47 posts tagged “sewing”

Finished my dress last night!  Just in time to see Wicked today.  People really don't dress around here.  I don't know why you wouldn't, it is so much fun to dress up when you are going to something like that.  Anyway.  Wicked was fabulous, and I was very happy with my dress.  I wore it with some fantastic shoes that didn't show up in the picture, some cream coloured oxford-style booties, they were different, not your typical heels, but I liked them :)  My hair looked better earlier.  These pics were at the end of the night after I had a hat on and everything.

The pattern and design were all my own.  Took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with that gorgeous red velvet fabric and I think it worked really well in this dress.  Plus, I have a BUNCH left over, so I can make something else as well.  I don't know if you can see it in the pictures, but the velvet has a gorgeous pattern/texture.  I've never seen anything like it.  The top is made of a creamy silk and has some fantastic buttons on the sleeves (purely for decorations).  The skirt is floor length and has a godet in the back which makes a mini-train.  The skirt is also lined and makes a wonderful sound when I walk :)  The sash thing around the middle/top is a red and sort of sparkly sheer, randomly ruched and stitched up.
It looked more Edwardian than I was expected, but I love the way it turned out.  One of the first that I completely made the pattern and concept for, so I'm proud of it.   The thing fits like a glove, one of the perks of making your own patterns, and I love the way the skirt hangs.

Anyway, lots of fun! 

~Nikki

I've had these pics sitting around a while so I thought I would post them!  This is one of those franken-patterns.  Much adjusting was done, but it turned out just like I wanted it to when I bought the fabric.  The fabric is wonderful, btw.  Nice weight, texture.  I enjoy it :)  I wore it on a tour of the cemetary (morbid, I know) and got some comments on it.  Always a nice feeling when someone comments on your clothes or asks where you got it when you know they didn't know that you made it yourself!

A couple of projects I've finished recently.  I haven't been feeling particularly inspired lately, I'll blame it on my current stagnation, but I've still been trying to get things done.  Putting together some patterns/fabric that I'd decided a while back what I would do with them....

Shirt pattern from Burda.  A bit springy for this fall time of year, but the weight of it is right.  And I'll have something for next spring :)  Wasn't a bad pattern to make, tracing patterns out of Burda magazines are so much easier when they aren't full-length dress size.  All the seams are french seamed because of the sheer fabric.  The buttons are self-covered buttons and the button loops are absurdly small pieces of fabric turned inside out.  That was probably the hardest part, lol.  Oh, and putting the elastic in the sleeves.  That was much more difficult than it should have been.
I like the way it turned out and it is very comfortable :)  So yay.  I should make more shirts, I've hardly made any.

I almost didn't put these pictures up because the overhead lighting made them turn out so poorly.  Really awful....and orange....and the light makes my feet look deformed.  But anyways.  Didn't have patterns for either.  The first are massive, comfy, gauze pants.  With pockets.  SO comfortable.  The second is a white skirt (obviously).  Didn't really expect for it to turn out that massive on the bottom, but that is what happened.  Mixed between a white gauze and a white gauze with some thin silver stripes in it.   It is actually very heavy.  But now I know.  Still looks cool though!  I'll just cut tiers on the bias from now on instead of making them out of circles.  You wouldn't believe the amount of fabric that took.

So that is it for now!  Working on some other things.  Should probably get started on a few jackets as well.

~Nikki

For lack of a better name.  I bet you guys can't tell that I like Hawaiian prints, can you? [See: here, here, and here]  I know, I know, how cheesy.  But they just scream summer to me.

Just finished this one today!  It is from a Burda magazine pattern.  Oh, how I dislike working with those things.  Tracing the pattern is such a pain, and those instructions leave much to be desired.  But they always turn out cute! 

I had to have started this project about a year ago.  It just got stashed away for some reason and I never got around to finishing it until my recent 'finish started projects' quest I started on.  Perhaps the fabric was just too obnoxious to work with, or hand hemming a circle skirt was too daunting.  Or perhaps I thought the design was just absurd.  In any case, it didn't take me long to finish it, I'd picked it up and put it down so many times that it was practically done already!  I really love the fabric, and I love how it turned out.

I just snapped a few pics before I headed out for the night, so they aren't that great, but you get the idea :)

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Here is a picture of the pattern, Butterick 4919.  It isn't a halter, though it looks like it in the picture.  The construction was incredibly bizarre, you have to hook the front part of the bodice around in the back (I used some stretchy bra back thing, worked great), then you have to zip up the back, over the hooked part (it isn't a halter, I know it looks like it on the pattern), then you have to take the side sashes, which are attached to the back (which isn't attached to the front of the bodice at the sides) and wrap them around the front.  Really strange.  I can't imagine that there wasn't a better way to go about that.
But other than that, my only other qualm was that it was very low cut.  Such that, I kept looking down to make sure I wasn't flashing anyone :P

Anyway, without further ado, a couple of pics.  I may have to take more, just for my 'records', that have better lighting.

First pic I have a petticoat underneath, I really love the shape with the petticoat :)  But for ease, I wore it without when I went to the concert.

Anyway, those are the only pics I have of projects for now!  I'm nearly down with a few more, starting a couple more, and have some that I haven't taken pictures of yet but are finished :) 

~Nikki

Figured I would post these skirts before they are packed and I forget about posting them.  That is right.  Moving again.  2 weeks before I'm out of Texas forever (well, as far as living, I imagine I'll be back fairly often to visit my sister and friends).  Just kind of sneaks up on you, doesn't it?
Well, the pictures aren't very good, but, like I said, now or it will  be forgotten.  Nothing special or pretty either, but most of them are wearable.

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Red tiered skirt.  Made out a peachskin, a fantastic material!  I love it.  I'm considering buying more of this type because I like the weight of it so much, and the top of this is a bit small and a little clingy, so I wouldn't mind making something a bit more flattering.  Still wearable though, I had posted a picture of it a little earlier.  Same skirt :)

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Plaid Wrap Skirt
Used the tutorial from this site to make it.  Doesn't look like a Harry Potter skirt in this plaid, but it does look a bit school girl-ish.  I'll have to work hard to find a top to wear with it that makes it look less Catholic school girl.  Anyway, in retrospect, the back might be a bit to A-line on mine, I'll have to look at it on again, but it isn't bad and wouldn't be hard to fix.  I like plaid :)

6-panel
Just your average 6-panel bell shaped skirt.  Out of pretty average looking, but nice, fabric.  Might add a lining to it, but it isn't necessary, just for
it to feel better on :)

Red Tulip
Pattern from one of the Burda magazines.  Out of some linen fabric I had left over from a dress I had made.  I don't know why I made this skirt, I never liked tulip skirts!  (Crazy, right?  Why would I even make it?!)  It had some interesting folds going on, you can see it a bit better in the last picture, I don't know why the others turned out so saturated.  It is pretty cool, I may even wear it someday, lol.
It took me a bit to get it right, at first, both the creases were sewn down at the hem, which made the hem a little small and made the skirt bubble strangely.  I took the 'under' crease out at the hem and closed up the other one by sewing so that it would be so keen on bubbling out.  Anyway, It is cool I guess.  I'll probably add a lining onto this one (after the move), the fabric is fairly thin so I think it'll be more comfortable to wear.

So.  That's it.  Mostly done with 2 different vintage dresses and a petticoat.  Maybe they'll get done before I leave, maybe they won't.

Oh, and I don't know if I mentioned on vox about the most amazing fabric mecca in Dallas that I JUST discovered (weeks before I move, go figure).  Super, super cheap fabric.  Amazing.  SOOO amazing.  I'm getting all excited just thinking about it.  Some of the fabrics I saw there I had bought at another store for close to $15 a yard that they had for no more than 2! 
I have to go back before I leave, to stock up some more (no fabric stores in Massachusetts!) and before I have to find fabric there to be able to afford to make my Beauty and the Beast dress which is going to take like, 15 yards of fabric.  Can't afford it other wise.  And you can bet I'll be going there every time I visit my sister!

So much fabric!  All around 5 yards each (plus two bolts) under $150!!
And isn't that one with the faces so neat??!  I'm thinking about getting some knits to go with it and making it into some maxi dresses to try and sell.  I have a whole bolt of it (for $10!!!)!  It was just so original!


Have a couple other things to post, but I'll do it later.  Time to fix dinner!

~Nikki

Well, this first picture is of something I made for my parents for Christmas, but I'm counting it for my Project 365 since it was the only picture I took that day.
10 January 2009

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Excuse my look, I had just woken up.  It is one of those blankets with sleeves  (click here for pattern).  I made two of them, this orange was for my mom and a navy blue one for my dad. And other than the orange and blue fuz that took over the house, it was remarkably easy to make.  My sister and I figured that they would use them during the winter in their house up in Massachusetts.  But seeing as I am going to be the one up there in the winter, I should probably either take my dad's or make one for myself :P

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Happy New Year everyone!  Hope everyone had a good time.  I was bored.   Way to start the new year, right?  New Year's resolution #1: GET A JOB THIS YEAR. 

Here are a few aprons I made.  The black one was for me, just for fun, the bright one was a gift for my mom.  She gave me the fabric like, a year ago to make her an apron with and I never did it.  So I did it for Christmas!  Neither was made with a pattern.  I like the design of the bright one the best.  Plus, I wanted to make one for my mom that wasn't specifically for Christmas/winter so that she may actually use it.
And the black one looks better on the dress dummy because of the crinoline/petticoat underneath it.  Gives it a better shape.  But still cute :)

So, here is a post with some things that I made for people.  First, two giant grocery bags.  One for my sister (who has been asking for one for AGES) and one for my mom.  My mom now has more of my bags than I do!

Futurama bag, Designs mostly made out of felt, the white on the 'Planet Express' is a different type of material and the words are fabric marker.  The rest is embroidered. 
I made this bag a little differently, instead of making a front, a back, and a bottom/side piece, I just used one giant piece of fabric and boxed the two corners.  SO much easier.  I may just do this from now on.  I'll have to ask my sister how it works out, like, if it is as sturdy with groceries as the other one.

This one was for my mother, old school style.  Matches the other two bags I made for her (here and here apparently I don't have a single picture of the other one.  Guess I never posted it....I'll take some pictures in a bit and post them at the end of this post...it isn't like it's deviating from the content of the post!).  The design was just really winged on this one, I had no idea what to do.  I had the bag already cut out for something else I was going to make and just tried to come up with the design for it.  Supposed to look kinda home made (anthropologie inspired).  She likes that look

I have to say, it really was a HUGE pain in the ass to iron all those bags together, but I'm almost out of Target bags which means A)no more bags or B) I have to use other ugly bags.  Making the bag fabric for my sister was especially tough because it is just one really massive piece of 'fabric'.  Much harder than the smaller pieces.  I was happy with the way they turned out.

Oh, and here (on the left)are the pictures of that old bag I made for my mom ages ago, since I haven't posted it before.  And on the right is the bag that I linked earlier.  Just for ease of viewing.