam), a modified underbust version of McCalls 4107 for the center front, and Simplicity 3618 for the side front. I trimmed pieces as needed to fit together more smoothly and clipped the front strap of the side front in half to give me a spot for it to buckle / snap. I then took apart the pattern which will likely become the lining of the new corset and double checked to see that I had enough silk (which I do) and I also found some denim to use as the interlining. It's not as heavy as I'd like, but it will do.

With me today is the corset to cut out and the crazy quilt skirt, I started panel number two last evening after working on the corset.

I feel like I'm making good progress on my December 31 to do list.

• My fall / winter sewing is DONE.
• The gypsy steampunk crazy quilt skirt and corset are well underway.
• The Harley Quinn collar and cuffs are in the planning stages.
• I'd like to make a hat of some sort for my elf-punk dress, but its wearable as is.
• And I've sorted out a lot of fabric for some stash sewing.
• Also I have fabric for a couple Christmas presents that I need to work on, but neither will take much time.

A bientot!

Progress on Fall / Winter Sewing To Do List

As you all know, my Keeper of the Keys skirt is finished.

And today I worked on both jumpers (which were already cut out). The pink pinstriped full skirted version is DONE. I just finished hand sewing the bodice lining in place and put a little decorative top-stitching around the neckline.

The navy jumper is to the hand sewing point. First I need to put the zipper in, then do a fitting to make sure I like how it fits. Then comes doing the hem, neckline and armholes by hand. There is no way I'm going to stitch any of that on a machine with that wide wale corduroy. It would look awful I'm sure.

And as I posted yesterday, panel one of the crazy quilt skirt is complete.

I pulled out the blouse for the gypsy steampunk outfit and the teal silk I wanted to use for a corset and I think it is going to work. The color is good and I have one yard of the silk which should be plenty. First step of that project is making the pattern. I'll probably base it off of several corset and bodice patterns and combine the different pieces to get what I want.

Tomorrow I'll finish the navy jumper and hopefully work on the Harley Quinn collar and maybe even the crazy quilt skirt. I need to decide what I'm packing for my trip home and get that packed no later than Monday (work a double Tuesday and leave Wednesday right after work).

That's it for now my dearest friends! A bientot!

Fall/Winter Wardrobe sewing

I cut out the pink jumper yesterday and started to pin the darts but got tired of it. There are A LOT of darts in that pattern. I also sorted out zippers for my sewing, none of which are perfect matches but if its using a purple 22" zipper in a navy jumper instead of spending the money on a new zipper, then I'm okay with it. The pink jumper is getting a white zipper and the Keeper of the Keys has a white zipper but its actually a separating one.

I brought my elf-punk bustle with me to work so I can sew on the closures (snaps).

I work both jobs today so no sewing after work. Tomorrow, Beau wants to work on fixing one of his costumes. Hopefully, we can get that out of the way fairly quickly and I can work on my sewing.

Elf-Punk and Fall/Winter Wardrobe sewing

Christmas Steampunk Bustle aka "Elf-Punk": For those of you who are uninformed, I love Chirstmas. As in I am obsessed with Christmas. My usual modus operandi is to decorate on November 1st because in my mind once Halloween is over, it's Christmas time. So when the Airship Archon started planning a holiday tea for December (which I may not be able to make it too because of family obligations *sad face*) and I found an old Christmas tablecloth in my Christmas things that was pretty unusable as a tablecloth because it had been ruined in one spot by children with paint (yes, it was me and my brother, the Luke to my Leia, the Jacen to my Jaina...okay I'm done with the Star Wars twin references lol), I knew that I had to do a Christmas steampunk outfit.

The tablecloth: White background. Trimmed in white fringe. Border pattern of poinsettas, bows and leaves in greens, reds, and burgundies.

I started off by cutting the tablecloth in half. Then I cut out the middle of one half to have a half circle to use as the apron:

Apron: Stage One

I created the top of the bustle with a half circle of white taffeta cut to roughly match the top of my bustle pillow. I edged it in white lace then started building the bustle. I removed the damaged portion of the center-less tablecloth half, finished the ends, ran a gathering stitch along the top edge and gathered it to fit the top of the bustle.


Bustle: Stage One

Next, I took the complete tablecloth half, found its center and the bustle top center, pinned the centers together then pinned along the bustle top. The remaining edge was finished as I stitched the two together.

Bustle: Stage Two

Now I went back to the apron. I used my trusty Simplicity 5457 (OOP) to make the apron back which I cut out of black cotton. I finished the lower edge of the apron with lace to match the bustle lace and a bit of fringe taken from the damaged section of tablecloth. Then I finished the top edge and sewed the apron back to the ends.

All that's left to do is sew on some closures. I plan to wear the bustle and apron with my black underskirt, a white blouse and either my burgundy bodice or a red corduroy bodice that I have never worn. I also plan to make or decorate a hat to match, probably with some poinsettas and maybe some other Christmas-y decorations.

With my elf-punk out of the way for the time being, I moved on to cutting out some patterns for my fall / winter wardrobe sewing. I need new work clothes!

First up, the keeper of the keys skirt. I used Vogue 2429, a sundress pattern that I love. I just cut out the skirt for view I. I think I have a self drafted waistband somewhere to use. There was about a half yard of fabric left over, I'm thinking I may need to make a waist cincher for when I wear the skirt for play and not work.


Vogue 2429, I used the skirt from View I, the green plaid

Keeper of the Keys fabric: the light makes it look yellow but in reality it's a white background with black keys.

Next, I cut Simplicity 3673 (retro jumper) out of dark blue wide wale corduroy. I went with View A (the blue one on the right) but I'm not making the belt. Since it's a jumper, I cut the largest size on my pattern, just to be on the safe side.

Simplicity 3673, the staple of my winter wardrobe.

I'm planning to cut view C (the full skirted center option) out of pink and grey pinstriped shirting tonight after work.

Just a little progress and weekend sewing plans

First of all, while helping my fellow Archonite last evening, I finished my Persian hat! Huzzah!

Secondly, I packed the following projects in my sewing bag for the weekend (in order of likely sewing, depending on my mood): Miss Von Stoup's Asian inspired jacket, the Captain's last two alterations, and Miss Dashwood's utility bustle. I also packed the patterns and muslin I cut out a few days ago for my playsuit. I am very eager to start on that project.

I plan to use the bodice of the walkaway dress, altered to have side seams and a back zipper / front buttons, not really sure yet. I'll also use the skirt to go over the playsuit, it will definitely have buttons.



And I'm going to use the shorts from this out of print Simplicity pattern that I have in my stash.



Wish me luck! Oh how I love franken-patterning!

And now I'm off to work and then to Cincinnati!

A bientot my dear friends!

Miss Leah J Wilde

UPDATE - Tonight I: (1) sewed the zipper into Miss Dashwood's bustle (2) pinned the Captain's alterations, but I'm not really sure how one is going to work out... (3) cut out Miss Von Stoup's jacket and (4) worked on my playsuit pattern for a bit. Not too shabby for an evening's work.

Wow....I'm WAY behind

My dearest readers,

I do apologize for the immense amount of time that has passed since we last spoke. I've been so consumed with projects that I have not had a minute to spare.

Since giving details on anything at this point would be rather cumbersome, I'll just share a quick summary with you --

(1) I finished my Butterick 'walk away dress'. I think it turned out rather splendid, but the fit is a bit odd. The underskirt rides up terribly. If I ever use the pattern again, I plan to widen the underskirt section so it wraps around my hips all the way instead of leaving a gap in the back. I may even alter my current incarnation if I have the time and the fabric.

(2) I also finished costumes for Dragon*Con for Misses Dashwood and Van Eycke. There were a few fitting issues that resulted in making an entirely new skirt for Miss Dashwood, and the blouses will probably be redone at some point -- A note my dear readers: brocade does not gather well when making an off the shoulder blouse -- but overall the costumes (skirt, blouse and vest) turned out well. And I learned something new during the process - how to use a grommet setter.

(3) I also put together a quick costume for Miss Dashwood who will be portraying the goddess Durga during the convention. We purchased two yards of a beautiful sari-esque fabric. I simply cut it done the fold line, leaving two pieces of fabric roughly two yards long and 30 inches wide. I sewed an elastic casing along the raw edge of one piece, threaded elastic through the casing, fitted it to the adorable Miss Dashwood, and then sewed the side seam. I left the skirt unhemmed because the selvage had a nice little bit of fringe that went well with the border print. The second piece of fabric was just hemmed on all three raw edges to be used as a drape.

(4) I hemmed two pairs of pants for a friend and mended something for my beau.

Last night I tidied up my sewing area - stashed away bits and pieces, threw out some trash, etc. and started a new project of my own.

(5) Personal current project: A New Hope Princess Leia. I'm pretty much following what the tutorial posted by a fabulous costumer named Pam - http://chucrew.com/Leia/Leia.html She goes through everything from making the pattern to the hair style. Luckily, she's about the same size as me, so I was able to use her measurements to make my own pattern. So far the dress is turning out well. Last night I made the pattern, cut out one dress (you basically make two dresses and then use one to line the other), and stitched both side seams, leaving a slit at the bottom. Unfortunately, I ran short on fabric so I'm going to have to pick up some more today. Since I ran short on fabric, I went ahead and made the hood pattern and cut that out. I also pinned the two sides that need hemmed. Its in my sewing bag right this moment because the hems need to be hand stitched.

(6) Progress on Pretty Peggy Pepper - I acquired a red shirt that I'm going to attempt to modify to use as the top. And I purchased a blue fabric remnant for the skirt. I think I'm going to forgo using a pattern and just make a quick skirt like the one I made for Miss Dashwood (see above).

(7) Imperial Officer's Uniform - I found a pattern that I think is pretty much perfect to make an imperial officer's uniform from Star Wars: http://www.patronsdecouture.com/burda-7458.htm It has not been purchased yet, but likely will be.

(8) I've also been thinking about several other costumes that I would like to do in the next year or so: Steampunk Confederates for my beau and I for Marcon 2011; a steampunk (maybe dieselpunk) Army uniform using my grandfather's uniform jacket (no I will not be altering the jacket itself so don't worry); a sexy Leia using left over fabric from the ANH dress

(9) And I've been thinking about Christmas presents. So far I'm making my parents aprons (fabric has already been purchased) and my brother and sister in law pajama pants. His will be black, hers purple plaid as long as I can find some.

(10) Things I need to finish - Alter a dress for Miss Dashwood. My steampunk stewardess costume by Mid Ohio Con (November) - it needs some accessories and I need to decide if I want to wear the pettidress I made to go underneath or if I want to wear leggings and a cami for a sexier look. My Harley Quinn costume for Mid Ohio Con - I still need a hat.

(11) I need to start a vest my cousin asked me to make for her son. This will probably be my next project after the Leia dress. It would be nice if I could finish it by the weekend so I can take it to her when I go home for a visit.

(12) And I have a commission for one of my beau's friends coming up that he wants for Halloween. I should probably talk to him about that.

Well, dear readers, I hope this update of past, current and near future projects made up for the month of no communication.

A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Hello dearest dear readers!

I finished my clockwork gypsy skirt and have been working on my retro 'walk away dress', which is coming along swimmingly. The retro dress has been trimmed in bias along all the bound edges and the hem of the underskirt has been pinned. Halfway through pinning the horsehair braid to the overskirt's hem, I ran out. I was rather distressed but unwilling to go out to the store for the second time in a day to get more. I shall have to fetch some later. I also sewed the snaps to the front closure, sewed decorative buttons over them and sewed a button and elastic loop to the underskirt so it can fasten behind my back. I'm rather pleased with my dress and cannot wait to complete it.

I've been thinking about my Pretty Peggy Pepper costume. Here's a (not very good) look at the costume:

I was thinking of this skirt, shorter of course -
And this blouse -
Thoughts? Then of course I need the hat and the sash...I'll probably forgo the boots (unless I decide to invest in a pair that could function for this and my Princess Leia dress, which is a good idea) and just wear my plain white parade gloves. Another idea is to just purchase a ready made red blouse which might be easier.

I wanted to make more progress this weekend on my sewing projects but c'est la vie. At least I finished one and got another mostly finished. All I need to do to my retro dress is hem it. Still have alterations to do and costumes to make for the Misses Dashwood and Van Eycke.

Bonne nuit mes amis!

Miss Leah J Wilde

50s wrap dress update

wHello darlings!

Last night I actually started on sewing my oh so adorable 50s wrap dress. It went together amazingly easily. The first step was to pin and sew the darts in the front and back bodice. I'm not going to lie to you dear readers - I hate darts. They're rather fussy with their placement and annoying to pin and sew. But they do make a garment fit so I suffered through sewing eight of them - yes EIGHT darts: three on each side of the front and two on the back. After sewing the darts, I sewed the two pieces of the overskirt together along the back seam, then sewed the skirt to the back bodice. The next step was to sew the front to the back at the shoulders, then I did a quick fitting. I looked the pattern up on a pattern review website and several people said they had issues with the fit, but Miss Dashwood and I agreed that no alteration was necessary. I was actually rather surprised considering I do not possess the desired silhouette of the early 1950s. In other words, I'm not very chesty. I do however possess hips that would make a non-curvy girl sigh in envy if she was in that era. My next step was to cut several strips of bias from the purple calico. I wanted to follow the pattern and use purchased bias but I could not find a good color and decided instead to just make my own. I pinned one strip to the dress - started at the hem of the underdress, up around the armhole and down the front of the overdress. I have the other side, plus the neckline to do. Then of course comes stitching the bias into place.

Other projects I worked on last night -
1. I finished modifying a bustle I made Miss Dashwood several months ago. She was uncomfortable wearing it with a bustle pillow so I took out the top piece that would set atop such a pillow and resewed the ribbon ties along the top ruffle. She seems rather pleased with it.
2. In preparation for a pirate themed event this weekend, I pulled out a cream colored cropped blouse (its actually part of a Bavarian drindl). The elastic at the bottom of the blouse has failed over the years - after all the blouse is older than I - so I removed a few stitches in the casing, snipped the elastic and pulled it out. I then checked my supplied and was unable to find narrow enough elastic but I did have elastic cord. So I threaded the cord through the circle at the end of a large safety pin and fed the doubled cord through the casing on the blouse. I tried it on, adjusted the cord, knotted it and snipped it. Viola, the blouse is now ready to be worn this weekend! I'm thinking of just pairing it with cream bloomers and a red sash. Don't know what shoes to wear though...

Things I need to do - (1) hem Mary's pants after I get matching thread (2) take in Miss Dashwood's dress (3) finish my retro dress (4) make outfits for the Misses Dashwood and Van Eycke. I've also got a couple Christmas gifts in the works - a quilt for my beau that I've started cutting fabric for and aprons for my parents that I've purchased fabric for. EDIT (5) I still need to finish my clockwork gypsy skirt. I'll be taking a lot of sewing to my beau's this weekend to work on, won't I?

Sew much to do! Sew little time!

A bientot, mes amis!

Miss Leah J Wilde