Progress: the one armed gown

Slowly but surely I am making progress on this regency gown. I had a big push before halloween to get it done for a Chickflix night, but just didn't have time. I'm no good with deadlines. It robs the joy, unless I allow months, which requires planning, which is not a strength for me. Anyway, I have been plucking away at this. Every step forward there is some alteration that is required or some mistake to undo. This is the way sewing goes for me usually. BUT, I think it is looking really pretty, which helps me keep going. This fabric is so pretty, but maddening, it is a cotton/silk blend that is incredibly delicate and much to my chagrin does have a right and wrong side. That took a lot of time when cutting and starting to put together. I have learned from this dress to never allow a long time between cutting and assembly if you are altering the pattern in any way, which I usually do. But now that I have gotten back into it, it is all coming back to me. I have high hopes that it will fit. That is always the challenge. So all that is left is to attach the sleeves, open the back of the skirt, and sewing the top to the bottom. Oh and the dreaded hemming. Of course there is really a lot more to those steps then you would think, including a fair amount of hand finishing, which I generally enjoy. That is a good thing too, or this would probably never be properly completed. I am shooting to finish by the beginning of June. Only time will tell if I have planned enough time for my deadline!

Belle dress

I decided two weeks before my daughters birthday to finally make a Belle dress for her. I had everything for it, I just had to make it! I had to flat line the chiffon fabric, so with the lining the dress ended up being 3 layers. I can't ever make it easy for myself. At this stage I also decided to make it sleeveless and stray from the original pattern.



I learned the hard way as a beginning sewer that it is worth it to do all of the finishing, not to skip the zigzagging and hope it doesn't ravel. It is so nice and clean when it is all finished.






Here I am in the last stages, including some atleration on the bodice to make it fit my skinny tall girl. The fabric behind it is new and hopefully will be posted soon for an upcoming project!

And finally here she is. She has had a lot of fun with it, so mission accomplished!

Birthday Garlands

Using an idea from purlbee and some cute fabric from my stash I made some birthday garlands for Ella. I thought they turned out pretty cute. I have left them up because they make the room feel so cheery!

Progress

This may go down as the fastest I have ever completed such a "big" project. I only have 28 rows to go on this. Granted each row is over 300 stitches and increasing, so it will still take a little time, but I am close! I started this the day after Christmas, so to finish this month would be amazing. That is my goal since it might be spring in a month or two. I want to use this before it gets warm. I really love this pattern. It has been so much fun to work on. It is easy enough that it is do-able and challenging enough to keep me interested. That is the best combo for any knitting project. There is usually a point when I grow to hate something before I get it finished and I can't believe I haven't reached that point yet with this one, so I am just going with it and hoping to get it done so I can use it! It is hard to know what it really looks like the way that it is all bunched up on the needle, so curiosity is a big driving factor. Hopefully the next post on this one with be the finished product!

Ideas for the taffeta

So here are some ideas for this amazing silk taffeta that I have been holding onto for years. It is so pretty there is major pressure to do something awesome with it, and major fears of commitment. When I bought the fabric it was with the idea of making an Elizabethan style dress for the Renaissance Festival. I found a complimenting cotton velvet for the hem, which I have seen done to protect the fabric from the dirt. I like the look of it too. These are mock ups that I have done with my meager photoshop skills using photos of the actual fabrics and trim. These are all very historically based ideas. I will edit this again and put details in about the sources. The first below is Mary of Scots in her wedding dress.

A little light reading

I got this great book form my brother in law for Christmas. The more I read the more I want to be this ladies friend. She even loves Cary Grant. If you at all domestically inclined I highly recommend it.

A quilt in the making?

This is the fabric that I have been considering for a quilt. I have never made one for myself before, and I have these great green and browns going on. I can't decide if this is one quilt or two though...