Inspired again

I have really been wanting a new Ren Fest outfit, so I have been looking all about me for inspiration. I have a few potential dresses on hand already, but they are Major projects. I have been looking for something easier. I'm sure it won't be easy, they never are, but it should be less hard. This yellow fabric just spoke to me. I knew right away that it needed to be in this Middle Ages style with brown fur. I already have a pattern of sorts that will need some adaptations, but it has a pattern for this crazy hat.

Royal Shawl

This was such a lovely project. It also stands alone as one of the largest, quickest knitting projects I have ever finished. This is a lovely shawl pattern taken from Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders. I immediately knew when I saw this pattern that it was just the thing for the Blue Sky Royal Alpaca that I had been hording for a couple of years. I had a few issues here and there, but overall it was a lovely simple pattern. The yarn was amazing to work with and once washed and blocked, became even more soft and lovely. Also pictured is a sneak peek at the white regency dress.

Projects on the horizon

Lounge Wear Part 1: I was inspired by some great fabric finds at Mill End Textiles to make and remake some summer lounge wear. I have been looking for just the right fabric for this Kimono Bathrobe pattern taken from this great Amy Butler pattern book. I will use the peach floral for that with the dragonflies as an accent. The blue will be for drawstring pants taken from the same pattern book.

Lounge Wear Part 2:
I am also making over this top using this lovely dragonfly print as an accent fabric. The original trim is a lovely silk ribbon, but it hasn't worn well and has become frayed. While I have this top taken apart I have also taken the opportunity to make a pattern so I can copy it and possibly use it as a base for other patterns. I will also be making a pair of pants out of this peach. I have a feeling these are going to be great clothes for project nights!

The Woman in White

It has been a while since I have done a post. In part this is because I have been doing projects rather than writing about doing projects! At the prompting of a friend I have decided to do some updates. As stated in previous blogs I have been vacillating a bit about my sewing projects. Patience paid off again as I decided to take up the nearly completed white regency dress. I had enough time to stop hating it for it's difficulty and fall in love with it again simply because it is so pretty. So out of my frustration I decided to take the matter in hand and see if I couldn't resolve the issue of the sleeve which had been too short and very ill fitting. I also was encouraged by the discovery of enough extra fabric to cut not just one, but two different new sleeves. The image of the dress and sleeve all pinned on me was the first attempt. This is the Ballgown sleeve (from the Sense and Sensibility Elegant Lady's Closet pattern) attached to the long sleeve I already had. After fussing and hand basting everything together I decided to try the elbow sleeve as well and see if I liked it better. In the end the elbow sleeve won. In part because it just felt right, in part because it was a probably going to be quite a bit less hand work. As much as I have been enjoying this final push toward completion, I don't want to, as they say, "press my luck." A bit more hand sewing ahead of me, but I am close!

Nothing says "pretty dress" like a tin snip

I made a long overdue visit to Home Depot yesterday to purchase galvanized hanger strap from the plumbing isle. Believe it or not this was an errand essential to a particular costume. Blue dress #2 has to have a corset (the exact form of said corset is yet to be determined). Based on all the research I have done this is a great and inexpensive solution to the need for a whale bone substitute. If I'm going to go through the detail and hassel of putting boning in a corset I want it to be sturdy and do its job. So here are my supplies. The tin snip and metal file are on loan from my dad, who happens to be a metallurgist and therefore, has all things needed for manipulating metal, on hand. If you are wondering this is not bringing me any nearer to a decision about the blue dress dilema.

Choices in Blue

Choices: Part I

Creative choices (and others besides) are usually difficult for me. Many mental Pro/Con lists are created before I commit to a project. I'm at a bit of a crossroads right now. I have two blue dresses in mind the decision I have to make is this: Do I do one, the other or both, and if both, which first? My first inclination is to start with blue dress #1. Inspired by the above gown worn by Marianne in the recent Masterpiece Classics adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and also worn by Kate Winslet's Marianne in the Emma Thompson version. I have always loved this dress and recently found a pretty very pale blue voile that I thought would translate well.

Choices: Part II















For literally years I have been occasionally researching the Elizabethan period in hopes that I could get the nerve up to actually tackle a dress. I feel another bought of ambition coming on so I am thinking about it again. I used a coupon about 3 years ago to buy this blue and tan heavy weight fabric in hopes of using it for an Elizabethan dress. Somehow I just feel like it is time. In part because it would give me something new to wear to the MN Ren Fest in September. Yes, I know it is May, but this sort of thing takes just that long and I have a busy toddler, so I need the extra time. So here is blue dress #2. I was hoping this post would help me decide which to start with... I guess you will have to check back to see what (and if) I actually decide!

Art in Bloom

Springtime means a visit to the art museum for Art in Bloom. It is wonderful to see the overlapping of so many expressions of art come together through the interpretation of flowers. It is a great reminder to always push my creativity by trying something new, or seeing something through different eyes. This is a great place for inspiration on so many levels.