Update on my Year End To Do List

Update on my Year End To Do List:

 1. Finish the elephant baby quilt - DONE

Finished baby quilt! And my friend LOVED it! :)

 
2. Finish the Teslacon stuff - yeah, didn't really finish any of this...
3. Finish a pair of purple leggings I started last winter - These aren't done either...but I did buy some knit for the waistband so I can hopefully finish them soon!
4. Grey and black plaid jumper -- DONE

Finished plaid jumper

Which I'm actually wearing today. It's actually a little shorter than I usually like (I almost always wear my skirts a little past my knee, or at least to the middle of my knee) but since I'm pretty sure I'll always wear it with tights (it's heavy flannel) I think it'll be okay.

5. Star Wars print 1930s style skirt -- DONE

Fabric and pattern

Finished skirt! totally love this pattern by the way, so I'm sure I'll be using it again

6. Knit tunic using my funky dress pattern from McCalls -- Cut out but haven't put together yet
7. Black 1950s dress with snowflake overskirt -- in progress, hopefully I can make a big post on this later with all the details :)
8. Black specialty mesh petticoat for said dress -- Haven't started yet
9. Fix my mom's Christmas scrub top and make her a new one -- DONE

Mom's new Christmas scrub top.  The other one was enlarged with gores of red and white dotted cotton on the sides.

10. 1940s hooded blouse and trousers from Eva Dress -- I don't think this will happen
11. Nightgown for grandma (if I have enough of the fabric that she wants me to use) -- or this
12. and start a cosplay for Ohayocon -- or this
13. Christmas pajamas that I somehow started for myself -- I just need to add cuffs to the sleeves of the top (they're too short) and this will be done

I bought the penguin flannel for new pajama pants and decided to make a matching top using left over fabric from enlarging my mom's scrub top.

Partially constructed pajama top.

So that's what I've been up to!  Sorry for the sporadic blog posts, my goal is to be WAY better with this next year. I hope. Fingers crossed.

Corset Progress and Other Things

I did finally make that freaking toaster cover! Easiest Christmas gift ever by the way, I just hope my papa likes it.

I've been working on my gypsy corset vest. I finished stitching the eyelet pleather trim to the brown binding and have stitched most of the layered trim on. I picked out buckles but they only had one so I need to get another. The buckle I purchased is attached, so one side of the corset is pretty much done!

What I still need to do: Purchase and attach the second buckle. Put a zipper in the front. Stitch the lining to the outside at the center back and at the shoulders. Make boning channels along the center back and insert bones into all the channels. Make the binding and bind the remaining edges. Put in eyelets in the back (and Beau found a set of eyelet pliers at the house!)

I've also been working on my comic book Harley Quinn improvements: The collar is put together and just needs hooks and eyes to hold it on and the pom poms attached. It's not perfect, but its the best I'm gonna be able to do for now. I put together the cuffs -- white taffeta base and five rows of pleated trim -- so all I need are closures of some sort. I'm thinking snaps.

There has been no progress on the crazy quilt skirt.

So my to do list:
1. Finish the corset.
2. Finish the Harley Quinn collar and cuffs.
3. Make a Santa coat sleeve for Beau.
4. Finish the last two gores of the crazy quilt skirt.

And once all that's done, I can start working on the patterns Beau got me for my birthday. He got me two Truly Victorian patterns I asked for: the vest basque and the square overskirt. Current plans are to make them out of bright pink satin trimmed in black to wear with my black underskirt. However, rumor has it I have more patterns on the way, so those plans may change. I really really really wanna start on them, but I know that the other projects come first which is why I spent time working on them this weekend. :)

Beau bought me the square overskirt


and the vest basque patterns.


Aren't they just beautiful?

And the sewing has FINALLY resumed!!

First up -- Finishing that quilt I started about a year ago for my beau.

Good news: All of the tying is complete! Except for a small section that needs redone: I started tying using black yarn and the black yarn went missing, so I asked if it was okay if I used red instead when I found some red. The beau said it was okay, but now he doesn't like the way it looks so I have to redo about a dozed or so squares (each corner is tied so its a lot of ties to redo). On the bright side, it IS a small section in relation to the rest of the quilt.

I also trimmed off most of the extraneous batting. I'm going to have to get creative with the backing -- It is too short on the ends and too long on the sides. On the top I'm going to take out the hem (its a sheet, so there's lots of extra there) to give myself more fabric. On the bottom, I'm just going to have to sew on a strip to lengthen it. I'm tempted to shorten the quilt instead. I could just take off the bottom row of squares...of course that would negate that row of tying...But I don't know if I want to hassle with adding fabric to the back of an already quilted quilt.

Once the back is fixed, I need to tackle the binding. I either need to buy binding (easier) or make my own (cheaper). If I can borrow a friend's strip cutter, I'll probably go with making my own, but if that doesn't work out, I'll just buy it.


A shot of the quilt


A close up of the quilt. I'm thinking of using that Jedi blue for the binding...

Next comes Christmas presents!

First: A wall hanging for my mother. It's made from the pieces of an applique quilt my grandmother started years (maybe decades) ago. I've already pieced it together, adding pieces of coordinating fabric where needed, and I've started putting the back together. The back needs some more work before it's ready. Once the back's done, I'll pin everything together and start machine quilting it. Then of course comes the binding. I need to ask if she wants me to put some sort of hanger on the back or if she's going to take care of that.

Second: Probably some curtains for my father for his den. Mother gave me the idea.

I have no idea what I'm making / giving my brother or his wife for Christmas this year. Nor do I know what I'm making / giving my beau either. I set the bar kind of high last year when I made him a scrapbook of himself in Star Wars costumes. Damn me for that awesome present.

In other news...

Several things I wanted to make for Halloween haven't happened. I wanted to make a circle skirt out of some Halloween fabric I have to wear to work ON Halloween, but haven't had a chance. And since Halloween is Monday, I don't see it happening. I also wanted to make a tutu for my planned Halloween costume, but again, I haven't had a chance. And since I doubt anyone at the party we'll probably attend would 'get' who I was supposed to be, I don't know if I even want to bother with it. I'm not even really in the mood for Halloween this year, it just kind of appeared out of nowhere and nothing's ready, nor do I really know what the plans are this weekend. So...

I also have some 'normal' sewing I want to work on (work clothes mainly). I may try to improve my Harley Quinn bodysuit for Ohayocon in February. And there's sewing for Miss Von Stoup to do, as usual.

But first the quilt and the Christmas presents. And maybe the tutu for this weekend. Maybe.

A beintot!!